Africanne on Main — Restaurant in Richmond

The last time I had Ghanese, it was at a catered lunch for my chief resident up in DC. It tasted like dirt on dirt with a side of garbage. And that was borderline depressing, because I love Ethiopian food. This place renewed my faith in African food.

The moment you walk into this place, you get a home grown feeling. African food as whole can be oily, which was both surprising and confusing to find that this food wasn't.

The owner came by and gave us the lowdown on the food. He's essentially an ex-NFL player that wanted to serve food that was both healthy enough for a grade-A athlete, well-priced enough for the common man, and made from ingredients as fresh as the from the farmers' markets in Shockoe Bottom.

There's even a weight-loss meal program that they serve, 7-days, 7-meals, $35.

The best part was probably the home-made drinks. Ginger "beer". Watermelon tea. Etc. They all tasted fresh. Even the fruit drinks didn't leave a sugary, gritty feeling in your mouth like most all processed juices. And they're made without any extra sugars at all.

Be warned though. They're served in sketchy-looking bottles. They're actually used plastic water bottles that they repurposed by pulling the labels off and cleaning. They do a good job though; there's no "label-glue" on it at all. They did put a plastic seal on it to let you know that even though the bottle was repurposed, the current contents were "sealed". I would have to say that it keeps in line with the green'ness of RVA.

I honestly can't believe that it's been here for almost 20 years and it hasn't blown up on yelp. The service was great. They even gave my buddy a complimentary bottle of the ginger beer he loved so much, when they found out it was his birthday. The owner were hella friendly and by talking with him, you get a real sense that he's passionate about his food, and delivering a food that is natural and healthy. I mean, he's an athlete!

I would definitely come back here again, if not for the food, but for the drinks and just hanging out with...

Decided to have some African fare today, as I am not new to the foods or culture. As I walk in the atmosphere is clean and inviting. I walk to the counter and I am greeted. The older lady working the front seemed kind enough at first. I asked what was on the buffet she said I could go take a look; which I did. And nothing seemed impressive. I opted to order off of the menu and chose Oxtails which would come with white rice. I inquired about cabbage and was told I could serve myself off of the buffet for 8.99 a lbs, and in my opinion there should be options for those who do not want rice without being over charged. About 10 mins later the same older woman said that the oxtail were not ready and it would be about 1.5 hrs till done, so my second choice was goat stew also served with white rice. Once my order was ready I proceeded to grab a apple cobbler which looked delish, it was also weighed which I would figure dessert would be at a flat rate like most carribbean restaurants, and the small container of Apple Cobbler came in at $9.20 way too over priced for what takes dollars to make...I left the cobbler...no biggie I still had my meal and would eat it at home...I noticed a detox drink in the mini frigerator I inquired what was in the detox and the older lady again by this time not too friendly at all said senna...I reply "oh ok I know what that is, and can you tell me what else is in it? Her curt answer was senna and some other African herbs. It would be nice to know for allergy sake but I digress. I pay for my goat and white rice 26.dollars and some change and leave, but before I do I ask about the parking lot which does have free parking as long as you are visiting this restaurant. The goat was average and the rice was Uncle Bens...the woman working the counter could be more pleasant she turned this dining out into a hassle. 1st and last time there. Don't bother wasting your time or money. Customer service...

I found Africanne on Main last week. It's just a few blocks from where I work. I was looking for a primarily vegetable option for lunch. Their menu includes meat options as well.

It is a very small place almost hidden on the corner of 2nd & Main in downtown Richmond Virginia. I walked in not expecting what I saw and smelled. The dishes were piping hot at the buffet station. (You pay $6.99 per pound for take out.) I'm always a little leary of buffet stations, but to my surprise if neat and clean. Also, the food did not look as though it had been sitting for days and then reheated. Everything looked extremely fresh.

My veggie only lunch went down there drain once I saw stewed chicken and fried lake trout that looked more than appealing. I ended up getting a small sample of the red beans and rice, jollof rice, stewed chicken, lake trout, and the MIXED GREENS (which are amazing). My to go container weighed .99 pounds and cozy $7.70 with tax, so not so bad.

Everything is a little spicy, but pleasingly so... Definitely not obnoxiously so. I have tried to duplicate the mixed greens without the best off luck. At Africanne on Main, you'll find a string bean or green pea pop up on your fork seemingly from nowhere.

At any rate, I would suggest it as a quick bite to eat. Not fancy, but definitely good. I'll at my before and after I ate pic! It's hilarious.

I forgot to mention why I only have them four stars. It was purely for customer service reasons. No one greeted me and the second day I went, I waited at least five minutes for someone to come out of the back to give me a to go container. Don't expect a lot of warmth when you enter. There were no smiles and no "thank you for coming" when I left. Don't get meet wrong, no one was rude, I'm just accustomed to propietors being excited that they...