Fans of chef Pierre Thiam's fast-casual take on "African grandma's cuisine" can finally make a night of it at Teranga, his year-old fast-casual eatery inside the Africa Center at 1280 Fifth Avenue between E 109th and E 110th Streets.
The restaurant, which used to close in the early evenings, just announced it is open until 9pm every night (Tuesdays through Sundays).
"Yay!!!! 🙌🏾 No more sprinting the streets like Jackie Joyner-Kersee just to...get a plate after work!!," wrote one commenter in response to the news.
Despite the extended evening hours, reservations still aren't required. Grab your food from the back, where a server assembles a plate of food from the ten or so colorful pots behind the counter, and find a seat at one of the shared tables or scattered seating that fill the airy space.
Chicken, salmon or veggies are matched with fonio, a fluffy African grain, Liberian rice, or couscous made from fermented cassava. Sides like ndambe, a black eyed pea stew, complete each dish.
The food can be washed down with coffee or drinks like the sublime bouye, concocted from the fruit of Africa's iconic baobab tree and coconut milk.
And if that's not enough, soon there will be even more spots to grab Thiam's food: Teranga is about to open two new locations, including one in Dekalb Market Hall in Downtown Brooklyn this spring.
