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    Afro Cook House

    4.8 (6 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

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    Jeff S.

    Once again I found myself making a trip to the 71st and Lewis area, so I decided to try something new for lunch. After a little searching the area, I landed on the Afro Cook House on Lewis. TLDR: Good food, clean, sparse environment and outstandingly friendly people. I'd seen one other review so I kinda had a little inkling of what they offered. First off, the place doubles as an ethnic market with the eatery tucked into a back corner. That said, while small, it's open, airy and doesn't feel at all cramped. A nice gentleman greeted me on arrival and showed me to the dining area and the posted menu. The menu is a handwritten affair that I imagine doesn't change a lot, but leaves room for some creativity. I didn't see any prices posted, but I think it's generally safe to assume most main dishes are in the $14-18 dollar range. I was hoping for the Suya beef, but they were out of that. Not having just a ton of time on my hands, I opted for the Smoked Chicken and rice. To his credit, the gentleman asked about my spice tolerance, making sure I understood that the dish was fairly spicy. Being a pepper belly, I told them to bring it on. While waiting I strolled around the store, looking at the myriad of exotic ingredients available, many totally new to me. This was my first foray into African cuisine, so I was totally a fish out of water. While preparing my meal, the lovely lady in the kitchen called me over and we chatted about the dish. She wanted to let me know the dish was not the usual chicken that Americans are used to. She advised me not to expect, plump, juicy chicken pieces, but rather meat that was slightly chewy and boney, as that's how the dish is prepared traditionally. Gotta admit... I appreciate the honesty. I told her I had no preconceptions, so let's do it. In just a few more minutes the dish was on my table. While strolling around, I noticed she took the chicken portion of the dish out of a container and microwaved it. Ordinarily that would be a deal breaker, but I understand that they have to do it this way because of volume. I suspect most of their dishes are not a 'cook to order' recipe, because of the nature of how they're prepared. Obviously microwaves aren't authentic to the cuisine, but I applaud them adapting to fit our culture and the Tulsa marketplace. While I was there from around 12:30 to 1ish, I was the only diner, so I don't imagine there's near enough volume to prep and hold those dishes. I say all that to point out that sometimes you need to accomodate situations. Once the food hit my table, I plowed in. When she brought my order, the cook mentioned that the chicken is meant to be eaten with your fingers, and that was part of my love language. If it's worth eating, it's worth wearing. The chicken was indeed spicy, rating right up there with some of the hotter cajun food around. The accompanying rice was hot, fluffy and right on point. And the chicken was indeed stringy, bony and sparse. But you know what? It worked. I took time to reflect that while I'm a protein guzzling all-American boy, the rest of the world doesn't eat like me. The cook explained to me that this is as traditional as if gets for this type of food. So I realized that in some cultures, you offset the lack of quantity with an excess of flavor, and this dish did just that. I found myself pouring the sauce from the bowl of chicken over the rice, and that just amped it right up for me. All totaled, there probably wasn't a half cup of meat in the entire meal, but I left full and satisfied. The rice, once seasoned, was awesome. Honestly, in any other restaurant, I'd have sent that chicken back to the kitchen and been mad as hell. But the cook's time spent managing not only my expectations, but my perceptions made all the difference. I would imagine the Suya beef has a lot more protein (based on a couple photos), so I won't assume every dish is as protein scarce as mine. But if you go there to eat, *and you should*, just understand that the Afro Cook House isn't like all the other mainstream franchise joints that load a plate with marginal food. They make authentic, flavorful dishes that speak to their roots and heritage, and it's worth you making the paradigm shift. All done, with a bottle of water and a generous tip, the total was around $23. Could I have gotten more food for that money? Absolutely. But I couldn't have had the experience of a genuinely new cuisine served up as authentically as possible that peaked my taste buds in astoundingly new ways. And THAT made all the difference.

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    15 days ago

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    4 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    6 months ago

    food was good, people were kind, had a chill atmosphere. have visited again since and had a good experience the second time around

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    Smooth Flavors

    Smooth Flavors

    (10 reviews)

    This food truck has been on my list for way too long. Tulsa is in dire need for African…read morerestaurants. Thankfully Smooth Flavors is holding down the fort. It used to be located on 71st but moved to this location about 7 months ago. There's plenty of parking next to it and the like green truck is easy to spot. There's a couple of picnic tables as well if you choose to eat there. The food is specifically from Liberia on the west African coast. I had never tried Liberian food so I was super excited and asked for recommendations. They even offered to allow me to taste their soups to make a decision. It was super nice and extremely helpful. We ended up ordering the bell pepper meat stew with rice, jollof rice with fried chicken, and the banga (palm butter) soup with fufu. Despite it being quite a bit of food, it all came out in like 10 minutes. The stew was super flavorful and the meat was nice and tender. The white rice along with us was pretty plain but it made a good combo with the stew. The jollof rice was rich and had a slightly smoky taste. I usually like for it to have a stronger tomato taste, but it was still good. The fried chicken with it was my favorite, it was cooked to perfection. The highlight was trying fufu for the very first time. I had only seen pictures of it and I was so indicted. The owner educated me on its use as a pairing to their soups. It's hard to describe but it's texture is doughy and it's made of cassava, yams or plantains. It reminded me a bit of mashed potatoes but thicker. You're supposed to pinch a little bit off, shape it into a ball and dip it in the soup. It has a very mild and subtle taste, which went perfectly with the palm butter soup which was extra rich and meaty. I had to skim off some of the excess oil from the soup, but besides that, it was great. An experience for sure! Will be back to try other dishes.

    Was located in a food hall in Tulsa. This restaurant was pretty decent, the flavors really punched…read moreyou in the face. The jollof rice was very flavorful and the beef stew was pretty good. Some of the beef was a tad dry but all in all it was a really good meal. Ambiance was ok as it was in a food hall and the service was ok as well, the food just took a tad long.

    Afrikan Delights

    Afrikan Delights

    (5 reviews)

    After doing a couple of loops around the mother road market I decided to stop by the Afrikan…read moreDelights restaurant. I was greeted with warm smilea by the chef and another employee. After reviewing the menu I decided to order on the kiosk a build my own regular plate with four chicken wings, Waakye Rice (Rice & Black-Eyed Peas), and Efo-Riro (Spinach). I waited a little bit for my food and almost thought I had missed the text, but the chef signaled me over and I picked up my order. The first surprise was the large mount of Waayke rice compared the very small cup of spinach. I noticed that the black eyed peas in the rice looked burnt and unfortunately tasted that way too. The rice was a little over cooked and sticky as well--not what I was expecting. It was difficult to take more than a few bites, so I tried the spinach, which was cold and did not have a of spice or flavor. I moved on to the chicken wings, which were just basic chicken wings--nothing special. I've had the blessing of having home made and restaurant made West African food and unfortunately Afrikan Delights missed the mark. Their food lacked a lot of flavor or warmth. I gave them three stars because of the attentive customer service and for replacing the rice. The chef was kind enough to check on me and listen to my feedback. I was still pretty hungry after not finishing a lot of my meal, so I was kicking myself for that! I hope that the flavor improves in the future as I love supporting local and black-brown owned businesses!

    So, I have been wanting to try African cuisine for a while now. My friend and I were close by this…read morelocation, and I wanted to give it a shot. Little did I know I was about to try some of the best food I've ever had. Mind you, this was my first time trying Fufu too! Anyway, I ordered the oxtail, and it was absolutely phenomenal. The thick, tenderness, and juiciness of the meat combined with delicious flavors made it almost impossible to stop eating. The Fufu, typically made of plantains or yams, soaked up all the delicious flavors, and it was also fun eating with my hands. The fried plantains and rice were a perfect combination with that oxtail. It's a little on the pricier side, but the experience and memory are all worth it. They also have great customer service, and the lady who worked there helped me pick out certain items since it was my first time. Im telling you, if you are afraid or have never tried this type of cuisine, dont skip it next time. I think you will be just as surprised as I was...I'll be back and thank you, Afrikan Delights for such a great meal.

    Afro Cook House - african - Updated May 2026

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