Gold Coast Ghal Kitchen

Gold Coast Ghal has made First Hill a destination outside of doctors appointments and, well, more doctors appointments. This pop-up-turned-restaurant serves excellent food from Liberia and Ghana, which can be hard to find in a city where East African food is more prevalent. The colorful art and blue cloth-clad booths give the intimate space added warmth and on a weekday a table for two is pretty easy to come by around dinner time. 

Dishes like the handpies and nuggets of ripe caramelized plantains are pure comfort, particularly when followed by a smoky goat peanut soup that should always be ordered with fufu. With limited seating, we wouldn’t come here with a big group looking for a last-minute plan. But Gold Coast makes for a great impromptu date night where sharing the last bites of a handpie is your version of romance (like it is ours).