A Taste of Africa

the food was great… however, if you arent from oakland, you might be a little put off by the location. I had the chicken and fried tilapia dinner orders. So the dinner order comes with rice, yams, greens, fried plantains and black eyed peas. Its alot of food. I tend to eat alot and barely finished the chicken. The side orders made the meal for me.
TLDR: For 14ish dollars, I got a full, hearty meal with a variety of flavors. Just try it when he goes to the Berkeley Flea market, if you arent familiar with east oakland. definitely going again.

I love this restaurant, been eating their food for years at the Berkeley Flea Mkt and various events around town. I especially love the proprietor’s super positive uplifting vibe… Im not sure how he manages to be everywhere! And now they moved to my side of town. Yaaassss! looking forward to ordering real soon!

Despite the area, this food was delicious! I found this deal on groupon but the cook told me that he already took himself off groupon 6 months ago so the deal didn’t work, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to try it. I ordered the chicken combo that came with cut up tenderized chicken, baby greens, yams, plantains, and rice. It was worth the try, we shared one plate which was enough for two people! And their pineapple ginger ale was very tasteful! I wouldn’t mind coming here again but possibly order for to go.

The food was amazing! The gentleman who made it was so pleasant, delightful, and very helpful. Seeing it was my first time eating Authentic African food. Unfortunately the only reason this review is not getting 5 stars is because the customer service was lacking. I felt a constant stare coming my way from the cashier, while I waited. When I tried to interact it was very dry and awkward. Also she tried to charge me extra for the Hawaiian sweet rolls, even though they came with the entrée. After asking for 2 extra rolls willing to pay the man indicated that it would be 50 cents each so I gave her a dollar and she never put the rolls in my container. Also they had no bags I had to bring my own, but other than that food was amazing!

I walked into this place 30 minutes before closing and the guy cooking the food greeted me with ‘welcome home’. How awesome is that?
The food came with a generous portion size, a $ 20 special plate will last me at least 2 – 3 meals and I’m not small. Ive never had African food before but this was so good it won’t be the last time I partake.

I love them. I follow where every they go. I have been going to this guy for over 10+yrs!!! LOVE THEM!!! They are at the ashby flea market every weekend.

Aaaaaamazing!!! This was definitely food for the soul and I want to have it everyday!
I discovered this place at the Berkeley Flea Market and ordered the Stewed Chicken Special. This included deep fried plantains, collard greens, rice with mixed vegetables, peanut spinach stew, black eyed peas and coconut ginger yams (YUuuuM!); a generous serving all for $ 13! I love spicy so he put some of his hot sauce on the side. So delicious! Packed with flavor, each dish is delicious by itself or all mixed together.
The chef’s a riot and just shoots out positive energy. He pours love and passion into his cooking and you can no doubt taste it! Look forward to going back!

This guy never disappoint no matter what time of day or location his food is hot, well portion, and packed with flavor .The food is so soulful I ENJOY every bite. I first had my Taste of Africa at the Malcolm X festival, His station had the longest line, so I had to see what all the attention was about, and it was love at first bite. Now I frequent his east oakland location. to sum up this review if you like delicious affordable comfort food, give this place a try.

We got the veggie combo with fish. It was on point… delicious and hearty. The service was friendly and welcoming. I will definitely be back.

the greens are my FAVORITE! and the rice! ooooh lord.
the food is sooo good. i had a dinner plate to go that lasted for 3 meals yall. cannot tell you how spicy, tasty, and filling the food is.
and the chef caters as well. he is amazing! very friendly and downhome guy. patronize his business!

Wow, finally another west African place in Oakland. The food is great the owner is super friendly. I get takeaway at least once a week or I feel not right. The fish combo is my favorite. Call ahead to see if egusi is on offer. I wish they were open more. They sell food in Berkeley Thurs– Fri off Ashby. Please support this place so we can have more choices in Oakland. The dinning room seems like a place you would find in West Africa, great music, cooked to order food, and very casual. xffdfdessssseWehscxxczsfsd

The food was great, but the atmosphere was lacking and I felt ripped off when I left. There are no menus, just a signboard outside. We ordered two $ 13 dishes and one $ 3 drink. The food came out hot and fresh after about 15 minutes. Unfortunately there were flies buzzing around the interior and the waitress turned up the music so loud that I had trouble talking to my grandmother.
When I went to the front counter to pay the bill after we ate, I was given a total of $ 35. I’m not sure how $ 13 + $ 13 +$ 3 + tax adds up to $ 35. I had a coupon I’d bought a few days ago from
, but the waitress rejected it and said that they had stopped accepting them «months ago.» I then handed her my credit card, but was informed that cards were not accepted. (The signboard outside had indicated a $ 1.50 fee for credit cards, but apparently they had stopped accepting them.)
Sad that a spot offering unique and tasty food ripped me off. I paid my bill and will be happy to never go back.

Miss his gig on Tuesday nights at Room 389! And the annual appearance at Malcolm X Jazz Festival. This food is soooooo good. Just so good. Spicy! Like legit spicy! (If you ask for hot sauce.)
Plantains, coconut yams, greens, black-​eyed peas, sauced jollof rice…
I’ll have to make the journey out to Deep East one of these days. Well worth it.

Excellent service, unbelievable prices and the most savory West African food I’ve ever had! A Taste of Africa is a new favorite restaurant for me! The food takes time to prepare, but it is SO worth it! Although they give you great portions, the owner said you won’t feel miserably full afterwards because the foods are all alkaline foods. I will definitely visit in the near future, and so should you!
P. S. — The owners are working on the signage, so don’t be fooled by the sign that says «El Salvadorian/​Mexican Food.»

I was super bummed when they lost their location in Berkeley years ago, but excited when I heard they now had a storefront in my neck of the woods, East Oakland. A friend and I stopped in for an early dinner on a Friday, and it was like walking into nostalgia. Same friendly vibe, same family affair, same great guy behind the counter.
I ordered the fish plate, which came with delicious fried fish, tasty rice, and the most wonderful veggies (yams and greens)! The price is very reasonable, and they don’t skimp AT ALL on the portions. As my friend and I pigged out on some of the most delicious food in the Bay Area, I thought good thoughts, with the hope that they will never lose their location again.
A Bay Area gem and an East Oakland food mecca. Highly recommended.

The Perfect comfort food returns! Malong has returned to the restaurant environment with the most Amazing food!
The atmosphere is cozy with bright colors and danceable reggae to bring an island vibe.
For $ 15 you get a meal hearty enough to feed two, but you will want to save some for later — if possible. We had the pleasure of indulging in 80% of the menu:
SULE — Fried plantain cooked to perfection
EWOLE — Collard greens married with spinach. Oh so good!
JOLLOF RICE — Rice with steamed veggies
— If you are not a vegetarian, the STEAMED CHICKEN pairs magnificently with the Jollof Rice; however, the chicken is Tender and Seasoned so well that it is a treat to eat it as a standalone.
NSOKE — Black-​eyed peas. The day we went, we had Kidney beans which were still a delight.
NKULE — Coconut ginger yams that were amazingly tender and worked beautifully with the rest of the dishes.
Not enough praise can be said for the hot sauce with a habanero base. Not for a weak palate! Hot AND tasty! Note: all dishes are served seasoned without hot spice, so this sauce added just takes the meal to another level of greatness!
I have tried the Sautéed prawns on other occasions and they are wonderful. I have not indulged yet with the tilapia, but perhaps next time.
I applaud Malong for his excellent service, and simply, the perfect plate of comfort food.

EVERYTHING was AMAZING.
We had the prawns and fish entrees with 5 sides each and out of our 4 person party, we each ate everything on our plate.
I’m still full but already want to go back.

I was at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, because I love books festivals and fair food, and beer.
And A Taste of Africa was the highlight of the Festival.
I had checked a few tents, not impressed, and was now at the food area. I saw corn dogs, gyros, and fried calamari — all things I love — but A Taste of Africa really stood out. West African cuisine? Well I definitely can’t get this anywhere. Done.
For $ 15 they were offering the combination plate where you chose your protein, and then got all the sides. Done.
–Stewed chicken: while they had prawns and tilapia (which I refuse to ever buy), had to go with the chicken. It was tender and the sauce added some nice flavor.
–Sule (deep fried plantains): I love plantains, but didn’t know if they meant more like tostones or maduros. These were more like maduros, the sweet plantains, and I tried to save them for last.
–Ewole (collard greens and spinach): Glad I got some green in my diet that day. I love collard greens and these were good.
–Jollof (rice): Everything went on top of the rice, so every bite had rice.
–Ndole (peanut-​spinach stew): Wasn’t sure what this was going to be like. It was pieces of spinach in a peanut based sauce. I love spinach and peanuts, so this was really good.
–Nsoke (black-​eyed peas): Fascinating how many cuisines utilize black-​eyed peas and rice.
–NKule (coconut ginger yam): So good! So, one of my favorite dishes is sweet potato casserole, and this is pretty close. In fact, if they made this into a full casserole, I would quickly become addicted. But by itself, you get the sweet flavor of the yams, but the coconut and ginger really came through. I seriously want a NKule Casserole.
After taking a few bites of everything, being a heat head, I asked if they had hot sauce. They looked at me like I was insane and said «Do we have hot sauce?» and then scooped a bunch on. Whoo! I had to ask what the base was and it was habanero. Definitely felt the heat for a while, it was a nice burn, so if you like hot, ask for their hot sauce.
Also, everyone working there were incredibly nice and helpful. The woman taking orders explained everything and even provided recommendations. The staff in the tent had no problem describing the dishes as they put them on the plate or their ingredients.
Thank you A Taste of Africa for introducing me to new, delicious cuisine.
NOTE: For vegetarian options, you don’t need to get a protein. All the sides were filling and delicious as is.

My taste buds are so happy! The portions were very satisfying here, and the flavor was so savory and complex. My favorite side was probably the sweet potatoes with coconut milk and ginger… or maybe the plantains? It was all so good that I could barely stop myself from eating. Glad I had some leftovers for the next morning :)
Oh, and the habanero sauce! Yum! If you don’t like spicy food you should be OK here, he preps the dishes so that you can enjoy the flavor without the pepper sauce. If you add it, you will experience a whole new depth to the dish though.
I will be returning to explore the entire menu.

The best food in Oakland is back!!!
Delicious, delicious food at an amazing price, served with the biggest smile in the world.