These days more and more West African restaurants are popping up all over Maryland, and food reviewer ‘Mr. 8 That’ visited one of the newest viral locations that’s taking these flavors and presenting them in a fast-casual bowl format. He recently visited Baltimore’s Cross Street Market, which is home to Jollof Bowl, which many have nicknamed “The African Chipotle.”
Mr. 8 That rates every restaurant using two simple categories: price and taste, each scored on a scale of 1-5. Add the two scores together, and if a restaurant reaches a total of 8 or higher, it officially “8 that.”
Jollof Bowl takes traditional West African dishes such as tomato-and-spice infused jollof rice, spiced plantains known as Kelewele, suya aioli, groundnut BBQ and a variety of different proteins and presents them in a build-your-own bowl format.
Mr. 8 That “Both the jollof rice and noodles were cooked in a spicy tomato broth that left a lingering, yet enjoyable heat with every bite. Both the roasted lamb and the roasted goat were tender and seasoned well. If you enjoy heat, the pepper sauce (3 pepper rating) really brought it in every bite, but the suya aioli was the creamy counterpart that helped tame the spice, but reinforce those west african flavors. Even went back and got extra sauce because it was so good.”
During his visit, Mr. 8 That tried a roasted goat meat bowl with jollof rice as well as a roasted lamb bowl with jollof noodles. He gave the flavor a 4.7, and the price a 4.3, leading to a final score of 9.0. That means Jollof Bowl definitely 8 that!
Starting at $15.99, patrons can build their own bowl with the base, protein, toppings and sauces to create their own West African culinary creation.
@mr.8.that This New Viral Restaurant in Cross St Market is Getting Called “The African Chipotle” – @thejollofbowl – Baltimore, MD inside @Cross Street Market #RestaurantReview #jollof #suya #baltimore #tiktokfood @Andrea Kamara-Oketunji ♬ original sound – mr.8.that
