Pleroma Cuisine — Restaurant in Laurel

I recently took a friend and his family visiting from overseas to Pleroma Cuisine because they wanted a proper Nigerian meal after being in the U.S. for almost a week. I hesitated at first. I knew the service would likely be below expectations but given the limited pool of decent African restaurants in Maryland, I went with Pleroma.

We walked in and chose a seating area that could fit our party of six. Not long after, the owner's husband approached us with a cold, unfriendly demeanor and asked us to move to another area because the area was reserved for a group of ten. Fair enough — but the way he said it was unnecessarily rude. I brushed it off and suggested another spot, asking if two tables could be joined. He was reluctant and instead pointed us to a cramped area near the entrance. I politely insisted on my suggestion and asked again about joining tables. He replied, “I can’t join two tables — it’s a fire hazard.” That excuse was laughable. What fire would occur in the 40 minutes we’d be eating? Of course it was not a fire hazard, it was a really silly excuse.

At that point, I was irritated. I'm a paying guest, not a freeloader. The attitude was off-putting. I told my guests to meet me in the car so we could go elsewhere. When the owner realized we were leaving, he came outside and apologized, asking us to come back in. I was hesitant, because let’s be honest, we all know the risk of arguing with someone who’s about to prepare your food. You never truly know what someone’s intentions are, especially when emotions are involved and you're about to eat something they control behind closed doors. But I didn’t want to seem unreasonable, so we returned.

We waited nearly an hour for our food. During that time, I noticed the owner on the phone, occasionally frowning in my direction. Maybe it was just in my head, but it didn’t help the discomfort. When the food finally came, it was served in batches. The most bizarre part? The three adults ordered the exact same dish, but my friend, the peacemaker received double the meat compared to me and his wife. Coincidence? I hope so. But it seemed strange.

If you’re not naturally warm, polite, or friendly, hire someone who is. Running a restaurant isn’t just about food, it’s about the experience.

PS: You can tell from this part of the owner's response— “you can refer to the Maryland fire code for restaurants since you know so much about running one”—that they are extremely rude and uncouth. This is what happens when someone without a college degree runs a hole-in-the-wall...

In March 2025 I went to this venue for a private event.

Food: pre-frozen items: many items were clearly reheated from commercially boxed items: butterfly shrimp, spring rolls, fish sticks (I usually do enjoy these but they were not heated through unfortunately). restaurant prepared foods: the fried plantain and puff puff were good and tasty. would be cautious to eat here if you have dietary restriction or specific consideration. Nothing was labeled to know the name of dish or ingredients. drinks: Water was not provided until over half way through the reservation. We as prepaid patrons were going to the bar to buy water a la carte... that was terrible. ginger beer and hibiscus nectar was provided. everything was too sweet for my tolerance but I did see others enjoying it.

Service: overall service I would describe as poor. met with unfriendly faces upon entry into establishment. There was clear tension. Upon inquiry about food items as I do have dietary considerations the lady in charge (since confirmed to be the owner) was confrontational. Again refer to the clear tension as above. Mind you- I was inquiring about ingredients so I could establish what I could or could not consume. The staff other than the owner were approachable but did not seem knowledgeable on most questions so they were fielded by the owner. the owner walked around looking visibly annoyed or upset and could be heard loudly sharing thoughts from the kitchen. I do not know what she was speaking about but it was not a positive experience to have to hear it at all.

Atmosphere: I cannot speak on the atmosphere for a general day as it was a private event but I did not enjoy the atmosphere overall. even during a private event multiple people were allowed entrance into the establishment; this was a bit distracting and confusing. there was no uniform to tell who was working for the event or there socially. a man was taking video/photos. I figured it was part of the event but to my surprise it was not. So a little strange that there was images captured for unknown use. The space size is good for medium size events. tables could be added or moved around (maybe?) to fit your desired configuration. the music was touch and go but DJ did take request(s). wine glasses provided on table- some still had store stickers on them which makes me weary that they were washed properly. the aesthetics appear outdated so there is room for improvement to that. Old balloons and backdrop (maybe Valentine's Day...

I was fooled by this restaurant’s great reviews. This place is a hole in the wall… not the good kind.

I came here to dine in on a Saturday evening around 7pm, normal rush hour for a restaurant. When I walked in, there were only 3 tables being served. Normally I don’t judge a restaurant by the amount of people dining in, but perhaps I should’ve taken the hint. It was also silent in there. Most restaurants would have some background music, elevator music… SOMETHING.. but nope, I was hearing the other 3 tables’ conversations. Eventually they put music on a YouTube playlist, but kept changing it every 2 songs. Again, something small and maybe unnoticeable, but I should’ve taken the hint.

I ordered a water to drink, which the waiter forgot to bring and had to be reminded. For appetizers, I ordered spring rolls, mac and cheese, and samosas, but was told they ran out of samosas… fine. They said the Mac and cheese takes a while to prepare, and said they’d bring it out with my entree. Also, not the biggest deal to me at the time. When the spring rolls come out, they don’t have any appetizer plates but rather come to my table with a bag of napkins and have me take one out… as if I’m at a cookout. The spring rolls tasted like they were bought frozen from the store and cooked up. No authentic flavors at all. A short time later, the Mac and cheese comes out, although I was expecting it with the entree. Mac and cheese left a lot to be desired… again no flavors. I’m ready to order my entree, and settle on the salmon. I was told they ran out of salmon. My second option was the lamb chops, which I’m told they also ran out of. How does a restaurant run out of this much food at 7pm?

At this point, I just ask for the check and Guess what…The waiter tells me their receipt printer is broken and I have to follow him to the bar to see the receipt on their computer. To make matters worse, they tried to overcharge me for the Mac and cheese. The menu said $6.50 but they were trying to charge me almost $11 for it, and when I brought it to his attention, he said I was wrong and that it was $11. I had to pull up the menu again for him and that’s when he said “sorry, we enter in the prices off memory and I THOUGHT it was $11.” What the hell?!? I refused to pay with a credit card, because at that point I don’t even know what type of...