Asempe Kitchen Restaurant — Restaurant in City of Ithaca

My partner and I first tried Asempe Kitchen at the Ithaca Farmers market. It was our first time trying west African food and it was love at first bite. You can just taste the amount time and love Chef Kuukua puts into her food. We are so thrilled to now have a sit down restaurant where we can have a meal without the hustle of the farmers market around us. Now onto the service. When you first walk in you are greeted by Chef Kuukua, find a table, look over menus and come back to the register to order. This is a great method for people who feel pressured to order quickly by waiting staff. We settle on the combo plate as you get a bit of everything! Definitely enough to share but I came to indulge so we each ordered our own combo. While talking over the menu Chef Kuukua made sure to ask our spice tolerance. I personally love spicy food so she made sure to throw on a side of house made hot sauce. My partner did without and found the peanut stew to be pretty spicy on its own. Our food arrived at our table in less than ten minutes and staff checked on us just enough to assist us with anything we needed but not enough to feel rushed. After we finished our food (my plate was CLEAN) we made sure to thank Chef Kuukua for a wonderful meal, discussed food, and went on our way. For those who love trying new things and flavorful heartwarming food. Asempe kitchen is your place.

We look forward to...

Asempe means curiosity and in this case ours was rewarded with a delicious Ghanaian Vegan feast at Asampe Kitchen in Ithaca, NY.

Nkatsi Froyi & Saffron Rice: "Creamy natural peanut butter cooked slowly with onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and a blend of spices, creating a rich stew"

Red Red & Plantains: "A flavorful Ghanaian favorite, Red-Red is a stew of black-eyed peas simmered with onions, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes"

Egusi & Saffron Rice: "Rich and hearty, this traditional West African stew combines spinach with onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, and spices"

Emomi & Saffron Rice: "Dive into this luscious stew where okra meets a medley of onions, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes, all simmered together"

Brodze: "A side of sweet & melt-in-your-mouth fried plantains! Comes with 7 pieces"

Sobolo: "Hibiscus, ginger, cloves, cane sugar, African spice Cold with ice"

I'm generally not a fan of plantains or okra, but both were delicious. The okra wasn't slimy and the plantains we slightly sweet, not starchy. Every dish here was distinctively different. Even better than the food is the attention to hospitality. Four of us shared this feast for about $21 each.

If you are by yourself you can get a sampler plate for about $25.

We will be back.

Food ☆☆☆☆☆ Service...

This place is an absolute gem.

The staff is very friendly, and the space (while fairly open) is welcoming and cheerful. But really, the standout is the food. It’s phenomenal. It’s rare for me to eat somewhere that everything is this good—but this is it.

We got the jollof rice, egusi (a spinach curry dish), sobolo (delicious drink with deeply layered spices), and a side of plantains.

The first standout was the sobolo: at first taste it’s sweet and refreshing, but then you notice the subtle ginger and clove flavors moving through—each sip reveals more sophisticated flavor.

The jollof rice is good by itself, but it’s served with a savory spice paste which is a phenomenal flavor bomb of savory spice. I don’t find it overwhelmingly hot/piquant, but between the rice and the sweet plantains served with, it creates another rich and deeply satisfying experience.

Even though I was feeling quite full by the time I got to the egusi, I couldn’t hold back: lightly spicy with a satisfying thick texture, the saffron rice it’s served with makes an irresistible bite without being overwhelmingly salty—it stays subtle yet satisfying.

I look forward to coming back soon to try the rest of the menu. I am sure I’ll be...