Dinner plans could use a little geography lesson when it comes to all Africa has to offer. In Phoenix, Egyptian lentils and rice come under a tangle of crispy onions, while Ghanaian cooks pair black-eyed peas with sweet fried plantains. In a Nigerian food truck, a peanut-based seasoning with roots among the Hausa people finds a new home in a Mexican tortilla.

For Lasgidi Cafe owner Patience “Patty” Titcombe, getting specific matters. When someone asks where to find African food, her response is, “Oh, what part of Africa?”

The answer opens up a continent’s worth of possibilities, with differences within countries as well as between them. These Phoenix-area restaurants offer a few places to start discovering some new favorites.

Latha Restaurant and Bar

Africa and the Diaspora

Founder Evelia Davis’s studies and travels across Africa inspired Latha, where the menu connects the continent’s food traditions with those of Brazil, the Caribbean, and the American South. Chef Digby Stridiron brings his own Caribbean perspective, having grown up in St. Croix with locally-harvested ingredients and seafood from the surrounding waters.

Pineapple Piri Piri Chicken comes with jollof rice and plantain chips, while Vegetable Moqueca pairs seasonal vegetables with rice grits and roasted coconut chutney. There’s plenty worth ordering here, so bring friends who are happy to trade a few bites. Even the name means “flavor” in Swahili, and after a visit, you’ll agree the title fits. 628 E. Adams St., Phoenix, lathaphx.com

Akwaaba Agyaade

Ghana, West Africa

Rice and beans get considerable company at Akwaaba Agyaade. The dish Waakye comes with tomato stew and accompaniments including gari, pasta, egg, and shito, a pepper sauce that lets diners season the plate as they go. It’s a particularly tasty introduction to Ghanaian cooking, where the starch and its accompaniments build the meal together.

Red Red offers another Ghanaian pairing: black-eyed peas slowly cooked with palm oil and served with fried sweet plantains. The beans bring savory comfort, and the plantains add sweetness. Jollof has its place on this menu, too, but these dishes deserve some attention before rice claims the entire conversation. 1712 E. Broadway Rd., Suite 3, Phoenix, akwaabaagyaade.com

Urban Fraîche

Egypt and the Mediterranean

Egypt’s Mediterranean coastline reminds us that African and Mediterranean cooking overlap. Cairo-born chef Dean Waziry brings his Egyptian background and French training to Urban Fraîche, where the menu changes with his ingredients and inspiration.

Start with Koshari, the Egyptian lentil-and-rice dish that comes paired with pasta and served with crispy onions and sauces to mix as generously as you please. The garlic vinaigrette cut through the richness, while the red sauce let us turn up the heat. His Moroccan-Style Braised Curry Goat takes the menu farther west, with almonds and raisins adding crunch and sweetness to the accompanying couscous. Waziry said he borrowed cooking techniques from his travels, so each dish has its own place on the map. 111 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, urbanfraiche.com

West Hut

West Africa, With a Ghanaian Focus

West Hut gives spinach the comfort food treatment. During our visit, the servers showed us how to pinch off yam fufu and use it to scoop the stew. Its mild, soft texture balanced the deeply savory I Love Spinach, which came thick with greens and beef.

The menu identifies mushrooms and egusi seeds in that dish, while the staff described the kitchen’s focus as Ghanaian within a broader West African menu. Egusi preparations cross national borders, so this version needed its own introduction. Between bites, West Style Sobolo, the hibiscus-and-ginger drink our server recommended, added a sweet and colorful accompaniment. 3110 N. Central Ave., Suite D-183, Phoenix, west-hut.com

Alzohour Restaurant

Morocco, North Africa

Morocco’s bastilla brings a little sweetness to the savory side of the menu. At Zhor Saad’s Alzohour, crisp pastry encloses savory chicken and almonds, dusted with cinnamon and sugar. Saad described it as a labor-intensive celebratory dish served at Moroccan weddings and holidays, with a filling seasoned with saffron, ginger, olive oil, and mastic gum.

Then there is the Moroccan tea, a honey-sweetened mix of green tea and mint poured from a silver pot. Saad points to the bubbles that form on top as the sign of a good cup, and told us that one guest said the flavor took him back to his mother’s kitchen. The restaurant also doubles as a market, and there’s a mural painted by Saad that includes symbols inspired by the women who carried water through her village. 7814 N. 27th Ave., Phoenix, alzhourrestaurant.com 

Authentic EthioAfrican

Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa

The traditional spongy flatbread called injera earns its place at an Ethiopian table twice: as the bread beneath the meal and as the utensil used to scoop it up. At Authentic EthioAfrican, the bread accompanies the Doro Wot Key, bone-in chicken cooked in berbere sauce and served with a boiled egg. It’s the berbere spice blend that gives this Ethiopian stew its heat and depth.

For a vegan spoonful, the Shiro Wot turns chickpeas into a creamy stew with garlic and ginger. The menu offers several options, with combination platters that let diners compare preparations instead of committing to one. 1740 E. McDowell Rd., Phoenix; and 6989 N. Hayden Rd., Suite A12, Scottsdale, authenticethioafrican.com

Waamo Restaurant

Somalia, the Horn of Africa

A short drive along McDowell Road from Authentic EthioAfrican’s Phoenix location brings another part of the Horn of Africa into focus. Waamo’s staff described the restaurant’s cooking as primarily Somali and pointed us toward Hilib, its oven-roasted goat, as a customer favorite.

The order arrives bone-in, alongside a generous helping of basmati rice, bell peppers and onions, and two sauces. A creamy yogurt condiment softens each bite, while the green sauce supplies the kick. The meat-and-rice plate offers a different meal from the injera-centered spread nearby, even though Somalia and Ethiopia are neighbors. Settle into the bright orange-and-red dining room and sip the sweet, spiced black tea along with your meal. 5050 E. McDowell Rd., Phoenix, no website

Lasgidi Cafe: Nigeria Meets Arizona

Nigerian-Arizona Food Truck

Lasgidi Cafe takes Nigerian cooking on the road, with Patty Titcombe’s Suya Tacos putting a specific tradition into a familiar Arizona format. She traced the peanut-based seasoning to the Hausa people of northern Nigeria, then explained how she uses it on carne asada tucked into locally sourced tortillas.

She called creations like these “gateway dishes” inviting those hesitant about a new cuisine to try Nigerian spices in a familiar vehicle like the taco. The Lasgidi Combo adds another introduction, pairing jollof rice with sauced fried chicken wings and plantains.

The truck’s recent stops include ASU’s Thunderbird School on October 16 from 6:30 to 10 p.m.; Amadio Ranch in Laveen on October 30 from 4 to 7 p.m.; and Local AZ Fall Fest at Margaret Hance Park on November 7. Check the truck’s posted schedule before heading out. 

Agege Bites

Nigeria, West Africa

Nigerian cooking offers enough different textures and preparations to keep several visits interesting, and Chandler’s Agege Bites showcases the cuisine well. Its version of West African Jollof Rice simmers long-grain rice in a tomato-based sauce, offering a hearty plate of the traditional dish to any diner interested. For something smaller, the Asun pairs smoky grilled goat with peppers and onions. The menu flags it as spicy, so keep that in mind if you have a sensitive palate. 961 W. Ray Rd., Suite 2, Chandler, agegebites.com