In honor of Black History Month this edition of Guide to Greenwich features Black-owned restaurants and catering businesses.  I traveled through the greater Greenwich area from Stamford to Port Chester in search of the best overall food experience.

Teff

First, I visited Teff, an Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant located near the intersection of Stamford and Old Greenwich.  It is vegan and offers gluten-free options.  Teff specializes in producing injera, a crepe-like bread made using the superfood grain teff, according to teffstamford.com.

When I arrived, I noticed the welcoming atmosphere that Teff provides for its customers.  As soon as I walked in, I could smell delicious spices and hear vibrant music playing in the restaurant.  There was a lot of open seating and the staff was very friendly.

At Teff, each entrée comes with a selection of two vegan sides.  I ordered the Shiro entrée for $15, which came with a large piece of injera and my two selected sides of Atkilt Gomen and Timtumo.  The Atkilt Gomen was a lovely stewed cabbage dish with a delicious mild curry flavor and a lovely, fresh texture.  The Timtumo, a stewed lentil dish, also had a pleasant, slightly-spicy smoky flavor.  Although I did not love the puréed texture of the Shiro, a fava bean and chickpea dish, the flavor, as with all of the other dishes, was excellent.

Rakeil’s Catering

Rakeil’s Catering is a catering business based in Stamford that provides Caribbean cuisine for events in Fairfield County.  In addition to savory catering dishes, Rakeil’s Catering ships desserts and pastries to nearby counties.

I ordered Cheese Rolls, Rock Tarts, and Fudge from their online platform.  The catering business efficiently processed my order and I received my pastries within three days of placing the order.  The prices of the dozen Cheese Rolls, the five pieces of Fudge, and the five pieces of Rock Tarts were $18, $5, and $10 dollars, respectively.  However, the added delivery fees made the food more expensive than the other restaurants and I spent a total of around $53.

Both the Rock Tarts and the Fudge had a lovely sweet flavor.  The Rock Tarts had a wonderful balance between the buttery dough and the sweet raisins incorporated within the pastry.  The Fudge was rich, but not too sticky or hard.  The Cheese Rolls were a little dry, but the pastry was wonderful and buttery and the cheese filling had a nice savory flavor.

Jerkyz

Finally, I ordered food from Jerkyz, a Jamaican restaurant located on Sumner Street in Stamford.  Jerkyz offers a variety of dishes with a large number of them containing their signature jerk spices.

I ordered the Jerk Chicken Wings and the Jerk Beyond Burger using Jerkyz’s delivery service.  The delivery arrived early and the food was nicely wrapped and still warm when it arrived.  The Jerk Beyond Burger was $16 and contained a perfect balance of spice from their mouth-watering barbeque sauce, richness from the patty and bun, and tangy freshness from the pickles, tomatoes, and raw onions on top.  The Jerk Chicken Wings cost $10 and came with a nice barbeque dipping sauce.  The blackened coating on the chicken provided just the right amount of spice and flavor.

Winner

After careful consideration, I have decided that the restaurant with the best overall dining experience was Teff in Stamford.  From the pleasant aromas to the warm flavor of the unique and delicious food served, Teff truly provides some of the best food in the greater Greenwich area.  This restaurant a variety of delicious food for different diets at relatively inexpensive prices.

Featured Image by Lindsay Taylor ’24