Vuka Peri Peri Chicken was in a soft-opening phase by May 11, 2026, at 626 W. Lake St. in Minneapolis, bringing flame-grilled, Southern African-style chicken to a building with a long and complicated restaurant history.
The space has seen plenty of turnover. For nearly 40 years, it housed neighborhood institution It's Greek to Me, which closed in 2019. Casablanca Restaurant & Lounge then moved in starting in summer 2023, but it quietly closed in early 2025, as Racket reported at the time.
A Zimbabwean Perspective on Lake Street
The restaurant describes its cultural perspective as Zimbabwean, and one of its co-owners has described Vuka as essentially a sauce company that makes really good chicken, according to Bring Me The News.
The signature dish is flame-grilled peri-peri chicken. Diners can order it in quarter, half, or whole portions, per the same Business Journal report. The menu also offers five distinct flavor variations, a peri-peri chicken burger, a fire-roasted mushroom and chickpea bowl, peri-peri fries, and a spiced rice side, per Bring Me The News.
Beyond the chicken itself, Vuka leans into Southern African comfort food with malva pudding, a warm, spongy, apricot-jam-infused South African dessert. General manager Taz Nzara described the restaurant's operational model as fine casual and said prices are around $15 in comments to the Business Journal, according to Axios Twin Cities.
No Official Opening Date Yet as Finishing Touches Continue
Despite the soft opening, the Vuka team has not announced an official opening date and is still completing finishing touches to the space, according to Bring Me The News.
Lyn-Lake's Ongoing Churn
Vuka's opening arrives as the Lyn-Lake corridor along Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue continues to reshuffle. Chicken spot Tender Lovin' Chix was moving out of Uptown in May 2026, with no new brick-and-mortar location announced, Racket reported.
