Maïmouna et Mandela
48 rue Clignancourt
75018 Paris
The bright orange sign on this small take-away restaurant makes itself known for blocks. And again, at nearly all hours, it is full of hungry patrons, with Senegalese guitar music blaring through the restaurant (Youssou N’Dour, we think). We were excited to try it for its stellar reviews, but even moreso when we discovered that take-out entrees were only 5E. We both tried the chicken yassa (Yassa Poulet), a traditional west African dish with a mustard and onion sauce. When we arrived right after they opened at 12:30 they were already doing a brisk business (both carry-out and dine-in) though we had to wait about 30 minutes, a tiny amount when compared to the previous night’s adventures at G.J. Restaurant. For 5 euros the yassa chicken is an amazing steal – the portions were ample and the sauce was delicious. As far as it goes, we actually probably prefer the yassa chicken at Yassa in Chicago, but for some cheap and (relatively speedy) Senegalese food in Paris this will fit the bill just fine.
Eating The World 