Mama Osas African Restaurant

I was tipped off about this place by a friend of mine that had taken a group to enjoy the food here. I am a lover of African cuisine so it was a natural that I come here to check out the goods. I walked in around 5:30pm and walked up to the counter and asked for a menu. I checked it out and decided to go with the seafood (shrimp), chicken and rice platter to go. It was a bit of a wait, but was expected. I walked home and opened up the goods and smashed it as it was delicious. The meat came in a stewish form and I just pored it over the jollof rice… it made for a very good meal and was just as good when heated up as leftovers.
The ladies here are really nice and can advise you on whats good to eat. If you don’t want to wait, I would advise you to order ahead if you are just getting takeout as they are cooking with some serious spices and it may start getting to your eyes… lol! Good stuff!

I ordered some to go food from this restaurant after a disappointing experience with Inyanze bloat restaurant.
The egusi, the okra and mix sauces I got with fufu and the fried plantains were to die for.
We really enjoyed the food and we’re glad we found this place.
I don’t know the dine in place experience but the take out was great

I had their egusi with eba and found it to be really good! The ladies take their time to cook the food and what you get definitely won’t disappoint! It’s not a fancy, pretty restaurant but the food is worth coming back for.

Very good chops (eat). This place has catered for my family before but this is the first time I would dine formally and I must say they are very good.
Food: Pounded Yam and Efo was very good. Pounded yam was very soft and fluffy so it went down easily. Efo was not spicy at all and had shrimp and stock fish and then assorted meat.
I also ordered fried rice and assorted meat to go and when I began to tear into this. I started singing Allelu, especially when I tasted the liver (real fried rice choppers know about the liver). Great work by the chef
Ambiance: very tiny shop set up like a typical Buka Place. It was defo a Nigerian shop with the two deep freezers behind the counter.
Service: Good service, they were not rude like Nigerians tend to be when they see other Nigerians (though I tired my best Akata (black American) accent and the woman smelt Yoruba right away in me. Lol.
Overall it was a good experience honestly only disappointment was the lack of meat pie, however I got there later in the evening so I will let that slide.
Well done Mama Osa, E Ku įse

This is the fourth Nigerian restaurant in Chicago that Ive tried and it is my favorite:) i ordered the Jollof Rice with Fried Fish. The fish was so good and tasty:) The Jollof rice wasn’t as spicy as I wanted it but it was good also! The prices were reasonable. You get so much food! I would recommend doing take out here. There is plenty of parking in the front which is also a plus!

In brief: I’d recommend West African food to a fellow ethnic foodie. but I’d do research beforehand and consider another spot for your culinary adventure.
In not-​so-​brief: I volunteer at a Boys and Girls Club in a heavily West African neighborhood. After hearing the kids rave about Jollof rice, a friend and I decided to try African food for ourselves.
Other than Jollof rice, we were in the dark about the food on the menu. I thiiink when we were making our selections, we were actually ordering the rice or bread, not the meat stew that came on the side – as if at an Italian restaurant, you ordered plain penne or macaroni and were surprised by the sauce that came with it.
We ended up with plantain-​studded Jollof rice, which was served with chicken and goat in a tomato sauce, and a ball of Eba, a thick dough made with cassava flour – something else I’ve heard the kiddos mention – and served with chicken and goat in a spinach sauce that might’ve been ewedu. (I Googled later.)
When the sweet waitress brought our meal, I immediately thought of Indian food: bone-​in meats simmered in rich, spiced stews, reminiscent of Indian curries. Not surprisingly, I enjoyed the bold flavors of the stews themselves, which were especially tasty stirred into the Jollof rice. (As it turns out, Jollof rice is a lot like Mexican rice, mixed with tomatoes, onion, and spices like cumin, nutmeg and chili pepper.) I didn’t care for the Eba as much.
Unfortunately, we didn’t enjoy the meat itself, which was too tough and full of bones to eat; I think I got about five bites of goat, including one with a thin bone in it, and almost no chicken. Despite the size of the portions, I left a little hungry. Later I realized I take for granted the meat in my meals will come from one of the choicest cuts! At the end of the day, I’d eat West African food again, but I’ll keep an ear to the ground for a spot with better-​quality meat.

This place is good Nigerian food. Classic cabby haunt so the atmosphere was as expected. The vegetable and stew sauce here were really excellent. Great plantains. The spinach in the egusi and the pounded yam were good. However the meat in my egusi was not as good as I’d hoped. The goat was a little too tough but still flavorful. The beef and fish were pretty good but the vegetables and jollof rice were definitely the highlight of the meal. Great meatpies also, surprisingly. I’d suggest this as an option for Nigerian food, especially if you like jollof rice.

Fail!!! The food was barely edible. The meat was dry as hell and looked like it had been sitting out for a while OR SOMETHING. Like I said, BARELY EDIBLE. I’ve had worst though. The pounded yam was ok. Im not African so I guess it was ok. Not my cup of tea but HEY!!! To each his own. I cant comment on the pounded yam because its nor eaten in my culture but others can eat what they prefer. So Im sticking to the 3 different meats I had. Like I said, just dry as hell and old looking. Didnt care for it AT ALL. Service was good though. My server was friendly and attentive. So based on the service, jacking them up to two stars. I mean, why the hell is the meat so old looking and dry like that???

This is a little space with an owner with a big heart. Eating at the restaurant felt like being at your friendly neighborhood West African Cheers. Everyone knew each other, were enjoying their meals. We went on a Friday night, there was a mix of west africans and non-​west africans. I got egusi stew, which I love. I don’t know if it was that I was American, but it wasn’t as spicy as some places, but the ingredients were fresh. The owner, Espy talked to us and gave us meat pies to go. They also have ginger candy that tasted like an authentic, strong ginger beer. I will try their jollof rice next time.

This was the worst meal! We were literally yelled at because we asked too many question. The workers here are extremely rude and we did not enjoy the food compared to other places I’ve been on the East Coast and even in Chicago. Ugh!

My boyfriend and I stopped in here to try Nigerian food for the first time — We picked up a menu and scanned it a bit, not really knowing what anything was, but the owner came and was very kind and patient with us explaining what dishes would go good together and what everything was made of.
We decided on two dishes, both were delicious! The dine-​in experience was very clean, not too fancy so great to stop in any time.
I’m not sure how it compares to other Nigerian places because I’m not as familiar with the cuisine, but it was delicious! That on top of the friendly service gives this place 5 stars from me.

Amazingly fresh and delicious Nigerian food! The vegetables are green, the fish, succulent. The place is very clean. The food is however hot you’d like her to make it. Also, the prices are good. I think this is the best NIgerian food in Chicago.

My husband and I dined here over the summer. I forgot to write a review until I went to Iyanze and was so disappointed by it. I remembered how much I loved the fish and rice entrée at Osa’s. I don’t love having bones and a head on my fish, but damn that fish was tasty, fresh and seasoned so well. The sauce it was in was so great. The rice had a nice flavor, but I didn’t like that they used frozen veggies. Real veggies are so cheap so why use frozen? The bread was amazing. They bake their own bread. It’s a hole in the wall. I believe it was Osa who was working that day. She was very helpful explaining all the dishes and the menu. There are pictures of entrees too that are helpful. The bad thing with the rice is there was some kind of meat in it that couldn’t be omitted. I just picked it out. I sacrificed my ethics and picked out the meat. That’s how tasty the rice was! I wish my hubby loved fish as much as I do so we could go back. Even he liked the fish and he’s more of a burger and chicken guy.
It’s cute because you see Osa’s family in there. It’s a small, family owned business. The doorway to the kitchen is open. You can see the cooks making bread and cooking. It’s great to see lots of the food is made from scratch. I’d definitely go here instead of Iyanze any day.

There are only about 10 – 15 items on the menu, but I’m sure each and every one of them is good. There are pictures on the menu to help you make your selection.
My tilapia soup was spiced just right, and the fish was fresh (as a seasoned fish eater I can tell the difference between fresh and frozen)
Unlike some other west African restaurants, it is not overly greasy or oily here.
Also, the younger woman (presumably the daughter of mama osas) informed me that most of the ingredients are organic. Very good to know.
However, this isn’t really a «take a date» place, more of a whole in the wall, yet exotic, tasty, nutritious eatery.