Zweli's Ekhaya

Perfect spot to grab some food downtown before a show at DPAC! They accept reservations which is super helpful and usually needed for our nights out. Food and drinks were tasty. They were out of a few things that we tried to order, however, they really tried to make it right by comping our desserts. I loved all of the decor!

We went in to celebrate our anniversary, I was really excited about this place because I had seen a bunch of local influencers rave about it plus the menu looked very unique. Our reservation was for 8 pm and we made it just in time as It was not very easy to locate, as maps dropped us at the back entrance of the building and we had to find our way to the front of the building and yet entered from their side entrance and not the main. We were received quickly and seated. While making reservations I had mentioned we are celebrating our anniversary as well as dietary restrictions - my partners shellfish allergy (which I later realised they hadn't checked or read) We were starving, yet trying to be conservative with the ordering as I am trying to calorie count and eat healthy so didn't go overboard ordered 2 appetisers, an entree, my partner got a beer and thought we'd probably get a dessert. From the very limited menu which they were out of most of the items that we wanted to try we got the Dovi rice bomb (which was delicious) the crispy rice in a spicy sauce. We also got the suya steak skewers (this was a tad bit chewy and slightly under seasoned as per our liking). We also ordered the half chicken which came with a side slaw/ salad and hot honey (I think) this was very well cooked and tasted amazing! What made our experience horrible was our server, Jeremy (it's been a few weeks, so I may misremember his name) We placed our order for all items within the first 10 mins (limited menu and starving stomachs). He told us couple of the items were out, but the tables beside us ordered it and got the items. The tables are closely placed so invariably we could hear and see. He was also annoyed that we didn't order more items. He asked us if we had any allergies and if we ate pork/ bacon and then said he will bring out the amuse bouche, but got us the apps directly. At around 9.20 while we started getting antsy but were very patient for our mains, as people who came in after us had already eaten and left. Our server kept avoiding us for almost an hour. We didn't even get a water refill, finally when we could get his attention we asked about the amuse and he said they ran out of it and if we want to order anything else, so we declined and said we are just waiting on our chicken! That is when he got the menu and started schooling us on how tapas style kitchen work like we were imbeciles, and told us the chicken takes 30 mins to cook and we were way over the hour mark on that. He also proceeded to complain to the manager Karina who initially was a little stern are rude and came and re-schooled us how their system runs. We were a bit mad at this point, as we just wanted to eat. When we got to her notice that it was 9.30 and over 1.5 hrs of waiting she checked with the kitchen, after which she apologised profusely comped our meal and also gave us a gift card stating we come back in to re-celebrate and I am very skeptical to go back but I will give them a chance to redeem themselves -service wise as their food was pretty good!

This was very nice - not quite as good as the old Zweli's overall, but very good. The best part was the complementary appetizer(the name of which I can't remember, and I was so busy eating that I didn't take a photo of it.).The beets were scrumptious, perfectly cooked. The Dovi Rice Bite was good -- but a bit bland. I liked the red sauce it was served with, but it was also a bit bland. Spouse liked his steak kabobs.The best part of the meal was at the start.

I love that Ekhaya is diversifying the food scene in Durham. I wanted to really love my experience too, but it just didn't quite hit the mark for me.Our server was fantastic. Really amicable and checked in just the right amount. A little more laid back style of service, but felt like talking to a friend. The restaurant itself is quite small and has a more casual vibe than a date night vibe. Onto food, you start out with some complimentary chickpeas which is a nice touch if you're feeling peckish. The Dovi Rice Bomb was quite good, with fluffy rice and a subtle peanut flavor. The Chicken Skewers were tender, but quite bland and generic. By contrast, the Beef and Mushroom Pie was overly salty to the point that it overwhelmed any other flavors going on. Except the flavor of burnt pastry crust. Cocktails were surprisingly good though. I had the Pomegranate Spritz and my boyfriend enjoyed the Red Ghost with tequila more than the Signature. Perhaps we just ordered poorly this go around (despite following the server's recommendations), but I left feeling quite disappointed. I didn't get the novel culinary experience I was expecting and didn't feel like I got a representative taste of Southern African cuisine.

We are fans of the original Zwelli's and wanted to try this sister restaurant. We had an offer from a local dining club and made reservations for Sunday brunch. We enjoyed the food and the decor and the staff was very friendly. If there was one tiny glitch, it seemed like they were still setting up and staff were still arriving throughout our meal. Everything was delicious but it seemed to take a bit long, and we had to remind our server about our drink orders. We would be willing to come back and try them for dinner.

My wife and I were excited to try this place out for our date night. However we left a little disappointed. We got three small plates and two drinks for about $80. The plates were described as shareable, but wouldn't agree with that. The food was delicious, just not sure it was worth the cost. Everything about the evening was elevated, even the cost!

My husband and I dined in for dinner here before walking over to the DPac for a show. We started off with water but were not able to purchase alcoholic beverages due to a mishap with their license. For food we started off with a complimentary order of the fried chickpeas then split the dovi rice bomb, dovi cauliflower, savory sausage rolls, roasted golden & red beets and suya chicken kabobs. All of the food was really good but my favorites were the cauliflower and sausage rolls. This restaurant does add on a living wage fee for gratuity. It was expensive but is definitely worth checking out.

I've been to their sister restaurant but this is the first time I tried this place. I got the shakshuka and the dovi cauliflower and overall it was very good. The shakshuka was good but could have been better. The eggs were quite rubbery but the flavors were on point. The cauliflower was delicious and with very unique flavors. We also got a brunch drink which was good but would likely not get again. The service was good and we got seated quickly even without a reservation. The staff was friendly and helped with our choices. The atmosphere was good but very cozy as there is limited space and you are seated very closely to other parties. The prices were also definitely on the higher end but still worth depending on what you get. Overall, I think this place was good and on the way to being great. I am curious about their normal dinner menu and will have to come back to try it.

I was really excited to try this place. The ambiance is cool the drinks were really good (shout out to the bartender). The servers were nice but not that attentive at all. Lastly I wasn't a fan of the food. The chicken skewers were okay but could use more seasoning. The dovi ball was super dense like could barely break it open dense I would not recommend. The chapati bread was good but it's served on top of "pepper sauce" so it got soggy. The pepper sauce lacked heat. It tasted more like marinara sauce. The sausage rolls were decent. All in all I was disappointed. I really was hoping I would like this place. Not sure if I would come back here.

Delicious food!Great, attentive service!Ambiance is very pretty Drinks- well madeWill visit again , soon!!