Roger Miller Restaurant

The quaint and cozy atmosphere of the dining area leave only the taste of the food and energy of the hostess responsible for winning over the guests. The staff and service at this restaurant are fantastic! Most of the dishes are absolutely new to the average American consumer, and it would be great if more pictures were available on the actual menu. Nevertheless, I highly doubt that anything prepared by the chef could taste bad and I recommend that the adventurous guest just choose blindly and later add their pictures to Unilocal,like my group did!

Here there’s a great selection of entrées. From all over the continent when ordering be specific ask questions, (how many pieces, what does it come with etc). I’ll definitely stop back in to try other dishes. It can get a stuffy at times, expected with a rare spot as such…

This may fly in other places, but not in America. Abusive owner needs to stop bullying customers, full stop. I understand English is not the staff’s first language, and that must be frustrating.
But what Roger Miller is doing amounts to false advertisement + bullying. Third world food shouldn’t come with third world business practices. It destroys trust and good will.
When the owner signs up for Groupon, it’s his responsibility to check and double check and triple check his listing to see what his fine print is promising, editing as needed.
If a customer buys a published coupon, the owner now owes them whatever deal is promised on it. If he’s really in a bind, he can apologize and turn them away from the beginning, saying the restaurant no longer takes Groupon.
But it is unethical and as slimy as all get out to wait until the customer HAS ALREADY ORDERED FOOD to try to bully them.
**OWNER’S BULLYING TACTICS**
First, he has the staff try to con you out of your deal.
When you resist, he confirms with his employee and descends upon your table under one pretense or another.
He begins with small talk, but quickly transitions to what he’s after. He first says you need to come back multiple times to use the full amount of the Groupon, or that you need to come with more people. None of this, of course, is in the fine print.
If you point this out, he will stand there, uncomfortably close to your table, even if you’re a woman, looming over you for 10 – 15 minutes or longer, until you have no choice but to raise your voice at him to stop and leave you alone (multiple times).
Despite all this, he will keep repeating like a broken record that you are the only customer who’s had a problem with these «house rules» over the years (not true if you read other reviews here).
I felt physically threatened and disappointed with this experience. The female employee is sweet, which is the only reason I stayed. Tipped her well, too.
To add insult to injury, the first dish was over-​salted beyond words. But this they understood and apologized for. I can forgive sub-​par cooking skills. Not dishonesty.
Take my word. Don’t eat here.
If you must eat here for some reason, get the jamajama goat with fufu, which I ordered next so I could have SOMETHING for dinner. Mama didn’t raise no fool.

WOW!!! I was blown away by how delicious this food is. I am a carnivore. I definitely like meat, and vegetables more than anything. My wife took me to this place. I had never been to an authentic African cuisine restaurant before. It is a small restaurant on a average Joe kind of neighborhood strip. It was just a few people working there. The servers were friendly, and the atmosphere was simple but cozy. I had the goat and chicken with plantains, which I had never had plantains before. The food was amazing. It was very hearty and savory. Full of flavor, and unique. I had never had quite a meal like that. I will definitely return! It’s wonderful what gems we discover when we dare to explore!

Boyfriend introduced me to African food, and I’m still pretty new to it, so when I found this well reviewed place, of course we had to try it!
The place itself was pretty small — tables did feel a little bit cramped but still kind of homey.
We tried the Yassa chicken and the groundnut stew. For the groundnut stew, on the menu it said the choice of beef or chicken, but apparently they were out of beef? And the waitress said goat was an option, so we got goat. Groundnut stew was interesting — it had a earthy/​nutty flavor of course and the lamb was pretty tender. I do wish we got more than 4 pieces of goat, especially because most of the goat was boney and didn’t have that much meat. I was also super intrigued at trying fufu just because I had never heard of it before, and why not new foods! Fufu ended up being quite interesting — it wasn’t doughy like pita or bread, but texture wise it was kind of like a more solidified mashed potato dough. Very interesting and I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it haha But I might try it again — it just depends on what kind of starch you feel like having. I was thinking that I would like the stew in more of a bowl instead of flat on a plate again, which might help it stay warmer, but dipping the fufu in the stew across the plate wasn’t bad either.
The Yassa chicken was delish — it was mustard-​y and tangy from lemon. The chicken was tender and marinated really well — so flavorful. I absolutely loved the tang.
We also got an order of the fried plantains, which is kind of different from most of the plantains that I’ve had in the way that it was more dry on the outside? Usually the outsidie is more soft and sticky? but this was much more dry. It was still plantains and yummy though.
Oh and we love their spicy harissa sauce! You can add it on anything and it is pretty spicy, but a great flavor and spice kick!
They look like they have a very extensive menu, so I’d be excited to try their other dishes!

Cannot recommend this place enough — very vegetarian & vegan friendly. Must try the Rice & beans as well as the spicy sauce, gravy and jollof rice. Simple yet exquisitely delicious! And the prices are just ridiculously low!!! Grab the Groupon if you can — you’ll be glad you came here. Service can be a bit spotty —mostly I believe due to the communication (English) skills of the employees —but in any event it’s totally worth the wait!

I love their food, if you looking for exotic west african dishes then this is the place. I am obsessed with their egussi stew with goat meat, yummy!!!

Four star that is how awesome and delicious the food is. They lose one star because they still have not learned customer service.
They put S in SLOW! OMG! So go when you are not in a hurry and can chill. come with your patient hat on. But once you are served, it will be well worth the wait.
Very freindly establishment and i have been coming here for over 10years. Reasonable price, excellent portions.
Also ask for the homemade pepper sauce. Fantastic!

Totally blown away with this hidden marvel in Silver Springs. You’re treated like long time friends from the moment you walk thru the door. And the food… the food is freakin amazing. I ordered the Roasted/​Grilled Tilapia and the spicy wings. The wings were crispy and moist. There is also a side of some kind of sauce but be prepared for some heat. The fish tasted incredible. The plantains were cooked very well also. This is my new standard for African cuisine and I will be returning often.

I’m not sure if there is a good time to come here but it got packed really quick and there isn’t enough staff here. I sat sow. And it took 30 minutes too get my order taken. Granted the one man show waitress is trying her best to wait on 5 different tables.
Still waiting for my food after 30 minutes

Food was delicious. This was my first time visiting a restaurant with African cuisine, but I couldn’t help myself after walking by and smelling deliciousness in the air. I did carry-​out and got the curry goat, fried plantains, and shrimp. I’ll definitely be back — maybe I’ll try the fried croaker next time!

My lady has been egging for us to check this place out and my God was I happy I finally obliged. We started off with salads and I got an order of plaintain that came with a spicy dipping sauce. My God were my taste buds in heaven. The plaintains weren’t too sweet and I loved the contrast of the hot spicey sauce. I also got the Tiko style beef and she got the yassa chicken. Once again, I was in heaven. The steak was seasoned & grilled very well but what killed it were the sauteed onions and peppers. They absolutely killed it.
This place is easily going to beat Chipotle as my #1 go to in downtown silver spring. And the fact that they’ve got a lunch special every day and the prices are VERY reasonable — I’m sold and will likely become a lifer!

Perfect pepper soup this I’d a regular spot. Souya it’s too salty sometimes but the staff id’s so sweet it’s hard to complain about anything

Went with friends from the Midwest. They loved it!

I love, love, love this place! Delicious food, cheap price, outdoor patio seating for sunny days — you can’t go wrong by choosing this place. I’ve been a few times, but I almost always go with a fish dish — the roasted tilapia being my favorite. The flavors are so robust, and so authentic. I prefer my meals to come with jollof rice, but I have friends that rave about the plantains as well. The goat pepper soup is my go to whenever I’m in the mood for REAL spice, and also whenever I’m sick and need to clear out my sinuses. And one of the best things about this restaurant — it’s SO cheap! My friend and I shared the goat pepper soup and a lunch special, and our total was $ 18… yes, you read right, less than $ 20 and we left satisfied and happy. Can’t beat it!
Note that this is a small, possibly family owned restaurant — meaning there aren’t a lot of wait staff, and chances are, your food will not be churned out as quickly as you would anticipate it to be, like at a chain or a larger restaurant. But rest assured that it’s well worth the slight wait — it will be freshly made, and delicious, and you’ll leave with a happy belly.
Tip — if you like spicy food, ask for a side of the pepper sauce — SO good, and so spicy.

Love this place! Best african restaurant in the area. Great service, food taste like home cooking and very reasonable prices. Also they always have great coupons for their service: on groupon and on here.
will always recommend!:)

Going to Roger Miller’s always feels a little like vacation. This is probably one of the most authentic exotic cuisines in Silver Spring, beating even the many fabulous Ethiopian restaurants downtown. If you’re into cheap delicious dishes filled with adventurous flavors, and eager to practice your French with the ‘locals’ from Mali and Cameroon, this is your place.
Im a meat-​person, but their veggies are the best: cassava leaves or Egussi stew with fufu are my favorites. Appetizer mini kebabs are exquisite. The beef and goat are so so…
One warning: le piment! Dangerous, only edible one drop at a time.
Bön appetite!

I’ve been in to the Roger Miller Restaurant several times for lunch, and tonight ordered delivery for dinner.
I’ve definitely liked the lunches I’ve had — groundnut stew with chicken once, and egussi goat stew with fufu once — but the big winner for me was tonight’s dinner, the grill-​roasted whole croaker. Delicious! Flavorful but not painfully spicy, the fish has a lovely crisp skin, tender meat, and is served with a flavorful brown sauce on a bed of onions and pepper. Spinach and fried plantains found out the meal. SO VERY TASTY!
The restaurant itself is small, and for dine-​in service, service can be slow. But the people are friendly, the food is good, and the atmosphere is relaxed.

My first visit to Roger Miller West African Restaurant dates back to between the years of 2003 to 2005, when I was a student at the Takoma Park campus of Montgomery College. A friend and classmate of mine visited this location but I was disappointed with the taste of the food. I had ordered Attiéké and Fish (are you surprised?) but the way the fish tasted, that home-​cooked flavor was just not there. When eating at an African restaurant, especially West African, I expect the food to taste like it was cooked in my mother’s kitchen.
Here I am, about 9 years later at Roger Miller, meeting up with Chef Dadisi Olutosin, who recently joined the Kitchen Surfing team of Private Chefs in the Washington, DC Metro Area. Chef Dadisi left the corporate world to follow his passion in Soul Fusion cooking. I was truly fascinated with his extensive knowledge in Black History and how true he stays to his cooking style.
Chef Dadisi picked our meeting location and I have to say that I wasn’t happy because of my past experience there. But he had recently visited Roger Miller and was pleased with the food. So there we were!
We arrived and were seated. The weather was perfect for outdoor seating!
Servings
I took me a while to make my menu choices. Probably because I was still stuffed from eating my Peanut Butter Stew with Smoked Turkey at lunch. Chef Dadisi already knew what he wanted!
I went for 2 appetizers: Plaintains and Suya. The waitress confirmed that the Plaintains were ripe and soft, just how I love them. Chef went for the Chicken Wings as an appetizer, then Fried Croacker with Jollof Rice and Steamed Spinach for his entrée.
Within 10 minutes, my Plaintains and Suya were served.
Now, let me tell you this: Plaintains were more than PERFECT. Spices on Suya were ON POINT. I thought the Suya stick would be longer so I ordered a 2^nd one. Just delicious, I loved the caramelized onions, perfect to go with the meat.
In no time, Chef Dadisi’s entrée arrived.
Look at that dish, tingling my tastebuds. The rice was cooked perfectly. The Croacker is Chef Dadisi’s fave. I had a taste it for a second, I thought that it came right out of my mom’s kitchen!
Man, I was trying not to be too greedy but I could have ordered another side of Plaintains.
Customer Service
Our waitress was very nice. The food was SO GOOD. I asked if the owner was in and he came out to chat with us for a few. Mr. Patrick, very nice guy from Lomé, Togo. He took over Roger Miller in 2010, which explains the marvelous taste of the food compared to back then. He was very appreciative of my comments and satisfaction with our meal. He thanked me and stated: «All thanks and credit is to be given to African women, as they hold it down in the kitchen». You will go far ooo Mr. Patrick (in my African voice)!
Did I mention that the prices here are beyond reasonable?!
My Ratings (Scale of 1 to 5)
Food: 5
Décor: 3 (restaurant was very clean and smelled good)
Customer Service: 5
Before I forget, you can follow Chef Dadisi on Google+, Facebook and Instagram to stay updated on his endeavors and view his succulent meals. His creations are A M A Z I N G. I am going to request Shrimp and Grits!

TLDR: Don’t expect these guys to honor the Groupon.
Bought a Groupon.
Came in at 5:00, asked if I could use the Groupon to order to-​go. Owner told me the Groupon was only good for dinner which starts at 6:00 pm.
Told them it wasn’t stated on the fine print of the Groupon what time limitations there were. I would grab a water and just relax until then. There was a good game on.
Owner told me it was only good for dine-​in.
Told them I would be more than happy to sit and order the full amount and take what I couldn’t eat in a doggy bag.
Owner then told me that I had to bring at least 2 people with me in order to use the Groupon.
Told them I’d be going next door.
I’ve purchased a half-​dozen to a dozen different one of these Groupon deals for restaurants. Never had a problem before.