This year was my second spent at the Goroka Show and also in the town itself. With this in mind what did I think about the Goroka nightlife and street food scene?
Well lets just say when it comes to the nightlife Goroka is no Mount Hagen.
What the Goroka?
Goroka, nestled in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea, is the kind of place that grabs your attention the moment you step off the plane. Known as the coffee capital of PNG, this city sits at about 1,600 meters above sea level, giving it that crisp mountain air and the perfect climate for growing some of the world’s finest coffee. But Goroka is more than just a coffee town.
You can read about Kongo Coffee here.
Every September, it hosts the famous Goroka Show, a wild festival where hundreds of tribes gather for an explosion of culture, color, and dance. It’s like stepping into a National Geographic documentary, but with the smells of street food and fresh coffee all around you. Speaking of food, Goroka’s local market is an adventure in itself—here you can sample PNG’s fresh produce, local snacks, and, of course, the country’s lifeblood: coffee.
The streets of Goroka are alive with a mix of tradition and modernity. And while the city is growing it still not only holds some of its old charm, but is by PNG standards at least relatively safe.
Goroka nightlife – the restaurants
Restaurant wise most all places come in lodges, or resorts that sell staple hearty foods like steak and pies. These include the Phoenix, which has a swimming pool as well as a great menu. Alas they are not always that reliable.
One local find that we got this time was at Siwai Lodge, which despite the lack of beer at least had good steak. They did though have wine, as well as getting me some ginger Paiawara.
Supposedly the best restaurant though would be the Coral Sea Resorts Bird of Paradise Hotel, although I have always found this a little overrated.
One famous local franchise though is Enzo’s pizza which also offer delivery.
Street Food Goroka
While relatively slow during the year, during the Goroka Show there are literally hundreds of stalls serving people in and around the show area. These cover the whole length and breadth of Papua New Guinea Street Food scene.
Favourites at least that I had were the locally made juices (that come in coke bottles) that cost pennies, fresh coconuts and of course the PNG saveloy.
When you explore street food at the Goroka show take some local buddies with you to avoid any issues.
Goroka Nightlife – Drinking in Goroka
The Phoenix Hotel is a great place for as drink, but has nothing on the Aero Club, which is more Mount Hagen Club than Yacht Club. This can get a bit rough and ready, but is the place to meet locals and expats alsike.
If you would rather hang out with pretentious tourists then simply head to the Bird of Paradise. Fire water wise there seemed to be a lack here, with people going for the legal moonshine with ginger. Despite only being 14 percent it really did knock me for 6 – even if it did take two bottle to do so.
At a worst case scenario head your way out to one of the very liquor stores get some Moresby Rum and go chill at one of the lodges. Getting drunk is best done the night before going to Lae.
You can check out the PNG Tours I lead here.