PONIA'S PALACE — Restaurant in Palmdale

Okay so this is an HONEST review. In no way am I trying to degrade or down talk this place. I am a huge foodie & I am open to All kinds of food & was okay extremely excited & looking forward to trying this authentic African Cuisine.

Pros: the staff was very friendly, I enjoyed the look of the decorations & the music was very enjoyable ! The fufu was a cool experience & tasted fine (not much of a taste of course as it’s like mashed potatoes just thicker but a great vessel for other food.) It came out very quickly- maybe in about 15 minutes or so which was nice.

Cons: Although the staff was very friendly, they weren’t knowledgeable on the food. I asked lots of questions as it was my first time having African Food, I’ve looked up plenty of videos but I was hoping the staff would know more since they are serving it. There was A LOT of food they didn’t have in stock on the menu as well which was disappointing. I ordered egussi soup with beef & the beef tasted off- it tasted the same way as wet dog food smells. The okra soup wasn’t tasteful either- I’m not sure if that’s the way it’s supposed to taste or if it was off. They also have reusable napkins for decor and there was dried food on mine from someone else using it prior. Their bathrooms were also not clean as far as the toilet, there were streaks running down the front and inside and that was not okay.

Overall: I understand this is a new business & they are working out the kinks of opening. However as far as cleanliness like the napkin and bathroom, those are just unacceptable. The staff should try the food or at least have some background knowledge on it bc there’s a lot of people coming in to try this for the first time. I have a wide palate and enjoy most foods, so I’m not sure if it’s just the way this place cooked it but it was like a 3/10 for me. I will be trying it again at another establishment b/c I don’t...

Ghanaians really have to do better. I try to support my people but sometimes it’s hard.

Just now leaving this restaurant. I called specifically before arriving if I need to order my dine in food ahead of time cause I already know our ppl. Was told they have staff so everything will be fast.

We got here at 4:40pm. Ordered our dine in food and take out food at the same time.

After 45 mins, my food (banku & okro stew) arrived cold, I asked them to take it back and warm it up. I won’t go into the presentation of it but I’ve seen better. My husband got his food over an hour later.

We’re done eating, I asked for our to go order at 5:50pm and they kept saying it’s coming right out (an order that we placed when we arrived). 6:25pm and the to go order is still not out. We asked them to cancel it.

Please do better. Cut down on your menu…too much variety causes production to be slow. That’s where your bottleneck is…receiving a variety of requests than what your production process can hold. Perhaps they need to inquire from other successful african restaurants outside of CA, how they’re operating so fast (Tip: checkout Drelyse in Columbus, OH & ask how she’s making fresh hot food very quickly. She’s mastered the art of it)

Ponia is okay trying one time but definitely won’t be back.

This is me being generous in my review...

Myself & My son went to Ponia's to finally try African food as we have been wanting to try the cultures food for a long time now. My son was super excited that we finally had a. He uplace that was local. I had very high hopes for this place as we use to eat the Chinese food that was there before Ponia's in which we absolutely loved. Upon entering the restaurant there was no one to greet us & the place seemed empty until a guy host finally did com to take our order. Because this is our first time trying the food I asked him what does he suggest since we are first timers. My son wanted to try the FuFu indefinitely so we knew that we'd want a dish to go along with that but the guy seemed to not really know what to suggest. We picked the Egusi soup & Jollof rice waited about 30 minutes for it. When we got home we went to do a Mukbang & food review on Live & I announced to my followers that I had egusi spup everyone kept saying it was Peanut Butter soup. I was so disappointed that my order wasn't correct & I spent about $50. I think that the greeter should learn the menu to be able to tell customers who are not only new to the establishment but new to the cultures food also check to make sure the right things are in the bag before they leave. I've been wanting to try again but have been...