I recently dined at Yendidi and I feel spiritually, emotionally, and culinarily changed…read more First of all, the atmosphere? Immaculate. It's the kind of place where you walk in thinking, "Oh nice," and walk out Googling how to recreate the lighting in your own living room. Cozy without being cramped. Trendy without making me feel like my shoes were judged. The food? Listen. I would like to publicly apologize to my taste buds for ever doubting them. Every bite tasted like the chef stood over the plate whispering, "You deserve this." Bold flavors, perfectly cooked, plated like it was about to audition for a food magazine. Now why four stars instead of five? Because I have trust issues. And also because the food came out so good I now have unrealistic expectations for every other meal I will ever eat. That feels like a burden I wasn't prepared to carry. Service was friendly, attentive, and didn't once make me feel bad for asking, "What's that?" three separate times. Water refills were prompt. Smiles were genuine. No one hovered. No one disappeared into the void. Would I go back? Absolutely. Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I pretend I discovered it before it was cool? Also yes. Four stars. Only because if I give five, they might get too powerful.

Went here on a Saturday night because I was craving something filling and flavorful; the place…read morething that came to mind was Yendidi. I tried them before a long time ago and haven't had them recently, so I was really anticipating having them again. The ordering process was quick and easy, we used their computer screens to put our orders in. Not too bad of a wait for our food. The staff were very communicative on our food status while we were waiting, which I appreciated. My order included an Afro pie (7.5/10), I absolutely loved the sauce it came with, but I do feel like the meat inside and pie itself was dry. Sautéed green beans (10/10). Chicken Egusi soup w/ pounded yam (9/10), the flavors were amazing! I loved how savory it was; however, I do believe they switched the spice level of my soup with my sisters because I asked for none-little spice, yet my soup tasted like it was their highest spice level !! I had to keep taking breaks while eating because while it did taste really good, it was also so so spicy! I really did enjoy my meal, despite receiving the wrong spice level in my Egusi soup. I will def return again soon. My overall rate of experience : 8.6/10

If you're looking for the most authentic West African cuisine in the 757, look no further than ES…read moreAfrican Kitchen! We tried the jollof rice with chicken, egusi stew with fufu, and the meat pies--everything was absolutely amazing. The flavors were rich, the food was clearly made with love and attention to detail, and the portions were generous. The customer service was excellent, making us feel truly welcomed. We loved it so much that we came back the very next day for more! This is hands down the best West African food we've had in the area. Highly recommend!

This restaurant shows open but it's not even there when you go to it. Abandoned restaurant. Need to…read moreshow online temporary closed!

My belly and heart are so full after going here for lunch. I got the fish (tilapia) lunch special…read morewhich was a WHOLE FISH grilled to juicy perfection and a mild yet flavorful sauce. The side of rice was plentiful and onion sides were a nice touch too. We were greeted with smiles and genuine friendliness, felt like family greeting you. Finally, the place was clean, tidy, and decorated with west African adornments, which I loved. Oh, and service was even quick, maybe only a 10-15 min wait for our three large meals

Wow. Simply fantastic. I knew this place was promising when I pulled up and saw that it was at a…read moregas station. Thue Curry with chicken, fish fatayas, and a side of joloff rice. First, the curry was piping hot. This really made a huge difference because it just made the flavors pop. The chicken was fall off the bone, and the powerful curry and onion flavors really did my soul some good. I could have done with white rice, but I wanted to try the joloff. The curry pairing with joloff rice turned out to be just fine. The fatayas were FRESH. Piping hot, crackling crispy, and flavorfully deep on the inside. The ginger and lemon juice was a perfect drink to combat all the spices and heat. Excellent meal!

Yendidi has been on my Yelp radar for years, but never found time to try them out. Their flagship…read morelocation is in Norfolk where they even have a grocery market. A few years ago, they opened this location which has a bar and dine-in service. Sophia and I joined a friend of ours for lunch on Saturday. Let's see how the event turned out. I happened to place a reservation for our table the previous night, but since there weren't many people present, it wasn't necessary. The staff greeted us when we walked inside and got seated immediately. The decor inside was really nice. There's artwork abound, a bar and even a foosball table. Simply put, you should not be bored at a place like this. After looking at the menu, we were all ready to order. I selected their cabbage stew with chicken as the protein with plain jasmine rice and sweet plantains. Overall, the food was good. The stew was presented with medium spice so it definitely had my lips burning (a great thing) and the rice was well cooked. The plantains had flavor, but I felt it was overcooked. It has been a minute since I've eaten plantains but they were always a bit soft. The stew did have plenty of chicken but it could've been cut to slightly smaller pieces. Still, the meal had yours truly full and I did takeout. So did Sophia and our friend. All in all, I had a really nice time. The hospitality was really nice (the owner actually came to our table to check on us) and the food was plentiful. Oh yeah, we even had a robot bring our food to us. How cool is that??!! Anyways, till next time :)

Services very slow I ordered my food an hour and half online just for some soup still waiting…read moreridiculous. What's worse the restaurants isn't busy crazy

Before I was a vegan I loved this place but No vegan soups that's why I gave 4 stars. Okra soup is…read moremy favorite. Just as delicious without the meat broth.

It was first experience (location and cuisine) . The place is small and intimate enough for table…read moreof 2 . The rice was very tasty . I'm a lil bummed i only got 3 plantain but the goat was good ! Nice lil kick to it ! I did have a bit of a wait between 15-20 . Overall this place was cool .

We've been going to Piri Piri for years now, ever since my mom moved in nearby. The staff are so…read morekind and always smiling. Whenever we dine in, they always make us feel welcome. We honestly have no idea what everything else on the menu is like, because we always get the half chicken with beans, rice and pico, and the delicious jalapeño corn muffins. The chicken is always super tender; the sauce they cover it with is so delicious; the skin is always the perfect amount of cooked and packed with flavor. They have a very spicy sauce that my partner loves, and I always get the orange sauce. There are others! The drink selection is quite good, with a ton of variety. They even had the seriously-rare grapefruit Jarritos the last time I was there. It's my favorite, but for some reason nobody ever has it! Thank you all for such good food and your kindness over the years!

So, I'm not going to change my rating, but I will say I'm thoroughly disappointed in what recently…read morehappened. So I'm assuming this place is under new management or at least decided to care about Yelp reviews, given that they have been verified for only a week. I was contacted by the management to take my photos down of the horchata that was allowed to sit long enough for the mix to settle, with an absorbent amount settled at the bottom, stating that "natives are aware of this," so I should basically not be accepting of this possibility. As if I don't understand and assumed because I'm not a "native" that I never made horchata. Let it be understood: I have visited many Mexican, Tex-Mex restaurants, let alone the fact that I love this sweet treat that I made myself, so I'm WELL aware of the possibilities of the mix settling. First off, it should have been some notification that the drink had been sitting for so long that it would need to be churned again... or... maybe you could have just made me a fresh drink rather than provide one that sat long enough that at least a half inch in height of horchata mix settled at the bottom of my beverage that I couldnt even drink through the straw. No one should ever contact someone who made a review over four years ago. Asking for them to delete photos based on their understanding of how a beverage should be presented or served (given that I'm not a native). I feel that was very unprofessional. Especially since they just verified this page enough to care about any of the bad reviews posted in the past, many of them have been removed since they're at five stars now, since they've been verified in the past week. Might I add that? They contacted me the same day that they verified their page. I have the screenshot to prove it. But I won't add it because I don't want them to try to take that down either.

We ate breakfast here having stayed on property at the Williamsburg Lodge. We were told breakfast…read moreis first come first serve and we arrived right at 7am when they opened and were seated promptly. They offered entrees but also a breakfast buffet. We opted to do the buffet, which was great and fresh since we arrived right at opening. The buffet had a lot of variety and everything tasted very flavorful.

While staying at the Williamsburg Lodge I was offered free breakfast here each day... I only came…read moreone of the two mornings I stayed here to try their breakfast. The hostess was kind of challenged in being able to keep up with just the few parties waiting to enter... service from her was very slow and aloof. Once seated, service was great. The selection of what they give in the in the "continental breakfast" was great, as it was a typical full buffet, just not their specialties and honestly, that was all I needed. The eggs were decent. The English muffins were hard and stale, clearly left out from the day before - yuck. The bacon was great. The venue was nicely decorated in the typical Williamsburg period décor, which is appealing considering it's the norm for the area. Overall - I'd definitely not come here for a meal I had to pay for, but for a complimentary meal, it'll do.

My husband surprised me by ordering dinner from Jam Café because I've always wanted to try this…read morecuisine, but every time I've called before, they were closed. I was so excited to finally try it. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely disappointing. When my husband got home with the food, we realized one of the dinners was missing. When he called the restaurant, they went back and forth with him, insisting he had the item and confusing it with a veggie tray. It was very frustrating and unprofessional. I drove all the way back from my home in Chesapeake to resolve the issue. While there, I also returned the glory greens because they were clearly not fresh or properly prepared. I asked to swap them for cabbage, but the cabbage wasn't fully cooked. After waiting an additional 10 minutes, they asked if I would prefer a refund instead. I then had to wait another five minutes just to receive the refund. Throughout the entire interaction, the staff was rude and showed no empathy for the inconvenience -- especially considering I had to drive all the way back after my husband had already brought dinner home. Overall, this was a horrible experience, and sadly, the food was even worse. I truly wanted to love this place, but I will not be returning

This was very underwhelming the jerk chicken taste like it's been sitting too long and under…read moreseasoned. The oxtails were whatever.

This place is a gem. The food, and service are incredible. The staff are friendly, and welcoming,…read moreas is the overall atmosphere. Everyone there is in a good mood every time we go there. Probably because Ethiopian food is wonderful. Things to know if you have never eaten Ethiopian food: * A bread called injera is used to eat with. Silverware is available if you prefer. * It is a very vegan, and vegetarian friendly cuisine. * It is spice rich, flavorful food. Some people find it hot. You can order it less spicy on request.

5/2026 I came back and again, easy ordering over the phone. They no longer have Doro wat except…read morefor catering. They graciously made me something similar. I got the lentils and peas as side items. The injera was great. I felt the sides were a little under cooked, but the flavors were good. I had enough injera left over to make my own Doro wat.