Buka - Nigerian Restaurant — Restaurant in San Diego

Let's start with the vibes. When I walked in, it was definitely a hole-in-the-wall. One review said it was "sketchy," and I kind of get it, it's not the most inviting space. It feels run down and not exactly like a place you'd want to dine in.

That said, I didn't want to be too quick to judge. California is expensive, and it's especially hard for small, ethnic restaurants to maintain a dine-in space while serving labor-intensive dishes. As someone who's Caribbean (Dominican), I get how much time and love it takes to make meals like this, and I respect that hustle.

I ordered the egusi, red stew with beef, jollof rice, and got fufu added on at pickup (shoutout to the staff for that, I didn't see it as an option during checkout, and they threw it in for me on the spot). The service was warm and genuine. My food was ready in about 30 minutes, and they were super sweet during pickup.

Now, the food. Flavor-wise, it was solid. The egusi was well-seasoned, though the color threw me off , I'm used to egusi being more yellow, but this one leaned red, so I'm guessing they might've mixed in red stew. The jollof rice was very seasoned, definitely a standout. The fufu was okay, but something about the texture or flavor was slightly off. Not bad, just not the best I've had.

The biggest disappointment was the red stew with beef. For almost $20, I got two tiny pieces of beef. That felt stingy, though not entirely surprising. I've seen this happen before at West African spots. Still, I expected a little more protein for the price.

Overall: Food is flavorful and portions (aside from the meat) are generous. The service is friendly and accommodating. The physical space needs some serious love, it could turn people away at first glance.

Would I go back? Probably not, just because I'd like to explore other spots that might offer more consistency. But I do think they're doing their best, and with some improvements to the space and portions, this place could...

I came here excited to try food from a highly rated place. Opened grimy doors and ended up in a gray empty space that was kind of scary with a white guy sitting in the middle. He was friendly but the space was not. I could not imagine having a meal there. It didn't smell like any delicious food or any food either. Super weird! I looked closely at the reviews and they are all placed by people with 1 or 2 reviews today so that's definitely sketch. I'm giving it 2 stars because well, what if it's a real restaurant with good food? I just know I won't be trying it...

DO NOT EAT HERE

This restaurant is the worst place I've ever eaten. I saw cockroaches and rodents ALL throughout, and if that wasn't bad enough I got FOOD POISONING that lasted all weekend. Not to mention, there staff is incredibly rude and when we asked to speak to the manager the owner of the restaurant was extremely loud and disrespectful, in front of our whole family.

If I could this rat infested place NEGATIVE stars I would!! I reiterate...

DO...