Craving a taste of Africa? Wherever you’ve decided to move to or travel in Europe, the good news is that some of the best African restaurants can be found here.

So whether you’re craving Nigerian flavours or a taste of Ethiopia, we’ve got you covered with our guide to the 7 best African restaurants in Europe.

The 7 best African restaurants in Europe

280 Degrees African Restaurant & Bar, London

Described by diners as the ‘best Nigerian restaurant in London’, 280 Degrees African Restaurant & Bar is located on Kilburn High Road in North London.

It offers a small and cosy setting and friendly customer service and serves up a variety of delicious and piping hot Nigerian dishes with great flavour. These include meat pie, moi moi, ugba dishes, meat stews, plantain and much, much more. Feeling hungry yet?

BMK Paris, France

BMK is an African restaurant with two locations in Paris. It serves up thiakry, mafe, yassa and other West African specialities in a stylish, arty setting.

Not only is the team friendly, helpful and attentive, but they also provide explanations about the origins of each ingredient. No wonder then that the place is always busy! Booking ahead is strongly advised.

Enqutatash African Restaurant, Rome

If you’re in Rome and fancy a taste of some of the best Ethiopian food around, look no further than Enqutatash African Restaurant.

This cosy, intimate and independent restaurant with a friendly owner and no-frills interiors offers a true taste of Ethiopian cuisine with the chefs using authentic Ethiopian kebe (butter) to bring their wide selection of dishes to life. Yum yum.

Mandela 100, Madrid

Serving up a wide selection of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes, as well as the famous African soup, Mandela 100 is a relatively new Sengalese food restaurant that opened its doors in Madrid in 2018.

Situated close to the Nelson Mandela plaza and Al Huda mosque, the restaurant comes highly recommended by diners. It offers a wide variety of dishes including thiebou luyum, a mouth-watering rice and fish dish that’s a huge hit with the regulars! Yes, please.

Tako African Kitchen, Warsaw

With its vast and varied menu, Tako African Kitchen has been described as the ‘best African restaurant in Warsaw’. The food is fresh and the service is friendly. Its menu also takes you on a small culinary journey around Africa with dishes from various countries and cultures available.

The setting is small and cosy and beautiful African artefacts line the walls. Basically, Tako Kitchen is the place to be for those looking for authentic African food in Warsaw. Say no more.

Gypsy Lounge & Grill, Vilnius

Colourfully decorated and reasonably priced, Gypsy Lounge & Grill serves up a variety of African and Hungarian dishes.

Located near the town hall square in Vilnius, the restaurant teams good food with friendly staff. There’s also a relaxing atmosphere and the place comes highly recommended by diners. Oh, and did we mention there’s also live music at the weekend? We’ll see you there!

Kara Lounge Restaurant, Istanbul

With its stylish and contemporary setting and beautiful terrace area, Kara Lounge Restaurant is the place to go in Istanbul for authentic African food.

Centrally located but tucked away from the main streets, the restaurant serves up a variety of world cuisine and African specialities. The staff are also very friendly and attentive. Don’t forget to try the delicious juice cocktails when you go!

Now that you know some of the best African restaurants in Europe, there’s only one question left. Which one’s at the top of your list?

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Have you recently been asked to share your UK immigration status by an employer, university or landlord? You might be wondering where to start.

This helpful guide tells you everything you need to know about how to view and prove your UK immigration status.

How to view and prove your UK immigration status 

Unless you are a non-EEA family member who has not previously been issued with a biometric residence card, the Home Office will not issue physical proof of your status. To prove your immigration status in the UK, you will need to log into your online UKVI account. 

This can be done by:

• Logging in to your online profile
• Choosing the identity document you used in your application (this will be either your Biometric residence card (BRC), national identity card or passport)
• Entering your BRC, ID card or passport number
• Entering your date of birth
• Confirming who you are

After you’ve inputted these details, you will receive a one-time six-digit access code to your phone or email address. Once you enter it, you’ll be able to access your profile and view your Pre-Settled or Settled status. You’ll also be able to select ‘Prove your status to someone’. This will send you a share code that you can use to prove your status to third parties.

Who can use the online service

Please note: you can only access this service if you have a UKVI account. You’ll have one if you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme or applied for a visa and used the UK Immigration: ID Check app.

You will not have a UKVI account if you went to a Visa Application Centre (VAC) or Service Support Centre (SSC). If this is the case, you can prove your right to work to an employer and prove your right to rent to a landlord using different services.

As well as viewing and proving your UK immigration status, you can also use your UKVI account to update your personal details. This includes your passport number and email address. You can also check what rights you have in the UK including your right to work, rent and claim benefits.

Struggling to access your account? Contact UK Visas and Immigration, who’ll be able to help.

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Home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites and mountainous landscapes, Kyrgyzstan boasts a rich history and incredible natural beauty. The former Soviet country is also one of the many places you can send money to with TransferGo.

But how much do you really know about Kyrgyzstan? Well, it’s time to find out. Here are 5 things you didn’t know about Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyzstan consists of mainly mountains

Not content with just one or two mountain ranges, Kyrgyzstan boasts 85. Yes, that’s right. 85! In fact, around 80% of Kyrgyzstan’s geographic territory is covered in mountains. Because of this, the country is often nicknamed the ‘Switzerland of Central Asia’.

Kyrgyzstan’s highest point is Jengish Chokusu. At 7,439 metres (24,406 feet), it’s located in the region of Tian Shan (which aptly translates to ‘heavenly mountains’). Stretching approximately 2,500 kilometres between the border of China and Kyrgyzstan, this beautiful spot is also home to Heavenly Lake, a high mountain lake and the country’s most popular tourist area. 

The country is a fan of long poems

Here’s a fun fact: the longest poem in history was produced in Kyrgyzstan. Telling the story of the life of Manas (the heroic warrior who united Kyrgyzstan), Epic of Manas weighs in at an impressive 500,000 lines. That’s 20 times longer than The Odyssey. Wowzers.

Officially published in 1920, the poem is believed to date as far back as the 1700s, beginning as an oral tale that was eventually recorded in writing. As well as this poem, Manas is celebrated in many other ways in Kyrgyzstan. There are statues, roads and universities named after him. Oh, and an airport and opera too.

Kyrgyzstan is far from crowded

Crowds? What crowds? Despite measuring roughly 200,000 square kilometres, Krygyzstan is home to just over five and a half million people. This means that for every square kilometre of land, there are just 29.5 residents. 

Unlike other sparsely populated countries where most residents are concentrated in cities (Australia, for example), the people of Kyrgyzstan like to spread out. In fact, only 36% of the population lives in urban locations. 

The people of Krygyzstan like to shake hands

Shaking hands is a huge part of Kyrgyz culture. Every time they see each other, male colleagues and friends will generally shake hands with one another. They’ll do so to say hello, congratulations, goodbye and whatever else.

Handshaking between men and women isn’t a common custom. Generally, men don’t shake hands with women but if a man extends his hand first, the woman is expected to shake it. In this circumstance, the woman takes the passive role. It’s very uncommon for a woman to initiate a handshake in Kyrgyzstan—much to the bewilderment of Western tourists. 

Krygyzstan has many other interesting customs

The people of Krygyzstan like to drink tea. In fact, it’s treated like water here with the locals drinking it with pretty much every meal. Usually, it’s served in small bowls and drank alongside traditional Kyrgyz bread. People also value cleanliness a lot in Krygyzstan. Before you enter a person’s house, you’re expected to take your shoes off first.

Another interesting fact about Krygyzstan is that the historic Silk Road runs through it. The country also has very few street lights and its capital city of Bishkek is no exception. At night, the streets are barely lit there. One more fact? Oh, go on then. If Scrabble allowed place names, Kyrgyzstan would earn a whopping 30 points.

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Do you have some fun facts of your own about Krygyzstan? Share them with us on Instagram. We’ll reshare our favourites! Don’t forget to tag us at @transfergo.

And if you want to send money to Krygyzstan, sign up now for easy online money transfers with TransferGo.

Over the last few years, it’s fair to say we’ve encountered many difficulties: Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis—the list goes on. But with the help of our New Year tips, there are ways to make dark times and difficult moments that little bit easier.

Here are 5 easy ways to make 2023 your best year yet. 

Manage your expectations

If there’s one thing negative world events can teach us it’s that life can be unpredictable. Also, it’s impossible to prepare for worst-case scenarios. The truth is we don’t know what will happen next year, next month or even tomorrow. But if we can stay present, live in the moment and appreciate the now as much as possible, life can feel a little easier. 

By being more flexible and open to life not going to plan, we can all become a little bit more adaptable and resilient. It’s also worth remembering that no matter how hard life gets, we’re all equipped to deal with anything (yes, even the unspeakably bad stuff).

Step outside

Fact: The outdoors is good for our mental health. Research has found that being outdoors makes us happier with nature lowering our blood pressure, reducing stress and improving our focus and mood. Anxiety, depression and anger are also notably lower in those who regularly spend time outdoors.

Next time you feel like life is getting on top of you, take a breather and step outside. Even just a 20-minute daily walk can do you the world of good, stretching your legs and clearing your head.

Limit your screen time

Checking your phone all the time is a huge distraction and takes you away from the present. If this rings a bell, it’s time to rethink your mobile phone habits. Next time you go to pick up your phone, pause to think about why you’re doing this right now. Is it to perform an important task or will you likely scroll mindlessly? If it’s the latter, put your phone away. 

Other ways to help you reduce your screen time include deleting distracting apps, pausing your notifications and leaving your phone in your bag when at work, home or school. It’s also worth resisting using your phone in bed—the screen’s blue light can really disrupt your sleep-wake cycle.

Ditch the New Year’s resolutions

Setting yourself huge New Year’s resolutions can be daunting and ultimately, they often lead to failure. Instead, set realistic weekly targets that tie into what you want to achieve. For example, if you wish to be more organised, make it your mission to do one thing a week that helps you achieve this. This could be as simple as clearing out a drawer, writing a shopping list or keeping on top of general household chores. 

If you set yourself realistic weekly goals instead of huge annual ambitions, you’re more likely to accomplish your goal. And if you accomplish one goal then you’re more likely to accomplish more goals. Success breeds success, after all.

Switch your focus onto other people

If you spend a lot of time worrying about your own problems, try to turn your thinking outwards. After all, it really is true that helping other people makes you feel good. It also doesn’t take much effort.

Helping people is not only good for the soul and everyone involved but it’s contagious, too. Once you get into the habit of carrying out good deeds, you’ll soon find yourself doing it on a daily basis. Easy examples of good deeds you can do in everyday life include opening the door for people, buying a coffee for a homeless person or picking up litter from the pavement. 

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Looking for other ways to make 2023 your best year yet? In addition to the New Year tips above, you can also choose TransferGo when sending money. Sign up today for easy, fast and low-cost money transfers.