Africa Kine
West African restaurant · Central Harlem ·
West African comfort food, huge portions, standout dishes like mafe and yassa
West African comfort food, huge portions, standout dishes like mafe and yassa
"Africa Kine has relocated a few times, always within Harlem, since it opened in 1994. Currently, the Senegalese restaurant is on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, in a two-part space, with takeout on one side, and a little dining room on the other. Order a plate of thieboudienne, and you’ll get a majestic heap of broken rice decorated with carrot, cabbage, greens, and meaty stewed fish. It’s enough for two people." - bryan kim
"The dishes available at this Senegalese spot in Harlem vary from lunch to dinner, and from one day of the week to the next. But no matter what meats you go with, you can leave the knives in the kitchen. Lamb falls off the bone as you lift it from the pool of slightly spicy mafe sauce, and when you poke the peppery, smoky chicken yassa - our favorite dish here - with a spoon, the meat shreds into the mix of onions, olives, and citrusy sauce. No matter what entree you choose, make sure to start with the nems - crispy egg rolls filled with shredded meat and vegetables." - hannah albertine, nikko duren, matt tervooren
"Africa Kine serves most of its meat dishes without a knife, and for good reason. Lamb falls off the bone as you lift it from the pool of slightly spicy mafe sauce, and when you poke the peppery, smoky chicken yassa - our favorite dish here - with a spoon, the meat shreds into the mix of onions, olives, and citrusy sauce. There’s no seating in the small dining room at the moment, so place an order at the takeout window in the hallway, and bring it a short walk away to a bench in St. Nicholas park." - matt tervooren
"Owned by Kine Mar and her husband, Samba Niang, Africa Kine was founded in 1996 on the strip of West 116th Street known as Le Petit Senegal. (The restaurant has since moved north and has less of a nightclub feel.) It’s one of the few places in town you can get the African Vietnamese spring rolls called nems and other starters. Sided with a mountain of rice, the serving of mafe (lamb or chicken in peanut sauce) is voluminous and laced with bright red palm oil." - Robert Sietsema
"Africa Kine, open since 1994, serves most of its meat dishes without a knife, and for good reason. Lamb falls off the bone as you lift it from the pool of slightly spicy mafe sauce, and when you poke the peppery, smoky chicken yassa—our favorite dish here—with a spoon, the meat shreds into the mix of onions, olives, and citrusy sauce. Grab a table in the little dining room, or pick up a to-go order at the takeout counter to the side. photo credit: Adam Friedlander" - Matt Tervooren
