Ro's Bar & Snack-Fountain: Kwattaweg's Roti and Telo Institution
Neighborhood snackbar on Paramaribo's west side serving roti, telo and cold Parbo to a loyal Kwatta crowd.
Why Go
Set along Kwattaweg ΓÇö the artery running west out of central Paramaribo toward the Kwatta district ΓÇö Ro's is the kind of unpretentious Surinamese snackbar-meets-bar where roti wrappers are folded to order and the beers stay cold from mid-morning until close. It's not on the tourist trail, and that's exactly the point: this is where locals from the surrounding neighborhoods stop in for a plate of telo before heading home, or park at the bar to catch up over a Parbo.
The Experience
Ro's sits at Kwattaweg 414, a short drive west from the city center in one of Paramaribo's most ethnically layered corridors, where Hindustani, Javanese, Creole and Chinese kitchens overlap block by block. The setup is classic Surinamese: part snack counter, part small bar, part meeting spot. You order at the counter, grab a plastic chair or perch at the bar, and settle in. Service is friendly-brisk rather than polished, portions are generous, and the soundtrack is neighborhood chatter. Come at lunch for a full plate and a quick turnaround; come in the evening when the fluorescent lights spill onto Kwattaweg and the mood softens into after-work drinks with something fried on the side.
What to Try
The roti is the calling card ΓÇö go for roti kip (chicken curry, potato, kousenband and a boiled egg wrapped in a soft dhalpuri) or, if you want the local move, roti doks (duck), which regulars single out as one of the best on this stretch of road. The other quiet star is telo: crisp fried cassava served with bakkeljauw (salted cod) in tomato-onion sauce, a Javanese-Surinamese staple that Ro's keeps available all day rather than the usual breakfast-only window. Wash it down with an ice-cold Parbo bottle ΓÇö it's a bar-snack, after all.
Insider Tip
Ro's is closed Sundays and public holidays, which trips up first-time visitors expecting a weekend brunch stop ΓÇö plan your telo run for Monday through Saturday, and note the kitchen keeps telo going the whole day, not just mornings like most snackbars in town.
The Practical Stuff
Address: Kwattaweg 414, Paramaribo, Suriname. Phone: +597 858-4771. Hours: roughly MondayΓÇôSaturday 10:00ΓÇô22:00; closed Sundays and public holidays (a few directories list daily 10:00ΓÇô23:00, but the owner-posted schedule is MonΓÇôSat). Cash-friendly and firmly budget ΓÇö expect snackbar prices in Surinamese dollars. Casual walk-in; no reservations. Easiest reached by car or taxi from central Paramaribo (about 10ΓÇô15 minutes west via Kwattaweg); parking along the road.
Pair It With
- 101 Suites Guide — Nearby lodging on the western side of Paramaribo, handy if you want a Kwatta base within easy reach of Ro's for a Saturday roti-and-Parbo evening.
- Aanansi ATV Tours Guide — Book a morning ATV outing on Paramaribo's outskirts, then loop back to Ro's on Kwattaweg for a well-earned plate of telo and a cold beer.
- 597SpeedUp Watertubing Guide — After a hot afternoon on the water, Ro's is the low-key, no-dress-code stop to refuel with roti doks before heading back into town.