Bukom Cafe

Great music!!! Great environment!!! The food was delicious. I forgot what I ordered, but it was delicious.

I’m addicted to the live reggae they play 7 nights a week (they’re open until at least 1:30 am every day). This means I was at Bukom on Tuesday, a few days before that, a few days before that, and yes, probably will stop by this weekend too. After all, I am now officially «The Duchess of Bukom» on Unilocal.Gotta maintain my rank.
Live Reggae: Though I’m more dancehall-​oriented, I enjoy all the bands, which typically play roots covers. Some of the singers are surprisingly talented, even on weekdays. Lenny Kurlou who plays on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is possibly the most talented, and he draws from a large catalog of reggae classics from less cliché artists like Eek-​A-​Mouse. Between breaks, the bartender plays West African popular music and reggae. It’s loud, but I’ve been to many reggae clubs where I couldn’t hear for a while after I left — it’s not that loud. But it would be difficult to have a conversation. They usually play til at least 1 am, and on weekends they seem to go til 2:30 am.
Drinks: Inattentive bartenders. They’re young and so unconcerned about customer service that it fascinates me. I don’t live in Maryland so I’m not used to the «I’m doing you a favor by taking your money» mentality. During the week, you may enter the bar and be looking at their backs (watching tv or on the phone), or they might even be on a date. When they do see you, they’ll find something else to do before taking your order. Mostly unpleasant and unfriendly, they only smile when they’re joking amongst themselves about customers. Mike is my favorite; he is professional, but he doesn’t usually work late nights. Another bartender refused to serve me a drink that Mike had suggested and served me a couple of days before, so not everyone has the same skills/​info. They’ll make eye contact with you many times and still have you waiting 30 minutes to order a drink. I’ve recently taken to a 15 minute wait limit, and I’ve had to go drinkless a few times. Also, they have one bartender who is also the stoic, nonverbal bouncer. His folded arm, twisted face «what do you want?» expression is very similar to the «get out of here» expression, so it’s confusing. Consider how awkward that is before you get there, so you’ll be prepared. Also, I’d stick to beer or shots for quality purposes. But I still enjoy it, especially when someone else orders drinks, so I don’t have to interact with the bartenders… and I’m sure they’re good people.
Food: Ghanaian staples such as kenkey, fufu, wache, a few offerings from Nigeria like suya and egusi, and more ubiquitous Senegambian jollof rice and chicken yassa, are generally well-​seasoned and decent quality offerings at reasonable prices, but I would not expect to love everything on the menu. Chicken wings and garden salad are available for the less adventurous. They offer many fish dishes and a couple of vegetarian items; only a couple of chicken dishes — good for me because I’m all about African and Caribbean fish dishes. They tend to include an automatic service charge sometimes, even if there are only 2 people in your party, but I suppose this can be understood/​forgiven on slower nights. It usually takes a while for the food to come out. Kitchen stays open til 1 am.
Crowd: (bonus section) African guys of various backgrounds and occupations love to hang out here. Mostly 35+, but some nights there are more 25+. By that I mean, you can bring your mom and she would not feel out of place and might be asked for a dance or a date. If you’re a woman who is deeply annoyed by being aggressively hit on by men from 6 different countries in 45 minutes, then you might not like it. Also, it is free and we’re in DC, so keep that in mind. Couples also go here to dance, and can do so comfortably, but the atmosphere can be a bit of a challenge for a newer couple… they might try to test the strength of your bond. But if you’re single and into African guys, I selfishly suggest that you check it out.

The food is good but only thing is I waited a very long time before it was ready, also they do very small portion, not good for sharing

The food is SOOOOOO DELICIOUS!!! I always get the Red Red with fish and order more to take home. This IS a Great place! Very lively in the evening also!!! They have wonderful live bands (believe they play reggae music and various genres from the African diaspora). ***Only critique is the service can be slow… its best to go early when they first open if you have time constraints and want to order a meal.

Dining here was a lesson in patience. Service was terribly slow and the waiter seemed very uninterested in his job. He never smiled or asked us if everything was ok. Our order took a hour and 45 minutes to arrive.
The food was a poor excuse for authentic African food. I had the kenkey with fried fish. The kenkey tasted old and wasn’t shaped in a ball as it should. The fish tasted as it it had been fried multiple times no to mention stale. Not one person in our party enjoyed or finished their food. Our waiter had no idea of what we were asking for when we mentioned the Ghanaian dishes.
This happens to be one of those experiences that you know you’ll never repeat.

The food is very, very good. My brother and I both had the Egusi soup — me, with pounded yam, and he, with eba. I would have rated it five stars, but the Egusi soup, though flavorful, wasn’t peppery. Nevertheless, this will now be my go-​to place for delicious Nigerian food.

The food here is so good! The veg platter is delicious, and unlike anything I’ve ever had.
A few precautions, though:
— The restaurant definitely moves at its own place. Don’t come here starving, it takes forever to get your food.
— The ambiance can be unpleasant, as the acoustics are bad when filled with people or a band is jamming with speakers on high.

Had the Beef Stew with Jollof Rice. It had a strong flavor with a fair amount of spice. Service was sub-​par. It wasn’t too busy, but the server was absent a lot. I could have used more water… They never refilled my glass.

Thank you Kojo! I was craving for West African Goat stew and I went to Bukom café in Adams Morgan. I ordered Beer meat & Egusi stew with Gari. I love it! Kojo the bartender was so friendly and hospitable from the moment I walked into the door. I asked him where to get good hookah after lunch and he even sent his brother (or colleague) to go with me. Now Back to the food. , The Egusi goat stew was tender, succulent and flavorful. and Kojo made the experience even better.

Great live reggae. Every night.

I love this place I just hate the drive I have to take but it’s so worth it in the end food is great the staff are great as well

Waited two hours for an appetizer that only came after asking for it three times, and right before I’d put my coat on to leave. No one apologized. I had it boxed up to go. The check never came, so I paid cash and left.

Intetellligent lively bar, multicuturcurtal environment serving a West African cusine.
The best live ragaee spot in desert miles great food, slamming bands… and best of all FREE admittance…

I took a friend here (she was missing African cuisine). We both loved the spices used in their sauces. And the server was very friendly. Our main criticism was that we had mostly bones (very little meat) in our dishes. Everything tasted and felt genuine, though — as if someone were cooking in a small home kitchen.

Hands down the best Nigerian food I’ve had in the district. It’s been nearly 24 hours since my meal at Bukom, and I’m still wishing for more helpings of egussi goat stew, oxtail, and fish & rice. The egussi stew was out of the this world — between the four of us, I think the plate was licked clean in less than 8 minutes (no exaggeration). The oxtail had generous portions of actual meat. while some places often give you 70% bone, and 30% meat, bukom’s ratio was more balanced. The fish was fried but not breaded which means you get the crispy bits without the unnecessary starch that often comes with fried fish. The stews were all finger licking good (… literally), and paired well with either fufu or jollof rice. We also got the pepper soup with fish and it was warmed both my heart and soul. I almost can’t wait for the next chilly day so that I can use it as an excuse to have some more of that soup. The only thing I would skip is the meat pie. while good, it pales in comparison when put up next to the rich, flavorful entrees.
Run, don’t walk, to this place! Get a group of friends together so that you can order more dishes and eat it family style. And be sure to schedule nap time after the meal, because you’ll be so full and satisfied that a nap will be your only option. :)

Yes, please!
FOOD: One of DC’s awesome bartenders suggested this place and boy am I glad that I followed his advice. I had my favorite fish in the whole wide world: fried snapper (i’m not joking) with jollof rice and plantains. My inner fat girl jumped and cartwheeled for joy (apologies if this statement offends you… I’m just being honest). Although fried, it wasn’t breaded, which helped my waistline, was seasoned to perfection and the meat was fresh and flaky. My co-​conspirator had the Afloa Salmon and white rice which I heavy-​handedly (is that a word?) helped myself to… more than once. It had just enough spice that didn’t over power the dish.
SERVICE: We sat at the bar on a Monday night for dinner so the place was pretty sparse. With the exception of 2 occupied tables, there were 5 or 6 of us sitting at the bar. The décor wasn’t anything fancy which I can care less about. What I do value is service and Kojo our bartender, delivered. He was super attentive, friendly and heavy-​handed with the pour ;-). The band provided a chill vibe; they weren’t super loud as to drown out our conversation. I’ll be sure to go back on a more bustling night to enjoy the dancing and what-​not that I’ve heard so much about.
VERDICT: This may become my go-​to spot for comfort food, music and drinksssss.

This place is a DC classic. I’ve been a patron for 20 years! It’s always been divey with consistently dodgy service. I go back because the food is even and the atmosphere is all West Africa! The live reggae, the colorful regulars, the spices, the plantain, the foo foo, rice, the diverse crowd… yep.
These days. I don’t go as often as when I was a younger maiden. Back then I would head out nearly every Saturday night with my bestie and push through bodies of handsome men crowding the bar and swaying to the music… I give the overall experience a B+. I admit nostalgia is likely inflating my rating a bit. (Wink).

ZERO LACK OF URGENCY FROM STAFF!
The food and music were good. so I would come back to listen to music and maybe grab a drink at the bar… but will not sit and have dinner.
We got sat immediately (which was nice for a Friday evening). Then waited 10 minutes to be acknowledged, and another 20 ON TOP OF THAT to get our ginger cocktails. Not to mention the additional 30 – 45 minutes AFTER that… to get our food. No one seemed to be in any type of hustle mode, and or be in the know what was happening. It was pretty disappointing.
We almost walked out towards the end, as it took 15 – 20 minutes to get our check and CC back. And to top that all off… they added gratuity for a party of 2… really… come on;(

Got the jollof, plantains, fish, moin moin, eba, egusi, and suya —- that’s accounting for everyone at my table.
The food was not tolerable. No real Nigerian would find this comparable to what they can make at home even if they didn’t know how to cook.

I just saved $ 3500 on a RT ticket to West Africa by finding my way here instead.
I cannot remember the last time, or shamefully, if I’ve ever eaten out at a West African restaurant, but for this most recent stay in DC, I told the manfriend that we are eating motherland food tonight!
Walking in, the place is very very welcoming and both friendly patrons (whom I suspect are regulars) & staff smile & nod at you as you make your way to your seats. I love the traditional clothing of the servers. Good music. Good vibes.
2 things caused the rating to earn less than 5 stars: The first was the décor and general condition of the place. I struggle with this one, because when I watch youtube videos of Nigerian & Ghanaian nightlife and restaurants, many of the places look like Bukom Café. For the most part, this added an authentic feel to the place. The manfriend felt quite different, believing that considering how long the restaurant has been there, the owners were negligent in it’s upkeep and an upgrade. Slightly inclined to agree.
We ordered the wings appetizer. Perfect. We ordered drinks. I, the Shakara which was FANTASTICALLY tropical tasting. My entrée was pounded yam with egusi. It was delicious, though the goat meat was slightly dry (2^nd reason for knocking off a star). Portions were substantial. My beau had the oxtails, bathed in a tomato stew, and I wanted to switch plates with him. He declined, but shared :).
The 3 layer rum cake sucked.
A marvelous experience. The staff, the ambience, the drinks, the meal guaranteed our return patronage.

Great West African food! My date had the tilapia and I had the croakers with plantains and jollof rice. On the weekends, there is live music after 9:30pm. If you plan on having dinner by that time or thereafter, it might be best to sit down or upstairs as the typical bar crowd will start to swell.
I definitely could be wrong, but it’s not that common in DC to enjoy a decent dish of culture whilst an excellent live band is jamming in the background (in this case, reggae). After dinner, we stayed at our table for another hour and enjoyed more of their mixed drinks whike takinf in the music.
Great for very casual dates and small groups. Indeed, pescetarian and vegetarian friendly. Service was very friendly and attentive. A cool atmosphere. And dare I say, possibly one of the most underrated hole-​in-​the-​walls in the District. Definitely coming back!