Hen & Ben's Food
Pork-free Chinese cooking tucked into the Para bauxite belt
Why Go
In a country where Chinese-Surinamese eateries are as common as roti shops, Hen & Ben's has carved out a niche few know about: it's widely cited as the first Chinese kitchen in Suriname to leave pork off the menu entirely. That single choice turns a roadside canteen in sleepy Paranam into a rare halal-friendly stop for anyone crossing the Para District on the way to the interior.
The Experience
Paranam itself is not a tourist town ΓÇö it's a company settlement built around the old Suralco bauxite refinery, ringed by savanna, kreken and the Suriname River. Hen & Ben's fits that unpretentious mood: a plain kitchen-plus-counter set-up where the food does the talking. Orders go in at the window, come out fast in foam boxes, and most people eat in the car, on a bench, or take it home to Onverwacht or Domburg. The energy is local ΓÇö refinery staff on lunch break, families ordering catering trays for a verjaardag, drivers stopping in before the long push south toward Brownsberg or Atjoni. English is limited; a smile, a point at the warmer, and some basic Dutch or Sranan Tongo will get you a plate.
What to Try
Stick to the Chinese-Surinamese classics done without pork: bami or nasi goreng with chicken, tjauw min (soft egg noodles), moksi meti swapped for kip and duck, and the ever-reliable foe yong hai. Ask what's fresh in the bain-marie ΓÇö kousenband (long bean) stir-fries and a good pittige sambal on the side are usually your friend. Portions are canteen-generous rather than delicate; two mains easily feed three.
Insider Tip
Because the whole kitchen is pork-free, this is one of the few sit-and-go spots in Para District that halal-observant travellers, and anyone doing a road trip with mixed dietary rules, can order from without a game of twenty questions. Call ahead if you're rolling through with a group ΓÇö they run a serious catering side and will pack bulk bami/nasi trays for pickup much faster than cooking to order on the spot.
The Practical Stuff
Location: JW83+F7G, Paranam, in the Para District about a 45-minute drive south of Paramaribo along the Martin Luther Kingweg / Oost-Westverbinding. Easiest to reach with your own car or a rental; taxis from the capital will do it but agree the fare both ways. Cash (SRD) is safest; card acceptance in this part of the country is patchy. Confirm current opening hours and catering lead times via their Facebook page before you drive out.
Pair It With
- Colakreek — The classic Para District swim spot ΓÇö dark cola-coloured water in white sand savanna, 15ΓÇô20 minutes from Paranam. Grab bami to go from Hen & Ben's and picnic under the palms.
- Overbridge River Resort Guide — A riverside lodge on the Suriname River nearby; easy to combine a lunch stop at Hen & Ben's with an afternoon of kayaking or a sunset drink over the water.
- Brownsberg Nature Park — If you're heading further south into the rainforest reserve, Paranam is one of the last practical places to load up on hot food before the climb up the mountain.
- Jodensavanne — The historic 17th-century Jewish settlement ruins sit across the river from Paranam ΓÇö pair the drive out with a takeaway lunch since there's nothing to eat at the site itself.