Chez Jacob

Im giving this place 2 stars for a few reasons. As an african that always eats african food I can do that. I ordered the poisson grillie (Grilled Fish) avec salad. My friend ordered poisson frille avec attieke et aloko. This place is owned by the former Africa Kine. I guess they never opened Africa Kine back bc they couldnt pay the rent on 116^th anymore. IDK but they opened up this new establishment & was happy to support until the bill came out.
My grilled fish was over grilled with no flavor. The aloko was cut too big & lumpy. And the owner had the nerve to charge $ 25 a plate. Maybe for akata ppl/​tourists/​americans this will fly but not with ur fellow africans. Any other african spot is $ 13-​$ 18 for a plate of whole fish & attieke/​aloko. This is not downtown Manhattan. Youre in the middle of the hood in Harlem. I know you need to pay ur rent but bring ur prices down or you will lose many customers

I’ve habitually gone out of my way to get this food. It’s no where near me. I’ve even tried to find a replacement when I saw a Senegalese restaurant just blocks away from where I live. It wasn’t the same! Delicious, amazing food and if you have a taste for strong ginger they have a yummy house made beverage there too!

The restaurant is in shady part of the city but you will survive. Try to have at least one man in your group to avoid incessant catcalls as you walk here from subway.
Also they just changed their name to Chez Jacob! I don’t know if Asta left or what happened. We went there because they were just put on Michelin Bib Gourmand list and we live within walking distance so we figured we had to check it out.
It’s a small place with humble interior. The waitress spoke with strong afrikan accent. Overall the feel of the restaurant was as if we were back in Tanzania. There was very little English spoken by the customers either.
Small menu and they were out of two specialities by 630 pm on Thursday night which was strange. Also most tables were taken by 8 pm on Thursday night so you may want to make reservations now that it’s flagged on gothamist and other NYC foodie sites.
The portions of both appetizer and entrees were huge. And everything was VERY spicy. I can tolerate plenty of spicy but it got to the point that I could not finish tilapia because my mouth was on fire. I really didn’t think that Senegalese cousine was known for its spiciness but that’s what it was.
They have no liquor license so you will be directed to a nearby store to buy beer or wine and I believe there is $ 5 corkage fee.
Overall the food and service were good, plentiful and inexpensive. Come check it out.

Absolutely enjoyed dining here! Worth the patronage! Had the brochette chicken (on skewers), the spicy sauteed onions were amazing with rice. Unfortunately, no jollof rice was available, popular dish there. The plantains were great, not soggy nor greasy and crispy on outside. The couscous was great as well, light and well-​prepared. The sauteed vegetables were also great complement with the chicken and rice. The atmosphere was relaxing and ambiance comforting. Price was great for large amount of food served!

Went to this place for the first time the other day and had one of the best meals I’ve ever had in Harlem. The waitress was very nice and explained all the dishes to us and it had the pleasant atmosphere of a place where people hang out and enjoy a meal. The food was very reasonably priced and very tasty. We had the lamb kebab with onions and the petit pois. Also, the portions are huge! We both stuffed our faces and still had tons of leftovers to take home.

Such good flavors. Senegalese food: French African food. I highly recommend the tilapia. It’s a whole fish! We didn’t even finish it. We also got lamb. It’s quite fatty but crispy fat. This is the reason why I like fat! Fat can be eaten like that in duck and pork belly. It can be more than just a disgusting goo. This did it. Good job.
What I like about this place most is that it is a café that acts like a Bistro. I always feel cheated when a Bistro acts like a Café (with Bistro prices.) These large plates of well cooked food were altogether $ 31.00 with the tip and tax. So nice.
Don’t get to surprised for a slight slower service. I think it is the Sylvia effect. I say that with a wink because Sylvia’s which is a traditional Harlem restaurant has HORRIBLE service. This was better than Sylvia’s. At least the two women running it were dressed so lovely and had great hair and nails and professional fashion.