Papaye

The food was HORRIBLE! The ambiance was intoxicated with Angry greedy people who own and work there. SHAMELESS!!! They're supposed to cook African food! But their food was tasteless and greasy. They're disrespectful, and refuse to give refunds or discounts for their horrible food. Please be advised, you can become sick from their food with the way they prepared it. Who fries egusi..? With no sauce, no seasonings..? Overcooked, smelly fish!!! They're cutting corners. They don't add palm oil, or seasoning to save money. EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! The place was dirty.

We miss the old papaye from back in the days . Now customers are getting fed like toddlers and infants while prices are increasing at a fast and sneaky rate .

The soups are good here but sometimes the service sucks- it's extremely slow, sometimes the people serving the food are rude. They just finished raising the price of the fufu with soup to $20... this is a pic of what I got and that is after telling the woman to add more as I was paying $20 for this soup with 3 small pieces of turkey. I used to like coming here but I will think twice of continuing to come

Can't believe I almost forgot to write this review. Papaye has been my go-to spot when craving authentic Ghanaian food and sometimes when I'm just in the mood for some Jolluf rice. I'll say the food is almost always consistent, but because of how the kitchen is operated (It's a small family business) some days are better than most some days after spicier than others. My most recent order was spicy beyond words lol! I usually order the Waakye - black rice & beans (comes with spaghetti, garri & shito - extra spicy black chili sauce) Jolluf rice and stew which comes with assorted meat. If I'm being greedy I'll order fried yams with their tomato & pepper purée with fried fish. Decently priced food and will definitely satisfy your African food craving.

The customer service was horrible and unhelpful. As a first time patron I needed to know more details on what was offered and I was answered with reluctance. The food was incredibly dry and lacked flavor. $17 for jollof with "chicken stew" (fried chicken and two spoons of stew from another dish) and unripened plantains. Will not be going back again.

There is this annoying old lady there in the morning, when you ask for goat meat. She gives you whatever she want. I asked for large waakye fish and goat. Then this stupid lady gave me cowfoot. I live in New Jersey!!! How do I return this?

This place is horrible. The customer service is horrible. They are rude and disrespectful to customers. I will never spend my money there again. Not to mention they over charge and do not have prices readily available, they just tell you a random number as they go along (random to me at least because the prices were not visible). There is no order and they let people skip the lines. I would even say I experienced sexism. It was a wild place to order food from. NEVER GOING THERE AGAIN!

The best African food. This place is great. Every time we go we see people we know here.

Ordered okra stew with white rice, and this is what they delivered. The service is horrible, they are rude even on the phone.

Ordered from door dash and gave specific instructions as to how I wanted my food. They disregarded the instructions and put additions on my food that I did not request. FIX IT!!!!!

This is hands down my favorite African restaurant. I love their jollof rice and fried fish. The serving sizes are large, and you definitely get your money's worth. The interior is simple. You walk up to the hot buffet counter and tell the women behind the counter what you want. After your plate is made, your food is passed down to the cashier for payment. You can either eat inside of the restaurant or take the food to go. I absolutely love it here. It's also a neighborhood staple.

Wakkye with curry goat was very tasty (and spicy). The groundnut soup with goat was also delicious! As authentic as it gets... I lived in Ghana for 6 months and Ghanaian cuisine is always my feel-good choice of cuisine. I will say that the service wasn't the greatest (it seems maybe the lady at the counter had lost her magical Ghanaian sparkle), but definitely hit up this spot if you want an authentic, delicious meal!

The food is okay, but the service sucks. Especially those women behind the counters they are so rude, and no sense of urgency. They think people have all day to spend time there!

Im not really a fan of this location to be honest. The only pros this place has compared to the other location is that theyre open till midnight & they sell suya. But besides that, thats about it. Too many cons. I prefer the Grand Concourse location

Papaye restaurant has improved significantly as compared to the last time we visited. They have remodeled and the place now has some juicy cheekiness with a swag of Ghana vibes all mixed in the aroma of Ghanaian cuisine. They could do better with the orderliness of which food is served or ordered, but then again, they've given us Ghana in the Bronx, NY, so why complain!

I'm glad that my Ghanaian friend recommended this place. It's not a fancy restaurant but the food was delicious. The staff members were were helpful with offering their suggestions for what to order.

Food is good. I got a small bowl of Jollof Rice for $8, when its originally $10 with meat. I do not eat meat, which it why I ordered the rice alone. In my opinion, that is a lot of money for rice. Customer service can be better.

When reviewing restaurants of cuisines that are beyond the 'mainstream diet' of residents of even our country's most cosmopolitan of cities, it can be easy to let the establishment serve as a proxy for the culinary merit of the country as a whole. That's problematic, because a restaurant serving the traditional, or even modern takes on a particular regions, shouldn't be held to account for the entire agricultural and societal development that has evolved over hundreds or even thousands of years. That's why I'm happy to have trekked up to the South Bronx recently with ten friends to try not one but three different Ghanaian restaurants. This wasn't my first time with the cuisine, I'd had it three times before, and certainly some of the elements that were present are available in other West African and Caribbean traditions. But for everyone else, this was their first exposure to the food of Ghana. There are two locations of Papaye in the Bronx, the first a small countertop, and then this one, a boisterous corner location that was almost full on a Saturday afternoon. Televisions showed African soccer matches, while most tables were occupied by groups of young men using the place as an alternative to a bar. This gave me a great reason to head over to the next door bodega and return with a dozen bottles of Guinees and a chance to explain the East African predilection for stouts. The thickness of the beer helped wash down the food here, which tends to run a bit more towards West African classics, with a touch of the Caribbean mixed in. Fried fish and fired chicken weren't particularly distinctive, but the boney fish and moist meat of the poultry both were big hits at the table. We also polished two big plates of jolof rice. This dish, with its original in Senegal, uses tomato paste pepper, and spices to create a mixture that's closer to fried rice than briyani. It was a hit with the vegetarians at the table. They also enjoyed the banku with fermented and cooked corn balls in a stew. Papaye is the heaviest of the options we tried in the Bronx. Many things touched the fryer making for a caloric but satisfying meal. It was a bit dangerous placing it in the middle of a three restaurant experience, but the friendly and loud environment were a hit with the crowd. This place also serves many traditional Ghanaian recipes, including the stew and suya that we sampled earlier in the day at Ebe Ye Yie. To avoid duplication, I focused on things that we didn't try elsewhere.

The service sucks big time! The server was rude and served me cold food. When I asked for it to be warmed up she said that they couldn't do it because they had no way of heating it up. I have been here before and usually I get the same type of bad attitude. I believe it is because I am not African however, my boyfriend is.

This place is unimpressive and a bit dicey looking. Their soccer tv looked like the ironically placed one at "Welcome to the Johnsons" and the fish behind the counter looked a bit dry. Glances were exchanged and knowing looks, but since there was a line it seemed like a good bet. Besides, we really had no other options. Fortunately, we lucked out. We quickly discovered that appearances aside, Papaye specializes in tasty fish cooked Jamaican or Ghanaian style, loaded up with a variety of delicious high carb sides. Do watch for bones though. I missed some, and ugh, hack, ulp...that was a mistake. Also, it is byob, but a guy offered to get us some Ghanaian beer from the corner grocery so you can't beat that. 3.5 stars.

I LOVEEE coming here.I am always here getting the same thing. THE TILAPIA IS---don't even think about it just buy it! Tip: if you do not like spicy food then this probably isn't the place for you. Ghanaian food is known to be hard cooking so most of the dishes are spicy. I can't get enough. I would love to see better service though. In any case, I love me some Papaye!

Ghanaian Fast Food at its finest. I know it's three stars, but when I'm lazy and don't want to cook my mom and I will trek up here to get comfort food. Compared to home this is three stars, sorry. :) Soups are good. Fried things tend to be greasy, but hey, I'll take here over Afrikiko any day. good stuff.

Papaye is a pretty small place serving up some Ghanaian food up in the Bronx. Everyone that works there is incredibly friendly and the place radiates positive energy. Both times I've been there it has had a crowd that is friendly and excited about eating there favorite dish. It is moderately priced and the food kicks ass! The fufu with goat meat and okra is probably my favorite dish. Fufu is a dough-like substance made from cassava or plantains. The stew in which the fufu is served has a bit of spice to it and has one of the most unique flavors I've tasted in awhile. The goat meat is tender and the okra is on the verge of completely dissolving in the stew. No utensils needed for this dish--just rip off a piece of fufu off with your hands, dip it in the stew and you're good to go. This really is a meal in itself. However, given that it's not everyday that I head to the Bronx, my friend and I ordered two additional dishes--the fried fish and the taro. The fried fish was tilapia and we destroyed it! It's served with two dipping sauces and again, no utensils are needed. The taro isn't my favorite, but it is also served with chunks of fried fish and a hefty side of this spinach dish that is mixed with fresh fish meat. This spinach dish will weaken your knees! I really don't know how to describe the flavor. It's just something that has to be tried. So get on up there and try a few dishes. You won't be disappointed.

overpriced !!too much pepper!! they don't warn you you will just order your food to find out later you can't eat it because their is a gallon of pepper in the stew and also the food has old taste to it they don't throw away the food the night before they just keep reheating and adding ingredients to the food so it has a old taste i would not recommend this place to anyone save your money

Let me start by saying that I am African and this particular Papaye location makes African people look bad !I usually go to the one on Grand Concourse because they have better customer service and the same menu . I live right in the middle of both places and sometimes it's just convenient to come to this location but never again . I brought a friend here a week ago and when we walked in as usual they never greet u or smile . After ordering 50 bucks worth of food to takeout, I asked for extra okra on the side 3 times , they kept ignoring me then the Ghanaian guy at the cash register said that I talk too much and called me a foolish girl. Still no okra and I decided to take my Money elsewhere but the lady kept asking me to come back and I starting yelling at this point because I was so sick of the way they treat non Ghanaian people that come here . If you like the food here then go to the one on Grand Concourse and stay away from this place not worth it unless u are Ghanaian . I hope the owner sees this and does something about the staff because even tho u upgraded the interior u still have to upgrade the staff . I've worked in food hospitality for over 10 yrs and I've never treated someone that way before in my life especially a customer. Calling me a foolish girl !

My brother and I purchased two orders from Papaye. I was craving friend rice and he was craving jollof. Each of our orders came with an option of chicken or fish and we decided on getting chicken. Once home I started eating the food and after my first bite of chicken I noticed it wasn't fully cooked. I decided to call and tell someone at the store just so they know for the future. But once I made the complaint, I was told "So what" and got cut off. Very rude and unprofessional to say the least!

This location of Papaye is a lot busier than the Grand Concourse location. There is often a line if you don't get there early enough, and the crowd tends to take up most of the seating as well. The upkeep of the space is not as good, along with the sad fact that they ask you to pay before you sit down to eat. This might be an issue of them having witnessed people walk away without paying, but the Grand Concourse location has the regular restaurant eat then pay option.

This place is very good, pricey and far from town, but when I tell you that it's worth it to travel that far and get on the subway, I mean it. Besides home cooked meals, this place tasted very authentic and 100% satisfying. I suggest the light soup and fufu, my absolutely favorite.

The salmon was a bit pasty for some reason well seasoned though. The service was decent and the waitresses were perfect! Tap water did waste weird...

Good price, poor quality! The place is dirty and not professional! I ordered a waakey and it came with some hair on it! Also the soda can was completely dirty!

The owner of this place should train his staff on customer​ service.I went there one day the manager took 10 minutes to come​ and use th​e credit card machine, then he said he had a headache so i should just use the atm. when you call they don't​t even say hi or even tell you to hold on. i called to place an order the guy asked where i was ​and told me to come in because he is on a phone​ call. And the food is just okay NOTHING SPECIAL. Surprising that the owner is an educated millionaire but chooses to give his own people the worst customer service in NYC.

To clarify, this address (McClellan) is their original, less formal place. Their website focuses on the newer place, further north on The Grand Concourse. I think that explains some of their variation in the reviews -- people are expecting the newer place and getting the more basic, older one. You don't go here for the atmosphere -- it's a cafeteria with a tv on. This is a place to go for authentic Ghanaian food. They have a nice picture menu for those not used to the food, but feel free to ask the woman behind the counter questions. I love the emotuo and peanut soup. Nice and spicy. The Emotuo (rice balls) are a great contrast to the spicy soup. The goat meat is nicely stewed and so, not chewey. Huge portions so a good value If you're going to feel uncomfortable being the only "foreigner" (I was), then probably go to the Grand Concourse location, but if you're okay with a few quizzical looks, this place is easy to visit (close to the 167th St. D stop and very near the Bronx Museum of Art).

Bad customer service.they behave as if we begging them for food.poor customer service experience

A great no frills place to satisfy your tastes for Banku and soup :) A curious patron (I think everyone is an Ashanti here) asked me "where did you learn to eat this food". When I explained Ghana, he smiled and encouraged me to sit down and eat :)

The food was ok but I got a little stomach uncomfortable afterwards. I think it is because the food sauce was quite thick. I recommend go earlier in the day so you have more time to digest before evening. Friendly stuff.

The food was excellent and very reasonable. We have visited quite a few restaurants and so far this is our most favorite Ghanaian restaurant so far. The fried yam with fish oh my my was my most favorite.... The jallof was good also. I just don't know why Africans don't like to cook the meat till its soft though??? Lol no matter the restaurant the meat is hard, good but hard. The kabob was really really good. My husband ordered 5 to go. We will visit anytime we are in NY.....

I come here when I have a craving for jollof rice and spicy fried chicken. The food here is ok, definitely a bit on the heavier side with the rice well coated in oil but the heat level is a draw for those who like spicy food!

100 percent authentic Ghanaian food. Dried fish, kabob, jollof, fufu, light soup, stew and everything in beween, They tend to skimp on their stew actually...I make sure to tell the lady who portions out my waakye to be generous. It's a hike but it's well worth it every time. Extremely well priced for the portion size. 4 stars for being consistently good year over year. You could have multiple parties of 10 and they would fit btw s I wouldn't call it exactly small. 2.5 blocks away from the D train stop.

The food is great. I'm used to steam tables for Ghanaian food so it's often too salty. Here it is very well flavored. I'd give it five stars if they served ginger juice or a better selection of beverages. Everything I had was excellent including the tilapia, palava sauce, and tuwo.