Located in a peaceful neighborhood called Fort Greene, this South African restaurant in Brooklyn called Madiba portrays its roots though the décor and the food.
The owners, Mark and Jenny Henegan, built Madiba in homage to Nelson Mandela and with hope that the country will soon have cultural harmony, economic development and a collective enjoyment of a “World in One Country”.’
As they say, and neighbors confirm, it’s “a place of love, since 1999”, when the opened their doors!
“A shebeen was originally an illicit bar or club where excisable alcoholic beverages were sold without a license. In modern South Africa, many “shebeens” are now fully legal.”
With this in mind, Madiba recreated these spaces, focused on informal dinning areas and a pleasurable environment. As you arrive to the restaurant, you’ll see tables lined up on the outside, and a very casual dining space inside, with a pretty unique décor. Do pay attention to the details! You might be surprise with what your eye will catch.
The place is definitely a place of love, with great people, amazing service and delicious, authentic African food!
They also offer a full service catering and private dining, if you’re looking for something different!
To wrap up, they are super engaged in their vision for better communities and, therefore, they donate part of their profit to charities in Africa! We find this fantastic, after all, even away from home, we help those back there.
Can’t get better than that, right?
After Madiba, be sure to explore a little bit of what the neighborhood has to offer.
We can say with certainly that this is one of the neighborhoods we love the most, specially because of it’s welcoming vibe! On Dekalb Avenue, that runs all the way from Queens, into Brooklyn, you’ll find countless places to explore.
If you’re looking for a delicious dessert, we recommend the crème brûlée at Café Paulette. Right across the café, you’ll see Fort Greene Park – a small, but beautiful and a great spot to chill. BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) is just a few blocks away, so be sure to see their schedule to see if there’s anything cool happening while you’re there.
Do you need help there? Well, we know the area quite well, so contact our experts behind our Concierge Services and our Corporate Services too!
Hours:
Sunday – Monday: 11am – 11pm
Saturday & Sunday: 11am – 12am
Location: 195 Dekalb Avenue
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Madiba Restaurant and Menglin Huang
