Alafia West African Cuisine announced it has closed indefinitely after four years in business.
The restaurant posted on its Facebook page on November 10:
Dear Alafia Customers, we regret to inform you that we are looking to sell the restaurant and due to unforeseen time constraints will NOT be opening back up in the mean time. We are sorry to let you down, and want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your patronage these past few years.
Shortly after fans responded, Alafia followed up with a comment:
Thank you for your kind words. We are working hard to find someone to keep it West African food. It hurts us to have to sell but we realized we just couldn’t give this restaurant the love and attention it deserves. It was, for the most part, a one man show… and that man is exhausted. We are eternally grateful for all the love and support of the food and culture we tried our best to represent here in our beloved city of Tucson!
Benin native Ismael Lawani opened the restaurant in early 2015. The goat, okra, and fish were our favorite dishes there.
The only other African restaurants we’re aware of in Tucson are:
- Zemam’s
- Zemam’s Too
- Cafe Desta
- Queen Sheba
- Nur Market
Those restaurants cover the Horn of Africa, which only covers a fraction of the African continent; we hope to see additional African cuisine represented in Tucson soon.
Read our March 2017 article Rustic Charm, Bold Flavors & Authentic Dishes at Alafia West African Cuisine.
Alafia West African Cuisine is located at 1070 N. Swan Rd. Keep up with Alafia West African Cuisine on Facebook.
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Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
