It’s impossible to overstate the diversity of African cuisine — and the influence it’s had on food all over the world. In Portland, where Black Americans are about 6% of the population — including a small but vibrant community of African immigrants — you’ll find restaurants from much of the continent. Look for restaurants specializing in cuisine from Ghana or Ethiopia, and countries where immigrants settled, like Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba. You’ll also recognize many similarities in American soul food, which is rooted in West Africa. Here are some of our favorite places to try African-style stews, skewers and sips during Black History Month — and all year round.
Sample West African Restaurants and Shops
Since its opening in 2017, Southeast Portland’s Akâdi has made a name for itself as Portland’s destination West African restaurant, featured on “Top Chef” and in the New York Times. Owner Fatou Ouattara hails from the Ivory Coast, and the country’s national dish — attieke, or grated cassava root — comes with a whole fish, a showstopping plate. The menu also features dishes from Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria. Sip on South African wine, or cocktails made with fruit like soursop and bissap (hibiscus). Ouattara also owns House of Flavor Market on North Williams Avenue, which carries ingredients for West African cuisine and beyond.
Kabba’s Kitchen, which specializes in Senegalese food, has a food cart in Northeast and a food-court stall in Southeast Portland. Favorites include grilled lamb slathered in mustard and onions, and vegan cassava root with black beans in tomato sauce. Pair everything with hibiscus juice. Or stop by Black Star Grill, a Ghanaian restaurant that opened downtown in September 2024, for a fragrant tomato jollof rice bowl with your choice of protein.
Taste the Horn of Africa From Ethiopia to Somalia
Alleamin African Kitchen is a staple at the Hollywood Farmers Market in Northeast Portland on Saturdays, serving giant, freshly fried Somali sambusas stuffed with lentils and veggies. At the newly opened Amaye International Restaurant in Northeast Portland, you’ll find Somali fried fish with cornmeal and goat stew with spaghetti. Above GRND Coffee, perched above sneaker shop BridgeCity Soles in downtown Portland, serves drinks inspired by Somalia’s coffee culture. Somali coffee is typically brewed with cardamom, and you’ll find that in many drinks here — and the cafe is open morning through late night.
There’s a wealth of Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurants in town, particularly in Northeast Portland. Aberus specializes in kitfo, Ethiopia’s version of beef tartare with butter and spices, but you’ll also find vegetarian platters. At Abyssinian Kitchen, order the shiro, a smooth, rich blend of spiced powdered chickpeas served in a clay pot, or the key sir, roasted beets with crumbled cheese. In Southeast Portland, the white-tablecloth hideaway Bete-Lukas serves everything from fish goulash to weekends-only chicken tibs with spinach and ginger. Stop by Meskel Market in North Portland for jars of Ethiopian simmer sauce and spice blends from Portland maker Eleni’s Kitchen.
Enjoy the Cuisines of the African Diaspora
Kann has been one of Portland’s most buzzed-about fine-dining experiences since the restaurant opened in 2022, led by James Beard Award-winning chef Gregory Gourdet. This is Gourdet’s gluten- and dairy-free take on modern Haitian cuisine, including Haiti’s national dish, griyo — twice-cooked pork with plantains — and vegetable sides like rich, peanut-creamed collard greens. Don’t miss the flat-iron steak dry-rubbed with Kann’s own ground Haitian coffee beans.
Portland’s Haitian scene is growing. Tap Tap Cuisine started as a food cart on North Williams Avenue but has expanded to a second location, a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Northeast Portland’s Hollywood District. Come for whole grilled fish with plantains, or diri djon djon (rice tinted black with mushrooms). Take home a souvenir with Creole Me Up, a Portland business that sells pickleez (Haitian pickled cabbage), marinades and spice blends, available at select grocery stores and farmers markets.
At Yaad Style, a Jamaican restaurant in Northeast Portland, try saltfish and ackee, Jamaica’s national dish of oxtails in rich gravy. Or go for Creole-influenced cuisine at Love Belizean, known for its stewed chicken and red rice and beans, located in Southwest Portland.
In Southeast Portland, two food carts showcase African-influenced Latin American cuisine. At Brazilian House, get the moqueca, a stew made with coconut milk and palm oil. Cuban cart La Perla Del Sur dishes up classic ropa vieja, a meat stew served with plantains and yuca.
One of the city’s top food carts is Kee’s Loaded Kitchen, where the “Loaded Everything” plate gets you all the mains, all the sides, a drink and a dessert — enough to feed a family. The menu rotates frequently, but favorites include fried catfish, smoky turkey collard greens and mini sweet potato pies. For a vegan take, check out Dirty Lettuce, where you’ll find saucy seitan barbecue ribs and gooey mac ’n’ cheeze.
