Everything was good. The food was amazing. Delicious tasty rice and the service was great. Highly…read morerecommend. I walked in, none busy and i was able to get my food within 5 minutes. The food was fresh and i loved it. However, paying 33 dollars for a meal with only two decent size oxtails is kind of expensive for a decent food. I wish they would have put more meat on my rice place. Other than that, it was a great experience eating this delicious food. The inside is small and they have a little table outside for family's to eat. I would come back here and try their other food but it is a bit pricey for me.

I swear by this place, however, my experience today ruined my interest in patronizing this…read moreestablishment. I went in today I usually travel over an hour away and spend min $100 here. My daughter and I absolutely adore the food here. But today was unfortunately different. I walked in sat down with the menu and the owner told me to leave his shop. I was confused I assumed maybe they weren't open yet ( mind you it's 11:30am) he tells me to leave his shop and states he refuses to serve me. Confused, I ask why because up until then I've never had a bad experience. He repeats leave my shop I will no longer serve you. So sad it had to end this way, not sure if he mistook me for someone else. Nonetheless I will never go back, weird energy and rude for no reason. I'm kinda sad because the food is delicious but I'm ok with it. I refuse to eat from someone who would treat me in such a nasty way.

I love African food. The spices are rich and it's always so savory. My favorite item here is the…read moremeat pie. It has a nice crust that is pretty buttery. The inside is filled with luscious meat. I always have lots of questions when I order at this joint, and they are always so patient with them. The ambience is that of a nice little food stand in urban Africa. Love it!

Yesterday, my wife and I had the opportunity to try this food truck while attending the Jollof…read moreFestival in Oakland. We ordered the chicken and fish entrees. Omggggg.. it was delicious. We ate the entire thing while sharing both back and forth. The portion, the sauce and the flavor was everything. Very well seasoned, served hot and so so so delicious. We want more right now and this is the next day..lol

I tried Ruth's Buka almost a year ago at a friend's birthday and finally made it to the restaurant…read morethis past weekend. My friend and I tried to go two weeks earlier, but by the time we arrived, most of the food was sold out -- granted, it was near the end of the day. We were bummed, but we came back the following weekend and success -- so many options to choose from! We ordered the egusi soup (my favorite), fufu, jollof rice and plantain with chicken. The food was just as good as I remembered from a year ago, full of flavor and comforting. Emmanuel was so friendly and provided exceptional service the entire time we were there. I will definitely be back. 5 stars all around!

Amazing service! The two girls behind the counter were literally so sweet! The food is bomb! 10/10…read morerecommend!

This was my first time trying African food, and I'm so glad this was my first experience!…read more I started with the Glow Water, and I was honestly impressed. It actually has flavor--it's definitely not just water with some fruit floating around in it. It was refreshing and delicious! The oxtail with jollof rice was amazing. The meat was incredibly tender and flavorful. I also tried the egusi with fufu, which had both chicken and turkey, and the meat was so tender as well. Everything was packed with flavor. But THE CORNBREAD?! That cornbread was out of this world. It had the perfect little bit of sweetness and was so moist, soft, and fluffy. I usually have a rating scale for food, but that cornbread officially broke my rating scale. For my first experience with African food, they definitely set the bar high. I will absolutely be coming back!

I was feeling adventurous and stopped in here after dropping my brother off at OAK…read more There's one (true) vegetarian/vegan option- the Jallof rice combo. The other veg option contains fish powder. The girl working didn't seem too pleased I didn't know the menu. I felt a bit like an imposition.... She was kind enough to walk over to the kiosk to show me what my options were. I'm glad she did because I other sis would have ordered the only other veg option which unfortunately has fish powder. The setting inside was very causal and felt a bit like a hole in the wall. There was soccer playing on a big screen which made the space feel very cozy like you're hanging out in their living room. The food itself (I'm sorry!!) was meh.... And I'm the kind of vegan who is happy eating the beans & rice of pretty much any culture. The rice was... reminiscent of Uncle Ben's or school lunch rice, the saucey stuff was just really oily and didn't have much savory flavor, the fried plantains were standard. For $22, I don't feel like this was money well spent BUT to be fair, it became evident to me this is a place you want to visit for the meats. The restaurant had a fishy smell to it so probably order whatever fish dish. I bet that would be what they'd recommend to a regular guest. To the vegans/vegetarians out there, there is one dish you can have but I'd skip this place entirely if you aren't coming here with a group who are omnivorous.

This was my first time trying Ethiopian food, and what a beautiful experience! We came as a party…read moreof six to celebrate and didn't call ahead, but we were welcomed and taken care of wonderfully. Our waitress was excellent! She patiently explained the different dishes, answered our questions, and made sure our food came out in a timely manner. The owner was just as welcoming and even helped us celebrate and took pictures with us, which made the experience even more special. Great food, excellent service, and such warm hospitality. They definitely made my first Ethiopian food experience one to remember!

It's been along time since I've came to eat here!…read more This place is one of my favorites! We got the combination plate! We were so full and it was two of us! Food is delicious and so flavorful! I am never disappointed when I come here! Friendly staff, place is clean! Parking is a little tight. Only thing is the plate they put the food on looks a little smaller than the big round ones they use to use.

Alloko Garden is one of many restaurants cooking out of Jingletown Eats, a ghost kitchen and food…read moredelivery distribution center identifiable by the painted bird on the storefront. I had already planned to visit Jingletown Eats to pick up donuts from Mochill for Yelp Elite Week, so of course I had to take advantage of the opportunity to try a new restaurant, Alloko Garden, as well! I ordered the Shoukuya (whole grilled chicken) and Alloko (plaintain fries) for $30. Both were so delicious! The chicken was juicy and well-marinated, and came with a flavorful tomato and onion topping. The plaintain fries were fun to eat and paired perfectly with a spicy, salty dip, which the website describes as a prebiotic sauce. Having no other point of reference, it reminded me of Chinese fermented bean paste. The only issue was that I didn't receive the salad that the whole chicken set should include. Looking back at the different options, only the whole chicken comes with a salad, so I can see how this mistake could happen. After making my own veggie side, the Shoukuya and Alloko ended up being enough for four servings, which is a great deal. I would absolutely recommend Alloko Garden to anyone craving or wanting to try West African cuisine!

Man! This was some yummy food and a blast from the past. As…read morea returned Peace Corps Volunteer who spent 2 years in Ivory Coast back in the 1990's, I was thrilled to see a local restauranteuer surface who could re relate some of the flavors that tickled my taste buds back in the day. Not to hate on its neighboring countries, but after travelling widely in West Africa I concluded that Ivory Coast has a truly rockin' and superior food culture. I'm vegan aspirational but my partner is not, so to increase his buy-in, we ordered Shokouya Cancanan chicken. The half chicken, accompanied by delicious grilled onions and tomatoes, was a generous portion of robustly seasoned, plump, fresh and perfectly cooked chicken. I love that they only use "happy chicken" as I call it--cage free, hormone free & antibiotic free--which assuaged some of my flesh eating hesitancy. The side dishes were just as I recalled: attieke, a marvelous cous-cous-like starch made of ground, fermented, then steamed cassava, was tangy, springy, and performed as expected in hand. (In hand?, you ask? Why yes, the "real" way to enjoy attieke is to scoop up a small handful with your right hand, scrunch it up in a ball, then dip it in a sauce or accompany it in this case with a bit of tender chicken.) It gives a taste and a mouth feel like no other. Then there was the alloko, which is a generous portion of chunks of fried plantain "doux," or sweet plantain. In Côte d'Ivoire you would likely enjoy these as streetfood, in my opinion best consumed after the heat of the day had spent itself and you were walking with your companion to take some fresh air before turning in. A street vendor would hand you a pile of these wrapped in a piece of newspaper, accompanied by a blob of paste composed improbably of fermented dried fish, ground chili pepper, oil and the omnipresent Cube Maggi. The marriage of sweet banana, spicy, umami, salty...made my toes curl just as I did 20 years ago! well, you can experience some of that magic with Alloko Garden's alloko. Each chef has their own recipe for the alloko side sauce and I suspect the proprietor, Monsieur Tohouri, uses less heat and less fish and more natural ingredients than the MSG-fest that is Cube Maggi, for us Oaklanders than he might have grown up with. But this healthy non-volcanic version more than gets the idea across and my partner, new to alloko and its accompaniments, understood that the idea was delicious. We both loved that instead of omnipresent plastic, this alloko (& attieke) came in a biodegradable paper box. Because he was temporarily out of one other dish that I'd hoped to sample, Mr. Tohouri kindly added a dish for me called fonio arancini, which are kind of hush puppy type doodads made of a grain I didn't remember encountering in my village, fonio. Even 20 minutes after picking up from the storefront in Jingletown, the fonio arancini arrived home still delicious in all the ways grain plus a dunk in a deep fryer can be: hot and crispy on the outside, warm and almost pudding-like on the inside, with a warm umami awesomeness from the cheese mixed with the dough, and a yummy dipping sauce alongside. According to the article I read in Berkeleyside, this fonio is part of an interest Monsieur Tohouri has in increasing the economic base in Côte d'Ivoire. First step is creating market demand. I say, bring it on!! Although we were ravenous after a four hour bike ride that day, both BF and I were satisfied after this feast. I know this is the first of many trips to this place. I feel so fortunate to have an authentic source of Ivoirien cuisine in my back yard, and with an emphasis on the health of the food chain, the planet, and the humans both producing and consuming the cuisine. I ordered and picked up directly from the storefront because I'd read somewhere that restaurants lose something like 40% of the price charged, to the delivery company (uber eats, grub hub etc). As the prices were very fair given the generous portions, this means a really tiny profit margin for the person doing all the work. What I didn't realize would be an added benefit was meeting the actual proprietor, the chef himself! Monsieur Tohouri came out to hand me my food, thus completing the awesomeness of the experience. How often in this disseminated and impersonal world do you get to thank the actual person who feeds you? My overall assessment: five thumbs up!! Merci bien Monsieur Tohouri!

Cozy family-run spot. Love the vibes!…read more We got the Shewhat Special (vegan sampler + chicken/beef combo) and added the Selam Special (shrimp/mushrooms/spinach). The platter was flavorful and gorgeously colorful. I particularly enjoyed the lentils and Selam Special. Highly recommend the sambusas--the pastry was piping hot and so flaky!! Delicious paired with the sweet chili sauce. So glad to have finally made it here for some authentic Ethiopian cuisine (':

If you are considering Ethiopian food, just wash your hands and come here. It's like dining in a…read morefriend's home, welcoming, warm and genuine. The owner Abby D. is also the chef and her love and pride in her cuisine shines through her cooking. Having eaten Ethiopian food only in the US, this is the best version that I've had across Chicago, NY and DC. They offer indoor and covered outdoor seating, giving it a homely comforting vibe. Since it was just the two of us, we ordered the vegan sampler and the lamb tibsy (spicy). The lamb was delicious and well spiced. All the dishes were served on a platter of injera - sour, spongy bread that just soaks up all the flavor to perfection. I enjoyed the red lentils (misir wat), yellow lentils (alicha) cabbage and carrot stir fry, collard greens and a house salad that had a dressing which perfectly complimented the rest of the dishes. They also offer additional injera should you need any - we didn't. You eat with your hands from the common platter, but they do provide additional plates and silverware should you need it. The portions are generous and we ended up taking some of the food home. They have a bunch of dishes I'd like to try, so I'm definitely going to be back!

Food: Amazing! I have been to this restaurant 3 days in a row. I've tried fufu and egusi before at…read moreother places, but the BEST fufu and egusi is from Golden Safari. The fufu is served hot and fresh. The meat in the egusi is so tender. Their puff puff, jollof rice, and chicken are also very good. I highly recommend, and I will keep coming back. Service: The owner of the restaurant is so sweet! Her staff is also very friendly. The staff wear hair bonnets, and the bathroom is always so clean.

I don't even know how to start this review off...this food is so so good it can make you cry happy…read moretears and make your year. My friend introduced me to Golden Safari and we drive down all the way from Oakland- it's worth the drive. The staff is kind and wonderful and the ambiance of the restaurant is lovely and has beautiful art. The owner/head chef is a legend!! The jollof rice is so unbelievable good and tasty , it feels like a wave of flavor hits your mouth and warmness hugs your soul. The second time I came here I got Jollof with the chicken... I didn't know it could get even better than it already was. The chicken legs tastes so good and reminds me of the chicken legs I ate growing up visiting my family friends home. This is the BEST chicken and jollof in the bay. But my absolute most favorite dish here, that makes me drive all the way down just to eat, is the puff puff. Puff puff is so so so amazingly good, in taste, in texture, and freshness. The puff puff sells out fast and I can see why- its so so good its my favorite pastry now!! Thank you for the wonderful food

This place is special. This evening 4 friends who are loved like family and myself sat down to eat…read moreand share our recent experiences/discoveries in this thing we call life. We were quickly seated. Shortly after we were given our water. As we pondered the delectable menu one member of our group brought our attention to the beautiful artwork surrounding those eating. The images are breathtaking portraits of individuals who look to be part of the Eritrean community. Sounds of laughter from the surrounding tables and feelings of safety from the peaceful internal environment embraced us as we looked. Then the food came out. It was full of color and there was clearly intentionality behind the presentation. Upon tasting the dish, flavors of savory seasonings, fresh vegetables, and soft injera filled the mouth. It was more than enough food for us all and we ended up taking left overs. If you are near the area I HIGHLY recommend paying this spot a visit.

Came here for lunch with some friends on our break. We ordered the sampler that included both the…read moremeat and vegetarian versions of dishes. We also ordered a side of injera (sour flatbread). The food took a bit of time to come out but we didn't mind since we were chatting. This was my first time trying Ethiopian food. Eating the food was interesting and fun. Ethiopian food is made to be eaten with your hands and no utensils. My favorites on the platter were the salad, Dorho Chicken, and Potatoes. I wasn't a big fan of the sourness of the injera, but I did love the softness of the flatbread.

Spectacular food - we ordered a veggie sampler, and got spiced ginger tea made in house also, with…read morelots of refills. Followed up with the world's best homemade pecan pie (with whipped cream). Lovely ambience in the outdoor courtyard, with soothing instrumental background music, under a heat lamp - very comfortable. Great, friendly personal service. Family-run restaurant that moved from near downtown Oakland to this new location less than two months ago.

TL; DR food and drinks were good but DO NOT sit at the bar…read more I wish I could have given them five stars. I have been to Enssaro when it was along the lake several times and was glad to see a lively restaurant take over the old sushi boat place. The food was good, especially the meatballs. I ordered an NA cocktail and it was excellent. We sat at the bar and unfortunately, the service at the was not only terrible, it was openly hostile. They never took our food order, the busboy took our food order because the waiter saw us waiting for more than 20 minutes. When they finally took our drink order they didn't even look at us. We were going to order another drink, but they stood at the far corner looking away from us with their arms crossed. We wondered if we did something wrong. It almost seemed like they were avoiding our gaze on purpose. The new bartender who was learning the ropes looked at us sheepishly and apologetically, but didn't take our order. We closed out as soon as we could and left. It's too bad because the ambiance in the rest of the restaurant seemed fun.