Gracia Afrika - Montreal, Quebec

One of the most terrible dining experiences I've ever had. We walked in without any expectations; The place looked cozy and authentic and we were looking for a simple fulfilling meal. It's run by one woman who does all the cooking and serving. As soon as we walked in, she ... said she only had two dishes left for the night, the peanut butter chicken or the grilled chicken—which made me assume that it was one of those restaurants where she makes a few dishes in bulk and these two were the ones that were left, meaning we'd get our food fairly quickly at least. We decided to get one of each dish and some samosas. The samosas were alright. We then proceeded to wait for an hour for the main dishes. All the while watching her in the open kitchen: she seemed in no particular rush, you could hear nothing cooking and smell almost nothing, and at some point I heard a microwave running. She would come out every once in a while to refill our water. We tried our best to remain patient, it was getting late and I was too hungry to fathom talking to her to explain that we wanted to just pay for our samosas and leave. The food finally came, two disappointing chicken drumsticks per plate. Nothing tasted fresh, and it was accompanied by a flavourless rice and three pieces of fried plantain. There was a redeeming bit of salad with a decent dressing. We quickly ate what we could, despite being incredibly hungry still, I could not enjoy the taste of the food. We then left and went to a diner for a snack, to at least end the night on a nice note. I wouldn't have bothered writing a bad review, had the food been priced at about $10-15 per plate. Our bill came out to $60, something you'd expect to pay at a gourmet restaurant with at least somewhat decent food and good service. Read more

Was a group of four, came in half an hour before anyone else did. Told us because they were very busy for the night that we couldn't order more than one of each dish. Waited an hour+ for our food. Got a plate of beef samosas ($4.99) that was two very ... small pieces about an inch wide. Tasted good, but seemed like something I could get at the supermarket for less. I ordered a grilled goat dish that was very dry and difficult to chew, and there wasn't much on the dish. One of my friends had the goat in sauce, which was better. Watched them microwave something for five minutes (literally, the timer was at 5mins) and they did this for every plate. Came with a small salad with an okay dressing, but nothing special. The grilled plantains were very nice, even if there were only three slices. Basmati rice was fine. My biggest problem was that another of my friends had the peanut chicken dish and ate the outer part of it before realizing that the inner part was pink and bloody. Pointed this out to the lady and she said it was okay because she grilled it before baking for an hour in the sauce. She took a bite of the pink meat to convince us it was good. The service was okay, although the lady cook was very nice apart from the aforementioned incident, and the waitress was very polite even though our French was not very good. Probably would not return because it was very expensive for a plate of microwaved food. Read more

We called ahead to reserve for 4, when we arrived in front (on time) the door was locked. The owner/cook/server unlocked the door to let us in. After the greetings she made a blunt remark saying we liked to eat late (it was 9) and mumbled that she didn't like ... it and that made us feel really uncomfortable. She could of simply said on the phone that our reservation was quite late for her...when we called.. around 2pm... Other costumers came in not so long after us and she made the same remark. She then brought up the menu, well not really a menu because she only gave us 2 options, the lamb or peanut sauce chicken. It took a while for the food to come (which i dont mind) the thing is I saw her microwave all our food. Nothing was fresh.There was no hot pepper sauce(piment), the lamb was like leather, the plantains were soggy (3 piece a plate) we asked for more and that was freshly fried and tasty. Overall I'm really disappointed, the prices our to high for microwaved food, hospitality is zero, I don't understand the amazing reviews (that made me want to try the place). Read more

My favourite place to eat in Montreal. The owner/cook/server/host is incredibly accommodating. When I lived there as a student, it was like being treated to a home-cooked meal. She could just throw together a plateful of delicious vegetarian options to suit me. The plantain is awesome! Glad to see she's ... still there. Read more

Every time I eat here I think, "This is the only restaurant in Montreal that I don't mind paying for my meal". Gracia Afrika has so many things going for it. The owner is like a mother to her clients, the atmosphere is beautiful, and the food tastes like it ... was made with the love of a mother. And that last point is no surprise as you can see the kitchen from where you eat and it's nothing more than a standard home stove, which simply lends to the spirit of the restaurant. I've tried most everything on the menu and I can honestly say that there is no wrong choice. Bring your own wine and settle in for a comfortable, homey evening. Don't complain that the service is slow, this is your mother cooking, would you ever tell her "Hey, MA! Hurry it up in there?!" No, so enjoy your surroundings, enjoy the people your with, and most of all, enjoy the food you're about to love. Read more