Bayal Buffet

I am very sad to see that Bayal closed. I’m disappointed to see the negative reviews. I think they give the wrong impression. The décor is nothing special but the food was always excellent. I think the negative reviewers are looking for something familiar, something American and they didn’t find it so they complained about their experience. It’s a Senegalese restaurant– not American. Whole fish is normal, so is rice that’s a liitle crunchy from being cooked in oil and tomato sauce. Bayal served an excellent broken rice, delicious cebujen (fish with vegetables) with a delicious rof (garlic and parsley stuffing) The mafe was great, too. I hope they do reopen somewhere else! The complainers have lots of other choices: Chilis, TGIF, McDonalds etc

We purchased a Groupon for the Bayal African Buffet. I took my daughter there for her 16^th birthday in January 2014. At 7pm on a weeknight we were the only 2 customers in the restaurant. There was no one to greet us and I had to shout for someone to come out of the back. The buffet table was completely empty.
I asked if they were open and where was the buffet. We were told that they could no longer afford to offer the buffet because they were losing money. Instead we were told we could order any 2 entrees. We stayed and got the 2 entrees. The food was tasty, but we were very disappointed that we could not sample from the buffet.
The owner/​cook came out and apologized and gave us a card saying that we could come back again. He said that they were going to move to a new location soon. I called a couple months later and they were closed. No idea if they reopened elsewhere.

went here for lunch. Food was terrific! Staff was very friendly and helpful. The only problem I had was I wanted to eat everything! Nice change from the usual italian restarants in ri.

I absolutely would not eat here again. I game with a groupon or other deal that was two meals for $ 20 and it still wasn’t worth it.
My husband and I were the only people in the restaurant for out entire visit. The tables were covered in vinyl and it was tacky like they hadn’t been cleaned well.
The food had obviously been out for a while. The sauces on most of the buffet items were drying up or extremely oily. I did try a bit of a variety of things but there was nothing that tasted good enough to make up for the conditions. The salad even showed signs if some fruit flies.
Many months later, I drive by still insure of how they manage to stay open.

Came here with a groupon and I have to say the food was nearly inedible. yuck! (I know that is harsh, but seriously this might have been my worst meal in Providence and perhaps ever). Do yourself a favor and don’t go here. The food is not good. The drinking water tasted terrible. Good thing we brought our own wine because that is all we had to eat that night!

This place was exceptional — huge buffet, everything was fresh, new and exciting flavors, and a really helpful and cheery staff. We went in for Sunday brunch and had one of the best meals we can remember. The best dishes were the chicken and sweet potatoes in tomato sauce and the fish soup.
This place serves West African food, which can be exotic to the uninitiated or uncurious, and is in a strip mall which is hard to find, both things which could turn people off, but really, this place is a foodie paradise and we are thrilled to have found it. We’ll be back soon.

Delicious and authentic… hard to find food… a real find for RI!

OMG! The fact that this place is still serving food to the public is an insult to the world of culinary!
As you enter the restaurant in this ghost-​town of an abandoned parking lot, you notice multiple businesses have gone out of business and very few lit signs. Aside from the Chili’s and the cheap hair salon, you’ll notice this place at the far end — ironically with no cars anywhere in sight — or not so ironically…
Enter the establishment and prepare to see tumbleweeds blow throughout this large, empty building. The one staff member that works here is actually very friendly, but talks incredibly fast and is indecipherable. He gives you a tour of the buffet table of African food with a brief description of each item.
After we heard about the food, we were shown into the dining room and told we could sit anywhere we wanted. Before we had sat down we were asked what we wanted to drink and off he went to fetch them.
The food was disgusting. There is no way the rice and chicken dishes were cooked today — or yesterday — or maybe even the day before that. The rice was cold and the texture was hard and crunchy. I couldn’t even manage to eat a full dish of food, never mind go up for seconds.
As my friend continued to eat the marinated carrots in tuna or whatever it was… we watched the attendant use a dirty rag to push the spilled over food on the counter back into the serving trays of food — yum!
I don’t think I’ll be back. Ever.

The food is very good and unique to anything else in the area. Like other reviewers have said, the staff (owner?) is very friendly and welcoming. Those two things are enough for me to really dig the place, but I’m not sure that id go back, only because id expect a much more upscale experience on the whole for the regular price (I did the groupon).
A lot of potential but there are definitely some issues keeping this place from being great: location, typical buffet issues (freshness, abundance, consistency, variety, etc), and atmosphere.
They can’t help the somewhat awkward location, but they could probably benefit from ditching the buffet aspect and classing up the joint a little. Maybe tastefully dividing the dining room, adding bar area, etc so that the place seems cozier and not so empty. New silverware, napkins, etc.
I think offering meals only would make it more intimate and exotic and take away people’s anxieties surrounding sleazy buffets. Make it the kind of place you’d take company or a date. Plus youd know what you’re getting every time.
The place just needs to come off as classier to justify the price. If it was a bargain probably come back often.
That beings said they should be proud of the great food and service. I’ll be back if I get another coupon.

I thought their food was excellent, a lot of variety. I hadn’t had West African food before, so I was happy to be able to try a little of everything. When I got there, the owner brought me over to the buffet and explained what each dish was, and what went best with particular grains. the place was empty, but I think a lot of the problem is the location. There is no anchor currently in that strip mall, and there is really poor signage for the strip mall — you wouldn’t think anything is back there off North Main St.,. Hopefully when the Job Lot opens up there they will get more business. I do think — if the owner is reading this — the price is a little high for a buffet, compared to other ethnic buffets in the area. Might want to come down on that.

I’m the first to admit…
I do NOT eat at buffets.
However, Bayal is an exception. The food was excellent! The staff was very friendly and went above and beyond to make sure we knew the food, answered any questions and enjoyed our meal. I can’t stress enough how nice they were. I felt like I was invited into someone’s home for an authentic dinner.
Don’t be alarmed by the exterior. This shopping mall has been quiet for some time. As soon as you step inside, expect a warm welcome and an eagerness to show you some delicious African food. The place is nicely decorated. It’s big, one giant room. But I enjoyed the quiet setting and traditional music playing softly in the background.

My wife and dropped in today for a late lunch. I wish we would have gone sooner. We loved the food! We went during an off time of about 2pm after lunch but before dinner. This gave us plenty of dedicated time from Aly who explained any questions we had regarding the dishes. Aly even went through the trouble of making a sample plate so we can try the dishes prior to ordering our entrees. My wife and I prefer ordering entrees as opposed to buffets because we don’t eat much in one sitting and like to take food home.
Shannon really loved the Yassa and liked the Mafe. They were very accomodating with Shannons vegetarian requests. My favorites were the okra stew and the Cassava dish (The name escapes me) Both go great with Fu-​Fu or rice. I settled on the cassava. I will be getting it again. We both saw many interesting items on the menu that we must go back and try.
We tried a drink called Bissap that was great. I am looking forward to that again in the summer and maybe trying their house lemonade. We bought a Bissap to go.
If you want to experience different food full of seasoning and very well developed flavors this is it.
To sum up it’s great casual dining, clean, good quality food, good service and great prices. Give it a try

ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING! I had purchased a Groupon for 4 for the buffet. We went on a Saturday night at 6pm. The place was pretty empty. We were escorted to the dining area and told to sit where ever we wanted. While entering the gentleman slipped out «some of the tables are dirty»… REALLY??? THE PLACE IS DEAD… How IS THAT POSSIBLE???
All the tables have the cheap plastic table cloth (like from the dollar store) on top of them… and yes, the table we sat down at was in fact dirty (food smeared on it/​crumbs). Upon looking around, all the neighboring tables were similar (how that is allowed I have no idea!!). Against our better judgment we went up to the «buffet” — if it can be called that. There was one buffet station with about 10 – 12 different items. All the trays looked as if they had been there for HOURS… crusted edges, dry looking, not hot. There was one tray of fish heads and tails… those looked as if they sat on Scarborough beach all day and then placed in the pan. Trays that were suppose to contain some type of meat were instead filled with sauce and veggies… no meat to be found. A couple trays that contained any kind of meat were the chicken ones, but they were nothing more than wings (with skin on). There was a salad «buffet» as well. This contained 4 or 5 trays of different colored lettuces– one had some sliced tomato on top, one had some croutons and a bit of cheese. There was a tray of canned pineapple… that was it. The salad dressings were bottles of some kind of generic dressings… sitting on the end of the table, no ice under them. Can you say FOOD POISONING??? We all took one plate of food items and sat down. We each took 2 bites or so… My mother actually gagged and had to spit her mouthful out. We got up and walked out. Thank goodness for the bar and grill across the parking lot!!!
NONE of the food items were at regulation temperature, plastic wrap was under many of the food items while sitting over the warmer, the tables were filthy… how in the world this place has not been shut down by the department of health is beyond me! If the «public» view is like this what in the world is the kitchen like– out of view from patrons (I don’t even want to think about it!)
If you have a Groupon… cut your losses. Don’t risk getting sick! If you’re thinking of going, don’t!

Second time around to the buffet and they are really working hard to improve the overall dining experience. Plenty of room to sit and enjoy your meal on a Saturday night. The food was really fresh and everything was replenished quickly. Service was much better this time around as well. The spicy chicken wings are one of my favorites and these were plentiful also. Overall, it was a great meal and the whole group enjoyed it!

Four of us went for dinner on a Groupon deal. Don’t be surprised if the place is empty when you get there, it is not that well known. We got a nice tour of the buffet from the owner. The most fun part was that there was such a wide variety of things to try, the flavors were unusual and varied, so each buffet plate was another set of interesting results. There are big dramatic photos on the walls, the color scheme is nice, and the owner spent time telling us about his people’s history in Senegal. No, the tablecloths are not beautiful, but we were able to have a leisurely 3 hour dinner of foods we had never seen before and we all had a great time.

Like a lot of other reviewers, I discovered Bayal buffet because of the Groupon deal last year and finally got the chance to try it. Maybe because of the negative reviews here, I was especially surprised when I saw the great selection and quality of the food. It’s the second time I have had Senegalese food, and it was exactly what I had hoped for.
We went on Saturday at around 6 and the buffet was full of fresh, delicious dishes. The staff gave us a warm welcome and a detailed tour of the buffet. I tried almost everything and especially liked the chicken wings (dry jerk style), grilled tilapia (heads and tails!), chicken in peanut sauce, red rice, and cassava leaves (these may not be everyone’s taste — they are creamed greens made with palm oil and contain fish — but I couldn’t get enough). There was a baklava-​like dessert that was great. The atmosphere was nicer than expected.
As other reviewers have mentioned, this is not the place for picky eaters who have never tried this type of food. Come with an open mind, and if you’re going for the buffet, maybe try to go at a popular dining time (like Saturday night) when the dishes are more likely to be stocked. Otherwise, you can always order off their a la carte menu. I’m planning to return, and next time I’m definitely going to order some ginger juice.

Using a groupon I tried out Bayal with a pal on Sunday at opening (noon). The place was dead, but the food was fresh and bountiful and our host took us on a guided tour of each and every menu item, carefully pointing out what his favorites were, what was vegetarian, etc. It was wonderful — I felt like guest in someone’s home who took a great deal of pride in the cuisine. There’s also a full menu in addition to the buffet, for all of the reviewers who noted that buffet food was dry, past its prime.
My sense is that many of the negative reviews are because West African food is, well, different. It’s for open-​minded, adventurous diners — with a strong stomach and a hearty appetite. Sauces are heavy, everything is carb and meat tastic, and everything is served hot — this isn’t a garden salad-​friendly sort of affair! The spice and flavor combos are all their own — and they will fill you up!
My bias? I’ve lived short-​term in 2 West African countries and have special place in my heart for this type of cuisine. And boy-​oh-​boy do I love eating jollof rice, fried chicken, okra, tigadiga na (ground nut sauce), tamarind and bissap juice, and other West African concoctions — in a more sanitary setting than vendors on the street of Bamako.
Which is why I loved Bayal Buffet — it’s like getting flown to Dakar or Bamako for an authentic, delectable feast — but the setting is more sanitary and a stone’s throw away from home.
I am grateful to be able to experience the uniqueness of West African food right here in Rhode Island. It’s worth trying once — but appreciate for what it is — which is not Al Forno or Gracie’s.
Great for groups. Bring the party with you since they seem to be slow filling the place (which is quite large) during their first phase of opening.

Arrived at 5:30 Monday. Place was empty but smelled good. As I do not know African food I decided to to try the buffet. I asked the server when it would be replenished. Looked similar to when I stopped at 2:00. Server proceeded to restock buffet. May try again on a busier day with faster turnaround

I went to Bayal with an open mind and really wanted to like it, but I just can’t recommend it in its current state. I had a Groupon ($ 14 for two buffets) and was worried when I went there this past Friday around 7pm and saw that the place was pretty much empty. We were welcomed by a guy who immediately asked «Do you have a Groupon?» and I heard that they sold a million of them (well, over 700) so I’m thinking that most everyone who enters the door is using them. This can be great for a business as if the food is good then they will get repeat business, but Groupon might turn out to be their downfall.
The Good:
1. The guy who welcomed us walked us through the buffet and spoke about the items we could choose from. As someone who doesn’t know Sengalese food from other African food it was nice of him to do that.
2. The chicken wings were tasty but they were just normal breaded/​fried chicken wings so I wouldn’t say they were traditional Sengalese food but whatever.
3. The jasmine rice was fine and I put a lamb/​peanut sauce concoction sauce on it. The peanut sauce was oily as heck and my cholesterol might have jumped a good 50 points because of it, but it was really the only food I could find to eat.
4. Everyone who worked there was friendly and the place is tastefully decorated. The pictures of Africa on the wall are beautiful.
The Bad/​Ugly (with some advice for management):
1. The tables have a tacky clear plastic tablecloth on them. Please, if the table tops are decent you should remove them NOW. They reminded me of my grandma’s house and I was afraid to touch it.
2. Most of the plates I used had some sort of chip in them. Invest in some commercial-​strength plates as it was a little off-​putting to use chipped plates.
3. All of the buffet items were covered by plastic tops that you had to move to get to the food. Please, remove them all! It was a pain to have to constantly uncover/​re-​cover the food.
4. All of a sudden about three kids showed up (either family or friends of the owner) and were running around the buffet. If you want to be successful you can’t allow that to happen.
5. We asked for refills on our soda which took a while and when we finally got them they were 95% syrup/​5% carbonation. At that point we gave up and left.
I would bet anything that this place is being run by a family that has no management experience, restaurant or otherwise. When I uncover a buffet item and see a huge piece of fish that I have no idea how to cut and put on my plate, that’s an issue. When I bite into hard pieces of overcooked rice, that’s a problem. I won’t go any further because you get the point — this could be such a great alternative to the plethora of cookie cutter restaurants in the area but it seems the owners don’t know enough and as a result the experience is less than stellar. I was truly hoping I was going to have a good experience but I will never return. Darn it.

New experience. Having never had Senegalese food definitely tasted new flavors and spices. Great deal too for the price. Definitely worth a try. Not recommended if you are on a diet though :)