Pikine
West African restaurant · Central Harlem
243 W 116th St, New York, NY 10026
Highlights
Generous portions of authentic Senegalese cuisine
Generous portions of authentic Senegalese cuisine
"The area near the 116th Street 2/3 station has a bunch of Senegalese and West African food, and Pikine makes some of the best. The space is just a single room with some booths and TVs mounted to the walls, and it’s the sort of place where you could bring a group and hang out for a few hours. We especially like the whole fried red snapper and the dibi lamb, both of which come with your choice of side. Choose the couscous as your side, then mix everything together." - neha talreja, hannah albertine, bryan kim, willa moore, sonal shah
"Senegal’s national flower is the baobab, the national soccer team is known as the “Lions of Teranga,” and the national dish is thieboudienne. You can find the last one - stewed fish in tomato broth - at every place on this guide, but you can’t find a better version than the one at Pikine. The big pieces of perfectly grilled and stewed white fish are served with five different vegetables, all of which make clear that they’ve spent plenty of time getting to know each other over the past few hours. Even Sadio Mane in national green rather than Liverpool red can’t outshine this thieboudienne thanks to the mound of heavily seasoned, crispy rice, which soaks up the tomato-y juices, and becomes spicier the longer you let it mingle with the scotch bonnet pepper on the plate." - matt tervooren
"Located in Harlem’s Little Senegal, the name Pikine refers to the prosperous farmland that lies to the east of the Senegalese capital of Dakar. The cooking of owner Amadou Ba reflects this lushness, with a thiebou djeun made from bluefish that offers a spectacular six vegetables and sports red rice nicely crusted from the bottom of the pan. The peanut sauce called mafe is shot with okra, which ramps up the slipperiness. Go at lunch for classic Senegalese cuisine and the occasional Gambian dish; at dinner, the menu turns to North Africa and France for inspiration." - Robert Sietsema
"In New York, Pikine was one of the most surprising meals I had." - Eater Staff
"The Senegalese food at Pikine on 116th Street, like fried red snapper or dibi lamb, is all good enough to make your toes wiggle a little. But if you’re just looking for a snack to take with you on your walk, get the nems or fataya (pastry triangles stuffed ground meat or fish). Although Pikine doesn’t deliver, you can call ahead for pick-up and then take your meal to either Marcus Garvey Park, Morningside Park, or the north side of Central Park." - hannah albertine
