Choukouya Resto-Bar

This place is a hidden gem. The exterior is so unassuming, but don’t let that fool you. The interior definitely has character, and the food is fantastic. We tried the cuisse poulet (grilled herbed chicken) and it was so aromatic, incredibly well seasoned, with crispy skin and tender meat. We also had the carre d’agneau (lamb chops), and they were wonderful as well. Well seasoned and cooked to perfection. And finally, we had the poisson braise (fried red snapper), and that one was also another hit. Prices are reasonable, considering how great the food tastes and how large the portions are. Definitely a must-visit.

The food is to die for!!! Exceptional!!! I’ve been coming here many times, tried everything, and all of the dishes exceed my expectations! I’m a marine chef so my expectation of quality healthy food is very high. Trust me when I say it’s delicious 😋 And the drinks 🍹 are full of flavor, easy on the ice and generous on alcohol. Definitely worth the $ and mind you the portions are double to what you are used to! The flan 🍮 and the cheesecake are an absolute must too! I had lamb and veggies for dinner, and lamb soup 🍜 and it was beyond what I’d hoped for! Yummy 😋 I felt so welcomed and comfortable, place is clean and the bar is always full of people. Tonight is a Sunday and there’s a dance !💃 🕺 Open to everyone, Afro beats and R&B. This just became my favorite place 😊

great vibes and service! i loved the fufu sampler (the collards were to die for) and ponme lyonnaise. the jollof rice was incredible. my friends tried a few other dishes which were all great as well (lamb stew, pepper stew, and 2 chicken dishes) the vegan pie was the only thing i disliked; it was a bit sour for my liking. if you want plantain fufu, you should call ahead as they need ample time to make it. we went on a friday night and the music was quite loud so we were yelling a bit to hear eachother but the dance floor was lively so we couldn’t be mad! food is a bit slow to arrive but worth the wait!

So we got egusi, mind you egusi is $15 without any meat or fufu, you have to purchase fufu separately $6 (fufu serving was so small)and meat separately ($10) which came to $31, egusi came out cold, like cold cold. We also got fried snapper which came with a side of rice (which was charged separately as well) and we paid for a side of plantain, the fish was good we enjoyed that, I would recommend that. I appreciated the handwashing station but wished they had napkins next to it.

First experience with this restaurant. Had to try the FUFU sampler. I highly recommend the Shrimp Platter, they were done to perfection, very flavorful. The watermelon celery sauce was the best with the FUFU, which was WHITE YAM POTATO but FUFU also comes in plantain,couscous; you roll into a ball and dip in the sauce. I definitely will return to try more from the menu.

It was empty except for our group, so no atmosphere on a Wednesday. The server's voice was very quiet, so hard to hear over our noisy group. I had the lamb stew, which was excellent, but could have been spicier; I like hot food. Definitely worth a return visit.

I came August 10,2025 with friends and family and I order Alfredo and beef peanut soup with a to go order of Alfredo. It took a HR for my food to arrive my family food came 20 minutes after mines so we was not able to eat together ask for manager and he told us he will take 2 dollars off my bill. This was by far the worst experience I had in a restaurant. Are waitresses Alica was wonderful. But I will never patronizing this establishment again and I'm a good critic. My bill was almost 90 dollars and you offer to take 2 dollars off the bill

This restaurant made me sick. As a vegan I got food poisoning & I talked to the owner about it. I told him that I found shells in my eggusi soup when the lady told me it was 100% vegan. The owner tried to tell me that I put the shells in there. And he tried to put the blame on me when it was his restaurant that made me sick and gave me food poisoning. I was sick for almost 2 days. He had no resolution at all. He had no empathy or anything. He just kept saying that they cook vegan food separately. That customer service is terrible. If a customer comes to you with an issue like I had, you should handle it and the customer with ample amount of care. I don’t recommend. And it’s honestly the principle of the fact. I will never be eating from here again. There is no professionalism here from this situation. They literally gave me food poisoning and basically told me to suck it up that it’s my fault. 0/10.

I came here last week for my 23rd birthday because I have been dying to try Fufu and Egusi, and it was PHENOMENAL. The food tasted like absolute heaven. I will definitely be coming back to try more things. Our waiter was SO sweet too. He was so kind and very helpful, he made us feel welcome there. The vibe inside was amazing too! Beautiful art all around, the seating was wheelchair accessible, wonderful music, just absolutely amazing. This was the best birthday experience I ever had. 20/10

There's something about this place and sharing the experience with Africans (Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe) that makes it magical! Hosting my adopted family member and his best friend was already a treat. However, we unanimously decided to share a meal and instinctively ended up here. Great flavor, friendly service, and a festive environment as a Steppin' event was occurring! Watching everyone dance and have fun made it even more enjoyable. Absolutely recommend trying this, especially if you're a fan of African cuisine!!!

I haven't been here in over 3 years .They have maintained quality and consistency over the years. Hands down they are the best place to get Egussi in all of North East Ohio. I happened to be in the area on a Saturday afternoon, the atmosphere was vibrant. The dj was playing for a steppers set. They do this every third Saturday. I was with my husband and we danced to a Couple songs and enjoyed our meal. We will be back with friends a great date night.

Great place to experience African food. Spacious enough to seat 150 to 200 people. You will enjoy great African music as well. Prices are moderate.

My experience at Choukouya was good for the most part. The food is really good and flavorful, we had the Snapper and Lamb chops. The menu needs to be updated though, as everything is a la carte The service was alright, very friendly but not super attentive. The ambiance is decent but there was no heat and on a -2 degree night heat is very much needed. It's too cold to not have the heat on.

I'm from west Africa so visiting this Nigerian restaurant brought back memories from home. I was very excited to visit. A friend treated me to dinner which was very nice. NIGERIAN FOOD (5/5) -- I ordered and shared the Egusi soup and Eba with a fellow Yelper, Angelo. My friend and fellow Yelper Gabby ordered lamp chops with jollof rice. We all also ordered meat pie to share. Everything tasted absolutely delicious. I really loved their Egusi soup with Eba. It was VERY authentic and it tasted the same as it would in Nigeria. It had the melon seeds and leafy vegetables in them. I recommend this meal to anyone. SERVICE -- Excellent. The waiter er had is a friendly man who is originally from a country in West Africa and he spoke French. The restaurant wasn't too busy when my friends and I arrived (we did arrive earlier for dinner though, around 4:30pm). They play African music and they have a small bar as you walk in. I only rate this restaurant a 4/5 rating because I hardly give 5/5 ratings until I've been to a particular establishment many times. Since I've only been here once and I have not tried a majority of the food options, a 4/5 rating is fair to me. Overall, I will be definitely be back here because they offer authentic Nigerian/West African food. **** - 74/150 total reviews in 2023 - 625 total overall Yelp reviews - Reviewed on 25 June 2023

Fun experience, amazing food, and great service. Flavors were so vibrant and delicious, the lamb was tender and fufu was amazing

I was looking for something new to try and came across this place. I do not eat meat so all my dishes were veg friendly. The man behind the bar was fantastic. He was kind and helpful. Our food came out fresh and very hot. The portion sizes are large. The prices are comparable to other restaurants. They offer a full bar menu as well. The veggie pie reminded me of an empanada. It was very good. Most of the dishes could be served vegan. They do offer a few specific vegan dishes to ease the vegan mind. The dishes all appeared to be a bit greasy, but that might be related to the style of cooking. Over all, they flavors were well balanced and tasted really good.

The food is amazing, if you can stay up long enough for it to come out of the kitchen!! This was my 4th time coming here. The first time, I had an issue with missing a considerable portion of my takeout order. That was red flag number one. We returned on a few more occasions and only got drinks. On this occasion, I arrived with a party of 4 at 10pm to this not so crowded venue. Put our drink order in and waited 1/2 hour for them to come out and to subsequently be able to place our order for entrees. After about an hour wait, 3 of the four dishes came out. We were told the last dish was on its way multiple times before it finally arrived...along with our bill. It had been an entire additional hour before the last dish came from the kitchen. I told the server that it wasn't even worth bringing out at this point because our evening was over. The clock had struck an entire new day as it was about 12:15 am at this point, and everyone at my table was falling asleep. I asked if he could comp our bill for the extensive wait time, and was told no. He informed me that he couldn't do anything. I asked if there was a manager on duty, and he said I could speak with the owner. I waited about ANOTHER 5 minutes and our server came back and stated the owner said it was nothing they could do about it. I asked why he didn't come to our table to talk to me and was told that he wouldn't. What type of establishment is this?? He told me that I could go and talk to him myself, so I left my table to go speak to the owner of the restaurant, who was literally 10 feet behind our table at the bar. When I spoke to him, it was clear that he and the server were not on the same page because he gave me a completely different story. He mentioned the last dish takes more time. But an entire two hours??? This was a seafood dish with salmon and scallops. I don't know of any recipes for these ingredients that takes two hours to make! Regardless, I explained that if this was mentioned when I ordered, I would have opted for something else. So to sum it up, they took over two hours to prepare and bring out one of the dishes we ordered. They brought it out after everyone else at the table had finished eating. The server ended up boxing it up and bringing it out with our bill. They refused to comp me for it. I told them I didn't want it and they politely took it back (boxed and all) and removed it from my bill. I understand this is a small business whose owners are not originally from the Americas. Regardless, this is not how customer service works here. The lack of consideration for the experience had here is unacceptable, and the resolution was ridiculous. I wouldn't dream of coming back to this place, and would warn any would be diners to avoid at all costs. There are far more establishments in the area where they leadership actually cares about their patrons experience.

Went there for dinner, ordered my food, it took an hour to get out food, my issue is how quick our server was to get our order but was horrible with updating us on the status. He actually seemed irritated. I really try to be courteous, but don't blow me off when I'm spending my money. The atmosphere is good, but service needs some training on etiquette.

I asked for med spice level! Was way too spicy to even eat. I told the waitress I didn't want the soup because it was too spicy and she said she couldn't take it off the bill. I asked to speak with the manager she said she didn't have one. Then when we were ready to go she took my soup and poured trash in it not even giving me a chance to take it home with me, because why wouldn't I take it home if it was $22 & I couldn't get a refund! My bill was $41 and all I ate was a salad and water!! I Will Not be coming back! Save your money people!

This place is a hidden gem ! The food was delicious and so very authentic it brought me back to my days in West Africa! They're happy hour is delicious and the service was great. The ambience is inviting and looks like it accommodates a large group if need to be. I will definitely be coming back again.

The food is so appetizing that I recommend this place. The service and the atmosphere is as you like. The waiters are so respectful and fun that I want to be present every day. Also the music is classic allows a good digestion. do not wait, take the key of your car and take a ride.

The food was great the serving size was good for sure. Everything is al cart, so you are buying separate which is ok. The atmosphere was inviting, and the music was nice. I don't have a problem with going back but I will take cash and not give my card. The young lady behind the bar tried to charge me for dine-in service when I got my food to go. She never handed me a bill the owner had to come hand me my bill. I went and got cash for them it seems the young lady tried to tip herself 10.00. I have no problem with tipping specially if you are doing your job. Even if you do a poor service, I have no problem with tipping you, but you cannot try and make someone pay a tip for a to go order.

Incredibly tasty. I enjoyed this food so much. Truly I can't believe I sat there that long and stuffed my face the way I did. I ate like a hungry goat. I ordered the Egussi with chicken. I had Eba (fufu) and Jollof rice. It was so delicious. The staff was very nice and the vibe was comfy. I'll definitely be returning with more friends! Oh and get the sauce on the side because baby, your bootyhole gone be on fire!

This place is a hidden gem. The restaurant has events most week days, which can be found on their social media pages. I went on a Wednesday for dinner. When you enter, note that it is seat yourself. I did so and waited for about 10 minutes before being greeted. It was 6 pm and the staff was still arriving so our server was also the main bartender. The menu is expansive and covers dishes mainly from west Africa and has European influence throughout. It's a bit confusing to read but any questions I had I asked the staff and they answered very nicely and willingly. I tried several dishes with plantains, jolif rice and fufu as starches. I would return to try more dishes! It's awesome that Cleveland has a restaurant that offers foods from West Africa, that's made by folks from there and that is owned by people from there. You should really give this place a try!

My take out order took over an hour before it was ready and I was the only food order they had for sure. There were two bar patrons and loud 90's type music playing in the dark restaurant which has a stage and bar area. Fufu ball was large and soft and dipped well into the peanut soup which was greasy, savory, and had a bit of sweetness. The goat in that was mostly gristle and bone. The winter melon soup REEKED of feces. I mean it smelled like actual poop. I thought it might be the goat but the goat and peanut soup didn't reek so I have no idea what happened but I couldn't even swallow a bite because the nasty taste and smell were so strong! The jollof was basically tomato sauce tinged rice. The African donuts were small hard crispy balls with tiny soft centers and basically mildly sweet without any specific flavor. They needed a sauce badly. The degue was like a sweet cream but had bits of something like millet in it. The bits were exactly in texture like sausage crumbles in a sausage gravy and were hard to enjoy. The pommels lyonnaise were fried potato slices with some moderately spiced sautéed onions. Meh.

Dear Yelpers, This little spot has the vibes but beyond that, you'll be left with an underwhelming feeling. The service for our party of 9 was handled by a newer waitress which made the hour wait to order almost unbearable. When our food finally came, it too left much to be desired. The Uncle Ben's rice used for "jollof" rice was the tipping point. If you still venture to this Afro-centric establishment, the fish or lamb is your best bet. Make sure to bring your ear plugs if you come at night. Would hate for the house DJ to blow you away with his deafening tunes Your friendly neighborhood foodie

Came back again and it was delicious again! This time I brought friends from Congo and Cote d'Ivoire, and they were excited as well! My Ivorian friend said it tasted like he was back at home.

Came from out of state , and was not disappointed. The waiter made us feel comfortable and the food was delicious . They have Great music . It's a vibe . My 3 year old loved the fufu with egusi and beef .

If you're looking for traditional African fare, this fine establishment repoing the Ivory Coast and additional West African flavors is the spot for you. Personally I like the seafood dishes, but the soups and sauces, meat pie, rice dishes and others are equally on point. Outside of the food, the service is friendly and helpful to newer samplers of their food. Top it off with entertainment on the weekend and you will really enjoy your dining experience here. Enjoy.

A bit less than impressed than I thought I would be, considering I love trying new foods from different countries and regions and continents... And on top of that, I don't think I'm picky. The struggle is that I don't know if I didn't like my food because it had a (perhaps traditional African) seasoning/flavor/herb that I personally didn't like, or if it was prepared poorly. If it was just some thing I personally didn't like the flavor of, then obviously that's a me-problem. But if it was them making it really badly then that's a them-problem. All I know is that I ordered the Egussi with beef, which came recommend. It arrived lukewarm, tasting of bitterness (like that flavor when you burn vegetables), and over cooked & tough meat chunks. Very unpleasant. I had leftovers, and I threw them away. Someone else ordered the red snapper dish, which I did have a bite of, and I think that showed more promise. With my experience of my dish, the cold building, dirty toilets, serving everything on paper plates, use of plastic utensils... I won't be a returning customer. The prices of the place really does not match what you're getting here. UPDATE: Just had a thought... Maybe they are using paper plates and plastic utensils because of Covid-19?

Check this place out. My husband and I stopped by based on yelp reviews and we loved it. We got the chicken in peanut sauce with foo foo (such a hit!) which is basically steamed plantains that you dip in the sauce and the large plate appetizer which is stewed lamb and chicken with veggies. Everything was delicious and the decor inside was fun, too. We also loved that the owner/chef stopped in on us a few times to see if we had questions and help explain to us how to eat the foo foo (we needed it) Be prepared to wait a little while, because they make everything from scratch. Sit back and enjoy the fun decor and lively music, close your eyes and you could almost be in Africa.

The pepper soup was tasty but seriously oily. It was equal parts soup to oil, 4 pieces of meat on the bone that was mostly fat, and about 5 thin slices of pepper and onion (combined). For $15 it had very little substance. The lamb stew was seasoned nicely and had a nice kick to it, though there was nothing in it. Minus 1 star for leaving us hungry despite a hefty lunch price tag. Minus another star for ridiculous slow service. We did not even eat in! They took our order over the phone around 11:30 and told us 30 min. We showed up on time and still had to wait another 35 min! They couldn't have been busy, and they had been open since 11 so there's really just no excuse. Also note that their website's prices are inaccurate. The lamb stew clearly states $12 but we were charged $15.

I got the collared greens and fufu and IT WAS BUSSIN. The server Rita was so nice and informative! 10/10. Can't wait to go again.

They do not miss on flavor and presentation. Easily one of my top 5 restaurants in Greater Cleveland.

On December 25, I and my friends drove to this restaurant based on the online information that the restaurant was open. I was disappointed to meet a closed restaurant after driving for 48 minutes. Please always give the correct information. Thank you.

The presentation of the food was amazing, but the actual food was not very tasty. The plantains are good, the rabbit was over cooked and under seasoned. Best thing was the hookah, but maybe I caught them on a bad day! I've heard great things about this restaurant, I may try it again one day.

West African food lover's delight! This gem shares space with a tax office and liquor store. You might miss it if you don't listen for the loud music and smells of Cote d'Ivoire, Benin and Cameroon (and a few others!). As far as I know it's the only restaurant representing West Africa between New York and Chicago. I'll be back for another round of meals to try other items. The meat pie was good, but a shade oily. The goat N'dole was slightly salty and the goat meat chewy on occasion. But, it was tasty and more than enough for two meals with the mega ball of fufu. The music was loud, but ok if you're alone. The bar was stocked with items that seem popular with the clientele. Well worth a drive for a slice of West Africa in Cleveland.

I'm actually being pretty generous with the two stars. I like the food. Anytime I order, I get the egussi soup with two sides of pounded yam and a side of jollof rice. But the last few times I ordered from here, they've killed me on SOMETHING. This time really pissed me off and made me not want to order from them again. I did not get the two sides of pounded tan I ordered. But instead of them just taking it off my bill because maybe they ran out of it at the time, they decided to just go ahead and add an order of plantain. So not only did I not get the two pounded yam I ordered, they still charged me for the pounded yam, gave me the plantain I DID NOT WANT, and charged me for that too. And then I had to run around through hoops just to get a refund. Never again! And this is just the most recent time. So many times I've placed the same order, and just didn't get the items I ordered. But I looked past it before because I really like the egussi soup. This was just the last straw for me. Money wasted on a meal I can't even fully enjoy

This was my second time visit this restaurant. They are on to something GREAT! The food comes out hot, flavorful and the portions served are great. I surely hope this place do not get too comfortable and start changing how they began. When I see plates come out of the kitchen; the plates are presented with a clean presentation. Served with CARE! It's not sloppy nor is it thrown together just to get orders out. Can't wait to come back and try something else.

Very nice atmosphere. Tuesday night I visited they had a comedy night. Very nice crowd. Funny host and comedians. Owner very nice. I will definitely be back. Island feel .

Very tasty Poulet DG and great meat pie. Very warm and welcoming service. Glad we are here.

This is African food done right. Welcoming hosts. Excellent ambiance that you would proudly dress up to throw down. Food:aromatic experience that pre-excites the palate. Taste of food is delicious and you immediately feel ike you touched down in west Africa. Portions were African sized and sadly too much for this man to finish without taking a break. Keep up the great work. A true gem.

The food is good the music was very enjoyable. The decor was fine except the mirrors were not clean and it took away the nice decor. Seasonings were good. The chicken was fresh and cooked perfect. We had to use plastic for utensils because of COVID. All food was quality and handled with care. They need help but so does every restaurant these days.

Food was so delicious. I had a dish from Cameroon and another dish which seemed Nigerian which was delicious. The fish was season so perfectly and there was a very large serving. My only disappointment was the jellof rice which I remember being much more flavorful the last time I had it in Houston. I will definitely return to try all the dishes though

We've been to Choukouya several times and have never been disappointed. The peanut sauce with beef and Eba is one of our favorites. We've also had the red snapper, the meat pie, and the Thiebou Dienn. All of the dishes are so flavorful and fresh. The service is attentive and friendly. This place is truly a gem.

Be your own judge. I just went and had the fish egussi with yam fufu. This was SO delicious. Savory stew with a delicate flaky white fish. The stew and fufu melts in your mouth. I asked for spice level 5/10, and it was perfect. I couldn't stop eating it. The food came out quickly, and the staff was super nice, and helped me decide what to order. I will definitely go back to try other dishes. I would post pictures, but I couldn't wait to dig in! 5/5

I found this restaurant on my lunch and I am glad I did. I walked in and it was so beautiful and the host named Veronica greeted me warmly I ordered the Poulet DG, a chicken stew with veggies and plantains which was recommended by her and I do not regret it just the right amount of spice and some sweetness from the plantains chicken is tender and I am thoroughly satisfied I will be recommending it to my classmates and friends

The food is delicious. Remember that they are actually cooking food from scratch so yes it may take longer than most "regular" restaurants but it's so worth it. Great vibes, friendly service and I love their music and dancing nights. I eat here once a month.

Service is horrible. I ordered food at 6:50 was told it would be done by 7:20 once I got there at 7:30 my food was not done. It now is 8:09 and I still have not received my food. At this point I am leaving. No apology no nothing. If I order takeout that's because I don't want to dine in ESPECIALLY during this pandemic. There was only 5 people in the whole restaurant so it wasn't like they were super busy. If I could give them less than 1 start I would. They really should work on customer service.

Great food! Fabulous atmosphere-great explanations for the foods you were eating- dishes from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria. Great goat and peanut sauce!

All the bad feedback is accurate! First off I ordered online and they have several menus online that say something different and the one I viewed said the red snapper came with jollof rice and fried plantains...all I got was the snapper and a extra small "salad" and the "salad" was in the box with the hot fish. So not smart! But anyway I called to inform them that I didn't get any sides and the manager pretty much told me there was nothing he could do because they changed the menu and all sides are sold separately. Which on the menu I viewed and ordered from said my meal came with sides. So instead of acknowledging the errors the manager refused to make the situation right. I will not support a restaurant who can't afford to offer sides with their meals and hasn't communicated effectively with customers by changing all menus they have online. As far as the food...the fish was NOT memorable and the meat pie was burnt. I would NOT recommend this restaurant to anyone. And the place was empty on a Saturday night (9pm) and that says it all and I understand why! Oh well I tried to support this small businesses.

I'm from Compton CA and I was visiting Cleveland. I decided to eat at Choukouya Resto and the food was delicious!!

Service is horrible. Didn't even get a chance to try the food because we were basically ignored while sitting at the bar. Took longer than it should have to even get a glass of water. Asked to place drink orders and waited a substantial amount of time only to have the bartender make someone's drink who ordered after us. Sadly, wouldn't recommend.

Delicious!!! So fun to try new cuisine! Nice atmosphere & decor. Service was not fast, but worth the wait and very friendly.

Food, ambience and service is great. The food brings back many fond memories of our trips to "The Mother Land." The warm rich intoxicating spices and herbs in the dishes brings joy to the soul. Each bite of every dish is an experience. The food is indescribable. You just have to sit down, open up your soul to the universe and let the love of this wonderful food take you on an adventure of health, wholeness and harmony.

An exquisite and delightful dining experience in an unexpected location in Cleveland. Do not be put off that you are entering a tax office and please continue onwards to the dining room through the small lobby. Unless you need to get your taxes done, then by all means eat a great meal and fulfill your obligations. The restaurant is absolutely a gem. We got yassa, fufu with chicken peanut sauce, and catfish. There are a variety of classic dishes from West Africa, which I had only limited exposure to and the staff is super helpful in making your first few picks. I recommend you take their gently delivered guidance. I thought the decor was well done and transformed the space and the staff + owners made sure to come over and say hi. I assume as they get busy not every visitor will get the white glove treatment, but my father and I were touched by their dedication. I hope that the Scene or other local publications begins to pick this one up as Choukouya's food deserves to be more widely tasted.

What a great find on the east side. A wonderful menu of enticing items. Can't go wrong here.