Café Simon — Café / French / Burkinabè, Ouagadougou
Café Simon opened adjacent to the Ciné Burkina — Ouagadougou's historic film venue and the centrepiece of the FESPACO biennial festival — and has been serving the city's creative community since. The connection to African cinema culture is embedded in the walls: film posters, festival programmes, and photographs of African directors.
The coffee is made from Burkinabè beans sourced from the country's southwest growing regions — quality that receives insufficient recognition outside the country and that Café Simon prepares with genuine specialty coffee attention.
The pastry programme draws from the French tradition and local influences: croissants alongside the sesame and millet biscuits that Burkinabè patisseries produce in forms that have no European equivalent.
The FESPACO weeks (February of odd years) transform Café Simon into one of African cinema's most animated spaces — directors, critics, and enthusiasts from across the continent filling the tables with conversations that are simultaneously about films and about Africa.
Best Occasion: Perfect for Solo Dining
Burkinabè coffee, millet biscuits, and the film posters on the wall. The solo traveller's ideal Ouaga morning in the city's creative heart.
Best Occasion: Works for First Dates
The cinema connection, the creative community, and the coffee provide the conversation framework. First dates at Café Simon have cultural substance.