The restaurant, located in Greenbelt’s Beltway Plaza Mall, serves a wide variety of traditional Nigerian dishes.
With a notable exception of Indian restaurants, Greenbelt’s Beltway Plaza Mall is home to a wide array of dining options, including Italian, Chinese, and African cuisine.
Jodeem African Cuisine is one example of the mall’s diverse selection of dine in options.
Jodeem African Cuisine opened its doors in 2014, with the goal of serving authentic Nigerian cuisine, according to co-owner Chuks Nunyerem. He operates the restaurant out of small spot in the Beltway Plaza Mall with his wife, Amaka.
The restaurant serves a wide variety of traditional Nigerian dishes, including deep-fried plantains, Nkwobi (cow foot), and curried goat. The most popular item among customers is the jollof rice, according to Nunyerem.
The co-owner said what makes Jodeem so special is how authentic they are. He said the restaurant uses ingredients brought home from Nigeria for many of its dishes.
The dishes range in price with sides, such as plantains and meat pies, costing anywhere from $1 to $2.50 and entrees, such as whole fish and vegetable soup, costing anywhere from $10 to $16.
After a somewhat rough start, business is booming, according to Nunyerem. He said customers love their food and the restaurant is busiest on the weekends. His claim is authenticated by Yelp reviews: Jodeem boasts a 4.5/5 star rating, with over 75 reviews.
One customer wasn’t as impressed with the food, however. After ordering the jollof rice, Jamal Masood said, “I mean it’s okay. This was my first time having this kind of food and I didn’t like it that much.”
Jodeem provides delivery services through Doordash and Uber Eats, as well as providing catering.
Jodeem African Cuisine is located in the Beltway Plaza Mall at 6000 Greenbelt Road. The hours of operation are from Monday to Saturday from 11:30 am to 10:00 pm and Sunday from 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm.