Afrikana

Location: 43-45 Kingsland High Street, Dalston, London, E8 3JS
Date & Time: Saturday 12th June 2021 at 5.45pm
Cost: £26 each
Afrikana Kitchen

We first heard about Afrikana while scrolling through Instagram (as you do), at that point we were drawn in by what looked like a real vibesy place with a good selection of food. The restaurant located in East London made its debut in May 2021 so still fairly new…. well at least new to London. After doing a little digging we’ve found out that Afrikana is actually a chain with 6 other locations across the UK and number 8 in Nottingham is coming soon. Kudos to the team and their growth!

First Impressions

First of all we have to acknowledge how accommodating the restaurant was despite us arriving 45 minutes late. We had originally booked our table for 5pm but didn’t arrive until 5.45pm. Parking on a Saturday afternoon around there can be a bit challenging.

On entry you are greeted by a member of staff and then walked to your table. It was a good thing that we booked because there were already quite a few people in the waiting area hoping to be seated.

Venue, Atmosphere & Service

As soon as you enter the venue the ambience instantly grabs your attention! The decor, the artwork, the music… you can see that the Afrikana team have really thought about how all these elements can add to the overall experience.

The place is very spacious and filled with a combination of booths and table seating. There is an upstairs as well as a downstairs area and from what we could see downstairs seems to be set up for private parties. We were sat upstairs which is the main floor at street level.

Kind of random but we will put it out there, we noticed that there were only 3 toilets (one for men, women and disabled access) for customers, which just doesn’t seem sufficient for the size of the venue.

The service was 10/10, the waitress who took our order was extremely patient. She took the time to answer questions and didn’t rush us to make a decision. Everyone who served us did so with great energy and a smile.

❀ Food order ❀

Prawn to be wild! – £8.95
Deep fried golden prawns tossed with an Afrikana sauce and mayo dressing.

Lady Fingers – £5.95
Deep fried okra in Africana seasoning.

Sticky Chics – £5.95
Sticky BBQ wings sprinkled with spring onions.

Sticky Chics – £5.95
Same as above but with Afrikana marinade instead.

Fried Chicken is life £12.95
Crispy deep fried chicken tossed in a spicy jerk sauce, served with rice and peas and plantain.

Plenty more fish in the sea £14.95
Jerk seasoned salmon cooked until crispy, served with Afrikana rice and a salad garnish.

Coco-Nuts about you £10.95
Creamy coconut pasta mixed with Afrikana sauce for a kick! Served with peri chicken and mixed grilled peppers.

Vegans, Lettuce Celebrate! £9.95
Meat free chilli served with rice and peas and plantain.

Sweet Potato fries £2.95
Crispy deep fried chicken tossed in a spicy jerk sauce , served with rice and peas, warm bread and a salad garnish.

Chilli Broccoli £3.95
Crispy deep fried chicken tossed in a spicy jerk sauce , served with rice and peas, warm bread and a salad garnish.

❀ Drinks ❀

Sweet Affair £6.25
A sweet infusion of raspberry and mango topped with mango juice. Mixed through with elderflower, fresh lime and mint.

Burn Baby, Burn £6.25
A bloody good concoction of blood orange, sweet mint syrup, fresh lime and mint.

2x Afrikana Fruit Punch £3.25
Our fruit punch special bringing you the perfect combination of tropical juices, infused with fresh fruit.

Still Water £1.95

Our Thoughts

Menu

Unfortunately several things on their menu were unavailable. There were a few drinks that we were keen to try, namely Wallflower, Berry Bar and Island Dream but they were finito. Also, the vegan option that one of the girlies ordered; ‘Where have you bean?’ was no longer available so she had to change her meal option to ‘Vegans, Lettuce Celebrate’.

No alcohol is served at all, probably catering to the surrounding area which has a high population of muslims living in Dalston.

There were few things that we weren’t keen on in our meal such as:

the plantain – (we all agreed) that this should have been left as the simple plain plantain that we all love and know rather than the remix that they offered. Some things should left alone.
the rice grains in Plenty more fish – it was reminiscent of cows cows and was not what we expected.
flavouring of Coconut about you – couldn’t taste much of the coconut flavour, it was too faint.
Drink were the sweet side, however this could be a bonus for those with a sweet tooth.

Some of our favourites pieces included

the Lady fingers,
the Salmon in the Plenty more fish dish,
the surprisingly large amount of chicken in the Coconut about you,
the wings were also very tasty as the meat was soft and literally fell off the bone, however it could have been marinated better.

Final Thoughts

The food was okay but the customer service we received was top tier!! its a great location for a catch-up with friends, date night and even a family outing. If you’re muslim, its halal and fantastic that they don’t sell alcohol and therefore another option to your list. If you want to escape the day-to-day and you’re in East London, the decor and vibes definitely takes you away and gives you that break. Once things have settled, we’d be happy to visit again.

Overall restaurant rating:

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