Ghana Cafe

by Joshua W.

I was debating whether to give this place 3 or 4 stars.  I decided 4 to be nice.Tried it today during the Adams Morgan Festival.  Ran out of kabobs, so I tried the vegetarian platter, which was good but a bit over spiced.  I walked and ate at the same time, so I didn't hang out in the restaurant, but the live band was kickin inside, and looked like great fun.

by Jason K.

Review of the restaurant: This is a good place to go with a group.  It especially helps if you have some friends who are familiar with the cuisine and can explain it to you, as I did.  Not sure exactly what we ate, but it was good.  The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the fou fou, which had an odd consistency (really sticky and doughy).  Sure, the place is totally worn in and the food takes a little bit of time, but the owner is incredibly friendly and funny, which more than makes up for it.  They also have a happy hour from 4-8, with discounts on all beers (except the African beers).  Get ready to eat with your fingers.

by Stephanie S.

service = INCREDIBLY slowatmosphere = very dirtyfood = very bad.gross! i dont know about the nightlife - i only went here for dinner. but i hate the food here. and no, i dont just hate that type of food. i hate THEIR food.

by Amy V.

So a lot of these reviews are people who haven't eaten here but have gone for drinks. I've never been here, but I've eaten their food a lot! In the circles I run in, we often get African food catered. And I've eaten Ghana Cafe dishes numerous times in the past years and their basics never disappoint! From the fried plantains, chicken stew, spicy rice, and red beans, it is all spicy, greasy, and typically Ghanaian. Perhaps you have ideas about West African cuisine, but you should really give it a try--I always look forward to getting to eat Ghana Cafe.

by gloria l.Mindy B.Stephanie M.Dave E.james g.

Went here for dinner, left to smoke a hookah and came back to party.No cover charge to party, food is very decently priced.  We got the vegetarian sampler with a side of fufu.  Spinach and egusi, rice with beans, rice jollof and some kind of tomato stew.  It could have had more spice but was still good.  We got a jumbo platter and shared, more than enough food for two people and priced at about 15 bucks.  Filling, home-cooked meal, service was friendly and accommodating.  The owner is very nice and services the bar.  They didn't have any palm wine, I was a little disappointed, but the jumbo bottles of African Club beer got me over it.  10 dollars a bottle but good beer!They had a reggae band play starting at about 11.  Place was pretty empty at first but filled up quickly once the band started playing.  Good music, I danced my butt off.  Men are sketchy, but that's everywhere.  The bathrooms suck, but I didnt expect much.The reason I rated this as high as I did was for the food, I have never been for their disco. Background: I went on mission work to Ghana and loved the food. Upon my return, not only did I miss the food, I wanted to share some of the flavor of the region with my family. While the food is no where as spicy as what I had in Ghana, for those of you who have never gone, this is close enough to give you a flavor of what the food is like there. I called in a rather large order and spoke to one of the owners- and cook who is from Ghana. She is a delight and made the process of ordering for a larger group very pleasant. That is exactly what I expected as the people in Ghana are happy and giving and among the most pleasant people I have ever met! Don't be taken aback by the interior- it is a bit run down but the food is good. There is an outdoor area that is nice on warm days. I've had their: Fufu: just like in Ghana Jollof Rice: very very close to Ghana Kelewele (kay-lah-way-lah): not even close- not spicy and a little dry Plantains: close, but dryer, not cooked with palm oil or butter. You could probably do a better job at home yourself Red Red: Just like in Ghana Light Soup: YUMMY! Just like in Ghana Goat: yup, I said goat. This is actually better than in Ghana as the meat is less "gamy" here Fish: it's the whole thing so beware if that freaks you out!! Groundnut soup: this is basically peanut butter soup- YUMMY! try it with the chicken added. This is pretty close to what I had in Ghana, not as rich though. When you go, enjoy the hospitality and the food, what they lack in "drapery" they more than make up for with hospitality!** side note: as in Ghana, ther service might be a little slow at times- be patient!Awesome beer from Ethiopia!! The music is live and there is plenty of space to dance with your friends. We had a table upstairs, but it was too loud to talk and I thought I was going to develop vocal polyps so we gave it up to dance. i didn't eat, but the food smelled reallly good. The display was not restaurant quality by any means.Minus 1 star for the hideous decor.This is just a nightlife review, I've never had the food.Friends of mine who have studied in Africa or lived in Africa tell me that this bar takes them back, and they can absolutely spend hours upon hours here.  It's a fun place, the music is usually just right for the moment, and people are clearly there to have fun.Unfortunately, the bar is too small upstairs and the music is usually too loud, and the bar is too busy downstairs.  If you're willing to make a night of dancing away, I would recommend a few drinks elsewhere, then come this way.  Keep in mind that every weekend I've been there it's been a $5 cover.I can't be too cruel to Ghana Cafe though, it's the first place someone taught me how to dance.  I still suck at it, but at least I don't fall over anymore.The restaurant is fine and good.  But what makes this place special is the dancing.  In the frat n' bling scene of Adam's Morgan, this is one of the only places you can go where people are just dancing and enjoying it.    It helps that almost everyone is African, friendly, and fun.The main dancing is upstairs, where the crowd spills off the dance floor and onto the carpet, and if you're lucky you'll find a couple african men playing or competing or collaborating in some dance or game or dancing game.  Downstairs there's live music, and more dancing but of a chiller sort.If you want a chic hipster crowd or packs of sorority girls, pass this place by.  But if you want to just dance and enjoy dancing, come on upstairs.

by Ricardo M.

I love this place, although I will confess I haven't eaten here. Just drinks and the outdoor patio on a summer nite are it. Great people watching, cool music coming from the inside, and an overall great vibe. I think you should go here if you are either waiting on a reservation for a later restaurant or if you find the outside patios and lager on a warm summer nite the way to go. Nice scenery too......

by Joan L.

Been there twice. Besides the place being very crowed on Saturdays, i surprisingly had a really good time with my friends there! Everyone was friendly, diverse crowd, the music was great, they had a live band playing reggae music which i loved! Bartenders were pretty slow with making the drinks but overall its a great and enjoyable spot!

by Naoko M.

Wow, I had so much fun here!  I went with a large group of 8 around midnight last night and was surprised to see the bottom floor completely empty.  There some people outside eating, but we were literally the only people in the bar/dancefloor area.  We actually were able to get out of paying the $5 cover.  I guess they were pretty desperate to get people in there.I had 2 great west african beers, the Gulder and Zambezi.  I honestly couldn't really tell the difference between those and other beers, but then again I'm not really an expert on beer in general.  The Gulder comes in a 650mL bottle though, so for $8 I suppose it was good deal.  All (5) of my guy friends bought one.We discovered the party was actually upstairs, where they had very lively African music playing and lots of people dancing.  We thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Later the live band showed up and the downstairs area was very crowded as well.My friends and I stuck out a little bit, but nobody cared, including ourselves.  Everybody was too busy having a great time!

by Colleen S.

Everything about this place is authentic except the food. The live band and dancing was great and really revved up as the night went on. The staff is great. Sitting outside while eating is good people watching on that street. BUT - I am sorry to report that the food here was not that great. It's not spicy at all and we heard the owner asking another table if they wanted it spicy or not. If we'd gotten that option, we might have been eating tastier food. The food wasn't BAD, just not like spicy west african food should be. The chicken was like american chicken. Moist, tender...not well done like it should be. So sorry, as much as I loved this place, I did not enjoy the food as much as I'd hoped.

by Stephanie M.

Awesome beer from Ethiopia!! The music is live and there is plenty of space to dance with your friends. We had a table upstairs, but it was too loud to talk and I thought I was going to develop vocal polyps so we gave it up to dance. i didn't eat, but the food smelled reallly good. The display was not restaurant quality by any means.Minus 1 star for the hideous decor.