Owambe

A group of four of us went on a Saturday night to try it out. There was a good crowd but only one server because of illness. He did an admirable job of keeping up with everything and never made us feel ignored. The food was tasty and well prepared. We had the combo rice with chicken, stewed beef, and goat meat stew. Every one of them were fantastic and flavorful. Take the time and check this place out!

We love trying new and unusual restaurants so Owambe fell right into our category. Most of the food was excellent but there were many issues. It's a cute building, very orange outside and nicely decorated inside with comfortable chairs and good music - though bit loud but they turned it down when we asked. The servers were very friendly. The service slow or non-existent. No one greeted us when we came in nor offered us menus. We got our own menus and tableware. A couple next to us waited 40 minutes to get a menu, I brought them 2. They walked out right after we did without ordering anything. Drinks finally came about 20 minutes after we ordered them, and we had to order them twice. The Old Fashioned had maraschino cherries instead of Luxardo. The server forgot which wine was which. The hibiscus drink wasn't added to the bill so our friend paid extra in her total. Why not point it out to our server? Let's talk about the service. Two people ordered the chop plate. One was half finished before the other one came. The 'chops' were chicken wings, not pork, lamb, or goat. Everything on the plate tasted good. I ordered the egusi-soup with pounded yam. I was offered a meat with it so I opted for chicken. Beef would be my second choice. Definitely did not want goat. Guess what I got? It was so stringy; it was awful. My friend gave me some of her chicken. That was very good. The soup (like a stew) was delicious. The yam was gelatinous but went well with the egusi. The other dish ordered was greatly enjoyed. Perfect spice, more would have been too hot. She got chicken, plaintain, and yam. As I said, the service was poor at best. Long wait for drinks, long wait for the first plate of food and then an even longer wait for the other 3 plates of food. We asked for takeout containers 3 times before they were finally delivered. We asked for the bill twice and still had to wait until it was delivered. There was one other group of diners when we arrived, it should not have taken an extra hour in service time. The food was so good I would love to go back, but I may need to bring a deck of cards to have something to do while I wait.

If you like trying new foods and flavors, please go eat at Owambe, the new West African (Nigerian) restaurant downtown! The name is actually ÓWÀḾBẸ African Restaurant and Lounge.The orange building on N Sierra Madre, just south of Bijou is easy to find! The façade is elegant but doesn't stand out while the building does. There is bike parking in front and a semi-private parking lot beside and behind the restaurant. There's even metered street parking.Previously the home of Spice Island, the interior has been renovated completely. The inside is elegant yet inviting with beautiful decor and art.We were greeted and seated by friendly staff. We were given cold water (surprisingly flavored with cucumber and lime) and a menu. Our server, Amber, was enthusiastic and very helpful, explaining and commenting on the unfamiliar dishes found in the menu. We decided to order iced tea while we perused the (also elegant) menu.Amber brought the tea (which is only offered sweetened) and answered all our questions.We ordered the Small Chops, a sampler which included vegetable spring rolls, shrimp spring rolls, chicken samosas, puff-puffs, and grilled chicken. We also ordered the Jollof Rice, described as a tomato-rich, one-pot wonder with West African roots, served with our choice of protein: Beef, Chicken, or Fish (we chose chicken). On each table, a small condiment caddy held some napkins, salt, pepper (actually ground chili peppers) and a bottle of hot African oil (VERY hot!).Our Jollof Rice with chicken arrived and we sampled first the reddish rice then the aromatic chicken. Both were delicious with subtle hints of unusual spices. I HAD to try the hot oil, and inadvertently got more on my rice than I planned. The oil was tasty, but so hot, it overpowered all other tastes. By adding more rice and chicken to my plate, I brought the heat down to tolerable levels. I also found that the reddish "pepper" next to the salt was delicious and different - I convinced my husband to try it and he loved it, too.Then the Small Chops arrived. Everything looked and smelled incredible. The samosas were excellent, and had different spices than found in Indian samosas. The puff-puffs turned out to be small spheres of sweetish bread, fried like donuts. (They helped me enjoy my over-oiled rice!) The grilled chicken and fried spring rolls were also yummy. (Perhaps out of habit, I kept looking for a sauce for the spring rolls.)Between my husband and me, we ate every morsel. We were also fortunate enough to have the chief chef and owner visit our table to inquire about our experience. We assured her that we loved everything and she took the time to answer some of our questions. Such a lovely experience all around: welcoming people, beautiful and inviting surroundings, delicious and unusual foods and flavors, and even African-themed music. We plan to return soon!Hours: 11am-9pm Monday through Saturday - closed Sunday

This place is fantastic! The service was amazing, the food was perfect, and the ambiance was absolutely gorgeous. Everything we had was absolutely delicious, I couldn't complain about any of the food at all. The jollof rice was phenomenal and definitely try one of their specialty drinks. The staff was really friendly and answered questions about dishes I hadn't had before. The only thing I would say potentially negative was the prices seemed a little high for the portions, but I was there near the opening and it seemed that they were still figuring out the menu so I can't say if that's changed.

Awesome decor and ambiance! Great music, cool art, very clean and well put together. Tried Nigerian palm wine, definitely recommend giving it a try, we all enjoyed it!! We got puff puff chicken, mashed beans, a millet and milk dessert, and another chicken dish.. Everything was delicious!! Ernest was awesome! Very informative and helpful, he was quick to answer any questions, and had great recommendations :) We will definitely be back for karaoke night!

Lovely Nigerian food. The interior is very cool with a nice vibe, as well. loved our waiter, Ernest. Very friendly and attentive. I highly recommend this restaurant!

My wife and I love to try new restaurants. She told me about Owambe and i was down with it. When we entered the we were hit with a beautiful aroma of spices. The place smelled absolutely amazing. Inside was just as pleasant as the smell. When we walked in i seen Ernest, who was the only server, bring a plate of food to some people and i already knew what i wanted to order. We were sat and began looking at the menu. He brought us drinks and took our drink order, i got Trophy, an African beer, and mywife got the Hibiscus juice (Zobo) with alcohol. The beer wasnt bad, light tasting, a little sweet but worth drinking. The Zobo was delicious you could taste the cloves in it but not too heavy. We then ordered. I got the Jollof rice with chicken, and we ordered small chops, which consisted of vegetable spring rolls, chicken samosa, puff puff, and grilled chicken. My wife ordered the combo rice (jollof and fried rice) with mackeral. Everything was deloicious, we didn't like the fried rice or the grilled chicken that much, but our favorite was the puff-puff and the jollof rice. Portions are very adequate and filling. Definetly give this placea try. Ernest the server was awesome and made us feel comfortable and welcome. We'll definetly be going again.

What a wonderful and warm atmosphere! The service was awesome Thanks Ernest! That Jollof Rice dish, though!!! Enjoyed it so much! Can't wait to return and try the next "hit" on the menu. The food was delicious and came out hot and fresh -- straight from the kitchen to the table. I also enjoyed the wine! Very unique.

The ambiance displayed beautiful African culture with music, design, and food. The food was amazing! Everything we got on the table was nothing short of delicious. The service reflected the quality of the food. Ernest, our waiter, took great care of us and was very helpful with the questions we asked with what we were eating and how to eat it. If you haven't tried authentic African food and want to, you have to come to this place!

It was absolutely delicious I cannot wait to go back. The restaurant was gorgeous, it was clear that the owners put their heart in would into the food as well as the ambience. The service was amazing, they helped us decide what to get and were interested in our favorites, which was hard since it was all so good. I can't wait to go back.