ADUKE NIGERIAN CUISINE & CATERING SERVICES — Restaurant in Inglewood

The reason for the review is for the poor customer service from the manager herself. I am disappointed in the owner or manager (female I spoke to) who was extremely disrespectful over the phone and unprofessional about the whole situation. The older male when I returned was rude and also made me wait and ignored my bell rings and when I asked for them over the counter to assist. After picking up and delivering a large order for someone and myself we found a long hair in the beef suya and explained to the owner as it was UNTOUCHED and no meat ate from the small portion received. Although I ended up receiving the refund the point was that there was HAIR IN THE FOOD which is unsanitary. The owner said she reviewed the cameras and did not find any "funny business." However this was not my hair as I have short hair wrapped in an African hair tie and this long curly hair was under the beef. Once I returned it the staff did not even look at it to confirm but threw it out in front of me. Instead of Madam to apologize for the situation regardless of how the hair got there from the restaurant AS WELL AS be appreciative of community members even supporting her business she was very defensive, disrespectful and argumentative literally yelling over the phone. It was not until I questioned her what does she really think I am trying to gain by inconveniencing myself to drive all the way back (mind you the order was over $100 and as a very supportive community member also left them a generous tip) as she requested just to drop off the food. When I got to the restaurant I also informed the staff the fried yam was extremely bitter and tasted spoiled, the full plate of fried yam was even returned barely touched! I called owner back to inform her and asked if she can refund which she refused so I accepted that and told her just refund the suya but since I came all the way back with the yam as well I wanted them to keep that in mind for future to make sure yam is not bitter/spoiled but again she was very disrespectful and yelling over the phone to the point I had to just hang up as I could not even get in a word. I had even saw the owner when I had initially ordered a few hours before and when asked if she would be there when I returned for the refund that became another argument on her end which she refused to respond to by the time I returned less than 1 hour later she was gone! Please improve yourself and customer service. It is sad to see how you or your staff are coming on these reviews to insult customers further rather than to take feedback from customer and improve yourself...

Hands down my favorite Nigerian restaurant in Los Angeles County to San Diego County. I literally drive 2 hours just to eat here because it’s the only place that has everything that I enjoy eating, my only qualm is that I wish they had puff puff available whenever I come but the times I’ve come they never have it available.

Their suya is 4/5 - only because they don’t usually give enough suya seasoning but otherwise it’s great and it’s as authentic as you will get it in America compared to Suya University in Nigeria.

Their Amala, Ewedu & Gbegiri is 5/5 - my favorite item on the menue because it’s a specialized soup and rarely do Nigerian restaurants have it in because ewedu is “seasonal” 🙄 somehow Aduke manages to get her hands on it year round lol so I come here specifically for that.

Their Jollof Rice Platter 5/5 - it’s sooo good! Not bland AT ALL, they season it to perfection and it also has that slight Smokey taste naija party rice has, it gives lifeeee lol it’s a good start for someone who wants to try Nigerian food for the first time, the chicken is also seasoned to perfection and the plantains are soft and succulent, the spinach on the side is okay, it’s a nice touch to the rice plate.

Their catfish pepper soup 3/5 - it’s very herbal and spicy so if you don’t like spicy food - no try am, this is your warning because your nose and eyes will cry from the pepper lol - I just wish they seasoned this a bit more it was very fragrant and herbal but not really savory.

Sorrel Drink / Pineapple-Ginger Drink 5/5 - it taste like someone’s grandma who specializes in these drinks made them. Just Excellent!

Hands down I enjoy the food at Aduke’s and I always bring a friend and my family to come eat here whenever they’re in town.

I plan to eventually try some more of the items on the menu but omooo I enjoy Amala & Gbegiri so much I just end up always ordering it 😂

Lastly their service is amazing the girl and guy in the front counter are so kind and respectful, even when some customers are rude to them they still maintain their composure and respect, they deserve a raise, especially after today I watched one entitled man just be rude to them, and I wanted to speak up so bad but apparently he knows the owner 🙄😑 whatever he should still respect the service workers though.

That’s all...

We’re currently visiting from Chicago (a city where African food is in abundance) so we wanted to stop by an African food restaurant before heading back tomorrow. We cannot believe that we drove 30 minutes from Santa Monica beach to be disgusted, disrespected and unappreciated at Aduke. Right off the bat, the tables on the patio were extremely dirty as if they had not been cleaned for days or even weeks. When we asked that the tables be cleaned since we wanted to sit outside in the 70 degree weather, the manager came to the table with our food and a wash cloth. She began washing the dirty table and then she began handing our group our meals. She dropped one of our meals and then began washing the bowl with the same wash cloth of which she cleaned the weeks old dirty table. The customer service was extremely awkward (please refer to the note regarding the dirty wash cloth as well as the fact that she dropped a wad of cash out of her back pocket on the floor while we were eating). Only one person asked for a water within our group (the others couldnt bare to order water after seeing the eating bowl cleaned with the dirty washcloth) and this one water was never delivered. Everyone in my group was born and raised in Africa, except for myself. The manager asked if we were from “Nigeria” and we all said “No, were from X, Y, and Z.” All the manager could say was “There’s no way, I can’t believe it, there’s no way.” Africa is an entire continent! Is it really not possible that we’re not from your specific country? All in all, when she brought our check, I voiced my opinion. I started with the fact that I understood that they had opened two months ago and I shared the notes that I observed. Working in hospitality, but also being a decent human being, I like to believe that I understand customer service and adequate amount. The manager didn’t want to hear what I had to say and showed a very arrogant side to her personality. It’s unfortunate that I have to say this but I will never return here and I do not wish this venue a prosperous future. If there are other African restaurants in LA, I implore you to take the extra time to go to travel to...