The Cooking Pot

Name: The Cooking Pot
Address: 5622 E Independence Blvd #129, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28212, US
Telephone: (704) 909-4000
Price range: $$
Rating: 3.60

West African restaurant, African restaurant

Location: 5622 E Independence Blvd #129, Charlotte, NC 28212, United States
Located in: Independence Shopping Center
Phone: (704) 909-4000
Price: $$

Opening hours

Sunday: 12-7 pm
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 11 am-9 pm
Thursday: 11 am-9 pm
Friday: 11 am-9 pm
Saturday: 11 am-9 pm

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Reviews

I really want to give this place 5 stars; however the food quality is hit or miss and I absolutely love authentic African food.
The Moi Moi (grounded and seasoned to perfection black-eyed peas) is my absolute favorite thing to get here.
When it comes to the chicken- it has never seemed like fresh chicken as it is always fried extremely hard and then sauced, it seems like day old chicken.
The jollof rice is good; however I wish that they would make a milder version so those who can’t tolerate spice that well can enjoy or at least try it out too. Everything looks delicious from the photo but the chicken was a miss.
The moi moi didn’t disappoint. Update in response: I’ve actually frequented several African restaurants and this restaurant several times and depending on time of day of arrival the food consistency differs.
I wouldn’t have left a review stating my thoughts if I had only visited once or twice.
African food is one of my absolute favorites as it intertwines closely with Gullah cuisine.
I’m not saying based on this review that I’ll never visit again, it’s just the quality has not been consistent on the times that I’ve been.
Again the Moi Moi, has never disappointed me.

Owner response

Am sorry you feel that way, it will be better if you truly understand the African palate, cuisine and culture as this will help you feel differently.
We use Hen for our chicken and it is harder and tastier than regular fryer chicken.
We don’t sell old chicken we get fresh chicken from our distributor every time.
It seems to me you are not use to eating Hen, it is always harder than fryer chicken, since we keep everything authentic we use chicken that a “typical African” would eat and it is sometimes referred to as “African chicken” because it is stronger than fryer chicken.
We have regular jollof that is not as spicy as the party jollof which is spicy.
Please do not expect any of our food to not have a kick /hint of spicy to it because “An African palate is a spicy palate” again that goes to show that we keep our food authentic at the same time we have milder versions for those you cannot tolerate hot but please do not expect it to be without pepper, that would not be African, for the future kindly order what you can handle and learn more about our culture and cuisine to better understand us or you can ask us for clarification.
Thanks for your support.

No patrons when I went in around 4:30 Thurs afternoon.
Don't be fooled the lady that served me was Nigerian andvery friendly.
The food was 😋 delicious.Took mine to go and it was a big portion of family recipe spiicy rice and braised beef.
Both very flavorful with a few fried bananas (too sweet to be plantains) that paired nicely with the fork tender beef and rice combo.
I hope they get enough business to stay in business.
They certainly have mine.

Owner response

Thank you so much.
We appreciate your business.

I have been coming to this restaurant for years , the jollof here is the ONLY JOLLOF (SPICY) I'VE ever tried and enjoyed compared to other African spots.
I come when it's slow so I can sit and enjoy my food and the music by myself lol .
I'm reading the reviews and I'm confused if they are putting the reviews on the wrong restaurant, because I love it here..
and I have never had small portions ...
I'll be seeing you ladies today (me and my daughter might have my husband try it out) this got me hungry 😍

Owner response

Thank you so much we appreciate your business.
We sell authentic meals and people enjoy it and feel it is small because it is GOOD.