6 Can’t Miss African restaurants in New York City

In a city as large and multicultural as New York, one way to measure the incredible depth of its diversity is through its many delicious cuisines. The city has the largest number of Black immigrants in the United States, over a million strong, with many transplants hailing from African nations. As a result, the culinary landscape is as varied and fascinating as the continent itself.

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Alt-Text: You don’t need a passport to explore Africa’s diverse flavors https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/closeup-of-food-in-plate-on-table-picture-id1183180382?k=20&m=1183180382&s=612×612&w=0&h=7tH7y7qUMKPqsk1TwxSmtluFaZgHcDNeiCBq7ygAZr0=

From uptown in Harlem’s Little Senegal to down in the West Village, here are seven city restaurants to whet your appetite for African fare.

Teranga 

Though it doesn’t have an exact counterpart in English, the Wolof word teranga (loosely translated as “hospitality”) is meant to capture the warmth, excitement, and thoughtfulness imparted when welcoming guests into one’s home. Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam wanted to capture that feeling at his restaurant where the cuisine is rooted in traditional West African home cooking. Beautiful plates of yassa yassa (spicy marinated chicken) and salmon bowls with jollof rice are crafted using ingredients that are sourced from countries in West Africa (as are the eclectic art and furnishings filling the airy, modern restaurant space). You’ll find the original Teranaga location on the northeast corner of Central Park inside the multidisciplinary Africa Center, where you can also browse art exhibitions, attend seminars, and screen films related to the diaspora. A second location can be found at the Hugh, a sprawling culinary collective located roughly 50 blocks south in Midtown East.

Berber Street Food

This 15-seat café is a feast not just for the palate, but for the other senses as well with its cheerful yellow walls, intricate woven baskets, and aroma of North African oils. Chef Diana Tandia hails from Mauritania, and innfuses traditions from her home along with a fusion of other countries’ flavors and techniques to create her own variety of African fusion cuisine. Many of the foods served here are designed to be held in your hand as you take a stroll through the quaint West Village streets surrounding the restaurant . The menu is full of creative, Halal-friendly takes on street food, from the vegan Zanzibar curry empanadas to the Mozambican tacos stuffed with shrimp, cabbage, and topped with zesty piri piri sauce.

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Alt-Text: Dinner is served at Berber Street Food in NYC https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d15088419-Reviews-Berber_Street_Food-New_York_City_New_York.html#photos;aggregationId=101&albumid=101&filter=7&ff=351666311 

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The quality and freshness of the ingredients, the taste of the meals, and the way they are cooked are simply amazing. I tried all the street food bites and wished I could borrow a second stomach to continue with all the house specialties. The kofta meatballs, the empanadas, the accras, and suya brochettes were succulent. 

Massawa

One of the pioneering African restaurants in the city, Massawa has enjoyed a steady following since opening in 1988, and earned a reputation as one of the city’s most reliable spots for Ethiopian and Eritrean meals. 

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Alt-Text: An assortment of Ethiopian foods served with injera bread

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The Harlem standby serves up crowd-pleasers like tsebhi (a fragrant Eritrean meat stew prepared with tomatoes and onions), ful (a savory bean dip served with fresh veggie and pita), and tebsi (tender sirloin marinated in tangy berbere spices). Most dishes are served family-style on spongy injera, a traditional flatbread that acts as a vehicle for the other elements of the meal. On most Sunday evenings, diners can enjoy live jazz with their meals.

Pikine

This intimate six-table restaurant brings you the flavor of traditional Senegalese food with a French flair. What the petite spot lacks in space, it makes up for in flavor and portion size: entrees are extremely generous, with fresh ingredients varying depending on the day of the week, or in some cases even the time of day. Try Senegal’s national dish, thiebou djeun.  A fish prepared with smoky flavors in a tomato broth, it’s served with traditional African tubers like sweet potatoes and cassava. Other popular items on the menu include grilled dibi chicken, served with a side of seasoned onions, and brochette shish kebabs, which can be prepared with lamb or chicken. 

Voilà Afrique 

Voila Afrique’s owner George Quainoo and chef Margarete Duncan are Ghanaian and Nigerian, respectively, and at their cozy, counter-service restaurant on Manhattan’s east side, they offer diners the chance to customize their own pan-African platter with flavors from across the continent. The menu is designed to mix and match: first, choose your fufu (kenkey, plantain, or yam) before adding a base (like jollof rice, corn-based ugali, coconut rice, and yams), a rich sauce, and a protein. Other popular menu picks include the egusi (a nutty soup) and the hearty peanut stew. The restaurant also has plenty of options on deck for diners in search of vegan or gluten-free fare.

B&D Halal Food

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Alt-Text: Orders are sold by the pound at B&D Halal

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This cafeteria-style spot near Madison Square Garden has been keeping guests coming back for more helpings since 2011. With dozens of staples like akyeke (a couscous-like dish made from cassava), okra stew, and thiakry (a creamy, yogurt-style dessert) served buffet-style, B&D is an ideal place to sample new dishes with origins in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and elsewhere.