WATCH: Zebra, Crocodile and Antelope Oh My! You Won't Believe What's on This Restaurant's Menu
Are these zebras going to end up on your plate at Carnivore? (Photo: Ghislain & Marie David de Lossy/Photodisc/Getty Images)
If you’re in Africa, you’ve likely seen animals like zebras, elands, springboks, and crocodiles from a safari Jeep. Well, the other ultimate way to experience them is on your plate — like a real local! Enter Carnivore, a restaurant that serves unusual game meats — think zebra and ostrich. You just need to be a little brave and a lot hungry. Here’s what Yahoo Travel found at the Johannesburg location.
Welcome to Carnivore: Enter (and eat) if you dare! (Photo: Warwick Hotels)
Where: Carnivore restaurant, Misty Hills Country Hotel, Conference Centre and Spa in Muldersdrift, Johannesburg. (There is also a location in Nairobi, Kenya.)
Related: Road Trip: The Nelson Mandela Tour of South Africa
Like the authentic decor? (Photo: Recreation Africa)
Why go: Carnivore, which prides itself on giving tourists the ultimate authenticity in African experiences, is the meat eater’s Epcot Center. You get to sample meats from across the African terrain, all with over-the-top pomp and circumstance: At least three times a night, the servers and other staff members beat drums and sing and dance across the dining area (which, in keeping with the theme, has zebra-patterned nylon seats). And the waiters will keep feeding you until you’ve stuffed yourself so much that you literally throw in the flag (there’s one on the table for that purpose) to signal that you’re finished.
Related: African Safari: Secret Ways to Take the Wildlife Photos of Your Dreams
Carnivore’s meats on Masai sword skewers (Photo: Recreation Africa)
Pile it on your plate. The waiters won’t stop serving until you surrender your flag! (Photo: Recreation Africa)
What to eat: The restaurant serves a variety of game and domestic meats, skewered on what they say are swords Masai-tribe swords. Crocodile oddly tastes like fish. We’re talking fishy fish. And zebra? Stick some slices on rye with a little bit of horseradish mayo, and that would make a mighty fine sandwich. Ostrich is a red meat that tastes like venison. (In the Nairobi location, you can also eat ox testicles, which are weirdly pasty. Just hang on to your gag reflex.) There are veggie and fish options for those who aren’t game (pun intended). Your meaty meal also comes with soup, salad, sides, and dessert.
This is one of the dawa dudes from Carnivore in Nairobi. (Photo: GVPedia)
Bonus: There’s a “dawa man.” Dawa is Swahili for “medicine,” and the “medicine” this guy is offering is the sickly sweet dawa cocktail, made with vodka, lime juice, honey, sparkling water, and sugar. Why the name? “It’s the medicine for everything,” our dawa dude told us. “It makes everyone happy!” Unless, of course, you are one of those people who turn angry when drunk. Or a diabetic.
Don’t forget: Your elastic-waisted pants. And Tums.
Related: Global Safaris: 8 Places to See Wild Animals Out of Africa
Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
