Akadi

(Christine Dong)
By Mattie John Bamman

Akadi's dishes will take you to places you've probably never been before. Chef-owner Fatou Ouattara, who moved from the Ivory Coast to attend Portland State University, churns out around 40 vegetarian, seafood and meat dishes from countries throughout West Africa. Cassava sticks ($5.95)—made from the yuca-like cassava tuber—are as crowd-pleasing as french fries, particularly when combined with the otherworldly tomato-based dipping sauce. And the national dish of the Ivory Coast, attieke poisson braise ($13.95), has a sweet-tart sauce with a hint of mustard that just might make your eyes roll back into your head. Get it with the deep-fried whole tilapia. And if you're feeling more adventurous, the goat ($15.95) is a rich tomato stew with the spicy-fruity complexity of dried chilies, plus tender meat.

GO: 3601 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 503-477-7138, akadipdx.com, Noon-10 pm daily

Explore more on:

restaurant-guide-2018-directory-boise-eliot

Mattie Bamman

Mattie John Bamman

Mattie John Bamman grew up in a remote fishing village in Maine before writing about culinary adventures around the world. He moved from Italy to Portland in 2010. Beyond food and drink, his obsessions include grindcore, avant-garde poetry and long walks through the dystopian American landscape.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office.

Help us dig deeper.

Support