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    Hoyo's Kitchen

    4.8 (193 reviews)
    ModerateAfrican, Somali
    Closed Closed

    Order Hoyo's Kitchen Takeout or Delivery

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    HOYO'S KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Casual
    Touristy

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    Recommended Reviews - Hoyo's Kitchen

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    Safari Chicken Bowl (mild)
    Jada H.

    My husband and I were so beyond pleased with the quality of our chicken bowls. The meat is very tender and the rice has a bold and tasty flavor. The staff was very patient and kind while guiding us through what options were available. I also got a pineapple ginger drink and it was delicious! We will 100% be back!!!

    Injera
    Brian E.

    Might be my new favorite spot in North market. I love finding good African food in this place puts out some outstanding stuff. I like the build your own bowl options. It makes an unfamiliar cuisine unfamiliar to most people seem approachable. What you'll find once you try this place is delicious proteins, wonderfully spiced sides and some outstanding injera.

    Chanel F.

    Absolutely loved this spot! The portions are a great size and worth the price. I got the mango chicken with Somali rice and a Mango juice! It was 10/10! The staff was friendly and quick. The location is nice in the North Market.

    Inside North Market.
    Brian W.

    Pretty tasty Somali food stall inside North Market. They seem to sell tons of mango chicken over rice, but I went for the goat over injera; the former is quite good and the latter is a generous portion. Service is efficient and they clearly have a crowd, which is always a good sign!

    Yay! We made it to Hoyo's Kitchen
    Steven E.

    This North Market is exploding with exciting food options. On our fourth trip here just to eat at Hoyo's Kitchen. If you're new to Somali cuisine, this is where you begin. These folks are most helpful in guiding you. So many ingredients mesh well that you are bound to find the combination that best suits you. It works like many places these days. Pick between a bowl, wrap or salad. Then a protein and vegetables. Finally, sides and a drink. A popular choice: Somali Chai Tea. The Safari Chicken Bowl was popular in our group. I opted for the goat, chickpeas and spinach. Then a side of Injera. If you're into spicy, try the sugaar. The goat has bones. Not something I care for, but it was so good I persevered just fine. The chickpeas were fresh as was the spinach. I should've ordered the wrap, not the bowl. But I did get the injera. The injera was addicting. It's good for you, too. Made with teff flour and a fermented starter, they tell me it helps to maintain gut flora which helps your body attack the bad bacteria! 08/24

    Goat, beef, rice, veggies all in one  Goat Bowl Beef Suqaar Bowl
    Roland S.

    The meats were chewy. Didn't expect that. The rice and veggies were really good. The sauces they provide are beyond amazing. Made the meal exceptional. The server was very nice. Great experience.

    At Hoyo's Kitchen (Somalian food) -- inside North Market
    Agnes I.

    Somalian food. Delicious. Flavourful. Homemade. Downtown Columbus, Ohio. This review is from my visit to Hoyo's Kitchen in North Market in March 2023. I had previously visited North Market many times so it was nice to come back and see a new business addition, Hoyo's Kitchen. I was in town for the Arnold Classic competition with a friend so we decided to stop in for lunch. FOOD -- choose between a bowl or a salad. For the bowl, you can get Somali rice, spicy rice, or injera which is the light bread that looks like Indian Naan bread but much lighter with an almost bitter taste. For protein options, choose between beef, goat meat, chicken, or vegetarian. I ordered a somali rice bowl with chicken which was tasty. It came in a plastic container with a reasonable amount of food. It was the perfect lunch after walking around so much at the Arnold Classic. TIP: Some of the chicken choices have different levels of spice so ask them about it. I love spicy foods but I can't remember if I got the mango chicken or the slightly spicier chicken suqaar since I'm writing this review over a year later. I recommend this local business and I'll certainly be back. **** GOAL of 150 reviews in 2024 - 66/150 total reviews in 2024 - 716 total overall Yelp reviews - Reviewed on 13 July 2024

    Josh G.

    People rave about Hoyo's but I found it to be just OK. The portion size is huge overall but there was maybe a teaspoon of lentils in the bowl I had. It had a pleasant earthy flavor but the chicken was super dry. Like desert dry. I was curious about the spicy rice and wanted to sample it but they would not provide a sample and suggested I get half and half. Which I did. I wasn't pleased they couldn't provide a spoonful to sample. The spicy rice was OK. If you don't like heat, I wouldn't order it though. All in all. Kinda meh and pricey for being just OK.

    Aisha J.

    My husband and I wanted to try this place while visiting Columbus because of the great Yelp reviews. We both ordered the Safari Chicken and Beef Suqaar. For our sides we ordered cabbage, spinach, lentils and chickpeas. The food was good and the portion sizes were even better! Try Hoyo's Kitchen for yourself!

    Kristen F.

    First of all, I'm not sure if she's the owner but I want to say she is, she's soooo sweeet! Or at least maybe a family member? She helped me build an all vegan bowl and the flavors were amazing. If you love spicy food, you'll enjoy the options with lots of spice! Not everything is spicy though, if that's not your thing. My vegan bowl: Spicy rice and regular rice Lentils Chickpeas Spinach Cabbage Spinach Cucumber Tomato Green chili salsa (on the side) I also enjoyed a Sambusa (similar to samosa if you're more familiar with the Indian fried pocket). It was stuffed with lots of delicious ingredients and happy they had a vegan one as well. Thank you!! Highly recommend. ***this location is inside the North Market

    lauren s.

    Stopped in for a snack while visiting the market. I got a chicken sambusa and the pineapple ginger lemonade. The sambusa was delicious and quite large and the mix of green chile sauce and garlic sauce was great. The lemonade was so refreshing with a hint of ginger. Wish I had more room in my tummy to try the entrees

    Sheila M.

    Omigoodness-it was a flavor explosion!!! I loved every bite. Normally, I can't finish my whole meal, but I was addicted; I couldn't stop myself. I had the chicken Suqaar with spicy rice. It came with various selections of cooked and raw vegetables. I had the chick peas and cucumber. Chick peas were delicious; I would order that again. The cucumber wasn't the best choice for me, but still good. I'm in Columbus for work, so I ordered Uber eats. Vincent was very nice. Obviously, I can't critique the restaurant, but with food like that unless the restaurant is dirty you won't notice. Oh-YES please!

    Nick P.

    I must have missed this place the first time I came here, I decided to try this place out. Service was okay, they were friendly. The portions are huge and it is pricey. I got Somali rice, beef suqaar, spinach, and chickpeas. I ordered a beef sambusa. The sambusa was hot and tasty. The rice was flavorful. The beef suqaar was kind of tough, dry, and flavorless. I was hoping for meat that was tender and requires less chewing. Chickpeas were delicious but spinach was okay. Overall i would fine like a 3.5 because it was the first time I didn't finish my meal.

    Mango chicken bowl

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    Page 2 of 5

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    Darbo’s - Chicken Kalangal

    Darbo’s

    4.4(68 reviews)
    5.7 miLinden
    $

    So let me just start by saying the portions here are GENEROUS. And when I say generous, I mean…read moregenerous. We ordered two meals to split between two people and I think we had 8 meals between the two of us. Anyways, the restaurant itself is super easy to miss. Its right off of Cleveland Ave and if you aren't familiar with the area, you can drive right past it without noticing. Google maps does help but if you're like me and have no idea what "on your left in 1000 feet means" then best to try and look out for the sign and be prepared to make a u-turn. There is a small parking lot out front but again, very easy to miss, especially in the dark. As it is still COVID times, I can't rate the interior dining experience. I do have to admit, it didn't seem like the nicest area but the best food always comes with a journey and a story. We parked, went inside and were greeted with a wide array of tantalizing scents. The staff was friendly and had our food ready for pick up. Basic COVID measures were in place, masks, social distancing, cleanliness. With our food they included soda and bananas, more on the bananas later. We also got a couple cups of soup, so protip, ask for soup if they have some! So we took this behemouth bag of food home and finally sat down to try it. I'll start with the soup, it was such a great flavor. Heavy on the goat/lamb flavor if you've ever had that but not in any overwhelming way. It was just so flavorful! The chicken kalankal also was just bursting with spices and was a great accompaniment to the yellow rice it came with. It was a very warm dish and very reminiscient of South Asian curries. The goat cubes were also delicious, fairly tender and again all those spices and sauce was very well soaked up by the rice. There are bones that come with the goat cubes so if you aren't used to eating things with bones, be careful cause there could be little pieces here and there. Overall, the food was amazing and I'll definitely be coming back to try more dishes in the future. So about those bananas. My friend and I, being ignorant, had no idea whether the bananas were dessert, appetizers, whatever so weren't really sure how they fit into the meal. However, I do have one friend who told me he eats bananas and rice so I tried a piece of the banana with the overall dish. It actually worked really well, the sweet creaminess of the banana balanced out some of the spices from the meat very well. Whether or not I did the right thing is up to y'alls interpretation. Anyway, this was a very long review but in summary, Darbo is a great restaurant to try if you want some flavor heavy food. Also ensure you come with an empty stomach cause you can eat a meal for days!

    Made a LONG DRIVE and wanted to eat in . Get here and it's TAKE OUT ONLY . I had tried calling the…read morenumber on Yelp earlier and no one answered No where does it say take out only . Taking my business elsewhere and my tik tok live stream . So disappointed

    Photos
    Darbo’s - Moved to 3612 Cleveland Ave.

    Moved to 3612 Cleveland Ave.

    Darbo’s - You already know!!

    You already know!!

    Darbo’s - Soup

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    Soup

    Afra Grill | African & Somali Cuisine - Jollof rice, lamb, mixed veggies, corn, plantains, and kachumbari, with Afra fantastic sauce

    Afra Grill | African & Somali Cuisine

    4.7(129 reviews)
    6.3 mi
    $$

    We got an order to go to break our fast with. This time we got the lamb shank meal, Afra chicken,…read moremango lemonade, and chicken sambusa. Everything was packed really nicely and the portions are big. The lamb shank was fall off the bone and really well spiced. Everything we got was actually really nice in flavors. I got jollof rice with the meat and it was spicy but not overpowering. The plantains were really good and the salad was fresh. I love everything mango, so the mango lemonade was refreshing. My son enjoyed the chicken sambusa and my husband enjoyed the Afra chicken meal. I gave my son ketchup as a dip for the sambusa because although their sauces are very good, they are much too spicy for him. The Afra spicy sauce was good and my husband said it elevated his chicken meal. They also included crepes with our meal. I was not aware that they come with the meal or if they just gave us these as an extra. The crepes were huge though and delicious. They had the perfect amount of sweetness to them. We were late in picking up our meal, so appreciated the staff for holding it for us. The food was fairly warm even after the delay. We will definitely be back.

    So happy to return to this wonderfully delicious spot in my old "stomping ground" on Morse Rd…read more First checked them out over in Easton, and I've been wanting to return ever since!! So many tempting choices offered, it's tough to decide. The minute you walk in the door, the smell of all the wonderful, tempting options will let you know you're getting the "real deal." You can create your own bowl, choosing the protein (chicken, goat, fish...) and the toppings and sauces to your taste. Speaking of taste, the woman at the counter very helpfully gave me a taste sample of several different options. Both the regular and spicy chicken were super flavorful, and I've tried Somali goat meat before (very flavorful!) but trying to keep it light(er) since I had a plane to catch in a few hours, I got a veg. bowl, with a sampling of both types of rice and (woops!!) and spaghetti add on (carb-o-licious!!). Should have added on the salad, that might have made a bit more sense! Anywhooooooo, my bowl was DELICIOUUS, as was the veg. sambus I added on, and super reasonably priced for the quantity (and deliciousness!!) of food I was served. Come HUNGRY, leave VERY happy and FULL!! Beautiful, cozy dining room, great service, and a WONDERFUL way to support our pan-African neighbors!! Mmmmmmmmmmm!!

    Photos
    Afra Grill | African & Somali Cuisine
    Afra Grill | African & Somali Cuisine - Salmon Fish Bowl

    Salmon Fish Bowl

    Afra Grill | African & Somali Cuisine - Dinner to celebrate Juneteenth!

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    Dinner to celebrate Juneteenth!

    African Paradise Restaurant - Lamb Meat with curry rice

    African Paradise Restaurant

    4.6(11 reviews)
    5.2 miHilltop

    Okay, short review because I can't explain my experiences inside the African Paradise…read more I have been there four times and each time I have been by myself and ended up being asked to sit with a group of Somali men. The conversations have been so nice and I have walked away it's time feeling like a good man. There are a lot of things that I don't understand about the Somali culture and some foods but I do know without a doubt that I have been so accepted so welcomed and have had so much fun at the African Paradise on West Broad Street. So I have enjoyed a breakfast consisting of liver onions potatoes a couple other things that I'm not sure what they were and this pancake-like crepe-like bread that you use to eat the food rather than silverware. The Crepe-like bread... I've had both the Savory and the sweet. I really like the Savory and I have taken it home and just eaten it throughout the day. I'm not sure which part of me has had more fun on each of my four visits to the African Paradise. Is it the fact that each time I believe that I'm learning more and gaining as a true human being learning the Somali culture? Is it because I'm discovering foods that I would have otherwise never had the privilege to taste and enjoy? Is it because there are others in there from the country of Somalia by origin and birth that just make me feel alive? Oh, I have had their Somali tea can't explain it don't understand it I just enjoy it. I hear that there is something similar by a different name in the North Linden area for the heavy Somali population that lives there. There is such a heavy Somali population on the west side that this truly is there Home Restaurant.

    Goat. Lamb. Rice. Delicious!!!…read more That's my whole review. These are just wasted words. I'm adding because Yelp wants my review to be longer. So, go to African Paradise and enjoy some delicious food.

    Photos
    African Paradise Restaurant - Grits/Soor & Spinach with grilled chicken

    Grits/Soor & Spinach with grilled chicken

    African Paradise Restaurant - A Somali Breakfast... Notice no silverware.   Liver, onions, potatoes?? AMAZING

    A Somali Breakfast... Notice no silverware. Liver, onions, potatoes?? AMAZING

    African Paradise Restaurant - Doro wat (lamb) and kitfo (goat, center)

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    Doro wat (lamb) and kitfo (goat, center)

    Hoyo's Kitchen - african - Updated May 2026

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