The food is great. I haven't been home in a while/miss my mom's cooking, so this definitely hits the spot sometimes. However, be prepared for some Nigerian antics. I think the people mean well, but sometimes it's just the cultural output-- people can come off a little aggressive and it calls for some patience. read more

The food was terrible (and spoiled), the service was terrible, 2 stars only for the dj. The dj deserved 4 stars but I didn't want the restaurant's rating to go up. Stay away if you're going to eat. read more

I went to Buka tonight with some friends and had a great time and a really good restaurant experience. I didn't get our servers name but she was pretty on point. Every thing we asked for, she got for us, answered all our questions and was pretty attentive the whole night. I ordered the grilled tiger shrimp with jollof rice and it was SO GOOD. Only downside was my shrimp was a little cold, due to the overwhelming order from my table but aside from that, it was cooked perfectly and so delicious. I tried some of my friend's dishes, which included the bean cakes, yam fries some steak appetizer and the grilled tilapia. Btw, who knew tilapia could taste so good?! Overall, I throughly enjoyed my dinner at Buka and even though it was my first time having Nigerian food, I'm definitely coming back! read more

Buka - Grilled tiger shrimp with jollof rice and a nice spice blend - Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Visited Brooklyn - our old neighborhood - to do a little shopping at Moshood. The owner recommended Buka for lunch and we could not have been happier. Of course we ordered fresh ginger juice- a must have at any African restaurant. We then started with AKARA (Fried crispy bean cakes with spicy dipping sauce) SUYA (Thinly sliced grilled beef in Nigerian spices) MOI MOI (Ground steamed honey bean cake with hard boiled egg and flaked fish) and then we had goat with EGUSI sauce (Ground melon seeds steamed with spinach and dried fish) with FUFU (pounded yam). My only complaint about the goat is that it was very little meat and a little tough- but the flavors were spot on. I know goat is historically not very much meat but despite that everything was delicious! Our food came out quickly. Our server worked the whole restaurant and the bar and was very attentive. We can't wait to go back and try some other things on the menu. read more

Buka - Goat w/egusi sauce - Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Ordering takeout? (psh and even dining in) Be sure to inspect your food. Somehow they must have thought I ordered a heap of hair in my goat stew. I ordered via Postmates and literally dug in once delivered to me. After picking up a second peace of goat meat, I swear my stomach immediately started hurting at the sight of what I saw. A batch of reddish/brownish hair/weave. Absolutely disgust!! I called and a woman picked up. I asked if there were any workers with reddish/brownish hair. She asked "what?". I repeated my question, she said yes. I said well I found a whole blob of it in my goat stew. She immediately started apologizing and even said it was her. She asked what did I order, I repeated it back to her, the phone disconnected. I called back and repeated the inconvenience to her and for some reason my order could not be found. I ordered the food from Buka, via postmates. Instead of offering proper service and a solution I received "It wasn't me, I cant find your order" Well attached are the photos. This food and a side og hair came from you! read more

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Delicious food. Lots of choices on the menu. Bitter leaf soup was delicious. There is outdoor seating. They carry Nigerian Star beer. I will definitely be coming back!!!! read more

This is the best Nigerian place in town. I had the suya stick, egusi, pounded yam and joloff rice. I did not know how much food I was getting. I was only able to eat half of it but was so glad to take it home. I almost fell asleep at the table. I had a go sloe cocktail and my mom had a buka mojito. Two best cocktails there. This place has art on the wall and nice decor. C read more

Siggh....where do I start with Buka. When It 1st opened years ago, this was the go to spot in Brooklyn. But the other times wasnt too good. As the years has gone by, it has been a slippery downhill slope for this establishment. One of the times I went I clearly remember tasting their Egusi soup that tasted old. Like they put it in the microwave & served it It is a cardinal rule in the african world to have fresh soup! You cant fool Africans. The very last time I vowed to go was when the jaloff was tasteless & moi moi was mushy. I said NEVER again. After you got popular, Buka you started slipping. :-( read more

GREAT food. HORRIBLE service. Been here twice and have had the same server. Same issues. Lack of attentiveness. Lack of awareness of menu items. Slow service. Typical West African ish. FYI I'm west African so I can say this. Anyway. Don't expect good service but still go - if you have a lot of time on your hands - and want to experience some really delicious food. read more

The service is terrible. The waiter only put in the order for half the table. Waited over an hour for rice only. We did not have utensils to eat. We were not given water. The drinks that were ordered never came. Service was horrendous. Update: water came but we did not have cups. They ran out of silverware and gave us plastic forks and knives. read more

Worst African food and customer service ever. I won't be ever ordering from there ever and will also be filing a complaint with the BBB and the Attorney General. I paid over 75.00 for food that I called to ordered and when I picked up and went home food was nasty literally. Gave me raw uncooked okra as sauce and fufu that tasted like flour and water. The goat stew was nasty and the beef stew also. I called and the rude girl hanged up on me and not even tried to correct the order and address my complaints. My Nigerian friend introduced me to Bukka a few years ago but I certainly won't be back and I will file my complaints. read more

Buka is as good as it gets for Nigerian food. I am Yoruba and every time I'm in NY, I only eat at Buka. I even order some food to take back with me to the West Coast. Is it perfect? No, but we are not in Nigeria so calm your tits. I would say it's definitely one of the best you can get outside of the homeland. Mixed soup with Bokoto, pomo. Moin-Moin, Egusi, Jollof Rice, Pepper Soup, etc. Thumbs up. The service is decent enough, The owner/manager will go out of his way to accommodate you if you have complaints. If you are ordering take out, inspect your food to make sure your order is complete before you leave, that's not a big deal. I have eaten dishes at Buka that tasted better than the same dish cooked in Nigeria so they definitely know what they are doing. Keep up the good work Buka, I will be seeing you soon! read more

This place has its days but overall good days. I normally get my usual, Grilled Tilapia with EFO(Spinach with palm oil and prices of fish inside) and white rice. The EFO is my favorite. I get plantain with it sometimes. read more

All the food is good. Got goat stew with okra sauce, it was amazing. Fufu was lovely too

First time trying African food and I already want to come back and try some more. The food is spicy but not unbearable and drinking water helped. It was like an "it hurt so good" type of heat! read more

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Buka Buka Buka... You truly never disappoint! Amina is an awesome server!!! She is the best! Always deliver!! read more

My first experience at Buka was excellent. I came at lunchtime previously. The food, drinks, and service were excellent. I was so happy the first time that I decided to revisit in less than a week. Unfortunately, my second visit was not a pleasant experience. The service was horrible and the food horrendous. In fact, I may go as far as to say that it was my worst experience in a restaurant ever. After 30 minutes I never received my drink and my table was never even brought water. My appetizer came out after I was given a plate of rice that was supposed to be part of my main course. The smoked catfish looked like a piece of burnt tire and was too hard to even take a bite out of. I went to complain to the manager and there was no remorse/consolation/etc.. I can't in good conscience recommend this restaurant to anyone. My recommendation is to stay away. read more

Buka - Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Absolutely terrible service, This is the only Nigerian restaurant i know so i keep coming. Back but each time i regret it. This restaurant has continued to disappoint me with the quality of service, rude managers and servers, one time they gave us food that was blatantly microwaved because we arrived late before closing. Ordered for pickup and they apparently misplaced my order then were rude to us. Absolutely done with this place read more

This has to be one of the WORSE restaurants I've been to in a long time. I love eating out and also love Nigerian food, when friends recommended them I thought I'd check it out. The first time I thought they were having a bad day, the second time was even worse.... SERVICE: Staff were unhelpful and don't know the dishes in their own menu. They were even rude at times PHYSICAL SPACE: Water was dripping from the roof. When I complain it was barely acknowledged. FOOD: Where to begin? Most of the food seems reheated, they came out lukewarm, some dishes cold, their 'ogbono' (my favourite dish) was a disaster.... Don't waste your time or your money. read more

I'm giving this place a two star because I've been here several times and received subpar customer service. The food takes too long to get to you, and when it does come the order is wrong. Then they make you pay extra money if the food they got wrong cost more. This is truly unacceptable, especially when the community supports and patronizes this restaurant despite COVID19. Buka, please do better. read more

My last visit was ~4years ago but Great great great. Every time I come to New York, I make my way from the Bronx to Brooklyn to get my chops on. Dun dun - on point. Fried stew - delicious! Okele- great. Jollof rice - a beginners dish very tasty . Suya- must have. Must try restaurant at least once... that will be the beginning of something new! Ambiance is absolutely lovely . Only thing is the wait but that's about normal at most Nigerian restaurants. Your choice - fresh food or fast food ? read more

If you are looking for solid Nigerian food, this is the place. (side bar: the food is spicy). The jollof is delicious. The pepper soup is top-notch. The Suya is really tasty. The only problem with Buka is the wait time so don't come here too hungry or in a rush. Just sit back and relax, have some drinks, have some good conversation and your food will come eventually. It is a really good Sunday afternoon meal to catch up with friends and family. read more

Anything I go to New York it's a must to visit Buka. It's like tasting home in a foreign land. Everything is always fresh and read to order. I always recommend ppl come here read more

Well, we came in to get out of the rain and grab some food. The restaurant smelled like stale fried food. We were greeted right away by our server which was nice. He led us to the back and gave us our menus. He was also pretty friendly and offered to answer any questions we might have about the menu or Nigerian food. Being a newbie to Nigerian food, I wasn't sure what to expect. As my starter, I tried the Akara (fried crispy bean cake). The Akara itself wasn't particularly flavorful, and could have used a little longer resting time on a paper towel. No worries. I squeezed the excess oil out and it was fine. The spicy sauce served alongside was not that spicy and had a lot of oil, but it was really good. So good, I asked for more and ate all of the sauce. This sauce was my favorite part of the meal. YUM. I was trying to eat vegetarian, and i had the spinach, joloff rice, and okra. I think this is where I'm not sure about how Nigerian food is supposed to taste. The rice was hard and could have used a little bit more water. It tasted like it might have been made a few days ago. The spinach was cold and flavorless. The okra seemed to be blended, also lacking flavor and seemed to be a bowl of slime. Again, not sure. Maybe I picked the wrong items on the menu. My dining companion tried the Suya, Pof Pof, grilled shrimp and the goat with fufu (hey! he was hungry!). He wasn't impressed with any of the food. The Suya was very tough, and the goat was mostly bones. I think all of this was prepared beforehand and microwaved. It all came out way too quickly. Also, he ordered a cocktail which was just sour and unbalanced. The waiter's friendliness just didn't seem like it was enough to overcome the food quality. I think I would go back again but maybe with someone who knows Nigerian food and could better steer me on what to order. read more

Arrived at the Buka and was promptly seated. We ordered moi moi, akara, okra with goat meat, jollof, efo with stock fish and assorted drinks. Service was wonderful and prompt. When back in Brooklyn NY I'd go here again. read more

Ok compared to African restaurants in Houston the ambience/decor in this restaurant takes the cake! It look like the owners took their time when finding a place and paid attention to detail. Also this place doesn't smell bad like typical African restaurants *winning*. Anyways I had the original rice and stew with a side of plantain. The wait was about 30-45 mins for ordinary rice and stew twwwww *sucks teeth*. When the food finally came presentation was good and looked scrumptious. When I took my first bite I was so shocked it taste like Campbell's tomato soup, yea you read that right. It had no African flavor, no salt, no pepe (pepper), NOTHING nada zilch! They might as well served it in the Campbell's can and have it to me. I will come back and try something else, but I do not I repeat DO NOT recommend The rice and stew aka Campbell's tomato soup! read more

I don't know how this place has 3.5 starts, they are awful and should really not be serving food. They first of all don't every have anything on the menu (Meat Pie gone, puff puff gone), and this is when you get there 2 hours after they open. I know its not that some hungry ass nigerian man came to eat it all, its just they dont have it. Here is a hint take the item off the menu if you wont serve it. Secondly the food is never out on time. I don't care if you make it from scratch, why is it that I call in an order arrive 45 minutes later and the food is still not there and then to make matters worse you bring the wrong food. That was the first scenario, scenario two you then ask me if i still want the food. WOW after you have collected my money. Buka is a disgrace, it has been an awful experience the past two times I have went and the second only because it was a bday party. The service is awful, there is no food and they just don't know how to run a restaurant, they could offer me all the free food in the world, i will not be dining with them ever again. I would rather Abuja in Union, NJ. Buka take your jati jati (rubbish) else where. read more

I grew up in Nigeria, in Igbo land, and left as a teenager, and so I've only had Nigerian food 3 times in the last 25 years. Each time (twice in London, and the third time on a trip to Nigeria itself) has been a wildly nostalgic delight. I had been dying to try Buka for a while as it appears to be maybe the only straight up Nigerian restaurant in NYC (the others seem to be West African blends). I went there for dinner with a (Nigerian-food-newbie) friend on one of the coldest nights of the year (9 degrees F) and even though our sweetheart of a server put us near the back heater, towards the end of the meal, I was freezing (the restaurant's temperature appears to be a chronic issue judging from other reviews). The service was another frequent complaint I read about, and while it's true that our food and palm wine came out pretty slowly, we weren't in a hurry, and our server was so cute and friendly, it didn't bother me. The place itself is pretty cool - high ceilings, brick walls, industrial chic. We ordered a ton of food and actually managed to put most of it away despite it being too much food for 2 people. First the apps - we ordered 4 because we wanted to try as much as possible: the akara (fried bean cakes with spicy sauce) were great. I heart moi moi (steamed honey bean cake with egg and fish) and Buka's version is yummy and super spicy. The suya (grilled meat with spices) was disappointing - bland (unflavoured, unspicy, unsalted). My friend wanted to try the large land snails, but we somehow ended up with the goat head instead (though it seems others haven't liked the snails). The isiewu (goat head) had a delicious (spicy) sauce but the cartilage-like texture of the meat weirded us both out. We shared a main entree after all that - we got "mixed meat" because my friend thought that sounded funny and awesome. And for our starch, we ordered fufu (pounded yam) with egusi sauce (which is one of my favourite sauces/stews - melon seeds, spinach, and dried fish). It was great. The meats were tender and delicious, the sauce totally awesome, and the fufu thick and filling. The other thing I forgot to try and am very sorry I didn't was jollof rice (a tomato rice pilau), which is my favourite rice dish in the world. At the end of the meal, we were walking by the bar and we met Lookman, the owner, who was very nice (and chuffed when he heard my Nigerian connection). I saw a bottle of "African Viagra" on the wall and when I asked about it, he gave us a shot of it. Everyone was watching our faces because they were obviously expecting a reaction, but it actually wasn't that bad (but definitely strange). However, the aftertaste was super bitter and crept up on you and kept going. They should have been watching our faces when we were out on the sidewalk. I'd go back on a warmer day, get more moi moi, and try the jollof rice, and the okra sauce (really, all of the sauces sound amazing), perhaps with tilapia. Thank you Buka for my Nigerian night out. read more

Let me just say this........ I walked in here last Friday for the first time and it was BRICK outside - I mean one of the coldest days in 2013. BUKA had NO HEAT! - It was freezing in there. The waitresses had coats on - the few customers that were inside had coats on. Why would you you keep a place of business OPEN on a cold ass night - brick outside - with no HEAT! Are you kidding me............... Therefore, need I finish this review................ I am not because it is not even worth it! On a cold WINTER NIGHT - no one should be subjective to having DINNER in a freezing place with its employees wearing coats - really - who does that!!!!!!! read more

They tried to half ass the service and when confronted about the dodgy food they were argumentative and disrespectful. My mother's stew had gone off. They Brought us some makeshift pepper soup with substitutions and insisted that it was the same soup , eventually stating that the color of the soup was due to the use of a different (red) pepper. when asked how it altered the color they simply kept repeating that it was the pepper. When asked to explain the state of the other food they (a bottom heavy woman and a spectacled man in a hat) simply got louder more defensive and more discordant. Instead of apologizing they would try to justify the state of the food in an effort to get us to pay for the shoddy food. They were arguing so loudly that they neglected to realize that we had already stated that we were willing to pay for what we had partially consumed (the "pepper soup" and ginger ale). And keep in mind that just before this incident the waitress had an unprofessional tone, asking one client " what do you want" when they sat down and ignoring another set of clients, consistently stalling them. During the incident they would often ignore me and continue conversations in their own language as though I was not there. I used to be a doting customer, recommending this restaurant, and the food in particular, to friends and family despite the slow and or rude unprofessional service/waitresses. But after this fiasco it is clear that this lack of professional acuity extends much further than the servers. (For a visual reference see the images i posted) read more

Buka - Top: the original pepper soup I had the other visits.(yellow/green). Bottom: the soup i received tonight. (red/ no leaves) not the same soup - Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I love Buka. I've traveled all over West Africa and its not easy to get authentic Nigerian cooking, even in NYC. This is a real slice of Lagos, from the menu right down to the TV over the kitchen showing Nollywood and Nigerian News on silent all night. They even have Club and Star beer from Ghana and Guinness Extra Stout. If you are a fan of SPICY food than Buka is for you. The Fish Pepper and Beef Buka Sauce are about as hot as it comes. The Suya kebabs and Steak come with a spicy seasoning that can really pack a punch if you pile it on. If you want a unique West African experience order Beef or Goat stew with pounded yam. Chose any of the side sauces, I love the slimy okra and Egboni. Fufu is my favorite pounded yam and is served as a big soft, gooey solid ball of carbs about the size of your stomach. Its not bread and ITS NOT MEANT TO BE CHEWED! Its got a bit of sour taste when chewed but takes flavor very well from the stew and is soft enough to just swallow. Seriously, go wash your hands, grab a bit with just 3 fingers, dip it in the sauce and swallow it. Just try it, you'll like it and its one hearty meal. If you sit at the bar can finish the whole ball of Fufu with your stew you may impress some of the regulars! Other recommendations: Grilled Red Snapper Dono (fried plantains) Beans Joloff Rice As always, expect Africa Time. read more

When it comes to food from The Motherland, Nigerian isn't on the top of my list. I suppose I like more sauces on my food, and I've found Nigerian dishes to be on the dry side. Nevertheless, I thought it would be great to check out a Nigerian spot with a group of Nigerian homies on a nice Saturday night. Food: We ordered a variety of dishes. I specifically had the suya (thinly sliced grilled beef in Nigerian spices), jollof rice and efo sauce. All was just okay. The suya spices were good and the meat was tender, albeit a little well done for my taste. My friend ordered the fish pepper soup, which she enjoyed (note that there were a lot of bones). Another friend ordered the pof pof, which are little Nigerian donuts -- they remind me of zeppoles. I liked them. Service: This is where this restaurant needs to do better. The restaurant was not particularly full, but service was, let's say, the opposite of expeditious. After finally dropping off our bill, the waitress took nearly 20 minutes to come back to collect our payment. Twice I got up to flag her down because this was just ridiculous. People got places to go, nah mean?! She finally came to pick it up, but quickly returned because the restaurant can only take four credit cards per table. We should have been informed of this from the onset. So here we go trying to divvy out cash when most people didn't have enough of it to cover the cost of their meal (so I ended up overpaying. The joy). The waitress finally returned to collect our cards and cash but once again took 15-20 minutes to return. One of my friends had to leave at some point during this time, too. This was a again ridiculous. Either Buka needs to hire another person to work the tables during dinner hours or this waitress needs to learn to multitask. read more

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For good food I'm willing to go just about anywhere -- well, just about. And I'm sure hardcore foodies (which not to be mistaking I'm not) will certainly agree. Thus when the opportunity presented itself to trek out to Brooklyn, to Buka, I immediately seized it. Being of Nigerian heritage, I'd searched unsuccessfully for restaurants specializing in the regional fare, for years, and thankfully a good friend turned up with a discovery that turned out to be precisely what I'd been looking for. Buka (which could stand for cafeteria in Yoruba) is a restaurant and bar that features mostly southern Nigerian grub in the area of Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. I would say the menu is pretty comprehensive and features authentic specialties spanning a selection of starters, mains, and sides (which really could be ordered in variety to make a meal). Some items on the menu may be recognizable (by comparison) to diners not terribly familiar with the cuisine such as, 'Suya', a kebab of sorts, grilled pieces of meat seasoned with Nigerian spices, to give it a distinctive flavor, 'Dundun', essentially, sweet potato fries, and 'Dodo', which would be known to lovers of Caribbean cuisine as platanos/fried plantains. On this particular visit, to start, I had the 'Moi Moi', a kind of bean cake, if you will, reminiscent of Latin American tomales, except 'moi moi' is made with finely blended beans vs corn in the case of tomales. It is seasoned to a savory taste and has a variety of ingredients, including some cases, fish and boiled eggs, to give it some added flavor -- simply delicious. My companion had the 'Akara' which is pretty much made from the same batter as moi moi but instead, it is fried (so sort of a savory fritter) and has no fish (which worked for her since she's vegetarian). Carrying on to Mains, again, given that my dinner companion is vegetarian, she opted for making a meal out of sides: ewa (beans.. stewed), Spinach (or 'efo' as known locally), chopped and seared, and, 'Jellof rice', a sort of curried rice using stewed tomato sauce. She remarked that she enjoyed them all. I on the other hand had what's designated on the menu as a type of 'fufu', for familiarity sake, I'd imagine, (though known locally as 'Iyan'), which can be perhaps loosely compared to mashed potatoes--with a more condensed consistency. It's made out of mashed 'yams' (think along the lines of yucca rather than sweet potatoes here) and is served with a variety of thick sauces (which Nigerians commonly refer to as soups). I went for the one prepared with crushed melon seeds (egusi), spinach and typically smoked/dried fish, etc. Plus, at Buka, you also have a choice of additions: goat, 'Igbin' (snails), chicken, tilapia, etc. Portions run on the larger side (I guess once you leave Manhattan everything tends to be bigger), so bring your appetite. Price points are also pretty reasonable but note that Buka is cash only, so plan accordingly. Worry not though, should you happen to forget to make a withdrawal prior to heading out, an ATM conveniently sits at the entrance to the restaurant. read more

I hate to be that guy... but they pissed me off so much that I'm going to be that guy! Never!! I repeat Never have I been so disappointed in a meal like I have with Buka! So... a few weeks ago on a Saturday night I decided let me walk around and see what's cooking.. what's shaking and baking... what's moving and grooving in the Clinton Hill area.. I decided to come to Buka once more.. they had a live DJ... it was packed..... I was impressed.. but the place still has this weird ass odor... (negative) Let me get to the point.... I never came here and ordered a full entree so maybe I'm bugging but.. I had to wait 45 mins to 1 hours for my take out... then when I got my take out... I got a whole lot of rice and I kid you not a dash of stew. I ordered the fried beef. and to top it all off besides the rice to stew portions being obviously screwed the entire meal was coolish cold.. not luke warm or warm.. it was cold like it was in the refrigerator. What's Up With That? Boooombaaaclat!!!! I will seriously never return.. I will not go back mainly because the smell is a little odd... the food was not only cheaply portioned to me but it was cold! Why did I have to wait 1 hour for cold food? read more

I came here with my best friend and her brother yesterday for dinner around 6:30. The place is huge and very industrial looking- nothing screamed Nigerian restaurant to me at all. Not even one flag in sight. Anyway, I ordered the chicken plate and instead of Fufu I substituted for Joloff rice. The food tasted so good and fresh. Rice was spicy and flavorful - I could eat that everyday. The portion of chicken was huge! Thankfully I was able to share my chicken with my bff's baby brother. I enjoyed my meal. I also got to taste their fried plantains - sweet and delicious. Reminded me of the meals I had when I visited my boyfriend in Ghana last year! I give this restaurant 4 out of 5 because based on the food alone it was great. However, the customer service doesn't really exist. No one ever came up to us and asked us if we enjoyed our meals or needed anything. Also, I ordered an appetizer which was served with the main meal. I asked to send it back because there was no way I could eat my entire meal and appetitizer together (that defeats the purpose of an appetizer right.). I used to be a waitress at Kush down the block so I look out for little things like that. Anyway, this place is great for authentic Nigerian food and the prices are cheap! read more

I want to start off by saying that the staff here are very nice but they seemed very under staffed (two waitresses and two kitchen staff). There were two tables with 9 people, one table with 4 people and three tables with 2 people. Not to mention the waitress had to take care of the take out and bar. So on average, it takes about an hour before your food is brought to your table. So don't come too hungry. I must give them a lot of credit, all food is made to order, which is the cause of the food delay. I ordered the red snapper with eba and egusi. This is a very common dish in Nigeria so my expectations were very high when I ordered this dish. I am Nigerian and grew up on this food so coming to a Nigerian owned establishment comes with certain expectations. The sauce was not as spicy as I expected and it was lacking in a certain flavor. Nigerians flavor food a certain way and when I got my meal, I felt disappointed. I wish I could say I was the only one that felt this way but my little cousin that's visiting from Nigeria was not impressed with her food either. One of the problems I find with going to an "authentic" restaurants is when they become too popular, a lot of the authenticity goes away to satisfy the new comers. Stick with your traditional way of cooking but inform the customer of the spice level and make some accommodations to make it a little less spicy. Don't sacrifice the authentic flavor which made you popular to accommodate a select few! read more

My first time eating Nigerian and I am a BIG fan. Drinks: -Hibiscus iced tea with alcohol- A floral flavored tea you can really taste the hibiscus and i added a shot of vodka. You need to try it. - App: Dun Dun - Fried Yam with a tomato onion dipping sauce kind of oily. Main: Buka Sauce- Fried beef in a locust sauce side of rice. I was warned that it would be spicy multiple times. She was correct it was SPICY but so good. The beef was tender and the locust(black bean) sauce was flavorful. -Beef stew: Spicy tomato stew but not as spicy as Buka sauce. -Fufu: it looked like mashed potato but doughy at the same time. Overall the food was very flavorful and when they say spicy please take heed. And most importantly ****CASH ONLY ***** read more

Huge disappointment with the food. Not only did I find dirt(have u ever bite into a stone in your food, well that's what was in my fufu and my bitter greens) I sent it back and got dirt in my second plate as well. I guess some sort of renovation was taking place there and sand fell into the food, the food was gritty and gross. Ruined my Valentine's Day lunch completely. read more

Buka - This had crushed rock in it was disgusting!!!! - Bars Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

We were brought here by a friend who recommended this place as the best Nigerian restaurant in NYC. BIG WARNING was the service is very, very slow. We figured we've seen slow service in NYC, no biggie, and we were going with the big group so we'd deal. OMG, slooooooow service was no exaggeration. Our party of 8 arrive at 630 and did not finish our meal until almost 10 pm. With this came 5 orders of appetizers and 8 entrees. The food came out when it was ready to come out, in no particular order, in no particular fashion. There were entrees that came out before appetizers and we ordered two Akara's which came 30 minutes apart, for some reason. We tried a variety of different items on the menu: dundun, dodo, akara, grilled red snapper, pof pof, beef fufu and ogbono sauce, suya steak, and suya appetizers. The food was interesting and different, there was nothing we could compare it to. The food was enjoyable, except for the suya steaks, which didn't come until 9pm and they were dry. We're not sure if the food just takes way too long to prepare, or if the service just takes way too long to arrive, but it was way long. We really have no idea how a restaurant can make money if the tables have no turnover in one night. From the time we sat, til when we left, there was only one party at each table. Nobody new came, no idea how the restaurant profits. The low stars are just due to the lack of service and the long wait. read more

I've been to Buka about 4 times. In short, the food is usually good but there can be some variation, mostly in terms of the intensity of the heat or spices. How fast your food will come out is something I still don't understand. Once, I got my food in twenty minutes and another time in 45 minutes. They weren't super busy either, so expect some variation. Table service isn't the best, but I'm really here for the food. In short, the food is good and I'll be back. read more