Founded by Mubanga Chanda, Betty Phiri, and Oliver Chibwe, and proudly owned by minority Black women, Stango Cuisine serves authentic Southern African comfort food made entirely from scratch — traditional Zambian flavors, cooked the way they've always been cooked at home. Dine in, order takeout or delivery, or reserve a table.
Stango Cuisine was founded by Mubanga Chanda, Betty Phiri, and Oliver Chibwe, and is proudly owned by minority Black women — recognized as the first and only Zambian restaurant in the United States. Head chef Mubanga Chanda prepares authentic Southern African comfort food entirely from scratch, staying true to traditional Zambian flavors passed down through family recipes.
The restaurant's journey began as a small counter inside Urbana's Lincoln Square Mall and has grown into a full storefront on Walnut Street in Champaign — plus a rotating food truck, Stango Bites — serving the Champaign-Urbana community dishes you won't find anywhere else in the region. True to their roots, 10% of every sale is donated to the One Dream Foundation to help build a hospital in Zambia.
Chef Chanda moved to Champaign-Urbana in 2000. While driving for Uber at night, three separate riders asked her the same Saturday for a good African restaurant to try — and she realized C-U didn't have one. She called her friend Betty Phiri, and in 2017 the two opened a small booth in Lincoln Square Mall; it grew into a sit-down restaurant before the pandemic pushed the move to Champaign in 2022. At the center of nearly every plate is nshima, a Zambian cornmeal staple similar to polenta (known elsewhere in Africa as ugali, fufu, or papa) that Chanda has been making since she was nine years old. Her daughter Emma — the namesake of the popular Emma's Platter — grows up behind the counter and is, by Chanda's own account, the future of Stango.
Pickup or delivery — order directly through any of our trusted partners.
Join us in downtown Champaign for a full sit-down Zambian dining experience. Large parties welcome — just let us know how many are joining.
58 reviews on Yelp & counting
"I love this place! Their food is excellent and I have a penchant for their chicken samosas! The spices are intoxicating... The staff is always welcoming and the owner is an absolute delight to talk to!"
"This place is a hidden gem! ...The greens (mixture of kale, tomatoes, and onions) are soooo good and the chicken in the curry is so soft. The plantains were probably the best I've had in a long time."
"GO FOR THE BEANS!! I got the Chio's platter which is a sample of vegetarian dishes. The beans are some of the best I've ever had... And I could eat those caramelized plantains probably every day."
Real plates from the Stango Cuisine kitchen — no stock photos here.
Can't make it downtown? Our sister food truck brings Zambian street food straight to you — beignets, hand pies, samosas, ginger juice, and our new Zam-Jam Wings, a Zambian-spiced take on Jamaican jerk chicken.
