Afro Cook House — Restaurant in Tulsa

Once again I found myself making a trip to the 71st and Lewis area, so I landed on the Afro Cook House on Lewis.

First off, the place doubles as an ethnic market with the eatery tucked into a back corner. That said, while small, it's open, airy and doesn't feel at all cramped.

I was hoping for the Suya beef, but they were out of that. Not having just a ton of time on my hands, I opted for the Smoked Chicken and rice.

To his credit, the gentleman asked about my spice tolerance, making sure I understood that the dish was fairly spicy. Being a pepper belly, I told them to bring it on.

While waiting I strolled around the store, looking at the myriad of exotic ingredients available, many totally new to me. This was my first foray into African cuisine, so I was totally a fish out of water.

While preparing my meal, the lovely lady in the kitchen called me over and we chatted about the dish. She wanted to let me know the dish was not the usual chicken that Americans are used to. She advised me not to expect, plump, juicy chicken pieces, but rather meat that was slightly chewy and boney, as that's how the dish is prepared traditionally. Gotta admit... I appreciate the honesty. I told her I had no preconceptions, so let's do it.

In just a few more minutes the dish was on my table. While strolling around, I noticed she took the chicken portion of the dish out of a container and microwaved it. Ordinarily that would be a deal breaker, but I understand that they have to do it this way because of volume. I suspect most of their dishes are not a 'cook to order' recipe, because of the nature of how they're prepared. Obviously microwaves aren't authentic to the cuisine, but I applaud them adapting to fit our culture and the Tulsa marketplace. While I was there from around 12:30 to 1ish, I was the only diner, so I don't imagine there's near enough volume to prep and hold those dishes. I say all that to point out that sometimes you need to accomodate situations.

Once the food hit my table, I plowed in. When she brought my order, the cook mentioned that the chicken is meant to be eaten with your fingers, and that was part of my love language.

If it's worth eating, it's worth wearing.

The chicken was indeed spicy, rating right up there with some of the hotter cajun food around. The accompanying rice was hot, fluffy and right on point. And the chicken was indeed stringy, bony and sparse.

But you know what? It worked. I took time to reflect that while I'm a protein guzzling all-American boy, the rest of the world doesn't eat like me. The cook explained to me that this is as traditional as if gets for this type of food. So I realized that in some cultures, you offset the lack of quantity with an excess of flavor, and this dish did just that.

I found myself pouring the sauce from the bowl of chicken over the rice, and that just amped it right up for me.

All totaled, there probably wasn't a half cup of meat in the entire meal, but I left full and satisfied. The rice, once seasoned, was awesome.

Honestly, in any other restaurant, I'd have sent that chicken back to the kitchen and been mad as hell. But the cook's time spent managing not only my expectations, but my perceptions made all the difference.

I would imagine the Suya beef has a lot more protein (based on a couple photos), so I won't assume every dish is as protein scarce as mine. But if you go there to eat, and you should, just understand that the Afro Cook House isn't like all the other mainstream franchise joints that load a plate with marginal food. They make authentic, flavorful dishes that speak to their roots and heritage, and it's worth you making the paradigm shift.

All done, with a bottle of water and a generous tip, the total was around $23. Could I have gotten more food for that money? Absolutely. But I couldn't have had the experience of a genuinely new cuisine served up as authentically as possible that peaked my taste buds in astoundingly new ways.

And THAT made all...

I was driving and saw the Afro cookhouse sign and had to stop in to see what it was about and it is giving authentic food. Everyone in the store is very inviting and makes you feel like family. Very welcoming the store is very spacious with a dining area I opted take out for my food. To be very transparent I feel the cost and amount of food is average based on Dallas and the dmv area for this type of food. I am so happy we now have an amazing African restaurant in town and I don’t have to do that 4 hour drive! I got the Ero soup and it came with fufu I also I got the peppered goat but that’s all you get is just the goat so you may want to get jollof rice on the or fufu to go with it however it’s good on its own. Everything is packed with flavor and the meat was tender, well majority of it some of the bigger pieces were not edible some were tough and dry. The pepper sauce oh my goodness that needs to be bottled up and put on the shelf. Now some of the con’s was everything was being microwaved even though they have a nice size kitchen and the wait time can be off putting to some. Now as far as the portions to price I feel they can do better with the amount of meat you receive depends on who is fixing your food. The other con is the amount of time you have to wait being that the food is microwaved and not being freshly prepared right in front of you so not sure why there is a long wait time. Some have a heavy hand and some are stingy. Also I do not like that they ask for a tip when paying, even if you’re just getting groceries the tip prompt comes up. This is a no go for me especially when I’m patronizing the store as is and they are on the pricey side compared to the other African marts they are the highest in town. I’ve eaten there 3 times and not sure if I will be back to try all the other items on the menu. They did disappoint once with the extremely long wait and the two pieces of beef one piece was edible and the other was not it was grisly and had hair, however I did find better prices and flavors at...

This place is my first experience with African food. The spices used are unique and their dishes are flavorful! Their house made hot sauce is hands down the best I’ve ever had (and I’ve tried a lot like Smokin Ed’s) But it’s very spicy so be advised.

The lamb and white rice soup: The broth was rich and fatty. It became gelatinous when I put it in the fridge overnight — that’s how I know the soup is legit and not watered down! It tasted kinda like cajun seafood seasoning but with a nice natural sweetness and unique African herbal flavor. The lamb was a slightly gamey, but I actually prefer that.

The beef suya was probably my favorite. It came with sauteed onions. It was seasoned perfectly. The fatty pieces were tender and the rendered beef fat added a savory umami flavor that I loved. I will say the leaner pieces were slightly on the dry side but the flavors still popped especially with the onions. This dish does not come with sides so I recommend ordering a side of rice or something.

Lastly was the fufu & egusi soup. The egusi was just OK in flavor and texture. There were some dried fish meat and bones that added flavor but could be a choking hazard. The texture was like soft tofu. I DONT CARE what people say but I think it’s ridiculous and dangerous to try and swallow the soup dipped fufu whole. The fufu was like a slightly elastic doughy mashed potato ball with a mild potato flavor. It paired well with the soup. But overall was not a fan of the egusi soup. I can’t really describe the flavors I just know I didn’t enjoy it.

The service is great and they clearly put a lot of care into the food. My only criticisms would be the pricing. Each dish was in the $18-$25 range if I remember correctly. But it is a locally owned place that probably has to import a lot of its...