Dine on Diverse African Cuisine in NYC
Courtesy, Cafe Rue Dix
New York City has one of the largest and most diverse African populations in the US, scattered mostly around Brooklyn, the Bronx, Far Rockaway and Harlem—the last of which has such a concentration of Senegalese and other francophone West Africans that the blocks around 116th Street and Lenox Avenue are known as Little Senegal.
While visitors can experience the richness and diversity of African culture in NYC through shopping, museums, art exhibits, historic sites and dance parties, food is one of the easiest entryways. Senegalese restaurants serve the national dish of thieboudienne (fish and rice) as well as bissap, a hibiscus drink consumed across West Africa; Nigerian restaurants offer comfort foods such as egusi soup and the rivalry-inducing jollof rice; Ethiopian restaurants cook up mostly vegetarian fare; and North African restaurants, mainly Egyptian and Moroccan, specialize in couscous and flatbreads. Read on to learn where to taste the flavors of Africa in NYC.
Accra
Cuisine: Ghanaian
63 E. 125th St., Harlem, Manhattan; 2041 Davidson Ave., University Heights, the Bronx
With an original location in the Bronx and a second in Harlem, this fast-casual establishment is ideal for those craving traditional Ghanaian dishes like waakye (rice and beans, served with fried fish or chicken stew), banku (fermented dough) and peanut soup. Order at a counter typically staffed by Ghanaian women, who will scoop out ladles of whatever aromatic dishes strike your fancy. Note that certain Ghanaian foods, such as fufu (mashed cassava and plantain formed into a ball) and omo tuo (a similar dish made with rice), are best eaten by hand.
Don’t miss: red red, a plant-based dish of beans cooked in palm oil and tomato sauce.
Buka
Cuisine: Nigerian
1111 Fulton St., Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
This popular restaurant in Bed-Stuy serves traditional Nigerian food (the name refers to a typical place that vends street food). Walk into the sounds of Afrobeats and order dishes like egusi soup—made with ground melon seeds, Nigerian palm oil, vegetables, dried fish and meat—and goat or chicken tomato-based stew. Jollof rice is also a favorite here. Many in the younger generation gravitate toward palm wine as a drink; classic Nigerian beers like Star evoke nostalgia for older generations.
Don’t miss: the yellow and black-striped danfo, a passenger minibus that plies Lagos roads, in the backyard of the restaurant.
Courtesy, Cafe Rue Dix
Cafe Rue Dix
Cuisine: Senegalese
1451 Bedford Ave., Crown Heights, Brooklyn
This Crown Heights restaurant fuses Senegalese cuisine with French café fare, a mix that is reflected in the French doors, Senegalese masks and Senegalese-crafted light fixtures that outfit the restaurant. First-timers should try thieboudienne (styled on the menu as thiebou jen) served with snapper and vegetables. Meat lovers can opt for dibi Senegal, with a choice of rice or attiéké—made from granulated cassava—or yassa guinar, a spicy chicken with onion confit and haricot vert. Finish with café touba, a traditional spiced Senegalese coffee with steamed milk, or Senegalese ataya, a green tea boiled with mint leaves and served in shot-style glasses. Traditional beverages like bouye, made from baobab powder, and bissap are also available.
Don’t miss: the five-course tasting menu, which ends with French vegan desserts.
Casa La Femme
Cuisine: Egyptian
140 Charles St., West Village, Manhattan
This Egyptian restaurant looks inviting, with lanterns, tents, suede armchairs in deep colors, Persian rugs and draping flowers. Expect an enchanting music experience along with your meal. Casa La Femme focuses on Egyptian cuisine but offers other North African dishes, like tagine, which is traditionally Moroccan. Signature dishes include koshari—the national dish of Egypt, which mixes pasta, chickpeas and onions on a bed of lentils and rice—and hibiscus drink, either fresh or part of Prosecco mixes like Karkaday Royale and Mango Royale. For dessert, basbousa—a semolina cake that’s a favorite in North Africa—is recommended.
Don’t miss: dinner and a belly dance show, which takes place four evenings a week.
Nneji
Cuisine: Nigerian
32-20 34th Ave., Astoria, Queens
Africa. Food. Kindred. That is the tagline of Nneji, a cozy Nigerian takeout in Queens, where chef-owner Beatrice Ajaero rotates classic dishes like jollof rice, okra soup, cow foot, smoked fish with a choice of eba (doughy balls made from dried cassava) or pounded yam, and mixed meat stew.
Don’t miss: West African products like Peak powdered milk, authentic cayenne pepper, black soap and West African spice blends, all for sale to bring home.
Ponty Bistro
Cuisine: Senegalese
2375 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd., Harlem, Manhattan
This restaurant on Harlem’s Strivers Row serves up mouthwatering French-Senegalese platters amid accent walls and Senegalese art. Ponty is known for brunch items such as maple-crushed french toast, crepes and egg dishes, but fresh flavors can also be found in creative Senegalese dishes like moules Africana, poisson yassa and Niokolokoba—steak marinated in ginger, black pepper, salt and herbs. Cocktails and mocktails, including ones made with bissap and hibiscus, are available.
Don’t miss: the African spice sauce (made with ground peppers) drizzled over moules Africana.
Courtesy, Ras Plant Based
Ras Plant Based
Cuisine: Ethiopian
739 Franklin Ave., Crown Heights, Brooklyn; 170 Bleecker St., Greenwich Village, Manhattan
Romeo Regalli, a 2022 James Beard Foundation semifinalist for best chef in New York, leads the kitchen at this Ethiopian vegan restaurant that serves snacks, rice bowls and complete meals. Try the gluten-free traditional platters: Mercato is made with red lentil stew, caramelized beans and carrots plus other spiced vegetables, while the milder Piassa offers split pea stew, stir-fried vegetables, berbere sauce, garlic and basil. There is a rotating selection of vegan wines and a nice list of cocktails and mocktails.
Don’t miss: Tej, an Ethiopian honey wine brewed with gesho (aromatic stems similar to hops).
Courtesy, Safari
Safari
Cuisine: Somali
55 St. Nicholas Ave., Harlem, Manhattan
This welcoming Somali restaurant is a Harlem standout, where modern decor aesthetics blend with traditional East African elements. It's known for its signature roasted goat with seasoned rice, which perfumes the air with aromatic spices. Other favorites include sambusas, small fried pockets filled with meat or vegetables and served with a tasty dipping sauce; like many Somali dishes, it’s eaten by hand. Accompany the meal with shaah, a traditional Somali chai, and finish with bur, also known as mandazi, a delicious doughnut.
Don’t miss: Safari’s roasted goat and the opportunity to eat with your hands without judgment.
For more dining roundups and stories, head to Savor NYC, our comprehensive food and drink guide.
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