I was visiting, Hamilton, Ontario Canada. I tried Calabar kitchen when they were catering out of…read moretheir house, but now that they've opened their Jackson Square food court location in downtown Hamilton. I thought I would try them there. The food is amazing! I tried their Suya Salad, and their rice and stew. If you want authentic African Cuisine you need to try this place....

From the owner: Best authentic Calabar/Nigerian food in Ontario. If you miss home (AFRICA/NIGERIA) or just plain…read morehungry for a well cooked Nigerian dish, call us.

This place is a hidden gem for authentic Congolese food in Ontario. It's located in a suburban…read moreneighbourhood in Pickering. The owner / server was very nice and gave us pointers on what side went good with which dish (e.g. to have the kwanga / cassave with the rich stews such as the fumbwa). The interior was very basic, hot inside (during summer), and not the cleanest (had to keep wafting flies away from our food), but it was the food that mattered more. The food was pretty good and authentic according to those who are more familiar with the cuisine. However, we found most of the dishes to be extremely salty (especially the fish dishes). All of the vegetable dishes were very rich and creamy, which paired well with the plain sides such as the kwanga and rice. At the end, we got complimentary dessert of mikate (Congolese version of beignets / fried ball doughs), which I thought was very nice of them! Dishes that we tried: 1) Pondu (chopped cassava leaves) - My favourite out of all the ones we tried. I liked the slight bitter taste of the cassava leaves, different from most other leafy greens such as spinach. 2) Kwanga (fermented cassava, grounded into paste and wrapped in marantaceae leaves for steaming) - A staple starch in the Democratic Republic of Congo, often served with stews and soups. 3) Jollof Rice (West & Central African rice dish made with long-grain rice, tomatoes, chilis, onions, and a variety of spices) - Pretty good, not overly strong taste-wise so it went well with the other richer dishes. 4) Grilled Tilapia (with ginger & lemon, topped with onions) - VERY salty and a bit oily. Tons of bones with little meat. 5) Mbisi Ya Mayi (basa fish in tomato sauce) - Also very salty. But the tomato sauce was ok. 6) Fumbwa (Congolese spinach stew, cooked with red palm oil and ground peanuts) - It tasted like 90% smooth peanut butter from the jar, and only 10% vegetables. It went well with the kwanga, but it was too peanuty and rich for me. 7) Mikate (Congolese version of beignets / fried ball doughs) - Complimentary dessert that we got in the end. Despite how salty we found the dishes to be, we found the overall dining experience to be pleasant with nice service. Perhaps it was just our taste buds that prefer less salty and overly rich dishes.

I called in to place an order and the person was rude. I decided to take my business somewhere else.read more

I've always wanted to try West African food, and this was a good recommendation by my friend from…read moreNigeria. The food we sampled was all great. I had the Combo 2 consisting of beef & chicken suya with jolof rice. The price was a little pricy at over $20, but I would say it was well worth it. There were a lot of food portions in the order that I was able to take some of the food to-go for eating later at home. The taste of suya was not too much different from other grilled food; however, suya still has its own distinct character. The combination of the grilled meat with the salad or coleslaw with the plantain and jolof rice was exquisite. The spice mix use was also just a little different to make suya distinct. My friend had all praises for his order of the suya wrap. The food item was very filling with generous portions of protein included in it. My only complaint was their transition into the new menu pricing and with their online order was not very smooth at all. They had a card with a QR code that should direct you to the online site for ordering, but the code was not quick to register. There was also no place on the online site to enter the discount code to get 10% off your order. The operators should have been better trained and familiar with the whole online order process and the expected interface that customers will run into.

Terrible old food , burnt old hard like a rock terrible costumer service over priced avoid at all…read morecost 40$ for a small portion store manager doesn't know how to manage a store serving old food

This meal felt like such a delightful little treat, every bite was crispy, flavorful, and…read morebeautifully balanced, paired with those perfectly crafted bites that made the whole experience feel special, it's the kind of moment that lingers sweetly and makes me want to come back again just to enjoy it all over once more.

I really enjoyed the food here! The service was amazing and we were always helped with a smile. We…read moreordered the Party Jallof Rice and Egusi & Fufu to share, which are some of the most popular dishes of theirs. The Party Jallof was delicious, with a nice smokiness to the rice and the chicken seasoned spectacularly. I'm typically not the biggest fan of plaintains, but the plaintains that came with the rice were crispy and savoury. It was my first time trying fufu & egusi, and for the most part it was exactly what I expected! The stew was tasty, and the fufu had such a unique and lovely texture. Similar to Ethiopian food where you use the injera to pick up the meat/veggie stews, you use the fufu to scoop up the egusi. However, since fish bones are used in the stock, I found several fish bones in my dish that ruined the experience of it. It is a little on the pricier side with these dishes at $26+. The portion of rice could have been bigger, but tastewise everything was great. I would definitely come back to try other dishes and to have their jallof again!

This place opened recently, close to home, and I finally got a chance to try their Peri-Peri…read morechicken. The place is bright and attractively colourful. I chose the quarter chicken (leg) meal with coleslaw and Peri rice. It had a really nice flavour but the pieces were really small and not cut properly (on the joint). They gave me two leg quarters to compensate for the small size. The rice and coleslaw portions were quite generous. Overall, the food tasted pretty good. The service, however, lacked some finesse. The person who took my order seemed rushed. The person who brought my order to the table seemed inexperienced. He had to return with cutlery, again with coleslaw, again with condiments, and again with my drink. Hopefully, this will improve over time. The bottles of sauces and the tables were obviously not wiped clean after the last customer. Although the food was pretty good, the presentation could have been better. The chicken and rice were just thrown on the plate, kinda like what you'd do at home. Nicer plating would have made it look more appealing, especially since we eat with our eyes first. If less than average service and plating don't bother you, then their chicken is definitely worth trying. It was really good.

Food was not seasoned very well just hot kind of bland. The potatoes were half cooked and still…read morekind of raw in the middle. I clearly asked for roasted vegetables which is on their website to be told we don't have that. I showed the them it was on the menu she got upset at me and told me she thought I asked for something else. No wow factor to the food and rude staff. I'll stick to Nando's.

Food is bomb. God place to get a nice traditional home cook Nigerian meal for an affordable priceread more

Food not always as expected. I got lucky once or twice and the rest was history. Seller promised…read moreto replace order but ended up avoiding my calls.

I had the jollof and goat meal for just over $24 on February 25, 2022. It was one if the worst…read morejollof I've ever had. The rice was over cooked, soft and mushy, felt like I was eating rice pudding. The flavor was a bit ok. The goat meat was very tough and it didn't help that it was nuked to reheated in a microwave. There where only 3 pieces of goat meat mostly bones, for a price of $24. I think they need to re-evaluate their chef or hire a new chef.