Came here on my way to the airport! When we arrived, they were having some electrical issues & lights were off. After about 15 minutes or so, lights came back on. Food - had the grilled tilapia with jollof rice and fried plantain. The food was pretty decent compared to what I've been eating all weekend. Tilapia did take quite a long time to make; it wasn't the best but I wasn't disappointed by it after waiting for a long time for our food. Jollof rice was pretty good and a huge portion; ended up taking it to go! read more

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My wife and I had an incredible lunch experience! Linda, the owner, patiently described the West African dishes with smiles and such enthusiasm. Everything was new to us and it was all so amazingly delicious! The portions were large, so we brought some home. A cool, clean, inviting space on the second floor. Can't wait to return to try more menu items. read more

Akwaba Restaurant - Delicious bowl of krain krain and homemade ginger drink! - African Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

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The service was good even though they did not have enough staffing to help all their customers. The place was a little hard to find in the area due to being upstairs in the building. The fish was so good and the fried rice was super flavorful. The fufu and egusi with chicken was not my favorite just because my own preference but i did see others eating and enjoying it. The egg rolls were so good and crispy. read more

Akwaba Restaurant - African Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

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We came here for lunch to try to support a small business that I found through the AARP website. I let the server know when ordering that I had a printed coupon from that site for 25% off the total bill, with a maximum discount of $25 (see photo). I offered to give it to him then, but he told me just to provide it when we were ready for the check, which I did. He came back and said they can't apply the discount (which equated to $13), even though the coupon stated clearly it was good through the following day. He then called his "Manager" (his Mom), and she told me over the phone (without seeing the valid discount I had presented) that there are a lot of scammers out there, and that she would not honor this valid discount. I told her that I would pay the total bill and tip, and I would contest this clear overcharge at a later time. I'm posting this review since I wanted other potential customers to understand that I was essentially treated like a scammer, which was completely uncalled for and short-sighted. read more

Akwaba Restaurant - Discount (from Entertainment.com) printed from the AARP website (both well-known, reputable entities) - African Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

This hidden gem is located east of 225 in Aurora. It can be a little difficult to get to being off of Colfax and the road just naturally being congested. It's located at the corner of a mini mart closer to the road so you can't miss the sign. Once inside, you can take the stairs or the mini elevator to the 2nd floor to reach the restaurant. To order food, you can either sit at a table and wait for them or you can head all the way to the back bar and order to go. Our server was soft spoken and quiet but still polite. He took our order and let us know the wait would be about 20-25 minutes. We arrived around dinner time (5pm) on a Saturday afternoon but it wasn't busy except for one family eating. There were a few phone orders and a few people to walk in for their pickups. The food was delicious! We ordered: - half fried tilapia with Jollof rice, which came with a salsa mix and spicy salsa. We think it's called "half" because they cut off the head? - chicken egusi with cassava fufu. One of our favorites but we tried the cassava fufu for the first time and didn't like it. It tasted sour. - beef peanut butter soup with yam fufu. I wasn't a fan of the peanut butter soup but the beef was cooked perfect and we always prefer the yam fufu (we don't order the plantain fufu because I'm allergic to bananas). Overall we would go back since the location is closer to our home. But in comparison, our number 1 pick for African food would be African Grill and Bar in Lakewood. read more

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Drove by this place and stopped by to by on a whim. Very glad I listened to the whim! Kind of an odd spot when you walk in, like an old office building converted to a restaurant or something. Take the elevator or stairs up to the second level and just know this building is not fancy. Floor is pretty big. Checked in with guy at the bar and ordered and chose a table. Ordered the grilled chicken with jollof rice side. Chicken was nicely cooked, bone tender bone in pieces and had a sort of sweeter fruit salsa on top and a hotter one next to it on the plate. Great flavors. The jollof rice was hot and plentiful and i see the appeal for sure. Paired well with the chicken. All told, with tip and a drink it was $25, which isn't bad these days. Friendly vibe from staff and patrons. Will definitely go back. read more

Akwaba Restaurant - Grilled chicken and jollof rice combo plate. - African Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

Huge menu full of authentic African cuisine! Restaurant is right off Colfax, you will have to do a u-turn to get to it if going east on Colfax. Restaurant is on the second floor of the building. We ordered food to go at the bar area but there was lots of seating and a couple other people 5pm on a Saturday. The fufu and soup selection is awesome. The egusi was very good though lots of little bones from the chicken and the peanut butter soup was surprisingly not over powering and very flavorful! The fried tilapia with jollof was my favorite with lots of flavor and large portions. It felt like a whole tilapia aside from the head. With such a large, unique menu we will definitely be back to try more! read more

Akwaba Restaurant - African Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

this food was awful, it'll be out of business in no time. jollof rice tasted like cigarettes, i had a piece of chewing gum on me egusi stew. fish was flavorless. i would have been better fed at McDonalds read more

Nice, cozy spot ! Service was a little slow being that it was only two tables sat including mine, but the food was great and the server was very nice. I tried the spinach stew with jollof rice. It's pairs well with fufu or swallow as well! I will be back. read more

Akwaba Restaurant - Spinach leaf with goat ! Yum - African Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

The food was dry and seems as though it had been sitting the rice was not flavorful. Service was fine. I won't be back.

Delicious West African food! We enjoyed the half fish yassa, the meatless potato leaves soup- both with jollof rice- fried plantains, fufu, and ginger juice. Everything was wonderful! I highly recommend this place. read more

Akwaba Restaurant - The meal!! - African Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

Service was not the best. Wasn't offered water, and food took nearly an hour to come out with 2 other tables in the restaurant. Plantains were delicious but the jollof rice and chicken Yassa was cold and not the best I've had. read more

Tried this place for the first time a few weeks ago and I'm still thinking about the beet and passionfruit juice I ordered. Maybe the best drink I've ever had. We also got chicken kabobs, meat pies, and peanut butter soup with lamb. Our sides were rice and beans and fufu. You get large portions for the price and I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant. It's nicely decorated and they had African pop music videos playing on the TV. Service was friendly but slow. Overall a very positive first impression, will go again! read more

Akwaba Restaurant - Passion and beet juice. SO GOOD! - African Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

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Food was great out whole family enjoyed. This is the second time that we come here and we really love it. https://youtu.be/PvfWu-qqtcI read more

Oh it was delicious! Loved the meat pies, turkey tails, and jollof rice. Atmosphere was super friendly, and I loved the music. It was a wonderful, and I would definitely recommend trying it out if you've never had West African food before. Our server was very friendly and helped us pick out food and his choices were great. Loved it 10/10 read more

Akwaba Restaurant - a bowl of soup and a can of soda - African Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

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Food did not taste good, really bad fishy taste and not worth the money to spend................

Came with a group of 10+ people and were treated to an amazing family-style meal. Both staples of jollof rice and fried plantains were perfect-- the rice had the perfect texture and was well-seasoned and the fried plantains were ripe and sweet with a bit of crunch from being fried. We tried beef skewers, chicken and lamb entrees, each of which was cooked just right. They were well-seasoned but also paired well with the tomato-based hot sauce and a slightly sweet relish. We also got some potent ginger juice with the meal (spicy but balanced/good for digestion ). The owner was so lovely and provided excellent service. The interior is spacious with a separate bar area. read more

The food was delicious but the service left much to be desired. When I arrived, the cashier didn't say anything and I had to wait quite a while before receiving any assistance. I had to ask him how everything worked and whether I needed to seat myself. Once he explained, I had to track him down to place my order. My food took a long time to arrive, but it was very good when it did. There were many dead flies and bugs in the window, and one even landed on me while I was sitting down. Improving customer service and cleanliness could make this restaurant much better. read more

Akwaba Restaurant - Fried mackerel, jollof rice and plantains - African Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

I would give it 10 starts if I could! This is my 5th time going to Akwaba and I never had a bad experience. The food is great, fresh and very very well seasoned. The prices are very reasonable for such a big quantity. I always have left overs for the next day! The grilled chicken is always my to go but I also would definitely recommend the fried Tilapia which is great! read more

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I wish I could add more stars on yelp. This place was amazing. First, the one thing I was annoyed a little by. The meat pie. While it was frying it opened and some of the filling came out. The crust was delicious and the filling that was left in there was also delicious. I was a more sad than annoyed honestly because the meat pie was so good. Next, I had the grill chicken with Nigerian jollof rice, a chicken skewer and ginger juice. Oh and some plantains. Chicken skewer? Phenomenal. I could eat 10. Sauce that comes with it was delicious. Spicy and full of flavor. The grill chicken was also equally delicious. Smoky, well seasoned and juicy. The jollof rice was so good. Sometimes some restaurants make more of tomato rice than follow rice. We'll cooked too. Not under or over cooked. Plantains were plantains. The ginger juice. Please get it. But drink it after the meal. It settles the stomach. It was so good. Also, the staff asked me of I wanted ice or not before filling the drink and that was pretty awesome. I'm a person who doesn't like ice and I appreciated that. This was the best "cooked outside of my home" food ive had since moving to Colodado. Hot dang, that chicken was good. Will definitely be going back. The restaurant is upstart when you to in and to the left. read more

I'm rarely on this side of town but I drive here to eat the food. It's so good! And it was my first time trying their plantain fufu and beef okra stew. The phone number on Yelp is different than the actual number. Here's the right one: 7204672329. Just in case u want to order for pick up. Definitely recommend! read more

Food is amazing, I love coming here and every single time I am always leaving full happy and ready to return. There's usually two teenagers serving and they're both really nice. It's truly authentic and it's disgusting to see some palm colored people being rude about the food because it's not Americanized African food. read more

Great egusi (pumpkin seed stew) with fufu. They are in a slightly shabby little mall, but the food was good and the people were all very friendly and accommodating. I'll go here again for sure. read more

She's back! For those of you who remember the delights of Akwaba Restaurant inside Afrikmall (now the home of Mango House), rejoice in the knowledge that the proprietress has brought her Ivorian (etc.) masterpieces again to Aurora, in a much larger space! While I was sad to hear that Seana Restaurant had closed near Colfax/Laredo (I mean gee, it seems like I only reviewed them a few months ago), I was thrilled to learn that the classy upstairs space was once again occupied - and you will be too when you head on over. Enjoy a nice big glass of Gnamakoudji (fiery ginger juice cut with a touch of pineapple) or even Bissap (invigorating hibiscus punch) while deciding on something to fill your stomach. To start, how about some Nems (crispy Vietnamese-style eggrolls)? "Wait, *what*?", I hear you ask, so I'll clarify. When French-speaking West African nations like Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal sent soldiers to battle in the Vietnam War, these were one of the many items brought back with them - so their presence on the menu isn't as odd as it may at first appear. Another starter idea would be Bofrot - Ghanaian donut puffs which are only slightly sweet, and serve more to perk up the palate for what lies ahead (although you could certainly end a meal with them too). This rather tempestuous recent weather has made me crave a nice big bowl of stew - perhaps the Sierra Leonean jute-leaf stunner Krain-Krain (often called Kplala within Côte d'Ivoire itself), or maybe Sauce Graine et Djoumgblé (rich palmnut soup thickened by powdered okra) - will fit the bill, with a ball of Foutou Banane (sticky pounded plantain) alongside. But wait! I see a few mighty tempting variations of the dish called Benachin in Gambia and "Tchep" (Thiébou) in Senegal and consisting either way of soft grains of broken rice usually interspersed with - for example - carrot, eggplant, tamarind pods, and sundry protein possibilities. Wait, how about a very French-influenced platter of Dibi (grilled lamb, beef, goat or chicken) sided with Aloko (fried plantain), or Attiéké (steamed cassava couscous), or.... OK, you get the idea - the menu is huge, so let's end on a simpler note with my favorite West African dessert, Thiakry (Dégué) - comforting creamy yogurt studded and swirled with hearty millet grains. read more

I have never had African food before and am very happy to have tried here tonight! Very tasteful and flavorful, I loved every flavor! the meats were so tender and well prepared, you could tell these were made with so much heart and love! tonight when I went, the family was running the whole restaurant alone! the son was serving every table with his dad, while his mom was cooking in the back! they were extremely busy but made a point to cater every table with so much kindness! I cannot wait to come back here again, the family has won over my heart and stomach!! come here for the best African food in Colorado! read more

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Delicious and my whole family enjoyed their meal! We will definitely be back! Grilled meat, Lamb, Fried Mackerel, Jollof rice, and fufu with soup! read more

Akwaba Restaurant - Ginger drink, fufu, lamb, soup - African Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

The first time I was here I got The Egusi with goat meat and it was sooo delicious and the love the plantain fufu. I based my order off the servers option on what he would best recommended and the price is perfect for the large amount of food they give you. I'm back for the second time and ordered their okra soup with cow feet and beef and plantain fufu. Another one of the waiters recommendation. This place does not disappoint. read more

We had a chicken yaffa plate, beef dibi, jollof rice and fried plantains, all of which was very delicious and expertly seasoned. The lightly grilled onions in the yaffa sauce were especially delicious! We got our food to go almost on a whim...that would be my one small note of caution, as they are a small, family run restaurant and if you happen to order to-go at the same time as a dinner rush or when they have a large catering order, you're going to be waiting a LONG time for your order. It'll be worth the wait, but don't be in a hurry! read more

I've been looking for somewhere to get some good Authentic African food. So I had to make the hour + drive to get my hands on this amazing food. It beyond met my expectations, the food was perfect & delicious. The gentleman who works at the front was extremely helpful in guiding me through what I should order & was very friendly. Would definitely make the drive to get more sometime! read more

Akwaba Restaurant - Beef kabobs, Jallof Rice, cassava fufu, yam fufu, peanut butter soup, fried plantains - African Near Me - Aurora, Colorado

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So delicious! The dishes were so authentic and flavorful! The family was super nice and gave amazing recommendations! The peanut butter and okra soups were amazing!! I tried the whole tilapia, lamb shank, and beef kabobs as well and cannot pick which is my favorite because they were all so delicious! It was about a 50 minute drive but worth every minute!! I will be back for more with my family and friends soon! Thank you for amazing service and food! read more

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The food is amazingggggg and fresh, customer service is applaudable, and they have a reasonable wait time. The food is affordable and filling as well. read more

My first time trying Fufu was here. I am giving 5 stars because the food was very well made. I didn't spend a lot of time in the restaurant as I got my order to go, however I loved the feel of it when I walked in. My only advice- is this place was difficult to find, but I was also exhausted that day and probably would have had an easier time had I not tried to enter it from the upstairs first. Please check it out- great small business to support! read more

Excellent food and excellent service! I felt like I was back home! Went there with my American husband who loves African food and we were so grateful for the great service we got there! read more

You know the food is good when the leftovers are better than the day before! umm mmm Great! My advice? Order Two, one to enjoy there & another for when YOU remember just how good dinner was! You might want to order ahead! ;-) TWO THUMBS UP! read more

Had to wait almost an hour for food. There was no line or anything. 15 mins became close to 1 hour. Ordered plantain and cassava fufu and got both cassava fufu. Don't remember the curry I ordered, but ordered a chicken curry that goes with fufu and got 4 small pieces of chicken for $15. But lots of gravy. Flavor was good. But not worth it in my opinion. Jollof rice was good. Okra soup with fish was good too read more

Incredibly tasty new West African restaurant. Delicious juicy fragrant chicken, jollof rice and plantains that are beautifully caramelized. This is gourmet food, people. It's a fun, friendly family restaurant- the kids here are having a blast. Don't miss out! read more