After paying for a chill box for chocolates & the chocolates arrived melted, customers service said 'ohh well that's to be expected in summer' hmm, last time I checked May is still spring in Northern CA! Pretty dismissive customer service after spending money, Having been a repeat customer for over a decade, I will not be returning...too bad read more

African Hut has been absolutely PHENOMENAL in their service and delivery. Delivery has ALWAYS been quick. They pack the items so well that everything arrives in great shape, nothing missing, nothing damaged. I live in San Antonio and have NEVER had a delivery problem with my order. I will HIGHLY RECOMMEND AFRICAN HUT!!!! read more

I have ordered from this store several times online and spent hundreds of dollars - the last order arrived missing an item and when I queried it I was told that it was packed, & to check the packaging again....that's it, no apology or offer of compensation I won't be buying anything from them again read more

I ordered my food on the 3rd July , still waiting for them to deliever it , they don't update me, I can't track my order, when I'm calling no one answer read more

Very impressed with African Hut. We received a recent order with a couple of minor items damaged in shipping. After contacting African Hut, they went to a lot of trouble to ship replacement items and make good the original order. Their attention to customer service was exemplary. Looking forward to many years as a satisfied customer of African Hut. Peter B read more

I live in the Pacific Northwest and order by mail. The Hut is very speedy. I've always gotten orders within a week. The items are well packed and have never experienced a problem. read more

Hooray!! I'm so glad I found this store. I've been meaning to go and I finally made my way down Saturday so I could prep for a South African dinner I'm serving next weekend. I felt like I was back in the aisles of Checkers in Paarl, South Africa. Aisles had an array of British and South African staples--all of which had flags under to denote origin. I bought a bottle of pinotage, Mrs. Balls chutney, Nando's peri peri, Spar Letta soda, ginger beer, and peppadews. Oh, and rooibos tea and rusks. In the past, I had heard several items were past the expiration date so I checked all of the ones I picked up and none were close. The selection was impressive for a small store in southern California. read more

Jumped for joy when I discovered African Hut! They have my favorite staple South African foods that I miss so much, and can't find here in the states. They also included Chappie Bubble gum as a happy surprise in my last order, which was a wonderful touch! Thank you! read more

Yelp - I thank you for this place! I was ecastatic to find this store!! I lived in London for the last 3 years and my British fiance just moved over to California with me. When in London, I used to visit a store that carried American groceries. I remember how excited I was to see things from 'home.' This past Saturday I took my finace here... he was a little hesitant at first, thinking it would make him sad and homesick... but once inside, he was like a kid at Disneyland! We ended up buying things like PG Tips, HP Fruity Brown Sauce, Lucozade, Cadbury Snack, Nando's Medium Peri-Peri Sauce, Chewits, etc. They have a great assortment of items - both edible and for the household (e.g. Fairy liquid!). It's a wee bit on the pricier side of things, but that's to be expected due to import. I would love it if they carried the cherry Lucozade ;-) They only happened to have the original and orange in when we were there. I can say we will DEFINITELY, 100% be returning here. So nice to see a bit of Britain in America!!! read more

The team at African Hut are wonderful. They helped me send a box of wine to a South African friend in the US for an important birthday. They called me (in the UK) to work out the delivery details over the phone and made sure everything was shipped in record time - she was over the moon to receive it. Really great selection of wines too. read more

I was excited upon learning that this place offers some british goods.. i used to live in UK for 3 years and ive been craving for some british snacks, and its really not easy to find a store with all those traditional english tea (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/GR5ORQlUU-pwh51g9xUw6g?select=9AjKhj4rK4a3FpKxRZex6w#9AjKhj4rK4a3FpKxRZex6w), cookies, chocolates, and all the things i craved for.. i wasnt impressed at all when i entered the store.. its a small store and inside is quite messy and unorganized. they do have alot of african spices and goodies, but thats not what i came here for.. i saw some of the british brands that i recognize, like cadbury roses, heinz baked beans, birds custard, etc.. but none of them had price tag, so i didnt even know how much they cost.. the one that had price tag were expired goods that sold for a reduced price, for example, chocolate bars which had an expiration date since September were sold from $1 to 49 cent each.. anyways, i ended up buying: - Penguin chocolate (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/GR5ORQlUU-pwh51g9xUw6g?select=9AjKhj4rK4a3FpKxRZex6w#Ni14iqR_QNDglLK8DqP8sg) - i used to eat this during my high school days in UK as part of my lunch.. so this does brings alot of memories.. at $2.99, it certainly wasnt expensive and it would be around the same price if i were to buy it in UK. untill i realized that it had expired!! i bought it last week and it had expired since september or october of last month.. well, its a chocolate so it shouldnt be that bad even if its expired.. but no wonder its cheap!! original price is around $3.99 - $4.99 i think.. so if you really care about expiration date, be careful when coming to this store.. - twining green lemon tea (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/GR5ORQlUU-pwh51g9xUw6g?select=9AjKhj4rK4a3FpKxRZex6w#KkqD3sw5qxYr2y9STPeXKQ) - another expired tea bags for $2.99.. but i didnt realized it til i bought them.. o well, i thought since tea bags are dry stuffs, it should be fine even if its expired.. so i drink them anyways.. it didnt taste as good as a regular twinings black english tea though. - rowntrees for $3.59 (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/GR5ORQlUU-pwh51g9xUw6g?select=9AjKhj4rK4a3FpKxRZex6w#OWCbFBP1_CLgeK81JTyU6Q) - they didnt have a price tag for this one and i thought t its only gonna cost me around $1.50-$2. why? the package of this candy is really small.. its so nor worth it, and i shouldnt have got them. - alpen chocolate bar $49cent - alpen is a popular cereal brand in UK.. so when i see this chocolate bar, i just couldnt help myself to grab them.. i havent tried it yet so idk how its gonna taste.. all the stuffs here are so overpriced and expensive.. i wanted to get mctives biscuit or fox crunch biscuit but for a small regular one, it cost $5.. i think i'd rather buy online than buying it here.. i also wish for them to put price tag on every products instead of the reduced price goods only.. that way, it'd be helpful for customers to decide whether its worth buying or not.. customer service is pretty nice and friendly.. but the owner of this place is certainly not british.. i asked the guy whether they have some christmas pudding stocked up.. and he said that they are ordering it right now.. so the only reason for me to come back next time is for the christmas pudding.. i know they gonna charge around $10-$20 for a small pudding size. but ill still get them coz i miss this pudding so much, and i used to eat them every xmas when i was in UK.. its really sweet but its good and very nostalgic to me.. read more

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African Hut is a taste of home for my husband and his folks.  We've been customers for years...all the way back to its Laguna Beach days.  It's the only local place we know where they can get the foods they miss like Zoo Biscuits, Mrs. Ball's Chutney, boerewors (sausage), mealie-meal for sadza, and All Gold Tomato Sauce (aka ketchup).  They even sell the spices my husband needs to make his crowd-pleasing biltong (Arican jerky).  That's why we think African Hut is a lekker (yummy) place to shop. read more

The family loves the droewors and of course the candy. The store has a lot of items from South Africa and UK that makes it fun to look around. During Covid, you can place online orders and they will ship it to you. I love that we have a store like this in Laguna Niguel. read more

I specifically ordered from their online store because it is (according to their website) based in CA (I am in NC). If I wanted to order directly from South Africa, which I highly suspect they are doing, I would have done so. It certainly would have been a ton cheaper, and probably gotten here in less time. Their website clearly states that orders are processed within 3 business days. According to the information I received, the shipping label was created on 11/11/2018. Today is 11/23/2018 and the merchandise still has not shipped. So after emailing "sales" this week, I get one sentence : "Your order will ship ASAP, in the order it was received". That's it! No apology, explanation... nothing. Their customer service is disgusting! Needless to say, I canceled the order and disputed the charge with my credit company. What a disappointment. Never, ever again African Hut! read more

im so thankful i found you , my package arrived and it was nicely packaged on time thank you again!

I've been shopping through their online store for some time and I was happy. Prices are fair, shipping is reasonable. I usually buy in bulk to save money on shipping. As usual, I bought 12-15 boxes of Pronutro. I went on vacation for three weeks, came back, and discovered my Pronutro tasted bad. They had expired. I contacted African Hut to notify them that they had sent me a shipment of Pronutro that was to expire within weeks after it was shipped. I gave them the opportunity to rectify the problem. I was told it was my problem. I should have checked the expiration date when I bought it, and I had a week after delivery to make returns. Call me silly, but I don't expect retailers to knowingly sell stuff that is about to expire. Or if you are going to do that, make it super clear to your customers! Perhaps even offer a discount with the explanation that the products are being discounted because they are about to expire. So today, I'm literally throwing out 12 boxes of cereal. I'm really disappointed because African Hut was my "go-to" store for South African products, but I cannot trust a store that screws its customers over like this. read more

Wanted to braii tonight and thought we'd make the hour drive to get some boerworse. We called to make sure they had some in stock. We started calling at 9:30. No answer. We called several more times. No answer. We usually spend an average of about $200. Lost that sale. read more

Placed online order oct 25th, immediately got automated email thanking me for order and saying another one would be sent once order shipped. After 1 week and no email I followed up with an email, no response. Called mid morning during the week and no answer, rang forever and message said to text them which I did and again no reply. They have taken my money and run. read more

I write this as I snack on some Twiglets. The second I saw them in the crisps section, The British Food Shop won me over. For those that don't know, I am a HUGE Anglophile. I studied for a year in England and ever since then have been deeply and madly in love with everything about England and the UK. Especially their snack foods. Say what you will about English food (though I've never found English food to be bland at all), they know how to make fantastic, addicting snacks and frozen meals miles above what we have here. And in this little shop, I found many of the snacks I know and love and have missed dearly. I normally buy my British foods in this little tiny fish and chip shop in Costa Mesa where they have a few shelves of products as well. But the selection was always so small. So I took to Yelp to look for a bigger British grocer. I found one in San Juan Capistrano but you can imagine my disappointment when I arrived to find it closed for good. It took me a while to find the British Food Shop because it's also called The African Hut. It's the same store. This shop is a decent size for what it is. I was a little worried about the stale smell of the place but I think that just comes along with the territory of a small shop with products that probably doesn't move as quickly as a normal supermarket. I came in looking for my chocolate digestive biscuits. I found them and even found stuff I'd forgotten about. And yes... it's expensive. It's imported, not to mention if you bought it in the UK and then did the conversion rate on it then... well... you get what I mean. It'd be expensive anyway. The loot: Jaffa cakes Chocolate digestive biscuits (dark and milk chocolate) Walker Sensations Crisps in Thai Sweet Chili and Roast Chicken Ribena Blackcurrant concentrate Aero TWIGLETS Double Devon Clotted Cream I am a happy happy girl. read more

Wow, such customer service from Jorge this Sunday! He's super friendly and helped me find exactly what I was looking for. I love that they have cool food and candies from around the world. I highly recommend this place! read more

The African Hut is a South African food store that offers South African wines, foods, and candies. It's a wonderful little depot that offers everything from droewors (sausages), Nando's sauces for braais, to even biltong (South African beef jerky made from beef or ox meat). The biltong at the African Hut is the best tasting biltong I've tried. It beats the bland biltong sold at the European Deluxe Sausage Kitchen in Beverly Hills. Though the biltong at the European Deluxe Sausage Kitchen may be fresher and softer, it lacks the South African spices. The biltong at the African Hut is just more authentic. Ja, maats, the African Hut is a lekker store. They also have a web site for online orders. Go to: http://www.africanhut.com/ Go Springbok for your 2007 World Cup Win! Ja-Bru, SA Rugby Rules! read more

Told about it by a friend, finally made it down. First visit got a little carried away with chocolate and ginger beer which brought some memories back but the frozen sheperd pies and pasties are a huge disappointment. Giving them the benefit of the doubt i went back today with my father who grew up in SA. got there a bit after the advertized 10 AM openin g time only to have to wat another 45 min until someone bothered to show up. Store in complete disarray like the first time. so much merchandise on the floor carts can't make it down the aisles. fruitcakes at full price witth "sell by" dates back in January and February! Owners walking about as if customers were a nuisance without so much as a smile and hello. A friendly clerk (who interestingly enough isdefinitely NOT from SA so has no knowledge of any of the products) rings me up for a bit more than than the $150 I spent the first time. When I get home i notice an item is missing. Called the store to make sure they know about it and save it for me as it's about a 45 minute drive back. 3 messages - no return call! Too bad. Most of their stuff is available at the indian store on El Toro in Lake Forest Will not return or recommend. read more

Amazing customer service. I did an order online and had trouble with delivery which I reported to African Hut. Loretta, one of the staff members was so helpful and attentive with my concerns. Communication was very clear and prompt. read more

Online store misleading They keep items on their website that they dont stock and have no intention of ever replacing or stocking, just to make themselves look more impressive than they are. More expensive than other online stores. I will not support them. read more

Their stocking system is a joke. I ordered some things for a kids party and no one notified me that all the packets of chips I ordered were out of stock, until the box arrived. The biltong is not that great and tastes like plastic. There is a german butcher in Los Angeles that makes AMAZING!!!!! Biltong and stock some South African goodies, I will be using him in future. I was dissapointed with the service and emailed The African Hut, and got NO RESPONSE. I then receive a "sales" email from them and replied again about no one responding to my email. Again, NO RESPONSE. Don't bother with this company for the biltong or any meat products, there are other stores online that provide better. read more

The biltong here is awful! They put sugar on it....WHY??? Then it is not biltong anymore but beef jerky. Plus, all the food from here is old and stale. Don't buy here! There are other South African places you can buy from. read more

My hubby and I spend quite a bit of time here just walking around looking at things...sometimes he drools. We come here for the candy. Yes, you read that right. CANDY. They have a great selection of his favourite British candy and you can also stock your shelves with staples like Heinz Baked Beans. I skip the candy and head to the gift section. This trip I purchased a new Union Jack sticker for my car. My dentist will be very happy. read more

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The African Hut is my go to market for authentic Biltong, Droevors, chutney and Marie Biscuits. The have a large selection of many home town favorites. Oh, and Rusks too. I'm headed the now. read more

African Hut - Can't wait to eat my meat. - Specialty Food Near Me - Laguna Hills, California

I've been to this place maybe 6 times. It is great if you are looking for specific British or African items, but the prices are pretty steep, which is the only reason I am giving it 4 not 5 stars. I would be here every week if the prices were lower. Items to try African jerky Specialty sodas Mama Africas Peri-Peri sauce (VERY hot!) Frozen Kidney Pies Irish Bacon They also have a website that you can order items from that they do not have in stock. read more

Went here in hopes of finding biltong closer to my house instead of having to drive all the way to European Deluxe. Went inside and there was no one in the store. We walked around for a good bit before grabbing some biltong and then had to ring the bell to get someone out. Biltong here is more expensive and not half as good so definitely won't be back. read more

The owners are very nice and so is the staff the serves you at the front counter where you pay, but sometimes I would say 30% of the time the chocs from ZA are old/stale in the sense they have heat damage (the white of the coco butter that melts out of the chocs and then it is cooled suddenly).... some sweets from ZA are stale... this makes me sad especially after I get home (30 minutes away) and find stale sweets and other items that I spent between $60.00 and up on. But, I now shop there once in a while and when I do I am very careful as to what ZA items to buy. But overall the people that work there are very nice, its just sad that they don't realize the food quality is slipping. read more

It's a great shop, I got biltong, Nederburg Pinotage, Wors etc.However they need to have price labels on the stuff. Items past sell by date need to be taken off the shelves even though they put a label "Past Sell By Date", come on its expired stuff. Great shop but expensive, I know what I will be getting when I come to this shop. read more

I was so excited to get some South African goods for myself and for my husband to try. The gentleman working there couldn't have been more underwhelmed. We spent close to $200 and the food was stale, old and lacked flavor because of this. The biltong was a huge let down too- hard, so dry and no flavor such a bummer read more

I have always received the most outstanding service from African Hut. I have ordered on-line numerous times. They pack all the stock very carefully and I have never been disappointed. Fantasties! read more

Absolute Very Worst Customer Service, they cant even fulfill an order. Never Never Again. Don't call them they won't answer the phone???? LOUSY read more

Well this was a big disappointment. I went down to buy some things and check the store out. It was nice and clean---that was the good. I had a shopping list with Piri-piri sauce, boewars sausages, biltong, and whatever else I saw. I found several different kinds of Piri-Piri sauce but not one was priced. I found some Scottish haggis but that was not priced either. I looked at more items but did not see one price label on anything. By the time I finished looking up and down every aisle I had still not seen anyone to tell me prices. I glanced in the employees only area and their small kitchen and they were both deserted. I could have walked off with half the store if I wasn't so honest. I finally thought about calling for someone but figured if no one was around, why waste my breath. After 10 or 15 minutes, I finally left, disgusted. Africa Hut gets a BIG FAIL in customer service. read more

I love this place for variety of British food and friendly staff but not having a price on anything is just plain odd. However upon asking for some prices at checkout of optional "I shouldn't really buy that" items I can see why there are no prices because of the huge markup. Let's be fair, please price your items. read more

Ive only ordered online from them but now do not use them anymore. Their shipping charges are outrageous!! If you order under $50, the shipping is normally almost as expensive as what you are ordering. And Im only 2 states across. I now order from another online SA store where the shipping and I kid you not, is half the price! read more

my aunt Marilyn started this store in 1994 in laguna beach and i ran it on the weekends it has come a long way. I still love the place even though we dont have any family affiliation anymore. Jade is a great guy and will always take care of you. read more

Bought some biltong from their website. I got on this biltong kick when a friend of mine brought some back from S. Africa. I been hooked ever since. I've tried the biltong from European Deluxe Sausage in Beverly Hills and I have to admit it is better then the biltong from African Hut. The biltong here is good and flavorful but it is not very moist and actually kind of dry. Biltong should never be dry. Now I dont know if it was dry because they had to vacuum pack it to ship it to me. Maybe if I went to their store and bought it, it would be moist. All unknowns. I think for the price, which came out to about $35 with shipping for a lb it wasnt worth it. I should have made a special trip to Beverly Hills and bought some. For those of you that like biltong I can say try it and see what you think. read more