Ekhaya is a beautiful, intimate spot in American Tobacco Campus from chef and restauranteur couple Chef Zweli and Leonardo Williams. Enjoy Bantu tapas and cocktails influenced by Zweli’s upbringing in Zimbabwe and East Africa. All five of your senses will be pleasantly engaged by this upscale restaurant in the heart of the American Tobacco Campus.
Located right across the ATC from the parking deck, this cool restaurant was great! The staff was warm and friendly, the wine sommelier was very knowledgeable, and the chef came out to greet customers. If you are into bourbon, the different old-fashioned variations were excellent. All in all, it was a great pre-Valentine’s Day dinner experience!
The Message LLC The Message LLC
Dec 11, 2025
5
Iam deeply blessed to be a global speaker and food naturally comes with the job. EVERYTHING about the resturant was besutiful. The people, food, and overall atmosphere is something very special. They have built a community establishment that is deeper than just blessed food, they care about the people. The food was the best African food I have personally ever tasted since visiting Kenya. The yellow rice is the best rice I have EVER had in my life! I will FOREVER be grateful I had the experince of this place and I cannot recommend them highly enough, bless yal!
Karli Guyther
Sep 3, 2025
5
Fantastic experience here! Our waiter gave awesome recommendations and the food was delicious. We sat on the patio and it was such a great vibe. We tried a little bit of everything just about and it was all fantastic! Not pictured: oxtails, sausage rolls & sav blanc
B Y
Jul 22, 2025
5
Amazing African fusion cuisine in the heart of Downtown Durham. Such a cute little place and within walking distance to DPAC. We loved everything we tried! Started with a delicious mocktail and then the rice bomb and peri peri corn for appetizers. For dinner, we had the Suya chicken kabobs and the Barbere half chicken. Everything was delicious. Cant wait to go back! The only thing that could improve is the service. We had told our waitress we had a show to catch and she seemed to have slowed down even more after hearing that. We waited a really long time for the main course and finally had to remind her before she came rushing out with the items. Service could be a bit better but the food more than makes up for it.
Chanel Bogany
May 31, 2025
5
Such a bra intimate space with wonderful food and wonderful service. Some of the item on the menu are so different from my norm but so good and worth stepping outside the box! And a place is only as good as their service and the service was absolutely amazing. Definitely a must try!
Kiara Ruth
Apr 21, 2025
5
Zweli's Ehkaya delivered an absolutely amazing brunch experience for my family! From the seamless reservation process to the immediate seating in their stunning, authentically Zimbabwean-inspired space, everything was top-notch.
Our server, Nia, was a gem – incredibly knowledgeable and her recommendations were spot on. Here is what we enjoyed:
Sweet Magwinyas $10.00
Zimbabwean donut bread with powered sugar
French Toast $18.00
Banana’s foster’s with candied pistachios and a honey ricotta cream
Fried Catfish $19.00
Stone ground grits with a cajun sauce, and egg your way
Each Addition $5.00
Bacon, Two Eggs
Banana Mojito $12.00
Banana Rum, garnished with mint sprig and lime wheel
Peargingertini $17.00
Pear vodka, pear, and ginger mash topped with cava
Beyond the exceptional food and drinks, the restaurant was impeccably clean and well-maintained, and the nearby parking deck was a definite plus. We can't wait for our next visit to Ehkaya's!
NSA
Apr 13, 2025
5
4.5
In short Delicious food at smaller portions for the price..
0.5 for the beignets being not fluffy
But shout out for the fries for being super fluffy.
My favorite was the chicken with peanuts on top for the brunch menú
Heads up you can order only from the brunch or dinner menu
It was nice to sit outside on the patio
Reservations are available
Every dish was enjoyable, the cauliflower curry was a highlight however
Zaneta Reid
Apr 6, 2025
5
Modern take on African cuisine. Tapas-inspired menu. Not a huge menu list, but the offerings are delicious as well as extremely vegetarian/vegan friendly. We enjoyed the Curried Oxtails with plantain in addition to the Seafood Curry. Both dishes were absolutely delicious! Good portion size and well-seasoned. Ekhaya also has a cocktail and wine list to choose from. My husband enjoyed his Tamarind Old-fashioned while their rosé was quite nice as well. All in all, one of the nicer restaurants in American Tobacco with cuisine you don't find everywhere!
Kristin McCleave
Apr 5, 2025
5
Had an amazing meal here! Took our kids (15,13,5) after a DPAC show and even those picky eaters loved everything! Everything we tried was truly delicious and will definitely come back for a date night! Highly recommend and such a cool spot to go!
