Umana Yana - Washington Ave, Albany, NY If you're looking to…read morestep outside of the ordinary and experience bold flavors in a welcoming atmosphere, Umana Yana is a must-visit. This was my second time here--my first visit was dining in with friends, and this time I ordered takeout. Both experiences were consistently impressive. Known for its Ethiopian dishes and outstanding vegan cuisine, Umana Yana brings African culture to life through its vibrant décor, flavorful food, and thoughtfully crafted drinks. Every detail reflects passion and authenticity. It's no surprise that actress Tabitha Brown made a stop in Albany to experience the restaurant's highly praised vegan offerings. That's a testament to the reputation they've built. For my meal, I ordered the jerk lamb lollipops, jollof rice, and slaw. The lamb was tender, juicy, and packed with just the right amount of jerk seasoning. The jollof rice was rich, well-seasoned, and full of flavor, while the slaw added a fresh, crisp balance to the meal. On my previous visit, I tried the wings and waffles, and they were equally delicious. Two visits, two different meals, and not a single disappointment. Whether you're a longtime fan of African cuisine or looking to try something new, Umana Yana offers an experience that's just as memorable as the food itself. If you don't know, now you know. Add Umana Yana to your list--you won't regret it!

Service: 1 Just…read morebought some property in Albany, NY with my man, all the way from Los Angeles, CA!! It was a cloudy day, we wanted some decent Caribbean food & found Umana. Black businesses in LA respect their people and take their businesses very seriously, so I assumed this place would do the same. Unfortunately, we were treated like pests over a small misunderstanding. The waitress-Mercy, misheard me on our drink preferences & began giving us the good ol " Caribbean" cold shoulder . Why so sensitive? The sorrel sangria had way too much cinnamon. Also, I wanted pikliz with my meal, but she did not return after the drink mishap. We quickly learned, this is not a BLACK BUSINESS, this is an AFRICAN BUSINESS & they will quickly show you the difference. Food & Drink: 3 Goat roti gave a a little stomach ache, but it was decent. Oxtain was not tender, not good. The plate was mostly bones & gravy & rice. Plantains & jollof were good. The drinks were delicious though, but they were not strong at all. Price: 2 Spent 100$ so basically 25$ for each item, including the drinks. Overpriced and very small portions. The sides are literal pints, like the babyfood jar size. I was like ??? We usually pay this much at high scale Haitian restaurants in Manhattan, and completely understand the price because we are experiencing amazing customer service, food, ambience &scenery. Better to order takeout, but i heard it very difficult to do that here. Idk lol weird. Black/Indigenous Americans, do not bring your money here. You are not completely welcome here.

Thank goodness for Teff. Traveling with food sensitivities as a foodie doesn't always go hand in…read morehand, but Teff proved they absolutely can. If you're in Stamford, do yourself a favor and stop by Teff for authentic Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. Everything is fresh, naturally gluten free, and there are plenty of delicious vegan options. Dining there felt less like eating at a restaurant and more like being welcomed to the family table. And whatever you do, don't skip the Sambusas!

Teff has been quietly quietly running one of the more interesting dinners in Stamford, and after a…read morerecent visit I am fully on board with the hype, minus one star reserved for reasons I'll get to. We started with two cocktails, both a gorgeous shade of ruby that looked like they'd been bottled specifically for an Instagram grid. Neither of us caught the names off the menu (rookie move, I know), but both were well balanced, easy to drink, and dangerous in the sense that you don't realize how much you've had until the glass is empty. Whatever was in them, more please. For the main event we went with the meat platter for two, and it did not disappoint. Siga aletcha and doro aletcha anchored the plate with tender, well spiced meat and chicken that had clearly been given time and attention. The shiro was rich and almost velvety, the kind of dish you want to just keep scooping with injera until someone politely takes the plate away. Dinich wat brought a comforting, stewed potato warmth, and the keysir (beets) added a sharp, bright counterpoint that cut through all that richness at exactly the right moments. The injera itself did its job admirably, spongy, slightly tangy, and perfect for tearing and scooping without complaint. Service was attentive without hovering, the kind of pacing that lets a meal breathe. The room has a warm, unfussy energy, the sort of place where you settle in and stop checking your phone, which for me is always the real test of ambience. We closed with the Ethiopian coffee ice cream, and it was a genuinely excellent way to end things, bold coffee flavor without veering into bitter, and just the right texture to feel like a proper dessert instead of an afterthought. Four stars, easily. It's a meal that rewards going in hungry and leaving full in every sense of the word.

This restaurant is amazing. I highly recommend for everyone to try their food. The atmosphere and…read morewait staff add to the experience

We highly enjoyed this!! The server helped with great recommendations. We got a huge variety to be…read moreable to try things out. Favorite things were the spicy plantains and beef pie. The appetizer sample was good to try out. The vibe is rlly nice we came for lunch so it was super chill time. Next time will try the beef stew w fufu and chicken w jolaf rice

Absolutely love that there's an African restaurant in Troy. The Jerky plate offers good quality of…read morefood for the price it's listed for. The jollof was good! The egusi was a bit watery and the pounded yam was loose in texture. Otherwise, the food was great and I look forward to trying more items on the menu.

Two friends and I had lunch this past Thursday at The Seasoning House. My friends are Nigerian and…read moreit was great to dine at a genuine West African restaurant. The Seasoning House is decorated beautifully. It has a warm welcoming vibe and authentic art on its walls. One friend dined on the vegetable soup served with a yam, one friend dined on the okra soup that was served with a yam and I decided to have the grilled lamb with jolloh rice. Our meals were absolutely delicious! Each dish was exactly as the menu described: a hearty portion, well seasoned and perfectly prepared. I believe the person who served us was the owner and prepared our food. She was attentive, gracious and friendly. We truly enjoyed having lunch at The Seasoning House.

I've only had West African cuisine a handful of times in my life, but Keobi stands out as one of…read morethe best ones. We ordered the asaro and egusi with plantain fufu. Everything was terrific and strongly flavored. The asaro, a yam stew with shrimp and greens (though I located very shrimp if at all) had an intense, somewhat smoky savory flavor. It was also quite starchy and did not require any rice or fufu accompaniment. The egusi stew with chicken was also incredibly flavorful; I preferred this slightly more over the asaro. Paired with the soft steamed and lightly sweet but more neutral-tasting plantain fufu, the egusi was really tasty. As others have noted, the food did take a while to prepare. It appeared that there was only one woman working both the front of house and the kitchen. There were no high chairs. The restaurant was clean and nicely decorated for the holidays. Our kids were entertained by the Afro beats playing on the TV. Overall we had a very delicious and comfortable experience at Keobi.

Very quaint restaurant. They had a friendly staff. I believe the owner is also the chef and he was…read morevery accommodating to my order. I ordered egusi with fufu and a plate of jollof rice and goat meat. And I say don't walk... run there and get your order. You will not regret it. Even my children who have basic taste buds and are quite picky ate the entire plate of jollof rice and goat meat. I will be back to try more dishes.

I give it somewhere between a 4 & 5, I would absolutely return again to try something else. I had…read morethe banku and fried fish, the fish was well seasoned and delicious! I ordered it to go online their website, when I arrived, the lady at the counter was friendly and welcoming. There's maybe about 8 tables inside. Cute ambiance and very clean, I wouldn't mind dining here. Definitely come by and support local!

I've never been to this establishment but I've ordered for delivery twice. The first time I had the…read moreegusi and fufu with chicken and it was very good. It was a decent serving given the amount it costs. The second time I ordered okra with chicken and I can say that I wasn't excited about it. It smelt and tasted like fish .. the okra was barely present, no way to eat it without a spoon otherwise I couldn't scoop it. Mostly greasy and was seemed like a small amount of ground up okra. The chicken couldn't have been fresh especially given that it was cooler than the okra soup. I don't see myself getting that again if I ever decide to eat from place again but right now its a no for me. The amount of money for the okra didn't make sense for the amount that was served and the lack of quality.

I recently stumbled upon Sidibe 2 African restaurant when a restaurant I was hoping to visit in the…read moresame plaza was closed. I was intrigued because African cuisine is one of my weaker spots food knowledge-wise. I understand that Sidibe specializes in West African cuisine, and especially the cuisine of Ghana. As I've never had Ghanaian cuisine, I'm not in a position to judge authenticity or to compare quality to other similar spots. Since the restaurant name has 2 in the name, I assume there is another CT Sidibe 1 restaurant. There is a Sidibe restaurant in East Hartford and I'm guessing there may be a relation. The New Haven location is in a nice plaza and there is inside seating. It's not fancy, but there are nice colors and accent pieces. I saw a number of people get takeout or pick up delivery orders while I was there. I ordered Goat and Jollof rice, and it came with a hard boiled egg and salad over the top. The rice, which I understand is typically made with tomatoes and/or tomato paste, chiles and seasoning had a well rounded flavor and was delicious. The rice texture was good. I loved the sauce with the goat. I don't know exactly what it was, but it also seemed like a tomato and/or chile-based red sauce. Tremendous flavor. I assume it was a simmering sauce for the goat and contained some of that good umami. I've had goat a few times before. Goat doesn't have a reputation for being the most tender meat, but I understand that it can get somewhat tender if it is prepared properly. Sidibe 2's goat was certainly tender enough to chew, but it was on the tougher side than say well prepared lamb or pot roast. I would order it again because of the sauce and rice, but I'm assuming the goat could get more tender. 4.25 Stars. Well worth trying if you're in the area. It's near the Route 15 tunnel area exit in New Haven

My rating is higher than an 4 but lower than a 5, I'll have to go back and try another dish but the…read moreFufu & Egusi was so delicious and flavorful. It was my first time eating fufu and boy is it filling! I also had a Sobolo drink and was so spicy, spicy but still yummy to drink and i just know it did some good health wise.

The food was phenomenal. The staff were absolutely amazing, they checked up on us constantly and…read morethe food came out relatively quick. The restaurant was nice and cozy with TVs for entertainment. I would definitely recommend if you're looking for good, high quality African cuisine.

Okay so as a West African that eats Nigerian and French West African food all the time, I'm always…read morevery skeptical to try West African restaurants because I worry the flavors will be Americanized. I heard so many amazing things about Heritage Spice so I absolutely had to check it out! Also I friend of mine recently catered from Heritage Spice and the food was delicious (I loved the jolllof. It had the perfect smoky party Jollof flavor). I'll start off by saying the menu items are pricey and the prices nearly turned me away...but the food was INCREDIBLE! I seldomly come across a Nigerian restaurant that fully hits the mark on flavors and keeps everything true to the culture. I tried the egusi soup with goat meat and fufu. The stew had a generous amount of goat meat and the egusi tasted very fresh. There was a good level of heat without it being overly spicy. The spices in the stew reminded me of my grandmas home cooking. Lastly, the fufu itself was soft and tasted very fresh as well. The egusi stew truly hit the spot and was the highlight of my work week. Overall 8.5/10 for the egusi and fufu (8/10 for the jollof I tried at a catered event and 10/10 for the puff puff I tried at a catered event). I also ordered the food on Grubhub so that most likely inflated the prices. I'm excited to try out other items on their menu! When I went to the restaurant I was hoping to also get the puff puff because I tried their puff puff at a catered event but I was told they only sell puff puff on Sundays or do pre orders for specialty items like puff puff or meat pie.

If you're in Putnam Valley, you have to check out this gem! Evelyn, the owner, is absolutely lovely…read moreshe took the time to explain the different spices from Ghana and share her knowledge of West African cooking. The market is stocked with a wide variety of West African products, but also has everyday basics like eggs, milk, bread, and the freshest veggies. What makes this place even more special is that Evelyn also makes delicious dishes and offers party rentals (tents, tables, and chairs)--a true one-stop shop. It's also worth mentioning: this is the first African market in Putnam Valley and honestly, it's the cleanest market I've ever been to. You can tell how much care and pride goes into the space. Highly recommend stopping by you'll leave with amazing products and a smile!

I saw this restaurant on YouTube. I thought I had to travel all the way to the Bronx for good…read moreGhanaian food. I'm glad to see that I only had to come to Bridgeport. There are different rice dishes available as well as accompanying stews. I don't eat meat and I don't like fish, so the woman behind the counter, I assume is Betty, was able to accommodate me by combining two rice offerings (Jollof and Waakye) with a red sauce and a spicy condiment. A very nice and clean establishment. She was very gracious. I'll be back.

Excellent customer service, and as a Nigerian, Jollof Rice is delicious definitely coming back and…read moreI'm coming from California so this A-1 since Day-1 haha