Bantabaa

The story

Bantabaa African Restaurant in Berlin | Award-Winning Gambia Cooking

The Kitchen and the Story

Bantabaa in Berlin serves African cuisine rooted in the cooking traditions of Gambia. Siyaka Keita and Hendrik Peters lead the kitchen, a partnership forged in the Wrangelkiez neighborhood through an integration project. He traveled to Berlin in 2015 after fleeing Gambia at nineteen and crossing the Mediterranean. They later converted the association's catering rooms into a restaurant in 2020, buying the business outright in 2025 to secure their independence.

Groundnut Stews and Mustard Sauces

The menu highlights African staples like Domoda, a groundnut stew simmered with zucchini, paprika, and cabbage that appears on tables in Gambian homes almost daily. Yassa offers a different profile, relying on a mustard sauce to bind onions, cabbage, and peppers. The Schlemmer Atlas awarded the restaurant two-and-a-half ladles, specifically praising the peanut stew and a baobab lemonade as standards of this small local spot. Superkanja delivers a thick texture from blended okra, while Benachin presents fried rice cooked with tomato paste and spices.

Drinks and Sweet Endings

Beverages flow from fresh ingredients, including hibiscus lemonade known as Wonjo and a tart drink made from tamarind legumes. Coffee lovers can choose from espresso or cappuccino alongside ginger mint tea. Desserts round out the meal with Chiakiri, a couscous sweet dressed in yogurt and coconut, or vegan banana bread spread with peanut butter. The name Bantabaa means "meeting place" in Mandinka, Siyaka's mother tongue, setting the tone for home-cooked African recipes served with the hospitality of the Smiling Coast.