We had never tried West African food and were curious. We tried the sampler appetizer platter and the spicy chicken didn't disappoint. My wife got the fish with salsa which she enjoyed. I was hoping to try the ox stew, which was sadly sold out. I opted for the peanut stew with chicken. It was ok, but not a strong dish. I definitely want to try that ox stew
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Will Duenkel
Heartbreaker! I’ve lived in pdx for 9 years and I have to say, this was my worst experience dining out. Really hope this was a one-off or “new chef” situation…
Meal started with overcooked chicken wings - dried out meat, stringy. Our entree was an Egusi with ox tail that was straight-up inedible. Tough, tough rubbery ox tail that put up a battle to even separate from the bone. Signs of a serious lack of care and technique in preparation.
Giving it 2 stars, because it would be an ok stop for an appetizer and drinks. I do not recommend for dinner and avoid at all costs if you are dining out for a special occasion. Final red flag was waiter asking to be tipped in cash… what? Felt like we dined at the Twilight Zone version of AKADI tonight - won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Kelsey Murray
My husband and I ate here on a Sunday evening. We had reservations for 7pm and were seated around 7:20.
The table we were sat at was fine and had hooks for my coat, which was nice. On the table was a card and qr code that told us to order and pay on our phone, so we did that. I ordered a drink and the Grilled Tofu Suya and my husband ordered the Groundnut Stew. After about 20 minutes, someone came by and asked if we were ready to order. We informed him that we had ordered using the sign on our table and our phone. He told us that we shouldn't have done that and he went back to check with the kitchen.
I eventually got my drink, the Lagos, which was pretty good. Didn't look appetizing, but it was tasty!
My husband and I got our food about an hour after ordering. He said his stew was bland, the chicken was fatty, and the vegetables weren't cooked all the way. My tofu was just awful. It tasted burnt, had so much seasoning salt dumped on it, and had so much horseradish that I couldn't eat more than a couple of bites.
Once we were finished, the waiter brought our check and asked to be tipped in cash, if possible. Thankfully I had cash.
We saw our waiter twice during the 2+ hours we were there.
Such a disappointing meal with pretty awful service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Sam Li
Came for opening at 4pm and waited 40min for food to arrive. I was getting a little annoyed by the wait but when I tasted the attieke poisson fried fish, i immediately felt bad about mentally complaining about the wait time. The fish was fried perfectly to allow juicy flakey bites of fish to mix with the perfectly seasoned relish. I devoured the dish in less than 15min because I was so hungry. The couscous was bland and not worthy in comparison.
Unfortunately I left hungry after spending 35$ and the second customers who arrived 30min after me got their food within 10min of arriving.
Obviously good food should be freshly cooked and take time to make, but it seems more likely that they were just not prepared to serve at 4pm, so don't make the same mistake and just come during normal hours.
Secondly, while delicious and noteworthy. I do think $35 should make you full. I humbly suggest adding more fillers. I regret not to ordering the alloco, perhaps the plantains would have been just perfect!
All the staff were super welcoming, and I felt like my patronage was appreciated.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fish
Eric Shimoda
The fish and chicken were well cooked, along with the fermented couscous. Drinks were delicious as well. Service was a tad inconsistent (drinks took a long time to order, and empty glasses were going unnoticed). Overall, would recommend for the warm welcome and unique, tasty food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Fat Broccoli
The place is beautiful. No complaints there. Very spacious. Rent must be a monster.
The food was really good. I was on the fence giving a four or five, but the portions were definitely more than I expected, so I went with cinco. Great stuff.
Unfortunately, the service is what holds Akadi back from my perfect score. No phone orders?! I've eaten many places and that is a new one. The gent was nice when he handed me my food, BUT.....
Whoever bagged my order forgot my PAID sauces. And honestly, that is a real bummer. Heard great things about them sauces.
But no big deal. I'll be back to try the sauces and give this place the five it deserves. Well played.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Billy Taylor
This was my first first full-on African restaurant experience and I must say the food wasn't bad. I did not enjoy the fufu but there was this okra stew that was amazing. It was so good and the wine selection was good. It was a great food experience. We walked away full
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Dan Parks
This place is tough to rate.
I had basically the same experience as another recent review, that is, we were seated and didn't see our waiter for over 20 minutes. Even though we saw other people ordering with a waiter, we eventually saw a QR code on our table to order on our phones, which we did, then a waiter finally came by to take our order which we already placed.
We got the appetizer platter, Egusi stew and the fish. Food came out in good time but it took nearly 40 minutes to get our drinks which we had to ask about.
They had live jazz which was a nice surprise but the band took a few long breaks with no background music between. Between no service and no music I kind of felt like I was eating in a cafeteria.
Drinks were one dimensional - Yop City tasted like store bought lemon juice and that's kind of it. Food was okay, unique spices, but wings and fish were over fried. Overall not super impressed with anything we ordered.
Delicious food but a bit expensive and small portion.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Lydia Kaye
I’ve eaten here a few times and enjoyed it, but this last time (Sunday 01/22) my dining partner and I got very sick the next day, and this was the only thing out of the ordinary as far as our routines. We messaged the restaraunt to let them know what we ate and that we had fallen, and instead of offering to make it right, it appears they blocked my friend. Incredibly rude and not business practices to keep a future customer. $150 wasted and I will not be dining with them again. Incredibly disappointing.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Collin M
Amazing food. Great flavors. Lots of vegan options. Place gets very busy so if you don’t want to wait get a reservation. And the Akadi sauce is legit SO delicious.
Dietary restrictions: Vegetarian and vegan options.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Pastel, Egusi Stew
m dorton
The food was mostly good but none of it was spectacular. We had egusi 5/10 (a little boring with incredible gristly oxtail) and the alloco poisson (fish was well cooked but not that flavorful, plantains arrived room temperature so weren’t an enjoyable as they could have been) with a side of ebba and fufu (ebba was the best part for me). The big issue is that despite arriving on time for our reservation, it was 70 minutes from arrival to getting our food (which we ordered the second we could). Service was meh. They were also out of most cocktails at 7:00 pm on Saturday. This was supposed to be a birthday dinner for me, but it was stressful because we had kids to get home to. Like I said, the food was good but definitely not food I’d ever wait 70 minutes for in Portland. I don’t know that I’d be back even without a wait tbh.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
S P
Update 2 years later: dined in. Exceptional service and menu. Cocktail was also delicious. Definitely recommend. Note- the wings are great but pretty spicy.
Very slow service (small pick-up order) but very good food. The plantains weren’t fantastic but the wings were top notch and the TCHIEBOUDJEN mushroom and GOAT SUYA were also great. Serving sizes are very big which I appreciate - each entree was 2-3 meals worth.
Very trendy spot, short wait and delicious food.
We had never tried West African food and were curious. We tried the sampler appetizer platter and the spicy chicken didn't disappoint. My wife got the fish with salsa which she enjoyed. I was hoping to try the ox stew, which was sadly sold out. I opted for the peanut stew with chicken. It was ok, but not a strong dish. I definitely want to try that ox stew
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Heartbreaker! I’ve lived in pdx for 9 years and I have to say, this was my worst experience dining out. Really hope this was a one-off or “new chef” situation…
Meal started with overcooked chicken wings - dried out meat, stringy. Our entree was an Egusi with ox tail that was straight-up inedible. Tough, tough rubbery ox tail that put up a battle to even separate from the bone. Signs of a serious lack of care and technique in preparation.
Giving it 2 stars, because it would be an ok stop for an appetizer and drinks. I do not recommend for dinner and avoid at all costs if you are dining out for a special occasion. Final red flag was waiter asking to be tipped in cash… what? Felt like we dined at the Twilight Zone version of AKADI tonight - won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
My husband and I ate here on a Sunday evening. We had reservations for 7pm and were seated around 7:20.
The table we were sat at was fine and had hooks for my coat, which was nice. On the table was a card and qr code that told us to order and pay on our phone, so we did that. I ordered a drink and the Grilled Tofu Suya and my husband ordered the Groundnut Stew. After about 20 minutes, someone came by and asked if we were ready to order. We informed him that we had ordered using the sign on our table and our phone. He told us that we shouldn't have done that and he went back to check with the kitchen.
I eventually got my drink, the Lagos, which was pretty good. Didn't look appetizing, but it was tasty!
My husband and I got our food about an hour after ordering. He said his stew was bland, the chicken was fatty, and the vegetables weren't cooked all the way. My tofu was just awful. It tasted burnt, had so much seasoning salt dumped on it, and had so much horseradish that I couldn't eat more than a couple of bites.
Once we were finished, the waiter brought our check and asked to be tipped in cash, if possible. Thankfully I had cash.
We saw our waiter twice during the 2+ hours we were there.
Such a disappointing meal with pretty awful service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Came for opening at 4pm and waited 40min for food to arrive. I was getting a little annoyed by the wait but when I tasted the attieke poisson fried fish, i immediately felt bad about mentally complaining about the wait time. The fish was fried perfectly to allow juicy flakey bites of fish to mix with the perfectly seasoned relish. I devoured the dish in less than 15min because I was so hungry. The couscous was bland and not worthy in comparison.
Unfortunately I left hungry after spending 35$ and the second customers who arrived 30min after me got their food within 10min of arriving.
Obviously good food should be freshly cooked and take time to make, but it seems more likely that they were just not prepared to serve at 4pm, so don't make the same mistake and just come during normal hours.
Secondly, while delicious and noteworthy. I do think $35 should make you full. I humbly suggest adding more fillers. I regret not to ordering the alloco, perhaps the plantains would have been just perfect!
All the staff were super welcoming, and I felt like my patronage was appreciated.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fish
The fish and chicken were well cooked, along with the fermented couscous. Drinks were delicious as well. Service was a tad inconsistent (drinks took a long time to order, and empty glasses were going unnoticed). Overall, would recommend for the warm welcome and unique, tasty food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
The place is beautiful. No complaints there. Very spacious. Rent must be a monster.
The food was really good. I was on the fence giving a four or five, but the portions were definitely more than I expected, so I went with cinco. Great stuff.
Unfortunately, the service is what holds Akadi back from my perfect score. No phone orders?! I've eaten many places and that is a new one. The gent was nice when he handed me my food, BUT.....
Whoever bagged my order forgot my PAID sauces. And honestly, that is a real bummer. Heard great things about them sauces.
But no big deal. I'll be back to try the sauces and give this place the five it deserves. Well played.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
This was my first first full-on African restaurant experience and I must say the food wasn't bad. I did not enjoy the fufu but there was this okra stew that was amazing. It was so good and the wine selection was good. It was a great food experience. We walked away full
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
This place is tough to rate.
I had basically the same experience as another recent review, that is, we were seated and didn't see our waiter for over 20 minutes. Even though we saw other people ordering with a waiter, we eventually saw a QR code on our table to order on our phones, which we did, then a waiter finally came by to take our order which we already placed.
We got the appetizer platter, Egusi stew and the fish. Food came out in good time but it took nearly 40 minutes to get our drinks which we had to ask about.
They had live jazz which was a nice surprise but the band took a few long breaks with no background music between. Between no service and no music I kind of felt like I was eating in a cafeteria.
Drinks were one dimensional - Yop City tasted like store bought lemon juice and that's kind of it. Food was okay, unique spices, but wings and fish were over fried. Overall not super impressed with anything we ordered.
Final bill was $130 for 2 drinks and 3 dishes.
Kid-friendliness: Had high chairs
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
horrible place to go. People are rude.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Delicious food but a bit expensive and small portion.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
I’ve eaten here a few times and enjoyed it, but this last time (Sunday 01/22) my dining partner and I got very sick the next day, and this was the only thing out of the ordinary as far as our routines. We messaged the restaraunt to let them know what we ate and that we had fallen, and instead of offering to make it right, it appears they blocked my friend. Incredibly rude and not business practices to keep a future customer. $150 wasted and I will not be dining with them again. Incredibly disappointing.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Amazing food. Great flavors. Lots of vegan options. Place gets very busy so if you don’t want to wait get a reservation. And the Akadi sauce is legit SO delicious.
Dietary restrictions: Vegetarian and vegan options.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Pastel, Egusi Stew
The food was mostly good but none of it was spectacular. We had egusi 5/10 (a little boring with incredible gristly oxtail) and the alloco poisson (fish was well cooked but not that flavorful, plantains arrived room temperature so weren’t an enjoyable as they could have been) with a side of ebba and fufu (ebba was the best part for me). The big issue is that despite arriving on time for our reservation, it was 70 minutes from arrival to getting our food (which we ordered the second we could). Service was meh. They were also out of most cocktails at 7:00 pm on Saturday. This was supposed to be a birthday dinner for me, but it was stressful because we had kids to get home to. Like I said, the food was good but definitely not food I’d ever wait 70 minutes for in Portland. I don’t know that I’d be back even without a wait tbh.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 2
Update 2 years later: dined in. Exceptional service and menu. Cocktail was also delicious. Definitely recommend. Note- the wings are great but pretty spicy.
Very slow service (small pick-up order) but very good food. The plantains weren’t fantastic but the wings were top notch and the TCHIEBOUDJEN mushroom and GOAT SUYA were also great. Serving sizes are very big which I appreciate - each entree was 2-3 meals worth.
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