Swahili Village OTS

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1. B

   Bobby

   New York Area

   6 reviews

   4.0

   6 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   overall4food5service3ambience5

   The food was amazing the music was ok; The service was ok… there were multiple times when chairs were removed from the table after my party was seated; not the worst thing in the world but annoying
   

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2. L

   Lynda

   New York Area

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   overall3food4service2ambience5

   Good and drinks were delicious. The service wasn’t too good. It took almost 30 minutes for someone to come to our table so we could order drinks and appetizers. Overall the it wasn’t too bad just need better service.
   

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3. U

   Uriah

   New York Area

   29 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   29 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   overall2food2service2ambience2

   Perhaps we can chalk it up to a bad day. Hostess was quite irate to see us show up. Took almost 10 mins to seat us despite having a reservation. Another 5 to clean the table and another 5 to take our order... not the end of the world, except we had tix for the show next door. The food was hit/miss. We just did appetizers and a bottle of wine. There's someone there who knows how to cook, spice work was on point. But then a few misses like crappy factory style fries and a samosa that was fried in oil that was too cold. Lastly, music was blasting - could have been brought down a notch.
   

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4. a

   apqueen

   New York Area

   19 reviews

   vip
   2.0

   19 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   overall2food4service3ambience2

   I don't want to leave a bad review, because it wasn't terrible, but fellow diners should know what to expect. We had a reservation, we arrived and were told there were no tables available. We explained we had a time constraint as we were seeing a show and there wasn't much care about the fact we had a reservation (I really don't mind waiting 10/15 minutes for a table usually, even with a reservation as we are realistic but we didn't have time). The issue was the opentable system showed they had multiple time slots available, with multiple tables, I just don't think they were using its they were just seating people as they came in without deference to reservations. Then, while we were waiting, other people came in after us and were seated before us. We would have left but there wasn't anywhere else close by to go to, so we took a chance, and we chose our food before we were seated. Once we were seated (30 mins after reservation time) we did put in our order and asked for them to bring the check with our order. They were helpful, they did that and our food came out in about 20 minutes giving us time just enough time. The food was good enough - 2 of us had goat stew and 3rd had lamb chops. The goat was good, the lamb was not (and priced at $42 we would expect it to have been good). The atmosphere was loud, energetic and a bit impersonal. The wine list was nice, good South African wines, that was definitely a plus. We would possibly go back, only if we were going to a show at NJPac again, and we had at least 2 hours for convenience. I would hesitantly recommend it for convenience and an alternative menu knowing the other constraints.
   

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5. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Philadelphia

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on May 22, 2023

   overall3food3service2ambience4

   The ambience is good , food is ok and service was. I will not blame server for the bad service as she was polite but the place was under staffed , first someone left the food next to the table and we were waiting for server, by the time she came food was cold , by the time she served , the cleaners took away old silverware and we waited for a while after sometime we went to empty tables and grabbed silverware. Food was ok and South African wines were very good too. The bar was paying very loud music as if it is a club 😁 Do we go back there ? Not sure.
   

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6. G

   Greeney

   New York Area

   19 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   19 reviews

   Dined on May 22, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   We just had lunch but the food was good and the service was great. Just wanted to suggest that maybe they should consider a lunch menu serving less food and cheaper prices to attract a lunch crowd.
   

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7. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   New York Area

   17 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   17 reviews

   Dined on May 20, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Food was delicious! Service great 😊 We will be back!
   

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8. E

   Elyssa

   New York Area

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on May 20, 2023

   overall5food5service4ambience5

   The food at Swahili Village was delicious. The location was convenient, 10 minute walk from the train station and across the street from njpac. We also appreciated the options for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free diners. We were mixed and everyone left full and happy.
   

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9. MD

   MelodyD

   New York Area

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on May 16, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Food was excellent! Service was top notch! We went here after Rutgers graduation and it was a great way to celebrate an accomplishment! Always a pleasure patronizing Black businesses!
   

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10. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on May 14, 2023

    overall3food2service1ambience5

    Brought the 5 most important ladies in my life in for a Mother's Day dinner, ( my mom, my 3 Aunts and my Big cousin). All I kept hearing was the food was great especially the Lamb and the Oxtails. My Reservations were for 6pm, they did seat us quick, but ran out of Lamb and Oxtails, which was the dinner choice of 4 of my party members. That was real disappointing 😕, and my waitress a Latino woman was hard to understand due to how loud the music was. She took forever to wait on us and even then she disappeared for long periods of time. She brought my parties food out at different times, abt 5 mins apart. At the end of it all I had to ask twice for the bill, which took about 10 mins to find her and 5 mins to get. The seats they sat us in was a couch like seating,, which was very tight for the women and they had to bring an extra chair for me being that i couldn't fit, seems like it wasn't the right table for a party of 6🤦🏾‍♂️. I will give them 1 more chance by supporting and going back despite the terrible service by this waitress, the bad seating and the food shortage. Hopefully it was an isolated coincidence. 🤷🏾‍♂️
    

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11. K

    Knox

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 14, 2023

    overall3food2service3ambience5

    For the price I paid $297.60, I expected amazing food. I didn’t get that, at all. I wanted Oxtail, but they said they didn’t have any, to only look across the room to see another person with it, but hey 🤷🏾‍♂️. My 3 lamb chops (which was $42) one was almost done, second one was pink inside and last one had blood in it. The best thing I had was my $28 alcoholic drink and my $10 slice of chocolate cake. I would never recommend this place to anybody ever!!!
    

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12. PF

    PamelaF

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 14, 2023

    overall5food5service3ambience5

    I had a good time being it was my first time. The only problem is that the seating is tight and can be uncomfortable. Being the prices are high, can be a deterrence for me to come back. I love the music, a little loud for social conversation. Overall, a good experience...
    

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13. BA

    BritA

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on May 14, 2023

    overall4food4service2ambience4

    My husband and I went to Swahili Village for Mother’s Day and had a good experience overall. Our main issues we the length of time you had to wait before someone came and attended to your table. Once seated it took about 20-30 minutes before our server came and at that point they weren’t sure which table to attend to first. Luckily the other tables confirmed that they had met us there before they were seated. Another, issue was not receiving items ordered/receiving incorrect orders. Once we ordered most things arrived in a timely manner. However, we requested bottled water twice which didn’t arrive till the end of the meal. Also, we ordered nonalcoholic beverages and received drinks laced with alcohol. We could not perceive any liquor odor when the drinks arrived but once we tasted them we knew that they were alcoholic beverages after requesting and confirming with our server 3 times that the drinks would be nonalcoholic. I’m currently expecting and alcohol could be detrimental to an unborn baby. After a significant period we were able to receive fresh nonalcoholic drinks. To be fair, we do not blame the server. We think these issues are related to staffing vs server competency. This server seemed to have been overwhelmed by being assigned to too many tables, and several mistakes resulted from this. On a more positive note, the food and overall atmosphere was great and all things considered, we look forward to patronizing this establishment again in the future.
    

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14. DH

    DonnaH

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 13, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    I visited for my first time on mother's day weekend in advance of seeing a show at NJPAC. I made a reservation 1 1/2 weeks in advance. The restaurant was packed and there was a challenge with getting an adequate table, notwithstanding the fact that I had a reservation. But we were eventually seated. They were out of some things on their menu and the wait for food was longer than anticipated, but hopefully, that was because they were in hot demand and not a usual circumstance. The food was excellent! And our server (Michelle) was so lovely with a great attitude, spirit and smile! The decor is fantastic! Beautiful paintings and furniture, and great music as well. I will certainly go again, on a less busy day.
    

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15. JP

    JacintaP

    New York Area

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 13, 2023

    overall2food2service1ambience4

    My experience for dinner at Swahili Village was fair. The ambience is definitely pleasing to the eye. There is beautiful and inspiring paintings and wall art. The food was pretty tasty. Love, love, love the Samosas! However, my party and I were disappointed when we learned that there was a 2 hour wait for the lamb chops. The service was poor. Our waitress took quite some time to come over to greet us, let alone bring the drinks and take our order. It then took quiet some time to receive our food. It took so long that we were late for our show at NJPAC! Therefore, my experience was eh -fair but willing to try again.
    

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16. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 13, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    A lovely experience for our first time dining. The food was extraordinary!!!
    

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17. s

    swimmer

    Philadelphia

    4 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on May 12, 2023

    overall2food4service1ambience3

    1/2 hour to get glass of wine. Server wasn't sure which wines on menu were really at bar. 20 min to get check & another 20 to get bill - way too slow - felt ignored - server said they were understaffed - on a Friday nite? Won't be back.
    

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18. CJ

    ClaireJ

    New York Area

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on May 7, 2023

    overall5food5service3ambience5

    Waiter wasn't the friendliest nor did he check on my table after he brought our food but overall the food, ambiance and experience was good. Will be back for sure!
    

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19. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    10 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on May 6, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Excellent food and service
    

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20. LI

    LINAB

    New York Area

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on May 6, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Fantastic food, great service and a unique experience
    

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21. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 30, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Amazing food and amazing helpful, friendly staff.
    

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22. s

    swimmer

    Philadelphia

    4 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on April 29, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience5

    Great tasty food. Oxtail Stew and plantains with collards was fantastic. Very generous will allowing us to have a taste of 2 wines before we chose. Would def come back!
    

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23. QJ

    QuianaJ

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on April 29, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Menu has variety for all palates. The food was delicious and arrived to the table hot. Very nice ambiance. The restaurant as a whole is a vibe.
    

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24. AN

    AndrewN

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 22, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Management, bar staff, chefs, hosts and servers were ALL on top of thier game. This place remains a favorite of mine because no other place matches the ambiance, vibe and overall quality experience that Swahili Village brings
    

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25. s

    swimmer

    Philadelphia

    4 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on April 21, 2023

    overall4food5service4ambience5

    Great food, friendly service, but: no water offered, & server engaged in several prolonged conversations with nearby table, so we skipped dessert as we ran out of time for our show at NJPAC
    

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26. DE

    DavidE

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 21, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience5

    We loved it. Great food, friendly service, peaceful & cheery ambience. The manager even came over to greet us. So nice. My goat stew was absolutely delicious (tasted like goat kadai), and my wife loved her tilapia and plantains. Different, creative, and accessible menu. Even the drinks were fabulous. And the restaurant is right across the street from NJPAC: Kenyan cuisine followed by Mozart & Beethoven. How much better does life get than that? Thanks Swahili Village. God bless your business.
    

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27. BB

    BeverlyB

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 20, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    The food is very good. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with an energetic vibe, good music, very friendly staff!
    

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28. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 20, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    I love it , for sure I’ll be coming more times !
    

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29. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 16, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    It was my son’s bday
    

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30. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    15 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on April 15, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Everything was much better than expected, the food was amazing, drinks were drinking (LOL) the vibe lastnight was simply dope.
    

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31. GT

    GlennT

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 14, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience4

    Our first visit to Swahili Village will not be our last! Our server was new and was clearly still learning the restaurant, but more than made up for it with his friendly approach. Outstanding food! The goat was as good as I've had anywhere. Also recommend the appetizer sampler. Newark is in desperate need of new businesses. This is a great one. Highly recommended!
    

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32. NN

    NativeNewYorker

    New York Area

    5 reviews

    3.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on April 13, 2023

    overall3food4service3ambience4

    The service is not consistent and far too slow. Perhaps they’re short handed or need to brush up on customer service, but for the price I expect not to wait as long as we had to for our drinks and food. I also expected not to have to call upon other waiters because we could not find ours. The drinks were good and the food tasty, It’s just the long waits that bring their scores down.
    

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33. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 9, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    The food and the atmosphere was absolutely divine. Me and my family went to Swahili Village to celebrate our Easter Sunday and it was amazing. Our server was very knowledgeable of all the food options and drink selections, and even offered suggestions that became our go-to favorite choices for our signature meals and drinks. The decorative designs on the inside of the restaurant were just breathtaking. You will definitely be more than pleased when you come to Swahili VIllage with your family.
    

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34. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Washington DC

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on April 8, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    My mother’s 79th birthday. We had a great time. Thank you for helping me make my mom feel special.
    

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35. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on April 8, 2023

    overall4food5service3ambience4

    Food was amazing as expected! Non-alcoholic drinks were a bit high. We sat in a small corner table which was fine. Next time we’ll go closer to the music.
    

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36. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on April 7, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Booked a table for a party of 10. But I had an extra guest arrive. They were very accommodating. Our server was great. Very polite and patient with our numerous orders. The DJ for thé night was good. He had everyone on their feet. After dinner we ventured to the bar area to continue our outing. Would recommend this place
    

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37. WB

    WesB

    Dallas

    13 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on April 4, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    This place is phenomenal. We were staying in Newark and this restaurant was recommended by our hotel. The drinks, food, service were all top notch. We let the server help choose a few dishes and were so happy we stayed for more. Definitely will return when we are in the area.
    

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38. CK

    CamilleK

    New York Area

    6 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on March 27, 2023

    overall2food4service1ambience2

    Terrible service. Was there for dinner before a concert and waited 50 minutes for our drinks and an hour before any food came out. The appetizer and entrees were served at the same time. The server made no apologies for the delay in getting our food and drinks and they add an additional 20% gratuity automatically. Now I know why!! The food, once we received it was good (the appetizer was cold but tasty.) can’t see going back ever again!
    

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39. JC

    JoeC

    Chicago

    9 reviews

    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined on March 23, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Food and service was terrific. Enjoyed tasting new dishes
    

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40. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on March 19, 2023

    overall2food3service1ambience2

    Unfortunately our experience was not good. My party was seated and an hour later we didn’t even have water! Once our food came out it was wrong and we never received our orders completely. The food was good but the horrible service made our experience very disappointing. As a result we missed the first act of our concert. I won’t be back!
    

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