The Hunger Tamer never disappoints! My husband is Ghanaian, so finding authentic food that reminds him of home is really important to us. Everything was fresh, flavorful, and seasoned perfectly. You can tell the food is made with care and love. The portions were generous, the customer service was friendly, and every bite was delicious. If you're looking for authentic Ghanaian food in Maryland, this is definitely a place worth visiting. We will absolutely be back! read more

I searched for a restaurant serving jollof rice in my area and decided upon The Hunger Tamer. They have their prices listed online for catering trays and you're able to either order online or call your order in. They do ask for at least 48 hours for catering orders so make sure to give yourself enough time. That being said, I was overjoyed when they were able to provide a trade for me within 24 hours. It was just jollof rice so it might not have been as difficult if it had been a main entree but nonetheless I was able to pick it up that evening but ordering over the phone that day of. I had never been into that shopping center before so it was interesting to see the other businesses sharing the space. I walked in about 10 minutes before they close however I called to inform them I was on my way and was quickly greeted. I didn't know stew came with jolloff rice and when I was offered it, I declined. When the young lady in the back told me it comes with it, I then said oh yes, of course. They called it stew so I thought it was a bowl of soup lol. Turns out, you actually put it over the jollof rice and Game Changer! The jolloff wasn't overly powered with flavor or vegetables mixed within but I'm guessing that's what the stew is for. I definitely would order her catering trays from them if I need them in the future. I couldn't get enough of that rice and had to stop myself from eating it. It was a perfect base for the bowls I made for a catered lunch. I wanted suya and jollof but they only offer jollof so that's what I went with from them. Pick up an ordering was extremely easy read more

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Hunger Tamer is the best Ghanaian food in town! I can say without a doubt that they have one of the best waakye platters. It's a hefty amount that can be split into two meals. I've also tried the fried yam, tsofi, and bofrot/puff puff. All were very delicious! Service is also pretty efficient. If you call ahead or order online the food will be ready within 15-20 mins for most foods. I've gone several times and will be back to try some of the other menu items!! read more

The Hunger Tamer - Fried yam and tsofi - African Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

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The food is consistently delicious!! Every time I come, my eyes are bigger than my stomach (and my pockets) so it's a rare treat. The egusi with goat meat pounded yam is chef's kiss. I love their banku, it has the right amount of sourness to satisfy my cravings, I can't ever leave without an order of red-red (beans) with stew; and the jollof is always delicious. I've had the waakye, but my personal preference is something with more stew. Don't forget a side of shito if you don't have any at home! Give it a try if you haven't and make sure you can take a nap afterwards! read more

I ordered okra soup with goat and pounded yam through the Hunger Tamer app, which I find really convenient and easy to use. The app stated that my food would be ready by 5:26, but when I arrived, there was a bit of a wait. I didn't mind waiting, but while I was standing in line, I received a call from the restaurant saying they had no more pounded yam. This was after I saw a box of it being prepared, and by this point, I had already waited past the promised time. I let the staff know that I was outside, but they couldn't fulfill my order as expected. I asked for a refund instead of a replacement since I really wanted the pounded yam. To their credit, I was refunded the full amount, including the tip I had included. Overall, the experience left me frustrated with the timing and the communication. I understand things happen, but it would've been better if my order had been made right away. I appreciate the refund, but I'd like to see better preparation and customer service in the future. Will consider returning for a second (third) chance. read more

The Hunger Tamer - Jollof Rice & Grilled Chicken - African Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

It's so clean, they care about the food, and they're so nice. The food is good too. This is my go to spot when I'm in the area.

Visited 3/13/26. Read the reviews. Decided to take a chance and drive over. Food availability til closing is a joke. Walked in, several men 3-4 just hanging around the counter...eventually I could order...staff behind the counter appeared nice...went to order jollof and chicken was told "no more jollof we close in 12 min". I didn't know how to respond. I inquired about operating hours and was given random answers. Left disappointed. Long drive home. I might give them another try just make sure I come very early. This was 630p. read more

So I'm Nigerian and the food here is made by a wonderful Ghanaian woman and wow I can't lie the lady can cook ! I had to try a bit of everything to make sure i had something I liked. To my surprise I loved everything ! I got the jollof and this is probably the only place I've had good Ghanaian jollof like good to the point where I plan on coming back. The efo(spinach) , pounded yam, egusi my gosh it was all made to perfection even the meat and fish were 10/10. I hate meat pie all meat pie Nigerian Ghanaian Cameroon dc I don't like it but something said just give this place a try ! And I'm so glad I did because this is the best meat pie to touch this earth now I plan on making this my go to place when I need meat pies catered for an event. Everything was seasoned to perfection the portions were the right size and my food was even still hot when it go to me through delivery. Rating this restaurant a 12/10 ! read more

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Hey this was my second time coming here and they did not disappoint!!!! The food was delicious and I can't complain!!! I ordered Jollof with mixed meats and the egusi soup with meat!!!! SO SCRUMPTIOUS!!! OMG THEY WHERE PERFECTLY MADE....the young lady taking the order at the counter was very pleasant and helpful, I told her to just hook it up as she would eat it!!! I told her my lil grand baby want fufu and spicy ogbono soup but they were out! she was pleased when I got back with food....I told her papa got what you need to satisfy that Nigerian craving in you lil belly....papa did good!!! I usually don't tip when I order pick up at business but I happily tipped that young lady cause she picked wonderfully and baby was happppppy, papa did an excellent job!!! Definitely recommend and will return!!!!! read more

The Hunger Tamer - Spinach-Egusi w/ Goat - African Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

Small space but clean and orderly. The service was just okay. I wanted attieke w/crocker but they didn't have attieke... So I asked for red red and fish. No red red... I thought they opened at 1130A, I arrived around 120P on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe I missed it... I settled for jollof w/fish. It was flavorful but my mind was on something more. Maybe call ahead to be sure what you want is available. I drove 40 minutes and had to settle. read more

So, we were finally able to pick up food from here. This is another place I've been wanting to try.... we ordered Egusi with mixed meats, Jollof with goat, Waakye with croaker and 4 fish pies. Everything was good.... the jollof and fish pies were my favorite. I can say that I'll have to order again soon, and will be sure to update my review, because I'd like to provide a more detailed review. I was so hungry by the time my husband got home with the food, I didn't even get good pictures. We'll be visiting again soon... standby for the updated review. read more

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5 STARS all around! This was my first time ordering from The Hunger Tamer, and it surely won't be my last. I highly recommend it to everyone in the DMV--not just Ghanaians or Africans. The food is absolutely delicious and a fantastic representation of African cuisine. The dishes were well-balanced--not too salty or oily. The pineapple ginger drink was refreshing, the jollof rice was perfectly cooked, and the jerk chicken was amazing--tender, juicy, and well-seasoned. I'm very picky about my fried plantains (lol), but these were perfect--not too oily or mushy, just the right texture. Last but not least, the banana cream pie was rich and creamy, yet light and airy--not overly sweet or heavy. Ms. Akonnor, the owner and head chef, pays close attention to detail and presentation. She is highly professional, which, unfortunately, can be hard to find in some African-owned establishments. She truly takes pride in her work, values her customers, and provides hands-on, personalized service. All in all, I will definitely be back! If you're looking for amazing food, great drinks, and top-tier customer service, The Hunger Tamer is the place to go. read more

I decided to follow a yelp suggestion for African food. I took a ride down to Laurel, Md. to check out The Hunger Tamer. It was tucked away in the corner of a strip mall, one can easily miss it. Upon arrival the cashier and cook were filling pick up orders, so customer service was a little dry and indirect. The menu's flow was new and a little confusing but I eventually figured it out with assistance from the cashier. She'd become available to assist after I told her this was my first visit to the restaurant. The meals were primarily broken down into combos with a chipotle-style flow for sides. I must admit the food on the steam table looked really good but I prefer freshly cooked meals. I finally decided on the grilled tilapia, rice and beans (forgot the Ghanaian name), steamed peppers, a small side of spaghetti typed pasta, pepper sauce, and this bread crumbed kinda additive. The meal took about 25 minutes to prepare but I wasn't in a rush. I decided to do some work on my iPad while I waited inside. I also wanted to get a feel for the vibes while I listened to the Afrobeats playing on the tv. I decided to eat in the very small dining room. When I received my food it was beautifully plated. I'm not exaggerating when I say my meal was absolutely delicious. The flavors exploded in my mouth and in my soul. This meal made me put down my cell phone and be one with my African roots. Mad kudos to the chef, a soft spoken light skinned woman. While I was meditating on my food, the place started to get busy. Mostly customers who were purchasing take out orders. Two chefs returned, apparently they'd stepped out for a bit. I believe the woman chef was the owner, she was pleasant and attentive asking me whether I enjoyed me food. I told her I absolutely enjoyed my meal and I will definitely come back to try more dishes. read more

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Pre-Pandemic Experience: The first time I stumbled upon this restaurant it was pre pandemic. I saw the owners were from Ghana like myself so I decided to check them out. I ordered the jollof rice with stew, chicken, plantain, puff puff and the ginger drink. I was thoroughly impressed. Ghana Jollof Rice is the best, I just thought I'd add that plug in for those who don't know. I had to put some of my friends on to The Hunger Tamer. So when I'm feeling too lazy to cook my own jollof rice, this is a nice substitute. During Pandemic: I went the other day and the rice was ok. I didn't get the same vibes I had pre pandemic but after putting it in the microwave, it was better. I would still recommend them. read more

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The vibes were amazing. I called to order and they were very nice about it even though they had high traffic. They did say to make orders easier ordering off their website is the best or in person. The wait time was shorter than 15min for Egusi w Fish and Plantains. Currently out of state but as soon as I go back I'm going to grab some. read more

Ms. Sonya is 1 of the nicest business owners I've ever met! She went out of her way, to prepare an order of pounded yam, thoroughly answered all of my questions & explained the history behind the food. She provided me w/a complimentary, delicious puff puff. Unfortunately, the puff puff is not pictured, because it was eaten during the car ride, Lol. The ginger-pineapple beverage, drank cold, was well balanced as Ms Sonya advised it would be. Still have 1/2 left, to try as a hot tea. My order of stewed goat, pounded yam & spinach was sooo g-o-o-d!!! Checking off items on my "want to try list". I'll be back! read more

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Food was great bartender was real cool and nice , Drinks was on point not to strong hit the spot read more

I have never tasted African food of any sort, but I love trying new cuisines. As always, I turn to Yelp to help me find new places and as always, I was not disappointed. Others have mentioned that the place is small - I was expecting to be crowded but certainly wasn't! The place was immaculate and very cozy. There are specials of the day listed on a board where a line would form, but the rest of the fare is listed on a large display above the service window. The woman who took our orders was so very nice, explaining the different dishes patiently. I opted to try the goat stew plate, which came with jollof and fried plantains. I also bought some of their home-brewed, non-alcoholic ginger beer. I was only able to drink a small portion because it has quite a kick to it! I thought I was just tasting really strong ginger (which can be "hot") but in fact it has something called finger peppers in it. A quick google search tells me they are considered medium hot and are a staple of Indian food! You're welcome, fellow nerds! ;) Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the stew, although to be honest, the server's description of it as "not that hot" was off a bit. I have a threshold of spiciness and this was nudging it pretty hard. The goat meat was very tender and flavorful, so I just went a bit easy on the sauce and ate each bite with some jollof. The plantains were just right, firm but not hard, and nicely sweet to offset the rest. I don't think their dishes are pricey; I paid $13.95 and took nearly half of it home! The ginger beer was a few dollars, so actually if anything is a bit pricey it's that. Still, they brew it themselves in small batches, so it's what you'd call artisanal and therefore worth more. In any case, with a small tip into the jar on the counter, I spent $21. I might go back again, just to try some of the other dishes, but since I really enjoy trying new places, it likely won't be soon. read more

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The food is delicious I have just started coming here but they have a loyal customer so far read more

The Hunger Tamer - Egusi Soup with Pounded Yam and Fried Plantain - African Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

Hit or miss, depending on the day. Not consistent. Makes some tasty meatpies but the middle of the pies are always raw soggy pastry and undercooked. Please keep the pie in the oven to make sure it cooks through well read more

It's honestly so hard to capture take out food in its best light. But despite me not being able to make this pretty... Man, this is the best Ghanaian food I've ever had. The black pepper sauce I wanted to dump on everything. Puff puff was perfectly dense in texture and delicious. Everything was *chef kiss* and you know I can't go without my egusi ‍ read more

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First time driving by this restaurant in laurel..I ordered some fish pies, meat pies, rice and beans and I was adventurous by ordering Egusi ( made with pumpkin seeds spinach and spices) Everything smell so good. The service was fast. I tried at bite of the fish pie and the dough is buttery and the fish is nicely flavored. Next event, I have I am ordering from this place. Keep up the good work, you got a new fan. read more

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So, this new Ghanaian restaurant opened quite recently and of course i had to do my due diligence. All in all i came out of the experience pretty impressed with what i ordered. I decided to do take out. I ordered Jollof rice w/chicken, waakye w/fish and goat, kelewele, and Tsofi. Everything was very delicious and plentiful, easily the best waakye and jollof rice i have had in the DMV and i have tried most of the Ghanaian restaurants. It was pretty tasty and plentiful, service was efficient as you have the option to call in to place your order to go. The jollof and waakye was decently priced, but some of the items such as fufu, banku etc were much more expensive on average than other Ghanaian restaurants. I will be there next week to try the banku, fufu etc.. Check them out you will be pleased. read more

I happened to be in the Laurel area and was looking for a good spot to try out. I looked on Door Dash and found various restaurants. I mainly found typical chain restaurants and a few smaller restaurants. I then came across The Hunger Tamer and viewed their menu. It's sports various west African style dishes primarily from Ghana. The Waakye with Grilled Chicken caught my eye and I decided to order it. It did take awhile for my order to be delivered. The restaurant was less then 10 minutes from where I was and but it took almost 1hr and 30min. I assume it was made upon order. It was worth the wait . The food arrived hot and fresh. The portions are plentiful, especially the rice and black eyed peas. The food is mild yet still flavorful so if you don't like spice this is a great dish to try. I would love to try a another dish from here. It's a great break from the typical takeout spots. Worth a try! read more

The Hunger Tamer - Waakye with Chicken (Grilled) - African Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

Delicious food just like food back home and it's conveniently located in the heart of Laura, Maryland

Idk how I have lived in Laurel all this time, and never made my way to this spot. First of all, I'm Nigerian, but I love Ghanaian food! However I hadn't eaten it in a few years. Everything tasted even better than I remembered. The meats (Goat, Fried Fish, Grilled Chicken) were well-seasoned and not too tough, the Jollof and Waakye were both perfectly cooked and flavorful. Plantains were perfectly ripe for frying. Also the Shito and Red Pepper Sauces were must-haves with the meals. I will definitely give this restaurant a 10/10, 20/10 really lol. Definitely coming back for more! read more

The Hunger Tamer - (L) Waakye w/ Goat and Fried Fish, (R) Jollof w/ grilled Chicken - African Near Me - Laurel, Maryland

Called it in they were nice on the phone . It was clean and everyone was nice. I ordered the egusi fish and goat. I got one chunk of fish. Didn't have any goat. Taste was ehh asked for spice no spice. Crazy to pay for one chunk of fish. Unacceptable truthfully read more

I was very hungry when I decided to visit The Hunger Tamer. I was looking forward to having a combo meal that included Egusi soup. Unfortunately, that was not available. They didn't have many options at the time so I got white rice and stew with mixed meats, plantains and sautéed onion & veggies. Also tried the jollof rice and jerk chicken from my sister's plate, as well as a meat pie. The food was okay, filling. As people who grew up eating various west African foods (from our culture and others), we both agreed that the food was not as flavorful as expected. Maybe it was an off day for them. The ginger pineapple drink was refreshing. read more

Absolutely delicious. I was craving this meal. I usually have one person make it all the time. They were sold out for the day. So I decided I'd search around. I'm so glad I did. read more

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I tried this place for the first time last night. While I am somewhat accustomed to West African dishes, my son is not. I feared that he would not like the heat and want to make noodles or cereal for dinner after seeing the layout. Turns out, he ate more light soup and fufu than I did! He liked it so much that when he just got home from school today, he was looking for the leftovers in the fridge. This child EVER willingly eats leftovers! I had to come write a review immediately!!! The service was great also David was patient with me as I had a lot of questions. Definitely will be back read more

Great Ghanaian food. A bit pricey but everything is pretty good on the menu. Jollof, fufu and a wide assortment of soups, banks and okra, omotuo and peanut soup. I have yet to be disappointed read more

Best Jollof with Goat Stew I've had at a Restaurant in the States ... Ghana Jollof that is - Clean restaurant - Great Service Food is excellent I know where I'll be at Lunch. read more

... it could have been the dish i ordered i am not sure. I got a spicy turkey that came with i believe pinto beans and rice. The dish was flavorful but there was small pieces of fish in there and that kind of threw me off because every bite had fish taste. I would probably try it again maybe but the prices were expensive so i am not sure . read more

I went for the first time last weekend. The fried yam, fish pie and puff puff were delicious. Unfortunately they did not have any jollof rice and the tilapia was going to take 20 minutes to cook. I will go back again and hopefully they will have jollof rice. They only have a few tables and I would call before I go to make sure they have what you want. read more

big fat helllll nooooo first of all how do you have pre package food thats cold and how you selling something you cant pronounce no nor explain how the hell are spanch people running this spot the rice is the wrorst all you tast is burnt pot i dont know what yall was eating but i will drive to dc to zion kitchen this is a whole joke yall should be ashamed of your self amd fyi the red sauce they sell is just tamato sauce my god take it i cant gove them nothing run run run run run read more

So I have been eyeing this place for awhile two weeks ago I decided im gonna try them out go inside I asked if they had cassava leaf she said no they had spinach though I said ill take some still looking to see what else over the very loud African music she goes and fix me food if she did say what it was I couldn't hear over the music and mask I asked for some fish on top of my spinach she two pieces and a container of plain rice pounded yam and egusi I had to figure this out once I got home since I didn't order it was very good nonetheless and I believe I'll try them again. read more

Love this place thier food is excellent!!Clean everyone is like family.Fresh tenderRed snapper and Jollof rice is good and the sauces are tasty Ginger drinks are good .If you eat @Hala food this is the place.Our first time and we will be back.They have daily specials and the door keeps swingingMusic makes everything better yes African music is playing. read more

I have been ordering from Hunger Tamer for a while now and i think it is only right to leave a review. Each occasion that i have had the chance to eat from here i always get my food delivered via Ubereats. The food always comes hot and delivered on time. Additionally, they always have my order right and on the occasion they are out of what i want they always notify me immediately after placing my order. My go to meal is the Jollof and goat meat, out of all the West African restaurants within the area that i have tried this is one of the best! I have also tried their meat pies, they are pretty good. Overall the quality of the food, pricing, portions and customer service are a 5 for me. As soon as i am done writing this i will go place my order for some Jollof and grilled chicken ( trying something different ...kinda). read more

ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!!! Just had their light soup and fufu and it was literally the best I've had since being in Maryland! I even asked for some okra on the side and it didn't even need it! I'd definitely recommend! read more

This place sucks. If i could give it 0 stars I would. The customer service is poor and rhe food is not that great...