Nkechi African Cafe

We came to celebrate my dads birthday and it was a total success; started with a warm welcome, great conversation, the manager and waiter were AMAZING IN EVERY WAY! The food was hands down the best. Besides my dads! We will be coming back for sure! Thank youuuuu

Delicious. Go and get the plantains, ogbono soup with beef (or goat if you can get it) and pepper soup. If your like yummy things, do as I say. P. S. If you grew up in the US as a Nigerian kid, do you remember malt??? Yes? They have it!

We had the peppercorn fish soup. Delicious! The fufu was perfect, the way I’ve had it in Ghana. Also had the jolof rice with goat. Highly recommended. Will be back here again.

I ordered for pick up and upon entering the restaurant you instantly feel like you’re in a home. It reminded me of going to one of my «aunties» family gatherings for a home cooked meal with everyone. As they were bringing my food out, I chatted with the owner of the restaurant. She was very sweet and told me how I have to keep coming so she could cook for me. She even said, «what drink can I get you? From me, to you.» I of course thanked her and said whatever she would like to give me. So she gave me a bottle of malt for free. The whole encounter was just so genuine and I will definitely remember her kindness…
As far as the food, I ordered the jollof rice with fish and plantains. First off, the portions are ridiculous. Soooo much food. As I write this, my belly is protruding sooo far out. I swear, I feel like I’m on my third trimester and I’m half tempted to go get a C-​section. Don’t even want to think about a natural birth! (Hahaha ok let me stop)! It’s just that serious lol… the food was very good. It was milder than what I’m used to for West African food, but still flavorful. The fish was well seasoned and just melts in your mouth. And the plantains were sweet and not mushy or crunchy (as you’ll find in some places). Just the right texture somewhere in between. I do prefer a lot more spicy and more traditional (as in don’t hold back on the maggi, scotch bonnet peppers, or the slightly smokey burn on the rice)…trust me, I know the REAL West African side lol. But, I think they mellow down a bit for less accustomed customers. Regardless, it was still good.
Overall, I enjoyed the food so much more because of my experience at the restaurant. You go to restaurants for the food but you return to them because of the experience. And here, you’ll feel welcomed, you’ll feel at home and most definitely, you’ll feel FULL.

This is the first African food place i ate at. It started at the location she had in Gardena back in 1996 and followed her to Inglewood i have been eating there for 19 years. So yes im in love with the foo foo. Everything is amazing and yes i’ve ate everything on the menu.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have my boyfriend (a Nigerian) take me to the only two best Nigerian restaurants in LA… Veronica’s Kitchen and Nkechi African Café.
Although I’ve enjoyed the food at both places, Nkechi’s has a slightly better service and better plantains. We ordered the food to go and the wait was about 15 minutes, cooked fresh to order.
I’ve had several large bites of my boyfriend’s Jollof Rice with Chicken. OMG that is a flavorful combination of exotic and hearty mama’s home cooking. It’s his favorite dish and I can understand why. I LOVE their plantains, cooked to perfection and moist all around. Most plantains that I’ve had are on the chewy side. I tried the Pepper Soup with Fish for the first time. The dish is so spicy and rich. I could not eat it by itself. I had it with rice (although not traditional). I recommend that you eat the Peppered Soup with Rice or Pasta if you’re new to these strong flavors.
If you’re feeling even more adventurous, I recommend that you try their Palm Wine. I was warned that it is super strong so I was afraid to drink the entire bottle.
The restaurant is located in the sketchy part of LA. Once you step inside, you really feel like you’re in someone’s home. There are plenty of parking next to the restaurant.
*RECOMMENDED*

Was craving Nigerian food. I went there once for my Nigerian’s friend’s wedding. I love their cooking. This place is authentic and hit the spot! Got the beef stew with jollaf rice and dodo.

No frills, down home good Nigerian food. Had the jallof rice with beef and plantain. Good portion sizes and very tasty. Great service!

I went there for my first time, the customer service was awesome. The the food was wasn’t good at all. I’ve had African food in the past, the chicken tasted old, and it was cold.

Working one day in LA from DC and tried this place out! Customer service was quite great. Per the food, I had egusi with oat fufu the first day and felt the salt was sincerely too much but did not get discouraged. I decided to try out the esi-​ewu the next day and had the same experience of the too much salt. The salt they use in cooking is simply too much without a doubt. Hopefully the cook or the owner and staff will read this and know the intention is to help them get better. Overall, good people and nice customer service but will pass next time if I come to the area.

Being East African I generally eat at Ethiopian restaurants when eating out with family. Instead we gave this spot a try. Such a homey comfortable environment and the owner was such a nice man. I ordered the jallof rice with fish and the portions were very generous. We all loved it and will definitely be returning!

More of an upscale feel than some Nigerian restaurants you may visit, although definitely not fine dining. Other restaurants have more of a cramped feel which Nkechi doesn’t.
Delicious food. I didn’t have any special requests but the level of service and the questions from my server indicated they would be well met. Unreservedly recommended.

I wish I went to this place sooner before moving out of LA! I read about this restaurant on LA Eater and decided to check it out for lunch. I ordered the Jollof Rice with Chicken and it was absolutely delicious. It was also only $ 15 and the portion size was big enough to fill two empty stomachs. I got it to-​go and waited for about 15 minutes. You can call ahead too if you don’t want to wait. The lady at the register was super friendly. The atmosphere is homey and comfortable. I would definitely go back.

Most African restaurants in LA serve Ethiopian cuisine. Food from the Western regions of Africa are more difficult to find. Veronica’s Kitchen and Nkechi African Café, both family-​owned restaurants in Inglewood, are the only restaurants in LA that offer a taste of Nigeria.
Staples of Nigerian cuisine appear to be heavy flavored dry soups and very spicy meat stews, eaten with a starchy mound of yam dough called fufu. On a Friday evening, we ordered two very traditional Nigerian specialties: isi-​ewu also known as a spicy goat casserole and an egusi soup which is a viscous soup prepared with ground melon seeds.
Nkechi’s offering of isi-​ewu was critical in my decision to try Nkechi instead Veronica’s Kitchen, which only has nkwobi (cow leg) on the menu. I wanted to eat something exotic that night.
Isi-​ewu is a unique and impressive stew for adventurous eaters. The main component of this dish is the goat head and the stew includes the brain! The preparation process is extremely tedious, as all the goat hairs have to be removed and the head needs to be thoroughly washed. The head is steamed/​boiled, cut into smaller pieces, and then the meat stock is simmered in a sauce that contains a blend of chili spices and seasoning. This Nigerian delicacy is extremely spicy, and the sauce was a bit overwhelming compared to the flavors of the meat, so be prepared to order some water or a palm wine if you need to relieve the overwhelming heat.
On the other hand, egusi soup is more mellow. It is a viscous soup consisting of melon seeds, spinach, and a choice of meat (fish, chicken, mutton, cow leg). The preparation of this most popular Nigerian soup is also labor intensive, requiring melon seeds to be ground and made into a paste before the paste is mixed with spices stir-​fried, and then the product is boiled with meat stock. We chose tilapia as the stock, which was dry and had bones. The taste was slightly bitter but also very rich, which was not expected for a soup with similar consistency of Chinese porridge. The soup is very nutritious and many Nigerians enjoy it with fufu, a firm white ball pounded from from yam flour. Fufu is generally flavorless so it is used to scoop up soup or stew (similar function to injera in Ethiopian cuisine, I think).
Portions at Nkechi are generous and two hungry diners can easily share a soup and meat stew, then bring home leftovers. Service was prompt and the server was extremely patient. Everyone else at the restaurant were native-​Africans, so this seems to be the place to find local African food. The damage for this dinner was $ 45 not including tip, which is expensive for only 2 dishes but understandable considering the native spices and fresh ingredients used, as well as the amount of labor required to prepare each dish.
Tips:
1. I don’t think tap water is available. It costs $ 2 for bottled water.
2. The area outside the restaurant on Manchester Blvd is well-​lit, appears to be safe even during the evening.
3. There is street parking or you can park in the same lot as the laundrymat next door, I don’t think they care.

This is the best Nigerian food I have ever eaten I liked Mine spicy the chicken and beef was perfect I highly recommend everyone to try this restaurant café it is the best ever my friend and I loved it and we even ordered to go after we had our dinner its that good I wish I can give it 10 stars but it only allows me 5 .its on Manchester between 5^th and 7^th Street you gotta try it. this is the best African food ever I most definitely will come back and try the plum beer yum yum :-)

The service here is absolutely excellent. I generally enjoy East African food a bit more than West, but I’m always down to try something new or different. The jollof rice and meat (you can order it with any kind but we had beef), was delicious, spicy-​but-​not-​overwhelmingly-​so, and the fufu was great. The stew (we had it with chicken) was delicious. My pepper soup had wonderful flavor, the sauce/​soup part was incredible. I had the goat pepper soup, expecting goat meat, but rather it was a lot of innards, mostly goat liver and tripe. I’m not a huge offal fan, so the tripe made it just a bit too goat-​y, or stomach-​y-​tasting for my liking, but if you’re into that kind of barnyard funk taste, you’d love it.
They also have a special Isi-​Ewu, a beautiful goat head kind of stew (they call it a mutton salad) that’s incredibly rich. I am not a fan at all of dried fish of any kind, so egusi is not my thing, but my brother ordered it and said it was good.
All in all, I think Nkechi is probably a pretty wonderful example of NIgerian food. The service was excellent and the spot became very lively after about 8 p.m. on a Friday night. If you like Nigerian food, particularly foods flavored with dried fish and you enjoy all parts of the goat, Nkechi is a great spot. Anyone with a penchant for tripa or buche tacos would probably find Nkechi a blast.
Extra points for the great waitstaff, who were patient with my parents’ endless questions, even when their asking what was in the Mkwobi over and over seemed like a scene from a Woody Allen movie.

Sorry Veronica’s Kitchen, I have to give Nkechi my vote! The Egusi with Fish and Rice and their Chicken Stew
(with extra sauce!) grabbed my attention! Tasted like my old college roommate’s (from Lagos) home cooking! Yummy!
Oh…and for all of you sheltered west siders and valley dwellers who are afraid to venture east of La Brea Ave. TO GO orders are available lol :-)

Although I’m not African, I acquired a taste for West African food three decades ago, with a special fondness for Egusi Stew with Chicken, eaten with Fufu (of course). The problem is, many West African restaurants open and then close after a short life span, so it’s hard to find the good ones if you’re not part of the West African diaspora. Anyway, I asked a nice lady who immigrated from Ghana many years ago to tell me her favorite West African restaurant and she replied, «Nkechi». So I went there straightaway that same evening in October.
I was very pleased with my food, the ambiance and the overall experience! I was warmly greeted by a pleasant young waitress who was attentive throughout my meal. My Egusi and Fufu were excellent.
The restaurant is clean, orderly and well lit. The restaurant is located on a well-​traveled street (Manchester Boulevard) in a commercial area and there is lots of free street parking right in front. The prices are very reasonable. The other diners were very friendly, with one table of jovial Nigerians inviting me to join them to help drink a six-​pack of Heineken they had with them.
At the end of my meal, the owner, an amiable woman named Nkechi, came out to chat, as she was curious to know how I had learned of her restaurant, how and where I had learned to enjoy West African food and music, and so on.
I left Nkechi a very satisfied customer! I plan on returning often.

My girlfriend begged me for almost a year to take her to a restaurant that serves my nation’s cuisine. Because many of the Nigerian restaurants are a bit of a drive away from where we live, I’ve put this request on the back burner but finally indulged her request this past Saturday.
Overall the quality of the food was pretty good, but as a Nigerian, I was hoping it would be a bit spicier. The service was great and we had a great time overall. I have no real complaints, considering Nigerian restaurants are far and few between in Los Angeles and can say I will definitely be back for a visit when my cravinigs for African food become too much for me to handle.

I came in with Tom N. and the group of 23 international travelers for dinner last week and really enjoyed our experience. Jennifer and the whole Nkechi family were so welcoming and patient, especially since our group kept growing as the night went on!
We all shared several dishes including the jollof rice (a flavorful tomato rice) with beef and fish. The beef was a little dry, but I liked the lightly fried pieces of fish. We also got plantains and I think our entire group was just absolutely in love with these. It was funny trying to explain the difference between plantains and bananas to German & Russian guests :)
We also tried the egusi soup, it’s thick, not really soupy, it seemed like it had pieces of greens in it? Jennifer explained that it’s made from melon seeds. You eat it with fufu, the pounded white yams which are like bland mashed potatoes. It’s…different. Not something I’d crave, but I’m really happy I got to try it out.
I had such a nice time in this family establishment, I’d recommend it if you are looking to try something new and feel at home!