Swahili Village - The Consulate DC

Authentic delicious food Good portions Nice ambiance setting for chill date night or celebration

Swahili Village was such a wonderful experience!! We got so much food and I left so full I was ready for a nap immediately after... we went for lunch and wanted to really dig in--I've personally never had East African food so this was super cool to try.We ended up getting the appetizer sampler (Swahili Basket) which had a variety of options including samosas and Kenyan sausage. They were good! The samosa was full of flavor and I personally liked that it had beef. We also ordered chicken wings and in my opinion, that was the best dish we had overall. So many spices and so juicy! Fall off the bone good! Then we got the Entree sampler which had so many sides, meats, and vegetables. They were good--I liked the chargrilled beef, but I thought the chicken was a little dry. I tried goat for the first time and it was alright. I just think I don't love goat! But the chargrilled flavor was Smokey and nice. The sides were okay. I tried their version of fufu for the first time and it was alright. The coconut creamed spinach was tasty, the jollof rice was good... so many items!! We got the half size platter and I swear it could've fed a family of five. Leftovers for days!! The mango mousse for dessert was also a great finish.The service was fantastic and we even spoke briefly to the owner who is so kind and passionate!! The server gave great recommendations and was very helpful and efficient! The restaurant was somewhat empty for lunch, but I loved the decor and fun wallpaper. If you've never had East African cuisine, this is definitely the place to go. Their flavors are unmatched!

I've had Swahili Village on the list to visit for at least a year and I am so glad that I got to celebrate my birthdate at this establishment. It was such a good experience!The ambiance was given what I needed it to give to celebrate another year of life, the service was exceptional, and the food was absolutely delicious. Everyone at my lunch/dinner thoroughly enjoyed their meal, which made me super happy. I had the samosas and the red snapper with jollof rice and cabbage. The jollof was just how I like my jollof, flavorful and not dry. The portion size of each dish was a good amount and the food was seasoned well. I also sampled the suya which was cooked perfectly. Needless to say, I was not disappointed at all!Swahili Village made a fan out of me and I now know when I'm craving some good African food, just where to go!

Came here for lunch on a weekday. I was the first sit-down customer. It was completely empty. You have to walk down some narrow stairs when coming in. It took a while to grab someone's attention. The restaurant is spacious. I can imagine it being bustling during an event or on busier days/peak meal times.I got a beer, beef, stew, and fufu. The fufu did not feel fresh--more like microwaved. I don't know if this was due to a different type of fufu that I was unfamiliar with, but the texture was not stretchy at all. It was a brittle paste that crumbled. It cannot pick up any of the stew.The stew itself was hearty and flavorful. The meat was tender. I gave up halfway and ate my stew with a fork and ate the fufu on the side. The meal itself was filling and I could easily eat this for two meals if I could take it home. My server was friendly but I only saw him at the beginning. He helped me with his recommendations. However, it was hard to flag anyone down after that. All in all, given the high price point and the disappointing fufu, I don't think I could recommend Swahili Village.

So let me just start off with the fact that the food was delicious -- it just took over an hour to get it. We went to celebrate a friends birthday on a Saturday night, and they were very busy. Our waiters was someone who normally serves as a bartender. He would take orders and make drinks all at the same time. He was kind, but I could tell he was doing more than he could handle. The vibes were pretty loud so I would recommend if you're open to a lounge vibe while eating. I had the curry goat, rice and spinach. The curry was delicious, the rice had a heavy amount of cloves if that's your thing, and the spinach was tasty but a bit mushy in texture. Overall, not bad. I would go again during a less busy time to have a better experience.

What a beautiful venue! Decorated with so much intention.I would go back for the food and vibes, but wouldn't order any cocktails there. We didn't like any of the ones we got. Waaaayyy too sweet. But the food, ambiance & service === Devine!!!There were 4 of us, I think. We got the goat, oxtail, whole fish (snapper I think), and me (being a bad African that night) got chicken and fries!!! LOL. My family made fun of me the whole night for ordering the most American dish. But the chicken and fries were delicious!!! And they weren't making fun of me when they decided to steal my fries! I tried everyone's plate and it was all good!!! Great Kenyan food! Great African vibes! I would highly recommend if that's what you're looking for. We knew we were in for a treat when the party in front of us (who said they were Kenyan) were back that night after eating there the night before and loving it so much! Love that. Check this place this out! Well done, Swahili Village team!

I love late night kitchen.. was looking for seray for a long time and finally found it at the place which us walking distance from my work! We set at the bar had amazing experience.. the Ambiance can tell it's an African fine dine restaurant.. service was fast and food is really good.

I love this restaurant! My partner and I came here expecting a normal dinner but instead had closer to dinner and a night out lol! The food was rocking, 10s across the board from me. The music and atmosphere itself were also really good, they played Afro beats and there were people gathering at the bar so the environment was upbeat. Loved the fire drinks they had, we don't even drink like that but we had to try them. Very fun situation. I had the vegan red beans, which were really flavorful and surprisingly filling. My baby had the salmon and she enjoyed it too

I was visiting DC and decided to check out an Afro-carribean dining and stumbled Swahili Village. It's located on M street and when you arrive you walk downstairs and are met with nice afrobeats being played. We had reservations and were immediately seated even though it was only 2 members out of 4 of our party present. What was disappointing is that we didn't get attended to at all which was confusing. Typically, the server should come around and offer water, drinks, etc no matter if your party is complete or not. We were finally attended too after 15min of sitting and coincidentally when the other 2 members of our party arrived. For drinks, we ordered the homeland and the flaming margarita. Both drinks were good, nothing special. Then we ordered the samosas for our appetizers. It was flavorful and arrived very warmed out the fryer. The dough was thin and crispy with lots of meat packed inside. Definitely would recommend. For entrees, 2 of us ordered the tilapia "samaki" filet and the other 2 ordered the suya beef. Most of our sides were the jollof rice, plantains and red beans. The filet came with coconut which was cooked well with flavorful sauce. The suya beef was nicely tender, flavor as well. I enjoyed the red beans especially mixing with that with my plantain. The jollof was good too. I'd recommend everything we had for anyone visiting this restaurant. The portions were pretty decent too; we had leftovers to take home with us. Overall, this is a nice restaurant with good vibes, specifically good music. Stays open to 2AM on a Friday so you can just chill and catch a vibe with the music if you'd like.

The drinks are the best. I often get their margarita that they serve flamed. I have never tried their food, but again the drinks are always great. And the service is always prompt and attentive. They bartenders always offer suggestions for new items. Lastly, the dimly lighted place plays great Afro beats and is nicely decorated.