The food was delicious and spicy. The staff were kind and quick. I went here twice in one week during my visit to the area.

Since this was my first time trying African food I stopped by today & got some takeout from African Palace due to good reviews. The peanut butter soup with tilapia was over the top delicious! The spices and the thickness of the soup soaked up the fufu & it was the perfect pairing. Definitely coming back. read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Fufu and peanut butter soup with fish (tilapia) - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I would give it zero stars if I could. One of my friends from work said to try this place out if I wanted to try some authentic African cuisine. I figured sure why not. Well when we came in there were only two other people eating and that should have been our clue. Here's what we got Ken key: This is an African root vegetable as was described to me by the waitress. More on her later. In a word this was quite terrible. It had a sour taste and an odd texture. It almost looked like uncooked bread. It came with a spinach dip which the waitress kept referring to a steel. Which had beef in it. The service brought two portions even though we only asked for one appetizer. So we really didn't touch it at all I had not even one full piece. I hate wasting food but it was that unbearable to eat this Jollof rice with goat : This was very bland. They did bring a habanero sauce that you could put in it which was making it more palatable but the rice itself was very bland It didn't have much flavor not like the traditional Nigerian or ghanian jolloff rice that I'm used to which I eat at parties but whatever. It came with a salad which was fine. The amount of goat meat was very little and most of it was skin and there wasn't too much bone. I was really hoping for some nice bone marrow but none of that here. Ambience: this is reported to be a club at least on the Yelp page. That being said they had loud music blasting we went at around 4:00 in the afternoon and it was impossible to have a conversation because of the music blasting They did turn it down a little bit but it would be nice if they had some clue as to when to start blasting loud music in the background perhaps because they don't have that many customers they have no choice but to play background music at all hours. Bathroom was clean. Service: This is where they really messed up. Both of us ordered together one entree and one appetizer because we weren't really feeling the menu that much. By deception the waitress brought us two separate entrees and two separate appetizers claiming that we asked for that. She also attempted to bring us bottled water because when we asked for water she didn't want to give us tap we had to point that out to her and then she brought the bottled water back and gave us tap water. But still she attempted to charge us for the bottled water until we pointed that out to her. Not really happy that we had to spend this much money at a junk establishment but I imagine they have to resort to these deceptive tactics because they don't get enough foot traffic in order to stay open. Honestly with business practices like this they won't stay open because I can't see how a lot of Africans come to this establishment for food They might survive alone with being a dance club at late hours which is also kind of surprising given the location and it seems that most of the African population live closer to DC but whatever. The waitress also had a hard time figuring out how to split the bill with two credit cards and also couldn't do that correctly. Not wanting to get into all the weeds with her we just paid and left but I do think that they really need to up their game when it comes to service if they want to stay in business in the area. Parking is free in the parking lot. Overall if you're looking for some affrican cuisine I would recommend trying Swahili village down on m Street. And I'm going to tell my friend she led me wrong. This one is not a winner. read more

*this review is based on my takeout orders. The food is flavored well but they always skimp on the meat. It's not the cheapest and they only give you one side with the entrees. They could add more meat and not the fatty parts they normally add. My last order sucked again. I ordered goat and chicken peanut butter soup. There were literally two pieces of goat meat and one was super fatty. & the chicken was superrrrrr dry. I'm not sure if they cooked it too long or they just had been reheating the same stale food over and over again. I'll try my luck someplace else next time. read more

I got this random craving for African food, not having ever tried African food before. No, I'm not pregnant. I did some research and found pretty good reviews about this place. I had a stressful workday so I decided to reward myself with some delivery for a late lunch. I ordered via Postmates and it arrived 5 minutes sooner than originally estimated. The food was still hot when it arrived. Jollof Rice with Fish: The rice with the tomato stew was just the flavor profile I was craving. The inside of the meaty fish was cooked perfectly. However, the outside had lost its crispiness by the time I started eating probably because of the steam generated in the container. I do wish I had more of that stewed tomato sauce as well. It was just a lot of rice and meat with not enough stew. They serve a portion that is big enough for two to share. I ate half and saved the other half for later. Pepper Soup with Goat: The pepper soup is spicy! Not just "pepper spicy," but also "spices spicy." There was plenty of goat and a lot of tendon-y, tender pieces which I love! There was nothing else in the soup but goat, a pepper, and spices. It is definitely more liquid like a soup, not a stew like I was expecting. Still delicious. I also ate the rest of this as another meal. I just threw some kale and corn in it to make it more of a meal. I would definitely get this again. Hopefully the next time I am craving this, it will be safe to dine in again. read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Jollof Rice and Fish - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I called and told them that I want two wraps of fufu when I got there, I asked for the two wraps but got a wrap and it was sold for $9 some change and not the usual $3.75 like their menu says. I asked the lady at the register and she said that's how much it's sold for. They are not true to their pricing and I felt the lady scammed me because she had a funny look on her face. read more

I am highly upset by the horrible service I received today. I have come to this place for years with no issues. It's new staff here and now it's horrible. The waitress kept forgetting things and she brought out my food and didn't put the order in for the 2 people I was with. We all ordered together and ordered the same dish. It took another hour for them to get food.. we already waited an hour for me to get mine. There was no apology from the waitress or the manager. Never again! Then the chicken was pink inside smh. read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Pink undercooked chicken - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I didn't like the egusi or Okra stew. It wasnt fresh and the taste wasn't good. The recipe needs modification. They have a seating area and the place looks clean. The waitress was nice and I believe they turn it into a night club read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Iyam - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I swear I try to continue to support them but this is the last time. it took 15 minutes for someone to come and take our order. That was after we had to ask for assistance. they took another tables order and they arrived 10 minutes after us. that table is currently eating and we are still waiting on our suya appetizer. I live in Germantown and service like this is why I travel to PG County for good African food. read more

Food great Service amazing really nice and helpful didn't make me feel dumb because I couldn't pronounce the words correct. Nice clean place read more

This place's a surprise hit for me. I was extremely hesitant as soon as I sat down. The place was empty, dark and the only entertainment was Dikembe Mutombo's NBA highlights for 2 hours straight lol... Jollof Rice ($17.95) - Rice, Tomato Paste, Pepper, Garlic & Onion. It's a sweeter rice entree - quite an enjoyable dish. I'd recommend the goat to go along with your rice. Apapa Efo Riro ($17.25) - Made with spinach and Egusi (ground melon seeds) + Fish. This dish's very flavorful & tasty; It's the highlight of our dinner. Fufu ($4.75) - West-African's Paste - made from Cassava and green plantain flour. I substituted my side (white rice) with this & it's a great call. It's an interesting texture but it mixed so well with the Apapa Efo. Overall - I can see why the Yelp reviews're just mediocre for this restaurant. The service was extremely slow (it took 45 minutes for our 2 entrees & there're only 2 other guests in there). The ambiance's confusing, I'm not sure what they're going for. However, the food's surprisingly delicious! The menu doesn't offer that much description so you're better off asking for recommendations. Price can be lower to attract more customers but portion's decently large. read more

I ordered the okra soup and my husband ordered egusi. If I could give 0 stars I would. They took almost an hour to make our food even though they told us 30 minutes. But the worst part is the taste. This is not okra soup. The recipe is not tasty and it tastes old. I will not be back. read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Okra soup - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Third time and no I don't recommend. Most likely they are aware that most people that will eat here are Africans and therefore familiar with the cuisine. Why is your fish and food in general never freshly made? Everything I ordered was bad/ or going bad. I can't lie though the service is stellar, the food quality is tasteless and had a funky smell. Be honest with the customer that the food won't be freshly made. I've made fried fish for my entire life so I know when its a few days old and stale. Please just go here for drinks and music not the food. read more

It was decent, not the greatest of places but it's okay and a little pricey. But all in all a good experience, will be back to feed my family here read more

The food here is good, but not special by any means. I had the egusi stew with goat meat, as well as jollof rice and goat meat. The goat meat was tender, however, which was a plus. The food also took a very long time to come. Normally this wouldn't be a sticking point for me if I'm told that this will be the case, but when I'm told 20 minutes and the food ends up taking closer to 50 minutes, that's something that should be addressed if part of a larger pattern. read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Egusi stew with goat meat - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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Place is kind of hidden. Gps keeps taking me in the wrong direction. This is my second time here and I was still confused. It is behind the Methodist church and across the street from jiffy lube and dry cleaners. I was feeling a bit under the weather and needed something with strong flavor to open up my senses. Ordered turkey tail for appetizer and jollof rice with goat. They both were very good on flavor and not very spicy. Goat was perfectly cooked. read more

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First time trying African Palace The fried plantains and spring rolls came out hot and were very good. I next ordered the jollof rice with chicken. The rice and tomato curry were hot and quite good. Unfortunately, the chicken was cold. To get a taste of a few different dishes, I ordered cassava leaf with fufu. My beef turned into goat which I never had and was not used to the chewy skin. Last, we tried the egusi with beef. The flavor was better and the house salad dressing was very good with its one slice of tomato. This is a popular place with local residents as it was a bit busy with carry out orders. read more

This place is definitely a diamond in the rough! I would've never known it existed if I hadn't been on Yelp, (desperately) trying to find a local West African restaurant. I found out that it's just steps away from my home. OMG! Ok so it's located in a small plaza, directly off of a main road- 355/Frederick Ave. and it's quite easy to pass if you're not paying very close attention. The owners should think about placing a nice big sign out front for customers. From the outside, you'd think African Palace were a small mom & pop shop, nope, it's very open and spacious with ample seating. They have several flat screen TVs mounted which usually play African music videos and/or sports. The food... Lawd Jesus! Typing this is getting me hungry (no exaggeration)! Put it this way, after I discovered this place, I went there 4 additional times within 3 1/2 weeks!!! How am I ever going to slim down if I keep stuffing my face with FuFu!!?? I'm not so hard to please but I am a bit picky when it comes to West African food. African Palace's dishes taste very similar to those of my aunties. I love! The flavors, serving size, consistency etc. it's just on point! I've tried to purchase something different each time I order but a couple of times I've gotten the same things. I've done 3 pick-up orders and I've eaten in the restaurant twice. Today might be 3! I will say that although the service is pleasant and everyone is quite personable, the serving time could be improved. I understand that these dishes take time, but if things are pre-prepped... ? The food is worth the wait though. read more

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Love this place for their selection of food but the wait is always ridiculous!!!!! I've called in beforehand to alleviate that issue but it never fails, there is always a wait. I'm typing this now as I've been waiting already an hour for my order I made to go. Smh, if they could be more punctual with their time I'd order here more often but I just don't have that much disposable time to wait around for food. Do better guys! read more

Beautiful and clean dining. And amazing food. Also have fried yam which I can never find at African restaurants. Can't wait to return. This will be my go to place from now on read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Beef stew, jellof rice, fried yam - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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This is my go-to spot for West African food when I'm in the area. The service is always friendly and quick, and they make you feel right at home. The portions are also generous and the prices are reasonable. The food is delicious, and it's a great space for large groups. read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Chicken and jollof rice - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Went on a date here. We were greeted promptly. We started off with plantain (sweet) which was not made to order/fresh. It was definitely made earlier and put in the microwave. Who microwaves plantains?! Gross. We ordered grilled lamb and suya as our appetizer which was obviously not made fresh either but I favored the lamb over the suya. We also had joloff with fish and my date has cassava leaf with rice to go. The joloff rice wasn't fresh and the fish was definitely a day or two old. The only decent thing about this place is that they have live music and space for dancing. I'll return for the club portion but not likely to order any food. read more

The ambience is nice. Love the foods and the live band on Saturday nights. The owner Doris is very friendly and willingly to stop by and see how things are going.. read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Had the joloff and fried whole tilapia fish. The presentation was amazing and impressive. The food was delicious and tasty. - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Just ok .. 3 stars because the food was filling and music was good. I was expecting better tasting food but no it was just ok. I ordered banku and the dough was not done too well but edible. The fish had a strange taste. It was definitely not that African home cuisine I was craving! Service was ok.. wait was a bit long. Maybe I will try a soup next time if I decide to eat there again. I will review Rainbow next which is a neighbor African restaurant since I've eaten from there before and got good outcomes. read more

Yummy! I never knew this place was so close to my former employment location! I'm sort of happy because I might have gone broke eating here. I love love love West African cuisine! I was in the area and checked Yelp, and found this diamond in the rough. The establishment was empty when I visited during off hours (about 2pm). The older gentleman that greeted me was cool and had a calm demeanor, he provided me with a menu, and the young lady behind the bar promptly assisted me in making my selection. I didn't see egusi soup on the menu, but they do serve it! So I definitely ordered pounded yam, egusi with fish and goat. She also was helpful in explaining that the texture of the red and green jute leaf soup is a little slimy like okra, but it's delicious! I placed an order for amala with jute leaf soup and goat. Of course, the wait was about 30 minutes, thankfully I wasn't in a rush. By time I arrived home, I was starving!! The egusi was delicious and slightly spicy. However, to my chagrin they forgot my fish (the dish was so tasty, I can't say I missed it too much). I'm no expert on fufu, but the amala was very very soft unlike the eba and pounded yam in used to. I would also get the jute leaf soup time and time again! The smooth texture and spice was a perfect accompaniment to the perfectly cooked goat meat and pounded yam. I'm exited to try their jollof rice and other menu items next time I'm in the area. I would definitely eat in and bring along a friend. read more

Stopped in on a rainy day for some pepper soup and ended up ordering that and Spinach with goat meat and Fufu. This restaurant is fashioned for west African cuisine however I found a few East African staples on the menu and was pleasantly surprised. Pepper soup was spicy with a lot of flavor and the spinach was also very satisfying. read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Goat meat Pepper Soup - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I stopped by for the first time with two of my Ghanaian friends. We all agreed that our various meal choices were absolutely delicious read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - entrance - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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Came here on a Sunday afternoon for lunch can be whether only ones in the restaurant. The service was quite slow and it's OK while for food to come out which I was puzzled by because we were the only ones there. The food was good but a bit under salty side. I didn't really like the smell of the place. The server was really nice and made sure we were OK. I had the waakye with meat and sauce and my friend had the fufu with soup. He wasn't a big fan of his meal but mine was OK. The mail was an extraordinary it was just OK. I hope they improve on the wait time because it just takes way too long before everything. There is a parking lot available for free in the Vicinity. It's right next to an African market as well. The GPS can be a little tricky sometimes so pay attention to the Signs. They do have lived D j's at night. I would give them another chance to see if it is the same type of service. read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Menu - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Best atchieke and tilapia I have had so far in the area. I also had plantains with spices. It was just delicious. read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Tilapia Atchieke and plantains delicious - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

This place is amazing, they have good service, excellent food healthy portions , lively nightlife with assistance of a Dj and a weekend live band. Plenty of off street parking and very wholesome atmosphere. As well as 5 large Flat screen tv displays and a Vip section. What a night I had celebrating my women birthday. read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - African Nightlife at its finest - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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The people in this establishment has poor security who does know what they are doing , the security guard was very rude on Saturday. He wouldn't let me and my sister in for no apparent reason. Lies to his manger said that we didn't show ID. They have very very rude service. They know nothing about hospitality it sad. I honestly wouldn't suggest this place to anyone. I'm a food blogger and this will be on blog as the worst African restaurant to eat at in Montgomery county. I was here to review the food for my company. It so unfortunate for them. If you want a African spot to eat at got to rainbows. They are very sweet and professional. read more

African Palace Restaurant & Bar - Security - African Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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This restaurant is amazing! The place is extremely clean. The waiter was professional and friendly. The food is extremely delicious. I will definitely go back again. I'm planning on trying everything on the menu. read more

Doing the Corona virus with not much money we wanted some good African food decided to give this place a try we both got casa leave I asked for pepper sauce on the side open the bag it was I giant hot pepper sitting on the top went home to eat the worst African food in my life 40$ down the drain save your self dont do it to your self they are faking to be African wouldn't feed it my dog read more

The worst restaurant ever. I was kicked out because my minor daughter didn't want African food she had a sub. Because of that we were not allowed to dine in. It is the worst I have ever seen. Rated zero the worst ever in customer service. read more

I've been coming here for a few months now (about 4 different occasions) it seems each time the food just tastes worst and worst. I normally order soup and it is barely any soup in the bowl but instead a MOUNTAIN of chicken. The flavors are not there at all, the fufu taste sour like it had began to spoil! Save your money and go somewhere else. You WILL be DISSATISFIED read more

You can definitely tell that the cook is from Ghana after eating the Jollof rice as it lacked flavor. But the goat and snail were delish! The entrance to the restaurant will make you want to run the other way but once you get inside the decor is pleasing. read more

They dont even deserve 1 star. If I can give them negative infinity stars I would. This place is HORRIBLE! Their service suck really bad even when you make a carry out order which I did they make you wait forever to get your food. So I ordered pepper soup with goat meat for pick up. I went there to pick up my food and repeated about 3 times goat pepper soup to the server and they had the NERVE to give me fish. Im very pregnant and was starving and had a headache due to not eating, I live 20 minutes from the place and ended up spending 1 hour and 20 minutes on the road because I had to go back due to them messing up my order. They didnt even offer me anything for messing up on their end. I wasted my gas and my time and they didnt even freaking do ANYTHING about it! I have my own business and was going to start using them but NOPE! EVERYONE that I told to check this place out will not be going there anymore. Your customer service sucks really bad and I refuse to keep giving my money when you have horrible customer service. When you mess up an order you offer that customer something due to YOUR negligence but no I did NOT get that at all. I get better services at the restaurants in Africa. How freaking dare y'all! You have lost my service and any future service for LIFE! I rather drive an hour to go to after 12 african restaurant, at least I get treated better there and the food there is superb! Good luck staying in busines with such horrible customer service. I would not recommend this place to my dog! Do yourself a favor... save your money and find a better african restaurant to go to. This place is TRASH! THEY get a million thumbs down. 4:53 pm 30 minutes later: And I just spent the last 20 minutes crying because I was so disappointed in the quality of the food. Pepper soup is suppose to be spicy and this crap was not. I wasted $12 and some change to satisfy my pregnancy craving and it was garbage. I threw it in the trash. I am so pissed off at you all and I'm going to find out how I can sue You! read more

The food is decent but the service is appalling. Unless you want to wait over an hour for your food do not visit this restaurant.

I ordered fried tilapia fish and fried yam (it was delicious)! The homemade hot sauce was spectacular. If you want more of a variety from the menu, dinner orders must happen before 9:00 pm. On Saturday nights, there is live entertainment (reggae/African music). That's right, live reggae music in Gaithersburg, MD!! The band was professional, started on time at exactly 9:00 pm and was awesome! In addition, there is plenty of space for dancing. read more

This place would have received 5 stars from me if they served the food in a timely fashion. I use to go here to eat A LOT with my colleagues despite the wait. The food is really good. I usually go for the Waakye, goat meat with extra shito, a side of gari with a side of kelewele. That alone would receive 5 stars. However, the very fact that it takes 30-45 minutes to get our food is enough to drop 2 stars off. Especially when we call 1-1.5 hours ahead of time to place our orders. African Palace, you really need to work on that. I guarantee you if you fixed that my entire office would come more often. Either way, their staff is friendly, especially our dear friend Tutu! (Hi Tutu). read more