Dijah's Kitchen in Lynnwood is our fourth West African restaurant. We continue to enjoy this region'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'. read more

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Came in for an early dinner. Hibiscus Drink: A refreshing drink that tastes similar cranberry. Jollof Rice with Chicken: Very well seasoned spread. Quite pricey for how little protein you're getting but you're paying more for the Jollof rice. Onions had an incredible zang and spice to it. Service was adequate. Took a bit for someone to come out after I rang the bell. I'll definitely be coming back when I'm in a chicken afra carving. read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - Hibiscus Drink - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

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I felt LIED to & DECEIVED. This place was TERIYAKI yearsss ago. Since the restaurant changed with different restaurant & owner, Dijah's Kitchen never changed the Teriyaki pictures from previous owner. You may see the pictures on main road of Ash Way. I can be wrong, but II feel like the restaurant tried to lure people in because many people in Washington like Teriyaki. ** "If Dijah proud of the dishes, why don't you be honest and post your food images on your restaurant windows???" ** Despite of dissapointment, I still bought 2 of their dishes, fish & other. Unfortunately, the wait time was 30+ mnt and only 1 people ahead of me and the food was greesy. I would give 0 for dishonesty, wait time, and greesiness. read more

Just ordered the grilled fish. It was great. I got it with vermicelli. The onion and sauce was quality. Ordered meat pie and the sweet potato fries. Good stuff all around. I'll be back. read more

I had dinner at this place for the first time . It is hard to tell that there used to be an African restaurant there. They need time do something about the sign or add another sign on the front window mentioning African Food. The lamb dish was beyond amazing and the service was the best. The lady that Owns the place was extremely friendly. It was such a beautiful experience having such a delicious dish with African music too. I love this place and I will be back. read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - Lamb Dish. It was amazing. - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

Food: Okra Soup / Soup Kanja palm oil, fresh okra pods, seafood, beef and vegetables and served with a choice of rice or fufu. Service: Food is freshly made to order so don't come here if you're in a hurry. Friendly. Ambiance: seating is mainly for 2-4 people from what I could tell. Finally found a Nigerian spot out in this way! Soup was delicious! My friend got Lamb Dibi (sorry didn't get a pic) but it was flavorful and tender! Jollof rice was delicious as well. I'll be back! read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - Okra Soup w/ fufu - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

This place specializes in African food, specifically West African, more on Gambia and Senegal to be precise. I went here with a friend on a Monday dinner and there was ample seating - just pick and choose where you want. There are a few issues which is why I leave a 3 stars, as opposed to a 5 stars with regards to how delicious the food is: 1. Wait times for food are painstakingly long. If I waited for the server to take our order, we would have waited 25 minutes to put the order in. So we placed and paid the order online and was quoted 30 minutes for the food to be ready. In the end, it was close to 1 hour wait. 2. Prices online are way higher than the menu I saw in person. Lamb didi in the menu was $16.99 while I paid $22 before tax and tip online. I felt a bit ripped off, seeing the discrepancy, so I was not as inclined to tip more as the prices online felt like they were inclusive of gratuity, and even accounting for any surcharges to operate transactions online We got the lamb didi with fried plantains and the domoda with findi. The lamb is nicely chopped and grilled, with the fried plantains extra flavorful with some added crispiness. The price was high given we only got 5 tiny lamb pieces. This same goes for domoda, which is a Gambian peanut stew - only a few tiny pieces of beef. However, the peanut stew is amazing and the findi (a smaller version of couscous) is a good pairing for the dish. Prices are high for what you get, though the food is delicious. Again, online ordering felt like a huge rip off compared to placing an order in person, if you manage to be patient and have lots of time. That is my biggest complaint, but I would not rule against trying this place out as the food is something you won't really be able to get that commonly elsewhere, and knowing to order 1+ hr before your intended meal time would be a good idea. read more

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Egusi tasted like oily burnt coffee. I feel like there wasn't any spice or seasoning added to the food. The service wasn't great either and it was pricy. Portion sizes were decent read more

The best food ever!!! My go to place for some good African food. If you want to try some fresh and perfectly seasoned food, take my word, This is It. Thanks, Mrs Sherry read more

I came here today and waited 1hour and and 11 mins for my order and when it came out it was only apart of it was ready. I just got pissed and walk out. read more

A friend invited to try this place out. I've never had West African food before, so this is a first for me. I'm surprised to find this place so close to me. And I have to say that I got to give this place some love because the food is pretty solid. So first off, the place is pretty small. I remember this place use to be a teriyaki shop, but I guess COVID got them and now it's become this West African restaurant that I would like to go to more often. So I ordered the Benachin because I saw the pictures online and it immediately got my attention. Rice is nice! My friend got the Lamb Dibi which he split with me which is a funny story actually. His order didn't get submitted for some reason and we were waiting forever for it. We asked the service about it and they told us what happened, so he got his dish pretty late. We ended up sharing both of our dishes which was kind of nice cause I got to try the Lamb. Both dishes were really good. Fries could be better, but you're really not here for the fries. A very unique cuisine with unique flavors. I enjoyed this place a lot. I highly recommend checking it out. The food is delicious and it's nice to try an unfamiliar cuisine. Also, it's good to support your local hole-in-the-wall restaurants, especially if they be hitting you with that flavor. read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - Benachin - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

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BEST GAMBIAN FOOD IN WA she did a catering for my cousin foity's event. EVERYTHING was amazing 10/10 she preped everything to perfection no futher preparation was needed. If she were to season a tissue I would eat it no hesitation. thank you so much!!! Excited to come to the restaurant read more

I wanted to love this place, but just couldn't. Service was incredibly slow, it took forever for them to take our order and about 45 minutes until we received our food. We had to remind them several times - the restaurant was not even busy. The soups were incredibly oily, to the point that you couldn't taste the actual flavors of the dish read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

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Great food! If you want to try fufu this is the best local spot. Some days the fufu is better than others. I don't care for the fermentation taste (sour) in some fufu. read more

In short: Small but mighty space--clean, welcoming, lots of choices on the menu, and the food is excellent. In long: This little block of strip mall buildings seems to have great luck pulling in cool spots that aren't all like every other spot. It's around the back from Ash Way, decent amount of parking. Big windows, plenty of light. When you first walk in you see a couple tables, white walls, and a few pop coolers. Nothing fancy. But around the corner, the side hall is much more decorative. You can order at the counter or they'll come to your table. I walked in as a first-time visitor and the dude behind the counter was in something of a silent reverie. No customers, music, or TV, just happily gazing out the window. He seemed a little impatient with me for not having my order together, at least until I told him I'd never even been in or read the menu. A few minutes later, he switched on the TV, saying it was "for you, sir," and switched it to faux news. Sorry, dude! Not my style at all. But if you were being sincere (and not sarcastic), then, well, thanks. I over-ordered a little bit given that this was for one person. The lamb dibi and okra soup were both delicious, but, even if you leave 95% of the starches on the plate, that's still more than a helping of food. So I'm a bit of a glutton and might end up skipping dinner tonight. Okra Soup Delicious! Rich, hearty, no broth--much more like a stew. You get your choice of sides; I went for fufu. It's a chewy, moist roll (or hunk of dough) that you use to sop up the soup. It's tasty, but low in flavor. Mostly there to fill you up, which was not gonna be a risk for me, given how much I had ended up ordering. There are a few little bones in there, so don't assume you can swallow everything on your spoon. Soft stewed meat, plenty of veg. Nice toasted spices give it a savory warmth without much peppery heat. Lamb Dibi Thin-sliced chops with sauteed onions and your choice of side. It comes with a little salad on the side but you can order a full salad as your side. Great flavors here, nice seasonings for sure. Bone-in, grilled medium well. No gaminess, almost tasted like beef. There seems to be a real community here, with a steady stream of customers in 1s and 2s, some of whom spoke the language of the old country (whichever country it is) with the staff. Everybody looked happy to see one another. I'm really happy to see more good African places popping up around here. read more

Excellent dishes - Lamb Dibi is not to be missed! Hands down favorite of the table. Our group tried Chicken Afra and Chicken Yassa and both were great dishes but the mix of fresh and sautéd onions with the seasonings in the Afra dish makes it one I will definitely order again. Meat pies were crispy and flavorful. Really we enjoyed everything ordered. Restaurant was very clean and the order time was reasonable. Enjoyed the company of the other patrons that night but maybe that was just luck to have such a delightful crowd. Will be bringing more friends to this restaurant so I can try additional menu items. First time trying West African cuisine. Excellent introduction! read more

Amazing African cuisine is served here but be prepared for a long wait after placing orders at the front counter. Inside had ample seating but only a couple of tables were occupied on a Saturday mid-afternoon. It took at least forty minutes before our food was served. A party that was already seated when we arrived had been waiting for over an hour, and another had not received their take-out order past the estimated pickup time. Upset tables cancelled their orders and left. We chose from the Signature Dishes which includes a choice of small salad, side of rice, Vermicelli, sweet potato fries, regular fries, or fried plantains. Both were flavorful, well-portioned, and had tender meat. ----- Lamb Dibi: grilled well-marinated bone in lamb ($16.99). ----- Benachin: Jollof rice choice of fish or lamb ($16). ----- Although the food took a while to come, the staff was apologetic for the slowness. Outside has a parking lot with enough spaces. read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - Lamb Dibi: grilled well-marinated bone in lamb ($16.99). - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

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I love my African cuisine. Customer service was awesome. Thank you for being patient and explaining all the food variations. Will be back. read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - Yummy - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

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This was my first time trying and so glad it was a great experience. The selection was good I looked at their menu online to see photos of what I was ordering and the food came out looking exactly like what was pictured. The flavor was rich and I liked how each dish came with a small salad. I got the lamb Dibi with plantain and a side of jollof rice (not pictured) and my friend and I split the meat and shrimp pies. Everything was seasoned well and just delicious. The service was friendly and prompt. The ambiance is nice it's quaint with beautiful artwork placed about. The restaurant was not very crowded, but there were tons of to go orders going out. My friend really enjoyed her food as well. We will be back for sure. Happy to support! read more

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Amazing food! highly recommend. First time trying this restaurant, I loved the spicy sauce and lamb didi.

My first time at an authentic African restaurant. This is a full service restaurant. I ordered take out as I was on my way to the airport to go home to NJ. I could kick myself for not finding this place earlier in my stay. It smelled so good in the restaurant and there were so many tasty sounding items on the menu. I ordered the okra stew w/fufu and jollof rice. The smells coming from the bag were too tempting. I actually stopped so I could get a taste of the stew. If I would have had the time I would have eaten it all right there on the side of the road. So delicious. I did not like the fufu. Never had it before, so I don't think it was the restaurant's fault. I am going to Africa in January, I will come back and update if the fufu is better. Once I got to the airport, I tore into the jollof rice. Tasty, but better once I mixed it with the okra stew. Overall, delicious and I will definitely go back when I am in the Seattle area again. read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - the interior of a restaurant - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

Dijah's is a fairly small place with solid food. Parking is in a shared lot but we had no trouble finding spots. Many people order takeout here but we decided to eat in. I think the only problem Dijah's has is the food takes forever to come out. The two of us waited 40 minutes for two entrees. We ordered the Lamb Dibi and Benachin. The flavor and portion sizes were absolutely fantastic, and I would recommend both. This would be a five star review except for the wait. Other customers in the restaurant around the same time also left because of the wait time for food. Next time I go I would probably call in my order beforehand. read more

Our first time trying African cuisine. The worker was totally welcoming and passionate to let us know about their menu and the culture, etc - since we were't really familiar with the menu items. The empanada (beef pie) was definitely the BOMB, and so were other menu items that we tried out. I liked how they cooked the lamb so I think I'll definitely come back and try out other lamb dishes later! My favorite was the jollof rice with lamb (I think it was called the Benachin), and that is literally to die for also. The vibe there was amazing too, they had good afro beats and clean tables as well. Can't wait to go back! :) read more

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Great food you can tell they are cooking with love all of the flavors stand out I will be a returning customer only constructive criticism I have is the fries need to be fresh read more

Ordered lamb dibi, chicken yassa, c'est bon, panket, and chakri. 3 things unrelated to food first: 1. No highchairs so uh if u have young kids ur gonna have a bad time. 2. Service is pretty bad, waiter didn't really know what was going on or maybe just didn't speak too much English (not sure, couldn't tell). 3. Wait time for the food was quite slow even though we were the only customer, they may just have 1 chef that cooks everything. Anyways, rating is for the food. Food is the bomb here. Everything I had was amazing and unique. Definitely coming back here for other dishes. The best part is the onions, not sure how they make em but never had them this good anywhere else. read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - Lamb dibi - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

This place is crazy good. Sometimes the spices are so complex that it makes you wonder how you go about life NOT spicing your foods like that! I've had the lamb dish in the past (probably my favorite thing), but this time I wanted to try a meat pie and the Okra soup with fufu. I was not disappointed! Just know there are little fish bones in the soup. I also got a ginger drink that was probably my favorite ginger drink I've ever had. Highly recommend going here if you have a chance. read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - Okra soup, fufu - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

Can I just say WOW! This is the first time I've tried African food and when TikTok was trending, I was trying to look for egusi or okra soup with fufu to try because it looked so delicious and it was this place definitely deserves more recognition! The portions are big so you get your moneys worth! read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - Okra Soup & Fufu - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

Food, service and ambience was top notch . I loved it when I went there to eat . I think they only need a bigger sign to make the location more accessible it's a bit hidden . Will try the jollof the next time I go as the Ghanaian that I am lol. read more

Friend recommended this place. Food was amazing. Definitely coming back again. Want to try all the empanadas. Actually want to try everything on the menu. ;). They don't skimp on portions either. My kids loved it too. read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

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OFF THE CHAIN I DONT EVEN WRITE REVIEWS BUT HAD TO!! Seasoning and flavors cracking I ordered the Benechin Fish the Jolloff was on point grabbed two meat pies 1 fish one beef fire empanadas crispy and fresh read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - Benechin Fish - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

Called in for pick up was told 30 minutes got the there 35 minutes later. Food was not ready.. 45 minutes later got the food. Food was good nothing to write home about but was good!! but wait was too long after call in and time to come to pick it up. Really late for appointment that had to get to because of waiting for dinner. I recommend not paying for food before it's ready if a call in. Was getting ready to ask for money back, then got food when was going back to ask for my money back. Love to support black business but, never going there again... if they could of only of been truthful and told me it was going too be ready or said and hour before ready later would of had that choice of placing an order or not, and wouldn't of cut into my time. read more

Dijah's Kitchen is the epitome of an underrated restaurant. My party of 4 ordered chicken wraps and a rice meal, they were delicious! When one friend couldn't pay for his meal, the server took money out of the tip jar just to pay for his meal. This restaurant's hospitality is amazing and the food is more than worth going to. Don't judge a book by its cover read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - Post-consumption Chicken Wrap and Rice Meal - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

I haven't gone yo this spot but I've heard good things about there good I took a picture of there menu so people can see what they can offer to customers read more

Dijah’s Kitchen - menu - African Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

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food was absolutely delicious! service was amazing and kind. i got the okra soup with fufu and and it came out quick and ready to eat! will definitely be going back. read more

Food and service is amazing! My husband and I come here almost every weekend. Highly recommend. Affordable prices :)

Ordered the Okra Soup and the Gambian Peanut Stew. Both looked like they were soaking in oil to an unacceptable degree. The taste wasn't very pleasing and there was hardly any meat in it. I've never had Gambian Peanut Stew before but I've had okra soup hundreds of times and I know what it's supposed to taste like and this wasn't it. read more

Food was great! We ordered meat pies, benachin, and okra soup with fufu. Really enjoyed all the food, good flavor, and fair prices. Service was a bit slow, but the waiter was nice. Definitely recommend! read more

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Had the fufu soup and was so good. A very healthy choice. Wide variety of selection. Took the family there and definitely coming back!

i had never eaten West African food before (specifically Gambian), so i didn't know what to expect. i highly recommend it! the meat pies, tilipia, shrimp, and lamb dibi were all spectacular tasting and in large portions. the service was fast and friendly. go check it out! read more

Terrible at time. They have no sense of urgency. Even after calling an hour earlier, my food was not ready and they had me waiting.