African Bar and Grill Sylvester and Theodora Osei, standing inside their Lakewood, Colorado restaurant.
If there’s an African business in town that has truly stood the test of time, it’s the African Grill and Bar. While there are many of African businesses in Colorado, they are one of a kind. This well-loved African restaurant and catering spot in Lakewood has been serving the community for over 20 years.
I visited their first location in Aurora over twenty years ago—back when they were starting as a small business. When they opened a new spot in Green Valley Ranch years later, I was right there — following their journey. But I wasn’t just blindly following along. I was actually following something I love – the food.
If you ask Theodora and Sylvester Osei, the longtime owners, they’ll tell you what my favorite dish is. But that’s a secret. You’ll have to check things out yourself.
The menu offers plenty of options, taking you across the African continent — West Africa, especially Ghana, their homeland, as well as dishes from Central, East, South, and North Africa.
When I visited again recently at their bigger location in Lakewood, there was traditional African music playing softly in the background. Although I thought my lunch break would be quick, it wasn’t.
By the time I finished, more than a dozen customers had come in. We chatted about the motherland while I ate. The customers were a mix of American expats, Africans, African Americans, and Asian people as well.
