Calabash African Cuisine - Alexandria

I have been wanting to try West African cuisine for the longest time and Calabash did not disappoint! I had the Fufu with Goat Peanut Butter Soup and my husband had Banku with Goat Light Pepper Soup. Both dishes were absolutely delicious. The spices were balanced and not overpowering (this girl loves bold flavors). The customer service also hit it out of the park. The staff were very friendly and even showed us how to use the hand washing station and how to properly eat fufu and banku with our hands. We will definitely be back again.

I went yesterday before closing the customer service was very good I was greeted once I arrived through the door. I had a taste for some pepper soup with fried fish so that’s exactly what I ordered with some fufu, I was very disappointed with the soup there was no spice in it and also my fish was very very soggy, my fufu wasn’t fully cooked it had a mashed potato consistency and fell apart very easily. $17-18 I spent and I couldn’t even enjoy the meal/soup. I’ve ate here before and loved the food but this time it was disappointing.

My wife and I wanted to try something new so we randomly picked Calabash. Walked in, the decor was not appealing or inviting. The waiter was rude and impatient as we tried to download the menu. While waiting we ordered a beer and a juice. After finally downloading the menu, we didn 't see specifically what we wanted to try. As the waiter came back a 5th time we politely told him sorry we 're not going to order we 'll just pay for the drinks. He got visibly irritated. He printed out receipt and sat it on the bar and started cleaning tables. I approached the bar to pay only to be charged $16.95 for 2 DRINKS! I gave a $20 and said keep the change. I understand being upset because we didn 't order any food, we still were paying customers and to over charge because we didn 't order food was just inappropriate, shady, gutsy and disrespectful. I will never return here again and I will tell my friends to never eat here.

This place was such a delightful discovery! The attentive care by the owner and staff made us feel welcomed and at home. And the food was so good! Truly fantastic. We had the grilled tilapia with bantu and okra soup with fufu. We were super grateful for water and bowl at our table to wash our hands before and after the meal, too. We'll definitely be back.

Everytime I come in town I have to get only complaint I have is they closed Monday and Tuesday lol but this waakye is a must try!!