The restaurant opened in 2005 and remains the only West African (Southern Nigerian, to be exact) restaurant in Western Massachusetts. I first went to the place with my special topics class with Professor Sean Redding last year and have been going back ever since. I’ve also heard that a few classes regularly meet there, and preregistration is coming up, so choose your courses wisely.
All the dishes are glucose and dairy free, so the menu is very vegan friendly. While the title “glucose and dairy free” could remind some of bird food, don’t be fooled. The food — everything — is hearty, delicious and full of flavor.
The place is quite small, but an entire wall of mirrors opens it up immediately, while another wall is covered in a vibrantly colored tropical mural of Nigeria. The kitchen is open, and it’s hard to miss the impeccable cleanliness of the workspace. The restaurant is vibrant through and through, from the colors of the food and décor, to Pat’s great attitude, to the obviously regular devotees who come in and out of the restaurant to pick up more jars of Baku’s signature curry sauce, which comes on just about every dish on the menu.
Baku’s is best at lunchtime because the lunch portions are about half the price of their dinner entrees but definitely more than half the food. Most entrees are served with jollof rice, a yellow rice flavored with curry, and their signature sauce, a mix of tomatoes and spices including curry and cumin. Dishes come with rice and black-eyed peas (akara) drizzled with rich tomato-y goodness. Items on the menu essentially all come with the signature Baku sauce, so once you’ve had one dish, you’ve sort of tasted them all. The upside is that because the sauce is so incredible, you’re comforted to know that anything else you try will be just as delicious. If you are feeling especially hungry, the pricier dinner entrees come with an array of different meat options, from good old chicken to lamb, goat or salmon. My personal favorite is their dodo appetizer — fried plantains served with Baku’s sauce. Pat makes the plantains perfectly crispy and sweet. I actually refuse to share it anymore because each time has degenerated into a competitive frenzy to eat more than whoever is eating with me. If you have a sweet tooth, their mango juice is unlike any other juice you can purchase in the United States — it’s thick and silky and naturally sweet, a perfect complement to the spicy character of the menu.
Baku’s is family and catering friendly and offers separate menus for both. The staff and owner are just the nicest, friendliest bunch. It feels less like a restaurant and more like a home kitchen — a great place to refuel and be comforted.
Baku’s is open Monday through Thursday from noon to eight p.m., and Friday and Saturday from noon to nine. Check out their Web site: www.bakusafricanrestaurant.com.