Shaka Zulu in Köln

Varied dishes in small bowls with the possibility of receiving free seconds. Service staff super nice, friendly and fast. An absolute recommendation!

Very friendly staff! We were seated a bit quickly and didn't have enough space on the table. Points deducted for this. The food wasn't quite to my taste, but as everyone knows, they are different. Nevertheless, I went home well-fed. The cocktails were very tasty. :-) Unfortunately, only cash payment is possible in the restaurant. Not so nice for a card payer, as you have to visit an ATM before your visit. For this, points are deducted from the service, otherwise the service would have earned full points. The parking situation is difficult.

Very good food, a pleasant atmosphere and great service. You should also make a reservation during the week, the restaurant is very busy. Absolutely recommended

Ate for the first time at a South African restaurant. The food was tasty and plenty of it. The service is very friendly. They also have tasty cocktails with their own twist. Definitely recommended.

Raw chicken and individual plates served lukewarm.

Finally a restaurant with South African cuisine - and incredibly tasty too! Thanks for the experience 🤍🇿🇦

Wasnt sure what to expect to be honest but i left the restaurant satisfied. -food quality and portions very correct. I dont usually like to eat tapas style, cos i am "afraid" i will be hungry afterwards, but their concept of small bowls with different food sorts was a success, and more than enough for a hungry guy like me (i had the weekly menu). Extra points for cooking with boneless chicken thighs and not chicken breast which is often dry. -wine very good and humane prices for central Köln. You pay nowadays so much for small glasses of wine in other places that it was a nice surprise to find good wines by the glass at reasonable prices. Weiter so! -service was friendly and not pushy.

Very nice authentic restaurant with friendly service and delicious food, can be recommended 👍🤗

A very nice evening with delicious, unusual dishes, very good and attentive service in a beautiful restaurant. We had fun, thank you very much! The only problem: Reachability by telephone and a somewhat cumbersome reservation process. It would also be nice to have the option to pay by card.

The staff was very nice and the food was okay

Eating here was a real experience!! With the South African “tapas” you have the opportunity to try everything once (or twice) and at the same time you will be really full and happy! The restaurant is beautifully decorated and you just feel comfortable! But the most important thing is that you feel welcome and well looked after - that is definitely the case and we look forward to many more great evenings at Shaka Zulu!!

Great food at acceptable prices. Gladly again.

Spontaneously decided to go there yesterday and really don't regret it at all! Not only is the service very nice, but the concept is super cool and the food is simply excellent. I always love trying new things and the multiple bowls give you the opportunity to do so! I've already told a few people about it. Convinced me 😍

Delicious food at acceptable prices. Insider tip.

Had a great meal tonight in this restaurant. Very nice service and a very cozy tent! I had a sandwich beforehand and South African wine. As a main course I had 4 tapas dishes, chicken, meatballs, fish/seafood and sweet potatoes with rice as a side dish. It was more than adequate and really not expensive. A nice experience.

Nice place with very nice service. There is a nice selection of dishes with and without meat. Since you can reorder everything, you'll feel full and the concept doesn't waste anything. Always happy again

Such a great restaurant, felt like we were back home in South Africa with many of the dishes. Would definitely recommend going for a bite to eat.

Funny concept: a predefined mix of dishes (I recommend the community meal, mini is enough for normal eaters). 5 out of 7 dishes are gluten-free. Interesting flavored sharing bowls. Decent South African wine. Nice little terrace right on the sidewalk. Cash payment only! It was something different

Everything is right here! The food is very tasty and, above all, varied. You travel through worlds of taste and the portions are also very generous. The team is attentive and so friendly! A beautiful place that I will visit again at any time on my next stay in Cologne.

Incredibly delicious food. Think top 3 restaurants ever for me and I have eaten in many restaurants in many different countries. Nice atmosphere, good choice, varied flavors

Extremely delicious. Rarely eaten so well

Unfortunately, I also have to say that the food is overpriced. The four of us paid over 120 euros and got 5-6 bowls, 2 of which had 3 dumplings each, some pap and rice and smaller salads that weren't fully filled. We thought there would be at least 4-5 more bowls. We all took potatoes and were only given a small bowl to share. We only got full by ordering more pap, rice and bread. There's nothing negative to say about the service, everyone was very nice and took their time, the cocktails were delicious and the food was tasty, but nothing special either. On the last visit 2 years ago it was better and the quantities were larger.

Yummy. Good food good prices. The nice waiter was faster than an antelope. You sit outside directly on the street and can breathe particulate matter if you want. It's nicely decorated inside. I didn't use the toilets and unfortunately I can't comment on that.

The food was very tasty and the service was courteous and quick. The portions were enough for two people, but we found it a bit expensive. There were also some vegan options

Es war das erste mal das wir afrikanisch gegessen haben und es hat so unfassbar lecker geschmeckt. Nette Bedienung, super leckeres Essen. Was will man mehr?

Cash only??? It's 2024 not 1924

Very unfriendly restaurant towards children. No baby carriage allowed inside (apparently because of space, even when no other guests were inside). But even outside the waiter was not happy about our baby carriage even though there was plenty of space and few guests. When I asked for a space to change my babys diaper he just shrunk his shoulders. We left at this point.

Unfriendly and disrespectful staff. The waiter saw us with a baby carriage, so he pretended that he didn't see us. I had stopped him. Then he told us that we could not get in the restaurant since we had a baby carriage. We asked if we could sit outside. He accepted. Later, he asked us to leave our table because he did want us at that one. We left. Discriminate people because they have a baby carriage or a wheelchair should not be allowed in Germany in 2024.

Super netter Service und ein sehr schmackhaftes Abendessen. Das "Mielie Pap" war besser, als das, was ich in Namibia bekommen habe... Viele Schüsseln mit einer Vielfalt an Aromen. Kann ich nur empfehlen! Rundherum ein gelungener Abend!

The food was tasty and interesting enough. Comes in small portions that can be shared between the party. Not sure about the authenticity, but everything was delicious. The service could have been better (we could have used a bit more introduction to the concept as first time visitors). All in all, it was good time, good food. Not too expensive.

Hervorragendes Essen und eine sehr nette Bedienung, es war großartig, danke

The service was not at all good, the waitress was not friendly and didn't really care about us... The food has been downgraded a lot from what we had last year, and the menu is now practically exclusive for vegetarians. The food was good, but it came cold from the kitchen... The large quality drop relative to last year justifies a mediocre score...

Sehr schmackhaft - wir haben unser Essen sehr genossen. Ein rundum positives Erlebnis, was wir auch wiederholen werden. TOP!

Spannende Kreationen, hausgemachte Speisen,sehr gutes Preis-Leistungsverhältnis auch bei den Weinen.

Danke für den schönen Abend. Bitte etwas offensichtlicher darauf hinweisen, dass keine Hunde und Kinderwägen erlaubt sind und nur mit Bargeld gezahlt werden kann. Es steht leider nur im Kleingedruckten in der Bestätigungsemail. Hier direkt auf OpenTable direkt beim Buchen sieht man es leider nicht direkt.

Das Essen war super. Für alle Geschmäcker war etwas dabei.

**Restaurant Review: Shaka Zulu** Shaka Zulu Restaurant offers an impressive dining experience featuring South African cuisine. Particularly noteworthy are the 7 dishes that are served as communal meals. This variety allows guests to enjoy different flavors and traditional dishes. The dishes are consistently tasty and well prepared. The service is another plus point of the restaurant. The waiter was friendly, attentive and contributed significantly to making us feel comfortable. Dessert was also a highlight of the evening and rounded off the menu perfectly. The restaurant's decor is also noteworthy. The ambience is beautifully designed and contributes to the authentic and pleasant atmosphere. Overall, Shaka Zulu offers a completely successful dining experience that impresses with delicious food, excellent service and an appealing ambience.

Great place. Be sure to check it out. Africa on a plate.

Very tasty food in a cozy atmosphere. Ice cream very nice short trip to South Africa 😉

The food tastes very good and the atmosphere is also very nice. Unfortunately, the service was very poor. We were served by a man who was very rude and almost passive aggressive. This understandably made our stay there not so enjoyable :(

Essen war sehr gut, mit großzügigen Portionen. Saßen etwas ungünstig direkt vor der Küche, wäre bestimmt weniger umständlich hätten wir draußen gesessen. Aber absolut empfehlenswert!

Authentic, friendly and above all delicious. The only criticism would be uncomfortable seating, but even that was ultimately authentic. Great experience, I can only recommend it

I have been twice now and the food does not disappoint, it is very delicious. Very friendly service and very pleasant and welcoming atmosphere.

Wanted to eat there spontaneously (2 adults + baby). We were immediately rejected because there was no space for a stroller (in our case, a buggy). We then said we could fold it up or we would eat outside. The owner, sitting to the side of the staff, suddenly made a negative gesture. The staff then said that we should have made a reservation in advance and stated it. In my opinion, simply unfriendly for children

Ein perfektes Restaurant, um sich mit Freunden zu treffen. Köstliche südafrikanische Gerichte im Tapas Streetfood Stil, die man sich teilen kann. Dazu tranken wir einen exzellenten südafrikanischen Pinotage. Perfekt! Es ist gemütlich im Shaka Zulu und ganz besonders zu erwähnen ist das super herzliche und nette Personal. Wir hatten viel Spass und waren zwar zum ersten, aber ganz sicher nicht zum letzten Mal da!

As a South African Shaka Zulu is the place to go in Cologne. Lovely venue, delicious food.

Super tasty 😋 Food, prepared in a variety of ways, just very expensive

Good food. Chicken was nice the first nice cocktails are very nice.

It's worth it, the food and service were great, but unfortunately no card payment possible. Why do you ask yourself that, it's just completely dubious. Therefore only 4 stars.

All in all, Shaka Zulu is a must for anyone who loves African cuisine or is just trying to discover it. It not only offers excellent food, but also a piece of African culture in the middle of Cologne. I'm already looking forward to my next visit!

I ate African food for the first time with my partner and it was great! Highly recommended, especially if you want to try out several dishes. The service was great. We sat outside, apart from the fact that we didn't like the "big city smell".. it was very good there! Would love to come back

It was a great evening. The food was delicious, the service was friendly and quick. The only drawback: it's very cramped. There is hardly any distance to the neighboring table.

In proportion, portions too small for the money. You only get a small impression of the kitchen indicated. The appearance on the Internet is greater than in reality.

Colorful, lively restaurant near Friesenplatz. Nice staff. Dishes are exotically spiced and very tasty. Good wines.

The food didn't taste good at all, some things were cold and not really warm, the only thing that tasted good was the ice cream. But the staff was really very unfriendly, so if you want to have happy guests you have to change a few things.

Ich war mit Freunden in einer kleinen Gruppe da. Allen hat das Essen und das Ambiente sehr gut gefallen. Danke an das Team und das leckere Essen.

Delicious, friendly and absolutely clean. Worth a visit if you are in Cologne.

Nice restaurant, very colorful and unusual. The staff was very nice, the food was tasty, but the portions at "All you can" were quite small. Since the second helping took forever, the portions seemed even smaller to us. After spending about 1.5 hours in the restaurant, we had only had the first round and repeat orders again took a very, very long time. Unfortunately the waiting time for the food to arrive took too long.

Simply amazing! 😍The restaurant offers an outstanding African cuisine dining experience with a diverse menu with the option to upgrade to the all-you-can-eat menu for a small additional charge. The diverse menu has something to offer for every taste. The selection of authentic food is delicious, with each dish having its own unique twist. I was particularly impressed by the exquisite selection of drinks, which harmonized perfectly with the meals. In addition, the desserts are simply irresistible and offer a delicious conclusion to the taste experience. The combination of wonderful food, great drinks and tempting desserts makes this restaurant a real gem. I can only warmly recommend it and am already looking forward to my next visit! We are incredibly happy. The restaurant is definitely worth a visit.🫶🏼

Wir waren beide sehr zufrieden und es hat uns sehr gut gefallen. Werden auf jeden Fall wiederkommen.

Recommended restaurant with African cuisine and very friendly service!! Happy to come back!

Für meinen Geschmack eine zu enge Bestuhlung. Eine gemütliche Unterhaltung mit Freunden ist nicht unbedingt möglich. Das senkt meines Erachtens den Wiederkommen-Effekt.

Kleine Karte, leckeres Essen, gute Cocktails, sehr nettes Personal

A great restaurant! The food was very tasty and the communal meal was the perfect size to try everything. The cocktails were particularly good and large and I also liked the dessert selection!

Met 10 personen erg lekker gegeten in een goede sfeer en met prima bediening. Top!

Wir waren eine Gruppe von 8 Personen und sind sehr begeistert, wie durchorganisiert hier alles ist. Das Essen hatten wir bereits bei der Tischreservierung vorbestellt - was den Ablauf am Abend sehr beschleunigte. Echt prima. Die Cocktails sind hervorragend - egal ob mit oder ohne Alkohol. Die Mitarbeitenden sind äußerst freundlich und sehr motiviert. Das Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis ist mehr als angemessen. Wir haben uns rundum wohl gefühlt und sagen VIELEN DANK!

Sehr lecker, super für gemischte Gruppen vegan/Fleisch, gemütlich, flotter Service!

Really good food in really big portions.

Wir waren eine Gruppe von 8 Personen und sind sehr begeistert, wie durchorganisiert hier alles ist. Das Essen hatten wir bereits bei der Tischreservierung vorbestellt - was den Ablauf am Abend sehr beschleunigte. Echt prima. Die Cocktails sind hervorragend - egal ob mit oder ohne Alkohol. Die Mitarbeiter sind äußerst freundlich und sehr motiviert. Das Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis ist mehr als angemessen. Wir haben uns rundum wohl gefühlt und sagen VIELEN DANK!

Super tasty and a great atmosphere!

Everything was great, tasty & friendly 👍

Sehr leckeres Essen mit viel Vielfalt! Freundliches und zuvorkommendes Personal! Wir kommen gerne wieder!

Stopped here for a quick meal, and we were not disappointed. Would highly recommend booking ahead if it's a big group as it does get very busy. Once seated, we were given the food and drinks menu. The food menu is a little limited, but don't let that put you off. It's cooked to perfection and tasty. We had the spring communal meal - lots of variety, loads of very tasty food. It was definitely a winner. This place is cash only, so be prepared. All in all, we had an amazing time, and I would highly recommend it

Really good food and really lovely service! Spontaneously getting a vegetarian menu was no problem and there was a large selection. Definitely a recommendation

Excellent food, very helpful service, very nice atmosphere!

Our first visit to Shaka Zulu was in 2013. We have been going there ever since. The service is very courteous and the food is something different and exceptionally delicious! We will continue to be guests at Shaka Zulu in the future.

Unser erster Besuch im Shaka Zulu war 2013. Seitdem gehen wir immer wieder gerne dorthin. Der Service ist sehr zuvorkommend und das Essen ist mal was anderes und außergewöhnlich lecker! Wir werden auch zukünftig weiterhin Gast im Shaka Zulu sein.

It was my first time eating African food here and I was very impressed. The ambience is immediately inviting with its South African flair. The employees are also very friendly and always have a smile on their faces. The only deduction is because you can't pay by card, which is a must for me these days. Luckily there is a savings bank nearby. We had the Communal Meal which consists of 7 African dishes as well as 2 side dishes and a dessert. The food was varied and tasty, value for money was perfectly fine. We (2 people) paid around 60 euros for the menu and drinks. We'll definitely be back!

Super delicious food. 😋 Great atmosphere, nice staff. I will come back.

Es war ein toller Abend! Essen und Ambiente waren besonders gut!

Das Restaurant ist relativ klein, daher ist eine Reservierung empfehlenswert. Das Essen ist sehr schmackhaft und die Portionen sind sehr groß. Einziger Kritikpunkt ist, dass dort nur mit Bargeld bezahlt werden kann.

Very friendly service, top decor (and creative) and very tasty food. We will come back next time we are in Cologne. Unfortunately no card payment according to the signs contrary to the Google entry. (Sparkasse but only 2 minutes away)

Super leckeres Essen, der Service war vorbildlich, wir kommen gerne wieder

It was my first time trying South African cuisine and I wasn't disappointed. The three of us tried the communal meal and in the end we were satisfied and full. :)

Wir kennen das ehemalige Lokal Bobotie und waren nun zum 1. Mal im Shaka Zulu. Das Ambiente war einfach, aber auch irgendwie afrikanisch. Das Essen war reichhaltig und schmackhaft. Preis-Leistungsverhältnis ist ebenfalls gut.Ein Tip, wer nicht vor dem Hungertod steht, sollte nicht unbedingt das „all-you-can- eat“ bestellen. Da reicht auch das Mini Communal Meal völlig aus! Nun viel Vergnügen beim Essen mit der Familie oder mit Freunden!

We had such an amazing time, tasty foods, refreshing cocktails, clean environment, and the water was quite attentive with great service. I like how they were careful with handling our foods, not letting theirs fingers touch the foods. I and my sweet husband had such a a beautiful time and we couldn't help not give a review.

This was my first time in an African restaurant. It is very special and yet absolutely cute. The food was absolutely recommended, the service was nice. Thank you very much 👍😊

Einzig das Frühkölsch aus der Flasche hat mich gestört. Dann bitte mehr Bier aus Südafrika anbieten oder das Kölsch vom Fass. Früh aus der Flasche ist nicht das wahre ansonsten waren wir sehr angetan und meine Begleitung verbringt seit Jahren ihren Urlaub in S.A. 👌

Went there at 9pm and Google said it closed at 10pm but it had closed already :-( ******** Edit below I put 3 stars for food because there was no “was the restaurant open when it says it was on its Google Business Page” option. I can’t rate the food 5 stars because I didn’t have it. I also can’t rate it 1. 3 is in the middle. Seems a fair compromise. Ask your staff. We were there at 9pm and was told that the kitchen is closed.

Sehr aufmerksames und freudliches Team. Was uns sehr gut gefallen hat, das wir kurzfristig unsere Reservierung um eine Stunde vorziehen konnten. Das war überhaupt kein Problem und wurde der Wunsch wurde uns mit Herzlichkeit erfüllt. Wirklich top

Food was very tasty. Seats a little squeezed together. Service was nice, but a bit rushed. After our meal we were informed that we only had 15 minutes and that the next guests would arrive after that. We were put under slight pressure. That wasn't so nice.

Ganz ganz nettes Personal, total herzlich ! Das Essen war hervorragend und perfekt!

Sehr gute Cocktails. Das Essen war sehr schmackhaft und gepflegt. Die Gewürze ungewohnt doch nicht fremd und sehr sehr lecker. Sehr feundliche Bedienung. Nichts auszusetzen und absolut zu empfehlen.

We had a great evening with you. The food is amazing and the cocktails are lovingly prepared. Always my pleasure!

great place with authentic cuisine and super charm! I recommend the restaurant to everyone who wants to eat well and spend their free time beautifully and pleasantly! :)

Great food - simple menu but incredibly tasty. Service was good, drinks good value and even a dj playing appropriate tracks to accompany! The only issue which was fine for us is that they are cash only.

Wir wurden sehr freundlich empfangen, der Service war aufmerksam und sehr nett. Das Essen lecker, toll so viel verschiedenes probieren zu können. Gute frische Zutaten und raffiniert gewürzt.

great, exciting dishes. Ordering lots of little things together and sharing everything is great fun and a great evening activity. Everything was fresh, some were super tasty, others were at least interesting. The only thing that has to be said is that it gets very loud and quite crowded. So we left pretty quickly after eating

Super delicious food and really nice, funny, charming, attentive service. We felt very comfortable with 13 people.

Great atmosphere, very tasty food and nice service. Gladly again!