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    Blackstar Kebabs

    4.2 (62 reviews)
    ModerateAfrican, Food Trucks
    Closed 4:00 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Blackstar Kebabs Photos

    BLACKSTAR KEBABS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Blackstar Kebabs

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    Large Beef Kebab Combo Meal
    Generous Y.

    Waited around 40 minutes in line and another 20 minutes to get my food. Super packed and busy and nearing the end of the event so they had to constantly check on stock, so my experience may be an anomaly. Tax was not already included, so it was added on top despite it saying taxes are included at the bottom. Ordered a Large Beef Kebab Combo Meal that comes with joloff rice and sweet red plantains. Rice wasn't fresh and pretty lukewarm (again, closer to the end so there's some slack there), a bit firmer, and clumped. Plantains were pretty good, hot and sweet. Large kebab is about 6 chunks of meat. Beef was not tender and was a bit dry, though there was a spiciness that kicked the skewer up. Price overall was a bit high all things considered. Want to visit again at an earlier time for a better experience but this most recent visit was not it.

    Combo with chicken and beef kebabs

    My only complaint... I can't handle spicy food and even after my eyes started to sweat, food was so good I couldn't stop eating. I ordered the combo meal and added a kebab so I could try both the chicken and the beef. Everything in that combo was fire!

    Lamb, Beef, Chicken Kebab, Rice, Combo Plate
    Jennifer L.

    SUPPORT BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES! This place was absolutely delicious!! This is located right outside Rooftop Brewery which was very smart since we were super hungry after having a beer in our belly. The kebabs smelled delicious so I knew I had to try. Everything is run by one person and you can see him working through the window and putting so much love into everything. The rice is creamy and buttery. The kebabs are extremely well seasoned (the lamb is my favorite). Beware they do have a bit of kick to it, but I think thats the best part!

    Large plantains, large beef kebab, large chicken kebab.
    Martin D.

    Had 1 beef kebab, 1 chicken kebab, and plantains. Ordered the "Large" of each expecting I'd have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Nope. This was about $40, including a standard tip. Well prepared? Yes. HUGELY over-priced? Also yes. And seriously - NO condiments offered?? Like not even SALT?? EDIT: I wrote the above before I tasted the kebabs. And that was a mistake. Turns out the kebabs are brilliantly spiced and so horribly over-cooked that the meat feels like mush. Stick with the plantains. Everything else is gross. Bring your own condiments. Would give fewer than 1 star if it were possible.

    Ghanian Food!
    Robb M.

    We saw this Ghanian food truck at Magnusson Park after a game, and had to try it. The menu is pretty simple. Chicken, Beef, and Lamb Kebabs, jollo rice, and fried plantains. We tried the chicken and Lamb kebabs, and the rice. The kebabs were both good. We got one with the spicy rub and the other without. Both kebabs were cooked well, and the spicy rub is tasty. (Side note: if you have a nut allergy, this is not the place for you. Even if he says he can do it, he cannot. We found that out the hard way). The rice on the other hand was fairly bland. It reminded me of the rice you get at most Mexican restaurants, but less flavorful. We did not get the fried plantains, but they looked and smelled really good. Overall, we would go back for the Kebabs. They are a bit pricey, but the flavor is good. Also, the owner is really nice.

    Lamb kebab combo
    David D.

    Delicious! The spices on the kebab were amazing! A bit spicy which contrasted well with the fried plantains.

    Large Chicken Kebab Plate
    Cindy A.

    We regularly eat at this food truck. It's an incredible business and there are very few West African restaurants in Seattle so this is a gem. The Jollof rice is seasoned deliciously and the chicken kebab is so flavorful. Please try it out if you haven't already, it's also a Black owned business :)

    Chicken kebab. Joloff rice. Plantains.
    Alex M.

    Rice was definitely something I was looking forward to trying and was a huge disappointment. Very mushy Mexican rice with no flavor. Felt like overall everything was missing flavor. Kebabs were good but for the price I would consider overpriced but there wasn't other food option at the brewery. Plantains were the best part and wish I would've only ordered that. Plantain fritters were just mushy plantains in a ball nothing different about them. We asked for some sort of sauce or something to add to the food and owner said "I had 20 people ask me for sauce last week!! why do you Americans always ask for sauces?! You don't put sauces on my food."....if that many people are asking for sauces or something to make your food more appetizing you should probably listen to the audience you're catering too. Overall would have Kebabs and plantains but wouldn't go out of my way for this food truck again.

    Awesome! I love the Ghanaian spices and the lamb kebab was tender and to die for. Also quite enjoyed the plantains ;)

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    Priestwick S.

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    3 years ago

    Plantain and suya are fantastic. Jollof was good for non-Nigerian... kidding. Kinda. Overall it was a fantastic meal.

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Best lamb kebab I've ever eaten!!!' I've probably eaten over 100 kebabs in 6 countries and Blackstar is the most tender and flavorful!!!

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    8 years ago

    Get the Sweet Red Plantains. They are very delicious and my favorite thing on Priestwick's menu.

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    6 years ago

    This is the best African food I have ever eaten. I am very suitable for my Asian stomach. I'll advise my friend to eat

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    Ask the Community - Blackstar Kebabs

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    Jollof Hub West African Cuisines

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    This place was delicious!!! I am from the American South, so am intimately familiar with certain…read moreingredients that come from West Africa, but had never had West African food. What a treat. I had the jollof rice with fish (the fish was an excellent choice), and my husband had the chicken afra. Our toddler enjoyed his plantains and vermicelli rice. The service was friendly, it feels like a mom and pop shop with the same person running the front helping prepare your food. Ambiance is very modest, but that was fine for a young family like ours. We will certainly come back for more.

    Food safety should be the number one priority for any food business, and Jollof Hub failed to…read moredemonstrate that. Don't get me wrong, the food tasted amazing, the portion sizes are great, and the price was justified. However, the negatives outweigh the positives for this restaurant. Me and 3 other people came in, and the store was empty. We ordered 3 okra soups, 1 with chicken, 2 with lamb, and 1 jollof rice chicken plate. The first plate took about 40 minutes to come out, which was an egusi soup to which we had not ordered. We still had to wait longer for all of our food to come out. Upon my food arriving, I noticed there was a hair in the Saran Wrap of the fufu, making contact with my food. Because we had already waited so long for our food to come out, I didn't bother to mention it to the worker. Comparing Jollof Hub to Pass D Jollof, this place has better portion sizes and better pricing. It was $26 for okra soup that includes protein and 2 portions of fufu whilst PDJ charges $34 for okra soup, you have to pay extra for protein, and 1 portion of fufu. That said, I don't think I'd come back here due to the food safety issue.

    Bantaba African Restaurant - Delicious!

    Bantaba African Restaurant

    (346 reviews)

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    Delicious food, has been consistent for YEARS! Highly recommend their sweet plantains!read more

    I haven't had much West African food in the past so when we were looking for some new food to try…read moreout over the weekend, we came across Bantaba. As other reviews state, this is kind of a strange restaurant that seems more like it's for regulars rather than new customers. There's no actual printed menu other than hints of a menu on the signboard above the register (and we confirmed this with the cashier). I guess this is to save on cost, which coincidentally also allows them to adjust pricing on the fly? There are photos posted of the menu from 2024, but my guess is those are of an old pre-COVID menu, given that the prices increased over 50% at this point. Per other reviews, dine-in orders are also packaged in takeout boxes and can take a variable amount of time to cook. We don't usually get takeout much, but decided to call in an order for this visit. This was at around 5PM on Saturday and we were promised a 30 minute wait. We arrived 30 minutes later, paid for the order, and it ended up taking about another 10 minutes. Not too bad. Benechin Beef ($18.99) - As I learned, benechin is essentially a different term for the more commonly known (at least in the US) jollof rice. In this case, the rice has a deep tomato and spiced umami that combines a pleasant saltiness with a heat level that builds and builds. It's topped with a small side of cabbage that seems to be stewed in the same spices as the rice. There's then a piece of yucca root, stewed but still rather toothsome with fiber strands all in one direction like muscle grains. For the beef, they include four pieces of thinly sliced barbecued meat. The meat is extremely flavorful with what seems to be a black pepper and allium based spice mixture. In terms of texture, it's quite tough and chewy, almost to the level of beef jerky. (4/5) Afra Lamb ($20.99) - This dish comes with a choice of rice or salad, not both as the older menu states. We went with the rice which comes in a smaller container and is a long grain rice cooked until perfectly fluffy. It's cooked with salt, which is something that I'm not used to. The larger container includes a mound of bone-in lamb meat doused in a savory and tangy mustard based sauce. The meat is a very interesting mixture of off-cuts, a combination of cross-cut ribs, shanks, lamb chops, and some random other cuts. The lamb is mostly bone in and there are tons of small bone shards all over the meat, making it a bit of a pain to eat. The meat isn't very gamey and all and is much more tender as compared to the beef jerky in the benechin. On top of the lamb, they include mustard infused softened onions and whole quick-charred onion rings, resulting in a still crunchy texture. They include some powdered dried chilis is a small pile hidden under the onions. Be careful - it's starts out smoky like paprika to start and the heat only starts to build after a couple of seconds. (4/5) Bantaba is a great place to try some new food. While it's not the most beginner friendly restaurant, it offers some flavors and dishes that are hard to find around Seattle. Bathrooms - Single unisex room

    Juba Restaurant & Cafe - Goat meat with rice

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    After spending weeks in Tanzania, we were hooked onto non-curry based goat dishes, especially Mbuzi…read moreChoma! Our search found us at Juba, which is East African cuisine (Somalian, but not Tanzanian) food. Recos: 1) Hilib Ari (Goat with rice): Cooked with onions. It is a dry dish, wth falling of the bone tender meat. It is flavorful, not heavily spiced and not hot (for me). The intrinsic flavor of the meat is what I love. The accompanying rice is nice. Still 5/5 2) Lamb Shank: Very large portion. Delicious.I found it less flavorful than the goat. 4/5 3) Chicken Suqaar: Nice dish but not something I'll order again 2/5 We have gone back three times. The people who serve are quite, nice and generous to help with advice. It is a clean place. Lot of the customers are getting lunch between work.

    This was my first time trying Somali cuisine, so I had to ask for suggestions on what to order, and…read morewas recommended the goat and rice plate. No regrets here! The goat was flavorful and tender, and came on a mountain of perfectly cooked and seasoned rice. They also provided hot sauce and a lemon wedge. Others in my party got the chicken suqaar plates, and enjoyed their meals too. We all were obsessed with the bisbaas/basbaas (green hot sauce) that came with our meal, and I really liked the dynamic flavors in the food. Pricing is a little high, but the amount of food you get is generous. I'd definitely come back again and will plan to take leftovers home or share an entree.

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    I can only speak to the food because my spouse ordered takeout. West African Cuisine is coming to…read moreits own in the Pacific Northwest. I have eaten at many establishments and had the great experience of spending time in Senegal to get a sense of West African spices and flavor. One thing is notable: heat level. In Senegal, you can get the food with as much or as little spice heat as you like. In fact, some dishes are simply served with spice heat as standard. The Pacific Northwest has a much different spice heat tolerance and it's much milder than one would ever find in various countries in West Africa. Now, take out was simple and easy, but one dish requires a greater prep time (Branzino). I had the Branzino. This grilled fish was well seasoned and the plantains were fried well and the cassava was served in a ball. I have had variations on this same dish from other African places, and was surprised with how dry all the items were. Typically, the juices and flavors are amazing, but this was different. I'm far from an expert on African cuisine, but I know the spices and flavors and I was disappointed. I asked a chef at another African restaurant once about heat and spice and he told me that they prepare the food two ways, the Africans who want spice and heat know to ask, but the establishment has to cater to the local palate. I'm obligated to go back and ask for the spicier version of this dish to see how it differs. For now, I will have to rest with the food being ok but not impressive. This is what I would call the safe zone for those who want to try West African cuisine but are afraid of spice and heat.

    Dijah’s Kitchen - Lamb dibi

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    Dijah's Kitchen in Lynnwood is our fourth West African restaurant. We continue to enjoy this…read moreregion's seasonings and flavors and find tonight's food delicious and enjoyable. By now, we are minor 'pros' and know to bring some patience to West African restaurants. Entrees generally take about 30 minutes. To fill the gap, we order an appetizer. Service was "shy". The server approached cautiously always with a big smile. English was good enough but don't expect deep detail replies. Luckily, we are familiar with the food. The restaurant is modest in décor and narrow in shape. A cluster of tables in the back can sit a large group. The Food: Shrimp Pies, $8.99 - 5 Stars This is the only restaurant out of four that offers a shrimp version of the meat pie. Perfectly fried, these were really good! The server said this is his favorite amongst the pies. Lamb Dibi, $21.99 - 4.5 Stars Well-seasoned lamb pieces are well grilled. It comes with a choice of starch; the plantain was great. A surprising delight is the dressing on the onions. Yummy. Grilled Branzino, $25 - 4.5 Stars Not for the faint of heart, this is a whole fish grilled. Honestly, I think the rest of world eats whole fish while US and Canada eat filets only. They made sure to give us the two inches of tail that had broken off. I have to admit I was amused. Perfectly cooked, hubby picked this fish clean. The sweet potato fries are also very good. Jollof Rice with Chicken, $18 - 5 Stars Ever since I learned jollof rice is every family's own recipe from our first W. African restaurant, I have ordered it from all others to try each variant. The Dijah version has a good chewy rice that is superbly well seasoned. The chicken is also very well prepared and flavored. Theirs might be my new favorite. I ordered it to go and sampled a bit at the restaurant. The 5 Stars overall rating is focused on the food. Don't expect fine dining 'ambiance'.

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    Blackstar Kebabs - african - Updated May 2026

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