Le Mandingue African Restaurant

Lemandingue is one of the best African restaurant in Philadelphia the food is always delicious. I have been eating at this restaurant for couple of years but the food has been a savior for me because there’s no way that I will cook on my own if I can spend less than $20 and get the best of the best.

I crave the lamb but sometimes it’s a lot of fat on it but it’s still good and it came sizzling n hot the plantains are amazing this is my go to spot always

Food was good but it wasn’t what I ordered. Never had African food the fufu and egosi was good ordered red snapper jollof rice and plantain but I know damn well this isn’t jollof rice !

I’m not sure if they got a new cook but the fact I had to season my cassava leaf is crazy. The rice is too mushy, I can literally mash the rice up. This was my go to spot for potatoe greens and cassava. I’m not sure what’s going on with the cook from back then compared to the cook now but you guys desperately need a change. My past 6 orders have been BLAND and the rice is overcooked, it’s laziness on the cooks part because why isn’t the food simply seasoned? You guys need a new cook, get back to being the best African restaurant in Philly!

Ordered delivery and the food did not disappoint. Everything was delicious. This was the lamb with jollof rice, side of plantain and side of cabbage. The cabbage i wasn’t crazy about (too soft no crunch) but everything else was very good and would order again. They give you plenty of food. I believe the prices are fair for the amount of food you receive.

First time at this location, Peanut butter soup A1. Not an overpowering peanut taste, gravy is savory seasoned just rite, white rice cook to perfection I Will be back. Called in still had a little wait 5-10 mins. But well worth it.

This is one of the best African restaurants in Philly. My first time trying eat, I was impressed,I've been to many African restaurants this one is definitely the best. Friendly staff and excellent customer service .keep up with the good work guys . I will definitely recommend it to anyone

I drive from jersey and get the fufu and egusi. I used to come all the time BUT the egusi used to be waaaaay to spicy so I stopped coming. Yesterday, my man said let’s try them again but this time let’s get a bottle of milk to eliminate the spice lolol well we went back after 6months and there was no spiciness in it THANK YOOOOU!!! We will be back again every week now. That spice was too much for us before but this time was perfect.

This restaurant confuses me. I'm not sure if the chef changes or maybe I'm just unlucky but the lamb over jollof rice is my go to and I never know what I'm going to get. Sometimes it's delicious and a hefty portions, other times I feel like I only get a few pieces of lamb and very hard/burnt/inedible rice. The staff are always pretty receptive and try their best to be accommodating so it's definitely worth a shot. I've only ever gotten takeout so I couldn't tell you what it's like to dine in.

I ordered potato greens and what I received was spinach in oil and not palm oil. It also smells burnt.

Have definitely had better options for similar cuisines in the area. Grabbed takeout for a Friday night. The portions were really big. Both came with rice (not the best rice). The meat itself was pretty bone-forward without so much meat. We grabbed a full fish which I am typically not a fan of and this did not make me a convert. The plantains were also just fine. It's an interesting place to try but won't necessarily need to come back.

Their Meat Potato Greens taste is so good if never had African food that's the dish to try first the spice is perfect along with the flavor of the meat an greens just trust me you won't be disappointed.

Not all I was expecting from dish could have bn much better.. Maybe it was a busy day idk .. service was on time !!

The egusi soup tasted very good and flavorful, though it was quite oily. The jollof rice...that was not jollof. It tasted and looked more like fried rice. I'm so confused why they're calling this jollof.

Ordered from here last night and we really loved what we got. We picked the jollof rice w fish. YUM!! This came w a small container of very hot pepper sauce. Way too hot for me to add to my portion but my bf loved it. We also got the cassava leaf w fufu and the potato greens w rice. They were both amazing - although I wasn't entirely sure which was which since both were green and the rice and fufu were in other containers. They both came w chunks of delicious various meats mixed in - a few of the bones were small so might be something to note if you are ordering for smaller children. Overall it was a ton of food for 2 people and we will be eating delicious leftovers for lunch today. Def will order from here again - I'd really like to try the okra w rice and also the peanut butter soup next time! I also wanted to order plantains since it was in some of the reviews here but we couldn't find a way to order them without ordering another whole meal.

This African spot was definitely one of my favorites in the city, I got the snapper with jollof rice, the fish is always very tender, and the rice is full of flavor and spices! Due to the high demand, sometimes the staff is very busy so orders take a bit longer, but it's definitely worth the wait, the chefs and front of house are so kind and happy! This spot is very authentic and lovely to be, it's almost feels like a home away from home

They served me cold, under cooked spinach for potato greens and assumed I wouldn't know the difference but I did. They had to refund my money.

I have been a loyal customer for years i got takeout last night and it tasted weird and the meat was mushy i became very sick and was up all night sick even woke up out of my sleep and had to throw up again the food i ordered was what i threw up after i threw it up i was fine . I tried to call the business to talk to someone and she basically said it was maybe it's you maybe you are allergic but i have been eating there for years with no issue she then said i must be sick or have a virus because her food is always fresh but it was definitely not she made it seem like i made it up or something and i was very disappointed after being a loyal customer i will not be back i always thought it was the best African restaurant in the city

Always enjoyed the food , and service is wonderful and fast , food always comes out hot off the stovetop

I came in at 7:15 didn't get my food until 8:30. Now this is my first time having African food and I expected better, the service was poor there was people in there before waiting for an hour for their food and including DoorDash maybe 90 minutes. When you ask them they tell you another it's coming or 20 minutes but then you wait that and then some more. Now by the time I got home which is 10 minutes from the store my food was cold. The Plantain was hard and cold, the rice was cold. The cassava leaf was warm and the only thing hot was the fufu. It was like my food was already done and they had me sit there. It was structureless and when I got home and ate I was severely disappointed. I partially think before of the wait time I was thrown off and then the ambience of it all was irritating because people were waiting for their food. That could tell you many things though, that could mean they cook the food fresh or at the time of the order, or that the food is soo good that there is naturally a long wait time. There was at least 10 other people waiting for orders at the time of my order so I would suggest you order 60-90 minutes before you wanna eat cause it was ridiculous. Food was aight, it wasn't nothing too crazy or mind blowing.

I usually order from this restaurant and the food is great, that's why I keep ordering. I've ordered the okra with fufu many times with the same instructions "no chicken, more cow foot or meat" - I don't know if they have a new chef or if the person who put it together didn't understand- my food had meat but it was salty to the point of being inedible.... Really disappointed and now I have to watch my blood pressure and I feel it going up

Quick service plus accepts all credit card n cash. Being renovated n I can't wait to see the new look

This food was the worst ever. I asked them not to fry my fish hard. Turns out they gave me old hard fish that was discolored, it came with Attieke which was hard. Imagine leaving grits in the open for 5 days. This attieke is supposed to be loose but it was hard and stuck together.

This restaurant is mobbed. They have space for you to dine in but everyone was ordering and taking out. The lady was direct and organized. She kept the process flowing by taking orders and keeping the crowd flowing. You should definitely know what you are ordering or you will be left in the dust trying to determine what you want in order to order your food. "Don't nobody have time for that." I ordered potatoe greens, foo-foo, stew chicken, jaloff rice, fried red snapper pepper sauce. I found the potatoe greens very oily and okay in flavor. My overall opinion is that the food was very oily and not that flavorful. It is my second African Restaurant that I tried and was not fond of the food at all. I would not say it is bad but I can't say it's good. Try for yourself and draw your own conclusion because this experience left me scratching my head.

This food is really great. Got the potato greens. I've tried several restaurants after this for potato greens and been disappointed. Well done guys!

The food was blah. I ordered fufu with okra sauce and they sent it the okra sauce with rice. The dibi (grilled lamb) looked like it was reheated. The meat was very hard and black. The okra sauce was watery and no taste to it.

Good lamb and Jollif rice, I've only tried that so far......................,............123456789011123qwhevdvdvdvdvdvdvdbdbdbdbxbxvdvdbdbxbxvxvdvsvsvshs

Amazing food and drinks! The Dibi was my favorite! Absolutely fantastic authentic cooking

More like 3.5 stars due to some order mishaps. But the food made up for it! The food here really satisfied my west African food craving. In fact, it satisfied it for days because the portion sizes were so large. I got the jollof rice and lamb and also tried the egusi stew. Everything was really good. The hot sauce the meal came with was nice and spicy but didn't overpower the flavor of the food. The jollof rice was really good and well seasoned, although not like any traditional jollof rice I've had anywhere. I also ordered plantains but, sadly, I didn't receive them. Additionally, my friend's order of fish was randomly canceled from the Grubhub order and we had to re-order and wait for the fish when we went to pick up the food. Ordering for delivery is probably the best option given that there isn't very much parking near the restaurant and there's a lot of delivery drivers coming in and out of the restaurant, making the street feel chaotic. Regardless, this is some of the best African food I've had in Philly!

After getting food from this place a few times to all of a sudden my food was now delivered so unappealing, it was very disappointing! I notified the restaurant and the gentleman was nice, however I was now out of money and a huge waste of time. I asked him could I send him pictures of my food that was delivered and I was text'd back, he agreed that my food was no prepared properly and offered my another place to come get at a later date and a discount on DoorDash. The only thing is I'd have to call when I'm ready and hope that someone knows what I'm talking about... just a huge inconvenience and Big disappointment!!

Tbh the food tasted okay. Can't say I was wowed. Not a place I'd bring my friends to tho cuz the area isn't the best and the environment wasn't the neatest.

While visiting my girlfriend, she ordered takeout from here and I was really excited to indulge in the dishes she was telling me about. Unfortunately, the lamb meat was very dry and the jollof rice lacked flavor. I had to use quite a bit pimente (spicy chili sauce) and stewed onions to help add flavor and moisture to the meal. The cassava were good with the jasmine rice and I loved the kick to it. Not sure I would grab food from here again considering the lack of flavor in the jollof rice and the dry lamb meat. The portions were huge though and the plantains were cooked to perfection. Overall a decent meal, but nothing worth revisiting for.

The Potato Green with Rice was surprisingly good. Their plantains, not so much. Will try other items on their menu next time.

They never have chicken wings, but when they do it's good! Call in advance. Do not order through UberEats. You must go and pick up your food if not, the quality is significantly different.

Portions got smaller and food is usually cold now and the price went up idk why this happened

Only thing is I think I was missing my white rice with my peanut butter soup but they did ask did I was fufu with both my platters I said yes But baby rice or not this Egusi was the best I've tasted this far and I drove over an hour to get to this place Clean , waiting area but could be cleared from the tables and just hv chairs so ppl could sit while waiting instead of a table full of empty chair because no one wants to sit in close proximity to a stranger FOOD was GREAT

Subpar customer service from this young girl at the front. Who was more interested in her cell phone. The fish and rice was good. I threw the other stuff in the trash it looked uhhhh...

I had the Jollof Chicken with Fried Rice, it was savory and rich, and the chicken was seasoned well and fell right off the bone. The ginger beer was sweet and tingly, a perfect way to end the meal

The Food was good and the staff was very friendly and helpful. If you like to eat a spicy well balanced meal i would try this spot the food was well seasoned.

The food was incredibly good--well spiced and overall delicious. The drinks were also very refreshing. Courtesy for the owner for the amazing food and the kindest hospitality. I will be making a trip back soon!

The quality is not there anymore, food taste is never consistent. They use to cook the cassava greens with beef, crowfoot now it's mostly cheap ass smoke Turkey which I can only stomach so much of. The location in Upper Darby is closer to me but not much better. Food full of salt, and it makes no sense to complain because they don't care. Been eating from this business for as long as I can remember, hate when a neighborhood favorite changes so drastically.

Well, I never had cassava leaves before. Everyone I know kept talking about how amazing it is. Honestly I was afraid to try it because it's not much to look at lol. LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING. It was amazing! I will definitely be trying the potato greens next.

Me getting into a cab a few months ago: [address]...[driver confirming address]...awkward music...Me:so where are you from? Driver: Liberia Me: what's the food like there? Driver: its amazing! Spicy stews and rice and meats. Me: so...where can I go in Philly to try that? Driver: La Mandingo, it's the best. Me:ok, sold. It took some googling and Chef Sbraga posting on instagram for me to realize La Mandique is the amazing Mandingo! There are a few other spelling inconsistencies in the menu which make ordering difficult (potatoes green, achieke vs athieke), plus I've never heard of most of the things on the menu, or the underlying ingredients, so there's that, and the people at the front are too busy handling the deluge of takeout orders to explain what dry rice and dibi are. Luckily everything is good! You order at the front, and if you're eating in, a bizarre food runner may or may not bring your food out, awkwardly request a cash tip, you pay after (so cheap! mostly $12 dishes and they take cards), some food may come out fast, and some may never come out. You will want a box for your leftovers, portions are huge! The takeout line seems like more of a cluster than a queue... The FOOD. All was good, in order of favorites: Get the potato greens. Don't worry, this is not a vegetarian option. There is some sort of delicious tender meat (lamb, goat, tendons?) nestled in the spicy, flavorful greens, all drenched in oil. YUM. Dry rice with lamb- so good and quite spicy. Huge portion with deliciously perfectly cooked onions and some sort of mayo-y salad/sauce, lots of meat, but the kind where you stick the chunk in your mouth and gnaw until you can spit out a bone. Maybe don't bring a date here. The peanut soup- really more of a thick stew, a bit spicy, with chicken, and again some mysterious meats. Don't ask, just eat. Very good. Achieke with fish- crispy whole fried perfectly cooked fish that falls off the bone and couscous with some tomato onion cucumber salad on top. Very good. The achieke seems to be their specialty and is delicious. The goat and plantains- unclear if this was goat or lamb but who cares. Watch out for the hot sauce, it's fierce! 5 hungry humans split all this and were uncomfortably full and regretting their life decisions. The drinks: The ginger juice is great, the vimto soda is odd, very sweet, and the purple fruit juice had a pruny after taste. Get the ginger juice, skip the others. Service is not super friendly/helpful/explanatory, but the food is amazing and a great price and huge portions. Hole in the wall ambiance with a ton of people crowded around for takeout orders, with the trip out for a food adventure! If you've never had West African, you've never tasted these flavors/some of these veggies. Uber's cheaper but when's the last time your Uber driver recommended a place like this?

Had cassava leaf with fufu as take out and it's tasty. Would like to try other dishes.

On several occasions, I waited for my food just to be told they forgot my order. On my most recent visit, I was told the meat was still frozen. The place lacks respect for its customers and their time.

Another favorite Of mine. All the food is cooked perfectly and portions are generous. One tray can easily feed at least 2 adults. I usually order either lamb but my kids try everything so it's a family favorite! Definitely won't be disappointed and yes the customer service is great. They're patient with answering questions and will even make accommodations if possible with no complaints. Best to go in to order though cause these food apps do them a disservice by not offering everything and the delivery is horrible.

If I was rating just the food it would be a 5 star but let me start by saying the customer service seriously sucks, they need classes in my personal opinion. The lady that was helping to take orders just could not multitask the line was long and she just seems aggravated. She would take phone orders while the customer in her face waits and the line just continued to get long. Now I'm rating the food. The plantain were dried and I was not happy with them. The potato greens were excellent love the taste and everything, I'm big on customer service don't think I would drive the distance from where I live for horrible customer service again. Again the food is great but be prepared for no smiles, no may help you.

Stopped by while I was in the area - staff were super friendly and we left no scraps! Everything was so well seasoned and it was the perfect introduction into west African cuisine ~~

Ok so below is the negative review I wrote with one star because I was upset about waiting. I just got home and Y'all this food is so good I came back to give four stars. I got the fish with jellof of rice, lamb, and potatoes greens. I am still upset I had to wait but damn. First review Food is always good but it is never ready on time. I called 45 minutes before picking it up and still had to wait thirty minutes once I arrived. This happens all the time it is very unprofessional.

love them! the BEST african restaurant for african food in philly! my favs are the peanut butter soup, palm butter soup, cassava leaf, potato greens, & jollof rice an fish! u cant go wrong with whatever u pick at this place! everything is good here!

Their food is okay, the customer service is very poor. I'm Caribbean so I hold food and flavor to a different standard. If you aren't used to eating this food maybe you'll think it's good...but I thought it was just meh. Their customer service was horrendous. I ordered off of Uber eats there were no detailed descriptions of the meal items. So, I ordered based off of the pictures associated with the meal. When I found out that my food did not come with plantains (even though the picture associated with my meal HAD plantains pictured as a side) the store associate that I spoke with literally said (verbatim), "Oh my God it's just a picture it's not the food, I'm sorry but it's just a picture, that doesn't mean that's what the food looks like." If you don't have food descriptions and you put a picture next to each meal, then I'm going to assume that the pictures are representative of what the meal should be. They put crab and something that looked like spam in their Jollof rice and again it did not state this on the menu. I don't eat crab, so I could not eat my food. All around very disappointed, I had high expectations based off of the other reviews.

Ordered delivery one hungry night and it was soooooooooo good!! It was my first time having West African cuisine and it definitely lived up to my expectations. I really recommend this restaurant.

Food was very good, lots of bones in the meat though. Seasoned well, good flavors....!!

This service was nice for a change! My problem with this place you charge $14 for soup bowl of potatoes greens with smoke bones and two pieces of chicken! The food is trash!! Will never return to this restaurant

Got the lamb and plantains and peanut butter soup! They give you so much! Everything was seasoned well the onions were even amazing! Large portions. Only reason for the three stars was the lamb was tough! If it was tender it would be 5 stars! I will try other dishes from them!

Food can be very good at times, but can be a miss. A restaurant that has been featured on two widely watched networks should not have issues with inconsistency. I guess Le Mandigue is becoming a hollowed shell of its former self. While the consistency is lacking, the customer service is severely lacking. The women working here have the worse attitudes. I can't order here again, especially not after what I experienced recently. I most certainly will not be coming back, that's for sure. If you don't want to put up with rude workers, while fearing them tampering with your food out of spite, then go elsewhere. The entire stretch of Woodland Avenue is littered with other African eateries, that are actually good with decent customer service to match.

We ordered food here today and went to the store to o pick up something for 45 minutes.we went to pick up the food just to hear "Oh,no potato greens,because people were buying it out" Am!! They had it when you order but they fix your plate that you order when you pick it up!!! So it's useless to order by phone..same thing happened when we did uber eats..After 45 Minutes they called us to tell us they ate out of stuff!! No more coming here for us and the staff are unfriendly and looks like they don't wanna be there.. And they rude as shit!!!