Palace Gate Restaurant

Bait and switch… I was told at first that everything on the menu was $ 5. I ordered spinach and boiled plantain to go. Too much plantain (which was flavorless) and not enough of the main dish… then I learned that the spinach was mixed with egg so I knew I’d be giving that to a friend (I’m vegan). I figured it was only $ 5 so no big deal… then I was asked for $ 12! When I told the owner I heard him say $ 5 earlier, he denied it. $ 5 does not sound like $ 12. Since I was with friends, I didn’t argue further. If I had been alone, I would’ve walked out.

About a 2 – 2.5: My friend and I came to Palace Gate Restaurant to try out their Ghanian offerings. The restaurant offers different types of appetizers (wings and kabobs), soup, stew (fish, beef, turkey, or spinach), fufuo, banku, ampesi, waakye, rish dishes, as well as lunch specials during the week. I tried the beef with a slide of plantains and jollof rice; the beef was okay, but it was more on the bland side; from the looks of it, I thought it would have been a bit more savory. The side of plantains were just okay, but slightly undercooked. The jollof rice, while plentiful, was extremely pungent in its scent — I wasn’t sure if it was the amount of the spices used or some soup stock that was used to cook the jollof rice in, but it didn’t smell or taste appetizing! The place itself was bright and cheery, and it seems like a hidden gem. I am glad I was able to give Palace Gate a try, but not sure if I’d go back!
+Ghanian offerings
+undercooked plantains
+pungent jollof rice

Beans and plantain was tastless. The beans was very oily and watery while the plantain was drained in oil. I won’t recommend nor return to this place

I suppose this review will be an amalgamation of everything that has already been written, but whatever. Turn on: the comfy, unpretentious atmosphere. Turn off: the rather long time we waited just to be greeted. Turn on: the well-​cooked plantains, jollof rice, and tilapia soup we ordered. Turn off: the noises my stomach made itching for that food to come! Turn on: the elderly gentleman who coached me on how to eat the fufu. Turn off: the super unfriendly owner? who couldn’t muster a smile. Turn on: the rather reasonable $ 12/​plate we were charged. Turn off: the fact that the loud-​ass cabbie next to us probably paid $ 8…I’d like to come here again, but I’ll probably play hardball — after all, I’m a bohemian Uptowner who just might become a regular!

Amazing food. Anyplace where cabbies go to eat cant go wrong.
We had the okra soup with banku and the egusi with boiled plantains. The soup had the complexity of a french boullabaise but in a cafeteria setting. It all tasted like eating at someones home, no pretension, garnishing or pandering down to white middle class patrons.
there was a soap opera of a lady being turned into a condor by a pentecost minister at a séance. when we walked in.
Homerun overall experience.

I have mixed feelings about this place. As in other reviews there are no prices listed so you know the ‘familiar’ folks get one price and the ‘foreign’ folks get another price.
They also don’t like you to share dishes so you must order dinners and there was plenty of food to go around.
The food was really good for my first try at Ghanaian food. I tried the beef stew with plantains and beans and my friend had the Jollof rice with chicken. Both were spicy and they added additional spice to the side if you wanted more heat!
Service was friendly once they knew I was heading to Ghana and wanted a taste of it and it really is a whole in the wall. Our food bill came to $ 48 for 4 ($ 12 per person)
Would I go again? I can’t say for sure. Still thinking about it…

After a few friendly visits I now feel like I go home when I visit this place.
The Black eyes peas with Gari is delicious.
Fufu and Groundnut stew with goat is strong basic.
Kenke and fish if you are feeling adventurous.
Tip– I love spicey hot dishes but it burns the hell out of me so beware. Message me if you want some how to survive the aftermath of hot food tips :)

Great service. fresh fish, pepper soup was perfectly seasoned and tender goat meat that falls right off the bone, Omg… best fufu ever sweet golden brown plantains & peas… perfection! Very good.

If I had to sum up a review of this place in one word, it would be WOW! I have been to Palace Gate Restaurant twice and each time I feel like I have gone back to Accra or to Kumasi.
Waakye with fried fish and spaghetti with red sauce.
Having had some waakye at a Ghanaian restaurant in Washington, DC, I had a hankering for some in Chicago. The black-​eyed peas and rice were on like a light. And the fried fish, although full of bones, was full of meat. The red sauce with the spaghetti opened my nasal passages, as it was strong.
Well, I don’t have to wait until I go back to Ghana to get a little of home. And I don’t live far from it, which is that much better.

This was the first time I had Ghanaian food and really don’t know that I can compare against other Ghanaian places… especially since there aren’t many around.
The menu is rather short and simple. However, if you don’t know what you are looking at, the guy the owns the place will be happy to answer questions that you have. I picked Jollaf rice, as it seemed like a good intro dish to Ghanaian food. He recommended the fried plantain to go with it. It came with a hard boiled egg, but I don’t like hard boiled eggs and gave it away. I picked beef as my meat option to go with the rice. The dish was actually quite good and the portion was big enough to make a lunch the next with the left overs.
If it was so go, why did I give 3 stars? Like most every other review, I was a bit taken back with not having prices on the menu. When I read the reviews, each time a review was written, the prices kept going up. Well, they are up to $ 12 for that one dish. Seriously, rice is about as cheap as can be. Yes, it was quite good, but not $ 12 good. I can say that the entrée is big enough for two people to eat off of and be happy. If that was some fancy place, I could understand… it’s not.
In my opinion, if they cut the portions in half, lowered the price and offered maybe another appetizer or sort, they would probably have more customers. But, I’m not from Ghana and don’t know if their food goes beyond that? It’s worth going for the experience and trying something new. I will go back, but not as often as I would like because of the price. Remember, share a dish as you’ll easily blow $ 75 bucks for 4 people.
One more thing… They only accept cash. At their price, they need to get a credit card machine.

Food is as authentic is it comes in the US, unfortunately so is the rest of the experience.
Sadly, to have a good time here you have to pretend like it’s in Ghana, walk in there and act like you’re in charge. Haggle, ask for prices up front and don’t be afraid to go (and to tell them you’ll go) to the Nigerian Kitchen instead. Failure to adhere to the Ghanian system is how I got abducted by a taxi driver once, after living in West Africa for years before that, even.
Yes, they charge you $ 10 per plate of food if you dress down. That’s because they can, and because you’re not a regular, and even if you ARE Ghanian. If you can’t deal with being treated like a Ghanian person is treated in the US when in this restaurant, then you would probably enjoy the Starbuck’s across the street.

A good friend of mine is from Ghana and took me here. I told him I want the real Ghanaian experience. No utensils. Okay, I’m ready!
It was quite a shock. This place was a true hole in the wall. The table and seats were a bit sticky and we washed our hands in a bowl of water. They had soap at the table, not very appetizing.
We ate everything with our hands (which is cool), even soup (not cool). First time I tried fufu was the last time as well. Not sure if it was the restaurant, but I didn’t enjoy my first and only experience of Ghanaian food. It was so spicy that my butt hated me the next morning. It still hasn’t forgiven me for that day.

Used to live a block away and we ate here about once a week. Excellent food; generous portions; and the price is always reasonable (though it does fluctuate a bit, depending on who’s working… …which makes me like the place more). I wouldn’t go there with picky friends– there’s no ambiance and not all of the staff speaks English, but, it’s the best African food I’ve had in Chicago.

«EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK & DEMAND PRICES»
The food was excellent, it brought me back to my time in Ghana. The atmosphere was casual and it reminded me of eating at the night market in Accra. Unfortunately for me, the color of my skin (white) was not a positive attribute in this restaurant on this specific day.
My friend is in town from Ghana and she wanted to try a Ghanaian restaurant. I searched Unilocal to find one with good reviews, and I decided on Palace Gate. The reviews were mainly positive, and we decided to give it a try.
The menu is simple and there are no prices listed. We all ordered jollof rice but the waitress insisted we change our order. She insisted we change but everyone was pretty firm. I obliged and offered to have less rice and a few more plantains. My Ghanaian friend exchanged quite a few words in Twi with the waitress and everyone was friendly and joking. Later, I found out that my friend asked 3 times for prices on the items, but the waitress shamed her into silence about her questioning, by telling her that she should not be so concerned.
Jump ahead… there was no bill, she just came over and demanded $ 60 from us for the food. When I protested that I knew she was over-​charging us she casual touched my 4 year old winter coat and said, «You are a rich girl! Are you married? If not, I will give you to my brother!» I politely told her that I was a «working-​girl» and that I never spend this much on a meal, and definitely not on a plate of rice.
100% of the patrons were cab drivers. Which is great because that means the food tastes just like it does back in Ghana. This also means that we were not dining in an expensive restaurant… unless prices are different for different people… duh!
I paid and we left. What can you do?
It is truly unfortunate that they viewed me as a dollar sign and nothing else. It makes better business sense to treat me well and ask fair prices so that I would return for more. Instead, they took advantage of me only once and will never see me again.
Palace Gate Restaurant receives «one-​star» due to their lack of respect for people that are different from them. All of the clientele were Ghanaian that evening and I think it is a travesty that we must be so segregated. If we learned to treat each other with respect we could learn a lot from others. It is a loss for me and for them that my friends and I will never dine there again.

Great authentic Ghanaian food! Very delicious with huge portions! Worth every dime you pay. However the service is slightly lackadaisical probably because of cultural differences.
Its a great place to experience Ghanaian culture, food and music!

This was the first time I tried Ghanaian food, and I’m glad I chose Palace Gate to get baptized in West African food.
The restaurant itself isn’t much to look at, but that is quickly forgotten as you are welcomed very warmly by the owners. Everyone is very helpful, especially if you don’t know exactly what to order. I tried some fried plantains, very delicious; I would make an attempt to incorporate them in your meal somehow.
Don’t visit this restaurant if you are in a rush, the atmosphere is very laid back and no one there is in a hurry. You are encouraged to stay as long as you want and enjoy the company of all the customers around you.
This was a wonderful and new eating experience for me that I really enjoyed. If you get the chance, please take the time to discover Palace gate!

This was an awesome, laid back restaurant. This is the first time I have had Ghanian food, and it was really a fun experience.
First of all I should start off by saying that I am no expert on any type of African food, but I really enjoyed my meal. The staff was super friendly, and happily helped me choose a dish to try. I got Banku which is a spicy stew that you dip cornmeal into and eat. You wash your hands first before eating, and then use your fingers to dip cornmeal into the stew to eat it. It was very tasty!
The atmosphere of this place is super casual. I had to ask the staff for our bill because they were very laid back and wanted us to feel welcome to stay for as long as we wished in the restaurant. I liked this relaxed attitude, it’s out of the norm and It’s fun to hang out with the other patrons and watch movies from Ghana and chat.
Give this restaurant a try if you want a great experience where you bond with the strangers around you and would like to eat your food leisurely in a warm atmosphere!

What an experience. As I sat down and picked up the menu with no prices, the proprietor asked me if «I’d be having the same as yesterday». Apparently I’m «generic Indian guy». This has happened before.
After replying that I’d never eaten Ghanian (or is it ghanese?) food before, she told me «ok, so you’ll have jallof rice, beef, and spinach», before I could even ask what was good… and this was. The rice was super spicy, the beef was tasty, and the spinach was like spinach curry. All in all, fantastic.
Meanwhile, I watched ghanian movies with the other customers; this one was about a little fat Ghanian kid getting in all sorts of mischief.
And the price. my meal ended up being $ 8. Other people were eating soup by dipping a plaintain-​cream-​of-​wheat (called Fufu). I asked the lady what it was, replying «next time, you can try that!»
There will be a next time.

When I am in Uptown, of the five or more West African restaurants I frequent, this is the one I go to most often. Maybe it’s the simplicity, the great prices, the great meals, or how fun it was watching every Ghana game in last year’s World Cup surrounded by the friends and family of this Ghanaian restaurant, but it is a down-​home pleasure. Great for sharing and groups, and though it seems not the easiest place for us vegetarians, once we get used to what to order, it’s the tops. Plus, it is right next door to a great Ghanaian-​owned grocery with all sorts of ingredients West Africans, West Indians, and us Isthmians will understand. Go for a spicy sweet potato dish, if you like red meat or seafood you’ll have great options, and don’t forget the plantains!