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    African Spices

    4.1 (87 reviews)
    InexpensiveMediterranean, African
    Closed 1:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Order African Spices Takeout or Delivery

    African Spices Mediterranean Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    AFRICAN SPICES ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - African Spices

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    Salad
    Alex C.

    This is the best Somalian food you can get in San Diego. I've tried other places but their food doesn't beat what you can get here. Considering I keep coming back here for the last 2 and half years consistently proves it. Their service is great. I believe it is the owner and his daughter who're always cooking the food, picking up the calls, and cashing you out. They're very nice and welcoming. They work very hard on everything and the food never disappoints. I've never dined in to eat before but I love the atmosphere and the small space they have set up inside when I get takeout. It's been decorated the same ever since I discovered this place and I hope they never change any of the decorations, tables, chairs, or pictures on the wall. Rather add more!

    Chapati

    The chapatis are burnt. I made 5pack order of chapati and half my order was all burnt and dry. It looked like it had been cooked afew days before and just warmed up when i picked my order. I do not recommend buying from here your chapatis.

    Menu
    Leslie P.

    The service was great. Food is made fresh so it does take a while but having fresh food is worth it if you have the time. I'd highly recommend the beef sambusa. It's tucked away in the back of Sakata Market and there are a few tables.

    some type of dessert cake
    Alisha T.

    Right as I walked in, I knew it was a family business. It was so warm and welcoming. Everyone greeted me with smiles and constant accommodation. Amazing service. THE CHICKEN WAS NOWHERE NEAR DRY. It was so moist, quite literally falling off the bone. And the sambusas (I believed that's what it's called?) It was delicious.. the spices paired with the creamy and spicy dips.. wow. The cake was also very moist and succulent! I was quite content as they were very reasonable prices too. Loved my experience here, and I will be coming back with friends and family!

    Chicken wrap brought back to my work place.
    Cristian O.

    I work at the gas station down the street, one of the chefs comes and regularly visits so he invited me to try his food! I have very little knowledge of what the items are called but I picked the chicken wrap after being offered a meat pastry,(Samosa) ,which to my surprise tasted differently delicious. The beef pastry had corn and veggies, warm, soft and FRESH! The chicken wrap was great and I was satisfied with the curry sauce inside and the spicy sauce on the side. The green sauce is hot you've been warned. so if you want some good food hidden in wall then I'd recommend this. I'll be back and try the beef wrap or salmon thanks again

    Random texts from.the restaurant both instances.
    Heather H.

    I'm just not going to bother ordering from here again. First experience was fine, just a little late. Second experience, the food never came. Restaurant never answered the phone. Grub hub was nice enough to refund me. I got a text from them a day later apologizing. I decided to try them one more time and guess what... Jeez. The food was supposedly out for delivery (at 640pm). Come 710pm, I contact grub hub after not being able to get a hold of the restaurant again. As grub hub is about to refund, I get a text from the restaurant saying it was out for delivery. It took another 25 minutes to get here despite this place being a 5 minute drive away. Then I knocked my drink over cuz it was so close to the door, lmao. And our second drink was forgotten. The food here is good (we've had the cheesesteak, deluxe fries, Sambusa, black bean fritters and a few other things) but for the love of everything: don't bother with delivery. Go pick it up. The restaurant delivers their own food and it's clear that this is an issue for them, so they should probably only do pick-up.

    a person placing a piece of bread on top of a bowl of stew
    Tif M.

    I was on the search for Fufu because of what I seen on TikTok. Finally found a place and now my cravings are satisfied. I ordered fish curry as well as beef stew. I am not huge on fish, but OH MAN ! The flavors are amazing. I would def recommend !

    The ordering area

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    2 months ago

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    11 days ago

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Local owners. Family owned and operated. Community oriented. A hole in the wall gem. Try the fish, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Good food loaded with flavors always a large portion . Love this place it's my go to for comfort food.

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    5 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Really excellent food. You may have to wait a bit but it's worth it. I recommend the Sambusas and Mandazis.

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    3 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    3 years ago

    I really enjoyed the chicken and rice also for the quality of food the price is fairly reasonable!!!

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    This is a very good restaurant with highly recommend very great atmosphere very great people.

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    Page 1 of 3

    African Spices Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - African Spices

    Do they serve halal meat?

    yes thy have zabiha Halal

    Do they have fufu?

    yes they do

    Do they do catering?

    Yes they do

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    This was my first time here, and I loved it! The employees were the sweetest people, answered any…read morequestions we had about the menu, and gave us great suggestions. We ended up getting the lunch combos so we could get a taste of many different dishes! You can ask them for half & half for rice, meat and/or veggies to get the full experience((: My favorites were the sweet jerk chicken, beef stew, and curry lentils - DELISH.

    I have been here lots of times at the farmers market, but this was my first time actually visiting…read moretheir storefront. They offer soo many more options!! I was shocked! Our server was great and I was happy she let me try a sample of their Black Berry Juice because it was soo good! I loved how tarty it was. We got the following food to try: - Sambusas (spicy lentil and potato) - they were good, but not the best sambusas I've had. The shell was crunchy, but the filling had a more subtle flavor than I'm used to and I felt like I was missing the "wow" punch. I really liked the spicy mint sauce it came with. - Goat - this was really flavorful and the meat was soo tender! The size was a bit disappointing especially because we didn't get many goat pieces, but plenty of bones. I also wish there was more than 1 carrot in the whole bowl. It was mostly broth. A tasty broth, but still. - Beef Mbavu Choma (beef short ribs) w/ Dengu (lentils) and Ugali - this was insanely good! The meat was beyond perfectly cooked and we couldn't get enough of it. The ugali was good on its own and with the lentils, but I liked it best when dipping it in the soup broth. I would definitely get this dish again! I really like this place, but the small amount of goat in our curry dish left me a bit disappointed, which is the only reason I'm not giving 5 stars.

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    Taste of Africa Cuisine

    4.5(53 reviews)
    1.2 miRolando
    $

    Quite the experience... We were looking for some food near Colina Del Sol Park. This was open and…read morewalking distance, we figured checking it out. Don't judge this spot by the outside--the food speaks for itself Pulled up to this spot and I'll be honest--it's super lowkey and easy to miss. But once you try the food, you understand why people keep coming back. Here was my experience: AMBIANCE: Parking: Street or small lot, it can get busy based on the time of day. Seating: Inside seating, good for small groups. Maybe room for a total of 20 people. Vibes: Welcome to Midcity/City Heights area! It's not the flashiest part of SD but its definitely a grit and grind gem of San Diego. The spot itself is a no-frill type of spot, all about the food and not the aesthetics. You go up to the window and they'll let you know if you have in the kitchen - chicken, pork, beef, or fish. Super no-frills. This is one of those spots where it's all about the food, not the aesthetic. It almost feels like a hidden kitchen more than a traditional restaurant--but that's part of the charm. Reviewers even note it's "unpretentious" and focused on flavor over presentation FOOD / DRINKS: Chicken Combo (Recommend) This is where it hits. The chicken was well-seasoned, tender, and packed with flavor. Complemented with the rice, it made it extra fulfilling. Salad was simple but nice to have. Well worth the $20~ CUSTOMER SERVICE: Straight business. There was a little bit of language barrier but we got things all squared. TL;DR OVERALL: 3.5 Stars. Good food, simple selections, and quite the memorable experience. It's not a place you come for ambiance--but definitely a place you come for authentic, flavorful food. If you're open to trying something new and keeping it lowkey, this is worth checking out. #SupportBlackOwned TIPS: * This is not your conventional restaurant so come with an open mind! * Cash helps!

    Foood was amazing. My girlfriend and I wanted to try something different so we found this place…read more Kinda run down, hole in the wall. They don't have a menu. You just tell the chef what kinda meat you want and he'll cook you up something good. Chef was really nice and recommended some dishes. I eventually went with the goat dish.. 10/10. Would definitely come back

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    Taste of Africa Cuisine - Goat with rice

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    Awash Ethiopian Restaurant - One vegetarian combo and one meat combo. Great for 3 people.

    Awash Ethiopian Restaurant

    4.5(614 reviews)
    4.0 miUniversity Heights, North Park
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    Every time I pass by Awash and smell the food, my mouth waters. It gives a mom and pop vibe, has a…read morelittle market in the back, and the service is always very attentive and kind. Came by on a Saturday mid-afternoon and the place was mostly empty, and we were able to just take any seat we liked in the front room. They came by and took our order and when I wasn't sure if the spicy tibs were going to be too spicy, he kindly offered to give me a sample including some of their delicious injera. It was delicious, and the spice only added flavor and wasn't too intense at all. We went with the Awash special spicy tibs and the meat combo and it came on the plate with injera as the base and a bunch of rolls on the side. It was a ton of food, and the tibs are always so amazing; I love even just dipping the injera in the sauce and soaking it up. If you've never had injera before, it's a super spongy sour bread that's made of some gluten-free flour. It's delicious and really light, and the way you eat is by picking up the meat or whatever you have in front of you with the injera and eating it all together. I'd say the meat combo wasn't my favorite since the Tibs blow all the other meats out of the water and in the future I'd stick with what my friends and I do usually: the Awash special spicy tibs and the Veggie Combo. Adding the Veggie combo adds the nice acidic and healthy balance that you need when consuming the sour injera and the savory tibs. Would recommend Awash to everyone I know. It's not necessarily a cutesy spot, but it's a place to go when you want to eat some delicious Ethiopian food and walk away with your tummies happy.

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    Muzita Abyssinian Bistro - Shiro & Beggie

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    4.4(2.2k reviews)
    4.9 miUniversity Heights
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    Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant - Deliciousness!

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    Came here one evening on a whim because it's close to the church my mother goes to. While I had my…read moreeye on the restaurant for a while, I never realized it was so close. The staff are all very welcoming and kind and quickly got me seated with a menu and soon after got my order in, just an order of Derek Tibs, and started. The water I ordered came soon after in the form of a glass and a pitcher. There's a wait time that's pretty typical of ethiopian food that you'll get used to as you have more of it. When it comes to the Derek Tibs, they're honestly a bit bland, but not any more or less so than what I've grown accustomed to. The Berebere sauce (they offered it to me as hot sauce), and the Injera is really what gives it a lot of flavor. Honestly my favorite part of the dry style Ethiopian food is the texture and amount of crust they're able to get on the meats. Overall a very enjoyable experience, I would definitely recommend trying if you get the chance. Likely will return with friends.

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    Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant
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    African Spices - mediterranean - Updated May 2026

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