Radio Africa & Kitchen is a Pop-Up No Longer

Eskender Aseged has finally realized his dream as he prepares to open his first brick-and-mortar restaurant in San Francisco.

Radio Africa & Kitchen already has many fans as Aseged has been holding pop-ups since the fall of 2004. They started out of his own house and eventually evolved into weekly gatherings at cafes throughout the Bay Area.

After having a great deal of success with the pop-ups, Aseged started the process two years ago of building his own permanent spot in San Francisco’s Bayview District. So following a lengthy construction and planning process, which featured several delays, he is finally ready to open Radio Africa & Kitchen on Wednesday, March 7.

For fans of Radio Africa & Kitchen pop-ups of the past, diners can expect the same type of menu, expect a bit more expansive. The menus will change on a weekly basis depending on what’s readily available for Aseged at local farms and markets.

Opening night is already sold out but normal dinner service will be Tuesday-Saturday, from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Aseged said that lunch service will begin on April 3 and is planned for Tuesday-Sundays, from 11 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Below is a sneak peek at the opening week’s menu:

Restaurant Menu – Week of March 7th, 2012

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- Edamame and Fava bean hummus with green garlic. $6
- Saffron prawns with long beans and sea urchin Harissa. $9
- Mushroom salad with berbere mustard greens and reggiano cheese. $8
- Rainbow beets with arugula and lime pickled fennel $8
- Cauliflower soup with smoked paprika and fenugreek. $6

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- Wild Baramundi with wild rice, spinach and pistachio salsa $18
- Roasted leg of lamb with eggplant relish and couscous. $18
- Butternut squash with lentils, swiss chard, sun-chokes and red cabbage alicha. $14
- grilled breast of chicken with okra stew and polenta. $14.50

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Roasted pears with SF roof top honey, hibiscus and vanilla ice-cream $6

Radio Africa & Kitchen is located at 4800 Third Street.

Photo Credit: Radio Africa & Kitchen

It's simple. Keith Mizuguchi loves to write and write and write some more. After taking a hiatus from the journalism business, he has rekindled his passion for writing over the last two years, holding a job as both a web and on-air writer for San Francisco news radio station KCBS. While he enjoys the news business, his true passions are twofold: sports and food. Bay Area born and raised, he lives in San Jose, commutes to SF and loves every minute of it. You can follow his food adventures on Twitter @foodie_keith.