Gådjå: an African restaurant in Stavanger!

Date of the meal: 02/08/2012
Number of people: 5 adults and 2 children (1 yo and 2 yo)
Order: several dishes we shared and 3 sodas (no alcohol)
Price: about 150 NOK per person, drinks included
Address: Brødregata 6, Stavanger

As I wrote in my previous note, my wife and I tried and enjoyed the food at the Gådjå stand during the Gladmat festival. Yesterday, we decided to go to the restaurant itself with some friends.

The restaurant is located one street behind Food story in city center (not far from Wayne's coffee). It is a new place that opened only 1 month ago and the first thing to say is that the interior is beautiful, colorful and gives an African atmosphere.

If you like the food you are used to and don't like to try cuisine from other countries, don't go to Gådjå. Except the children menu, there is probably not a single dish you will recognize (unless you have tried Ethiopian cuisine before).

As an example, here is one page from the menu:

We decided to order a menu for 3 people (number 11 in the menu), 2 separate dishes (number 4 and number 8 in the menu) and share everything.

The food came in a big common plate and it was apparently not in the spirit to ask for individual plates. Some spoons came with some of the stews-like dishes but mainly, it was to eat with your hands (better wash them very good before eating).

The food in general was mild, with only 2 dishes being slightly spicy (all of us managed to eat everything without problems). As we ordered several different things, we had many types of meat: chicken, pork, beef and lamb, served with different things like eggs, lenses, potatoes, salad, spinach and cheese. The chicken "stew" called Gådjå Wått (on the right of the photo above) was one of the dishes proposed during Gladmat.
I can say we were all very satisfied with the food. It was good, very tasty and seemed completely authentic (one of my friend has Rwandan origins and confirmed it was tasting similar to some Rwandan recipes). The service was modest but great. the atmosphere was not formal or intimate but I don't think that would have fit the African spirit of the restaurant. The price was nice, lower than average in Stavanger (around 150 NOK per person, even though we ate a lot).


All in all, I think Gådjå is the perfect place for people who like African cuisine in general, or simply like to taste different flavors. It is especially good for group of friends willing to share a culinary experience.