New restaurant for African barbecue officially opens in Toronto this week

An African barbecue restaurant that's already made a splash elsewhere in Ontario is having the grand opening for its first Toronto location this week.

Barbecue comes in all shapes and sizes in Toronto, from Texas-style to Japanese Yakatori and inventive cuisines that defy definition, but African-style barbecue has, historically, been one category we've found ourselves decidedly lacking in.

Until recently, that is, because African BBQ House, an Ottawa-founded chain that's blossomed to four locations across the nation's capital in just as many years, has finally landed in Toronto.

Opening the doors of its first Toronto location in early September, African BBQ House is serving up a slew of African staples grilled, traditionally, over charcoal.

Here, you can pick up grilled chickens by the whole, half or quarter, skewers of goat, lamb, and shrimp, and whole grilled Tilapia, all served atop fragrant beds of Jollof rice, curried vegetables, fried plantains or even, if you're of the persuasion, French fries.

It's just the sort of African barbecue the city has been needing and, if you ask me, everything is made better when grilled over charcoal.

If you, like me, are always on the hunt for affordable eats, this is one restaurant you'll want to place permanently on your roster, as they also offer a $9.99 lunch special with generous servings of grilled meat and succulent sides from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Some 6-inch subs at Subway are even more than that these days. 

While African BBQ House Toronto officially opened its doors in early September, it's gearing up to host an epic grand-opening on Sunday, Oct. 25, to show the city exactly what the barbecue joint is cooking up.

To mark the occasion, they're offering 10 per cent off in-house orders and 30 per cent off your first Uber Eats order all month. As I always say, the cheaper the food, the better it tastes.

African BBQ House is located at 2411 St. Clair. W.