very good and best fufu I've tried no glazing is actually one of the best African food I've tried

Golden Safari is the place to go for food! We finally had time to go and it was definitely worth the hour drive! This was our first time trying this cuisine and they did not disappoint. The staff were friendly and were very attentive. Jollof rice - very flavorful and soft. The portions they gave us in general was HUGE. Not sure if the vegetables medley were frozen or fresh but they did not have that watery feel to it. It had the nice crunch. Chicken - the chicken paired well with the rice. I love how it didn't feel greasy, it tasted very clean, and juicy. Just your standard chicken, nothing bad about it. Goat egusi- this was the star of the show. The viral fufu and egusi soup. The fufu itself had a slight bitter taste but it tasted like potatoes (it is yam). Love the texture, it reminds me of the starchy Vietnamese sandwiches with the sausage. The goat in the egusi soup was sooooo tender. As a person who does not like lamb, I can eat goat. I enjoyed the greens and the sauce of the soup. We also ate it with the rice and it was delicious. We would definitely go out our way to enjoy this again! read more

Golden Safari - African Near Me - Hayward, California

Jollof - Tomatoey, herby taste. It was good Fried plantain - nothing to complain about. It was dry on the outside and soft on the inside like a French fry. Egusi - I've never had fufu, but I really the soft texture eating it with the egusi. We tried the goat and beef, and both were good, not super tender, but I liked having some bite. Goat was a bit more tender than the beef. read more

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Again, your food is so DELICIOUS! We saw the owner on KTVU Morning News recently being interviewed regarding Hatward Restaurant Week. Her presentation was fabulous. Its important that food be created by those who represent the food; culturally speaking. Although the spices, meat and vegetables are not directly from home, what is imported makes the dishes delicious. My husband and I had Jollif, Egusi and Efo-Riro w/Goat. NO COMPLAINTS FROM US. We loved the food, the hospitality and the cleanliness of the location. We will be back. read more

Great authentic food. The Nigerian jollof rice is too delicious to stop eating. The egusi soup is just like home. Fantastic in every swallow. I also like the change with more tender chicken. Fufu has a sweet touch to it. Very nice. read more

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Thanks to my foodie girlfriend, I got to try African food for the first time in my life. African cuisine never cross my mind before until my gf said "I want some jollof rice." Next thing I know we were on yelp and YouTube searching for an African restaurant. Which brought us to Golden Safari. As soon as we walked in, the aroma from the kitchen already made me wanted to try their food. We were greeted with a friendly staff and we asked him what he recommended since is our first time there. We end up ordered the Jollof rice, the Egusi soup with beef that come with the fufu, and a beef meat pie all to go. Since I never have African cuisine before so I don't know what to expect. But I have to say I love their food!!! I thought it will be a very strong flavor or spice but it's not. The jollof rice has the perfect amount of flavor and seasoning and make me want to keep craving for more. And the egusi soup is rich in flavor and pair it with the fufu is perfect. The fufu seems to taste bland at first but it has a mash potato after taste. Is like eating mash potato but in a dough form. The beef in the egusi soup is a little on the tough side tho. The beef meat pie tho is a little dried and kind of just a regular meat pie. Not as good as the jollof rice and the egusi soup. The portion size is on the smaller size or maybe it tasted just so good we don't think is enough for my gf and I. Overall it was a nice experience and will definitely go back and try other dishes. read more

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Overall experience is more like 3.5, but the order taker was courteous, helpful and served with a smile. He takes it up to a five. My order was to-go. I had never had Jollof rice, so I thought I'd give it a try. It does sort of remind me of jambalaya, which isn't my favorite. I will say that the rice was well seasoned. I added fried chicken, which was completely bland. Also note that it's fried without being dipped in flour. If you eat the rice with the chicken, the lack of seasoning/spices in the chicken might be balanced by the rice. In addition to those items, I ordered beans (Americans call them black eyed peas) and a beef patty. The peas were good enough to re-order and the beef patty was the best, with one exception...The beef patty is ground beef with vegetables and spices. Unfortunately most of the ground beef was still pink. For me, that's not edible. I reheated it later and some of the meat was still pink. If you don't mind undercooked meat, this will probably be a hit. The pastry was fluffy and the spices were just right. Here's What I Think...If you're looking for West African dishes and you're in the Hayward area, then give this place a try. read more

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Picked up some goodies to go from this nicely decorated spot! It was the end of day and we wanted something flavorful and get home and be fat and lazy! The server was very helpful and we didn't wait very long, especially when you consider that we didn't order until we arrived! Everything was so flavorful! And this time, we ordered everything spicy hot! SO much better! Didn't think it could be! The Egusi soup was so flavorful and that heat complimented the flavors well! Jolloff rice was on point as always! This is our new go to spot! read more

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Food was amazing! everything we had was delicious and packed with flavor. The jollof was seasoned and paired well with the beans. I came here for the egusi soup w/ the fufu, and it was not a disappointment...rich, nutty and savory and hearty when eaten with the fufu. for sure I will add this to my rotation of places to eat. read more

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This is my second time coming here, and each time they don't disappoint. The rice and plantains are my favorite and I always order each time. Service is always friendly and welcoming, always very clean and it smells good. I love the wall art as is based on their cultural background. I ordered our soup spicy and it was very tasty and delicious. I will be coming back again. read more

Golden Safari - Fried Plantain, Egusi Soup with Goat Meat, Jollof Rice, Eba Fufu - African Near Me - Hayward, California

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I spent time in Nigeria and was absolutely delighted to find a Nigerian restaurant in the Bay Area. They have Jollof rice and suya for an introduction to Nigerian food. My favorites though are the goat pepper and egusi soups with sides of fufu. The service is nice and friendly and the atmosphere relaxed and welcoming. read more

I think I remember hearing about Golden Safari from tiktok or something so I was excited to try it when driving around in Hayward. The service was very good, our waiter kept returning to check in on us. * Egusi with chicken drumsticks - 3.5/5 stars. It's flavorful but I wasn't able to make out a distinct flavor. I've always wanted to try fufu and the texture was fluffy, slightly sticky, and very plain-tasting to pair with the soup. Which it was a bit spicier! * Jollof rice - 5/5 stars. This appeared to be the most popular dish so we ordered it and can agree it was amazing. There was so much flavor in this that I was so content with eating this by itself. Overall 4/5 stars. I wish this place was closer so I can try the different dishes, but I wouldn't necessarily drive far to get it! read more

Golden Safari - Egusi Soup with chicken drumsticks (3) and Jollof Rice - African Near Me - Hayward, California

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There's not many West African food spots in the Bay Area, so I drove a good 40 minutes out to try fufu and egusi soup from Golden Safari. The food itself had good flavor! I haven't had this dish anywhere else but I enjoyed my meal. The wait is my biggest complaint about this place. I placed an order online before my drive and still had to wait another 10 minutes after I got to the restaurant (50 min in total). Not sure if I just went on a busy day, or if it just takes them longer to make this dish, or something to do with online orders, but based off my experience, do be prepared to wait if you're ordering beforehand. There's a good amount of parking outside the restaurant, and though I took my meal to-go, the interior was nice. Thinking of returning to try other items, since their variety of West African dishes look great! read more

Golden Safari - Pounded Yam Fufu + Egusi Soup - African Near Me - Hayward, California

This place is a hidden gem! It's tucked away- blink and you might miss it. First of all, it's so cute inside--chill vibes, good decor, and local art for sale on the walls, which just adds a cool, creative touch to the whole experience. The staff? Absolutely the sweetest. We somehow accidentally skipped the tip prompt (total oops), and they were so kind about it--told us not to worry at all. But we felt bad and grabbed some cash to come back and tip because they truly deserved it! Now onto the good stuff: the food! Everything was full of flavor and came in generous portions, so we shared it all family-style. The spicy Efo-riro with chicken was hands-down my favorite. Like, I could've just had that and left smiling. It was that good--spicy, rich, and super satisfying. The jollof rice and fried chicken were also packed with flavor, and the plantains were cooked to perfection--soft, sweet, and golden. The chicken suya was just okay for me, but to be fair, it had the impossible job of following the Efo-riro, which had already blown us away. The bean cake ( Moin Moin) was good my friend loved it as it reminded her of masa from a tamale. Sadly, they were out of meat pies and buns, but honestly, that just gives me a reason to come back (as if I needed one). Can't wait for round two! read more

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Jollof rice was great. Goat meat could've had more flavor, but was still fine. Soursop soda was delicious. Not actually sour like the name would lead you to think. Waiter was nice. read more

Golden Safari - African Near Me - Hayward, California

Safari so Good Fun fact: 90% of what we watch these days is cooking and/or food related, and we're especially hooked on cooking competitions. From Chopped to Beat Bobby Flay to Wildcard Kitchen--we've seen them all. What we love most is how they always seem to find new foods and cuisines that have somehow eluded us over our great many years. Take for instance, Chef Eric Adjepong; his Ghanaian background, flavors, and devilish good-looks (oh, my...) had intrigued us over the years, but it wasn't until recently watching a West African Chef on The Great American Recipe that really drew us in. Her amazing cooking and recipes made us crave for some legit African food. That's where the handy-dandy Yelp app comes into play, because did you know you can just type in a dish and it'll spit back results based off reviews mentions? Well that's what happened when I put in "Egusi" in the search bar and Golden Safari was the top choice, which led us here on one fateful Sat afternoon. The Good: *Large shared lot with plenty of parking, as well as street parking *Great décor *Service was fine. They had one young man doing it all, but he was friendly trying hard, so big ups. *The food was everything we'd imagined it and wanted it to be. Definitely highly underrated cuisine, and also extremely underserved. *Egusi Stew was where it was at for me, as the earthy and slightly sweet soup of Egusi (ground seeds of a melon), greens, and meat of one's choice. I, ofc, chose Goat and it was fantastic. The concomitant FuFu was very, um, interesting as the texture was like mashed potatoes but not the flavor you'd expect. I mean, it's not Poi bad, but it definitely leaves a lot to be desired. It was, however, really good mixed in with the Egusi, which I suspect is how it's meant to be eaten. *Naked Fried Chicken is where it's at. The crispiness you desire but without all the added carbs of breading. *The Jollof Rice was also outstanding as the grains had a great texture and deep earthy flavor from all the peppers and tomatoes cooked down to nothingness. The Meh: *No outdoor dining *Need a code for the restroom *We arrived shortly after opening and *none* of the apps were "ready" to be ordered. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ *I'm not sure if this was because we arrived after opening, but it took a loooong time to get our food. Fortunately, we both had a decent breakfast so we weren't starving. Otherwise, the hangries would've kicked in... 0_o *Despite them being open almost eight years (2017), the restaurant felt like it was being run by someone who's never owned a restaurant before (see above). I mean, they're not deal killers but just don't expect a smooth experience from soup to nuts. The Ugly: *It's kind of in a strange part of town, as there was definitely some character in the lot on a good one, if you catch my drift. Basically what I'm saying is lock your doors. :) Conclusion: SNAFUs aside, I would definitely love to come back and try more dishes at some point. Because as the Great Communicator once said, "It's all about the food, stupid." read more

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I ate here with my sisters and I don't think what I paid for was not worth what I actually got. I feel like they could give more food. Also the service was not the best. The waitress was very kind but the waiter had a bad attitude. read more

I drive 40 mins to Golden Safari today, because I was craving egusi soup and jollof rice. On the way, I called three times, the first time no one answered, the second time someone picked up and hung up right away, and the last time, I finally got through to some guy with zero introduction. I ordered spicy egusi with beef and chicken Jollof rice. He said the order would be ready in 20 mins. Sounds great to me because I was 25 mins out anyways. Once I got there, I parked in the rear parking lot and went into the restaurant. I explained that I had called in for pick up, and he said it would be a few more mins. Then when they were getting the food order ready, another staff came out to confirm my order, and apparently the guy had put down Egusi with fish... no? So I waited another few mins. They got my order together and I left. Egusi with beef and fufu - I'm really disappointed in the portion size... the taste wasn't as flavorful as I had hoped. The fufu tasted fine. Overall a 3/5 Jollof rice with fried chicken - The rice itself was superb! The rice was rich in flavor and cooked excellently. However, the fried chicken is bland. I ended up not finishing the meat. 3/5 I came here because it was the closest West African food from Santa Clara. I might come back to try their other dishes, but I don't know about ordering their egusi soup again. read more

Really enjoyed dining here. Beef suya: was good, decently spicy and well seasoned. 5/5 Fufu and egusi soup: super flavourful! Had a nice earthy taste, was well balanced, and the portion size was perfect! They gave a good amount of goat meat (add on) and spinach too. 5/5 There was another soup we got, but I don't remember the name of it. I think it had okra since the texture was a little bit squishy and slimy? BUT IT WAS SO GOOD! 5/5 I loved their soursop drink, and i think its only limited to Hayward -- possibly only this restaurant? But it was 5/5 for me! Customer service was also great! Everyone was patient and really nice considering we came in 1.5 hours before closing. read more

Golden Safari - Soursop drink. Must get!! Apparently only in hayward - African Near Me - Hayward, California

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Slow paced but refreshing flavors. There was only one person running the show, and service was still very good. It was nicely decorated and quiet for a business lunch with colleagues in the area. Some items were not available but we still enjoyed sharing. I went at the new year and he said they were updating the menu for the new year. read more

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Customer service was great attentive & helpful, food was delicious, affordable. Sensory was beautiful inside. Definitely recommend 10/10 read more

Golden Safari - (EGUSI) Green Vegetable & Melon soup with peppers with fufu - African Near Me - Hayward, California

1,000/1,000 highly recommend. We went in there having never tried African food and was blown away. The owner was so helpful and understanding of us not knowing what to order. We ordered the egusi, spinach soup, she also recommended the fried plantains, the Jolof rice. We also tried the meat pie and the puff pastries and omg I will be going back. Almost forgot the tapioca pudding with mangos flavor wise kind of reminded me of peach cobbler and was delicious. read more

Brought my kids and my sister here to try Fufu for the first time. The food was amazing. I ordered the okra soup and the egusi (mild). I should've ordered it spicy. The fufu texture was yummy. Definitely taste like mashed potatoes but better. Oh, the cook came out to check on us and to see what else we needed. She's was a sweet Nigerian lady. She came out using her traditional Nigerian clothing. My kids, my sister and I had the best time. We were stuffed. read more

Golden Safari - Okra soup, Egusi and our side of FUFU - African Near Me - Hayward, California

Absolutely delicious African food! The fried fish was good The fufu had the ideal texture: smooth, fresh, and just right for dipping. The egusi soup was rich, hearty, and packed with deep, authentic flavor, while the okra soup was comforting, well-balanced, and cooked just right--neither too thick nor too watery. the food tasted homemade, and everything felt authentic and satisfying. You can really tell care and tradition go into the cooking. If you're craving real, flavorful African cuisine, this place is a must-try. I'll definitely be coming back! Owner even give us a toy and free desert ! read more

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The restaurant was clean and easy to find. Service was good and staff were nice, I had a to go order which took about 15mins to prepare. Not bad I drove from San Mateo to come check this place out. disappointed with the flavor. I'm African(Ghanian) to be exact so I know what it's suppose to taste like. The rice and stew was not tasty. The Ogbno soup was distasteful. It tasted like soap? . Unfortunately I didn't want pounded Yam but that's all they had to pair with the soup. I'm just not into the flavor of the food that I got, I've tasted better elsewhere. You may however like it so you should definitely give it a try. This is just my opinion that I'm sharing. The Palm juice was okay. I prefer Palm Wine read more

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I was in line at Deccan Morsels Fremont recently, waiting for a cup of Irani chai , when I got talking to a young man from North Africa. As we discussed African food I told him about Hayward's own Golden Safari, and how it has been awarded best in the bay for Nigerian food. Then I realized I haven't posted a review about their food in a while. I mean you go there, you order a meat pie, follow that with a tomato stew with meat of your choice, get the plain or jollof rice, a side of the fried plantains. Man I tell you, life doesn't get better than that. The flavors, the portions, the yumminess, makes you glad you are in the Bay Area. Extra points for the hibiscus drink , the very clean restroom, and the sweetest, kindest people working there. read more

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the fried fish platter was 10/10 Everything came out in a timely manner and the food was super good! Definitely a place to come back too read more

First time trying West African cuisine and this place was definitely not a let-down. I'm thankful to the staff that patiently gave us recommendations and explained what each dish was. The beef suya seems so simple but it was packed with spices and flavor. Jollof rice with efo riro was a great combination. I hope they gave a slightly larger portion size, but otherwise, this place was pretty decent. read more

Golden Safari - Efo - Riro - African Near Me - Hayward, California

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Saw this all over my TikTok and definitely had to try! Luckily my friends live nearby and I had this delivered to their house. It was my first time trying fufu and egusi. The texture combined is incredible. The meat was also tasty. Will definitely be stopping by any time I'm in the area again! read more

Golden Safari - African Near Me - Hayward, California

Maybe I came on a bad day, but it was bad enough that I wouldn't return. I kept hearing about this spot and figured I would try it out since I was out running errands all day. I know how to make all these dishes at home so my standards for quality food are probably a bit higher than someone who just wants to try Nigerian food for the first time. I got an order of chicken suya and a side of jollof. Total came out to $25 which is a bit steep but hey you're paying an import price. The jollof was fine, nothing to fan over. The real disappointment was the chicken suya. I received about 4 pieces of extremely stale chicken. Either the chicken has been severely over cooked or it was days old. Extremely disappointed that they would even serve something of the sort. I'm sure many folks go to try the stews, which have mixed reviews from people who know what they should taste like vs people who are trying them for the first time. After this experience I will not be trying anything else. The restaurant itself is nicely put together and the service is what you would expect. read more

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Everything was really good! We didn't get his name, but the Tall latino waiter was great! He recommended Jallof Rice with Goat Meat and it was amazing. He was super friendly and helpful! He knew the menu top to button and it was a great experience overall all. We also got Egusi Soup with Goat Meat! I like the fact that the Egusi Soup comes with the Fufu included and any chose of meat. Over all it was an amazing experience! They have African music playing in the background! We will definitely be back! read more

Absolutely loved the egusi and fufu. The soup was savory, and full of flavor, and the beef is very tender, and fufu had the perfect texture. I'd definitely order this again. read more

Golden Safari - Egusi Soup Pounded Yam Fufu - African Near Me - Hayward, California

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I ordered the tomato stew with beef on uber eats. It was $24 and they gave me 3 pieces of meat. Diabolical. Tasty but what kind of amount is this??? read more

Golden Safari - Beef TOMATO STEW - African Near Me - Hayward, California

Love their egusi jollof rice, and tomato stew!!! The tiger nut is also delicious. Service is really quick. You get your food pretty fast. It's very spacious and quiet. read more

I entered the empty restaurant around 4pm. The worker at the front was extremely cold and gave no greeting. The entire service was awkward and I felt like I was an intruder. Another customer came in saying they love the restaurant yet the worker didn't really respond. Such a weird exchange. I've wanted to try fufu and West African food for a quite a long time. I wasn't quite sure what to order but I felt I couldn't go wrong with the "House Specialties" section. I ordered the 'Ogbono & Okra Soup' with fish. The employee asked if I was ok with slimy okra and I was. You can prepare okra to not be slimy yet I'm completely comfortable eating slimy okra. I also ordered a hibiscus drink. The drink was very sweet yet it provided some refuge from the soup. The soup included three small pieces of bone-in fish. The fish was extremely fishy. Not having a lot of fish was probably a blessing. The soup itself did have slimy okra but it wasn't bothersome. The soup flavors didn't come together and it was surprisingly flat. The dish was probably some of the worst food I've had in the past few years. The fufu was interesting. I wasn't expecting a sour flavor to it. After getting used to it I kinda liked it but it really depends on pairing it with something much more flavorful. I feel like this isn't a great representation of West African food. Hopefully I can find another restaurant. read more

Love this spot. Owner is super friendly and helpful. As soon as you walk in, you can smell the wonderful aromas. We usually get a jollof rice plate, a few side orders of meat and one of the soups. I've never had a bad experience dining here. The food comes out fresh and is worth the wait. read more

Golden Safari - New decor - African Near Me - Hayward, California

The restaurant was beautifully decorated, the food was amazing I highly enjoyed the fufu with the tomato stew with spinach, the meat patties are delicious, the service was excellent the staff are friendly and very kind and helpful in helping ordering and recommending items if it's your first time trying fufu and African food. I really liked the paintings they had on the walls and the music made it a great vibe there. I will be back to try more items. read more

Golden Safari - Meat Pie Efo - Riro Eba Fufu - African Near Me - Hayward, California

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1/28/2025 Coming in was wholesome small family owned business vibes with authentic made from almost like home-y food from aunty. The service was amazing, the lady (seemingly maybe owner or family) was so sweet and welcoming as we enter and asked us if dine in or take out and as well chose dine in she had us sit and came to the table to help take the order and was ready to give us recommendations as we sat quietly finishing our picks for linner. Puff puff- warm (but not hot) very chewy fried dough ball; almost has a sort of plantain flavor with cinnamon and not too sweet- as an Asian American and someone who loves chewy doughy desserts/foods was a hit with me, and my bf also loved. 4.5/5 Meat pie: a lot of filling/meat! curry flavored meat and potatoe filled pie- crust was flaky, the flavor subtle but good 3.5/5 Hibiscus juice- very sweet almost prune like taste -almost like a tame cranberry juice no really tart ending just enough and a subtle sour note 4/5 Chicken suya- grilled chicken- came fresh and hot. We appreciated the fact the chicken wasn't like the large horse fed chickens from manufactory large scales and was more the size of a local farmed chicken. Dry rubbed and texture of almost jerk chicken as it was described charred. Had a warm spice mix- same spices I can only compare to through limited palate experience of ramen seasoning. Wasn't actually spicy for us, definitely subtle. 4/5 Egusi soup (mild with goat meat) and fufu Fufu- finally I got to try what I've been seeing all over TikTok and have been craving since two years ago- it's like this doughy version of mashed potatoes, and I like it. People say u must eat it and swallow it and I actually found it easier to swallow than from what I've heard about others wanting to chew it. The egusi soup is a very warm and inviting soup, tomato-based with spinach like curry reminding me of this tomato pea soup my grandma would make- we ordered the goat meat bc it was the recommended meat for egusi I've seen on tiktok. I feel like it didn't have much of a gamey taste (I usually dont pick goat meat bc of that, but it was prepared and cooked well! Perfectly balanced with the spices and tamed, goat was the way to go but do note was piping hot compared to the rest of the soup when dipping fufu in it! 4/5 Jollof rice- the star for us! This curry like spice tomato infused rice, where the rice is cooked in this spice herb jambalaya mix. It had the right amount of spice kick in every bite. This was the spiciest of all the dishes we had and comparing to all the things we've had is tolerable (for those wary of spice, less spicy that hot Cheetos) I keep reaching for this and getting more and more scoops) 4.7/5 Ginger drink: my bf liked ginger and when seeing this ordered this to go when we left and was really good (for those who like ginger, it's a must)- sweet ginger juice somewhat reminiscent of ginger beer without the carbonation (and a bit sweeter) nice and refreshing with a subtle kick to it, I can also compare it to like a ginger chew but in a drink! 5/5 read more

Golden Safari - Jollof rice, Egusi Soup, Pounded Yam Fufu - African Near Me - Hayward, California

Golden Safari is West African fare. There's a large parking lot in back. No need to look for a space in front. Walls are decorized with African artifacts, pics. Offerings: house special, African soups, appetizers, salads, starters, rice plate, drinks, sides, Promptly seated upon entry. After consulting with server, placed my order. Food came out when it was fully cooked/assembled. Drums & soft vocals music in background. Eats: Egusi Soup (18.99) +goat meat (3) -soup is a blend of blended melon seeds, palm oil, various kinds of chilis. Taste edge of pungent. Hotness localized in mouth, not transmitted to stomach... Fufu is a type of "bread" made with cassava root & plantains. Steamed, dense. Pairs well with Egusi. -goat meat tender, not much flavor. Meat pie (5) looks like an empanada. -meat dry, subtly savory. Moistness comes from potato, onions. Drink: Ginger Beer (L.5.99) -large sugar content neutralized by sharp gingerness. February is Black Heritage Month... read more

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Cute dinning environment, friendly service. Ordered Efo-Riro, with fish and spicy flavor. Like the flavor and spiciness. Fish is fried before mixed in soup and not fishy. Fufu is also tasty! Will definitely recommended to friends. Note, they accept Apple Pay but can't tip through the portal. So if you want to appreciate your server, good to bring some cash. read more