Suya Joint — Restaurant in Boston

Food 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5 Service 1/5

Food was great. I ordered the Egusi with fish and my fiance ordered the Fresh Okra with goat. We also shared an order of the Gizodo. Everything was flavorful and tastefully spicy (as requested). The portions were also fantastic. We each had enough left over for another meal the next day. Though, we both had stomach pains for a couple of days afterwards but I cannot confident say that it was due to the food here. Atmosphere was fun. They have a DJ and the restaurant is nicely decorated. The hostess and waitress were very friendly.

The service is the reasoning for my low rating. This was the WORST dining experience I've had in a very long time, by far. To start, before we ordered, I read that they automatically add on 20% gratuity (for any sized party) to help pay the staff a living wage. I understand tipping culture is common in the US but, to rely on your customers to pay your staff a living wage through tips sounds odd to me. I'd prefer to have the menu prices increased than to have tips automatically added. Additionally, tipping rewards servers for their service but if it's automatically added , the servers may not put in as much effort. The food took FOREVER to arrive. Both my dish and our appetizer arrived at the same time, a whopping ~50 minutes after we placed our order (shouldn't the appetizer come first, much sooner?). We both always wait until we have our dishes before we eat and, unfortunately, my fiance didn't even receive her dish until 15 minutes after mine. We almost got up and left, having only had water for nearly an hour with no updates. The most infuriating part of this wait was that two parties arrived after us, a party of 1 and a party of 3. Both parties ordered after we did, but both parties received their order before us very quickly (about ~10-15 minutes after they ordered). Additionally, the party of 1 actually FINISHED his meal and LEFT, and the party of 3 were finishing and PAYING for theirs, all before we even touched our food. I would understand if they were short staffed and everybody in the restaurant was waiting for their meals, but it doesn't make sense to me why people ordering after us would receive their food much much sooner. While we were waiting for our food, one of the servers cleaned up the table next to us by picking up a napkin off the floor and used it to wipe down the table. When we received our bill, they added on an additional $0.25 for each dish that was "spicy" and they also charged $3.50 for the goat on my fiance's dish. I have NEVER had a restaurant charge a fee to have a dish made spicy, ever. It was not a special order, it was not a specific request. The server asked us, "do you want it mild, spicy, or very spicy?", and we answered. They also charged $3.50 for the goat in my fiance's dish. Again, NOT a special request; the server asked, "do you want chicken, fish, or goat?", and we simply answered. They charge for everything and none of these charges were explained to us beforehand. It just feels that they were charging for everything and it left a bad taste in my mouth. My dish was soup-y and when packing the leftovers to-go, we were given a styrofoam clam-style takeout box. I asked for something with a more secured lid so the soup did not spill during my drive home and the waitress told me they did not have any more. This was upsetting because from my seat, I had direct view of the take-out preparation table and can see the worker packing orders to-go the entire time, using the exact style of take-out box I had requested. Odd.

This entire experience made me feel both confused and angry. I re-traced our entire time there and asked myself if we had done anything wrong to upset the staff and if there was a reason for being treated so poorly. I was hesitant to write this review because I always want a small business to succeed but I couldn't ignore the terrible experience I had. While the food was good, I will never be going back and cannot recommend anyone else to...

Based on my analysis of Suya Joint in Boston's service and food quality, I recommend caution to potential diners. I was visiting family in Boston, so my cousins thought Suya Joint would provide a pleasant dining experience. However, my experience was concerning from a service and food safety perspective.

Service was unacceptably slow, with a 20-minute wait before acknowledgment and an additional 10-15 minutes before seating despite waitpersons seeing us standing at the front desk and seats at the bar. This poor service standard set a negative tone for the entire dining experience. The food quality raised serious health and safety concerns. The inconsistent temperature of dishes - partially cold and partially warm - strongly suggested improper food handling and reheating leftover food. The rice was partially hard and partially soft. The meat's tough texture indicated it was likely days old, and the beans were oversalted, possibly to mask quality issues. Everyone at the table was experiencing poor quality with their meal.

I fail to understand why the restaurant is still in business in Boston. This food handling violates several Massachusetts food safety regulations, particularly 105 CMR 590.003(C) regarding proper food storage and temperature control. For those experiencing similar issues, complaints can be filed with the Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD) by: 1-Calling 311 2-Visiting boston.gov/departments/inspectional-services 3-Filing an online complaint through the city portal

Diners should also document their experience with photos and receipts. The Massachusetts Food Protection Program requires restaurants to maintain proper food handling procedures, and violations should be reported to protect public health. I'm filing complaints on every relevant website and with the Boston Health Department and the Better Business Bureau. I found out after the fact that my family paid $168.00 (including their gratuity) for that travesty of a meal experience. They should be reimbursed. Owners of Suya Joint, be glad I don't live in Boston but have a computer. I will follow up on this matter.

[Note: This review is based on a personal experience and aims to provide constructive feedback for improvement while informing...

Hey fellow foodies, it’s SJ here with another food review :) My boyfriend & I went to Suya Joint for this Saturday’s date night! Last month, I was a vendor at the African Festival selling clothes from my brand, SeneWear. Suya Joint was there and had a food truck. I tried the beef Jollof rice and it was delicious so for date night we needed to go back there!

For drinks, I got “The Senegal” in honor of my roots. The drink was good and really strong… a little too strong for my liking, don’t come for me - I’m a light weight! I let the waitress know and she brought me guava juice with simple syrup and that helped! The flavor was perfect then. My boyfriend got the “Roxbury Punch” and he loved it!

For apps we got “Beef Samosas” & “Spicy Suya Wings”. The beef samosas were savory, I’d rate them a 8 out of 10. I felt like the sauce could have been a bit spicy to give it a small kick and more flavor. The wings were my least flavor part of our meal coming in at a 7 out of 10 on the SJ scale. The sauce was tomato based and too thick. It softened the wings so the crunch wasn’t there, it almost tasted broiled.

Y’all already know we got the Jollof rice with halal beef - my boyfriend got the fire heat and I got spicy. The rice was off the chain, it tasted better than the one from the food truck! The beef was so tender and flavorful. The plantains were sweet and ripe. I hate when I get plantains that taste like they needed more time to be done, but these were awesome. The portions were perfect, I appreciate when rice and meat levels are matched. 10 out of 10, period!

Suya Joint has a DJ on Saturday and he was playing all the bangers! The vibe was dope and the service was lovely. Our waitress was friendly and attentive, I believe her name was Vanessa!

The total for our meal was $141.92 and the gratuity was already added. I’m someone who doesn’t mind paying for quality food and Suya Joint’s prices are reasonable. Definitely a 9 out of 10 overall! We enjoyed our drinks, meal, service, and vibes! If you’re looking for a fun vibe & delicious meal, check out Suya Joint - you will not be disappointed, plus as always - support Black owned businesses!

SJ out… till the next food...