This review is a bit late since the building in Coralville was torn down, but I'll leave it in the hope they will open elsewhere. The best thing about this restaurant is the delightful owner who cooks and came out to talk with us and explain the intense level of the hot sauce we ordered with our meal and to make sure we knew how to eat the food with fufu. My favorite foods were the Soup Royale with oxtail and the tripe soup. I also loved the Feuilles De Manioc (dish with cassava leaves), Egusi, and Sauce Graine (a dish with smoked turkey and fish...flavorful, but watch out for bones). The wait for food was pretty long so don't plan to be out in an hour, but I think they start making it after you order and it's noticeable that the food is made with love. I also ordered carryout when I didn't have as much time to sit and wait, and the food even tasted great at home. I hope they reopen somewhere, because I still have cravings for their fufu with the perfect texture dipped into a yummy, flavorful dish. Portions were huge and I would get multiple meals from an order. read more

Made a reservation for eight for a book club dinner. Wonderful open space in the restaurant. Very attentive staff. Delicious food. Cannot wait to visit again! read more

Restaurant Gai - Menu - Main Courses - African Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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The owners are so kind! The goat was perfectly cooked! Love the rice too. Worth it all around.

Got take out from Restaurant Gai! Alloco (plantain)⁣, Sauce D'arachide with fufu (chicken in peanut butter sauce), Sauce Graine with fufu (fish and turkey in Palm nut sauce) ⁣I really enjoyed my Sauce D'arachide with fufu. The sauce was savory while the Alloco were sweet. Hard to stop eating the sauce! I personally didn't care much for the fish but my partner liked it a lot and that sauce, too. The day we wanted to go, we couldn't find a phone number that was answered so we went in. Everyone was kind and it was a cute little place and not too busy! Would go back if I was in the mood for that sauce read more

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First time and we are looking forward in going back. We had never had African food before but the waiter was so nice and helped us with the menu. Food had great flavors. Very obvious everything was so fresh. I got #1 with fish. My red snapper was delicious. He got the goat. Which was also very good. The beignet were very good I was skeptical with the onions but it went well together. read more

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First time trying African food and it was delicious! The begnets with onion sauce were great! The owner was super sweet! Overall 10/10, would definitely return to try more items!! read more

Restaurant Gai - African Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

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There are very few places I've eaten at where 10 minutes after the meal everyone at the table was still sitting around talking about how amazing the meal was. It's a rare feeling to eat foods I have never had before and feel like I was sitting at the table back home with my family. Everything from start to finish was amazing and had us saying wow. The juices are similar to Mexican drinks and just breathtakingly good. All the appetizers had us eagerly awaiting to see how good the main courses would be, and nothing was less than amazing. The beignets were a perfect amount of sweet while not feeling like a guilty pleasure. The wings were crispy and extremely flavorful, and the plantains were perfectly textured.. and the pepper sauce wow! I've never left a restaurant in Iowa feeling this satisfied. read more

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This food was exquisite! We got the red snapper, lamb and yam stew and goat in tomato sauce. The African seasoned wings were a perfect appetizer and the friend plantains also hit the spot. I would recommend this place to anyone who is looking to shake up their Iowa City restaurant routine. read more

I wanted to try something new and chose this restaurant. My son had gone here previously and really enjoyed the food. I had the Choco. It was very good. The portions are appropriate, and ambience was very quiet. The restaurant is located off the main path and sits back from the street. The foods are unique or at least they were for me. The dish I tried was shown several times and it is something I will definitely order again. This is a small mom and pop establishment. The host/waiter/Cook/server was cordial but not very talkative. It is a family friendly place if you're looking for one. read more

Restaurant Gai - Choco - very good. - African Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

First time eating at a west african restaurant. I'm a fan of the chicken wings and their homemade habanero sauce which elevates EVERYTHING! I'm not a huge fan of beef, goat, or lamb so thankfully there is chicken and fish on the menu too. I've only tried a few dishes but I'm excited to come back and try more! I like the vegetables with fish and beef so far, and am excited to try more of the foods. read more

We stopped in for lunch and had some beignets and drinks to start out meal. I had jolloff rice with chicken andy partner had the lamb with rice. Both were delicious and they offered us a hot sauce if we wanted to try it. Very smoky and complex with a great heat! Will definitely be going back! read more

We went there for dinner tonight. We were greeted by a very nice lady who helped us pick our dishes and beverages. She brought a multiple samples of beverages to pick from. The food was delicious, at the place was clean. We were the only in house customers on Friday night which made me sad. More people need to come here to make this work. We need a variety of restaurants in our community and need to support this family owned business. We had a great time and would go there again. The owner also makes Vietnamese food. I'm definitely going to try that too. read more

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One of the few go to places in Iowa city. Love it. Always willing to eat the fufu and cassava leave soup

Felicity is the proprietor and delightful. Restaurant Gai is immaculate and has nice ambiance. Let's talk cuisine. We ordered the snapper, ox tail, chicken and cous cous, fufu and spinach and beef. Everything was delicious! We also got their bespoke fresh squeezed juices which were scrumptious. We will be back. Overall great vibes and good for families. read more

Just finished eating at Restaurant Gai with friends. Amazing food and variety. Wonderful owner who answered all our menu questions. Truly a delightful plane to dine!! read more

My wife and I wanted to try a new ethnic restaurant. We stumbled on Gai. What an experience! Big menu with exotic options from Africa, fresh food, and great service. The ambience is average, but we were there for the food experience. The price isn't cheap, but you can't get cheap and high quality at the same time. I recommend it. read more

The food was absolutely outstanding and only rivaled by the immense kindness of the owner. I took my entire family and we ate an eclectic mix of various dishes. Please make sure you try the peanut butter chicken. read more

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We started w the drinks, their juice was amazing and very flavorful. We had tamarind, hibiscus, and baobab fruit juice -- the last one I never had before, supposed to be super fruit... My kids love them too We ordered 3 dishes, fufu w okra and turkey beef sauce, goat and plantain, albo (steamed rice cake) and red snapper. We also had the salad. All very flavorful. Waiting time was a bit long, my little ones lost patience. We went to the grocery next door and got nice middle eastern items such as dates. The waitress was very nice, she came to explain to us that they cook their food fresh, and told us in the future we could call ahead to place order to avoid waiting read more

The food is delicious and the staff was so nice! Great experience, I'll be back soon. I've never been to a restaurant specializing in African food, and it was definitely awesome. I had chicken with peanut sauce and rice, and a hibiscus drink, which were both incredible. I can't say enough about this place, everyone should go! read more

Great restaurant. Ever since we found this hidden gem, we have been to this place at least weekly basis. Food is made fresh right after order is placed. We tried handful of dishes on the menu and every single dish is so flavorful and tasty. Owner/cook is so attentive to your requests and preference that she would remember what you asked for previously. They also have fresh home made juice. Highly recommended. read more

Today wanted something different, I ran across the restaurant (Gaï). Glad I went there. Amazing food, lots of good choices. I had the Riz Cantonias (Chicken). It was a healthy portion, very friendly/attenitative staff. The atmosphere is super clean and cozy. Big props to the proprietor, Fèlicitè Kolie! She's a queens, a boss, and a amazing chef.(keep doing what you do). Welcome to the neighborhood. #Unapologeticallyincharge! read more

This place is amazing! My friend and I ordered the Le Ailes De Poulet Grillé (Chicken Wings), Sauce D'arachide (Peanut Butter Sauce) w/Fufu, Sauce Gombo (Okra Soup) w/Fufu, Haricots A La Viande (Beans Cooked With Yams and Beef), and the Riz Au Gras (Jollof Rice) Everything had so much flavor and the portions are the perfect amount for 2 meals! Lastly, the customer service was great! The owner and chef is so welcoming and answered all the questions we had! Definitely coming back! 10/10! read more

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We just ate a superb dinner at Restaurant Gai and want to encourage everyone to give it a try! We had their red snapper with cassava couscous, plantains and cabbage salad all of which were some of the tastiest dishes we ever had! Don't miss the food at amazing restaurant!!!! The flavors of the red snapper, cabbage salad and plantains were beyond delicious!!! To make sure this restaurant continues to provide their tasty authentic African cuisine we plan to visit often and try everything on the menu! I sincerely hope you will give them a try! You will thank me! read more

Yum, yum, yum. My husband is from Nigeria and misses West African cuisine, and Restaurant Gai helps satisfy those cravings. We've gotten the jollof rice with fish, the attieke with red snapper, and the plantains. All were delicious. So happy to have this place in town! Give it a try! read more