Great food, decent prices!…read more I was seeking something beyond the typical food offerings while on my way to the airport, and this was my chosen spot. I'm not very familiar with African food, and the menu items were mostly unfamiliar to me. Even so, I'm thoroughly pleased with my take-out order (ugali with beef that also came with a couple sides: a little salad and lentils with cooked greens of some sort)! It was maybe a 15 min wait for my food to be prepared after ordering, but it came out hot and flavorful! I look forward to coming back again.

Fresh, delicious real food! Service was fast, professional, and polite. Lotsa clean seating…read more Authentic bold flavors.

Overall, a great meal. The lamb shanks were very flavorful and tender. The goat not as good, but…read morestill tasty. 100% authentic

This was my first time trying Somali cuisine, so I had to ask for suggestions on what to order, and…read morewas recommended the goat and rice plate. No regrets here! The goat was flavorful and tender, and came on a mountain of perfectly cooked and seasoned rice. They also provided hot sauce and a lemon wedge. Others in my party got the chicken suqaar plates, and enjoyed their meals too. We all were obsessed with the bisbaas/basbaas (green hot sauce) that came with our meal, and I really liked the dynamic flavors in the food. Pricing is a little high, but the amount of food you get is generous. I'd definitely come back again and will plan to take leftovers home or share an entree.

Just updated with pictures of food and front of the restaurant for pictures of some ambiance. The…read moreowners and staff are fantastic. You hear lots of French here from staff and customers interacting.

I haven't had much West African food in the past so when we were looking for some new food to try…read moreout over the weekend, we came across Bantaba. As other reviews state, this is kind of a strange restaurant that seems more like it's for regulars rather than new customers. There's no actual printed menu other than hints of a menu on the signboard above the register (and we confirmed this with the cashier). I guess this is to save on cost, which coincidentally also allows them to adjust pricing on the fly? There are photos posted of the menu from 2024, but my guess is those are of an old pre-COVID menu, given that the prices increased over 50% at this point. Per other reviews, dine-in orders are also packaged in takeout boxes and can take a variable amount of time to cook. We don't usually get takeout much, but decided to call in an order for this visit. This was at around 5PM on Saturday and we were promised a 30 minute wait. We arrived 30 minutes later, paid for the order, and it ended up taking about another 10 minutes. Not too bad. Benechin Beef ($18.99) - As I learned, benechin is essentially a different term for the more commonly known (at least in the US) jollof rice. In this case, the rice has a deep tomato and spiced umami that combines a pleasant saltiness with a heat level that builds and builds. It's topped with a small side of cabbage that seems to be stewed in the same spices as the rice. There's then a piece of yucca root, stewed but still rather toothsome with fiber strands all in one direction like muscle grains. For the beef, they include four pieces of thinly sliced barbecued meat. The meat is extremely flavorful with what seems to be a black pepper and allium based spice mixture. In terms of texture, it's quite tough and chewy, almost to the level of beef jerky. (4/5) Afra Lamb ($20.99) - This dish comes with a choice of rice or salad, not both as the older menu states. We went with the rice which comes in a smaller container and is a long grain rice cooked until perfectly fluffy. It's cooked with salt, which is something that I'm not used to. The larger container includes a mound of bone-in lamb meat doused in a savory and tangy mustard based sauce. The meat is a very interesting mixture of off-cuts, a combination of cross-cut ribs, shanks, lamb chops, and some random other cuts. The lamb is mostly bone in and there are tons of small bone shards all over the meat, making it a bit of a pain to eat. The meat isn't very gamey and all and is much more tender as compared to the beef jerky in the benechin. On top of the lamb, they include mustard infused softened onions and whole quick-charred onion rings, resulting in a still crunchy texture. They include some powdered dried chilis is a small pile hidden under the onions. Be careful - it's starts out smoky like paprika to start and the heat only starts to build after a couple of seconds. (4/5) Bantaba is a great place to try some new food. While it's not the most beginner friendly restaurant, it offers some flavors and dishes that are hard to find around Seattle. Bathrooms - Single unisex room

The advertisement and reviews were promising but when we came here the service is very off putting…read more We stood in the door way for about 5 min waiting to be seated with no one there. two people took our orders, and failed to properly inform us of the extra charge for sides that came with the fried and wet fish. Super expensive meal very low quality. We were looking to have a tasty cultural experience, and was greatly disappointed. They were nice and kind to their or culture of people but we found them to be very dismissive and uninterested in serving us. It was mid day around 3-5pm... we had to keep asking for food we ordered and the food was cold. They brought us the main food, five minutes later we had to ask for the sides. 10min later they brought it. We waited 30min for drinks... and like I said, no one was in there! Like two regulars drinking beer. I really wanted to enjoy, but we will not be coming back! God bless. Be better.

This place is hit or miss. If you are going for drinks and vibes then yes, your needs will be met…read morein time. If you are here for food, it's a toss up. The waits can be exceptionally long to order and to receive your food. It's a bit disorganized we were given our menu and waited twenty minutes before we ordered drinks. Someone else came and took the menu before we were asked what we wanted to eat. Had to request service and the menu to be returned to place an order. I've had good food from here but I've also been served cold goat stew here. This was my last attempt at supporting the business. They then double charged us for the drinks and overcharged for the food (by about thirty dollars so it wasn't a tax confusion). My partner recognized some negative vibes going on as well so we just paid left and gave the food away because the energy was too bad to consume that food. Won't be going back. I'll stick to Rafiki or go to Seattle for east African food that comes out hot.

Spontaneous dinner here while heading to Full Tilt next door and decided to try something new since…read morewe've never had Kenyan food before. Really glad we did! It was pretty busy and the food did take a while to come out, but everything tasted super fresh and it was definitely worth the wait. The portions are large and the flavors were incredible. What really stood out was the service. Samantha was amazing! She was so friendly, funny, and welcoming even though the restaurant was packed and there was a line. She took the time to walk us through the menu since it was our first time there, let alone trying Kenyan food. Even with how busy it was, she made sure each customer was taken care of and exuded such positivity. You can tell she really cares about her customers. Great food, even better service. Would definitely come back.

Don't order take out from these people. I ordered a meal for 2 ppl and added extra sides and the…read moretotal came out to $102 . When I went to pick it up . They had forgotten 3 of my sides costing me $42 . They don't pay attention to orders and they dirty. Disgusting ppl . If you like their food . Dine in . Don't ever order takeaway.

Bites of the Wirld gas variety of protein to choose from freshly slaughtered meat and game chicken,…read moreif you prefer frozen it's ready for you, live chicken, goats and lamb, pick all you want and Emmanuel slaughters for you. Bites of the World meat market has Department of health license, top notch refrigeration, labels with nutritional facts, honest and accurate pricing, proper packaging. Emmanuel is culturally diverse, highly talented in relating, naturally meets the needs of different cultures considerate, accommodates and meets all customers needs respectfully. He has high level integrity, efficient, creative, intelligent, flexible, trustworthy, and keeps his promise when it comes to the customers orders. He has freshly made spices, benga bread, fufu flours, herbs and more... He sells abayas, hijabs, fabrics, natural soaps, and lotions. Bites of the World has permanently solved my meat and chicken puzzle. Fresh, delicious, no genetic modification and no guilt!

From the owner: We sell halal meat, beef, goat, lamb, chicken, African groceries, abaya, African clothing,…read moreMediterranean spice, Caribbean spice, African spice, Asian spices

We got a good service the food was on time. The lady by the name Owiti was attentive, friendly and…read moremaking sure we had everything we needed. From greeting us from the table to the final check. The whole service was impeccable we appreciate.

My family's first time trying East African/Kenyan food, and everyone, including my toddler, enjoyed…read moreit. The server who took my order over the phone is friendly, answered my questions and helped me choose the sides. The establishment is half restaurant and half bar. Turn left after you enter through the door to get to the restaurant part. Food: Rafiki basket (3 appetizer combo) - mandazi (fried bread, slightly sweet) is my favorite, followed by the samosa (beef filling, kind of oily) Samaki WA Nchuzi (fried whole tilapia with sauce) - the sauce is not spicy, bright with lime and tomato. Mbuzi Kaanga (goat stew) - some bones as expected. Goat meat is tender and flavorful, though portion isn't that big. For sides we tried the collard greens, Ugali (white corn mash, very dense, not my favorite) and chapati. Overall a good first experience. We want to come back to try other dishes.

I can't recommend this place enough. The service, atmosphere and food are all absolutely fantastic…read more You've got to check it out! The service was top notch from moment we walked in. We were welcomed with open arms and promptly greeted and shown our seats. Just minutes after we received the menu they surprised us with a complimentary appetizer- Sombusa and Somali Tea which was really good and it was all on the house!!! The entire place was sparkling clean, modern and oh so comfortable. The food was beyond delicious we decided to go all out and ordered the family plate with rice and pasta and it came with four different types of meats. Every bite burst with amazing flavors it was a true feast that left us incredibly satisfied and happy. Can't wait to go back and try more dishes from their menu. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

The whole experience from the warming entrance to the hot and fresh TASTY food with loving customer…read moreservice. Such a lovely area to eat comfort food while feeling like you're home. Such a win win!

The food was so delicious. I ordered fufu and chicken egusi. I cannot wait to order again! I'm…read morealready craving it :)