Are you looking for the best African restaurants in Canada where you can eat some of your favorite African meals? There are lots of these restaurants in Canada, but the challenge is locating them.
Africans are among one the widely traveled people in the world. As they travel, they tend to move with their culture. The opportunity is always there for Africans to establish themselves in different parts of the world so they can live in harmony with the locals.
Finding a spot to eat some of those meals that remind you of mom’s cooking is one of the best things to happen to you in Canada. There are several African restaurants in Canada that incorporate African culture and serve homemade African dishes as seen in this review.
It is on that note that we present you with the list of the best African restaurants in Canada. From “swallows” to groceries and soups, you can find them in these restaurants.
1. Avant Gout Restaurant
Avant Gout Restaurant is a Moroccan-inspired restaurant that specializes in the serving of delicious lunch, brunch, and dinner. You can also find a wide range of wines on its menu.
The Environment
Africans are particular about the kind of meals they eat, as well as the environment where the meals are served.
Avant Gout Restaurant takes this into account. The bistro has made improvements in different areas of the restaurant to ensure that the customers are truly satisfied.
First, the bistro has exposed brick, high-backed leather chairs to make the customers comfortable and at the same time, give them the feeling of dining in a contemporary African restaurant in Canada.
Second, the bistro takes particular interest in the lighting. This is evident in the installation of soft light. Soft music also plays in the background. These elements, when fused, go a long way to give the customers the desired exquisite dining experience.
Meal Specialties
Avant Gout Restaurant also offers something that most African restaurants in Canada wouldn’t offer – specialties.
First, the bistro does this by using fantastic Moroccan-inspired French recipes. These recipes are combined with the best ingredients to prepare meals that come out “special.”
The other aspect of the specialized touch to Avant Gout Restaurant’s meals is the inclusion of diverse daily dishes that will “keep you coming back for more.”
Classic Favorites
Avant Gout Restaurant doesn’t just focus on the serving of great-tasting meals. The bistro is also in touch with some of the best days in the world.
During these days, it either gives discounts on meals or adds a delicate combination of classic favorites and signature dishes to the menu.
Some of the meals you will find on the menu on these days are:
- Baked Chilean Sea Bass
- Braised Beef Short Ribs
- Sticky Coffee Pudding
- Pear Salad
- Blackened Arctic Cha
Menu
Now to the Avant Gout Restaurant menu. The meals are categorized into Desserts, Starters, Entrees, Pasta, and Weekly Specials.
Here is a list:
- Starters, such as Mixed Field Greens with house dressing; Bruschetta with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic.
- Entrees, such as Veal Limone with capers lemon butter served with linguine garlic olive oil; Grilled Provimi Liver in a Zinfandel and caramelized onion jus with crispy Frites.
- Dessert, such as Sticky Toffee Pudding with Caramel Sauce; Carrot Cake with Warm Cream Cheese icing.
Website: https://www.avantgoutrestaurant.ca/
2. Mnandi Pies
Zimbabwe has lots of foods that will make many Africans green with envy. One such food is hand pies.
Mnandi Pies is one of the established African restaurants in Canada that specialize in making pastries. The restaurant made it a point of duty to serve one of the best pastries – Zimbabwean meat pies.
A striking thing about these meat pies is that they are meant to be eaten by hand and enjoyed. As Mnandi Pies put it, “simply heat your pie and enjoy with both hands.”
The Background Story
Mnandi Pies was founded by Evis Chirowamhangu, a Zimbabwean. According to him, he moved to Canada and decided to establish Mnandi Pies as a pastry brand because he discovered that there was none of such business in Canada at the time.
Besides, he got the inspiration to make Zimbabwean pies after the countless number of times he relished the taste of meat pies he shared with his siblings while in Zimbabwe. The taste has remained with him since. And seeing that Zimbabwean meat pies weren’t readily available in Canada, he established Mnandi Pies to meet that market need. It is a unique African restaurant in Canada with a rich history.
The Difference is in the Taste
Indeed, the difference in what Mnandi Pies offer as far as pastries are concerned is in the taste. The restaurant makes these handmade meat pies using wholesome and locally sourced ingredients. This is why it is one of the best African restaurants in Canada. The unique taste of its food is thrilling and made with the Zimbabwean distinct spices that add extra warmth to the pies.
Menu
Although meat pies are the primary pastries made by Mnandi Pies, it also serves other kinds of pies.
The two most popular pie types served here are Meat Pies and Vegetarian Pies. On the one hand, the meat pies are ideal for Africans looking to “have a taste of Zimbabwean spices in pies.” On the other hand, the Vegetarian Pies are specially designed for vegetarian lovers.
The Meat Pies include:
- Beef & Kale Pie
- Steak & Onion Pie
- Chicken & Mushroom Pie
The list of pies on the Vegetarian Pie menu includes:
- Chakalaka Pie
- Kale & Carrot Pie
You may also be interested in the Mnandi Pies Pie Boxes. These are designed to help you create custom orders and save some money too!
The pie boxes start with a minimum of 4 pies and can be as high as a box of 36 pies. With more orders come great discounts.
Website: https://www.mnandipies.com/
3. Pili Pili
Want to have a taste of East African meals? There is no better place to have it on a platter than at Pili Pili.
This is an African restaurant located at 1960 Lawrence Avenue E, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
The restaurant serves a wide range of East African fares ranging from chicken mishkaki and ugali fries.
Catering Services
Pili Pili also offers catering and takeout services. This is ideal for Africans who are throwing a party, having a birthday celebration, having a get-together, or simply hosting an event.
You can rely on Pili Pili to come through with its catering and takeout services. The restaurant also has special dishes in store for such events.
Menu
Pili Pili has several dishes on its menu. These cut across marinated meats, sandwiches and rolls, and family combos. Drinks, snacks, and condiments are also included.
The list of dishes and drinks on the Pili Pili menu include but are not limited to:
- Marinated Meats, such as Pili Pili Leg Quarters, Pili Pili Chicken, Pili Pili AAA Beef Ribs, Pili Pili Chicken Wings, Pili Pili Beef Mishkaki, Pili Pili Chicken Breast.
- Snacks, such as Chapri Chips, Chicken Samosas, Kebabs, Roasted Coconut Creamed Corn, Ugali Fries, Hand Cut Fries, Beef Samosas, Zanzibar Mix, Veg Samosas, Mogo, Mogo/Potato Salad, and Nylon Bhajia.
- Sandwiches and Rolls, such as Fried Chicken Sandwich, Pili Pili Donair, and Chicken Mishkaki Roll.
- Condiments, such as Ambli Chutney, Pili Pili Coleslaw, Carrot Pickle, Pili Pili Mayo, Coconut Chutney, and Mbuzi.
- Family Combos, such as Grill Platter, Whole Chicken, and Whole Gajjar Chicken.
- Drinks, such as Vimto/Juice/Chai and Pop/Water.
Website: http://www.pili-pili.ca/
4. MyChopChop
There is a term that is peculiar to Nigerians. That term has also become a sort of mantra for most Africans. The term has to do with eating. That term is, “chop.”
The idea is that someone who is “chopping” is simply eating. Thus, the establishment of MyChopChoprestaurant in Canada is rooted in that.
MyChopChop is an African restaurant in Canada that is determined to give as many Africans as possible the opportunity to “stay connected to our roots in our values, hearts, and kitchen.”
As much as it is committed to making African foods readily available to Africans living in Canada, MyChopChop also understands that it may not serve everybody.
This is why it opted to prioritize groceries. The idea is to shop for African groceries and make them readily available for Africans in Canada.
Besides, this is one of the convenient ways to get your favorite African groceries without traveling the length and breadth of Canada to get them.
With its wide network, MyChopChop does all the job for you. It is also possible to place your orders online. It is one of the best African restaurants in Canada for all who desire the Nigerian food flavor.
Values
MyChopChop is committed to solving problems that relate to the shopping of African groceries. The grocer also applies the highest standards in purchasing, storing, and delivering groceries to its customers.
Worthy of mention is that MyChopChop offers a variety of food quality options, including packaged and frozen.
Grocery Collections
No matter the type of grocery you are looking for, rest assured that MyChopChop has it. The grocery collections cut across Quick Meals, Beverages, Personal Hygiene, Superfoods, Condiments & Oil, Snacks and Soup Spices.
The Soup Spices include:
- Nkwobi spice
- Uda Seeds
- Nutmeg
- Ehuru (African Nutmeg)
- Ofor Seeds
- Gbafilo
Beverages & Drinks include:
- Bournvita
- Peak Milk
- La Casera Apple
- Milo
- Golden Morn Cereal
Website: https://www.mychopchop.ca/
5. Cassava Cuisine
Looking for where to enjoy African grill food in Canada? Look for further because Cassava Cuisine got you covered. This is one of the leading restaurants in Canada that cater to the needs of Africans in need of grill food.
The amazing thing about these grill foods is that they are grilled on charcoal. So, you will have that “charcoal taste” in your grilled meat to remind you of Africa.
Although meat is the most grill food, there are lots of others offered by Cassava Cuisine. The restaurant also offers grilled fish.
The Original African Taste
The charcoal aside, Cassava Cuisine ensures that its customers immerse themselves in the alluring environment of traditional African cuisine. It stands tall as one of the best African restaurants in Canada.
The restaurant only uses the best and fresh ingredients to cook the tasty African fresh food you love.
It also has a team of experienced chefs and cooks that have over the years, perfected the art of cooking tasty, African dishes.
Home Deliveries
You will not always have the time to walk into the restaurant at 685 Lansdowne Avenue, Toronto, Canada to have a meal.
This is why Cassava Cuisine introduced home deliveries. You can order your grill foods online and have them delivered to your doorstep by Doordash or UberEats.
Menu
The menu of Cassava Cuisine is filled with a variety of African dishes, desserts, and drinks. These include:
- Whole roast chicken
- Asun goat
- Whole grilled Tilapia
- Cassava fries
- Grilled beef kabob
- Jollof rice
- Pepper soup
Website: https://www.cassavacuisine.com/
6. Simba Grill
Simba Grill is a family restaurant that is committed to providing you and other Africans with the satisfying taste of East African food and Indian cuisines.
Jessani and Rashma are the owners of the restaurant. The husband and wife named the restaurant after the famous Simba Grill located at the Kilimanjaro Hotel in Dar-es-salaam – the capital city of Tanzania.
They run the restaurant with the help of their children, Shainoor and Sameere. It is one of the best African restaurants in Canada popular among the East Africans and Indians.
Menu
The menu includes dishes and drinks made from the freshest ingredients and served 100% halal.
The Seafood includes Fish Pili Pili with Potato, Shrimp Curry, Fish Thali Platter, Fish Curry, Whole Fish with Potato and roti, and Masala Fish.
The restaurant also serves vegetables, such as Chick Peas, Vegetable Thali Platter, Daal Curry, Spinach Curry, Pigeon Peas, Okra and Potatoes, and Red Kidney Beans.
Beverages, such as Mango Lassi, Tea, Mango Strawberry Shake, Mango Juice, Portello, Juice, and Vimto bottles/cans are also available.
Samba Grill also offers catering services for both small and large events. The minimum order is for 100 people.
Website: http://www.simbagrill.ca/
7. Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant
This restaurant offers the best Ethiopian dishes in Toronto, Canada. The restaurant was established with the goal of “bringing the amazing and unique Ethiopian flavors to Toronto.”
It has consistently been doing that, especially with the perfection of the cooking techniques and the use of the best recipes and fresh ingredients to bring out the taste in the African meals served here.
Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant also brings the Coffea Arabica to Toronto. This is the coffee plant that did not originate from Ethiopia but has helped put the country on the map as one of the coffee exporting countries.
Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant promises to give you a treat of the Coffea Arabica after your meals at the restaurant.
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Menu
Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant takes care of most of your daily nutrition needs. From breakfast to dinner, the restaurant serves them all.
It also adds additional nutritional meals, such as poultry and lamb, beef, salad, and desserts. The restaurant also has a special menu for kids. So, you can bring your kids along the next time you visit Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant for a special African treat.
The list of dishes include:
- Lunch & Dinner Menu, including Collard Green, Vegetarian Platter Hot, Shuro Wat, Yemiser Wat, Shiro with Gommen, Cabbage Wat, and Bozena Shero.
- Breakfast Menu, including Kita, Scramble Egg, Mashed Beans served with Onion hot Pepper/Yoghurt/Oil, Kenche, and Quanta (a cube of dry beef meat soaked in wat).
- Chicken Wings and Burger
- Salads, including Tomato Salad, Caesar Salad, Greek Salad, and House Salad.
Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant also allows reservations and online orders through the mobile application.
Website: https://www.lalibelaethiopianrestaurant.com/
8. Mr. Jerk
Mr. Jerk is a Jamaican restaurant in Canada. It opened in 1979 and started operating in the backroom of Linstead Market – a small West Indian grocery store.
It would later move to a small space in the Peanut Plaza in North York, Ontario, Canada. This was in 1986. In the last 35 years, Mr. Jerk has not only served authentic flavors that will melt your mouth but have also grown into a successful chain of restaurants.
Menu
Mr. Jerk has a lot to offer. The meals range from Chicken, Curry Beef, Pork, Stew Beef, Curry Goat, and Stew Chicken.
Mr. Jerk is open from Monday to Friday.
Website: https://www.mrjerk.ca/
9. TastyJollof
TastyJollof is an African restaurant in Canada that is committed to serving the best African meals with a touch of freshness. The dishes are also made in a way to create a feeling of nostalgia that will have you relishing the taste as if it were sent from your home in Africa.
TastyJollof is located at Units 11&12, 1375 Danforth Road, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. The restaurant also allows you to place orders for African dishes online and have the same delivered to you at your home or office. It is one of the best African restaurants in Canada that serve popular Nigerian foods at affordable prices.
Menu
TastyJollof has a variety of popular African dishes. From soups to the popular jollof rice, it has it all.
On the menu are:
- Fried rice
- Afang soup
- Abacha
- Banga soup
- Coconut rice
- Edikaikong soup
- Coconut Jollof
- Egusi soup
- Coconut rice
- Buka stew
- Coconut cream pasta
Website: https://tastyjollof.ca/
10. African Village
African Village is an African restaurant in Canada that gives you a village-like experience when dining there. It is a typical village styled Nigerian restaurant in Canada with menu that serves major Nigerian dishes.
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With a dedication to the highest quality of customer satisfaction and manned by professional staff, the restaurant delivers African pride to its customers.
Menu
The menu of African Village covers most of the fresh and delicious African dishes. These dishes include:
- Nigerian jollof rice
- Fried Tilapia/Mackerel or Seabas
- Dodo (plantain)
- Rice and stew
- Spinach soup (Efo Riro) served with pounded yam.
- Grilled Tilapia
- Beef Suya
- Grilled Chicken
- Bobolo
- Asun
- Pounded yam and Egusi soup
- Goat Suya
You can also book African Village for offline catering services. The restaurant also has a spacious venue where you can hold your events and parties. It is one of the best African restaurants in Canada.
Website: https://africanvillage.ca/
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Wrapping Up
Eating in an African restaurant outside the shores of Africa gives you something to hold onto as you think about your home with nostalgia.
The African restaurants in Canada on this list have been used and found innovative by hundreds of Africans who are glad to patronize them.
Reviewed as a list of the best African restaurants in Canada, the uniqueness, special delicacies of the African home revolves around these restaurants in Canada, carefully read through to pick a restaurant that is unique to your African culture or try out some combination of other African delicacies.
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