Sandy S.
Yelp
Location: This restaurant is nestled into the little shopping strip next to "Texas Thrift" in Irving. Their sign does not light up, so it may be hard to see in the evening. They had their "Open" neon sign off, and it was hard to see if they were open through the windows from the parking lot due to all their signage posted along their windows. Don't let this hinder you from giving them a try! Try the door anyway!
Atmosphere: Ad soon as we walked in, we were greeted by very loud music. If you do not enjoy loud music, this could be overwhelming for you, but I enjoyed the fun atmosphere it created for me! The music was very upbeat, had a great bass to it, and was rich with Congolese influence. I think it added to my dining experience tremendously (in a very good way!)
Service: We came on a Friday night at 6pm, in a party of 6 (4 adults, 2 babies). There was 1 waitress and 1 cook. The waitress ran the register, sat guests, took orders, ran food, helped cook food in the kitchen, and cleaned tables!! She is a SUPERSTAR! We learned later that the restaurant is owned by her grandmother. Her family should be very proud of her, for she did a fabulous job with a GREAT attitude, and was so kind and sweet to everybody.
Food quality: This was my first time experiencing African food, and let me just say that I couldn't have had a better first experience! I wanted to try Fufu so badly, and it did not have any flavor when I ate it by itself but once used as a vessel to dip into my cassava leaves dish, it yielded a very fatty yam-like flavor that elevated the rest of my food nicely. Their Jollof rice was good, but I feel like it was not the star of the show. Their greens served with their tilapia tasted delicious! Their grilled tilapia and their salt fish dishes were difficult for me to eat, but enjoyable flavors. Their chicken is an absolute slam dunk! A MUST-TRY!! Their chicken and their cassava leaves dish with ugali fufu were my favorite. If you don't know what to order, try those!!
Price: With the rising cost of meat, I understood why their prices were so high. The quality of their dishes as well as the phenomenal portions were SO worth it!!! Service was also 5-stars, so with tip and the fried tilapia, Jollof rice, greens, smoked chicken, cassava leaves, ugali fufu, salt fish, and a sofa, it brought me up to about $88. I ordered a lot of food and I feel like although it was more expensive than I would typically spend on dinner, I was happy to pay that amount with all things considered.
If you have not had African food, Congolese food, I urge you to come give this place a try. Hands down one of my favorite new foods I've tried. I can't wait to come back and order something different next time!