Tatale in Southwark

I was promised a restaurant with Benin food and I got this🤮🤮🖕😡

It seems a bit pointless to review a place that is apparently closing permanently in less than a week, but Tatale was so good that it seems worth recording the fact and hoping that the chef will emerge again soon in a new location. My wife is Ghanaian and I have been to Ghana several times so I am reasonably familiar with West African food, but I have never experienced it at anything like this quality. Tatale offers a four course menu for £45 plus 12.5% service, with no choice at the first and second courses, five or so at the third and two at the dessert stage. Almost all the food was vegetarian and most of that vegan, but even committed carnivores like us did not miss meat or fish - indeed, the chicken wings my wife ordered were the weakest dish we tried, and it was poor menu planning to have just two meat dishes both made with chicken wings - a fish dish or goat or beef would have been a good alternative to one. However, this was the only criticism we had of some really excellent food. We started with a Tunisian-style 'brique' of the lightest pastry filled with red red, then an unannounced dish of gently-spiced bean hummus with home-made plantain. Groundnut soup with a disk of rice floating in it topped with black and white sesame followed; entirely vegan, brilliantly spiced and with enormous depth of flavour. For the next course my red red, whole, plantain and gari, again vegan, was a lot more interesting than my wife's chicken dish. We shared two very enjoyable puddings, one a 'whipped cheesecake' and one a chocolate mousse with coconut sorbet. Cocktails (£12.50) were a better option than the slightly basic wines at £8 a glass, as was the Ghanaian Star Beer (£9) I chose. Drinks and service took the bill to just over £160, but if we'd had a cocktail each and a Star Beer each it would have been just under £150 for two including service, more than reasonable for this quality of food. by grond

Great food and great concept. Service was really really bad and hope the service can be better because the food was fantastic.

Everything about this place makes sense. Worth every penny. Nice staff, amazing food, good music and atmosphere. If you get the opportunity to go, go!

Really enjoyed our time here. The staff were really laid back and personable. We had a set menu which actually turned out great because it satisfied our curiosity as to what everything was. The good actually tasted great too which isn't always the case at other places. The flavours felt authentic and uncompromised.

Great service and delicious food, we enjoyed our time at Tatale very much!

A heart-warming concept menu that takes you through Akwasi's childhood. The stories attached to each dish are endearing and culturally informative. The Omo Tuo & groundnut soup was the standout for the whole table. The aubergine was nicely fried, crispy on the outside but nice and creamy inside. Chicken wings were big, juicy, flavourful and crispy. Dessert was disappointing as we were looking forward to the malt flavour but couldn't taste it. Atmosphere was very cool and laid back. Service was a bit clumsy, as if someone hired his mate to waiter last minute. We went as a group of vegans & non-vegans and this place was perfect for that.

Nice to try some vegan African food. Really enjoyed the groundnut soup dish. Wasn't a big fan of the Aubergine dish. Felt it was a bit overpriced for what we had. I think the vegan/vegetarian menu should be cheaper as the ingredients are less filling and a lot cheaper to source. I wouldn't come back for this reason. I left the restaurant a bit hungry, and I dont even eat a lot! Maybe add a vegan protein source?

Went on a Saturday evening for dinner. The food we had was all delicious, stand-out was the Ground Nut soup which was spicy and earthy. However, somewhat disappointed by portion size and price, left somewhat hungry considering the set menu is £45ppp. Desperately need to sort out the lighting, some of the tables are in glaring spotlights which spoils the ambience for an evening meal. Our waitress was lovely but the food came out very quickly to the point of feeling rushed. Overall was a pleasant evening but the food was overpriced for what we had and the restaurant setting could be tweaked.

Food is delicious, the flavours are incredible. The staff are so lovely and passionate. Music and atmosphere is great. Would highly recommend

Lovely ambience with really tasty food, served beautifully. Would certainly be keen to go back!

The restaurant has a more casual and relaxed atmosphere and the food was mostly very good. The set menu which is a snack, starter, main and dessert is priced at £45. The starter was mashed rice and groundnut soup was interesting but not to my taste, however the shito fried chicken wings and aubergine abom mains (which we shared) were very good and the highlights. The staff were friendly and polite.

Amazing food, African with Israeli influence. Lots of inventive flavours. Highly recommend! We had to rush at the end due to a reservation after us, so the waitress was extremely nice and offered us complimentary drinks at the bar upstairs

Perfect food, perfect service and perfect atmosphere. The food was so delicious!

Really incredible food, great service. The hummus, red red, and chicken are all to die for. Really excited to see how the menu changes over time and try new dishes! This is a fine dining experience, highly recommended.

DO NOT SUPPORT THIS BUSINESS!!! I went out of my way with a group of friends to support this Black-owned business. We travelled from different parts of London (I personally travelled from outside of London to show our support). We spent a minimum of £60 each and when I asked for a takeaway bag, the waitress was so lovely and went to get one. She was instantly stopped by the owner Akwasi and he told her not to give me a bag. Considering we spent £60+ there this is just unacceptable. There was no hospitality at all. Even if he was going to lie and say they ran out, I would have accepted that but he was just so rude. When I questioned it, he said 'what do you want me to do?' I said I'm not coming back here and he said 'good for you' The way he spoke to me reeked of misogynoir. If I was a white man, I'm sure he would have magic'd a bag out of somewhere. He's a sell out and it's a slap in the face as we went out of our way to support him. If you are trying to support genuine Black-business owners who are here for their community - LOOK ELSEWHERE!!!

This place met expectations. Good food and service, with good vibes/ambience. First time visiting. Came with friends for some lunch and would happily return. Set menu had generous portions for sharing. Highlight would definitely be the fried chicken as well as the black eyed bean stew. Dishes were all presented well and came out in a timely manner. Service was warm and friendly, didn't feel rushed. Fresh juice options would be a nice addition to the drinks menu. Recommended.

As a black owned business I was expecting a level of welcome and community vibes. Instead I spent an evening being treated as though me and my group of friends (all of us black) didn’t belong there. All the staff are white for a start and there was an air of superiority about the owner that was uncomfortable. Considering he is using African cuisine to boost his credentials the price and portion size is alienating to the very community this food comes from. There was no heart and soul. It seems to me that the welcome is only for people who have status. Don’t waste your time

This place was not the warm soulful community vibes I was hoping for. My group of friends and I (all being black) felt like we didn’t belong mainly because the owner gave an air of superiority that was so uncomfortable. It’s seems to me the warm welcome is only given for people that have status. What a shame

Amazing food Service was great!

We had such a nice evening here, everything was perfect. The vibe and decor are so lovely and it's the perfect size, intimate without feeling squashed in. The food was sensational - the croquettes and the groundnut soup being the standouts for me - the latter was one of the most delicious and comforting, most flavourful dishes I've ever eaten. Every dish was wonderfully surprising and we both had huge smiles on our faces after every first taste. I thought the price was incredibly reasonable for such a creative, beautifully presented set menu and all the food was excellent. Service was also flawless, our server Josh was so helpful and nice. Will be recommending this place to anyone that will listen, thank you Tatale for a memorable meal and evening.

The food here is amazing! Every dish was delicious so hard to choose a favourite. Excellent service and nice vibe too. Will definitely be back.

When I heard that a Ghanaian restaurant was opening I knew i had to try it. My family is from Northern Ghana so the items on the menu where very familiar to me. I grew up eating omo tuo and the omo tuo tasted exactly how my mum makes it, it’s such an amazing comfort food. The red red portion was very generous and the presentation was beautiful, however, i personally like my plantain to be a bit softer but overall it was a very good dish. The black bean hummus was not a concept I had come across before but it works 100%, I love hummus and I prefer it to the traditional chickpea one. The atmosphere and decor was amazing and the staff were lovely. The price was reasonable for the food and drinks we got and overall it was a very positive experience.

Read great things about this place. Booked a table, using credit card, weeks in advance for a Friday night birthday celebration. Made complex arrangements to meet people there. Four hours before booking got a voicemail to say they cancelled booking and were closed!!!!!!!! No telephone number to contact them. So left totally in lurch on Friday night in London. Four hours notice is totally unacceptable. Shame on you Tatale.

Grace Dent wasn’t wrong Tatale is absolutely amazing, go, and go soon. Go with friends and share a little of everything, or go solo and hungry. We went on a Friday evening and the service was intimate and attentive; Akwasi Brenya-Mensah himself came over with one of our courses which was a lovely touch on such a busy night. The interiors are beautifully decorated and the flavours in the dishes delicious. I regretted having an earlier lunch - servings are generous and I wanted more. Buttermilk Chicken has long called out for a side of shito and here it finally is, and the Ackee Croquettes *chefs kiss*, the side chick I never knew I needed. It’ll be tricky to save space for dessert but do, the Chin Chin cheesecake is the velvety, sumptuous, zingy happy ending everyone deserves.

Tatale had some really nice food and the customer service was very friendly.

Absolutely delicious food—100% recommended!

To call it an upmarket nandos, would be doing that fine purveyor of roast chickens a disservice. Everything fried with the "chef" dabbing on perinaise from his squeezee bottle before serving. A lazy drinks menu where the single option of each colour wine was so harsh it was undrinkable. But it will probably arrive after your food anyway so don't bother.

This place was absolutely fantastic. The food was excellent, the service was great and the vibe was very chill. I was pleasantly surprised by main it was authentic and stayed true to the Ghanaian dish of red red which is very similar to the Nigerian dish of stewed beans. The drinks are A1 and the chin chin cheesecake was scrumptious. A little pricy but worth it.

Food was good but a little overpriced. I think they want to encourage you to order each dish culminating in the main course. Service was a little poor, we were left upstairs for half an hour as the host forgot about us. Drinks also very expensive, £6.50 for a Heineken. Would 1000% recommend the chicken wings with puttanesca type sauce though.

Great food, make sure you don't fill up on the hummus cause everything else is just as good.

Nice place to try authentic, African food. The only thing is that it's quite unorganised, but I believe this is because it just opened and they are getting on their feet.

Grace Dent's review bought us here, but we were disappointed overall. The food and drinks were expensive for what they were. £10 for some hummus which was quite plain, £8 for a large beer etc. We found the fried chicken oily & heavy, but really liked the rice dumping in groundnut soup. Service was friendly, but very slow. Waited 20 mins for a cocktail, 15 mins for a pre-made dessert... The music was good and the space/ atmosphere was nice enough.

This was a sweet little restaurant which we visited last night . The food was mostly delicious, especially the bean stew with the plantain . However I do think even with london prices the small dishes were too expensive for what they were .

A welcoming gem in London’s food scene. The menu is expertly curated with some lovely surprises. Trust the chef and your taste buds will not be disappointed:) The setting is beautiful following a lengthy refurb, which was well worth waiting for. Find Tatale at The Africa Centre, with warm decor plus the staff are amazing. Friendly & attentive who clearly love being part of the Tatale family. Food wise we had a bit of everything - I'm already craving the Omo Tuo again! Kudos to Akwasi et al x

I wish I could give them more stars. Had dinner here the other night and left slightly disappointed. The dishes were well presented and the service was great but the food was a bit lacking. The chicken wings were undercooked with the batter still doughy, the meat pink, and still bloody on the inside. After the chicken wings, I thought maybe the stew would turn it around but the flavour was overpowered by fried shallots, sadly. The friend who brought me here raved about it and said the food was out of this world but by the end of the dinner he also said he was disappointed. Hopefully we were just a one off but I don't think I'd be in any hurry to go back. Especially with how expensive the dishes were.

Great food (we were 4 so ordered everything) + service. Awful lights... harsh, cold & bright for a restaurant. Africa Center mngt: please change those 💡!

Love this place. I've been twice in the space of a month. Delicious food, beautiful decor and great staff.

Beautiful place, delicious food, great service.

This restaurant - which we visited last night - was every bit as good as the reviews said. We loved the food, we loved the vibe and we loved meeting the chef. We will be back - with friends.

We came for an early tea last Thursday for my girlfriends birthday and it was ace. From the moment you walk in everyone is sound, the lady saying hello, the lady running the bar upstairs, the folks in the kitchen. Super friendly yet not in your face. The food is all super good. I’d definitely go with 3 people and order everything, some to share, some on your jack. It’s generous and it’s very tasty. Just two people can mean you need time outs. The chef is super nice as well, taking time to say cheers when we gave the kitchen crew a shout. I’d happily come here and have nights where I just eat the individual dishes. It’s proper business 💫

Great atmosphere, food was excellent and exceptional service! Restaurant and bar have been really nicely refurbished. Special thanks to Sidney for making our group feel very welcome

Fantastic new resturant that I would highly reccomend. Everything from the decor, the music to the food was fantastic and makes for such a great evening. Chicken wings are a must!

Good portions for sharing and we tried almost everything on the menu and it was just the two of us so we walked away full and totally satisfied. Highlight would definitely be the rice with soup dish as well as the bean stew. The former just tasted amazing whilst the latter (which we ate with the brightly coloured jasmine rice) felt like a home cooked meal finished with a warm hug. The cheesecake is a must! We had fun guessing the ingredients in the cheesecake! Finally the chef came over at the end of our meal to say hi and ask us about our experience. The personal touch (and great service) really did make us feel “at home” (at a mate’s home) and for sure we will be back!

Lovely restaurant, extremely good food, smallish portions. Definitely recommend.

I'm there now and having a great time. Great vibes. Great food. Nice staff.

Just awesome food, great ambiente, nice service.

Sooo tasty and really good vibe. 100% would recommend and have!

Beautiful space, delightful menu. I was extremely impressed with how innovative yet authentic each dish was. Highly recommended 👌🏽

Delicious and beautifully presented plates, highly recommend! Music was 🔝we had the humus and croquettes to share and the bean stew with plantain as our main, with a bottle of white.

Amazing, best Ghanaian food outside Ghana (and my mother in law's kitchen). Be warned, if you try the chicken you will never be able to eat at places like KFC again.

Amazing. Great food. Brilliant music. Lovely team. Go.

Lovely food and atmosphere, great service!

Absolutely delicious food, amazing location and excellent service.

Beautiful new restaurant - delicious West African sharing plates, great vibe, music and staff, will definitely be returning. The chicken wings, black bean stew and whipped cheesecake are 👌👌👌

I went to this restaurant for the first time and as a massive foodie who loves to seek out new eating spots I was blown away by. You don’t often get exciting moments like this eating out anymore when you can’t think of a competitor and the taste is truly new - but putting the chicken into my mouth today, the ackee croquettes, the red bean stew and also the cheesecake made me feel compelled to jump on to Google to spread the word as Tatale deserves to be famous, good luck to Akwasi Mensa and his formidable team!