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

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'.

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

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.

It took me a while, but I started loving Ethiopian food a lot more and started appreciating the…read morecuisine the more I had it. It's hard for me to compare Ethiopian restaurants here just yet since the cuisine isn't something I have to often still, but it's definitely been quite good the time I've had it. This is no exception either. The platter was quite large and I enjoyed almost every thing on it. I don't know the names of everything still, so sorry for my ignorance, but both the meat and veggie items on the platter were very good. There's nothing special about the egg, but for some reason, it hits different with that sauce here. So freaking good! Service was friendly, but the place was pretty dark and dreary. Definitely has more of a night scene vibe or just a dive bar kinda vibe. There is a bar attached in another room close to the back. So maybe it use to be a bar and the design of the place just hasn't changed. The restaurant did feel very wide and spacious. Possibly for a dance floor or something. Anyways I had a good time and food was delicious.

We decided to try this place out when we visited Seattle as we were craving Ethiopian. The ambience…read morewas not great, the lights were full and not crowded for a Saturday. Veggie combo (4 stars): There were at least six delicious sides to the injera. The lentils were fresh and delicious. Loved the authentic food. I wish they let us replace a few veggie options with meat options.

Fresh, delicious real food! Service was fast, professional, and polite. Lotsa clean seating…read more Authentic bold flavors.

Great food, decent prices!…read more I was seeking something beyond the typical food offerings while on my way to the airport, and this was my chosen spot. I'm not very familiar with African food, and the menu items were mostly unfamiliar to me. Even so, I'm thoroughly pleased with my take-out order (ugali with beef that also came with a couple sides: a little salad and lentils with cooked greens of some sort)! It was maybe a 15 min wait for my food to be prepared after ordering, but it came out hot and flavorful! I look forward to coming back again.

Overall, a great meal. The lamb shanks were very flavorful and tender. The goat not as good, but…read morestill tasty. 100% authentic

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.

I've been on a Whole 30 diet for the month and have been looking at unique restaurants to keep…read morethings interesting. Ubuntu did not disappoint in the least. The restaurant is in a strip mall in Everett with plentiful parking. Once you step in, the atmosphere is vibrant! There's a cute bar, and lots of beautiful affidavit art. The food was amazing. We shared the lamb chops and the peri peri chicken thighs. Both were grilled to perfection, the chicken was actually better than Nando's! Definitely check this place out, it's worth the trip.

My cousin was visiting from Scottsdale, Arizona, and since we're both huge foodies, I wanted to…read morefind something memorable before she flew out of Paine Field. I'm not super familiar with the Everett restaurant scene, so I sent her a handful of options--and we landed on the most delightful little find: a beautiful African restaurant just minutes from the airport. From the moment we walked in, we were impressed. The ambience was perfect--modern and clean with stunning African art that made the space feel both welcoming and special. It even felt a little upscale, but still family-friendly (they had a couple of high chairs, which was perfect since I had my kids with me). I instantly thought, I'm coming back here with my husband for date night. We ordered the peri chicken thighs and the oxtail stew, and I'm telling you--both dishes were above and beyond anything I've ever had. The chicken was unbelievably juicy with layers of bold, rich flavor. The oxtail? Fall-off-the-bone tender, deeply savory, and so comforting I practically melted into my seat. To top it off, they surprised us with cinnamon-seared pineapple--sweet, warm, and just the right hint of spice. Every bite we had was truly out-of-this-world delicious. I honestly cannot wait to come back. This place is a gem, whether you're catching a flight, on a date night, or just craving food that will absolutely wow you.

Spontaneous dinner here while heading to Full Tilt next door and decided to try something new since…read morewe've never had Kenyan food before. Really glad we did! It was pretty busy and the food did take a while to come out, but everything tasted super fresh and it was definitely worth the wait. The portions are large and the flavors were incredible. What really stood out was the service. Samantha was amazing! She was so friendly, funny, and welcoming even though the restaurant was packed and there was a line. She took the time to walk us through the menu since it was our first time there, let alone trying Kenyan food. Even with how busy it was, she made sure each customer was taken care of and exuded such positivity. You can tell she really cares about her customers. Great food, even better service. Would definitely come back.

Super friendly service and delicious food. I went for the first time during the Plate of Nations…read moreand so glad I tried it. The food was really delicious, best collard greens--they tasted fresh and bright, not too much vinegar like most places. The rice was so good I even took home the leftovers and they were great the next day. Beef samosa was piping hot, freshly fried when we got it

I was headed to Applebees for a burger and saw this truck. I got the beef Naija Jollof. OMG…read more.. absolutely delicious. So flavorful. There was enough for dinner that night and lunch the next day. I will definitely be back.

Saw this food truck at the Des Moines Mid Winter Festival, and had to try. We had the Naija version…read morewith beef and it was great!