African Food in Chicago

“Badou is the man! A group of us are planning a trip to Senegal in the fall and wanted to experience the cuisine before we went. Badou recommended an entire course for us, a mixed group of vegetarians and non-vegetarians. All the food was fantastic. We come to find out that he wasn't even planning on being open tonight, and he was so happy to make the food for us that he opened. Excellent food, excellent service. Would highly recommend.”

“Best African food ever. The hospitality was amazing.”

“Highly recommend Badou! Everything we got was absolutely delicious! We tried many things off the menu, the Thieboudienne and Jerk chicken were especially phenomenal. They also have a wide array of vegan/vegetarian options that tasted great. We got the Mafe and pastels and some of the lentils/soup dishes. A low key dish that was one of our absolute favorites was the veggie soup. Don’t sleep on this pick, the broth was so wonderfully spiced and warming it almost brought tears to our eyes! Extremely friendly ownership that truly cares about their food.”

“Absolute heart food that can make you weep. Try the atieke - crispy whole tilapia or snapper on a bed of zingy veggies and fermented cassava that is sorta like couscous, except it absorbs all the lovely juices without falling apart. Jerk chicken and jollof rice is a classic too”

“This place has absolutely amazing food. I get the whole tilapia with jollof. This is one of my favorite restaurants in the city”

“Jambalaya was out of this world, will definitely order again and check it out in person!”

“I came to this restaurant with 2 Senegalese friends and 2 other west African friends and this place was awesome! From the friendly waitress to the excellent food, we loved it. They accommodated our special menu requests and went above and beyond in their hospitality. My two Senegalese friends said the food was absolutely authentic. Will definitely come back.”

“This place is incredible! My partner and I are both vegan and we found this place through Vegandale. It is an amazing spot for vegans and Omni alike- the food is delicious and the flavors are spot on. The owner is also extremely friendly and made sure we got the best dishes on our first trip and our second trip was even better! I highly suggest the vegan mafe.”

“Amazing food-- best jerk chicken i've ever had. Everyone working there was so kind and lovely.”

“We got the Mafa peanut stew and chicken pastels. Both were excellent. And the staff is extremely friendly.”

“The peanut dish called Mafu is SOOO good”

“Lovely Senegalese spot. Badou is super friendly. I recommend the mafé or yassa”

“Been eating from Badou for years and I have never been disappointed! Everything I’ve had is delicious so it’s hard to pick a favorite but I tend to order the Yassa Fish more than anything else. I was very happy to see him at Vegandale this summer. Congrats to your continued success!”

“The only place I will get my Yassa from. I’ve been enjoying Badou’s delicious cuisine for many years and I am never disappointed. I’ve brought more people here than anywhere else.”

“Amazing food! Great vegetarian options, and good service. Can't recommend enough. It was a fun experience. Vegetarian mafe and yassa were our favorites”