La Teranga

This tiny place is cute with personality and the chef spent time explaining the dishes in a way that really added to the experience. We tried several of the juices we had never had before like Baboa juice and both our meals were delicious and unique. Would definitely come again and again.

First I must say that the owner is a «jewel»! His enthusiasm for his food spills out into every dish he prepares. He is a man true to his culture by honoring his foods roots. There will be many returns as we delightfully navigate his menu.

La Teranga is a tiny Senegalese café in Columbia City that serves food that reminds of home — no matter where one is from. One does not have to love or even know what Senegalese food is to enjoy the food here. Their soups and stews, full of good, flavorful veggies, and satisfying spices, are exactly what I seek when I need comfort or feel under the weather. Their fish and shrimp dishes are just as flavorful and satisfying. Even the sandwiches are substantial and homey. I don’t eat meat but heard people rave about chicken and lamb dishes. I am so glad this place exists — It really contributes to why Columbia City a wonderful place for food.

The reviews don’t lie. The food was excellent, and perfectly filling. Had the Lamb Mafe and definitely will be back to try something else when I’m in Columbia City. Can’t believe it’s a one man operation!

Some of the best food I’ve had. Amazing flavors and the juices were so great, I wish I could have them all the time! I had the house special and it was so aromatic and equally delicious. I just wish I were closer, I would eat here often.

I have been on a lifelong quest for ground nut stew — peanut soup.
It is a popular dish in West Africa. Every place I visited, they were «just out». I became so desperate for it, I have made it myself from online recipe research. The only place I have ever tasted it in a restaurant was at the Hawthorne McMenamins. Until now!
I had the lamb mafe. The peanut butter is not in evidence, it’s a nice salty curry like sauce with maybe a little ginger and a very slight hot pepper flavor. They have a vegetarian version, I had the lamb. The lamb is tender without being overcooked and is not fatty. The dish also had cassava root, sweet potato and carrot, all super tender. All served with rice. It is a good size meal.
The Senegalese peanut sauce is different than Sierra Leone, so let a million recipes bloom!
I also had the kenkeliba herbal tea. Well worth trying, it has a slight licorice flavor and is used in Africa as a digestif.
Columbia City has become quite an upscale location of bars, restaurants and shops. In comparison, La Teranga is clean, but not fancy. It is small, with about 5 tables. The owner is gracious a and excited to share a little of the experience of far Senegal to Seattle!

This place is a very small hole-​in-​the-​wall. I came here for lunch with a girl friend and we loved it. We had fried plantains. fish yassa, lamb mafe, ginger juice, and baobab juice. Everything was delicious and flavorful. The mafe is very rich and this is the best ginger juice I’ve tried. I would go here again. Only with 1 friend at a time though because the tables and space are small.

Very lovely first-​time experience. I was in the area (rather new to me) searching for a food to-​go on my way to an evening meeting. A few other restaurants were closed on Tuesdays (their loss), but stumbled into this quaint venue. I inquired if they would accommodate my need for a to-​go order, the gentleman running the restaurant graciously accepted my request. I ordered the national dish (with fish, couscous, and various vegetables: carrot, cassava, eggplant, cabbage). The food was spicy, fish cooked bone-​in, and vegetables colorful. This is not your mid-​West, deep-​fat fried mid-​West dish, this is flavorful, spicy, and fresh. The couscous was actually pleasantly flavorful, having absorbed a myriad of abundant spice. Would recommend, to someone willing to experience new flavors and not scared by a bone-​in fish.

My first time trying Senegalese food and hopefully not the last. The interior is brightly and colorful and very small (only about 3 tables.) The menu is vast. Although I was feeling meaty, I noticed that since it was the weekend they had Thiebou Djeun, the national dish of Senegal. How could I resist the national dish of Senegal? So, I got that and a glass of Senegalese tea, which was herby and refreshing.
This appears to be a one-​man show. The very friendly gent (I think he’s the owner) took my order then disappeared into the kitchen for awhile. Same pattern with another table. The presentation was beautiful, and the taste was even better! In the middle there was a big mound of seasoned broken rice, surrounded on all sides by huge hunks of vegetables (carrot, eggplant, cassava root, and cabbage) and, on top, the star of the show, the marinated tilapia fish! You could tell it had been stewed as every bite released more of the flavor that it had been soaking in, and the middle was stuffed with a green herb paste that I’d never tried before.
I’d order the Thiebou Djeun every day if I could… but there are so many other things on the menu that I want to try too. Oh, the dilemma…

Small space, BIG FLAVORS! I dream about his stews and fish. You must try this place before you die.

Great little hole in the wall! I have never had African food but this is great! I absolutely love this place. So far everything I have eaten in Seattle has been great and this place is one my list for must have again! Support local business like this one! I admire the owners as it appears they work very hard. They also have great customer service and very friendly! If you are around here you must go!
As for the food!!! We had the lamb mafe which is lamb covered in peanut sauce… and omg it was soo good

When one travels to Seattle as a tourist, one does not often think — I’m hungry — where’s the nearest Senegalese place? But one should. Because let’s face it — you can only eat so much salmon and cherries.
This place is tiny and absolutely wonderful. Five tables lined up in a space so narrow you can practically touch both side walls at the same time. How can they possibly produced such amazing food? Fried fish in tomato and onion, lamb peanut stew — it’s all good.
And definitely ask the owner about the time he learned to ride a horse at his uncle’s farm in Senegal. That alone is worth the price of your meal.
You should go.

Hole in the wall place. If that doesn’t deter you, then read on.
I am a bit obsessed with a Senegalese fish and rice dish called THIÉBOUDIENNE. After a Senegalese friend made me this years ago, I was so taken by it that I have looked for it in every African restaurant I have patronized. If they had it on the meny, none them had lived up to the hype of the first dish. So I was a little apprehensive when I ordered Thieb from La Teranga.
Oh boy! I felt like I hit jackpot. Everything was perfect. And to my surprise, the chef had inserted under the skin of the fish an array of delicious herbs. The dish was sublime.
I topped it off with a juice drink made with the fruit of the baobab tree, bouye juice. A first for me, and will not be a last.
The owner Mamadou was very friendly.
Hole in the wall. Don’t be deterred. Walk in, sit, order and dig in.

The Thiebou Djeun is pretty good. Nice flavors of Senegal. The Lamb Dibi with couscous is a large portion with lovely, earthy flavors.
It takes a while to be served because the place is busy. Plan ahead if you want to dine in this little hole in the wall: it sits perhaps 10 people at the most.

Ross had lunch here last month and raved about it, and today we decided it would be the perfect follow-​up to an afternoon at the equally terrific Seattle Bouldering Project. This place is amazing. We had the Thiébou dieune, a warm fish stew with lots of tender veggies and seasoned rice, and the Firere, a whole fried tilapia served with plantains. SO STUFFED and happy. Portions are enormous and the service the friendliest you could ask for. We’ll be back.

I confess. I was a skeptic. Really. I was not enthusiastic about going, but I’ll try anything once, thank goodness, because this was totally excellent. The flavors are amazing. The one man shop provides remarkably good food. The seating is really short, but you can order for takeaway and that would be worth the trouble.

We ordered the tilapia which came with fried plantains. The skin was crisp and the fish itself was moist and flaky. The red curry goat was rich, tender, and boldly spiced. The portions were generous and the staff was friendly and seemed sincerely happy to be there.
If you’re looking for a sweet creamy non dairy beverage, definitely try the Bouye Juice! It reminded me of everything I love about a piña colada.
I would also say to try the Bissap. It’s the national beverage of Senegal plus It tastes like dark sweet berry juice with a tangy zing!

Unassuming, tiny restaurant in Columbia City. When I say tiny, I mean four tables in a pint-​sized storefront. You could easily walk right past it, but you’d be missing out on Senegalese cooking that will please your palate. The dishes are mostly fish, lamb, and goat. There are several vegetarian dishes as well. We tried four or five of the dishes; and while each one was good, the stuffed fish was the best of the bunch. The prices are fine and you get quite a lot of food. The owner/​chef is really nice. I believe he owns an African import store across the street. The restaurant is a one man show though, so the service can be pretty slow. And they were out of a few things the night we went. I would absolutely revisit this place.

Tiniest place packed with flavors!
Senegalese food you say? Well, let’s have a look!
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​I call weekends, my food-​venture time. That’s when I get to go try all the hole in the wall places in new areas that I wouldn’t normally make it during weekdays. This place was a great find. Came across this place about a year ago when I was walking around Columbia City. Geraldine was too busy and Island Soul was getting too repetitive. What do you know?! I found this place with «Special~curry goat» sign right outside of it. And turns out, it is the only one of its kind in Washington. Talk about luck!!!
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​The chef Mamdou is oh so nice and friendly. He cook, he wait, he serve and he bust the tables for you. So you’ve gotta be willing to wait. That being said: the food is just delicious. Its like Caribbean curries with mild flavors. Kind of across between Caribbean food and Moroccan cuisine perhaps? I just know that its good! They have peanut sauce, they have fried fish. They have sandwiches as well as fresh juices.
Fav dishes — Lamb mafe with peanut sauce
Fish Yassa with caramelized onions and lemon sauce — delish!
Plantains with dipping sauce! And black pepper coffee (interesting)
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Remember, it’s made to order food with slow cooking methods in this tiny place. You gotta give him time to cook! And if you want that Lamb special, go early!! I know where I’m going next Sunday!

This place is shaped like a hall way. You could easily pass by it if you didn’t look fast enough.
Very good food overall. I had the prawn satay (not on the menu) and the Mafe with Rice. Both are good dishes.
There is this sandwich that is fairly expensive thats on the menu it costs $ 8 but I wanna try it when I go back to it. Looks yummy! I hope its worth it!
There is also 3 different juices they sell there that cost $ 3 each:
Bissap juice (Similar to a dull cranberry) Bouyo Juice (this was a white juice which was not bad, just different for my taste), & Ginger juice (has a good taste at first, but the after taste is a bit too strong for me), they are were OK, IMO, ASK TO HAVE A. SMALL SAMPLE OF EACH. I decided not to get any of them. But you might like them!
The man working there is a very kind and polite man. He took care of you, service could have been a bit quicker but tis just him making the food, serving the food, and cleaning.
This place only has about 4 tables and when there are more than 6 – 8 people it can be very crowded only because it is a «Hallway» shaped building.
I would go there when its slow and then you can actually enjoy yourself. I have only tried 2 different African places in the Columbia City area, and this one so far is in second place.
(message me and I i will you my number 1)