Wycliffs’ Kitchen

Thanks Gwen W, for putting this place on my radar and for posting the very helpful menu pictures. It’s actually in the little strip mall with Taqueria Guadalajara, which I’ve been to a few times and enjoy very much. I never would have checked this place out on my own, so I’m glad I did after reading Gwen’s review. I arrived around noon and there was no one else in the dining room. I think they do a better dinner business. I was greeted by a soft-​spoken, accented gentleman (not sure if this was Wycliff or not) and told him I wanted to order carryout. He gave me a menu and I chose (under Vegetarian) the Chapati Madodo, which is flat bread with Peruano beans in coconut milk. It comes with 2 sides, so I chose the green beans and plantains. I wasn’t sure exactly why but he explained the plantains don’t come as a side so I ordered them at additional cost. He suggested the rice and I said ok.
Another person came in after I ordered, and he picked up an order. I never saw another person come in and hope lunch business picks up. The dining room is nicely decorated, with glass table tops.
My server (owner?) asked how I heard about them and I said Unilocal and that my friend had a wonderful meal there. He bagged up my 3 containers of food and I paid with a credit card on his tablet/​register. He said he hoped I liked my meal and I said I’m sure I would.
I got back to work and enjoyed the meal immensely. I had two rolled up flat breads to dunk in my beans that come a little soupy, but delicious. The plantains were wonderful, but could have used a dipping sauce. The green beans were perfect and crispy. The rice was delicious as well, but I did find pieces of meat in them so I am aware of that for next time.
There will surely be a next time.

I am absolutely floored at this restaurant. I suggest, no, demand, that every person eat here. No joke. Everything, from the service to the relaxed, welcoming vibe, to the food, was unlike most all eateries.
I’ll start with the friendly, welcoming service. I think it’s unique that Wycliffe, the owner, does not hide out in the kitchen. Instead, he serves the customers. And with nothing less than a warm smile and good-​hearted attitude. He was helpful with describing the dishes while we narrowed down our choice. He continued to check on us at all the right times (not too many, not too little), throughout the meal. Described dishes, and was more than happy to accommodate any request.
I originally picked the Karanga Mbuzi, goat meat stewed with Kenyan spices. Wycliff let me know they were out of goat, so I asked what he would suggest: Chicken. The entrees come with your choice of two side dishes. I chose the sautéed green beans with onion and plantains.
First off, the presentation of the food on the plate completely jumpstarted the salivation! So simple, yet the smells radiating left me speechless! The green and yellow colors played well with the mind. I almost couldn’t eat it; thank goodness the pic serves its purpose.
So where do I start. Green beans. Steamed to a perfect al dente. Slight crunch, hints of a light buttering. The chicken main dish? Holy SPACEBALLS! No bullshit, out of this world succulent, tender chicken. The yellow sauce was something of a curry and coconut milk flavor. The curry was seasoned with the exact taste of utopia! The fried plantains (Ndizi) were just icing on the best cake I’ve had in a long, long time. Marlena, bless her heart, was nice enough to let me try their coconut milk based soup. It was so freaking phenomenal, I got a cup of that to-​go. I couldn’t eat everything — I was in sheer bliss.
I am elated I got to share this magnificent experience with Marlena! Don’t even get me started on Marlena’s entrée of choice. Let’s just say, the look and taste of that entire white fish knocked our socks off. I’m quite positive I’d be perfectly content to live off these dishes for the rest of my days :) Hats off to Wycliff for the truly awesome restaurant he has honed. Kudos. This was a UYE for the books!

Wycliffs’ is a little quiet restaurant tucked inside a corner shopping mall between Minerva park and the Westerville area. They serve some of the best Kenyan food in Columbus. The décor is nothing spectacular but it does stick with the Kenyan theme. The food is AMAZING, even my kids love it which is rare. The chai tea is spiced perfectly and it comes in a pot with no sugar so you can make it as sweet as you want. In the couple times I’ve been I had the beef stew and goat stew (points to whoever can pronounce the whole menu) both are seasoned well and the meat is soft like butter, be aware that there are a lot of bones in the goat stew. Almost everything I tried has been delicious. There samosas are some of the best I’ve had the bread is fresh, it’s baked to perfection and there is a good amount of meat in them. If your in the area give this place a try you will not be disappointed

What a fantastic lunch! This is the real deal! I lived in Kenya for about a year, and this took me right back there. The samosas were crispy and flavorful, the chapati are flaky and delicious, the sukuma fresh, and you’ll want to mop up every bit of stew with your mound of ugali. Wash it down with hot chai – premixed milk and tea served piping hot, just like it should be. I really hope that this place stays around because it really warmed my heart on this cool autumn day.

Delicious Kenyan food! The service was great and the owners are very friendly. The waitress readily answered our questions and helped with pronunciations of menu items. At the end of the meal, Wycliff himself came out of the kitchen to introduce himself to our table and ask what everyone ate and what we thought of it.
I ordered the Karanga Mbuzi (goat stew) with sides of ndizi (plantains) and ugali (cornmeal mash), which was all great! The goat was tender and well-​seasoned, and fried plantains were perfectly cooked. My friend got a vegetarian dish with beans stewed in coconut milk with chapati (kenyan crêpe-​like bread). The only thing I would do differently next time is get the chapati bread instead of cornmeal mash because it was more flavorful.
When I went in May, the restaurant was still called Tikka Masala which made it a little tricky to know that we were in the right place. Hopefully they have gotten/​will get some better signage and business will continue to pick up!

Wycliffs’ Kitchen shared this restaurant space with Tikka Masala up until 6÷19÷15. Tikka Masala has now closed according to the waitress. I was a little disappointed because I was looking forward to Tikka’s weekly lunch buffet, but I decided to stick around and give Wycliffs a shot.
This is a Kenyan restaurant with a modest sized menu. I started with beef samosas that were a tad bit dry, but flavorful. They gave me a cup of chili garlic sauce for dipping and for my meal. This is is common hot sauce in Vietnamese restaurants made by the same company that makes Sriracha. I wouldn’t think that’s the normal hot sauce to eat with Kenyan food, but what do I know. For my meal I tried the Karonga Ng’ombe which is a stewed beef. It had a good, but mellow flavor; something I can picture a mother making once a week for her family. The sides were rice and a green of my choice: collard, spinach, and maybe mustard… I can’t remember. I went with the collard greens. The rice was pretty well executed. The collard greens were prepared differently than I’ve ever had. The leaves were quite firm, almost crisp, and boldly green. I’m used to them being cooked/​stewed quite a bit longer in stock with other seasoning. This version was very lightly seasoned requiring salt or mixing with my beef.
The server was nice and the service was pretty quick. I had an okay visit, and I look forward to coming back to try some of the other menu items.