This story is brought to you by Live in Everett Member Juanita "Nita" Dawson LMT/MMT

Everett has an incredible food and art scene that I am selfishly glad is not widely known to those outside of Everett. Our newest restaurant, Heritage African Restaurant, has just been added to my list of delicious places to eat.

The restaurant is bright and airy, with beautiful art and a warm and welcoming bar. Plenty of seating, lots of natural light, and high ceilings make the space feel large and airy. 

All the spices, flavors, and textures made it an exciting experience to enjoy a cuisine I haven’t had much exposure to. I can’t wait to go back and try Mafe/Domoda: a peanut butter soup that I’ve eaten before, but not in many years. Between the three of us, we ordered chicken shawarma, jollof rice/chebu-jen, Dibi Afra, and Afra chicken. 

The chicken shawarma was a tortilla stuffed with grilled chicken, tomatoes, onions, parsley, spicy mustard sauce, cucumber, and sour cream, served with french fries that were well-seasoned and unbelievably crispy. The fry sauce was a creamy, seasoned delight, too. I woke up the next day craving more shawarma; sadly, I had no leftovers. And those fries were seriously good - all three of us were snacking on them.

The Dibi Afra, grilled lamb, was bursting with flavors and spices and was grilled in good-sized chunks. According to the menu, it is a popular Senegambian street food, marinated, grilled, and served with onions and a spicy mustard sauce. It came with a bit of salad, similar to a coleslaw, that was tart and sweet.

Our friend’s Afra chicken was also insanely delicious. It was prepared the same way as the lamb, but at first glance, the meat appeared to be dry. I can assure you: it was not dry. It was so moist and flavorful, and the onions dressed with that mustard sauce... literal magic.

The final dish was one that I am familiar with but only by name: Jollof rice. It was served with a side of simmered cabbage and cassava and with a choice of meat: chicken, beef, lamb, or fish. We opted for lamb that was rich, meaty, and flavorful. The Jollof rice was collectively our least favorite dish, but that’s not to say it was a bad dish! We still ate most of it after finishing our plates.

The boyfriend and I both ordered Banjul Mules, which the menu indicated had alcohol but if they had alcohol, we couldn’t taste it. It was the best mule I’ve ever had; if it did have alcohol, then it is a very dangerous beverage. Our friend ordered the Bouye, an ancient African juice made from the Baobab fruit and coconut milk, which I didn’t sample but she couldn’t get enough of. They have a ginger pineapple beverage on their menu that sounds so refreshing I can’t wait to try it. 

Heritage is on UberEats, which makes this work-from-homer very happy. I think I might need more shawarma for lunch this week.

Heritage African Restaurant
2019 Hewitt Avenue, Everett, WA
(425) 374-7728

ADD EVEN MORE goodness TO YOUR LIFE, CONSIDER BOOKING A MASSAGE WITH Live in Everett member JUANITA "NITA" DAWSON LMT/MMT.

THANKS TO NITA FOR helping POWER THIS STORY!

Rachel Weatherholt is a long-time Everett resident who loves books, horror movies, cooking, and eating good food.