Bolat African Cuisine

So, I spent a semester of college in Ghana and, not surprisingly, have a deep love for West African food as a result.  This particular branch of the Bolat chain of African eateries on the North Side didn't disappoint.  If you you are looking for fancy, you will be disappointed; my experience involved going to the food line and ordering what I wanted (in this case, jollof rice and chicken), being served my food, paying, and then taking into my seat, cafeteria style.  If that's off putting, then this is not the place for you...nor is West Africa.

The food itself was lovely.  The jollof rice tasted as authentic; the slightly spicy, slightly herby taste took me right back to so many meals in Accra. The chicken, too, was true to form: a little stringy by my preferred standards, but still good, and simmered in a GREAT spicy tomato sauce...make sure the sauce gets mingled with the rice!  The rest of the menu was very true to form for a Ghanaian or Nigerian restaurant; I didn't see any sort of groundnut stew, which is a travesty, but so it goes.

My sole complaint would be the service; since there's no wait staff checking on the tables, you're left to fend for yourself once you get your food.  On top of that, the staff on the food line was not super chatty or helpful; they seem to operate on the assumption that you know what you're doing...which with African food in Chicago is not necessarily a safe bet.

On the whole, though, this is a solid place for a quick meal, esp. if you're already familiar with West African fare and need a fix.

Jerk Chicken = $14 for 1 (ONE) ... just a single chicken leg.  The quality: ok.  Didn't taste like a $14 chicken leg to me.

Ox Tail = $7 for a vertebra.... to be clear, that's one bone, with a little bit of meat on it, mostly bone.  Typically you get a few bones so that you can get some meat.

Delivery + Tax + Tip + Bones = $33.17

We got some rice too.

Order from here, and you will starve... even if you eat like a bird. (I eat like a mongoose... sounds like a lot, but I promise you, mongooses would starve eating this rip).

The food here is extraordinary (jollof rice, fried rice, fried fish, moi-moi, etc).

You will wait 3 hours to receive it.

You decide.