Entry No. 109 — the Denver file — filed under: west-african
African Grill and Bar
Tucked into a Kipling Parkway strip mall you'd blow right past, this is one of the few places in metro Denver doing real West African food, and they've quietly done it since 2004. Owners Sylvester and Theodora plate fufu, jollof rice, peanut soup, kelewele, and South African pap, and on the right night there are drummers and dancers. The Denver Gazette framed it as a restaurant that 'beat the odds' — it survived precisely because the people who find it keep coming back. Nothing about the storefront tells you any of this is inside.
The move: Go hungry and order family-style — get fufu plus a stew so you're both tearing into the same bowl, and split an order of kelewele (spiced fried plantains). It's a low-stakes, talk-a-lot dinner where you're learning a cuisine together rather than performing a date.
📍 Before you go It's in Lakewood on the southwest edge of metro Denver, so plan it as a destination drive rather than a walk-up neighborhood stop — Kipling Parkway is a major north-south arterial, and the shared strip-mall lot means parking is free and plentiful. The live drummers and dancers aren't a nightly thing; if that's your draw, call ahead to catch a performance night. Come hungry and unhurried — this is a sit-and-linger meal, not a quick bite. If you want to extend the evening, Bowlero Lakewood sits right next door at 945 S Kipling, an easy walk across the same lot for a few games after dinner.
- 📍 Lakewood
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 955 S Kipling Pkwy, Lakewood, CO 80226 (inside the Kipling Parkway strip mall; easy to miss from the road)
Hours: Roughly noon-9pm Mon-Sat per current listings; call (303) 985-4497 to confirm and for reservations/live-music nights.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · cpr.org · denvergazette.com · Tripadvisor
last checked: 2026-06-07