Chicago (African) - Yassa African Restaurant

Yassa African Restaurant
716 E. 79th Street, Chicago IL; Phone 773-488-9630
Date of Review: December, 2006; updated May, 2008

If you like culture and experiences, Yassa is the place for you. It is tucked away on the South Side of Chicago and may require a bit of a commute, but it is well worth it.

In terms of atmosphere, think of walking into a shop storefront and having it feel like a home. Yassa is run by Jay and his family who immigrated to Chicago from Senegal. Throughout the restaurant, there are subtle and not so subtle hints of Senegal, helping make your dining experience truly a cultural one. This includes African art work, masks and Senegalese colors. The restaurant is small so there may be a significant wait. If there is, crack open your bottle of wine (BYOB) and ask for a few glasses as there is room near the counter to stand and have a drink as you soak up the warm, home like atmosphere of Yassa.

After a 45 minute wait, Jay emerged from the kitchen with something that was thankfully headed for our table. We ordered 2 appetizers and 4 entrees and told him to bring out whatever dishes were ready first as everything is cooked to order. The first dish to arrive was the Fataya (an appetizer), which are pan fried shells of crisp, chewy bread that are wrapped around a fish mixture. It is a bit of a cross between a fish patty and a fish empanada. It is served with a flavorful, spicy sauce that includes yellow mustard and pureed red pepper. Our 2nd appetizer was Nem. Described as an egg roll by Jay, Nem is more like a fried spring roll and is filled with a combination of onion, vermicelli, mushrooms and scraps of shredded chicken or lamb. It is served with the same sauce that the fataya is served with. The appetizers are tasty but they are on the greasy side.

For entrees, we looked to Jay for suggestions. We told him we were looking to sample some authentic Senegalese cuisine and he guided us in the right direction. We (Jay) decided that we should try the Chicken Yassa, Grilled Fish, Chicken Brochette and the fish stew (Thiebou Djeun).

All of the portions were very large with voluminous amounts of white rice (jollof) and assorted vegetables (many of them being root vegetables) served with the fish stew and the Chicken Yassa. Tonia chose couscous as a side with the brochette and Nick chose the wonderful Aloco (plantains) with the grilled fish.

There were many spices hidden within the platters of food on our table that exploded within our mouths and led to some continuous plate passing until everyone had sampled all of the dishes. I was especially impressed with the wonderful flavors of the caramelized onions mixed with the couscous that was served with the brochette and the assorted vegetables (yams, carrots, cabbage, etc.) served over the rice that was served with the Chicken Yassa. The chicken in both dishes had a nice flavor contrast that was somewhere between the charcoal it was cooked on and the lemon, onion and spice marinade that was used. The fish stew (grouper) was average, but the highlight of the meal was the grilled fish. Served with a generous scooping of relish (onions, peppers, cilantro and who knows what else), the tilapia is grilled and served whole (with the head on). It was easy enough and enjoyable (for me at least) to filet the fish off the bone. The fish was wonderful; it is the house specialty. It was so good that I would later find my friend Nick with the carcass of the fish in his hands attempting to get every bit of fish off of those bones. On another visit, Ivy and I had the Thiou Curry with Lamb. While flavorful, both Ivy and I found the dish to be too greasy for our palettes.

Yassa is one of the better values in Chicago. It is BYOB and there is no corking fee. In addition, nothing on the menu costs more than $12. Given the fact that the plates of food are large enough that 2 people could easily share one entree, the prices are extremely reasonable. We had 2 appetizers and 4 entrees for $56. You cannot ask for better value than that.

This is a cultural experience and one I would recommend to anyone who likes to try new things. When you leave a restaurant and feel the need to shake hands with the owner and possibly even exchange a hug, it is hard not to feel good about the last 2-3 hours you spent there.

To put it simply, Jay and his family seem to be wonderful people who work hard to deliver quality food and service for very reasonable prices. When Jay asked for our suggestions to improve his restaurant and we told him that he should raise the prices. In response, he smiled and told us he couldn’t do that. He said he couldn’t do that because he wanted to keep the prices affordable for anyone who wants to experience Yassa. Jay explained that it is about the people and that is what Yassa is about.