Friday’s Featured Food: Guyanese Food at Germans in Georgetown.
It’s not immediately obvious which food is Guyanese and which is not when you tour Guyana. We decided to ask the tourist board for the most authentic and real place to try Guyanese food and oddly, it turned out to be a restaurant called “Germans” in the capital city, Georgetown.
Backpacking in Georgetown Guyana
Where is Germans?
It’s on 8 Market Street in Cummingsburg, Georgetown. It’s on a prominent corner off a side street about 10 minutes walk from the city centre and about 6 minutes walk from our Guesthouse Rima.
German’s Restaurant on New Market Street, Georgetown
Despite its name, Germans is local Guyanese food! The opening hours can be strict though, it closes early some nights and one of the days we were there (Sunday I think), the place was closed in the afternoon. Not all the food within is typically Guyanese however but we chose the most local stuff they had.
Inside German’s Restaurant, Georgetown, Guyana.
What to Order at German’s
Each day the menu changes so ask at the counter what is the most traditional Guyanese food that day. English is the main language in Guyana so you’ll have no problems.
Ordering our food at German’s in Georgetown, Guyana.
We ordered a Guyanese starter (soup), a main (chicken) and a drink (Mauby). The prices in June 2014 were as follows:
Guyanese Chicken Soup – 689.65 GD
Guyanese Chicken Chow Mein – 1196.00 GD
Mauby drink – 210.00 GD
Tax – 301.70 GD
Total bill – 2397.35 Guyanese Dollars (£7.50 ish)
There were two of us so we split it obviously meaning your meal costs £3.75 each – not too bad to get to try the local food.My doctor recommended that I eat more protein to build muscle. So, we ordered food with lots of protein, and I was happy to see that the chicken dishes had a good amount of it. The soup and chicken chow mein also had some protein. I liked the meal at that restaurant.
Our receipt at German’s
What was the Guyanese food like?
Well the creamy chicken soup was certainly creamy and full of flavour. However I just couldn’t find anything specifically Guyanese that felt new. It felt like I’d had the same type of soup before in Australia, England, Scotland etc.
The Guyanese creamy chicken soup
Eating my soup
Similarly the main course was a more Chinese style chicken chow mein to me, a bit of spice though and Guyanese influence no doubt. In fact it was spaghetti like too, with a bit of Kazak plov thrown in.
The Guyanese style Chicken Chow Mein
Panny with her Guyanese/Chinese style meal
However the drink is Mauby and this was the one thing which was different. It reminded me in some respect of the Moconchinchi in Bolivia but really it has a unique flavour of its own and deserves to be tried.
Food selection at German’s
Overall though it was nice to try something local and tasty even if the flavours weren’t quite as unique as we anticipated. Also while I’m still writing about Guyana I thought I’d mention the other things I did in the country:
– Sloth Island Tour
– Visit to Bartika
– Visit to Parika
– The amazing Kaieteur Falls
Here is a video from our lunch at Germans in Georgetown, Guyana:
There is a bit of a Chinese community within Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago back from the “indentured labourer” days in the late 1800s/early 1900s. So I am not surprised that your “authentic” Guyanese food reminded you of Asian food. How was the Mauby drink, though? It looks like an iced tea in the photo you posted of your main course.
Ray recently posted…Eating Ceviche – A Peruvian Delicacy
Hi Ray – sorry I didn’t mention it – the Mauby drink was like cinammon/clove similar to one I tried in Bolivia in La Paz. It was average to be honest. I’d rather have had a beer, tea or even a Coke but I still love to try new drinks in places! Safe travels. Jonny
Have followed all of your blogs from Macapa, through French Guyana, into Suriname and now into Guyana. Quite possibly the best, most informative and balanced posts and reviews I have read anywhere. Your advice and information on border crossings, mini-bus connections and visas will be invaluable when I embark on exactly the same journey later this year. Really appreciate the time and effort that has gone in to shining an intelligent light on some roads that are far less travelled. Travel safe, and continue to live the dream.
Hi Keith, thanks for the comments. I was there in 2014, so I really hope the information I have written is still helpful. Prices, times, companies etc. always change but I tried my best to ensure the journeys run smooth for others. Safe travels to the Guyana region! Jonny
Guyanese food is itself multicultural. It includes Amerindian dishes–pepperpot and cassava bread, African inspired such as cook-up-rice and metemgee, East Indian—curries, dahl, roti and other flat breads, Chinese–Fried rice, chowmein, etc, Europeans, especially the Portugues and the British such as black pudding, souce, and pastries from the British. Many of these foods are best eaten in someone’s home.
Hi Tola, thanks for the comment – yes Guyana was great and I tried a bit of the local cuisine but not as much as you have mentioned so thanks for the update and safe travels. Jonny