This is one of the very few west African restaurants the city has to offer. Of all my travels, west Africa has had some of the best foods I've eaten. And because I always let the locals order my food for me, I never had any clue what I was eating but I always knew I wanted to eat it again lol. A brought a friend along with me to steaming pots so it would seem less gluttonous that I wanted to try everything on the menu. Prior to coming, the only foods on our agenda for sure were jollof (a tomato and spice based rice) and fufu because my friend wanted the experience of eating with her hands lol. We ordered the following: jollof with turkey (this was a compromise as I don't eat turkey typically... but I realized I just hate American turkey recipes) Egusi goat with fufu (this was both of our absolute favorite!! I told the cashier and she said "it's everyone's favorite") Gari foto snapper (the snapper was fried so perfectly and the stew that goes atop it *chefs kiss*) Pufpuf (think biegnet without the powdered sugar) For drinks we ordered bottles of palm wine and Myriam let us tree samples of each of the fresh, in house made juices: pineapple ginger, tamarind, and hibiscus (similar to sorrel). We loved all 3 but took home extra of the tamarind to go! In addition to all the food and drinks being AMAZING, the customer service was A1! Myriam was so friendly and welcoming and made sure to be patient with us greedy Americans lol. She even took our email addresses and promised to keep us up to date on the restaurants plans for events in the future when the lounge is fully prepared and future group travel to Ghana. read more

See all

This is only the second time I've had fufu and egusi and I will just say it was soooo good, the only reason they don't get a 5 is because I ordered takeout and came 30 minutes later and still ended up waiting another 30 minutes there. The fact I'm still giving a 4 after the wait should show you how good the food is. read more

Steaming Pots - Fufu Egusi Soup With Goat - African Near Me - Tampa, Florida

We were seated 15 minutes after arriving. Another 15 minutes passed before our food and drink orders were taken. The yucca fries were dry and greasy. The egusi stew just tasted like straight up fish. The oxtail was 95% fat and the meat that was present wasn't even tender. I'm sorry I don't even understand how this restaurant has 4 stars. And after all the terrible food and service, the woman at the front was pissed that we didn't tip. I'm sorry but I didn't even eat the food. You're lucky that I even paid. I won't ever return. read more

I love exploring new food, but I think maybe I hyped this up in my head too much. For the price I paid, I feel like I was gypped. lol. For reference, I've never had African food so maybe it's just me. I thought everything would have been spiced more? I ordered one entree mild and the other extra spicy and tasted zero spice in either. I also asked for extra meat for both which I believe was an addition $5 each and I don't know that I got extra protein. The chicken was 70% bone. The beef had a lot of chewy parts. The peanut soup itself was delicious and amazing with fufu and that was probably the most redeeming part. Efo riro (veggie stew) my husband liked more. It's very spinach forward, which was really all I got. Maybe it would have been better if I dined in, but two soups, one side, and a banku came out to $83! I ordered takeout and picked up. Inside looked very clean and the lady at the front was friendly. Not sure I'd try it again unfortunately, but I'm glad I did. read more

See all

The food is amazing. The staff are kind and helpful. Veggie options. And music playing. It's a vibe.

I came here for lunch with a large group. It took about 30 minutes to get the food which I didn't think was too bad considering being in a large group. I ordered the Jollof rice with fried chicken. I was expecting the rice to be spicy however it was still really good. I will definitely come back to try other things. FYI the ginger pineapple juice is 90% ginger and 10% juice lol I loved it but just a caution if ginger isn't your thing. read more

Steaming Pots - Jollof Rice with fried chicken - African Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Tried African food for the first time and it was pretty interesting! I got the peanut soup with goat and fufu and my partner got the jollof rice with chicken. I love anything made with peanuts and I thought the soup had a really unique flavor and was nicely spiced. The fufu, while tasting pretty plain on its own, definitely goes great with the soup and gives it a really nice texture. The goat was also very flavorful, though I wish there was a bit more since the prices here are a little above average. Inside, the place is very homey and I love all the simple yet colorful decor. Overall, while I'm glad I got to try it, I thought it was just okay and was still a little hungry afterwards. read more

Steaming Pots - Jollof Rice with chicken - African Near Me - Tampa, Florida

See all

This review is for delivery via Door Dash. I was so excited to see that Door Dash had a West African restaurant on their list for delivery. I ordered the Egusi with goat and fufu. The food arrived within the predicted delivery window. The Ebisu was leaking from its container, but contained within the delivery bag. The food was lukewarm when it arrived, but as the restaurant is about 20 minutes from my home, I guess that's reasonable. This was my first time trying this kind of cuisine, so I cannot comment on authenticity. I can say that the goat was tender, and that the portion of fufu was more than ample. The egusi serving size was bigger than I could finish for dinner. I would like to try the peanut soup in the future. I think I'd prefer to eat in the restaurant as I feel like most reviewers love the atmosphere, and that was lacking when eating out of plastic at home. read more

Food was amazing! Service was efficient! The overall atmosphere is relaxed and calm. I didn't feel like I was bothering anyone! They were very welcoming & nice! Check this spot out! Food was delicious. read more

Steaming Pots - Food was amazing! Everything was fresh. Service was efficient. I will be returning! - African Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Amazing food. Well decorated restaurant. Highlights include Pufpuf With Pepper Beef Slider, Jollof Rice, Ground Nut Soup, and Fufu.

This was my first time having west African food and after this experience it certainly won't be my last. The food was amazing and our server Jennifer was super friendly and engaging. Amazing setup in the dining room as well. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone read more

What a fun place. Outstanding food and service! Everything was excellent: Waakye (fish was amazing); puf puf peppered beef sliders; peanut soup were all favorites. I'll definitely go again. Julie did a great job serving us. read more

We ordered 2 buffers arround 35 or so a person which is hight expecially when you really dont have a buffet. The food was ok but not hot they bring it our to you and if you leave left overs they charge you. No salads and for a buffet , you can't try too many items since the plates are to much and in between it takes forever so we were full quick. Water is 2 dollars and 3% credit card charge which they dont mention. As we paid on the way out we saw the kitchen and everything was in containers like a buffet not sure why it took so long in between. Nothing was freshly made except maybe the fufu , rice was cold and definitely not fresh. We paid almost 100 for 2 people lunch and water. Sorry but never again. read more

2 star is just for the mere effort of attempting I was really excited to check this out after google and yelp reviews where underwhelming. Anyway, after a 2 hr drive - all I can say is nope. "Not for me" - I got the egusi and fufu. Fufu was not warm. West African food maybe but "no way made by Nigerians" - By no means am I saying people should stay clear but for authenticity in what Nigeria has to offer, "this isn't it". read more

Steaming Pots - Fufu - African Near Me - Tampa, Florida

See all

First time here and it was absolutely delicious! The place was small, cozy, and super clean. Our server Kathy was warm and friendly, and very hospitable. We had the peanut soup with beef and fufu, cassava leaves with goat and fufu, jolloff rice and puff puffs. Everything was abundantly flavorful! Loved the mango and passion fruit juices too. You will not be disappointed! read more

See all

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Tampa. Their menu is so flavorful and can accommodate both the spice-seeking and spice-averse. The jollof rice is a must--so aromatic and delicious. I like spicy food, so I enjoy ordering the pepper soup. Their fufu is pillowy and rich. If you are spice-averse, try their Efo Riro or peanut soup. I have only ordered out, so I can't comment on their service. Honestly, I can't recommend their food highly enough. I learned from a Nigerian coworker that Steaming Pots import their spices and some other ingredients directly, so this is both scrumptious and authentic. read more

Hands down and eat the best of West ALKEBULAN foods in the Tampa Bay area. Just wish they had various locations.

so good very delicious and authentic food. the service was great she offered great advice and suggestions. read more

Steaming Pots - Egusi with Hen - African Near Me - Tampa, Florida

First time tryer here with my husband who is vegetarian and super picky! When we got in the restaurant, he told me "just order your food (I'm a meat eater), I can eat afterwards somewhere else." I told him "No. I believe they have vegetarian options." So when we ask, most of their soups are vegan. They havent updated their online menu yet but most of their soup has no meat. They add the meat only as desired. The soup alone with their sides is sooooo filling. I ordered Egusi with goat meat and Fufu. Sooooooooooooooooo good!!!!!! Goat meat was sooo flavorful. The guy said that they can add some scotch bonnet if I want to. So, Im doing that next time we come back. Egusi (vegan) sooo flavorful. The spices are on spot. Everything taste fresh and authentic. My vegetarian husband order peanut soup(so good with a little good kick from spices) and sides: fufu (i thought he wont like the consistency but he loved it), plantains (they were not frozen so the texture is great), rice and beans (sooooo flavorful), and the best side -Pufpuf! He ordered more for to go and didnt even think of sharing it to our kids. So I ordered more. lol What they need though is more parking spots. All in all, it was an awesome experience. Staff was so informative and friendly. Place was so clean, even their restroom. My picky husband was sooo enjoying everything that (for the first time) he cursed while eating. It really blowed his mind. lol Dont be intimidated by the prices. Trust me, there will be more left to take home. read more

See all

So my youngest son came home for a visit from college down at FIU in Miami back here to Tampa and apparently had a roommate that treated him to some African food and he wanted more! Now while serving in the Marine Corps, I have visited Mombasa Africa and that was the last time that I have had some great African cuisine so we found this place in Tampa which was about 40 minutes away from my house and decided to check it out! So we ordered Beef stew with white rice, pepper goat soup, fried Tilapia fish, Fufu (sticky dough) made from cassava or semolina flour or even maize flour and egusi. My family had no idea why I ordered fufu and egusi but I just simply wanted to show them that there were different ways that they eat food in Africa and that is with their hands! Lol! You take the fufu and you dip it in the egusi and enjoy! That said it was very delicious! I found that the goat soup was lacking in actual goat meat so I called them to let them know and they told me to come back whenever I can and they took my name down and sure enough I went back the next week and they gave me a much better, heaping portion and also gave it to me for free so that was definitely a plus for this restaurant! The beef stew was extremely flavorful especially with the coconut rice that it was served with! I figured I would save the best for last and let you guys know that the fried Tilapia what's to die for! It was so flavorful and meaty despite some bones which were to be expected for this type of fish! You guys need to check this place out when you do have the time although it is small on the inside but as they say big things come from small packages! I definitely look forward to checking out this place again in the future when my cash flow allows me to because this place is sort of pricey but you do get what you pay for in flavor! Oh yeah I wanted to give a big shout out to Laura who I believe was the manager / owner who definitely hooked me up and made sure that we got what we wanted when it came to the amount of goat meat that should have been in the soup the first time around ! You're the best! read more

I love the decor! The service was fast and friendly. Miriam was very amazing. She is very personable, friendly, and patient with me as it was my first time eating and ordering West African food. The establishment is very clean, and the food was amazing. I had the egusi with no meat and 2 pufpufs. The Egusi was very flavorful, and I enjoyed eating it with my hands. The pufpufs were perfect. It's not too sweet, but very flavorful! I literally felt like family and i enjoyed learning about the African culture while i waited for my food. I will definitely be back and I encourage you to try it. Happy eating!!! read more

See all

I went here for the first time last night and it was incredible. I asked for help with what to order and the very kind woman that worked there helped me from beginning to end. Everything I ate was beyond delicious and I will definitely be back! read more

Steaming Pots - Pepper Soup with goat, Fufu - African Near Me - Tampa, Florida

See all

I've been on a foodie hunt in Tampa and let me say this place is amazing! I got the Banga Soup that comes with fufu and omg I ate every bite! I had it with goat and it was so tender and delicious. The fufu was warm and melted in your mouth. Absolute heaven! read more

Steaming Pots - Banga soup that comes with fufu - African Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I would highly recommend. Food is delicious and very flavorful. The restaurant is very clean. I got the egusi with fufu but I plan to return and try some more entrees. I also recommend the pufpufs. The hot sauce is very hot FYI (the server forewarned me). read more

See all

This restaurant is the absolute best! The food is always delicious and the service is wonderful. I live almost 40 minutes away but the trip is well worth it. If I lived closer, I would be there every week. Everything I have had so far i has been amazing!!!!! read more

The best west African food in FL hands down! We got the peanut stew and the egusi stew. The food is clean fresh and flavorful! Honestly I was blown away. I wish the portions were bigger for the price but other than that the food is delicious. Love the Afrobeats selection playing. read more

Food, service and atmosphere all 5 stars. Loved the fried red snapper and jollof rice. This jollof rice is authentic Ghanian jollof. This is definitely on my restaurant rotation list!! read more

See all

AMAZING!!!!!! Came here for my little sisters 18th birthday and it did not disappoint. This was our first time trying African food and it was absolutely amazing!!!! From the service, to how cute the restaurant is, I can't say enough good things about this place. Love it!! read more

Steaming Pots - Okra Soup Egusi - African Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I've been wanting to try African food for the longest and when I saw this place on UberEats I had to give it a try. I ordered Egusi with goat and the Okra Soup with Chicken. Each dish came with Fufu. I thought the portion sizes were decent and the food was packaged well. However by the time the food was delivered everything was cold. I get delivery takes longer than actually eating at the restaurant so that's probably why the food was cold. I started by tasting the fufu alone and found it had no taste, however the texture was what I expected it and fufu is meant to be eaten with the soup to get the flavor. I then tried the egusi with the fufu and it was bitter. So bitter that I couldn't eat it, the goat also had a bad taste as if it was old and reheated multiple times. The okra had a better flavor but it was way too slimy that I couldn't enjoy it. I ordered chicken with the okra but that meat given was not chicken and it tasted old as well. Very disappointed that I spend $80 and the food wasn't edible. At this point I'm a little scared to try African food again. read more

Recently, I have been on a mission to try fufu. I visited Africa last year sadly, I did not have the chance to try the dish while I was there. My sister and I decided to drop into the Steaming Pots on a Saturday night at around 8 PM. The restaurant has two separate sections - one has more of a cafe like feel, it is adorn with two tables and is where the orders are taken. The other side has more of a club feel, there are stylish sofas, several tables, soft music, and an actual bar. The restaurant was beautifully decorated, amazing paintings and art filled the walls throughout the restaurant. We waited for around 8 minutes to place our order, the staff was very helpful. The manager took the time to walk us through the menu and recommended a few stews to pair with the fufu. I ended up selecting the Egusi Stew ($20.50), Jollof Rice ($8), and 2 sides of Fufu ($5 each). Both my sister and I really enjoyed the Jollof Rice. The Egusi Stew had more of a unique taste and honestly the Fufu tasted like firm mashed potatoes. I certainly would be willing to try another dish from the Steaming Pots in the future. read more

See all

Best authentic West African food I've ever had! Everything was delicious. And the service was amazing!! read more

Steaming Pots - Egusi with goat and a side of fufu, Jollof with fried snapper and a side of plaintain - African Near Me - Tampa, Florida

This place is beautiful, customer service is on point, food is delicious but they were sold out of stuff we wanted to try.

My boyfriend and I LOVE Steaming pots. We have a routine of eating here at least once a week. Walking into the establishment, you feel like your home. The service is always excellent with a warm welcome and smiles. The decor is outstanding with commissioned paintings from a local South African artist. Just by looking at the dining hall you can see the time and effort that was put in to everything. I believe we spoke to the owner one visit (Laura) and she was a wonderful woman. Now, onto the food. We've had a good amount of their stews. My favorite is the egusi and my boyfriend's the Efo riro. Recently, we had the palm nut stew and garden stew recommended by the staff which were both delicious. Other recommendations are their jollof rice and juices ( the hibiscus is my favorite). All in all, I will always recommend anyone to try Steaming pots. We always support black owned businesses. We will be trying the whole menu and I know I will not be disappointed! Being Haitian we love flavorful food and this is a staple for us. Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 read more

At arrival the building is nice painted, a very warm welcome at enter the place and very colorful and beautiful. This place is the cleaner food place from the bathroom to the seating room. Food very tasty, very decent amount of food 2 can eat from a plate. Top the service, personally I don't mind the the to go boxes as plate. The only thing I would do but is not a big deal the building need a more friendly smell or better aroma. Over all amazing place, service and clean. Thanks. read more

Steaming Pots - African Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I visited this restaurant on a Wednesday and boy were they busy! I think this might be typical for this establishment as a friend of mine has visited before and stated the same thing. However, the gentleman working at the front checked on waiting customers and frequently reassured them that their order is being prepared. I initially ordered the Egusi soup with goat, jollof rice with beef. Less than 5 minutes after I placed my order I decided that I wanted the peanut soup with goat. In total I waited an hour for everything. The restaurant had a really nice interior and they play Afro beats so it wasn't all that bad. The jollof rice was amazing. I'm huge on consistency when it comes to rice and this was perfect. The beef was sooo tender and fresh. I wouldn't change a thing, it was fried perfectly and seasoned perfectly! The Egusi was a little fishy and I didn't think there was that much fish in it. Nonetheless, it was good. I love peanuts/peanut butter so I had to try the peanut soup. The peanut taste is very obvious but I truly enjoyed it. I ordered extra fufu and that still didn't seem to be enough. Despite the wait, I would definitely visit this establishment again as the food was amazing!! read more

Everything About this Place Is Incredible!! *Friendly Staff *Well-Decorated Interior *Price Point is Perfect *Food is Phenomenal Owners really outdid their selves, Bringing The Taste & Authenticity back to the States!!! Home Cooked is there focus from Bringing in Recipes That Focused inside the Kitchen back over Seas to where the Tradition is Brought to you by The Table.. soooo good. read more

I took my son here for his birthday. pepper stew and fufu is his favorite meal. the service was horrible! we sat for 30min without even receiving a water, had to ask for water twice. another family who walked in after us received their drinks and meal before us. the portions are so small pepper stew comes with about 4 little chunks of meat for $21. the flavor was amazing, a lot of items they didn't have such as oxtail, cassava fries. Due to the service and small portions we won't be going back. read more

I ordered this via Uber eats and it did not disappoint! I ordered the pepper soup which wasn't too spicy at all (I will definitely ask for spicier next time but it is great that they have plenty of options for people who don't like spice) with fufu. Everything was flavorful and delicious and I was definitely order again or go and try the restaurant in person. read more

Found Steaming Pots from Tik Tok and was excited to try and let me tell you they did not disappoint. o had the Egusi with chicken "Hen" and goat. Jollof Rice with fried beef plantains and side salad !! read more

Steaming Pots - Egusi with chicken "Hen" and goat ! - African Near Me - Tampa, Florida

See all

We've never had African food before but I had come across a video of someone eating fufu and I knew I had to try it. When I saw a review in instagram and realized steaming pots was local I had to go. We were immediately seated and were the only ones sitting down to eat in the whole restaurant. The atmosphere was nice and cozy with good music. Took a minute to get service but they seemed to be busy with walk ins and to orders. Once waited on everything came out quickly. The wife got the Jollof rice and fried chicken cause they were out of the roasted chicken. It was very good. Chicken was flavored well and cooked well. Had a nice snap to it and the Jollof rice was very flavorful as well. I went with the efo riro with goat and fufu. I gotta say the fufu was addicting. The texture is unlike anything I've had before. It's good on its own but when you eat it as it's intended it's even better. The efo riro is a bit fishy be aware anything they say has a fish base will probably be as well. All in all I'd say this place is pretty good. I'd like to go back and try some more fufu entrees. Only think I can really say was a detractor was its kind of pricey for each individual meal. Other than that I'd have a tough time finding something I didn't like about the place. read more

See all