AKADI PDX
West African restaurant · Hosford-Abernathy ·
West African dishes like fufu, jollof rice, and suya wings
West African dishes like fufu, jollof rice, and suya wings
"I’d run, not walk, to Fatou Ouattara’s Akadi for her fried chicken wings—served with three sauces—where the suya-dry-rubbed wings get the press but the garlicky lemon-parsley-cilantro version may be even better (you’ll be wishing for wet wipes). Other standout items include lentil samosas, a versatile peanut stew (with chicken, fish, mushrooms, or tempeh), and jollof with your choice of brochettes served with fried plantains and a Northwest kale slaw. Nearly half the menu is inventive vegan fare, and Ouattara keeps things fresh by making regular research trips to the Ivory Coast and other African countries to evolve the menu." - Hannah Wallace
"Chef Fatou Ouattara has become the city’s unofficial West African culinary ambassador, hosting cooking classes and selling sauces out of her Southeast Division restaurant. In a dining room lined with art, occasionally hosting spoken word poets, live music, and DJs, diners tear apart suya-rubbed wings and snack on fried sweet plantains, slathering them with Ouattara’s signature garlicky, gingery, tomatoey dipping sauce. Any meal should involve one of the restaurant’s stews. Menus change, so one day, that might be Senegalese, peanut butter-rich mafe yapp, while other visits may involve fall-apart tender goat. Sides of supremely flavorful jollof rice and springy fufu are both musts." - Katherine Chew Hamilton
"Under a canopy of hanging plants and surrounded by art, diners at this eclectic African restaurant rip off bites of springy fufu to dunk in intricately spiced and savory oxtail stew, sipping soursop banana lemonade between bites. Meals here should start with grilled suya tofu skewers, coated in a powdery peanut spice blend, followed by the restaurant’s jollof meal, highlighting umami-rich jollof rice as well as custardy sweet plantains. Another stunner: the restaurant’s alloco poisson, crispy fried fish with caramelized plantains and jalapeño relish. Wrap the meal up with puff puffs, Nigerian mini-doughnuts, for dessert." - Zoe Baillargeon
"Blandness is banished the second you enter Akadi (2.0), the Ladd’s Addition West African restaurant that’s been winning accolades since reopening in 2022. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve had the punchy sauces and nutty spice blends cooked up by chef and owner Fatou Ouattara—you’ll leave each meal eager to plan your next visit, especially so you can get your hands on their incredible fufu, jollof, and suya. It’s always good energy and smiles all around inside the industrial space with high ceilings bolstered by wooden beams and plenty of hanging greens. That’s why Akadi is great to have in your back pocket when showing visitors there’s more to Portland than microbrews (try a Star Beer instead) and stunt food designed to satisfy late-night munchies." - krista garcia
"Blandness is banished the second you enter Akadi (2.0), the Ladd’s Addition West African restaurant that’s been winning accolades since reopening in 2022. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve had the punchy sauces and nutty spice blends cooked up by chef and owner Fatou Ouattara—you’ll leave each meal eager to plan your next visit, especially so you can get your hands on their incredible fufu, jollof, and suya. It’s always good energy and smiles all around inside the industrial space with high ceilings bolstered by wooden beams and plenty of hanging greenery. That’s why Akadi is great to have in your back pocket when showing visitors there’s more to Portland than microbrews (try a Star Beer instead) and stunt food designed to satisfy late-night munchies. Food Rundown Suya Wings Bound to make best-of lists, these crispy twice-fried wings use suya, a Nigerian blend of ginger, dried habaneros, and crushed peanuts as both a wet rub and crust. If that’s not enough, dip your wings into the curry-spiked dijon and Akadi’s smoky tomato-garlic-ginger sauce that’s sold by the bottle. photo credit: Pualani kalalau (@_nanik) Attieke Poisson Attieke, a fluffy couscous made from grated, fermented cassava is a wonderfully tangy accompaniment for the whole-fried fish of the day (it could be yellow croaker). Get a forkful of tender flesh and crispy skin, topped with a heap of chunky tomato-onion relish, enlivened with vinegar and jalapeño. Oxtail Stew You won’t want to waste a drop of this piquant tomato-based braise that renders the meaty oxtails tender enough to nearly fall off the bone. That’s where fufu, a silky blob of steamed cassava, comes in. Tear off a piece, roll it into a little ball and soak up the glorious sauce in a move that might garner an approving nod from a friendly server." - Krista Garcia
