Akwaaba Market & Restaurant — Restaurant in Minneapolis

After the fufu hype and craze of 2023(?), me and my husband decided to go here to try it out. We order the jollof rice with chicken, fufu and 2 side dishes (pepper soup and something else.)

There's street parking but, since we went during the afternoon side parking was all taken. So we parked across the street by a parking lot.

The interior was kind of gloomy when we went inside, and we were kind of confused on where to do to grab our pickup order. Eventually the people working there did come out to help us. We did wait for about 15-20 minutes from the time we got in to the time we left. Even though we pre-ordered the food about 30 minutes in advance. So that was also kind of.... meh...

The people working there where kind of giving " im gonna keep to myself" and "keep talking to a minimal" energies. Not sure if that's a THEM thing or if that's how Nigerians normally provide their services lol.

The jollof rice was a savory tomato flavored stir fry with chunks of chicken. Definitely a good dish, however was a bit salty for our preference. Portion: decent size; probably could've been enough for 3 people actually, lol.

Now the fufu was the main thing we were going for. We ordered 2 sides, however bc this was our first time trying, it was kind of lack luster. Decent, you could say. I liked the fufu texture. It was hot and fresh, however the 2 soups... tasted kind of watery. Not sure if that's how Nigerian pepper soup is supposed to be(?) But we were just kind of like... meh.

I guess it was an okay introduction to Nigerian food. Maybe we'll look else where for next time. But an option.

Edit: when we got there, there wasn't alot of people waiting or shopping too. So I'm not sure why they took a while to come help us. So maybe just take what I say with a grain of salt if you were...

It's pretty mid for what you're paying tbh. I got the jollof rice with chicken, sambusas, meat pies, peanut soup, meatballs, and an extra order of chicken and shrimp.

The jollof rice itself was aight. Seasoned enough that it's doable, but you definitely want the meat accompanying it because that extra flavor and sauce from the meat takes it up incredibly. The sambusas were such a let down. It definitely needed more seasoning and wish it would've stayed crispy instead of soggy but whatevs, so definitely use the dipping sauce they provide (which is freaking fire btw, like good job on the dipping sauce). The meat pies were so doughy (think empanadas) and similar filling as the sambusas so womp womp (more seasoning please); I thought they'd be more flaky. And then the extra sides of meats that I bought. Ummm...y'all, don't order it AT ALL (this is your warning) lol. Why did I get unseasoned boiled chicken and shrimp ($10 a piece too :'(, and in small amounts. I literally got 2 meatballs, the size of golf balls, for $8. Bruuhhhhhhh.

But you know what, it was my first time. And I'm supporting a family-owned business. And it sure as hell well also be my last time ordering those side items lmfao. Haven't tried the peanut soup yet, but it looks very promising! I hope the owner reads this and makes that spicy coconut rice, and adds it to the menu so we can all relish in that (esp with their...

First of all, the name "Akwaaba Restaurant" suggests an authentic Ghanaian restaurant. This name is misleading; the restaurant is remotely Ghanaian; the under aged workers and adult workers hardly have a clue on how to run a restaurant, let alone a business.

When I inquired from the presumably 12- year old front desk girl, she asked me to walk through the seemingly grocery store and knock on some obscure door behind a shelf in another gloomy room.

A gentleman walks out of the filthy dark room holding a baby girl who obviously was in distress. I asked for the menu. He walks me back to the entrance and points to a large poster showing dishes on the wall. None of these dishes on the "menu" were authentic Ghanaian foods. He indicated that his food is eclectic, derived from a variety of West African countries.

While waiting for my take out, I reached into the fridge and grabbed a bottle of Perrier Sparkling water. Drunk it in front of the front desk girl and was not added to my bill.

The establishment is a filthy mix of a restaurant and quasi grocery shop. I can bet my bottom dollar, this place is not licensed to sell food to the general public.

On getting to my hotel, the food was so bad that I had to throw it into...