Kendejah is a Liberian restaurant serving traditional West African dishes. As someone from West Africa, 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. read more

Kendejah Restaurant - Me in restroom while I was waiting for my Togo order - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

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I'm only giving this place one star because the food itself was fair -- but the experience was horrible. 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. read more

Hubby and I have been wanting to eat here for a while. We heard so much about Liberian food but never got a chance to try it. We seen the restaurant plenty of time when we use to go Sharetea nearby. We decided to finally try it and came here to order some food to go. The restaurant was a bit confusing. We mapped it and the area showed the location to a empty storefront. We decided to call them and realize that the address was a little bit more down then what as stated on Maps. There's no menu inside, the menu/picture of what they offer is posted on their window on the outside. Hubby and I took a look to see what we wanted to try. We ordered quite a bit of food to try. We ordered the Jollof Rice with Chicken, Oxtail Stew, Goat Soup, Cassava Leaf with turkey, wings & fries, and of course we had to get fufu. Everything was delicious! It is pretty pricey though, so we'll only be coming once in a while, but definitely will come back! We do want to try egusi soup with fufu, so will have to find a location that has it! Delicious food and good service. read more

Kendejah Restaurant - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

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I love the food here, the egusi, the okra stew and the jollaf rice! I loved how we would come before the restaurant itself had opened, & there was this man who was super polite and welcoming every time we would come. Now that the restaurant has opened, there's seating, the decor is beautiful and we still love the food and the sauce they make there (we would always bar a jar $20 for it was quite expensive though). What I want to say is that the experience itself dining in wasn't great. You don't get water, and your food is still served in to go boxes with paper plates and plastic forks to accommodate you. The service isn't there, because you can just order from the kiosk so I don't know if a tip is even needed because we didn't seem to have any service to help us. My husband had to ask for some help but the woman at the front was talking to him while speaking on the phone with someone else, which seems really rude since we've been a customer for sometime. I think the best option to just bring it home instead of eating in. read more

Kendejah Restaurant - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

Food was excellent! The egusi soup was a little bland but we had oxtail soup and it was so flavorful, the fufu was nice and soft and jollof rice with plantains was very good too, the ambiance is nice and clean, prices were a little pricey but overall I love this place and I would definitely go back! read more

Kendejah Restaurant - EGUSI & FUFU Jollof Rice Oxtail - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

We were pretty disappointed. It's basically a take-out place even if you eat in. You order at a machine as you walk in. The food comes out in plastic takeout containers and the one front area staff person brings over plastic utensils and (when asked) some paper plates. Eating the whole fried fish, which was very crispy (perhaps overly so) was not so easy with plastic utensils. The food was ok, but we didn't think it was anything special in terms of flavor or preparation. All of that might not have lead me to give the place two stars, but added on top of that was that the entrees are $25-$35, which seems seriously overpriced for what one gets in terms of both food and service. read more

Visited: 4/6/2026 I've eaten from here once before, but this time was more enjoyable. I got their chicken wings and potato greens with rice. Portions were great. I had some for the next day. The food was tasty. I just wish the potato greens were spicy. The lady who charged my order was also super sweet. read more

Loved the Jollof rice and the oxtail soup with fufu was delicious. They even gave us roses with our meal! A truly amazing dinner. The plantains were fried to perfection. read more

Had fufu many time. Giving this place a 2 stars, most of the food was so bland. We had the okra, ox tail, egusi, greens with chicken and fufu. I thought the food was going to be much more flavorful but it wasn't way too bland for my taste. Is there a difference between this restaurant food and Nigerian. Maybe I'm comparing it to Nigerian which is very tasteful I usually give Nigerian restaurants 4 to 5 stars. But this place not for me and pricey. i personally wouldn't come back. read more

This used to be one of my favorite places to come. I drove from San Francisco, but the last two times I came here, the food was horrible. I always order the goat soup and fufu. The only thing I come for is usually fantastic, but the last two times it did not taste the same. Tonight, I ordered two goat soups with fufu to go, and I got all the way there, but the lady told me they were out of fufu once I arrived. I really loved this place but when the owner is not here it's not the same. read more

Kendejah Restaurant - Goat Soup Special - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

I'm really glad I found this place. West African food is hard to come by in the Bay, and this spot does it right. The owner is super friendly and clearly cares about the food. I've had fufu, penut stew, cat fishand egusi stew here, and all were full of flavor. They also sell their own hot sauces, which are honestly addictive. The slogan says "it goes with everything," and that's not an exaggeration. The menu changes every day, so it's best to call ahead and see what they're cooking. read more

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Great customer service, I can with a list but we wanted to try more from the menu so she took us outside and showed us the different combos. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the goat stew. It was delicious and filled with spices, with a nice kick to it. Oxtail was tender and I wish there was a little more spice or maybe I could've added a little salt myself. The jollof rice was not our favorite solely for the rice used-- we're just used to jasmine rice :) Plaintains were delicious and fresh! I would definitely come back to try the okra sauce &. FYI. It looks like there's not a lot of meat but there is! They just give lots of soup and the meat is cut into smaller chunks. read more

Kendejah Restaurant - Left to right: Plantains, Oxtail stew, Fufu & Goat Soup, and Jollof Rice - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

The customer service was great and the guy and women who help me was very nice I ordered fish, rice, and water with fruit in it everything was good with paintings which is beautiful and afrobeats playing read more

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First time trying egusi and fufu and I'm so hooked! Wish they had a spot near the city

Amazing food for our first time! Loved the music playing as we eat and the mural on the wall. Fast service, kind servers. read more

Kendejah Restaurant - EGUSI & FUFU, Oxtail, Jollof Rice - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

The food was amazing as was the customer service! Genuinely the friendliest staff, so happy I got to have my first west African food experience here. The oxtail was silky and flavorful, perfectly seasoned and the fufu melts in your mouth! 10/10 read more

Kendejah Restaurant - Really enjoyed our delicious fufu and oxtail - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

Let's start with the setup. There's no physical menu inside. The full menu is posted on the window. They offer a few daily staples, but most dishes are only available on specific days of the week. When you step inside, there's no dine-in setup. Just a front counter with someone taking orders, and honestly, the inside had a warm fishy smell that gave me pause. I ordered the chicken with jollof rice and the greens. The total came to about $40. When I opened the bag in the car, I was ready to write a review right then, and not a good one. The jollof plate looked like 80 percent rice with a slice of tomato, a slice of cucumber, and a few raw onions tossed on top. A tiny portion of plantains, and an even smaller piece of chicken. I'm talking maybe a quarter of a chicken breast. The greens came in a small bowl that looked like a side dish, not a $17 entrée. The chicken was dry, but at least it was breast meat, and the sauce helped save it. The greens were the real star, packed with smoked turkey and deep flavor, even if they were a little oily. That said, I'd probably never come back unless the top portion of the to-go container was all chicken. Replace the plantains with chicken on both sides, have it overflowing or stacked high, and I'd come back. But other than that, I don't need that much rice and carbs for that price. And think about this. Jiffy cornbread costs 74 cents a box and they're selling slices for over four dollars. I know how much rice and greens cost, and they're barely giving you any meat. So they gotta be making money hand over fist. Check out my pictures and you'll see what I mean. read more

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it was my first time trying west african food and it was soooo delicious! my boyfriend and i came in on valentine's day and they gave us a rose, which was sweet. we ordered egusi with fufu and oxtail with jollof rice. the service was great - they were attentive and friendly :) read more

Kendejah Restaurant - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

I wanted to try this place because they had oxtail on the menu. I love oxtail and wanted to see what Liberian food tastes like. The oxtail was flavorful but pricey for the amount you get. I paid almost $30 just for oxtail and rice. I wouldn't order oxtail from here again due to the price. Their oxtail tastes similar to Jamaican oxtail. So next time I'm craving oxtail, I can go to BackAYard in Menlo Park or the South Bay and pay less than $20. They also give you way more oxtail than Kendejah. I'll have to come back again and try their other dishes. read more

Kendejah Restaurant - oxtail - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

Quite the gem of a find! Kendejah is a casual Liberian spot that's currently only doing take-out orders, but that shouldn't stop you from dining on their rich and delicious noms. It's situated in the middle of a vast square of food options, but parking can be tough so be ready to snipe a spot nearby. We were passing through around noon and still managed to grab something. There's really only one table outside to eat at so don't be expecting table service, but the lady running the shop graciously gave out a dollap of hot sauce for an added kick since we were eating there. That stuff has some *serious* heat, so be warned! It is absolutely worth it though. QR Code ordering and payment, though the menu is rotating. They have a larger menu with all their options on their big wall, though the glare does make it hard to read without a bit of angle adjustment. Things went pretty smoothly otherwise though and it didn't take long for our host to prep the portions. Oxtail + Rice&Beans - 5/5 Came with option of plain rice or rice & beans. I went with rice and beans and it was a pretty fragrant option so I have no regrets there. The oxtail stew was fantabulously creamy and rich. Hits a lot of earthier notes. Since I had a strong dollap of spicy sauce I had a whole lot of heat added on top and it definitely help bring it to another level (though it's firmly only suggested for strong spicy afficionados). Okra + Rice - 5/5 I had zero expectations but this came out as quite the luscious stew with sweet and grassy notes. Has a mix of chicken chunks and ground turkey, which blends together well. read more

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I really am hoping this was a one time bad experience, but it definitely did not make me want to come back. We ordered their fufu, goat soup, and oxtail with jollof rice. First off, the menu prices were misleading and outdated, so we were shocked to find that our total was over $50 for the items. We also were not given a receipt so we still don't know how much we got charged for each item. Then for the food itself, it was pretty disappointing. The oxtail was extremely salty and not tender or fall off the bone. They had a chew to them. The jollof rice was flavorless and tasted slightly undercooked. The goat soup was decent, but felt like we got more bone than actual meat. Also very gamey so be cautious if you don't like that. This was our first time having fufu so we don't have much to compare it to. I'm sure it's good if you like the taste of fufu, but it basically tastes like unseasoned potatoes in a mushy/slimy form. Service is close to none. It's a takeout spot and you order at the entrance to the restaurant. Overall, I feel sad to have not liked the food here, especially seeing such good reviews! read more

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Food was amazing! Host was friendly! Bathroom nice and clean. Chef back there was not playing about the food she knew what she was doing.

I stopped by Kendejah on a Sunday evening with a group of friends. We were caught off guard that there is no indoor dining at all and the only onsite dining option is a picnic tables directly outside the door. We scoped out the nearby area to see if there were any establishments where we could bring our own food and luckily there was a bar around the corner that did -- The Cooler. Another thing that I found to be pretty unique was that for each day of the week, three different entrees are offered. There were a few tasty looking items offered on Friday I had wanted to order but unfortunately this type of menu doesn't allow you to order it. I ultimately settled on sharing the fried fish platter with jollof rice with a side of plantains with my wife and this turned out to be an enormous amount of food. The fish is fried well and didn't taste oily or too dry. I really enjoyed the tomato flavor and spices in the jollof rice as well. Fried plantains are sweet and have crispy edges all around. I would definitely stop by again to try the other items they have on their daily rotating menu. read more

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I didn't eat all day and had a game. Wanted to try Kendejah. Food was okay, flavor was decent on the peanut soup but i got the worst food poisoning the next day. read more

When i first tried this place it was from the food truck.... Decent amount for the price but man this is my 2nd time ordering on doordash the Oxtail and rice! Man for $19.99 i got hellllla rice n beans and few pieces of "OXTAIL" and man it waz nun but bone and fat... managed to scrape off a few pieces of meat but damn never eating here again! Dont waste your money!!!!! The oxtail sauce was good but yea guess im eating rice and beans for dinner... smh read more

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1.14.2024 - Girl's day out. We, the trio, my seastar and the bestie, are famished and we've been waiting for this day to expand our cultural palate. Although my seastar has been exposed to West African food, my bestie and I are such newbs. This is our first time ever! Just around the corner, Kendejah serves up traditional Liberian foods. The menu is posted on the side wall and they have a very unique concept. Not everything is available as many items are available on certain days. You get several options Monday thru Sunday with an added everyday of the week menu. Very interesting and fun. It saves the trouble of deciding what to get. It seems to be take out only. No dine-in available, however, Douggie, the owner, was very nice to set a picnic table for us to dine outside. We ordered almost everything that was offered on a Sunday and on the everyday of the week menu. 1. Oxtail stew 2. Red snapper 3. Goat soup 4. Collard greens with chicken and smoked turkey 5. Side of fufu 6. Side of cornbread 7. Side of plantain Before ordering all these goodies, we were allowed to sample their "it goes with everything" sauce. From spicy level 1 to 3. We thought #3 would be extremely spicy but it just had a slight kick. It's probably because as Koreans, we love spicy and are used to a higher level of spice. All the sauces tasted amazing! But our favorite is #1. It had more depth of flavor. #2 and #3 tasted the same with #3 being a tad bit spicier. All-in-all, it lived up to the name - it literally goes good with everythang!! Several of the menu options, such as the Attieke for the Red snapper was not available. Also the collard greens had an option for organic beef, but that wasn't available too. The oxtail needed to be cooked more because the meat was so tough. It was hard to bite the meat off from the bones. It did not want to come off and was pretty glued on. Wish they would have cooked the oxtail longer so that it was more tender and enjoyable. Nonetheless, the flavor was good. I really enjoyed their tomatoes and spiced flavored Jollaf rice. Dress some of their "it goes with everything sauce" on top made it even more appealing to my taste. The Red Snapper tasted fresh and well seasoned. The plantains and cornbread were enjoyable. Huge portions so sharing is recommended. Fufu....I can't really say it was delicious. Personally, not my favorite. It looked like mashed potatoes, but the texture and taste was like mochi. It threw me off, way off. Glad to have the opportunity to try something very new, but won't be ordering it again. On the other hand, my seastar loves it! Overall, first time experience was good. It definitely woke up a side of my tongue that was not quite awoken. Definitely will be back to purchase more of their sauce. Thanks to Kendejah, we're on a mission to try more West African cuisine! read more

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Tried the fufu and oxtail soup! Super tasty! Will definitely coming back! Douglas was helpful with helping us decide on what to order! read more

Kendejah Restaurant - Jollof Rice and fufu w/ oxtail - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

I went there with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law and we were so excited to try this new place that we've never been to. We were not greeted with a warm welcome. We asked if they had menus and they did not. We had to order from the kiosk. There were hardly any pictures so it was hard to choose what we wanted. Then when we sat down at a table, she didn't bring us any water while we waited or anything for that matter. And when the food came out, it came in to go boxes with lids on them no plates but plastic forks. I spent over $100 plus gave a great tip at the kiosk for absolutely no service. Very disappointed. The food was decent. But when I asked for ketchup for my fries, they didn't have any and when I asked for salt and pepper, they didn't have any and my sister-in-law asked for some salsa and they gave her a tiny teaspoon of it. It just was a shame because we were so looking forward to having a great experience here. read more

I came here again with a group of friends and ordered a jollof rice, while my partner got the red snapper. They have some standard menu items that are available all days of the week, as well as a few items that are available each day specifically. They had the food ready within 15 minutes of ordering. The jollof rice is a solid choice if you like tomatoes and food that is on the sweet side while also having a bit of acidic/sour and savory notes. If you prefer crispy and drier rather than wet fish, the red snapper is good too, and it came with pieces of tomato, onion, cucumber, and avocado. I do wish there was more variety of side dishes provided with each of the entrees and that the vegetables were more flavored. Although the price may appear a bit high for a main dish, the quantity of food is large. read more

I absolutely love this Liberian and West African food restaurant! I got vegetarian Jollof rice plate and the oxtail stew with red beans and rice. I can actually eat it because it don't got the peppers that I'm allergic to, like a lot of African food places (and unfortunately for me, even Soul food / Black food). By the time I made this review I've already been there like 2 times previously. I think. The first time I met the wonderful owner Doug. Thank you for conversating with me and explaining the dishes. It definitely had made me day and I was ecstatic to know that there's actually a West African restaurant I can get food from. They DO have like a hot sauce there but I haven't tried it yet due to allergies. I probably will have someone else try it, not sure if I could get myself to go through the itching and other reactions just to try some food....again.... read more

First time trying fufu here and it was good! We paired it with the oxtail stew which was so rich and flavorful. The oxtail was tender. I really enjoyed the combo. There was no seating indoors as they blocked it off so it is more of a grab and go. However, there was a small table outside that we sat down and ate at. read more

Kendejah Restaurant - Fufu and oxtail stew - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

Went to try this place for the first time last Thursday. I have been walking past this place for about a year now and been wanting to try it. When I went to the restaurant, you have to use a kiosk to order your food. For me a person, who has never had this type of cuisine and not have a human interaction to go over the food and explain what they are is quite challenging. I wish there was a little bit more hospitality and greeting when you walk into the establishment. I couldn't decide on what I wanted to have so I tried a side of jollof rice, a side of chicken and gravy and a main dish of what they served for the day which was the potatoes greens served with rice. I really enjoyed the chicken and gravy, it was the best thing I ordered in combination with the jollof rice. This is my first time tasting jollof rice so I really don't have any comparison to it to speak on how good it was. But the chicken gravy was really good. The potato greens were not my favorite at all. It was served with smoked turkey, the turkey was very dry and I did not enjoy the flavor of the potato greens. Spent 45.34. I really wish someone from this establishment would've came over and checked on me and asked how the food was especially since I'm a first-time customer, but no one did. Just overall better customer service would be nice. It was very uncomfortable and intimidating to even try to ask for something else in replacement of the mail that I didn't touch which was the potato greens served with white rice. The environment was very nice and clean, nice artwork on the walls. read more

Horrible, flavorless,greasy, over all real shitty food and no seating and this is not jollof rices read more

Wow! Get your appetite ready folks this place takes you all the way to Jamaica without going there Oxtails and Goat soup is what I always get but everything is good on the menu. The atmosphere is very relaxed and makes you feel like you're at home. ENJOY! read more

Great food, easy to find location. Just one table outside for eat-in sitting. Seems to be mostly a takeout place. Only downside is that the food is very, VERY salty read more

Kendejah Restaurant - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

Amazing food! Even great customer service! Ambiance was on point. Thank you for providing great service to the community! Love this place!

Very tasty. Food tastes home made. The owners and cooks were super friendly. It was my first time there and I'll go back next time I'm in the area. read more

I'm honestly upset. Upset with myself for not knowing about this gem. I've trying to find a good oxtail spot, my co-worker told me about Kendejah, a Liberian restaurant. So I decided to give it shot. Kendejah is taking to go orders only at the moment. I spoke to a kind gentleman who took my order. Ordered: Jumbo oxtails w/ rice and beans Greens Cornbread The Sauce (medium) The oxtails were very tender and flavorful, it went well with the rice and beans. I scooped up some greens and mixed it with the rice. Let me tell you, finger licking goooooood... The cornbread was okay, tastes like cornbread. Let's talk about "the sauce". You can literally put this sauce on anything! I put it on some chicken, vegetables, beef, anything. I got the medium since that's all they had. Enough reading, go get some Liberian food at Kendejah! read more

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Only to-go food available. There's no dining in. We ordered to-go food on their website. We got the Oxtail & Rice and Beans and Jollof Rice & Chicken Breast with Gravy. They were both ok. We really wanted to try their goat soup with fufu, but it's not available on Saturdays. First time trying African food though. Parking lot is shared with other stores. They also sell their own spicy sauces. read more

Kendejah Restaurant - Oxtail & Rice and Beans - African Near Me - San Leandro, California

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Late review. I've been meaning to try Kendejah for a while, but just never had time. Well this was the time! Food came out quick and while I was eating I was mad, mad that I didn't try this place sooner! After finishing this plate I was put in a mini food coma. Will go again for sure. read more

Kendejah Restaurant - Jollof Rice & Chicken Breast with Gravy - African Near Me - San Leandro, California