Buka 2 Restaurant — Restaurant in Riverdale

I came to Buka 2 about a week ago with my close friend who’s Nigerian. I was genuinely excited to support a place that meant something to him—to experience his culture, to sit beside him and enjoy a meal together. I was also nervous, because I have Crohn’s disease and can’t eat spicy food. Like, at all. Not mild. Not a little kick. None.

So I was very clear—twice—with the waitress: plain chicken, plantains, and if I had to order a full meal, I’d do fried rice. She said they didn’t have fried rice. I asked if plain white rice would be okay. They didn’t have that either. So I said fine, give me the jollof rice only if it’s not spicy. And again, I made it clear—I cannot eat pepper. If it can’t be made that way, I’m fine not eating.

Instead of compassion, I was met with mockery. She laughed and said, “Why would he marry a woman who doesn’t know his food?” and “How does he eat at home without spice?” I brushed it off, trying not to feel humiliated, even though her words cut deep.

When the food came, his was perfect. Mine? The chicken was covered in a spicy stew, the jollof was fiery, and even the plantains were drenched in red sauce. I dipped one plantain in the stew to try it and immediately felt the burn. I drank all my water. Then his. It wasn’t just uncomfortable—it was dangerous for my body.

She came to ask how we liked the food. I calmly said, “He’s enjoying his, but I can’t eat mine. If I do, I’ll end up in the hospital.” She didn’t apologize. She didn’t offer to fix it. She brought a to-go box and walked away.

I held it together at the table. I paid the $46 bill because this was my treat. He’s new in town, and I wanted to make him feel at home. But as soon as I got to my car, I cried. I felt unseen, unimportant, and disrespected. All I asked for was safety and dignity while trying to support a place that should’ve welcomed me in.

If your kitchen can’t make something non-spicy, just say that. Don’t pretend to accommodate and then serve something harmful. This wasn’t just a bad experience—it was a painful one, emotionally...

I have gone through the reviews and I can say that i'm shocked. My friend and I decided we should have something other than our home cooked meals. We set out on a 45mins drive to Riverdale. Right from the parking lot, we started having doubts about the journey and our decision. Got into the restaurant, we were welcomed by cobwebs and a wall full of dusty framed pictures of all celebrities that has ever dined there.

I ordered for Poundo and Ilasepo and my friend ordered Yam Porridge and plantains. Standing for over 20mins, no one ushered us to a seat so we had to. The tables were dirty and oily, the flooring was black from lack of cleaning, the chairs were of different shapes, colors and sizes. I beckoned on the owners(a couple: my later guess was...they were the waiters, receptionist, and bartender) to clean out the table. The female owner acknowledged and never came back. Told the husband the same thing, his solution was me moving to another table that wasn't any way better than where I was. I got mad, stood up and headed to the car to get some wipes. the wipes were black from accumulated dirt and dust from the table. Sickening and Sad.

Our wait time was 1hr52mins. the meal prep took forever. Got our meals and embarked on the 45mins drive again. we were of the opinion that a tasty meal would make up for our environmental disaster we experienced. Alas, it was not so. I asked for Ilasapo, the okra was brown, the meat was stale, and loads of stew was used to beef up the quantity of the Okra. The yam porridge was a total failure. In the end the journey was worthless.

This place needs a total revamp, if the dine in area is this gory I can imagine what the cook area looks like. Absolutely terrible. I will never...

This was my first visit but not my first time trying African cuisine. The first time I had egusi soup I fell in love and will treat myself at least once a month. Its a bit pricy but this place is a bit cheaper than the other places I've been. I can also tell they dont skimp on the quality ingredients to make this particular dish which is good. I normally go to Ike's in Norcross which is excellent and I've never been disappointed, but since I wasnt in the Norcross area, I did Google search and found this place. I decided to go for it because of the good reviews but was hesitant. The employee was helpful over the phone when placing the order and friendly when I arrived. The egusi had unbelievable flavor (extremely to being the best I've had so far) but the beef, goat, and cow foot could've been more tender due to the larger cuts. It was a little tough and chewy, especially the cow foot which was huge and had very thick skin attached. I will give them another try and request for the meat to be tenderize a bit more next time..Other than those small issues, I was...