Kaloum Restaurant

It is hard to rate this place. Some things are a 5, some are a 1. So I am giving it a 3. Let’s start with the 5’s: white rice, ginger drink, plantains were all amazing. The 3’s: they brought the wrong rice, tried to bring me extra food that I didn’t order, I asked for chicken but they mixed some goat in with it. They didn’t know what meat was in my meals.
If I was to go again, just white rice and plantains!

All i can say is that if you have their fish and yellow rice, be prepared to be satisfied beyond expectations. The taste, the portions, the price! :D
The décor could use the help of the HGtv people, but still what counts, the food, is worth the trip.

Dark, no menus, 2 gigantic tv’s in the dining area that are never on, but damn, the food is good and that work there are great! I tried this place because my brother-​in-​law is from Senegal and he’s always leading me to some delicious hole in the wall and he didn’t disappoint with this one. I had the grilled fish which came with rice (or plantains) and a delicious onion mix. OMG, to die for! On a different trip, I had the other fish dish, chebujen (I’m sure I’m spelling this wrong) and this fish was also worth leaving the house for. It’s not exactly a place I’d go to dine in, but the takeout service is fast and always hot when I get to my house. EAT HERE NOW!

I was up in Harlem for the afternoon and decided to walk as far south as possible before I had to jump on the train to make my next appointment. After 20 blocks I started to get hungry, and then remembered a friend was raving about Little Senegal so I decided to Unilocal it and came across these reviews. Decided to check Kaloum out since it had high ratings.
I walked in and asked for a menu, and they said they don’t have one but listed the two dishes they had, the peanut stew and potato leaf. I got the potato leaf and it was really good (but I’m curious to try the peanut since so many people are raving about it on here). For those who know Indian food, it had a similar look to panak paneer but spicier. Even my picky husband liked the leftovers the next day. There was so much food that I couldn’t finish everything, which is rare.
I agree with reviewers that it wouldn’t be the place to take a first date, but it would definitely be appropriate to bring a group of food-​loving friends.

This is a weird restaurant. The most recent review before this one is about how this restaurant is totally random, and I would say that’s pretty accurate. I am a little torn about how to review it, because the food was good, but it was just such a weird place…
I stopped by with my friend who wanted to take me out for Senegalese food, as she had studied abroad there a couple of years ago. I am always down to try new cuisines, so I was excited, especially when I saw Kaloum’s good Unilocal reviews. When I went in, my first thought was «wow, that smells good,» my second was «wow, this is a shit hole,» and my third was «wow, we are a) the only women in here and b) the only non-​African people in here.»
I have a feeling it’s more of a take out and delivery joint, because I saw them sending out some food, and also it looks like a chinese take out place, minus the menu with all the photos. This guy took our order and stuff, but there was absolutely no menu, and when he sat us down he unfolded two paper napkins onto the table in lieu of place-​mats, I guess. The food came out in a jiffy, which was nice, but the waiter totally disappeared after that and we had to literally get up an ask for doggy bag and the check.
Luckily, my friend was very familiar with Senegalese food, so she knew what to order. She got a giant whole fish with amazing crispy skin in a red sauce and a big pile of white rice and a mix of onions, peppers and stuff in some mustardy citrusy sauce, and I got lamb and yellow rice with more mustardy onions. It was a little spicy, and the lamb did have a significant amount of bones in it, as was mentioned in a previous review, but it was quite tasty. I didn’t like the white rice as much, but the fish was awesome and perfectly cooked and flaked right off the bones.
I wish I had known a little bit more about what I was eating, (not because I was sketched out, but so that I could describe it more accurately for y’all) but I definitely enjoyed it, and the portions were gigantic, not to mention cheap. $ 22 for the two dishes, plus tip. All in all I would definitely recommend it (assuming based on my friend’s repeated patronage and all the African men dining there that it’s authentic) to someone looking for Senegalese food. It might be a little too weird though, if you are going in blind– I’m glad I got such a tasty filling meal in my introduction to Senegalese food but I think I might prefer a slightly nicer venue next time, because this really was a weird-​ass restaurant. Basically, worth checking out for the adventurous, but not at all the place for a nice dinner or date.

Ordered a yellow rice and lamb dish. Rice was alright, I guess, but the lamb was bone and fat. I didn’t like it. My boyfriend ordered grilled lamb w plantains. His lamb, too, was bone and fat with very little meat. Atmosphere was super relaxed. No menus. Waitress just told us what the kitchen was cooking — very small menu. No problem but the food just wasn’t good. Wish this was a more positive review.

I was eating across the street (Amy Ruths) and realize that this was a place that i bookmark awhile ago and I always wanted to try African food (senegalese). i read about Jim (yekper) experience and then I read about Julia so I knew this place was the «real deal». I wanted to buy food to go because I was stuff already and I knew how many times will I be in thie neighborhood so I wanted to make the most out of it. I walked in and walk to the counter and asked what dishes do you have. Apparantly the lady didn’t really speak english well so she show me that she only had 2 dishes to sell. One was a darker color and one was a reddier color so I want w/​the reddier color. I pay $ 10 and want to a bar, the food that i brought was a lot. It can easliy feed 4 – 5 people depending on how much you eat. I came home and took a bite of it and not really knowing what to expect, it was ok. The taste was ok but it didn’t really have any good texture that I enjoy, feel and look like 1 big mess. I save the food for the next day and ate it again. It tasted better but not my cup of tea. It wasn’t bad but guess I am not use to it. So would i come back here? proably not but I am just happy that I got a chance to try it. Will I ever try another restaruant, yes. I just need someone who know what they are ordering so i can experience more.

Completely informal, completely wonderful. Girlfriend had the lamb w/​rice, which was excellent and perfectly spiced — hot enough to be hot, but still easy enough to totally gobble down. I had the grilled chicken, which was a bit of a chore to eat in the low-​lighting, but also absolutely yummy. The ginger drinks are fantastic — enough that we took a couple home as well. I loved the informal service and attention that came along with it.
It does sort of feel like just eating at someone’s house, so if that’s a turn-​off, well, your loss. It wasn’t for me, and Kaloum stands to be a regular spot for me. Looking forward to bringing friends there.

Pretty good Senegalese food. I had the peanut lamb and rice. Fish was good too (I tried a bit of my neighbors entre).
Kaloum is a tiny little joint on 116 just off MLK. Not much to look at but friendly and speedy service as you order one of the two options the chef chooses to cook.

4 stars for authenticity and people. All the previous reviews describe it well. Maybe not the premier place to take a first date but certainly a true African experience. That said it needs a serious interior upgrade to be viable for the curious non-​Senegalese visitor. Also the drinks were great.

I pretty much wrote this place off years ago after not being too happy with the service or the food.
But the recent positive reviews here on Unilocal led me to take another look.
The place is still horribly run-​down and smelly.
But the woman tending the counter when I came by the other day for lunch to-​go was cheerful and friendly. She listed the dishes available that day and said that the potato leaves stew was really delicious. And she was right. Wonderful rich umami flavors. I am a convert now.
Still would never take a date there though.

Wanting African cuisine but not Ethiopian, I chose Kaloum for dinner after reading the raving reviews from Unilocal.I was curious to see what Senegalese cuisine was all about. The restaurant owners, Suleiman and Joanne, welcomed us in.
This place is simply decorated and caters to the local African population. There is no menu, they tell you what they have. This restaurant is very popular with the locals, as people (dressed in traditional African garb) came in and out all night to order and take out. But my friend and I happily sat at one the few tables. During dinner, several people came and sat nearby and chatted with us.
We were recommended to go with their Mafé ($ 10) — tender lamb stew simmered in a peanut sauce. The stew was delicious! It came with a platter of white rice — I’ve never been given so much rice at a restaurant! The Asian in me was very happy with this. Although, my friend and I could’ve shared one platter of rice if we knew how big it was going to be!
Their ginger juice drink is divine. I’m not a big fan of ginger beverages but it was subtle and refreshing! Joanne told us how in West Africa, women who just gave birth drink a lot of it to flush out all the blood. Something you don’t want to hear before eating dinner but I love learning things about different cultures!
I’ll happily come back to try the other dishes they had mentioned. Cheap delicious food and welcoming owners make me happy!

My husband and I went here last night after reading the reviews on Unilocal.Since the menu appears to be a bit of a tease we just asked the woman at the counter what they had that day, and she said, «lamb with rice». So we ordered two plates of it, got some water and ginger drink from the fridge and 5 minutes later we had an enormous dinner in front of us. One plate probably would have been sufficient and we’re neither of us dainty eaters! My husband did manage to clean his entire plate, but he has a thing about not leaving food.
I’m not even going to speculate about what spices were flavoring the rice, but it had spices, a few peas, a plethora of lamb chunks (yes, some with bones) and diced habanero. It was topped with sliced tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, and some kind of onion sauce that was incredibly delicious. There should have been a lot more of that stuff! Overall the food was spicy and yummy. Ginger drink rocks if you’re a ginger lover!

This restaurant is not for the faint hearted. It is shabby on the outside and when you step inside… SURPRISE! It’s still shabby (maybe even worse than what you expected). There are two gigantic projection screen tvs that are just waiting to get hauled to the dump sitting on the sides of the restaurant.
Thank the lord I found myself a boyfriend as adventurous as I. We walked in and it was as awkward as two chinese people walking into a Senegalese restaurant…
At any rate, we asked for menus and were told there were none. In fact it seemed most people there (customers and workers) spoke very little english. We were lucky a young man took pity on us and recommended what dishes to get (lamb and chicken). We thought he worked there because he even set up our table for us. What a nice guy!
Our meals were served on these enormous platters. The portions were good enough for 3 people each and we left with a lot of leftovers. The big hearty portions of meat were perfectly seasoned and had a serious spicy kick. While we were there we got a lot of curious stares and even a compliment («I’m happy you decided to try our culture’s food! It’s very good!»). It was crazy busy considering we went on a weekday and the phone never stopped ringing.
I’m glad I was able to try something new and while I don’t know how often I’d come back, I’m a fan.

if you have never try african food please try kaloum restaurant. they;re great .The food is good

I’m an Indian food super fan but had never tried West African food — which I’ve been told has similar levels of heat and spice. So after reading reviews here, this place sounded like a good fit for lunch on a hot Saturday in West Harlem.
Kalhoum definitely reminded me of small, hole-​in-​the-​wall Indian grocers that serve great food over the counter — just replace the small tv blaring Bollywood theatrics with a huge tv running sports games — and swap out the saris for african regalia. Definitely a low key place with just a huge fan in the corner, big tv, 3 or 4 communal tables filled mostly with people watching the game, and a cooler with drinks next to an ordering counter.
The counter service was friendly, however they spoke very little English; so it was a slight challenge ordering. I think they were serving only 2 items that particular day, but maybe there were more options.
I went for the lamb in peanut sauce as recommended by fellow Unilocal reviewers. They only offered drinks from the cooler, which included a few american soft drinks and water, the rest was a unique mix of African drinks — some without labels, some looked homemade even. I’m a big ginger fan, so opted for the label-​less-​bottled ginger drink.
Food was fast and served similar to Indian restaurants: meat served in small metal bowl and a big plate of rice. A bright red habanero topping the rice was a nice touch.
The sauce was spicy, sweet and nutty from the peanut, and the lamb was very tender. Reminded me a cross between an Indian masala and the standard Thai peanut satay sauce. There were many bones in the chunks of lamb, but they were mostly large and easy to eat around or pick out. The rice was perfectly steamed and had a great flavor; I ate as many forkfuls of plain rice as I did rice with the lamb curry.
The ginger drink was the real treat for me. Spicy and earthy and tangy and sweet all the same time; delicious. Only caveat: spicy lamb + spicy drink = no break from the heat :).
I overeat all the time, and still only ate a third of my $ 9 meal (plus $ 2 drink). They gave me a nice to-​go container and bag to take my extras with me.
Food wise, I’d definitely give this place 5 stars, but the loud TV and cramped (hot) space take it down a notch. If I lived in the area though, I’d definitely get take out all the time from here!

everything there was noticeably good (peanut lamb, braised fish, and ginger drink). one of the few restaurants i’ve been to where i was shocked there weren’t more people there. (though to its credit, they were doing brisk take out service.) service was pretty informal but very friendly. don’t be shy to ask if you need anything. i’d definitely suggest this to others and would be happy to go back.

After my favorite Senegalese place closed, I went for a walk down 116^th street. I stepped into a new store, and the owner greeted me loudly. It was the chef of the favorite place! So, we eventually entered Kaloum. There was a number of people there, all watching TV. They’re friends of the owners, don’t mind them, as a guest, you have priority.
I was delighted to find that they have baobab juice with milk! Not all Senegalese places have it, and if you never had it, I warmly recommend it. The juices are very thick, and I usually mix them with the water they provide.
The lamb, fish and chicken dishes were excellent and inexpensive. Most food there is spicy, but the spiciness is only in the sauces. They serve warm bread with butter as an appetizer, but the dishes are huge, and don’t overeat the bread.
The service was better than anywhere else, friendly, happy, helpful, responsive. When I left, the waiter came running after me. I dropped a wallet in front of the store, and he brought it to me.
This is my new favorite, and if you never had Senegalese, that’s as good as it gets. Food costs about $ 10 (but twice the usual amount), drinks around $ 5.

Being originally from West Africa, I am always looking for opportunities to be among my peeps when I go to New York City.
On my recent trip to NYC, I asked my hubby to take me to a part of the town with the most Africans especially West Africans, and he suggested little Senegal in Harlem.
After about half an hour of walking in W. 116 Street and seeing people especially women in traditional «boubous», I felt so much at home.
We decided then to have lunch at Kaloum and we were not about to be disappointed.
They only had 3 dishes available for lunch on that day. I went with the mafe which is basically peanut sauce with lamb meat (other type of meat can also be used) served over white rice. No need to say it was absolutely delicious. The ginger juice I ordered with the mafe was very strong in flavor, but definitely how most West Africans would like it.
The ambiance was typically what you will usually found in an authentic West African restaurant, nice and polite staff, traditional music, negligent décor, pleasant and inviting ambiance, and you will have the feeling of sitting in your aunt living room.
I will definitely go back to this restaurant. Peanut sauce is a very popular dish in West Africa and can be found in countries such as Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Mali.
So if you are up for trying new things, go check this place out, you will not be disappointed.

For me the best part of Harlem is Le Petit Senegal. If I want to reminisce about my Peace Corps days and I am in Manhattan, all I need to do is go to 116^th street and I’m back. The languages, the food, the dress, all of it is captured in a beautiful microcosm in this wonderful neighborhood.
On my most recent visit, I tried out Kaloum which has only Senegalese food. I asked for a menu, perused it, and ordered in French. I was informed that they only had 3 selections available for lunch and to disregard the menu. 1 bonus star for authenticity already. I ordered the mafe which is their famous peanut sauce with lamb meat in it, and to drink I had jus de gingembre (ginger juice). The oddly cut meat was served with bones in it. Another bonus star for authenticity. The sauce was great and had a nicer arrachide flavor than I usually had in Burkina Faso — awesome. The juice was really spicy, more so than I am used to from the roadside vendors in west Africa. That surprised me.
The restaurant itself is minimally appointed, about spartan as you are going to find in the city really. But they did have a large screen TV broadcasting Senegalese news via satellite in Wolof. The clientele was predominantly Senegalese men in traditional garb. Everyone was very friendly, and I felt like I was back in west Africa. It felt great to be there.
I am going to give this place 5 stars, because I think it is very typical of what you will find in west Africa. Don’t for any reason expect to find American excess here. It is a grubby place that is not apologetic about its appearance, and I love it!