Afrikana Ilford — Restaurant in London

The food and atmosphere was nice, although a little cold and short staffed. The reason for the low stars on service is due to the owner (I belive he was the owner) being dishonest.

Outside on the board mentioned half term offer, children eat free. As we were seated we asked about the offer, the owner (I believe) came over and explained, with the exception of 3 items on the menu, the children can order anything (1 paying adult=1 child)

When the server came over (apologies, I dnt remember his name), we asked again, as we found it to be, too good to be true. He said, it's the children's menu, we explained what the owner said, he said if that's what we've been told then it must be, however he is going to check (you can tell the server was a little unsure). Once again, The owner came over to our table explaining, it's everything on the menu except 3 dishes.

We ordered our food, I went for one of thier more expensive dishes "Jammin Jambalya" and ordered a smash burger for my daughter, which was equally expensive. My friend and her kid went for a chicken dish. At the point of ordering I asked the server to check with the owner again to see, if, what I am ordering is part of thier offer for kids, he checked again and it was confirmed again.

When the bill came, no discount was taken off, we brought it to the server's attention, he apologized, came back with a new receipt with a 10% discount, we disagreed, he went back and came back with another receipt without any discount. The owner came over and said we dnt get any discount as we didn't order from the kids menu, when we challenged it, he said he was talking about what the adults couldn't order not children. He then decided to change his mind again and give us a 10% discount.

I would have happily paid the full price for the childrens dishes, however, the misleading marketing and the dishonesty of the owner was disgusting, I cant even say there was miscommunication. 3 English speaking adults (including the server) checked with him 3 times and he gave the same message.

Although we paid and left, this would be the last time we go to Afrikana and have already warned many of our family and friends (we live local so it's a very small world) You can only behave like this with a customer once. You haven't just lost 2 customers, you...

Dear Afrikana Management, I am writing to formally express my disappointment following a deeply unsatisfactory visit to your restaurant on the evening of Wednesday, 7th August 2025, at around 8:00 PM. My wife and I had intended to enjoy a pleasant dinner, but the experience fell far below the standard we expected from your establishment. Upon arrival, we were surprised to find no visible staff or manager to greet us—just customers seated and unattended. A bald man, who I believe may have been the floor manager, unprofessionally shouted across the restaurant asking if we needed a table for two. This was both inappropriate and discourteous. Without further interaction or welcome, he gestured us to sit at the first table on the right. Our table was poorly prepared: there were only knives set out, no forks, and oddly, a loose knife and fork were left on the sofa seat I was using. After a short wait, we received menus and began deciding our order. Once ready, we inquired whether the barcode scanner on the table could be used to order but were told no—raising the question of why it was there in the first place. What followed was an unacceptable wait of over 20 minutes. Despite several attempts to catch a staff member’s attention, we were blatantly ignored. The same bald gentleman continued to serve another table at length and then went on to warmly welcome a new group of four who had just entered—seating them and talking through the menu—while we remained overlooked. Frustrated and feeling disrespected, I confronted the man, whose only response was, “It happens, init,” a dismissive and shockingly unprofessional reply. This lack of accountability and basic customer service is simply unacceptable. My wife and I left without placing an order, extremely dissatisfied with the experience and the conduct of your staff—especially someone who appears to be in a managerial position. I expect a formal response from your management team addressing this incident. It’s crucial that steps are taken to prevent similar treatment of future customers. A restaurant experience should never leave guests feeling ignored, unwelcome, and insulted. I trust you will take this feedback seriously and look forward to...

We visited Africano in Ilford on a quiet Sunday evening to celebrate my son’s birthday. Sadly, what should have been a joyful family dinner turned into one of the most unpleasant restaurant experiences we’ve ever had.

From the start, there was no manager visible, and the staff seemed tense and frustrated, particularly due to an earlier mix-up with another large table’s order. Unfortunately, this frustration was taken out on other customers, including us.

Our waitress repeated our order back to us, confirming number of drinks, chicken with rice, and our choice of chicken cut. Yet when the drinks arrived two where missing , and despite specifically requesting no ice, they were served with ice. When we politely raised this, we were told it “couldn’t be made without ice” and were made to feel as though we had done something wrong. The waitress even claimed we had only ordered two drinks — contradicting her own earlier repetition — and did so in a condescending and intimidating manner.

Food service was slow: starters took 15–20 minutes, mains came late, and when the chicken finally arrived, it was the wrong cut. Even after we reminded her, the replacement never came until after we had finished dinner, forcing us to take it away. Desserts took another 20 minutes, and the bill was only processed after we chased it three separate times.

Throughout the evening, the waitress’s behaviour — from glaring and staring to slamming cutlery and stacking dishes aggressively — created an atmosphere that felt hostile and bullying. At one point, cutlery even fell on us due to the way it was thrown onto the pile.

The food itself was tasty, but a restaurant experience is about more than food — it’s about hospitality. This evening felt intimidating, stressful, and completely inappropriate for a family celebration. A high-profile restaurant chain lke Afrikana should take staff behaviour and customer service far more seriously. Without proper training and management oversight, no amount of good food can make up for the lack of basic respect and courtesy.

I would strongly caution anyone who values a relaxed, friendly dining atmosphere — or who is sensitive to stress — to think twice before...