Yassa African Restaurant

I've heard that Yassa is an anchor in the Chatham community, and I've been at a loss for West African food in Chicago ever since Le Conakry shuttered in 2010.  It was well worth our trip to the south side to check out Yassa. They've got the Senegalese decor thoroughly replicated, right down to the ex-pat gift shop in the back.  This place feels just like Dakar.

We ordered the maffe tiga lamb and the yassa poulet, along with a side of plantains and mango juice. Both dishes were good, but I felt that the yassa didn't have as much lime, vinegar, and mustard tang that I've normally found in the classic Senegalese dish, and the maffe underplayed the peanut flavors.  I still enjoyed the food, but it was different from other Senegalese food I've tried in the past. Big portions!

The service was really friendly, attentive, and we could tell they were very proud of their restaurant. Finally, take note that it's byob, credit cards are accepted, and you can easily get a table at 8:30 on a Friday.

Way good and authentic.

Can help but think this is what cajun food was supposed to taste like. Lots of okra based stews, tasty crab broths.

This is and Red Apple are the 2 places I take out of towners for an emblematic Chicago meal.

Yassa was quite the experience; definitely worth the trek down, on all accounts.

All three of the drinks that the restaurant owner [who was very helpful and gregarious with us] let us sample were really delicious [hibiscus, ginger, and baobab; we ended up going with the baobab, but you can't really go wrong]. The food was amazing, and there was sooo much of it [at least for two meals--and I eat a lot]. If I recall correctly, we'd gotten the salmon fataya as an appetizer, and then my friend got fish and I got [Dibi] lamb. I didn't like her fish as much [though she did], but the lamb was excellent and well-flavored.