Tee's Liberian Dish - Cedar Rapids

Wanted to try this unique new (for me) place out. I ordered from their website and waited almost 2 hours for them to first delay and then just straight up cancel the order with no prior notification or message. Terrible first impression. Unfortunately, I am not inclined to try them again.

The prices match the portions. Many dishes should be coined as family style. I know many Iowans may be shy on the heat or even bones in the meal. Bones add flavor and if you can't do heat, the servers/owners can point you in the right direction. The new location isn't ideal for them either, but it's where they were able to find after hardships at their old location that were out of their control. I would recommend ordering ahead if possible. This is a specialty restaurant that is family operated. The rice and whole fish are on point. They also cook some great chicken! I felt a need to post a review to speak up for diversity in our food options in CR/IA. This may not be like places you normally go to... And that is a great thing!

Please do not come here for African food. Her prices are different for each person she sells food to. I was charge 40 bucks for the a whole fish and rice . The fish was so.small that majority of the plate was just rice . She puts a huge random thing of mayo on top . The flavor was just awful.

This place is small and easy to miss unless you really pay attention to your surroundings and the advertisements. I needed a GPS to find it.The woman who served me was nice albeit quiet and hard to understand at times. She did her best to explain a few of the dishes to me as this was my first time here. That said, some of the dishes were not available. That was something I have rarely experienced, usually if a restaurant has been very busy. And this place had only two people dining when I arrived.The dish I had was the Palava with rice. I saw the entree had spinach and (after asking) chicken. It was also slightly cold. I’m not sure if it was meant to be served that way. The main dish was filled with oil. I was somewhat concerned when the waitress said she served something lukewarm to avoid the food being too hot for people. My main concern was the oil; to me, it made the flavor unappetizing. It also didn’t help that there were a lot of bones to pick out, leaving less meat in the dish that I would have liked.To anyone who dines here, there’s a reason they give you a small amount of hot sauce on the side. It’s VERY hot. Savory and flavorful but very hot. Best to mix it up with rice when eating it.Being honest, my first meal here was not very good. The people were nice but the meal I had was extremely oily. I can’t say the same for the rest of the dishes (as I only tried one) but it might be some time before I have another lunch here.

I'm Liberian myself and oh my gosh, it feels like home when I eat their food. The atmosphere is relaxed, it's friendly, the Tee and her mom are lovely and the food gets to you quickly. If you want food that feels like a hug or feels like you're part of the family, go here. 10/10 never any complaints.