African Harambee: User Reviews
African Harambee
7537 N. Clark St. - Chicago773-764-2200
Worst experence for many on Valentines day
By love2eat from Chicagoland, February 15, 2009
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We went there after looking at the reviews posted - lets just say there were people waiting to seated that had reservations for 2 hours prior. We left and went to the Diamond - awesome BTW. After we were at the Diamond for about an hour into our meal we saw two other groups of people who were seated at the African Harambee. They said after being seated, they not had there orders taken, and noticed a lot of patrons returning there food.
This place was under staffed - 2 people running the dining room and the host never even spoke to us after we waiting for about 20 mn. This was a complete BUST!!
Beware of planning a night out with this place as part of your agenda. Its a recession - when we go out to spend our $, which isn't as often for most Americans we expect to have a somewhat enjoyable experience.
I give this place a F-
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Don't be scared away if you've never had African Food before. I was my first time, and I promise it was wonderful!
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I couldn't have enjoyed my dining experience at African Harambee more. The food was absolutely delicious, savory, rich, and generally flavorful. There were wonderful vegetarian options such as the collard greens as well as fantastic meat dishes, my favorite of which was the chicken in peanut sauce. The beef was succulent while the bread (whose name I can't remember right now) had such a unique flavor and consistency that I went back for seconds. The atmosphere was just as comfortable and pleasant as the food, and I couldn't be more glad that my first taste of Ethiopian cuisine was at African Harambee.
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African Harambee is an excellent restaurant. The food is amazing! YES.
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My guest ordered lentils; I ordered lamb tibs. We shared salad. The lentils came with collard greens, carrots, potatoes and rice; the lamb tibs came with carrots, potatoes and cabbage. Our vegetable rolls were enhanced by chili powder dip. All made of freshest, quality ingredients cooked to perfection arrived on a tray spread with stretched injera. The chef explained injera is a bread made from a grain similar to wheat called "ef." The chef and server taught us to roll additional pieces of injera and pick up our food with it. I rate African Harambee 5 stars.
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Due to several problems with the CTA, my husband and I were called upon to retrieve some stranded friends at the Howard St El station last weekend. By they time we got to them, they were cooling their heels at the bar at African Harambee. As we came around the corner from the parking lot, I realized it used to be the Gateway seafood restaurant, where my husband and I met 10 years ago! Needless to say, the place has changed a bit but only for the better. The atmosphere is very laid back, the food is excellent, and the hospitality cannot be beat. We found the owner, Sisay, to be helpful and kind, and he was happy to help us make some great decisions on everything from appetizers to regional beers. We plan on going back there to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary in September and are so pleased we were able to stumble upon this wonderful restaurant.
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I was so impressed with the food here. I brought my mother in law, who was nervous about trying a new kind of food, and she loved it, too. She got a spinach and sweet potato dish, and the spinach was absolutely perfect. I got a coconut rice dish with tomatoes and my husband got a spicy lentil dish and it was all spectacular. The spicy dishes were really, really spicy, which we loved. It was all vegetarian, which is nice, because a lot of places only have one or two meatless options. However, there were plenty of meat and seafood dishes for those who want it. Everyone's food is served on one platter, on top of a huge round piece of bread. It was affordable but still really nice and the owner was very welcoming.
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We dined at African Harambee last night at it was absolutely delicious! We were impressed with all 6 entrees we ordered and would find it hard to pick a favorite:) The African wine and beer were a great compliment to the food. The owner was very gracious and the service was excellent. I highly recommend dining here; go sooner than later as this restaurant will likely become very popular with a long line of eager patrons!
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I've been to African Harambee probably close to 10 times in the past 6 months. The intimacy of the place explains why I'm on a first-name basis with the staff and bodes will for a good experience every time I visit. This is a great place to bring people not familiar with African cuisine or those wanting a good African beer. If you like more well-known places like Ethiopian Diamond, try this one. You won't be disappointed!
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My husband and I wanted to try something different so after researching we decided to try African Harambee. Sisay sat us and we began our journey into Africa. We started with African Summer rolls served with a wonderfuly seasoned sweet and spicy sauce. After a short wait came our main entrees Peanut Stew served on couscous for me, Jollof Rice with lamb for my husband and Peixe a Lumbo served on Injera Bread (Tilapia and shrimp), which was the STANDOUT dish for the table. A special note must be made of how great and fresh the salad that came with each entree is. All about this place is AWESOME! The service is so wonderful, Sisay was so helpful and added greatly to our whole time, he even gave us samples of the best South African wine to pair with our meal. Adding to all this was the wonderfully presented and tasty dessert. I have the orange sherbet (divine) and my husband had the house special dessert Hamambee Pastery, a fried piece of heaven that includes pieces of chocolate, four different nuts, cranberries, dates and raisins, served with ice cream (can't even begin to tell you how good this taste). We dined for three hours, enjoying our trip to other place. We recommand this place to everyone.
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Review Summary
The following scores represent the average rating submitted by 42 users:
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