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Golden Safari

4.1 (329 reviews)
ModerateAfrican
Open 12:00 pm - 2:45 PM, 4:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Order Golden Safari Takeout or Delivery

Golden Safari Photos

Business Info

GOLDEN SAFARI ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Touristy
Moderate noise
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Golden Safari

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Reviews With Photos

Fried Plantain
Gabriel G.

Jollof - Tomatoey, herby taste. It was good Fried plantain - nothing to complain about. It was dry on the outside and soft on the inside like a French fry. Egusi - I've never had fufu, but I really the soft texture eating it with the egusi. We tried the goat and beef, and both were good, not super tender, but I liked having some bite. Goat was a bit more tender than the beef.

Yam fufu (white) Eba fufu (yellow).
Amy L.

Food was amazing! everything we had was delicious and packed with flavor. The jollof was seasoned and paired well with the beans. I came here for the egusi soup w/ the fufu, and it was not a disappointment...rich, nutty and savory and hearty when eaten with the fufu. for sure I will add this to my rotation of places to eat.

Egusi soup
DrDuru A.

Great authentic food. The Nigerian jollof rice is too delicious to stop eating. The egusi soup is just like home. Fantastic in every swallow. I also like the change with more tender chicken. Fufu has a sweet touch to it. Very nice.

4 Piece Puff Puff
Dezi S.

Picked up some goodies to go from this nicely decorated spot! It was the end of day and we wanted something flavorful and get home and be fat and lazy! The server was very helpful and we didn't wait very long, especially when you consider that we didn't order until we arrived! Everything was so flavorful! And this time, we ordered everything spicy hot! SO much better! Didn't think it could be! The Egusi soup was so flavorful and that heat complimented the flavors well! Jolloff rice was on point as always! This is our new go to spot!

Back Entrance
Wendy K.

Overall experience is more like 3.5, but the order taker was courteous, helpful and served with a smile. He takes it up to a five. My order was to-go. I had never had Jollof rice, so I thought I'd give it a try. It does sort of remind me of jambalaya, which isn't my favorite. I will say that the rice was well seasoned. I added fried chicken, which was completely bland. Also note that it's fried without being dipped in flour. If you eat the rice with the chicken, the lack of seasoning/spices in the chicken might be balanced by the rice. In addition to those items, I ordered beans (Americans call them black eyed peas) and a beef patty. The peas were good enough to re-order and the beef patty was the best, with one exception...The beef patty is ground beef with vegetables and spices. Unfortunately most of the ground beef was still pink. For me, that's not edible. I reheated it later and some of the meat was still pink. If you don't mind undercooked meat, this will probably be a hit. The pastry was fluffy and the spices were just right. Here's What I Think...If you're looking for West African dishes and you're in the Hayward area, then give this place a try.

Fried Plantain, Egusi Soup with Goat Meat, Jollof Rice, Eba Fufu
Meliza M.

This is my second time coming here, and each time they don't disappoint. The rice and plantains are my favorite and I always order each time. Service is always friendly and welcoming, always very clean and it smells good. I love the wall art as is based on their cultural background. I ordered our soup spicy and it was very tasty and delicious. I will be coming back again.

Pounded Yam Fufu + Egusi Soup
Melody L.

There's not many West African food spots in the Bay Area, so I drove a good 40 minutes out to try fufu and egusi soup from Golden Safari. The food itself had good flavor! I haven't had this dish anywhere else but I enjoyed my meal. The wait is my biggest complaint about this place. I placed an order online before my drive and still had to wait another 10 minutes after I got to the restaurant (50 min in total). Not sure if I just went on a busy day, or if it just takes them longer to make this dish, or something to do with online orders, but based off my experience, do be prepared to wait if you're ordering beforehand. There's a good amount of parking outside the restaurant, and though I took my meal to-go, the interior was nice. Thinking of returning to try other items, since their variety of West African dishes look great!

Egusi Soup with chicken drumsticks (3) and Jollof Rice
Allison N.

I think I remember hearing about Golden Safari from tiktok or something so I was excited to try it when driving around in Hayward. The service was very good, our waiter kept returning to check in on us. * Egusi with chicken drumsticks - 3.5/5 stars. It's flavorful but I wasn't able to make out a distinct flavor. I've always wanted to try fufu and the texture was fluffy, slightly sticky, and very plain-tasting to pair with the soup. Which it was a bit spicier! * Jollof rice - 5/5 stars. This appeared to be the most popular dish so we ordered it and can agree it was amazing. There was so much flavor in this that I was so content with eating this by itself. Overall 4/5 stars. I wish this place was closer so I can try the different dishes, but I wouldn't necessarily drive far to get it!

Moin Moin
Antoinette T.

This place is a hidden gem! It's tucked away- blink and you might miss it. First of all, it's so cute inside--chill vibes, good decor, and local art for sale on the walls, which just adds a cool, creative touch to the whole experience. The staff? Absolutely the sweetest. We somehow accidentally skipped the tip prompt (total oops), and they were so kind about it--told us not to worry at all. But we felt bad and grabbed some cash to come back and tip because they truly deserved it! Now onto the good stuff: the food! Everything was full of flavor and came in generous portions, so we shared it all family-style. The spicy Efo-riro with chicken was hands-down my favorite. Like, I could've just had that and left smiling. It was that good--spicy, rich, and super satisfying. The jollof rice and fried chicken were also packed with flavor, and the plantains were cooked to perfection--soft, sweet, and golden. The chicken suya was just okay for me, but to be fair, it had the impossible job of following the Efo-riro, which had already blown us away. The bean cake ( Moin Moin) was good my friend loved it as it reminded her of masa from a tamale. Sadly, they were out of meat pies and buns, but honestly, that just gives me a reason to come back (as if I needed one). Can't wait for round two!

Shahan A.

Jollof rice was great. Goat meat could've had more flavor, but was still fine. Soursop soda was delicious. Not actually sour like the name would lead you to think. Waiter was nice.

(EGUSI) Green Vegetable & Melon soup with peppers with fufu
Katalina G.

Customer service was great attentive & helpful, food was delicious, affordable. Sensory was beautiful inside. Definitely recommend 10/10

Fufu comes w/ Egusi
John D.

Safari so Good Fun fact: 90% of what we watch these days is cooking and/or food related, and we're especially hooked on cooking competitions. From Chopped to Beat Bobby Flay to Wildcard Kitchen--we've seen them all. What we love most is how they always seem to find new foods and cuisines that have somehow eluded us over our great many years. Take for instance, Chef Eric Adjepong; his Ghanaian background, flavors, and devilish good-looks (oh, my...) had intrigued us over the years, but it wasn't until recently watching a West African Chef on The Great American Recipe that really drew us in. Her amazing cooking and recipes made us crave for some legit African food. That's where the handy-dandy Yelp app comes into play, because did you know you can just type in a dish and it'll spit back results based off reviews mentions? Well that's what happened when I put in "Egusi" in the search bar and Golden Safari was the top choice, which led us here on one fateful Sat afternoon. The Good: *Large shared lot with plenty of parking, as well as street parking *Great décor *Service was fine. They had one young man doing it all, but he was friendly trying hard, so big ups. *The food was everything we'd imagined it and wanted it to be. Definitely highly underrated cuisine, and also extremely underserved. *Egusi Stew was where it was at for me, as the earthy and slightly sweet soup of Egusi (ground seeds of a melon), greens, and meat of one's choice. I, ofc, chose Goat and it was fantastic. The concomitant FuFu was very, um, interesting as the texture was like mashed potatoes but not the flavor you'd expect. I mean, it's not Poi bad, but it definitely leaves a lot to be desired. It was, however, really good mixed in with the Egusi, which I suspect is how it's meant to be eaten. *Naked Fried Chicken is where it's at. The crispiness you desire but without all the added carbs of breading. *The Jollof Rice was also outstanding as the grains had a great texture and deep earthy flavor from all the peppers and tomatoes cooked down to nothingness. The Meh: *No outdoor dining *Need a code for the restroom *We arrived shortly after opening and *none* of the apps were "ready" to be ordered. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ *I'm not sure if this was because we arrived after opening, but it took a loooong time to get our food. Fortunately, we both had a decent breakfast so we weren't starving. Otherwise, the hangries would've kicked in... 0_o *Despite them being open almost eight years (2017), the restaurant felt like it was being run by someone who's never owned a restaurant before (see above). I mean, they're not deal killers but just don't expect a smooth experience from soup to nuts. The Ugly: *It's kind of in a strange part of town, as there was definitely some character in the lot on a good one, if you catch my drift. Basically what I'm saying is lock your doors. :) Conclusion: SNAFUs aside, I would definitely love to come back and try more dishes at some point. Because as the Great Communicator once said, "It's all about the food, stupid."

Jollof Rice, sweet 4 pieces buns
Noël T.

Slow paced but refreshing flavors. There was only one person running the show, and service was still very good. It was nicely decorated and quiet for a business lunch with colleagues in the area. Some items were not available but we still enjoyed sharing. I went at the new year and he said they were updating the menu for the new year.

Soursop drink. Must get!! Apparently only in hayward

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1 month ago

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1 month ago

very good and best fufu I've tried no glazing is actually one of the best African food I've tried

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3 months ago

The food was great; the flavors in each plate we had were well balanced.Customer service was great.

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Golden Safari Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Golden Safari

Do you have a Happy Hour?

Hello, no we dont. Thank you

I have never tried African food but I like spicy, what would you recommend?

You can try the tomato stew and jollof rice. Buy make sure to ask for v.spicy

Am i able to get the tomato stew with no meat?

Yes you can

Are Jollof Rice and/or Egusi vegan? No meat, no meat stock or cubes, etc.?

Yes we have them in vegan options

Is tax included in the price on the menu?

No it isn't

Could the restaurant accommodate a party of 9?

Hello Yes we can

Is the meat halal?

Our goat and chicken is Halal.

Do you have any gluten free options?

Yes we do

Do you use peanut oil or peanuts in any of your dishes?

We don't use peanut oil, but we have peanuts in the beef and chicken suya.

Do they accept American Express, Credit cards?

Yes we do

View All 11 Questions

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Kendejah Restaurant - Jollof Rice & Chicken Breast with Gravy

Kendejah Restaurant

4.5(638 reviews)
5.1 mi
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Kendejah is a Liberian restaurant serving traditional West African dishes. As someone from West…read moreAfrica, I grew up eating this type of food and still cook and enjoy it at home, so I'm very familiar with the flavors and authenticity. The menu changes daily, which I appreciate because it reflects how we actually cook back home -- different dishes on different days. However, they also keep certain staple items available consistently, which is helpful if you're craving something specific. I did order Togo cassava, leaf, and jollof rice with a box of jar of pepper. I have visited this place over 10 times so the this review is long time coming. I understand that the restaurant may adjust recipes slightly to appeal to a broader demographic, not just Africans, and that can affect the depth of flavor and seasoning. With that being said, while the food is good and represents Liberian cuisine, it doesn't fully capture the richness I'm used to from traditional home cooking. Overall, I appreciate having a Liberian restaurant in the area and respect the effort to share the culture through food.

I'm only giving this place one star because the food itself was fair -- but the experience was…read morehorrible. We were so excited to try this restaurant because of the almost five-star reviews. From the moment we walked in, there was no warm welcome. The young woman at the register barely made eye contact. When I asked for a menu, she said it was on the kiosk. We aren't familiar with this type of food and there were very few pictures, which made it hard to choose. When I asked questions about the food, she seemed annoyed instead of helpful. We weren't offered water, bread, chips -- nothing while we waited. When the food arrived, it was all in to-go boxes with cheap plastic forks even though we were dining in. Yet the kiosk asks for a tip... tip for what? There was absolutely no service. The food was bland. They had no salt and pepper. They had no ketchup for the fries, and when we asked for hot sauce we were given a tiny spoonful of salsa. I'm in the food industry, and when you're paying over $100, you expect at least basic hospitality and a decent experience. This felt careless and unorganized. If this is meant to be a pickup-only spot, then it should be labeled that way. As a restaurant, it completely missed the mark. I rarely leave bad reviews, but this was truly a disappointing experience.

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Kendejah Restaurant - Exterior

Exterior

Kendejah Restaurant - Goat Soup Special

Goat Soup Special

Kendejah Restaurant - Jollof rice

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Alloko Garden - Hero photo -Menu overview

Alloko Garden

4.2(5 reviews)
11.1 miEast Oakland

Alloko Garden is one of many restaurants cooking out of Jingletown Eats, a ghost kitchen and food…read moredelivery distribution center identifiable by the painted bird on the storefront. I had already planned to visit Jingletown Eats to pick up donuts from Mochill for Yelp Elite Week, so of course I had to take advantage of the opportunity to try a new restaurant, Alloko Garden, as well! I ordered the Shoukuya (whole grilled chicken) and Alloko (plaintain fries) for $30. Both were so delicious! The chicken was juicy and well-marinated, and came with a flavorful tomato and onion topping. The plaintain fries were fun to eat and paired perfectly with a spicy, salty dip, which the website describes as a prebiotic sauce. Having no other point of reference, it reminded me of Chinese fermented bean paste. The only issue was that I didn't receive the salad that the whole chicken set should include. Looking back at the different options, only the whole chicken comes with a salad, so I can see how this mistake could happen. After making my own veggie side, the Shoukuya and Alloko ended up being enough for four servings, which is a great deal. I would absolutely recommend Alloko Garden to anyone craving or wanting to try West African cuisine!

Man! This was some yummy food and a blast from the past. As…read morea returned Peace Corps Volunteer who spent 2 years in Ivory Coast back in the 1990's, I was thrilled to see a local restauranteuer surface who could re relate some of the flavors that tickled my taste buds back in the day. Not to hate on its neighboring countries, but after travelling widely in West Africa I concluded that Ivory Coast has a truly rockin' and superior food culture. I'm vegan aspirational but my partner is not, so to increase his buy-in, we ordered Shokouya Cancanan chicken. The half chicken, accompanied by delicious grilled onions and tomatoes, was a generous portion of robustly seasoned, plump, fresh and perfectly cooked chicken. I love that they only use "happy chicken" as I call it--cage free, hormone free & antibiotic free--which assuaged some of my flesh eating hesitancy. The side dishes were just as I recalled: attieke, a marvelous cous-cous-like starch made of ground, fermented, then steamed cassava, was tangy, springy, and performed as expected in hand. (In hand?, you ask? Why yes, the "real" way to enjoy attieke is to scoop up a small handful with your right hand, scrunch it up in a ball, then dip it in a sauce or accompany it in this case with a bit of tender chicken.) It gives a taste and a mouth feel like no other. Then there was the alloko, which is a generous portion of chunks of fried plantain "doux," or sweet plantain. In Côte d'Ivoire you would likely enjoy these as streetfood, in my opinion best consumed after the heat of the day had spent itself and you were walking with your companion to take some fresh air before turning in. A street vendor would hand you a pile of these wrapped in a piece of newspaper, accompanied by a blob of paste composed improbably of fermented dried fish, ground chili pepper, oil and the omnipresent Cube Maggi. The marriage of sweet banana, spicy, umami, salty...made my toes curl just as I did 20 years ago! well, you can experience some of that magic with Alloko Garden's alloko. Each chef has their own recipe for the alloko side sauce and I suspect the proprietor, Monsieur Tohouri, uses less heat and less fish and more natural ingredients than the MSG-fest that is Cube Maggi, for us Oaklanders than he might have grown up with. But this healthy non-volcanic version more than gets the idea across and my partner, new to alloko and its accompaniments, understood that the idea was delicious. We both loved that instead of omnipresent plastic, this alloko (& attieke) came in a biodegradable paper box. Because he was temporarily out of one other dish that I'd hoped to sample, Mr. Tohouri kindly added a dish for me called fonio arancini, which are kind of hush puppy type doodads made of a grain I didn't remember encountering in my village, fonio. Even 20 minutes after picking up from the storefront in Jingletown, the fonio arancini arrived home still delicious in all the ways grain plus a dunk in a deep fryer can be: hot and crispy on the outside, warm and almost pudding-like on the inside, with a warm umami awesomeness from the cheese mixed with the dough, and a yummy dipping sauce alongside. According to the article I read in Berkeleyside, this fonio is part of an interest Monsieur Tohouri has in increasing the economic base in Côte d'Ivoire. First step is creating market demand. I say, bring it on!! Although we were ravenous after a four hour bike ride that day, both BF and I were satisfied after this feast. I know this is the first of many trips to this place. I feel so fortunate to have an authentic source of Ivoirien cuisine in my back yard, and with an emphasis on the health of the food chain, the planet, and the humans both producing and consuming the cuisine. I ordered and picked up directly from the storefront because I'd read somewhere that restaurants lose something like 40% of the price charged, to the delivery company (uber eats, grub hub etc). As the prices were very fair given the generous portions, this means a really tiny profit margin for the person doing all the work. What I didn't realize would be an added benefit was meeting the actual proprietor, the chef himself! Monsieur Tohouri came out to hand me my food, thus completing the awesomeness of the experience. How often in this disseminated and impersonal world do you get to thank the actual person who feeds you? My overall assessment: five thumbs up!! Merci bien Monsieur Tohouri!

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Alloko Garden - Salad Bowl with D.B.® (finely grilled lamb chops)
 Mixed greens on a bed of fonio -nutrient-dense ancient grain drizzled with avocado oil

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Salad Bowl with D.B.® (finely grilled lamb chops) Mixed greens on a bed of fonio -nutrient-dense ancient grain drizzled with avocado oil

Jollofxtra - Chicken plate with plantains and rice.

Jollofxtra

4.3(8 reviews)
10.5 mi

I was really excited to try this out, it's a local business run by a mother in her apartment. I…read moreordered through the website and arranged a pickup day/time. The owner was very kind and the food came out nice and hot. The plate consists of 2 chicken drum sticks, fried plantains, and a straight mountain of rice. The flavor of the chicken was great but it was slightly on the dryer side. The rice was fluffy and had a great fragrance to it. The plantains were absolutely delicious and probably the best part of the dish. My family and I really enjoyed the meal overall - I loved how it was local with unique flavors and had generous portions. I only wish it came with some kind of vegetables, the website lists stewed spinach but that was not an available option when ordering. Support your local businesses and try out something new!

You pick up from the house. Nice lady running the whole business…read more We ordered the chicken takeout dish from Jollofxtra, which also came with plantains. The food smelled really nice when we got it. The rice reminded me of Spanish pilaf rice but with a slightly different flavor that I can't quite describe--definitely unique. The plantains were good and the chicken was tender. My cousin picked up the food for us and it seemed to be ready on time. For the portion size and price, I felt it was a good value overall.

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Jollofxtra - Main plate, only $20!

Main plate, only $20!

Jollofxtra
Jollofxtra - Looks like there's only a little bit of rice, but the rice covers the whole plate underneath.

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Looks like there's only a little bit of rice, but the rice covers the whole plate underneath.

Golden Safari - african - Updated May 2026

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