This place is the bomb. Going back tonight! Tiny joint with not too much seating. Definitely do take-out if you need ambiance to enjoy your meal. They have fresh juices and amazing yassa chicken. The people are suuuuper nice and friendly, and the portions are huge. Tip well — they are generous with their love and food; they deserve it!
M K.
Classificação do local: 5 Philadelphia, PA
I have been to this place dozens of times in the past two years. It is definitely my favorite comfort food place to get takeout from in West Philly. The food is phenomenal at a great price. I’ve had the pleasure of trying a few of their dishes but the two I keep going back to are the Grilled Lamb and the Grilled Chicken(dibi viande and dibi poulet). If you’re looking for delicious, succulent, well-seasoned meat, this is your place. The Senagalese onion sauce they cover the meat with is incredible and adds that extra bit of flavor. I generally come in for dinner so I have yet to try their lunch specials but as you get at least 2 meals worth of meat and sides for $ 10, I don’t even feel the need to try. One general criticism I would give is that they sometimes overcook their meat, so I usually just ask them to cook it less than they would otherwise. Their fresh ginger and hibiscus juices are also great. but be warned, they are extremely strong and sweet. I prefer to dilute mine. All in all, a great place to eat. The place is kind of shabby but as I go there for the food and not for the decorations, it doesn’t bother me.
Andrew M.
Classificação do local: 3 Wellesley, MA
Stopped by here on a bitterly cold night last week shortly before closing. Unfortunately, we didn’t know it was cash-only, which meant that we had to scrape together coins just to get the entrée we wanted and couldn’t try the ginger juice. The yassa fish(whole) was tasty although the pile of sauteed onions was a little excessive, as much as I love them, and the rice was unremarkable. Still a good portion for $ 12 including tax. The service was a little inattentive, but then again it was nearly midnight.
Ben M.
Classificação do local: 5 West Hollywood, CA
THIS. Le Bercail is the reason you call up your Uncle Jimmy to tell him that his conservative stance on immigration sucks. And if he needs any convincing, you just bring him some of the Yassa Chicken. «Ok but that’s one with the onion sauce!» my waitress warned. «Hell yes,» I didn’t reply. Instead I went with, «that sounds great.» The glossy sauteed onions lounged on pieces of some of the most succulent chicken I’ve ever had. Spices heretofore unknown by the western world danced on my tongue. I ploped it all on the rice and wolfed it down. Now, the setting is not for the faint of heart — this is an experience. Its a little gritty outside the place and in. It’s my sort of adventure, it may not be yours, but it should be. This is some great food, made by some great salt of the earth folks.
Yaya G.
Classificação do local: 5 Philadelphia, PA
This place has great food! The owners and servers are very nice. What I like about this place is that when I want peanut butter, spinach or cassava leaf stew, I can get it with chicken, for I don’t eat lamb. Not many African restaurants will do this. This is one of my favorite places to eat. I can eat African all day and everyday.
Sarah J.
Classificação do local: 4 Jenkintown, PA
I went here today for lunch, The environment is ok. I ordered chicken sauce with rice and my boyfriend had lamb and brown rice. The food was so good it was Delicious it was seasoned right and all the right flavors. The rice was large portion and it was perfectly cooked I was a little disappointed with the chicken because there is very little meat on the bones but it was good. I tried the lamb and it was Good, I actually hate the Taste of Lamb and this I could eat. I was overall satisfied and my only complaint would have Been poor service and little meat on the chicken other than that I will be here again and again I would recommend any one who would like a taste of Senegal food.
Jared J.
Classificação do local: 4 Philadelphia, PA
Wow so excited to try. As the people working here are rapping French at 100 miles per hour I’m feeling the authenticity. I can appreciate the joy and happiness I can here in their voices. The décor is nothing to write home about, and as I look around I see two tables that look like they haven’t been bused in hours, but that’s not stopping me. I’m trying the ginger juice which is spicy and tastes yummy… It’s so strong you must sip slowly. Next yassa fish. Now everyone… this dish is not for the faint of heart. You will be eating an entire fish, bones in. You have to pick your way through the bones, but it is still tasty. The onions which tops this fish are outstanding, and the rice is seasoned well. I would recommend trying. All and all Bercail is worth a shot.
Robyn H.
Classificação do local: 5 Philadelphia, PA
The food here is 5 star. I haven’t been here in a while, and I guess I forgot how good it is. They also give you a generous amount of food– enough for two or even three people to share.
Shereen C.
Classificação do local: 4 Philadelphia, PA
I’ve been to Le Bercail so many times since my last review that it’s time for an update. I’ve since tried a few of the«meat in sauce over rice» dishes, including the CASSAVALEAF(feuille de manioc), OKRA(gombo), and PEANUTSAUCE. The cassava and okra are pureed and stewed into a unique-tasting sauce. They’re interesting to try but I tend to go back to the peanut sauce, which is rich and delicious. Each dish comes with some chunks of meat stewed in there. Whole Fish(GRILLEDFISH or YASSAFISH) is still good, although it’s less tender and juicy than before. Grilled fish is topped with a flavourful oily chopped fresh onion salsa — the same one served with all the grilled meats. Yassa fish is topped with a tasty sauteed onion-based Yassa sauce — these onions are cooked and tender. DIBICHICKEN(grilled chopped chicken) is sometimes cooked perfectly, and sometimes overcooked and a bit on the dry, stringy side. The chopped up chicken leg(with bone) was topped with the onions. DIBILAMB(grilled lamb) is fine but also not as perfectly cooked as I remember from 2012. Topped with the onions. For sides, I’ve tried fried plantain, rice and beans, attieke, salad, sauteed potatoes and white rice. My go-tos are usually the plantains or sauteed potatoes. I believe they’ve either changed the kitchen staff or the cooking methods for many of the dishes. In general, the food is not quite as good or fresh-tasting as it used to be, although it’s still a solid spot for West African food if you’re in the area. Service is very good.
Nataly N.
Classificação do local: 4 Philadelphia, PA
Apparently, there is free wifi here, but I haven’t tried using it. It’s a small restaurant — brightly lit, with booth seating. The service varies: the first time I came here, I waited forever for my food, but the service was much faster on my subsequent visits. As far as food goes, tchep djain poisson is a pretty solid option. I get this dish every time I come here because it is THAT good. It consists of a perfectly grilled whole tilapia, topped with a flavorful onion topping, and a side of vegetable rice(lightly fried). If you like fish and don’t mind picking out some bones, I would highly recommend this dish! I’ve tried some other dishes, but they were not as good. One thing to keep in mind: After leaving this cash-only establishment, beware of your surroundings, especially later in the evening. I was followed by a random person who asked me for money. It’s not the restaurant’s fault, but just beware of the surroundings on this block.
Jay H.
Classificação do local: 2 Miami, FL
Food tasted as it was re-fried. We had the chicken and lamb dibi with plantains. Chicken was okay, lamb wasn’t good. The chicken wrap was okay. It might be the way they cook in their country, but wished I would had like it more. Might be better to for takeout.
Constantine L.
Classificação do local: 3 Philadelphia, PA
Le Bercail is great for takeout, but dining there is a less-than-pleasant experience. We’ve had the grilled lamb and chicken, both delicious, with sides of plantains and fries. Both sides are great but the plantains are exceptionally good. I’d like to have tried more items, but they often run out; last time we went there was no more shrimp. Reading the menu is much easier if you speak French, and while the wait staff try to be helpful they have trouble answering basic questions about what the different items are. The dining experience leaves a lot to be desired: the tables are wobbly, the booths are so small I can barely sit in them, and the TV tends to be quite loud. The service is slow, and as the front of house is just one person they have to walk away from your table any time the phone rings.
Bob M.
Classificação do local: 4 Clifton Heights, PA
Nice little West African place on Baltimore Ave. They have a good variety of both vegetarian and meat-based dishes. The spicing is pretty good, not terribly spicy, and has a lot of flavors going on that you may not be used to. Don’t expect Ethiopian or other East African flavors — they’re completely different… Unfortunately, the inside is very plain & sterile feeling, another coat of paint & some more paintings/décor could make it feel a lot homier. Also, don’t forget your cash, they don’t take credit cards. Also, don’t come here on your lunch break, they’re a bit slow in getting your food out.
Edward M.
Classificação do local: 3 Philadelphia, PA
Dined here recently with a couple of friends on a Sunday night. Not sure if the timing was a factor, but they were out of lamb, shrimp, and a few other things. Thankfully they still had chicken. The yassa chicken was essentially a stew of chicken(on the bone) cooked with onions and other items and served with a pile of white rice. Tasty and filling, though fairly mild in flavor. Also tried the cassava couscous, which is lighter in heft and texture than regular wheat couscous. The ginger juice was deemed to be very sweet, though I didn’t try any. Our waters were regularly refilled by the friendly staff. Service is laid back so bring interesting companions, booze(it’s BYOB!), or, better yet, both. Prices are inexpensive. Décor is simple. Worth a return to sample other dishes.
Jamie S.
Classificação do local: 3 Philadelphia, PA
Le Bercail is a small French-African restaurant in West Philly. Expect a menu mostly divided by mode of preparation with a grilled section, a fried section, and a saucy section. Inside are a few booths and smaller tables. At lunch time, it was mostly empty, just us and one other table. The lack of a crowd did not help the fact that our waiter did not really understand us very well. He was not able to help describe some of the menu when we had questions, and he misunderstood my friends order; instead of bringing out 2 of the same order, he brought out one leaving us with 2 plates for 3 people. We were so frustrated we just shared. Mains are served with a choice of side, we went with the simple salad with sliced hard boiled egg. I ordered the sauteed shrimp, «crevette sautee», which came with a whole pile of sauteed vegetables. Though I appreciated the medley, there weren’t any particularly interesting flavors, so I would not recommend this unless you wanted something safe. The dish that caused the confusion, half a grilled chicken($ 10), had a nice crispy skin and onion relish. Besides enjoying the simply presented chicken there were other positives, for example, I loved the fresh ginger juice. Also, prices are reasonable for the size of the plate. Check the website for $ 2 off coupon. Had I known I should have done some research into the menu, I might have been able to order something more exciting. I think dabbling into the«sauce with rice» section might prove most fruitful. I enjoyed the yassa and peanut sauces at Kilimandjaro, so that would likely be the direction I would go in if I were to head back to Le Bercail.
Lauren B.
Classificação do local: 5 Philadelphia, PA
This place is great! Unilocal directed me here and I’m so glad it did! The store front and locale are not the best, but don’t be deterred. It’s worth it. I had called earlier in the day to find out their feelings on BYOB, and the guy on the phone said, «Sure!!» I assumed that I was probably the rarity for bringing my own wine but I figured, «What the hell?» So Jen G. and I show up with wine hidden in a tote. A smiling man approaches our table and I ask him about having wine. He replies, «Oh yeah! I was the one you talked to on the phone!» and he rushed away to get glasses and a cork screw. So that was a happy surprise. As far as food… I had did the necessary Unilocaling of the place and pretty much decided on getting the chicken with peanut sauce. As other reviewers have mentioned– it’s not like Thai peanut sauce, but much more well rounded with many spices. Jen got the half chicken yassa– smothered with sauteed onions and awesome(yes, I stole a few bites). The service was a little slow, but I think there was a language barrier. But never once did we feel out of place or rushed. Everyone was nice and hospitable. I will definitely venture over to Baltimore Ave again!
Jennifer G.
Classificação do local: 4 Philadelphia, PA
I did a scary thing… I didn’t Unilocal a place before I went for dinner. I was being a grump and couldn’t decide what I wanted to eat so I told my roommate to pick a place, not tell me, and I’ll go and not Unilocal it or look at a menu. So when we walked into the tiny restaurant with it’s pizzeria-esque booths, I became a little nervous. But my roommate is an experienced Unilocaler, so I trusted her. And I’m so glad I did. I wasn’t familiar with most of the items on the menu, but she suggested getting the yassa half chicken, saying it had an onion gravy on it. That was enough of a recommendation for me. When our food came out, I had a massive plate of chicken which was absolutely covered in sauteed onions. The chicken was tender, perfectly spiced, and incredible when smothered with the onion sauce. The chicken also came with a mountain of white rice. I ended up taking more than half of it home for leftovers! I couldn’t believe that I had gotten all this amazing food for $ 12! The service was a little slow, but after a stressful day at work, it was kind of nice to just sit and relax and chat so I didn’t mind it. Our waitress was very friendly, if not a little confused while we were placing our order. Overall, this was a great meal at an unbelievable price and I’d gladly come back here.
Amy A.
Classificação do local: 4 New York, NY
This is definitely one of the most unique eating experiences I’ve had. It’s very different from the usual Ethiopian places that are near the area. We had: Fried Fish — delicious, you can eat the fish in entirety! It also comes with one side(get the potatoes) — all for $ 12 Grilled Half Chicken — amazing. They were able to grill it so well where the inside was so tender(with a side it was $ 10) They are both topped with this grilled onion tangy sauce that was delicious. I’ve never had anything like it — it really made the dish.(See photos!) Both of these dishes came with sides(the pommes de terre sautees(potatoes) are definitely my favorite; the plantains are good too) The best part is definitely the price. Between two people and drinks(including tip), it costed $ 27. I think they have a coupon special going on from their website too for $ 2 off. It’s definitely a small business, so expect it to be like eating at home where you go there for food and not the ambiance. The server was friendly and chirpy!
Monica L.
Classificação do local: 4 Madison, WI
PROS: Tasty ethnic food, ginormous portions CONS: Lacking in ambiance, slow/sloppy service, cash only Tons of food! However, service could be better. We didn’t get our dishes for at least 40 minutes after we ordered(and we were the only ones in the restaurant for quite a while). Also, we didn’t get water until our meal arrived. I would return for takeout, not dine-in.