Hedzole

One of my top 3 favorite restaurants in DC. The food is always fresh and sooo flavorful. The owner, Candice, puts so much love and care into the food and atmosphere. I get the same order every time (salmon, coconut rice with tomato sauce, shito, and a side of red red), but be adventurous. Literally, everything on the menu is delicious.

I decided I’m going to try something new on every trip. I decided to try African food, specifically Ghanaian. The owner was very sweet & took the time to explain the dishes and the history. It has a small, cozy feel. Good home cooking.

Absolutely amazing! The team there were very friendly and very helpful. They made sure that I ordered the right things to get a true taste of Ghana. And the food - out of this world! Flavorful and delicious. Can't wait to visit again. Make sure you get some jollof rice.

I’ve been here a few times now and I am ready to say that Hedzole is one of the best places in town. If you like west African food, you will love Hedzole. If you haven’t had west African food, this is the place in DC to try it. Oxtail is delicious and tender. The egushie is savory and nutty and not too heavy. Fried plantains are perfect, not too hard/dry but not too soft. Also the place is 5 minutes from rock creek park, so it’s perfect for lunch + a nature walk!

I am praying that this place never closes!!! It was that good. I came in on my birthday on Saturday for carry out. We were greeted by this kind lady who I assume is the owner. She walked us through the menu. You build your bowl. We got a salmon bowl and an oxtail one. Both were amazing!!! It’s been so long since I actually enjoyed my food. Fresh, hot, and flavorful. Worth every penny. Can’t wait to return.

Great digital and in-person service. Received a quick response to an email, and staff was attentive and warm in-person. Food is flavorful and filling. Space is on smaller side, so I'd definitely call ahead/reserve for a larger party.

If I could give 10 stars I would!! One of my favorite meals I’ve had in a while. Literally no complaints. Everything was fresh, perfectly cooked & delicious. Environment was nice (good energy), music was relaxing, and the owner(?) was very kind and accommodating. I only wish I lived closer. As it is, when I’m in the area I won’t hesitate to eat here and you shouldn’t either!

Had a beautiful lunch here! Ordered the Oxtail, Jollof Rice, and Steamed cabbage. All incredibly fresh and delicious. Highly recommend and will certainly be back!

Decided to give this place a shot after they showed up in a "new restaurants to try" list in Washingtonian Mag. Everything was great. We went on a Saturday late in the afternoon so it wasn't busy. We told the owner that it was our first time trying Ghanaian food and she let us try things before ordering. My husband and I both got chicken, jollof rice, tomato stew, and then got different sides. Everything was great. We got our order to go and the food traveled really well. The spice in the tomato stew builds as you keep eating, but it was delicious so we didn't want to stop. The only thing we didn't like is that we only got two plantains with each meal, but next time we'll just order more! We will definitely be back to try more food. You should all give this place a try!

Muy rico. Had the jollof and waakye rices. The agushie also a standout. Everything was perfect. Candice was helpful and walked us through the whole menu. Can't say enough about this restaurant.

Flavors are on point! Adorable setting in Upper 16th area of NW. Vegan options. Did I mention them flavors. It might not be close to many of us but thanks to Food delivery Apps, this can be a delicious lunch or dinner option for anyone. Them flavors tho !!

This is a Black Woman Owned West African restaurant. When it comes to service the women here are welcoming! it was refreshing, to say the least. It was my first time patronizing this establishment and the woman taking the order was very patient with me and explained everything, especially the stews and her recommendations on which stew to pair with which dish. I ended up ordering the oxtail without a stew because it comes with its gravy. When I got my order, I didn't get much gravy, I let one of the workers know, and she provided me with a cup of gravy and extra oxtail. The oxtail was nice and tender and seasoned well. The coconut rice was delicious and flavorful. The establishment is really small with not enough seating to accommodate guests who want to stay in and eat, and customers who are placing orders to go, to sit in and wait for their orders. Also, the restroom area is awkwardly located in the back of the restaurant and it seems as if you're trespassing into the forbidden area. However, all in all, this restaurant is awesome and I highly recommend it. I pray that they move into a bigger establishment to accommodate all their customers. They were pretty busy when I went.

There are many reasons to visit Hedzole- the food, the drinks, the atmosphere, the owner's story, the neighborhood. Stopping in for plantains on a Saturday afternoon, here's my experience. 1) Food: Serving Ghanaian American food, the main concept is building your own bowls using foods like coconut rive, jollof rice, plantains, and more. They have plant-based options. Or you can order one of their bowls- salmon or stewed oxtail. They sell sides like cabbage, plantains, "red red," and groundnut soup with fufu. 2) Drinks: They sell bottled water, soda, and a hibiscus-based drink. 3) Service: When I walked in, the owner was there serving the food herself. Leaving a career in corporate America, she started with pop-ups, farmer markets, and a residency before opening this spot in April 2023. She's kind and happy to walk you through the menu. 4) Space: It's small, but cozy. There are several tables in a brightly-decorated space on the bottom floor of a 1935 brick apartment building. 5) Area: It's along a commercial area in Sixteenth Street Heights. Moreland's Tavern, a local bar, is across the street. Rock Creek Park is within walking distance. There's free street parking close.

This place was great and lived up to the hype I got an oxtail jalof rice, and cabbage. It was super flavorful and rich. The oxtails were tender and perfectly cooked. Not over cooked so still held its form but was tender and juicy. Jalof rice had great flavor tomato flavor and rich. Played perfectly with spicy flavor of the ox tail. The cabbage was perfectly seasoned added some freshness and texture to the meal. Inside is small but can sit and is pretty cool homy vibe which I liked. We got it to go. Service is very friendly and nice. Will definitely be back.

I've bookmarked Hedzole to try for at least two months now. My friend frequently sends me restaurants to check out in the DMV area, and as soon as I saw the post for them, I knew I wanted to make a visit. It's across the city from me, so it was quite the drive, but it was so worth it! I got to the restaurant within minutes of them closing, but the owner was very accommodating and made sure to warm up food for me as I had called ahead to be sure I'd have my order ready. I ordered two bowls to go, although I would have preferred to dine in. I just got there too late. The inside is very cute and cozy. It would be a nice spot to sit in for lunch, and lounge for a bit, but definitely not ideal for a larger group. One of the bowls I got was jollof rice, with oxtails and cabbage salad. I had a side of shito sauce. I've been craving home cooked African food for awhile, and for me, this was it!! The jollof had a smoky taste and it soaked up the flavors from the salad and the oxtails. I added the shito to the rice and that added a bit of heat to the dish. The cabbage had a pickled taste, and was very flavorful. I thought the oxtails were tender and succulent, but I would have preferred a bit more seasoning on them. The second bowl I got will be my lunch for next week. I got coconut rice, chicken, and spinach/egusi stew and kale salad. I tried a bit of this and I preferred this plate over the jollof. It's been awhile since I had egusi and the Ghanaian version is very similar to the Nigerian one I grew up eating. It was so tasty, and I never thought to pair it with rice, but it was a great combination. I also liked the kale salad over the cabbage salad. The kale salad was crisp, but also had a bit of sweetness to it. Each bowl also came with sweet plantains that were soft in the middle, but crisp on the outside. The portion sizes are great and will definitely fill you up. I really wish I lived closer to here because I could definitely see myself coming here at least twice a month, but thank God for Uber eats. I highly recommend!

After traveling through several countries in Africa from the tip of South Africa to the Sub-Saharan and the Eastern coast of Ethiopia and Kenya and eating lots of Nigerian food, I'm familiar with the flavor of West African food but honestly I couldn't tell you what makes Ghanaian food Ghanaian. However, I do know flavor and no matter what you order at Hedzole, there is so much flavor. Candice is an incredible chef who single-handedly runs the place. I ordered jollof rice with oxtail and the spicy shito sauce (it's got some heat!) with a kale salad which includes pickled onions and a homemade pineapple vinaigrette. The jollof rice was tasty and the oxtail was fall-off-the-bone delicious. The pickled onions in the kale salad cut some of the fattiness in the oxtail and ended up being such a good combination. I also got a waaakye (rice with black eyed peas), egushi stew, and sauteed cabbage. Both plates came with fried plantains. I also tried their sobolo drink which is a hibiscus clove citrusy drink (i forget what else went in it) but everything was delicious. I can't wait to come back. I'm either getting the oxtail again or trying the groundnut soup with fufu.

I got the jollaf rice and the plantains and the chicken and the spinach dressing and wow it was so good! It was nice and spicy and very flavorful! I sware to god it's the next CAVA! Same concept as cava and chipotle! The service was good! The owner was there and it was so nice meeting you. This was my first time having ghana food and it was so good!! It's a cute little small shop in petwoth!!

I had high expectations for this place and maybe it's what I ordered but unfortunately nothing to rave about. I got the rice and black eyed peas with egusi and chicken. The rice had a weird after taste which hurt my stomach. The chicken was a bit salty but I ended up cooking some pasta at home and adding it to it. The plantains were thick and hard and not crispy like how they should be. The service was great though but I Won't be returning.

Food was really good. Service was good, the girls are nice and efficient. I liked the ambiance, it is a small place but it feels authentic.

Came here because my buddy kept talking about it, and I was very pleased we did! Super friendly staff, amazing food, and a tiny location. I didn't really know what to expect but everything was fantastic. We tried the chicken and oxtail bowls that come with different options. Similar to Chipotle but with Ghanian flavors. Both proteins were seasoned beautifully, and the different rices were both great. I really liked the rice with beans, but my wife and buddy say the jolloh rice is the best. I recommend getting the tomato sauce and spicy sauce. Both add some heat and complex flavors that really complement the dishes. The oxtail is a lot of work since it's on the bone, as a heads up. Lastly I really enjoyed the hibiscus drink. I loved it so much I got a second one. Come here and try the food!! The place is tiny! So be aware that seating is very limited.

The food was AMAZING. My kids are really picky eaters and ate every bite. Hedzole will be on our weekly rotation for sure.

The owner Candice Mensah of Hedzole Afroeats, is a DMV native of Ghanaian descent & has been welcoming customers since summer 2019. She (along with the support of her mother), cooks up some phenomenal menu. ​ ​ ​The menu allows you to customize your meal: ​ First, choose your base ​ Second, choose a sauce ​ Third, decide a protein or keep it #vegan ​In my first experience, I arrived too late to take advantage of most of the meat options. They sell out often, especially during the summer months. I do remember what I had the first time even though months later: I did a mixture of all the bases with grilled chicken and stewed oxtail sauce/gravy. ​ ​ ​Everything was delicious, and it took me about two more months to visit again (my weekends were packed!) ​ ​ ​The second time, I arrived earlier because I had my eyes on the prize: oxtail! I ordered the oxtail with Jollof and cassava/yuca bases with some sauteed veggies and plantains! This time around, I tried shito, which is a Ghanaian hot pepper sauce. ​ ​Oooh, the oxtails were amazingly tender and flavorful! The sweet plantains added balance to the richness of all the other foods. The star of the show ( the whole meal is A-list quality), better yet, the breakout star- was the shito sauce. It offered a deep, smoky, spicy, sweet heat. I couldn't pick up on all the flavors, but the one I did pick out was ginger. You all definitely need to pop in to try this sauce and if you can't take the heat (see what I did there?), get the sauce on the side. ​ ​ ​

Stopped in on a whim since we eat a ton of Ethiopian food but hadn't really experienced any West African cuisine. The space was clean and welcoming, and we were greeted by a very friendly owner who seemed genuinely excited for us to experience her food. She was super helpful in explaining the different options and making suggestions based on our preferences. We loved that the food was vegan by default, but ended up nabbing two chicken dishes since it looked so good and the price difference was negligible. When we asked questions about the oxtail, the owner was even nice enough to let us each try a bite (it was delicious and tender and we immediately regretted not getting it instead). Despite our oxtail woes, we were relieved to find that the chicken dish was also AMAZING. The chicken was moist and perfectly seasoned, and plantains added a lovely sweet balance to the dish. Between our dishes, the jollaf rice and agushie stew were definitely the heroes of the meal. Don't sleep on the shito sauce, which added an extra little kick but brought a whole other layer of flavor that helped to further elevate the rest of the dish. The portions were also sizable and we both ended up with leftovers. You can tell that this food is made with real passion and everything we ate tasted like a love letter from Ghana. We'll be back for the oxtail!

I was drawn in by the bright patterned booths on my way back from rock creek park and had to give it a try. The restaurant is cozy and intimate, and the owner was really friendly and explained the menu to us. I was super excited by all of the vegan options, so I went for the jollof rice base, with tomato stew and cabbage! It looks like this spot does a high volume of to-go orders as the kitchen was cranking out deliveries, but the presentation of the food for dine in was really nice and cute so it's worth stopping in. The food was very flavorful and well seasoned. There aren't many vegan friendly west african spots around, so I thoroughly enjoyed this little treat and definitely recommend trying it out

Great food, clean/nice atmosphere and the chef serves with a big heart. She is very helpful.

I've passed by this place while walking the dog and kept rereading the posted menu. Attracted by all of the options! Stopped by today to have lunch with my daughter and grandson and was impressed. Lots of options, and all so tasty. The spinach stew along with the chicken and hot sauce was fabulous. Hosts were so nice and friendly and made it a wonderful local outing for us. Happy to have Hedzole in our neighborhood! We'll be back!

Ordered the Salmon Meal with COCONUT RICE, no sides. Order arrived and there is JOLLOF RICE and PLANTAINS. Why would you not just cancel the order instead of completely changing it? To add insult to injury, I have had Ghanaian food many a time including IN Ghana and this was the absolute worst Ghanaian food I've ever had the displeasure of tasting. The shito was absolutely disgusting and inauthentic with no fish/shrimp flavor at all, the jollof rice was hard, dry, and flavorless, the salmon was RUBBERY and dry and again flavorless, the cabbage was pickled which did not match the description at all, the plantain was mushy and disgusting, the spinach tasted like stale, old oil, the Groundnut (Peanut) Soup was oily and had very little groundnut flavor and no flavor otherwise. Just tasted like seasoningless, oily red stew. How do you mess up salmon?? Everything was an absolute mess and a complete waste of money. I never waste food or leave reviews but I had to throw everything in the trash, it was so bad. I will never order from here again or visit.

I got the oxtail bowl with rice/blackeyed peas and kale. It came with plantain which I wasn't expecting. Every bite of my food was good and the portion size was appropriate. If I had to critique anything I would just say the oxtail could have been a little more tender. Overall, it was a very satisfying meal and just wouldn't hesitate to order again and try other things on the menu.

Hedzole has phenomenal flavors in their various Ghana dishes. The owner, Candace, shares fascinating stories about culture, history, food and the African diaspora. The conversation prompts everyone in this cozy restaurant to share their own experiences and connect with others. Our family adores this unique and vibrant place and we are grateful that such a satisfying neighborhood space is in our wonderful Washington, DC. Every month, we travel from Capitol Hill to enjoy a feast for the heart, soul and belly!!! Joyfully, Nancy & family

I love the oxtail. At the end of our experience, Candace came out and talked to us about how she started from a food truck that turned restaurant. Great food and great experience.

This food was not it. The rice had no flavor, not even remotely close to the real flavor of jollof rice that you can get at another African restaurant. The rice was overcooked and dry, making it even a bit hard to eat. Everything was just so flavorless and they messed up my takeout order by giving me kale salad instead of cabbage. The chicken is chopped into bites and doesn't have flavor. The Shito is the smallest amount and does not taste like shito you get in Ghana. Everything was just mid. There's better African spots out there.

Good portions and excellent flavors - great selection of food choices. But let me say the oxtails had me in a chokehold. I could have eaten another helping. Delicious abs well preserved.

Just had their food from Mosaic District Farmers Market - Their oxtail and jollof rice is very flavorful. Probably one of the best seasoned dishes Ive had since coming to the DMV.

This place is just great. So lucky to have it in Sixteenth Street Heights. I've liked the salmon so much I keep getting it but I know I need to try the oxtail--everyone says I need to try the oxtail.

This is my go to if I am not up to cooking or need some good eating!!!Candace has created such a vibe in the space but more importantly the food is all that!! I only eat fish and have never been disappointed with the salmon and all the sides but when my folk come to town I know they will order the oxtail folks are raving about! The owner is kind and informative, the playlist is fabulous and I can't wait for outdoor seating this summer! 16th street heights has a jewel in Hedzole!!

New African Restaurant in 16th St. Heights. Great flavors and nice decor. It's a must try!

Loved this food. Between the two of us, we tried most of the build-your-bowl items, and there wasn't a miss among them. I thought the salmon was the winner and I loved the tomato and spinach/agushie stews, so much flavor! The shito came on the side so you can make it as spicy (or not) as you want. The leftovers also reheated well (big portions). The atmosphere was really cozy and the owner/chef is very friendly and was happy to explain the different types of food and their origins in Ghana. Looking forward to coming back! It also seems like it'll be a good takeout option for the neighborhood.

Delicious food! A great addition to the neighborhood. Everything on the menu is fantastic but the salmon is our fave.