The white rice and ayamase is amazing!! The service was great and this place is very welcoming.read more

My girlfriend is Yoruba and this is her favorite place to eat. Her name is Kiki please give her a…read morediscount

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!

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!

BEST MOROCCAN RESTAURANT in the Bay Area. Where food is done and served the old fashioned way: by…read morethe Owner!! Chef Fatima is unmatched with her Cuscus with lamb & veggies. Period! If you want hamburger or pizza don't go there. For Moroccan food and pleasant service don't go anywhere else! When the weather permits, sit outside and enjoy San Francisco's skyline. Afif Kanafani Oakland, CA A very satisfied customer

I love their Chicken Isabella sandwich and their Moroccan Tea and Coffee and the staff provides…read morevery good service. I highly recommend dining there.

My husband and I tried this place for the first time, and the food was delicious. We ordered Food…read moreFood, traditional dish and Customer service was excellent. Very recommended.

Got harassed while trying to eat here. Didn't feel safe and…read moreleft immediately. Thankfully my order wasn't put in yet cause their card machine was broken. Employees did nothing to help. Recommend just ordering online and picking up. Paper menu in the restaurant has no prices listed either.

Very kind women in the kitchen. Fried my plantains fresh when I arrived. Food was delicious…read more Different than the JOLLOF rice I've had from a Ghanaian friend but not that different. Thank you

I love African food. The spices are rich and it's always so savory. My favorite item here is the…read moremeat pie. It has a nice crust that is pretty buttery. The inside is filled with luscious meat. I always have lots of questions when I order at this joint, and they are always so patient with them. The ambience is that of a nice little food stand in urban Africa. Love it!

Good food. They treat the customer right with a better service. The Ambiance is unmatched.read more

Omg best food ever.!!!!!!Try it u won't be disappointed!!!…read moreI'm obsessed with the waffles. I ordered 7 orders of them a few times so I would be able to eat there food for breakfast the whole week :) Warning it may take a while to get your food cuz they're is usually a lot of customers, but it's well worth the wait!

We were looking for our next stop after visiting Forge Rockridge, and lo and behold, we spotted…read moreEnssaro right across the street. I've had Ethiopian food once or twice before, and remember it being comforting and delicious, which sounded like just the ticket on a chilly and rainy day. We were welcomed in and got a cozy corner table. I love the warm clay-toned color scheme, it instantly adds an element of warmth and comfort. We looked over the menu, and happily, there were quite a few vegan and vegetarian options. We weren't super-hungry, but wanted something to munch on along with having drinks, so we opted for the veggie sampler for one. It was the perfect amount for the two of us to share. Beautiful, colorful plate of lentils, cooked greens, and sautéed vegetables. Served with injera flatbread to scoop it all up. Flavorful and perfectly satisfying. Admittedly, the lack of utensils threw me off - listen, I'm originally from Europe where we eat pizza with a knife and fork, lol - but I got the hang of it well enough, following my partner's lead in scooping up the food with the injera. Service was warm and friendly, and the bartender was nice enough to come by and check in on our drink orders to make sure he understood what we wanted. My lemon drop arrived with a heart shape made out of lemon skin - how sweet!! Great experience overall. Will return on an emptier stomach next time so we can experience more of the delicious food.

I was pleasantly surprised by this spot! This was my first time trying Ethiopian cuisine. I know…read morethey had a spot in grand lake but I guess they moved to college. Fire location for a restaurant! There is a lot of foot traffic and other good food in the area so I really like that they moved to this location. Just I will say parking can be a pain in the ass sometime. A lot of options to choose from on the menu but we ended up getting the meat / veggie platter so we could try a little bit of everything. Food was really good as it had all of spices and flavor I was unfamiliar with. We also got the cauliflower appetizer which was very flavorful and crispy. The people working here were extremely friendly and made sure we were taken care of. Great location on the corner of college and nice little outside area as well where we sat.

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!

This was my first time trying Ethiopian food, and what a beautiful experience! We came as a party…read moreof six to celebrate and didn't call ahead, but we were welcomed and taken care of wonderfully. Our waitress was excellent! She patiently explained the different dishes, answered our questions, and made sure our food came out in a timely manner. The owner was just as welcoming and even helped us celebrate and took pictures with us, which made the experience even more special. Great food, excellent service, and such warm hospitality. They definitely made my first Ethiopian food experience one to remember!

It's been along time since I've came to eat here!…read more This place is one of my favorites! We got the combination plate! We were so full and it was two of us! Food is delicious and so flavorful! I am never disappointed when I come here! Friendly staff, place is clean! Parking is a little tight. Only thing is the plate they put the food on looks a little smaller than the big round ones they use to use.