Travelling to England or London and you are wondering how you can cope with the food over there? Indeed, it is usually tough on Africans who are migrating to the UK, because they may find it hard to find African restaurants in UK where they can eat their favourite African delicacies.
African dishes are tasty, no doubt about that. And it seems that westerners have also caught that sweet tooth for African dishes, as the demand for African foods is high in the UK.
Whether you are an African travelling to the UK, a resident, or a local looking to taste African meals, it is quite possible. There are a couple of restaurants in the UK that specialize in preparing African meals.
In this article, you will learn about the top 10 African restaurants in UK, their locations, the type of African dishes they serve, and their inspirations for being in the business.
List of Top 10 African Restaurants in UK
Let us now introduce you to the 10 most popular African restaurants you can find in the UK. These restaurants serve anything from Nigerian-inspired Egusi soup to spice-laden East African fare.
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1. Enish
Number one on our list of African restaurants in UK is Enish. This is one of the restaurants that specialize in cooking tasty Nigerian dishes.
You would like to eat here, considering that Nigerian dishes are one of the tastiest on the continent. With the expertise of the Enish chefs, rest assured that you will get value for your money.
Inspiration
Enish was inspired to open its doors to Africans and English men and women who are looking to savor the taste of African dishes in the UK.
The inspiration is based on the fact that most Nigerians do not want to lose the taste of homemade meals that they have been eating for decades. Thus, the wide range of African dishes on the Enish menu are prepared from the diverse cultures of Nigeria.
Also, the restaurant is committed to bringing to its customers, the real taste of Nigerian dishes, while adding a few twists here and there to make the meals as tasty as you expect.
Menu
On the menu are different kinds of meals for different kinds of customers. The Starter package starts from £8.99 and includes delicacies, such as stewed beef, goat assorted meat pepper soup, and stewed assorted meat.
The rich dishes include jollof rice served with plantain, white rice, and ayamase and fried rice served with plantain. You can also make requests for your rice to be served with meat, fresh fish, stockfish, and goat meat.
Enish also cooks and serves a wide range of indigenous Nigerian soups, including the popular Edikang Ikong, Egusi, Abula, Efe Riro, Okra/Ogbono, and Asepo (mixed okra). The restaurant also serves Egusi with bitter leaf and Afang.
Website: https://www.enish.co.uk/
2. Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen
When mention is made of African restaurants in UK, the thought is always about restaurants that serve Nigerian dishes.
This used to be the case until Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen came into the picture, with a revolutionary approach to the preparation and serving of African dishes in the UK.
Founded by Zoe in July 2010, the restaurant has one mission – which is to “bring African foods to the masses.”
Zoe chooses to focus more on Ghanaian meals because she loved the history of those meals and wished to help as many Africans as possible to have a taste of those meals.
She has also taken the time to study the UK market and spent over ten years trying different African food delivery services that included mobile catering, kitchen residences, and running a restaurant space in Brixton, a borough of London.
Menu
Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen serves a wide range of Ghanaian and African foods, ranging from Akara (black-eyed bean fritters), Puff Puff (Bofrot), Tatake (Plantain Pancakes), and Goat Ragu with Prekese.
Online Shop
Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen also has an online shop on its site where visitors can order a wide range of food-related items, such as salt and spice mixes. You can also order the cookbook and Ghana T-Shirt and Hoodie from the online shop. It is one of the best African restaurants in UK that is loved by Ghanaians and those who love Ghana foods.
Online Classes
The restaurant also empowers interested persons with on-demand cooking classes and tutorials. You get to watch Zoe as she explains the sources of the ingredients, as well as prepares core African continental dishes.
ZGK TV
Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen also operates an online television program called ZGK TV. Here, you get to watch most of the free videos and a collection of recipe videos to help you cook your favourite African dishes.
Website: https://www.zoesghanakitchen.com/
3. Sweet Handz
This is another African restaurant in UK that serves mostly Ghanaian dishes. Located in the heart of London, Sweet Handz gives you the authentic Ghanaian experience with the variety of dishes they have on the menu.
It will also interest you to know that Sweet Handz has arranged for African beers to be imported. This way, you wouldn’t miss the taste of your beer brand, while munching on the taste of the dishes.
Menu
The wide range of dishes prepared and served by Sweet Handz is not only carefully prepared, but are also prepared to meet the highest standards that the restaurant is known for.
Worthy of mention is that the African dishes served at Sweet Handz are made with the freshest ingredients so you can fully savour the taste of the meals coming from Africa.
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The menu includes fish dishes, such as Red Bream, Sea Bass Fillets, Steamed or Fried Snapper, and Grilled Tilapia.
The Soups include Okro Soup, Pepper Soup, Peanut Soup, and Palms Soup.
You can also order for Meat Dishes, such as Caribbean Jerk Chicken, Chicken Stew, Caribbean Curry Goat, and Assorted Meat.
Online Ordering
Sweet Handz is also in an ongoing partnership with UberEats. So, you can place your orders online and have the meals delivered to your doorstep.
Catering Services
Asides from serving African meals in a walk-in, relaxed environment, Sweet Handz also has the option of “taking the dishes anywhere you go.”
The restaurant runs a plethora of catering services for clients who want to hire its professional services.
You can hire the catering services offered here when you have a private get-together, an office party, a large corporate event, or a family get-together.
Besides, Sweet Handz has a dedicated floor for progressive and cosmopolitan individuals who want to throw a Hen/Stag Party, Birthday Parties, or hold Christmas parties.
Website: http://sweethandz.co.uk/
4. Addis Restaurant
There may be several African restaurants in UK, but not all of them serve the same dish.
Some Africans and even locals want to taste dishes from other African countries, such as Ethiopia. Addis Restaurant readily comes to mind because it is one of the few African restaurants in UK that serve the popular Ethiopian dish – injera.
The foundation of this restaurant is built on the premise of providing the customers with the best prices for meals and maximum hospitality.
This family-owned restaurant has been existing since 2001 and within this time, it has made tremendous impacts on the Ethiopian nationals who live in the UK.
Asides from that, Addis Restaurant also tops the chart of the best African restaurants because of the wide range of meal options, ranging from Starter, Chicken, Lamb, Vegetarian, and Beef.
Some of the meals served here are:
- Lamb Kebab
- Mixed Salad
- Awaze Tibs
- Addis Potatoes
- Selata Khadra
- Addis Special
- Dulet
- Samaka Muhamar
- Bozena Shro
Website: https://addisrestaurant.co.uk/
5. Little Baobab
Little Baobab is a Senegalese restaurant located in the UK. One of the highlights of this restaurant is the live music band that entertains the customers in the evenings.
The idea of being a pop-up or live music restaurant is based on the fact that Little Baobab wants to give African musicians the opportunity of showcasing their art to the hundreds of customers that troop in to buy their meals.
On its part, Little Baobab does a great job of serving up to three-course meals that revolve around Senegalese dishes.
The restaurant also has a music agency, where it recruits up-and-coming African musicians who want to leverage on the restaurant’s networks to be invited to events where they are paid and given the platform to show what they’ve got.
Little Baobab also offers events and festival catering services for individuals and groups who would like to extra special touch in their events.
Website: http://littlebaobab.co.uk/
6. Koshari Street
Egypt is popularly known for its tourism, especially the ancient tourist attractions. But what many people don’t know is that Egypt also has a budding food export industry.
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Such is the case with Koshari Street, an Egyptian-themed restaurant located at 56 St Martin’s Lane, London.
The restaurant specializes in serving Koshari, which is the national dish for Egypt. It will also interest you to know that Koshari is dubbed “street food” because it is meant to be eaten on the go. Besides, Koshari Street restaurant has modelled it in a way that the dish is spiced with most of the ingredients and toppings that make it irresistible.
Not only that. Customers who are familiar with Koshari can as well inspire the chef with what they want. All you have to do is to choose from the different toppings, sauces, and plant alternatives so that the chef can make your Koshari the way you want it.
The Koshari Street restaurant also offers a wide range of meals on its menu. These range from House Bowls, such as Fava Bean Koshari, California Koshari, and Sesame Jackfruit Koshari. The menu also includes Sides, such as Baladi Salad Tortilla Wrap; Soups, such as Coconut & Spirulina, Egyptian Lentil, and Roasted Sweet Potato; as well as Wraps served with a filling of your choice.
Website: https://www.kosharistreet.com/
7. Mosob
Mosob is a family-run restaurant that serves the best of Eritrean dishes to Africans in London. With its motto as “the soul of Eritrean cuisine,” the restaurant does a great job of preserving the Eritrean culture.
The Eritrean dish is usually shared by a group of friends, families, or lovers. On its part, Mosob ensures that the dish is placed at the center of the table where everyone can reach out for a grab.
Also, you have lots of options to choose from. If you are a vegetarian, there is an option for you because Mosob has arranged to add vegetarian-inspired dishes to the menu.
The full menu of its dishes includes meals made with all kinds of spices, as well as the traditional coffee ceremony and a variety of African beers to compliment the meals the restaurant serves.
Website: http://mosob.co.uk/
8. I Go Chop
I Go Chop is a creative name for a creative restaurant that wants to satiate the pangs of hunger experienced by most Africans in the UK.
It is a Nigerian restaurant that serves you “tasty Nigerian food on the go.” One of the best attributes of this restaurant is the “street approach to serving meals.”
The founders understood that a majority of Nigerians are used to “street food” or foods they can eat on the go. For busy professionals in the UK, it makes sense to have a fast-food joint where you can dash in, quench your taste and fill your belly in a few minutes. That place is I Go Chop.
Menu
The menu of the I Go Chop is best seen than described. For an African or Nigerian descent, it feels like home when you walk into this restaurant.
One of the meals you will likely request is “swallow;” a type of meal that is best eaten with the hands. Rest assured that you have the best soups in-house to make the swallow worth swallowing. From Efo Egusi Stew to Okra, Red Stew, and Efo Riro – you have lots of soups to choose from.
I Go Chop also has many other meals on its menu, including:
- Amala
- Eba
- Poundo (fresh yam steamed and pounded to a smooth texture).
Customers are also allowed to choose how they want their meals to be served. First, you will choose the Base, which could be anywhere from Yam Porridge, Jollof Rice, and White Rice. After that, you will choose the Toppings, which include Chicken Wings, Beef Stew, Plantain Gizzard, Mixed Meat Stew, Oven Baked Chicken, and Cow Foot. You can then choose the Sides that include Beans & Plantain, Beans, and “Dodo” (plantains).
The menu is further categorized into:
- Alcohol
- Pepper meal
- Soups & Stews
- Preparatory Meals
- Top 5
- Meat & Fish
- Rice
- Veggie
- Party Package
- Small Chops
Website: http://www.igochop.com/
9. Afrik ‘N’ Fusion
Afrik ‘N’ Fusion was originally established and operated in France for some years. Now, the restaurant is making a debut in the UK market, and Africans living there are excited.
Afrik ‘N’ Fusion is one of the African restaurants in UK that seize every opportunity to showcase the wonders of Africa. And what could be a better way to do this than to serve some of the best meals ever to come out of Africa?
Afrik ‘N’ Fusion does not only stop at serving the best of African and continental meals. The restaurant also goes the extra mile to add little bits of entertainment, especially via the afrobeat played in the background.
Menu
From authentic home-cooked West African dishes cooked with the freshest seasonal produce to serving favourite African staples – Afrik ‘N’ Fusion has it all.
On the menu are popular African staples and classic dishes, such as Egusi Soup, Thieb, Jollof Rice, Rice and Beans, Yassa, and French Fries.
The restaurant also serves Grilled Chicken, Suya Beef/Lamb/Chicken, Beef Burger, Tropical Salad, Sweet Potato Salad, Cookies, Puff Puff, Chargrilled Pineapple, Thiakry, Muffins, Akara, Chicken Supreme, and Afrik ‘N’ Coffe, including Pepper Mint Tea.
Website: https://www.afriknfusion.co.uk/
10. Zayane Restaurant
Ever wondered how a Moroccan dish tastes? Visit Zayane Restaurant at 91 Golborne Road, Notting Hill to have a taste of its variety of traditional Moroccan dishes that have been made and served with a modern twist.
The modernization of this Moroccan restaurant is evident in the combination of the vibrant flavours of Moroccan cuisine with the modern culinary cooking ethics found in Europe.
Rest assured that the “Moroccan taste” will never go out of style because the restaurant makes it a point of duty to uses traditional spices imported from Morocco to prepare the dishes. This is in addition to the addition of traditional Moroccan smoothies, teas, and fresh juices to the menu.
Reservations
Zayane Restaurant is heavily patronized. To avoid leaving you stranded because of the queue, the restaurant came up with the brilliant idea of making reservations via its website.
You are required to provide your name, email address, the number of reservations (people or chairs) you want to make, your telephone number, and the date and time you want the reservation to be made.
Website: http://zayanerestaurant.com/
Conclusion
Eating African dishes is possible, even when you are in the UK. By visiting those African restaurants in UK, you will have access to a wide range of African meals that you would ordinarily not expect to find in England or London.
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So, go ahead and make reservations or walk into any of those restaurants and once more have a taste of what it is to be an African – even when you are on foreign soil.