Keur Coumba Restaurant

Real African Food, Decent prices… Overall nice experice

Dear Unilocalers, here is a tiny, dark place, with 6 tables and you, oh yes, «YOU» very much likely are the only one who really speaks English in this restaurant. I was brought here by a good friend, a Francophone (yes, dear; French helps, if you speak it). Take heart, it’s not the end of the world, just ask plenty Senegalese standing right out side the front door, they’re just hanging out and waiting for their food. Don’t be shy, they’re really friendly and thank God they spoke English with me, then I dashed right in. For Unilocalers of not the same color scheme as Senegalese (such as myself), don’t worry, very nice staffs will do their best to accommodate you. After all, we pretty sure, as customers, we’ve created extra stress for the employees in there. But it’s the genuine West African culture, food, and people that attracted me to come and dine. It was a bilateral slightly culture shock and requires a bit of quick adaptation for both the staffs and us. (Sweet heart, this place is as close to Africa as I can ever be, okay~!) I love the big white color, round, pounded yam with some sort of chicken and mixed with fish stew/​sauce like dish=$ 13. Get the deep fry/​roast? duck/​chicken?, well it was ½ of a bird (tough to chew but it sure was finger licking greasy good) with a huge plate of couscous and salad=$ 18, now be gentle on the tiny container salad dressing, taste it first, if you like the flavor, then ask for more. Oh, by the way, something in my food, whatever it was, and it was a tiny spicy, but not as spicy as Tabasco spice. It was a tolerable, good spicy for me. Just a heads up for those of you not into spicy food. Get the huge brown paper wrapped lamb, I didn’t have it but I did saw next table of 4 gown men having a good time with it. Hey, open your mind, heart, and soul. I will come back here next time to update after I get the brown paper wrapped lamb.

I stumbled upon this place on a Saturday at brunch time when feeling adventurous. It is tucked away next to Amy Ruth’s in Harlem. I loved the food!
Be warned that their menu does not reflect what they serve. Instead, they have a handful of dishes available each day, depending on what the kitchen stocks. Every patron, other than yours truly, was of West African descent. I took this as a good sign that the cuisine is authentic West African. Their phone was ringing off the hook, and two women hustled to place all the orders.
The portions are huge, so that the $ 12 spent on one dish can easily cover two meals. I much enjoyed my fish dish, called Thiebu Djeun, and my companion had a lamb dish whose name did not appear on the menu, but whose picture did (pointing goes a long way at this establishment!). I had never had cassava leaves or this type of rice before. Both dishes tasted amazing!
The restaurant is tiny, but the flat-​screen TV showing African popular music videos set the mood. The only minus is that bathroom is not well-​maintained.
I highly recommend this place, especially if you grow tired of the long wait at Amy Ruth’s and are looking for a chill place with delicious food that you may never have had before.

This place is a mess, the customer service is very, very bad. They barely listen to you when you are ordering and talk to you any kind of way, no respect at all. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anybody even my enemies. They are way better restaurants than this one.

So the food when done right and is fresh is incredible!!! BUT my order only seems to be correct & fresh 25% of the time. I love their grilled tilapia and couscous. My husband loves their lamb/​dibi. They deliver but it takes a full 2 hours to arrive. I only go there now when I can pick it up myself. Also they are not overly polite. Customer service has been lacking in all of the African/​ethiopian/​Senegalese restaurants I’ve been to in NYC. This is sumthing they should change ASAP because I’ve also noticed none of them are that busy.

I went to this restaurant in search of the National Dish of Senegal, Thiebu Dien pronounced chebu Jen. I arrived around 1 which is usually the only time of day to get it fresh. Well I got it! Eleven dollars later…
I was extremely disappointed to find that I had been given a batch with jolof rice that smelled and tasted burnt. The bottom rice is considered a treat as it is packed with flavor. Personally, I don’t like it. However this is the first time in 21 years that I have ever been served burnt rice. I threw it away. Thank God I didn’t buy two as originally planned I’ll never eat there again. Avoid if you can.

this is a real african senegalese restaurant !!!
portions are good, generous, tasty and not expensive at all !!!
this is a must go place !!!

The Keur @ one time was one of my favorite spots too order take out, but lately I’ve notice the quality & taste has slipped, as for the taste I think its the rotation of the cooks that has something to do with it at times it’s very salty, bland or perfect it has become a hit or miss place, if you’re a gambler and A/​C is out of the equation roll the dice you may get a perfect meal.

The restaurant seemed authentic and popular with the locals. The atmosphere was interesting, with plenty of people watching Senegalese wrestling in darkness. A foetid smell of uncertain origin permeated the place. Unlike other reviewers, I found the waiters agreeable and polite.
I have limited familiarity with West African food, but Keur Coumba didn’t convert me. The main dish that the staff suggested, a small piece of fish with rice, was bland and dry. However, it had some curious vegetables and spices in the middle. I liked the yoghurt, but it probably wasn’t made by the owners.
I would have given the place a 3. However, I had a massively unpleasant experience here. I ate one of the peppers in the middle, which turned out to be hellishly hot — the hottest pepper I ever tasted. I was bed-​ridden for the rest of the day because of it, had to buy medicines, and drink several bottles of water while running home. The staff should have warned me.

Happened upon this place while looking for another spot to eat that we didn’t end up finding. We decided to have a go and try this joint out instead.
Went in and nobody there acknowledged us, so we just took a seat next to the radiator, under the loud television on the wall. Had to flag down the waitress and she came over and took our order. They were out of several items on the menu so we went with some chicken and rice with lime. Figured that would be a safe bet.
Told the gal that we wanted to share a plate and she didn’t even bring us two plates. I had to ask the lady at the register for a couple of plates. Kind of a self-​serve vibe to the whole restaurant but it wasn’t that big of a deal.
Food was good overall. I asked for a water no ice and she brought me a bottled water. New York tap is just fine and she should’ve asked me first. They give you a massive portion of white rice, which I guess was good for us since we were sharing everything.
This is a pretty funky spot. Lots of locals hanging out. No amenities really — no paper towels in bathrooms, one paper napkin at the table, old coffee in Styrofoam cups, etc.
I don’t know too much about Senegalese food but I don’t think I’ll be hurrying to get back to this place any time soon. It did serve its purpose for lunch meeting though: warm and rather quiet ambiance so we could catch up while having a bit to eat.

I’m all about the food. When it comes to Senegalese food this is the best restaurant in Harlem. Everything I’ve had here has been great. The service is typically West African but the food wouldn’t be so good if they catered to non-​Senegalese. I’m an American but I like my ethnic food authentic so I will gladly suffer (a bit). Dibi is highly recommended.

I am pleased that my first Unilocal review is a positive one and giving props to a local spot. First, Keur Coumba is a relatively new Senegalese restaurant that opened earlier this year and within a month time of regularly ordering their debe (grilled lamb) and ocassionally having the grilled whole talipia — I am sold. The seasoning on the lamb and fish is consistent and the food is plentiful to share. Second, I’ve also tried their grilled chicken, spinach beef dish (name I cant recall) and their jollof rice (fabulous!!); all bursing with african seasoning flavors and never a disappointment. Lastly, I’ve also tried the other three Senegalese spots nearby, and they, too, are sometimes good options, but the atmosphere is far better at Coumba; the delivery service is prompt; the ladies at the counter are very welcoming and seem to make an extra effort to assist those who are new to the cuisine.

When I go to small, informal ethnic restaurants, I really don’t care about service. Even if we don’t speak the same language, put good food in front of my face, and I will love you like a brother. You don’t have to act like you’re my best friend. I don’t mind if you’re missing 90% of the items on the menu. I don’t really even care if the table is clean.
Still, I think there are some basic rules of courtesy. If a customer walks in, smiles broadly, says hello and asks how you’re doing, there are plenty of appropriate responses. A grunt is not one of them.
I was fine with the dirty table, and didn’t mind that the menu was irrelevant – apparently, Keur Coumba serves only one dish on Friday afternoons (thiebou djeun). That’s cool. But the standoffish grunting? Not cool.
All would be forgiven if the thiebou djeun was great, but it wasn’t. Overcooked fish, greasy rice, uninspired vegetables, and minimal flavor. I love me some thiebou djeun, but I’ll stick with Africa Kine or Café 2115 next time I need a West African fix in Harlem.