Osu, one of Accra’s most vibrant and busiest suburbs has been named among the coolest neighbuorhoods in the world.
Osu niched the 20th spot on a compilation of 50 neighbourhoods from across the globe. The list is compiled by Time Out in commemoration of its 50th year. Local Time Out editors, writers across the world, and experts who know the city worked on the compilation.
“We also asked more than 15,000 people around the world about the best (and most overrated) neighbourhoods in their city as part of our City Life Index survey. We wanted to know: is there a buzz about the area, with cool new venues opening? Can most people actually afford to live there? Is it a great place to stay for someone visiting the city? Most importantly, does it feel like a place that’s on the up?” the publication said.
A note on Osu by Anna Robertson, one of the contributors reads:
Accra has a vibrancy and energy that never sleeps, and in Osu the pulse of the city is visceral. It’s a little seedy, but very fun – especially at night, with its renowned bars, clubs and chop houses.
The main thoroughfare, colloquially known as ‘Oxford Street’, backs itself onto the coastline, where bars line Labadi beach, horses and quad bikes make for ultimate selfie backdrops and the ocean gleams (even if plastic pollution renders it less than charming to swim in).
EAT Ivorian eatery Chez Clarisse is noisy, hot and the best place to pack as many friends into a table as possible. Share the marinated chicken and tilapia and mop up the sauces with spicy fried plantains and shredded cassava.
DRINK Watch the colourful wooden fishing boats of the Ga people roll in to shore at Osekan, where you can down Club beers while looking out onto the Gulf of Guinea.
DO The best place to start (and end) the night is Front/Back. Find the hidden entrance and discover the best that Africa has to offer in terms of contemporary art, locally-made furnishings and the freshest cocktails in the city. You may have to make friends with a local to get in, as the club is technically members-only.
STAY Check out the stylish Villa Boutique or its newer sister guest houses, Olma Colonial Suites.
Osu is one of only two neighborhoods that were featured from Africa, with the other one being City Bowl District in Cape Coast, South Africa which followed immediately after Ghana at 21.
