Top 10 African Restaurants in Chicago
Our guess is you landed here because you’re probably looking for an African restaurant in Chicago, right? You’re on the right page, and we certainly have valuable information for you. Whether you’re looking for a restaurant that serves African food in Chicago to plan an event or you just want to satisfy your craving at the time, we have written this article to point you to some of these restaurants in Chicago.
There are several African restaurants around this city—Ras Dashen, Demera, Goree Cuisine, Awash Ethiopian Restaurant, Yassa, etc. Willing to learn more? Let’s dive in!
Top 10 African Restaurants in Chicago
1. Mogadishu Restaurant
This is a top African restaurant in Chicago that offers zesty East African cuisine, most especially Somali meals. Mogadishu Restaurant is one of the first African restaurants in Chicago; they have an ethical philosophy based on maintaining the nutrients and method of preparation as it is done in Africa. Their menu features specific Somali foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Here are some of the foods on their menu:
- Breakfast (hilib ari fried, kay with beef, crispy anjera, etc.)
- Lunch (veggie bariis, digaag chicken with briis, chicken suqaar with bariis, etc.)
- Dinner (lamb shank, beef suqaar with bariis, hilib ari fried, etc.)
This restaurant is located at 931 N Orleans St, Chicago, IL.
2. Badou Senegalese Cuisine
This is another top African restaurant in Chicago if you’re looking for something different and a bit experimental. Badou Senegalese Cuisine offers a variety of traditional Senegalese cuisine. You’ll also find a good deal of variation in their traditional cuisine. These variations are a fusion of African and European foods.
On their menu, you would find:
- Appetizers (boulette, chicken coconut soup, fataya, etc.)
- Vegetarian (crevette, ndamme, mafe veggie, etc.)
- Grilled (mafe jerk, yassa jerk, BBQ lamb, etc.)
- Entrees (attieke, cebbu guinnar, cebbu yapp, etc.)
This restaurant is located at 2049 Howard Chicago, IL.
3. Bisi African Restaurant
Bisi African Restaurant has been around for some time. This is a top African restaurant in Chicago that offers tasty Nigerian meals, especially foods from the Yoruba tribe of Western Nigeria. They also have a special menu for vegetarians. On this menu, you’ll find African soups made from seeds.
Foods on their menu include:
- Appetizers (moi, suya, asun, etc.)
- Vegetarian (efo riro, jollof rice, beans, corn] porridge, etc.)
- Non-Vegetarian (pounded yam, ayamashe, egusi, etc.)
This restaurant is located at 8535 Roselle road Schaumburg, Chicago.
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4. Yassa
Yaasa is situated in the Southside area of Chicago. This Senegalese restaurant is owned and operated by natives of the Wolof tribe. The restaurant philosophy is built around the legacies of the Wolof. And one of their legacies is providing food for all. Yassa upholds this by offering inexpensive Senegalese foods. They also offer several Senegalese beverages. The highlight of their beverages is the Senegalese light tea called Ataya Chai.
Here is what you’d find on their menu:
- Appetizers (fataya and nem)
- Lunch Specials (djolof rice, Atieke, aloco, etc.)
- Entrees (white rice, atieke, talapia fillet, etc.)
- Stews (thiou curry with chicken)
- Beverages (bissap, baobab, ginger)
- Desserts (thiakry and caramel cake)
Yassa is located at 3511 S. King Drive, Chicago, IL.
5. Ethiopian Diamond
This is a top African restaurant in Chicago if you want exotic and flavor-rich cuisine. Apart from the food, their dining is also similar to the Ethiopians dining style. The meals on their menu are zesty Ethiopian dishes that would arouse your taste buds.
Ethiopian Diamond offers specific meals for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. There is also a bar within the restaurant that serves Ethiopian beer.
On their menu include:
- Appetizers (spinach, potato and carrot, sambusa, etc.)
- Vegetarian (shimbara asa, Kik alicha, yemisir wat, etc.)
- Dessert (destaye).
Ethiopian Diamond is situated in Edgewater neighborhood, 6120 N Broadway St Chicago, IL.
6. Goree Cuisine
Goree Cuisine offers Senegalese food primarily influenced by French, North African, and Portuguese cuisine. Their meals are usually served with fish. And this proteinous food is a staple in the diet of Senegalese. The majority of their meals are couscous food and lentils.
Their vegetables and soups are made in spices and herbs, with their dessert highly influenced by the French culinary method. This restaurant also offers Senegalese juices made from bissap, ginger, etc. Goree Cuisine is located at 1126 E. 47th Street, Chicago, Illinois.
7. Demera
This is one of the top African restaurants in Chicago that offers exotic Ethiopian cuisine. Demera is located in the lively neighborhood of Uptown, where they serve the Ethiopian-American community of Uptown. They offer traditional Ethiopian meals, seafood, vegan meals, etc.
Here are some of the foods on their menu:
- Appetizers (ambasha, kayseer salata, Ayib Be Mitmita, etc.)
- Salads (azifah salad, house salad and timatim salad)
- Vegan (dinich wot, shiro, kik alicha, etc.)
- Chicken (doro tibs, doro alicha and doro wot)
- Beef (Kitfo, siga wot, awaze tibs, etc.)
- Lamb (lega tibs, yebeg wot, yebeg alicha, etc.)
- Seafood (ye-asa leb, ye-asa tibs, and shrimps tib)
Demera is located at 4801 N. Broadway St Chicago, IL.
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8. Ras Dashen
Ras Dashen offers traditional Ethiopian meals on injera, a spongy, sour bread, just like it is done back in Ethiopia. Buna and Jebena are Ethiopian coffees brewed alongside the meals they offer. You can also opt for the Ethiopian beers they offer.
Their menu has foods like:
- Appetizers (mereq soup, sambusa, qategna, etc.)
- Sides (ethio salata, diblik atkilt, qosta, etc.)
- Vegetarian Entrees (misserana bowmia, komodoro fetfet, etc.)
- Chicken Entrees (doro wat and doro alicha).
- Lamb Entrees (yebeg tibs, yebeg alicha, yebeg wat, etc.)
- Beef Entrees (sega wat, kitfo tere, kitfo lebleb, etc.).
- Fish Entrees (asa tibs and asa wat).
- House Specials (grilled ribs, awazé tibs, yebeg tibs ferfer, etc.)
Ras Dashen is located at 5846 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL.
9. Dynamic African Restaurant
Dynamic African Restaurant serves everyday Nigerian meals and mainly traditional meals of the Eastern part of Nigeria. They also offer special orders if you wish to try a variation of some Nigerian meals.
You would find the following foods on their menu:
- Main Menu (jollof rice, yam porridge with greens, fried rice, etc.)
- Special Day Menu (pepper soup and isi-ewu)
- Special Orders (seasoned rice, boiled whole tilapia, piece of cow leg, etc.)
- Soup (okra soup, egusi with leafy vegetable, ogbono soup, etc.)
Dynamic African Restaurants is located at 1127 W Thorndale Ave Chicago, IL.
10. Awash Ethiopian Restaurant
This restaurant serves vegan meals and also has a menu for meat lovers. Awash Ethiopian Restaurant is a casual restaurant with traditional Ethiopian interior decor. Their menu is filled with variations of Ethiopian meals. A meal can be served for meat lovers and also pass as vegan by substituting some ingredients.
Foods on their menu include:
- Appetizers (beef sambusa, whole lentil sambusa, spinach sambusa, etc.)
- Breakfast (enqulal tibs, kinch, chechebsa, amongst others.)
- Lunch and Dinner (bozena shiro, qey wot, yesiga alicha, etc.)
- Side (missir salata, gomen, dibiliq atikil, etc.)
- Lamb (sigana atikilt, zilbo, yebeg qey wot, etc.)
- Chicken (doro tibs, doro tibs wot, doro wot, etc.)
- Special Entrées (awazé tibs, kwanta firfir, asa gulash, etc.)
- Fish (asa firfir, asa wot, asa tibs)
- Vegan (tiqil gomen, missir salata, qosta, etc.)
Awash Ethiopian Restaurant is located at 6324 N Broadway St Chicago, IL.
Wrap Up
So, these are some of the restaurants where you can get tasty African dishes in Chicago. Have you visited any of these restaurants? Let us know about your experience. Whether the restaurant you visited is not listed here, we’d love to know your experience.