I finally decided to try FolaFela after wanting to for a while. My DNA results show Nigerian ancestry, and I've been following a Nigerian family online, so I've been curious about the food. The only thing holding me back was my acid reflux because I was worried everything would be too spicy. When I got there, the woman at the front counter was very nice and patient with me. I told her it was my first time and that I didn't want anything spicy. Since the restaurant was quiet, she was able to answer my questions and help me decide what to order, which I really appreciated. I ordered the jollof rice with chicken, plantains, and puff-puff to go. The jollof rice was so good. It had a smoky flavor that I wasn't expecting, but I loved it. The plantains were great, but I'm already familiar with plantains from other restaurants. What really surprised me was the puff-puff! The woman suggested I dip it in the red sauce that came with the chicken, and let me tell you... that was BOMB. I couldn't stop eating it. I actually planned to save half my food for later, but I kept going back and eating more chicken, more plantains, and more puff-puff. I still had some jollof rice left because the portions were generous. Best of all, I didn't have any problems with my acid reflux afterward, which was a huge relief. This was my first experience with Nigerian food, and it definitely won't be my last. I'll be back, and next time I think I'm going to try the turkey. Highly recommend! read more

FolaFela - Chicken plate: Jollof rice & plantains - African Near Me - San Jose, California

I went here because I wanted to tried fufu. Sadly this wasn't the place. Service was slow, the restaurant was hot, and only had a few tables. Overall, it didn't feel very welcoming. I ordered the Beef Egusi Combo and was truly disappointed. The fufu was not cooked all the way through, you could still see powder on it; and it had a burnt smell, like it had been left on the stove too long. The egusi itself had good flavor, but they gave us goat instead of the beef we ordered. The portions were also very small for the price. You basically get a palm-sized serving of fufu and three pieces of whatever meat they decide to give you. Overall, it was a bad experience between the incorrect order, undercooked fufu, and high prices ($30) Unfortunately, I will not be coming back. read more

FolaFela - African Near Me - San Jose, California

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I have never had African food, and I will come to say that this place is really good! Food came out pretty good, and it's safe to say that I'll be coming here again :] However I was not expecting the food to be quite expensive. It was $30 alone with the egusi(with goat) and fufu, and $5 for the meatpie. Then again, they did just move in, so take that with a grain of salt. Hopefully they reduce prices because I would like to go there more without breaking my wallet everytime. Service was very sociable and the environment overall was relatively very vibey. read more

FolaFela - African Near Me - San Jose, California

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My first time trying African food and I love it. Highly recommend the goat egusi, it's so good that I had to come back for a second time in the same week. Everyone was very nice and helpful. I love how the place is decorated. read more

The staff were really nice and the service was super quick. My friend and I arrived when it was pretty empty, so we ordered right away, sat down, and our food came out almost immediately, which was impressive. I did notice something from social media where people mentioned getting a bowl to wash their hands at the table, but we didn't receive that. It's not necessarily a bad thing since there is a restroom available for washing hands, but it does feel a bit inconsistent. It kind of sets up an expectation that might not always be there. We ordered fufu and egusi with chicken. Personally, I don't usually eat goat meat and I'm not a big fan of the taste, and I'm not even sure if we had it in our bowl. However, there was a piece of meat that left a really unpleasant, almost foul aftertaste in my mouth, which I didn't enjoy at all. To be honest, I mostly just ate whatever my friend ordered and picked around things as I went. The chicken itself was a bit hit or miss, slightly dry in some parts and okay in others. The egusi, however, was really good and had a rich, flavorful taste that really stood out and carried the dish. Definitely on the expensive side. The fufu and egusi was $30, and the chicken was $5, so with tip it came out to around $40 total. Fufu and egusi has been trending a lot on mukbangs, so my friend and I were really curious and decided to try it. After having it though, it doesn't feel like something I would crave again. It was definitely a great experience and I'm glad I tried it, but it's very heavy and filling, and not something I can see myself wanting regularly. read more

FolaFela - African Near Me - San Jose, California

I have been wanting to try Fufu and Egusi for the past year, and I was super excited to find FolaFela was nearby! I did a mobile order and when I got there, it took about 10-15 minutes to be ready, so not too bad. The style was very Mom and Pop, which I really liked. They also sell other stuff, which is fun to peruse. The Egusi and fufu itself was great! However, I wasn't expecting little fish bones when I ordered it with beef. While the dishes are a little more on the pricey side, the one order was very filling. read more

FolaFela - Fufu and Egusi - African Near Me - San Jose, California

Their food is good it's the quantity I disliked.. The amount to pay is not what you get, one goat meat with a plate with rice bt ordered goat and fish, I dislike that ... Same with other plates I ordered , $30 a plate ... Thank you for your kind service , just don't skimp please read more

FolaFela - Jollof rice , fried rice , plantain , and one goat meat bt I asked for fish and goat meat quality good quantity no - African Near Me - San Jose, California

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The food here is good but it's too expensive. It was $30 for the egusi soup and fufu and $15 for just a bowl of jollof rice. $15 for seasoned rice with no protein is way too much. With a drink and after tip the meal was $60 for basically one entree. read more

Thank goodness we finally have an authentic Nigerian restaurant in the South Bay! Over the last decade, I've had to drive an hour to Oakland whenever I wanted West African food, so I was giddy to hear that FolaFela opened up. The inside is thoughtfully decorated, and there's even a little market where you can buy ingredients. The service was fast and friendly. I ordered both the egusi with fufu and ewedu with amala, and both dishes were absolutely flavorful. The prices are a bit steeper than other places, but the quality is worth what you pay for. You can really taste the freshness in the dishes. I'll definitely be back! read more

FolaFela - Ewedu with amala. SO GOOD and flavorful. - African Near Me - San Jose, California

I hate to leave a new restraunt a bad review but they have a lot to work on :( Service : Staff was nice but service was super slow & extremely unorganized. We waited over an hour for our food while a few people who ordered before us already finished their food. They messed up our order a few times as well & different employees were bringing us different things. We also asked to dine in like everyone else but they kept putting our order in Togo boxes (3 times). While everyone else got served plates & a bowl to wash their hands. Food : Fufu & egusi, they don't offer oxtail here & also did not have beef. We don't eat goat meat whatsoever but they kept pushing the goat meat on us a few times. We opted for the chicken unfortunately the chicken leg that was served was cold and extremely dry. The flavor of the egusi however was good. We got a side of plantains, again extremely dry. Tasted like extremely old fries, it was also drenched in some oil (extremely oily) Price : VERY EXPENSIVE. The fufu & egusi was $30 and the plantains was $10, the small bottle of apple juice was also $5. Overall $50... would probably give them another shot once they settle in. 2 stars bc they were busy and trying their best. The staff was nice read more

FolaFela - Plantains drenched in oil - African Near Me - San Jose, California

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After seeing fufu and egusi off tik tok and being intrigued, I finally had some! I was so happy to find out there was an African restauraunt in San Jose. All the other restaurants were far ie Hayward and Oakland. I bought the fufu and egusi with turkey. SO YUMMY. I was really pleased with the taste. Turkey was tasty and soft and the egusi was super rich and flavorful. It was kinda pricey with one piece of turkey egusi and fufu I paid 40$. Nonetheless I will be going back. Service was super welcoming and fast. I can't wait to go back read more

FolaFela - Turkey egusi & fufu - African Near Me - San Jose, California

We were really excited to try FolaFela since we've been seeing so many reviews about their egusi and fufu, and it was nice to finally have a closer option instead of driving to Hayward or Oakland. Unfortunately, our experience didn't quite meet expectations. We spent close to $70 for two meals and a drink, and it didn't feel like the value matched the price. I ordered the jollof rice with a side of goat, and it came out to $28. The portion was mostly rice, with plantains on the side and only two small pieces of goat that were cold and quite tough. My fiancé ordered the egusi with chicken, which was the dish we were most excited about. He mentioned that it had a slightly burnt smell, though we understand egusi is supposed to have a more earthy aroma. The chicken was also a bit cold and firm, though he felt it tasted better than the egusi itself. Overall, we ended up not finishing most of the food, which was disappointing given how much we were looking forward to trying this place. We've seen many positive reviews, so it's possible we just came on an off day, but based on our visit, it didn't quite live up to the hype. read more

FolaFela - African Near Me - San Jose, California

Such a great addition to San Jose! This new Nigerian/African restaurant is quaint, super clean, and has a really welcoming vibe. The customer service was amazing--everyone was friendly and attentive, which made the experience even better. I will say the wait was a little over 45 minutes for our food, but it's honestly expected since they just opened and there's clearly a lot of hype around it. With so many different cultures in the area, it makes sense this spot has been highly anticipated. The menu is packed with all the viral and traditional favorites--fufu, egusi, ogbono, jollof rice--and everything we tried was absolutely delicious. You can really taste the authenticity and care put into the food. Prices are a bit on the higher side, but you're paying for unique, hard-to-find flavors and quality dishes, so it feels worth it. We'll definitely be coming back again! read more

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We ordered out and the service was ok. The lady at the registered had asked us to pay $2 extra for the fish after we paid for the food already which was unfair. They should have talked to us about it when we were ordering. The food was okay as well. The fufu with egusi had good flavor but there were random bones everywhere. Had chicken and beef bones. The jollof had a decent flavor but had a terrible and overpowering chemical smell that we could eat past the 2nd bite. I had jollof at multiple states and none of them had this chemical aroma. I would highly recommend to avoiding this dish. Overall: I would consider coming back if the price wasn't as high and better organization. Would try other items. read more

I came here twice and both times, we waited about an hour and a half. To be honest that ruined it for us. No apologies, they did nothing to make it right. I will keep driving to Oakland. read more

OVERPRICED & RUDE WORKER The egusi and fufu costs $30 for a small portion. The price is egregiously higher than any other restaurant! THIRTY DOLLARS for a little cup of soup and a ball of fufu is ridiculous! Not only are the prices absolutely insane, the lady that was there had such an attitude when I was asking about the prices since the menus only have the prices for an entire party tray. The restaurant looked empty, the kitchen and prep area looked barren. Overall, a TERRIBLE experience and wouldn't recommend coming here. Charging so much while having terrible service is crazy. They need to lower the prices, a pound of crab legs is even cheaper than this! read more

I order the egusi and fufu and the food was really good, staff were so nice and accommodating. read more

FolaFela - Egusi & FuFu - African Near Me - San Jose, California

Food comes out hot and tastes very flavorful! It's expensive but so happy a Nigerian restaurant finally opened in San Jose. I waited 40 minutes for the food and the portions are small for the soups if you order togo. It was underwhelming to open the togo box and see only half is filled. I ordered 3 items and the total was almost $100 after tax. I love the flavor, everything tastes great but the beef was kinda hard to chew. Would come back once in a while. I was expecting a bit more for $30. read more

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The kitchen staff here are great and extremely kind. There are other employees around that keep watch, but I am not too sure why, could be for safely reasons. I do not tend to leave low reviews, but there is some improvements that the business can work on. There is a long wait time, our group waited over an hour for two dishes. The initial order came in fairly quickly, but after that there were customers who ordered after us and received their orders quicker. I am aware you do not need utensils for these dishes, but there was no napkins or spoons out for customers who may need them. You would have to ask, but there is only two kitchen staff to ask and they are fairly busy. The dishes are great, but protein to carb ratio is a bit off if it bothers you. The pricing is expensive but compared to restaurants in LA it is fair, just the wait time is long. read more

The staff was incredible ! When my fiance and I walked in we were a little nervous because we have never had nigerian food before and we didnt really know where to start but the woman at the register was incredibly patient and kind to us. The chef came out and started talking to us and she was so friendly she made us feel like we were family. The food was amazing and everything was soo flavorful. When I was in the restroom the chef was speaking to my fiance and told him that next time we came she would show him a new dish that she thinks he will like and introduced herself to him. When we left, she thanked us for coming and said she loved us overall 11/10 experience and will definitely come back! read more

FolaFela - Fufu and okro soup and jollof rice combo with beef and plantains - African Near Me - San Jose, California

The food was really good and the staff were kind and welcoming. Nice homey environment!

I'll try anything except the soup. The soup price is insane. We make soup at home all the time so we generally know the cost.

I Was so excited to come eat here food was amazing the service was excellent very friendly I will come again and again I recommend this place read more

Disappointed with the experience. We waited almost 2 hours for our food while people behind us ordered the same thing and got served first. It felt unfair and poorly handled. The staff gave little communication or urgency, which made the situation frustrating. Good customer service means treating everyone equally. read more

I usually don't like giving bad reviews, but we ordered 1 order of egusi soup with fufu and it took over a hour for a meal. Service is quite rude and very slow. They mixed up orders as well. read more

the food is really delicious here. it is a bit pricey and about a thirty minute wait due to making the fresh fufu. it was definitely worth the wait though, everything was so flavorful. the service was great as well and they walked us through the menu and brought us waters and napkins and checked in with us. read more

Food is so good, fresh and delicious. Service is great and they treat everyone with respect. Ambience is great, spacious dining area.