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Hurry Boy (and Everyone Else Too!)
Next gen African cuisine is here and we’re ready for it.
Toto probably said it best when they sang, “It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from youuuuu..." Although, our hunch is they probably weren’t talking about the food. But, we are. West African food, to be exact.
While African cuisine has long been represented in the United States, from the South to the Ethiopian and Moroccan restaurants popular in most metropolitan areas, we’re seeing a new trend of West African chefs finally taking their place in the culinary spotlight.
Whether it's winning a prestigious James Beard Award or popping up as new celebrity hot spots, West African-inspired restaurants are making their mark. Hungry fans can thank a new generation of chefs keen on expressing their African heritage while a growing demand by immigrants looking for "food that's authentic and a true reflection" is also responsible for the increasing acclaim, Michigan University professor Germine Awad told the New York Times.
The restaurants are a chance to "take in West African cuisine, culture, and cocktails all in one place," says Eater Houston's Brittany Britto Garley in her profile about West African-influenced ChòpnBlọk. We don't know about you, but that sounds like the kind of experience we can get behind.
Here are some West African restaurants to indulge your heart — and belly:
ChòpnBlọk'
With a food hall in Pot Houston and now a standalone restaurant in Montrose, ChòpnBlọk – run by the husband-and-wife pair Ope and Janelle Amosu – offers guests casual, West African grub with a Houston twist.
Dakar NOLA
The winner of this year's Best New Restaurant award, Dakar NOLA uniquely offers pescatarian fare (seafood fans, unite!). Based in South Louisiana, it takes diners through Chef Serigne Mbaye's memories growing up in Senegal through a seven-course, Senegalese tasting menu.
Okàn
Located in Old Town Bluffton and the coast of South Carolina, Ọkàn gained fame after being named a 2023 James Beard Emerging Chef semifinalist. Chef Bernard Bennett tells a history lesson through the menu; guiding diners through the past of West Africa, he chronicles how its ingredients originated and have evolved through migration and time.
Bintu Atelier
This little gem in Charleston, South Carolina, serves lunch and dinner with classic West African fare, including cassava attieké, jollof, mafé, thieboudienne and sorrel tea. Sorrel is a delicious hibiscus drink with a nostalgic, if bittersweet, piece of West African history.
Akadi
This Côte d'Ivoire-inspired spot is a West African food lover's dream, with nearly all the staples on offer, from locust beans and plantains to suya wings, fufu and egusi. Eater Portland's Brooke Jackson-Glidden once crowned its attiéké poisson braisé “one of the top dishes in Northeast Portland.”
Dept of Culture Brooklyn
Born out of the popup dinner series hosted by Ayo Balogun of the Council Café, Dept of Culture was created to explore an evening of conversation in an intimate setting with a tasting menu inspired by north-central Nigerian cooking. Or, as the New Yorker succinctly stated, “Every night is a party at Dept of Culture Brooklyn.”
