Swahili Village

Really glad I got try this place out! Came here with a small group and none of us have had Kenyan food before, so we were excited to try it out!Restaurant is very nice, appreciate the aesthetic. The music was bit loud, however it was on a Saturday evening when we dined here. The Swahili Basket is a great starter to try a little bit of everything on their appetizer menu. The highlight of the basket was definitely the samosa! Crispy and flaky with very tasty beef inside. For entree, I got the suya and shrimp combo which was absolutely delicious. The best part was the suya! Very flavorful and with a nice smokey hint. The only thing that was so so was the jollof rice, I've had better. I would suggest another side.Service was good and slightly slow, but it didn't take away much away from the food and experience. Also, friendly staff for sure!Definitely encourage others to check this place out for sure!

Walked in on a Saturday night. This location is a little more lax and not as busy as the DC location. I've been here a few times and normally the food is great. This time they burned the rice and the flavor of the jollof was off. We ordered the goat stew with jollof, plantain, and cabbage as the sides. The goat stew was flavorful a delicious and there was a good amount of meat in the stew so I was very pleased. I will say although the jollof did come out burned the waitress was very kind and accommodating. She brought us a new bowl of jollof and said if it still didn't taste up to par she would bring out a different side. The new bowl was mildly better so we stuck with it to not give her difficult time. The Samosas are a MUST TRY. They also have two delicious sauces that come with the samosa a really yummy pepper sauce and sweet sauce. The parking lot can make it difficult to get a spot. Goat stew 4/5Plantain 4/5Cabbage 3.5/5Jollof 2.5/5 Chai Tea 5/5 Samosa 5/5Overall, I will still continue coming to this establishment. Swahili was the original restaurant that showed Traditional African food meeting class. They food a way to standardize the quality of the food so that a majority of the time no matter which chain you go to the food quality is the same. They also bring the vibes with great drinks and music! The other African restaurants are only now catching up.

Swahili Village is a happy and happening place, a magnet for the African community in the area. We enjoyed our meal very much. The biggest hits were stewed foods. The lentils were outstanding, and the beef stew as well. The Kenyan version of collard greens (sukuma wiki) is really well done here. Less recommended is the grilled meat, which does not appear to be cooked to order but done in advance and then reheated. Not a great result and also in need of salt.Note that a noise level that is lively to some may be too loud for others. For those in the latter group, it may be better to go in off-peak hours, or at least on a weekday night. Saturday night is when Swahili Village is in full swing!

Great service and accommodating for large parties. The food was tasty from the snapper, goat dishes and turnovers. The vegetarian lentils and spinach were flavorful. The flavored margaritas are too artificially flavored and leave more to be desired. It's a quaint space and cute for a cozy, local vibe.

ServiceWe came to Swahili Kitchen for a date, excited because Kenya is one of my favorite places after traveling there. We were seated quickly, though it took a little while for our order to be taken. Once the waiter came, they were very helpful in guiding us through the menu and recommending dishes.TasteWe ordered the Nyoma Choma special, which came with shrimp, greens, and jollof rice, as well as the lamb chops served with chapati and rice. Both dishes were absolutely delicious! The flavors were authentic, and the serving sizes were generous--enough for leftovers the next day.AmbianceThe ambiance is lovely, with a cozy yet vibrant feel. The music selection complemented the experience perfectly, adding to the cultural vibe. The restaurant caters to both small and large groups, as we saw a party of about 20 people in a separate section enjoying themselves.RecommendationSwahili Kitchen is a gem, whether you're on a date or dining with friends. The food is flavorful, the portions are satisfying, and the prices are reasonable, especially given the ambiance and location. Definitely worth visiting again!

I absolutely love everything about Swahili Village. We were there around 11pm on a Saturday. The bar was packed but the dining room had plenty of available seats. We lucked out and grabbed a table within the bar area. As mentioned, I love everything about this place. Great music, fun crowd, delicious food, and awesome service. This is the perfect Saturday night spot if you're looking for good food and drinks with a low key lounge vibe. The food for me was the best part of the experience. I ordered the Tilapia "Samaki" Fillet. Which is cubed pieces of tilapia in a delicious, creamy, curry sauce. My two sides were...Jollof rice and the spinach. All I have to say is...OMG. The flavors were out of this world. Our waiter was also a highlight for me. Super attentive and provided helpful recommendations. I can't wait to get back. Curious to see what the vibe is like during the week.

I went to dinner for a birthday celebration for a friend. I couldn't wait to try Kenyan food for the first time. There were 11 of us total. The noise level was high and tables were close together. The restaurant was packed so we had to wait to be seated.We were all happy as our food came and by then we were all starving.I had the Goat Stew with Jollof Rice and vegetables. It was quite deliciously seasoned with their Swahili Village spices and their serving sizes are big enough to feed two.I would love to go back to try other items.

Went with friends for Sunday brunch. The place was just starting to get busy. I enjoyed my dish but the jollof rice was plain to me-needed salt/seasoning/something else. The hot sauce served with the dishes is to die for! I want to buy a jar of it! Food is great and portions are nice. I'd come back and try other dishes!

The red snapper was disappointing. They didn't clean out the fish properly and fried it with the stomach contents still inside so as i ate my fish fried mushy guts was on my place and on some of the fish--absolutely disgusting. It completely ruined my meal!

DEFINITELY DECEPTIVE BILLING BEWARE: They boldly post how a 20% gratuity/tip will be added for parties 5 or more. My brother (lawyer) and I (accountant) had dinner, just the 2 of us. The waitress handed me the electronic device to look at told me to view charges. I was viewing, and saw the ratings after viewing charges, I asked if I should fill out rating then. She quickly grabbed it from me, said "don't worry about that." The total BOLDLY presented at top showed $92 (some odd cents), and under the total were choices of about : 2% tip, 3% tip and maybe 5% tip, THEN CUSTOM tip blank. As waitress stood there we openly expressed confusion with such LOW tips requested. I openly stated I wanted to leave a 20 tip. However, we were confused and the waitress said nothing. THEN I looked closer and a tiny tiny amount of $72 (some odd cents) was written below the HUGE $92 requesting a tip. I looked again and I told her that our dinner charges did not total $92. I believe they totalled the $72. She was silent mostly. I THEN asked her if a tip was already added to our bill, and if so how much. She responded instantly, maybe 16%? I said really? Then I said let me calculate it myself manually. Before I could do so, she blurted out that a 18% tip was already added to my $72 meal charges, explaining that the $92 ALREADY INCLUDED an 18% tip. YET SHE WAS SILENTLY FINE WITH ME ALMOST ADDING 20% TIP IN THE CUSTOM AMOUNT on top of the 92% which would have meant I tipped in total 36%. I then just added a few dollars more to the $92 dollars to make it at least a 20% tip. As she walked away, my brother and I looked at each other and said at the same time "DECEPTIVE, FRAUD). Clearly the software billing app is written to deceive customers. I'm guessing so many customers who are drinking wine, etc. get deceived all the time. The food was fine, BUT due to the fact that I believe the entire management is aware of this deceptive billing presentation? I WILL NEVER DINE THERE AGAIN. SO SAD BECAUSE WE ARE BLACK AND WANTED TO SUPPORT A BLACK BUSINESS, BUT WERE ALMOST SCAMMED BY THIS BLACK BUSINESS. Later when home I got a text asking me to do a rating. I was going to report this on the rating, BUT when I tried, it said, RATING already done...SOMEONE had already entered a rating on my behalf...hummm? Who might that have been..likely the restaurante itself..also, I did later see in fine print somewhere that this restaurant automatically ADDS an 18% gratuity ON EVERY BILL, even though they only boldly present verbiage on the menu, that a 20% gratuity will be added to parties of 5. Also, they use different words, GRATUITY and TIP, which is also a way to deceive. As patrons, we know it's all the same to us...extra money added to our bill for good service...SO THIS IS A HORRIBLY DECEPTIVE BILLING PRACTICE IN ALL WAYS.