Cancel

Open app

Search

Swahili Spot

4.7 (34 reviews)
Closed • 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Order Swahili Spot Takeout or Delivery

Services - Swahili Spot

Vegetarian catering

Swahili Spot Photos

SWAHILI SPOT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - Swahili Spot

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

a bowl of rice, beans, and greens
T S.

Food is solid. Enjoyed the chicken curry bowl. I only wish it had more greens and less chicken lol Customer service so nice! I got a complimentary sweet fried bread thing which was also delicious! I already inhaled that but now that I think about it, it would have been perfect dipped in chai tea.

a variety of food items in a styrofoam container
Alexis F.

Food: Primarily Tanzanian but also food from surrounding East African countries. I lived in Uganda for a summer which borders Tanzania and can say the food is legit. Immigrant owned and operated. Recommended Food: - The Rolex: Omelette wrapped in chapati with veggies and hot sauce. This is a street food found all around East Africa. - Chicken Sambusa: Triangular, savory puff pastry with ground chicken and vegetables. They have a vegetarian and beef version as well that I didn't try. - Vitumbua (very dense coconut mini-pancake with vanilla flavor). Delicious dessert. Ambiance: This is primarily a takeaway place. It is small and bare-boned with only a few small tables and the kitchen clearly visible behind the counter. There are some African flags, bowls and photos to show cultural pride. Tip: Order in advance for pickup if you are in a rush. If you have time, order at the restaurant and they'll make most of the dishes by hand in front of you. They are only open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00AM to 5:00PM. Phone number: (510) 978-9495

Catered lunch
Anthony L.

We had a catered lunch from Swahili Spot, and overall, it was a good experience. The Bongo Beef had nice flavor, but there was a bit too much fat for my liking. The Zanzibar Chicken also had good seasoning, though it came out a bit dry. I really enjoyed the fresh and tasty green salad, and the coconut rice was wonderfully aromatic. The Makande Stew was an interesting dish with firm and chewy ingredients--a unique first-time experience for me. The sautéed greens, however, were cooked down a little too much. All in all, it was a solid meal, though a few improvements would have made it even better.

Chicken & rice dish

Wow, what a gem of a find! The food was a large portion, and it tasted amazing! I'll definitely be back -- thank you!

Menu + Swahili on the Wall
Marquez A.

I first met the owner at a food festival in Oakland where they had their food truck out and have been coming to the restaurant frequently since! The Curry Chicken Bowl is my favorite. The rice, beans and greens go together so well.

Ox tails okra peas and coconut rice
Sonja L.

Okay down home food peas and coconut rice or Palau rice curry chicken thank you for your kindness and the love in the neighborhood

We finally got a chance to try The Swahili Spot and the food is awesome. Ingredients are fresh and cooked with love. Everything is seasoned well and there is no heat added. Now the pepper sauce is INCREDIBLE for the spice lovers. We only had vegetarian & fish dishes, but look forward to trying all of the meat entrees and sides. Ordered: fried whole fish with coconut rice, vegetarian rice pilau, vegetable sambusa, and mandazi for dessert. The pinto beans are the star of all dishes!! Yum

Beef stew and chapati.

See all

2 months ago

Business owner information

Photo of Priscilla M.

Priscilla M.

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Adel W.
407
852
2959

1 year ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 2
Love this 1
Oh no 0

7 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of C. W.
0
12
0

2 months ago

Enjoyed their food at a recent street festival - absolutely everything they made was delicious!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 months ago

Business owner information

Photo of Priscilla M.

Priscilla M.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

3 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 4
Love this 4
Oh no 0

7 months ago

Business owner information

Photo of Priscilla M.

Priscilla M.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 2
Oh no 2
Photo of Saundra D.
221
217
114

2 years ago

Good food and portions. Flavorful. I would go again. I had the Beef Bowl and the samosas.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1
Photo of Nat D.
0
12
0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Madeline C.
339
89
128

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 2

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of J G.
2
6
1

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of J D.
0
23
12

2 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 1

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 2
Oh no 0

3 years ago

I thought the food was good. I ordered the beef bongo bowl. Friendly service. Worth a visit.

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Great food, healthy, and not something you can find almost anywhere else. This is a great addition to the neighborhood.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 2
Oh no 1

3 years ago

Excellent food and service and very generous portions! The host was very helpful and the spices were on point.

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Me N.
0
12
7

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 years ago

The Food tastes great ! Service is Amazing! The environment is very welcoming, gives me a warm home feel.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

The best Tanzanian food in the bayarea

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Swahili Spot Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Swahili Spot

You might also consider

Kojokojo Fusion - Where is the beef on this bone?

Kojokojo Fusion

3.9(249 reviews)
0.4 mi•West Oakland
•$$
Free parking
Outdoor seating

Everything was good. The food was amazing. Delicious tasty rice and the service was great. Highly…read morerecommend. I walked in, none busy and i was able to get my food within 5 minutes. The food was fresh and i loved it. However, paying 33 dollars for a meal with only two decent size oxtails is kind of expensive for a decent food. I wish they would have put more meat on my rice place. Other than that, it was a great experience eating this delicious food. The inside is small and they have a little table outside for family's to eat. I would come back here and try their other food but it is a bit pricey for me.

I swear by this place, however, my experience today ruined my interest in patronizing this…read moreestablishment. I went in today I usually travel over an hour away and spend min $100 here. My daughter and I absolutely adore the food here. But today was unfortunately different. I walked in sat down with the menu and the owner told me to leave his shop. I was confused I assumed maybe they weren't open yet ( mind you it's 11:30am) he tells me to leave his shop and states he refuses to serve me. Confused, I ask why because up until then I've never had a bad experience. He repeats leave my shop I will no longer serve you. So sad it had to end this way, not sure if he mistook me for someone else. Nonetheless I will never go back, weird energy and rude for no reason. I'm kinda sad because the food is delicious but I'm ok with it. I refuse to eat from someone who would treat me in such a nasty way.

Photos
Kojokojo Fusion
Kojokojo Fusion - Jollof Rice Platter

Jollof Rice Platter

Kojokojo Fusion - Outside

See all

Outside

Kendejah Restaurant - Jollof Rice & Chicken Breast with Gravy

Kendejah Restaurant

4.5(655 reviews)
9.8 mi
•$$

This was my first time trying African food, and I'm so glad this was my first experience!…read more I started with the Glow Water, and I was honestly impressed. It actually has flavor--it's definitely not just water with some fruit floating around in it. It was refreshing and delicious! The oxtail with jollof rice was amazing. The meat was incredibly tender and flavorful. I also tried the egusi with fufu, which had both chicken and turkey, and the meat was so tender as well. Everything was packed with flavor. But THE CORNBREAD?! That cornbread was out of this world. It had the perfect little bit of sweetness and was so moist, soft, and fluffy. I usually have a rating scale for food, but that cornbread officially broke my rating scale. For my first experience with African food, they definitely set the bar high. I will absolutely be coming back!

Walked in and no one is in there but couple people on a couch and someone at the desk. The person…read moreat the desk asks if we're eating there or take out and we say yes for here, and she says to scan for the menu. We didn't know what to scan this. There are a couple things on the table to scan so that took some time to figure out. You're actually supposed to scan the small card on the table. Then you order on the app and the food comes out in plastic containers (not a fan of plastic) and you also order your drink. They don't seem to offer water in a cup. It's water in a bottle for $2 each. I didn't really feel welcomed when walking in seemed like we were bothering them. The food was bland. We ordered the oxtails and rice to share. Oxtails were cooked all off the bone, but it was just missing flavor. Wasn't worth the $34 in my opinion. Overall didn't really like my experience and the food wasn't as great as the reviewers make it out to be so I don't think I'll be back soon.

Photos
Kendejah Restaurant - Plenty of seating

Plenty of seating

Kendejah Restaurant - Goat Soup Special

Goat Soup Special

Kendejah Restaurant

See all

Alloko Garden - Hero photo -Menu overview

Alloko Garden

4.2(5 reviews)
3.8 mi•East Oakland

Alloko Garden is one of many restaurants cooking out of Jingletown Eats, a ghost kitchen and food…read moredelivery distribution center identifiable by the painted bird on the storefront. I had already planned to visit Jingletown Eats to pick up donuts from Mochill for Yelp Elite Week, so of course I had to take advantage of the opportunity to try a new restaurant, Alloko Garden, as well! I ordered the Shoukuya (whole grilled chicken) and Alloko (plaintain fries) for $30. Both were so delicious! The chicken was juicy and well-marinated, and came with a flavorful tomato and onion topping. The plaintain fries were fun to eat and paired perfectly with a spicy, salty dip, which the website describes as a prebiotic sauce. Having no other point of reference, it reminded me of Chinese fermented bean paste. The only issue was that I didn't receive the salad that the whole chicken set should include. Looking back at the different options, only the whole chicken comes with a salad, so I can see how this mistake could happen. After making my own veggie side, the Shoukuya and Alloko ended up being enough for four servings, which is a great deal. I would absolutely recommend Alloko Garden to anyone craving or wanting to try West African cuisine!

Man! This was some yummy food and a blast from the past. As…read morea returned Peace Corps Volunteer who spent 2 years in Ivory Coast back in the 1990's, I was thrilled to see a local restauranteuer surface who could re relate some of the flavors that tickled my taste buds back in the day. Not to hate on its neighboring countries, but after travelling widely in West Africa I concluded that Ivory Coast has a truly rockin' and superior food culture. I'm vegan aspirational but my partner is not, so to increase his buy-in, we ordered Shokouya Cancanan chicken. The half chicken, accompanied by delicious grilled onions and tomatoes, was a generous portion of robustly seasoned, plump, fresh and perfectly cooked chicken. I love that they only use "happy chicken" as I call it--cage free, hormone free & antibiotic free--which assuaged some of my flesh eating hesitancy. The side dishes were just as I recalled: attieke, a marvelous cous-cous-like starch made of ground, fermented, then steamed cassava, was tangy, springy, and performed as expected in hand. (In hand?, you ask? Why yes, the "real" way to enjoy attieke is to scoop up a small handful with your right hand, scrunch it up in a ball, then dip it in a sauce or accompany it in this case with a bit of tender chicken.) It gives a taste and a mouth feel like no other. Then there was the alloko, which is a generous portion of chunks of fried plantain "doux," or sweet plantain. In Côte d'Ivoire you would likely enjoy these as streetfood, in my opinion best consumed after the heat of the day had spent itself and you were walking with your companion to take some fresh air before turning in. A street vendor would hand you a pile of these wrapped in a piece of newspaper, accompanied by a blob of paste composed improbably of fermented dried fish, ground chili pepper, oil and the omnipresent Cube Maggi. The marriage of sweet banana, spicy, umami, salty...made my toes curl just as I did 20 years ago! well, you can experience some of that magic with Alloko Garden's alloko. Each chef has their own recipe for the alloko side sauce and I suspect the proprietor, Monsieur Tohouri, uses less heat and less fish and more natural ingredients than the MSG-fest that is Cube Maggi, for us Oaklanders than he might have grown up with. But this healthy non-volcanic version more than gets the idea across and my partner, new to alloko and its accompaniments, understood that the idea was delicious. We both loved that instead of omnipresent plastic, this alloko (& attieke) came in a biodegradable paper box. Because he was temporarily out of one other dish that I'd hoped to sample, Mr. Tohouri kindly added a dish for me called fonio arancini, which are kind of hush puppy type doodads made of a grain I didn't remember encountering in my village, fonio. Even 20 minutes after picking up from the storefront in Jingletown, the fonio arancini arrived home still delicious in all the ways grain plus a dunk in a deep fryer can be: hot and crispy on the outside, warm and almost pudding-like on the inside, with a warm umami awesomeness from the cheese mixed with the dough, and a yummy dipping sauce alongside. According to the article I read in Berkeleyside, this fonio is part of an interest Monsieur Tohouri has in increasing the economic base in Côte d'Ivoire. First step is creating market demand. I say, bring it on!! Although we were ravenous after a four hour bike ride that day, both BF and I were satisfied after this feast. I know this is the first of many trips to this place. I feel so fortunate to have an authentic source of Ivoirien cuisine in my back yard, and with an emphasis on the health of the food chain, the planet, and the humans both producing and consuming the cuisine. I ordered and picked up directly from the storefront because I'd read somewhere that restaurants lose something like 40% of the price charged, to the delivery company (uber eats, grub hub etc). As the prices were very fair given the generous portions, this means a really tiny profit margin for the person doing all the work. What I didn't realize would be an added benefit was meeting the actual proprietor, the chef himself! Monsieur Tohouri came out to hand me my food, thus completing the awesomeness of the experience. How often in this disseminated and impersonal world do you get to thank the actual person who feeds you? My overall assessment: five thumbs up!! Merci bien Monsieur Tohouri!

Photos
Alloko Garden - Salad Bowl with D.B.® (finely grilled lamb chops)
 Mixed greens on a bed of fonio -nutrient-dense ancient grain drizzled with avocado oil

See all

Salad Bowl with D.B.® (finely grilled lamb chops) Mixed greens on a bed of fonio -nutrient-dense ancient grain drizzled with avocado oil

Golden Safari - Jollof Rice w/ added Fried Chicken ($12 + $5/chicken) also comes w/ plain beans pictured in background

Golden Safari

4.1(338 reviews)
14.8 mi
•$$

Food: Amazing! I have been to this restaurant 3 days in a row. I've tried fufu and egusi before at…read moreother places, but the BEST fufu and egusi is from Golden Safari. The fufu is served hot and fresh. The meat in the egusi is so tender. Their puff puff, jollof rice, and chicken are also very good. I highly recommend, and I will keep coming back. Service: The owner of the restaurant is so sweet! Her staff is also very friendly. The staff wear hair bonnets, and the bathroom is always so clean.

I don't even know how to start this review off...this food is so so good it can make you cry happy…read moretears and make your year. My friend introduced me to Golden Safari and we drive down all the way from Oakland- it's worth the drive. The staff is kind and wonderful and the ambiance of the restaurant is lovely and has beautiful art. The owner/head chef is a legend!! The jollof rice is so unbelievable good and tasty , it feels like a wave of flavor hits your mouth and warmness hugs your soul. The second time I came here I got Jollof with the chicken... I didn't know it could get even better than it already was. The chicken legs tastes so good and reminds me of the chicken legs I ate growing up visiting my family friends home. This is the BEST chicken and jollof in the bay. But my absolute most favorite dish here, that makes me drive all the way down just to eat, is the puff puff. Puff puff is so so so amazingly good, in taste, in texture, and freshness. The puff puff sells out fast and I can see why- its so so good its my favorite pastry now!! Thank you for the wonderful food

Photos
Golden Safari - African wall art

African wall art

Golden Safari - Fried Plantain ($5)

Fried Plantain ($5)

Golden Safari - Egusi - African Melon Seed & Vegetable Soup w/ Goat Meat ($18.99 + $3/Goat) also comes w/ FuFu pictured in background

See all

Egusi - African Melon Seed & Vegetable Soup w/ Goat Meat ($18.99 + $3/Goat) also comes w/ FuFu pictured in background

Shewhat - Lamb ,chicken ,shrimp and beef . Shiro

Shewhat

4.9(354 reviews)
2.9 mi•Bushrod, Rockridge, North Oakland
•$$
Women-owned & operated
Outdoor seating

Cozy family-run spot. Love the vibes!…read more We got the Shewhat Special (vegan sampler + chicken/beef combo) and added the Selam Special (shrimp/mushrooms/spinach). The platter was flavorful and gorgeously colorful. I particularly enjoyed the lentils and Selam Special. Highly recommend the sambusas--the pastry was piping hot and so flaky!! Delicious paired with the sweet chili sauce. So glad to have finally made it here for some authentic Ethiopian cuisine (':

If you are considering Ethiopian food, just wash your hands and come here. It's like dining in a…read morefriend's home, welcoming, warm and genuine. The owner Abby D. is also the chef and her love and pride in her cuisine shines through her cooking. Having eaten Ethiopian food only in the US, this is the best version that I've had across Chicago, NY and DC. They offer indoor and covered outdoor seating, giving it a homely comforting vibe. Since it was just the two of us, we ordered the vegan sampler and the lamb tibsy (spicy). The lamb was delicious and well spiced. All the dishes were served on a platter of injera - sour, spongy bread that just soaks up all the flavor to perfection. I enjoyed the red lentils (misir wat), yellow lentils (alicha) cabbage and carrot stir fry, collard greens and a house salad that had a dressing which perfectly complimented the rest of the dishes. They also offer additional injera should you need any - we didn't. You eat with your hands from the common platter, but they do provide additional plates and silverware should you need it. The portions are generous and we ended up taking some of the food home. They have a bunch of dishes I'd like to try, so I'm definitely going to be back!

Photos
Shewhat
Shewhat - Veggie combo

Veggie combo

Shewhat - Chicken tipsy

See all

Chicken tipsy

Swahili Spot - african - Updated October 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...