Fabulous Central African white table cloth restaurant on my list. Ordered the chicken wings and the best I have had. Well spiced and just slightly sweet with perfect texture, truly extraordinary. I ordered the peanut chicken, tender tasty and lovely spiced with the peanut behind that spice. My table mate had the beef kabob which I had one and so tender and satisfying. read more

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We tried this spot for the first time tonight and quickly added it to one of our favorite places. Plus, the chicken & goat dishes, and the beef samosas were halal! The ambiance was welcoming with comfortable chairs, fine dining white table cloth, friendly staff, and a knowledgeable chef/owner! We even got to talk to the owner afterward and got recommendations of what to order on our next visit (the peanut chicken). The food was delicious and unique. We had the beef/potato stuffed samosas, the Goat Stew with Okapi Rice, the grilled whole fish (Branzino) with a side of Kwanga, and the beignets with ice cream for dessert. The Kwanga is a starchy cassava that itself doesn't have much taste, but when eaten with the grilled fish or the Goat Stew, was delicious! Overall, it was an amazing experience, and we're already excited about coming back to try more! read more

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Everything is amazing. The food is highly recommended. The service is impeccable if you want to have a nice night! The decoration and music is unique! Fist time in Chicago and love this place! read more

Okapi Bistro - African Near Me - Bloomingdale, Illinois

This is the first time I had Congolese food and I am very happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes that came out. The meat pies were so flavorful and delicious- I can eat like at least 10 of those. The chicken was good, maybe a little bit on the drier side, but the plantains on the side were amazing. The fried fish was seasoned well and I think this was my favorite dish out of all! I also tried fufu for the first time here and I loved it. The service was spectacular and I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. read more

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Great food. Great service. The goat stew and samosas are amazing. Will be back to try other items on the menu. read more

Okapi Bistro was an amazing experience! My husband and I recommend Okapi 200%, this family owned bistro was a wealth of tasty knowledge. The gorgeous decor totally represented the African culture, The atmosphere was romantically fun and cozy. First time at a African restaurant and trying African cuisine so we ordered the popular dishes and wasn't disappointed and neither will you! We asked Florette lot's of questions, for food & drink recommendations all along the way, don't be shy they love answering your questions particularly about the culture. **grilled smoked turkey tails in photo remembered read more

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Delicious food and extremely friendly owners with a cute atmosphere. appetizer platter is amazing- the beignets and wings were phenomenal. Oxtail was tender a flavorful. Red snapper amazing . Everything amazing read more

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Trying something new for date night. This is an awesome adventure of flavors. The red snapper is extremely flavorful with a slow building heat that will have your nose running in a good way that was perfectly flaky and superb. The fumbwa was dippy sauce that you keep eating but the jury is out as it's a little too fishy for us but we really liked the spinach sauciness with fufu. Thankful for the flo fried rice to help with the heat. Hubby loved the plantains that were crunchy canalized around edges. The beignet was the perfect touch of sweetness closure. Hubby can't wait to try the jerk chicken and other things. read more

Okapi Bistro - Full Fish Red Snapper - African Near Me - Bloomingdale, Illinois

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Nice spot with white table clothed tables and a nicely decorated interior. We had the samosas which were really good filled with beef and some peppers on the inside as well as a sweeter sauce drizzled on the bottom which really complimented the dish. Additionally we ordered the peanut chicken with okapi rice and steak kabobs with sauteed mushrooms. The chicken was so juicy it was melting in my mouth and the peanut sauce was amazing if you're like me and like peanuts. The rice was good too, I wouldn't really say it was spicy at all but it definitely had flavor. The steak kabobs were really well seasoned. Passion fruit juice was refreshing as well not overly sweet or anything. Service was good we did not wait too long for any of our dishes and the waitress was very nice. We enjoyed the music selection as they played Tayc and Dadju as well as many other afrobeat francophone artists. read more

My wife and I are huge fans of African cuisine. This was our first time tasting Congolese cuisine and it was delicious. We definitely will come back and try the other entrée 's. read more

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What fantastic new flavors to experience! The chicken was especially outstanding. PLEASE support this small, unique restaurant. read more

The place is small but tastefully decorated. The waiter ( I forgot his name) was a kind & very personable young man. The food was honestly to die for delicious! We ordered for the 3 of us the `Family Reunion' as they called it on the menu (full royal chicken, fried rice, plantains, steak kabobs, 4 pieces of samosas for appetizer and beignets for desert), 1 small fried red snapper, 1 big fried tilapia, pineapple juice & ginger ale. Everything was fresh & very delicious. The chicken was moist, the kabobs tender, the fish so fresh, beignets so fresh...& the prices were very reasonable for the quantity & quality of the food. This is Congolese cuisine & the best african restaurant I've ever been to (& I've been to some). We hope places like this stay open in these trying times. read more

My wife and I enjoyed a great dinner at Okapi Bistro. The Jerk wings, peanut chicken, goat stew, everything was fantastic! Will be back often! read more

We have been taking out from this amazing restaurant regularly and also have dined in. This is the best African fusion food you can find in the entire Chicago burbs as far as I know. Thanks to Pete and Flo for feeding us with yummy and spicy chicken and being kind every time! read more

Hands down the best African and some of the best chicken I've ever had. On top of that the service was amazing. A review doesn't do this place justice you have to see for yourself! I recommend the whole chicken with the peanut sauce and flo fried rice! Amazing! read more

Great service my first time here I had the red snapper rice and empanada That's what I call it because it is similar to one of our appetizers Food was ready when I got there altogether a great place with great taste read more

I'll be honest, the customer experience was not great. I placed an order online, and after 45 minutes when I arrived, they hadn't even started on my order. They missed the order notification - unfortunate, but understandable given the small business size. To make up for it, they upgraded my half chicken to a whole chicken and added some chocolate beignets. I really appreciated this. The chicken was maybe the best chicken I've ever had. Perfectly juicy with an amazing blend of spices. I could not recommend it more highly. It came with fried plantains and sweet potato fries - both terrific sides. I also had a side order of beef samosas. They were good but not a must-have. Finally, the complimentary beignets were great. By the time I was done with the meal I was extremely full but I was able to eat a couple of them. I can't recommend the food more highly. Just prepare for potentially longer wait times and some growing pains of having a small business. read more

Delicious food nice people! I had their chicken and it was great! The dessert rolls were really good and go well with the food rather than dessert. Rice was good read more

I have been to this restaurant a few times and This is my new favorite spot for lunch or dinner! The food is very delicious and flavorful. The customer service was outstanding, very friendly and made the best recommendations for the food and drinks. I recommend this delicious Bistro 10/10!! read more

My friend and I are foodies and have tried various regional African cuisines. This was our first experience with Okapi and I must say, it will NOT be our last!! WHAT A GEM!! If you have not tried Congolese food, you must begin your journey here! This restaurant lives up to its name. Just like the Okapi, this place is a rare, beautiful breed. The service and food are exceptional. The decor is understated yet beautiful and comfortable. Love the accent pillows!! Our server was wonderful and attentive. The food is carefully and lovingly prepared. We had the turkey tails as an appetizer. They were smokey and luscious. The red snapper and Chicken were cooked to perfection. Our evening was highlighted by meeting Flo, the owner and chef. She and her brother (our server) are some of the most passionate, warm-hearted, and resilient people. Keep up the amazing work!! We will be back! read more

My family and I highly recommend dining here. Upon walking in we were greeted right away. We ordered two kinds of meat (goat, chicken) and three sides (and asked for seconds!). The food was very tasty and well seasoned, the sauce was of perfect consistency and went well with fufu, the chicken was juicy, the fried cassava was crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. We even received a complimentary dessert. The service was friendly and professional - we felt welcomed and the the server was very attentive, the restaurant was clean. Compliments to the chef! We will definitely come back! read more

We had the samosas, jerk chicken wings, peanut chicken, and the goat stew. My lord. Phenomenal. The owner is a very polite gentleman. The wait is worth it. Seasoned perfectly. Chicken is juicy. Everything was flavorful. The portions were plenty. I can't believe I didn't come here sooner. Definitely would come here again. read more

Very impressed with the ambience, service, and the delicious food. This was our first experience with Congolese dining. We were very happy to have this experience and taste such unique dishes! I had the goat, cassava leaves and root and was very happy. If you like spice you can find it here! My wife ordered the chicken in peanut sauce and manioc (cassava vegetable). delicious! Daughter had fried rice and beef Kabobs. So many flavors! read more

Okapi Bistro - African Near Me - Bloomingdale, Illinois

My wife and I ate at this restaurant a couple of months ago. My wife left her credit card behind. The owners were so kind to notify us and hold onto your card until we could pick it up. These are terrific people running a delicious restaurant. The food was out of this world. I highly recommend this off the beaten path restaurant. I guarantee it will become one of your favorites. Check it out :-) read more

First time trying African food and it was amazing. I've been there twice now. I highly suggest the goat sauce, 1/4 chicken and red snapper. They have a way of making everything taste so different and yet delicious. Everything is also made from scratch so the staff is very friendly and a really nice vibe with the lights and music. Highly recommended. read more

Good music and great food! Jerk wings were nice and crunchy with perfect texture. Royal chicken was real juicy with every bite exploding with flavor. Rice was puffy and soft with great taste. Steak kabobs were good quality meat and cooked to perfection. Great costumer service with well respected manners. Food was a 5 but giving them 4 stars because there was a couple of fruit flies flying around our food but overall good experience! read more

We just discovered this place a few weeks ago and finally got a chance to try it out tonight. Wow! It blew us away! We got the Ya Jean, Kwanga, Fufu, and Sweet Plantains. It was honestly the best goat meat we've ever had. The owner is incredibly nice, too. She gave us free peanut soup to try--which we would order next time. When this pandemic is over, we look forward to dining in, as the inside has really beautiful decor. We will be getting take-out again soon! read more

I've been wanting to try this place since it re-opened a couple months ago and I am so glad I did. The half-chicken was amazing and so well spiced. It had really good kick but you can get spice on the side if you have low tolerance for heat. The plantains were delicious too. I also had samoussas which were very good and mikates (beignets) which were doughy balls of goodness. Sorry no pics but I was hungry and couldn't stop eating! The staff was super friendly and helpful too and I can't wait to go back. If you order carry out like I did make sure you have sufficient time because everything is made fresh to order and it is so worth it. read more

My friend and I dined here in late August. Everything about the experience was an utter delight. The restaurant's ambiance is upscale and unique. We fell in love with the authentic African fabrics and overall décor. The host was beyond accommodating and kind. We also had the opportunity to talk with Florette, the owner and chef. Both were kind, attentive and engaging. Now for the food - I've had Congolese food only once and have wanted to try it ever since. The food was out of this world. We started with turkey tails, which my friend said reminded her of her childhood. We had the beef samosas which were delicate and flavorful. Entrees were the whole fried red snapper, spinach and shrimp, and Poulet Royale. Kwanga, plaintains and Flo Fried Rice were our sides. All were amazing. Beignets and wonderful coffee finished the evening. I cannot wait to return and hope this restaurant is fabulously successful. They deserve it! read more