I've always enjoyed Somali food so I decided to check this place out after it was reviewed in the…read moreUp Next section of the local newspaper.
The dining area is located behind the Somali grocery, you need to walk through the grocery section to find it. There is a room with tables and chairs, and a window to order food. I'm not sure if there is table service (i.e. servers) I think there may be at other times but I was there around 7pm on a weekday. There are pictures of the food on the wall next to the menu.
The person working in the kitchen came to the window and was very helpful describing the food, there were some things not available (he suggested I come back around 2pm for full menu selection). I was interested in the Goat Plate, and he said he would recommend it.
I've eaten goat at other local Somali places in the past, this was very good or perhaps the most flavorful and tender. Dinner comes with a dish of salad vegetables, large plate of rice, beverage, and large plate of meat for under $10.
PLUS, and I can't stress enough how excited I am about this, the dinner plate comes with a BANANA.
You might be surprised having a banana handed to you when you order a meat plate. And I suppose it is just because that is how the Somalians "do" dinner, but as someone who was raised on typical midwestern comfort food but now likes to experiment with other tastes and flavors, I LOVE the banana. It seemed like after the savory goat meat, gently spiced rice, and delicious spiced tea the banana just made the whole meld of tastes come to a perfect conclusion in my mouth.
Okay I realize that last sentence sounds like a dirty joke, but I can't think of a different way to describe it.
As I was finishing my dinner, the kitchen employee came out and I asked him about the food. He was happy to answer any question I had. I asked if the tea had Tamarind in it, he said it didn't but told me the other flavors. He proceeded to go into the grocery section, find the ingredients, and brought them in to show me. It was really cool talking to this guy about the food. He walked with me to the door and showed me the ingredients on the shelves, like the organic rice, ginger, peppers, spices that were used in the dinner. He was a very nice guy. English perhaps not his first langauge, but we had a great conversation. He even talked about the Timberwolves.
Pros about this visit:
-extremely nice employee, eager to talk about the food/menu (although if it were busier this would probably not be possible)
-delicious food, large portions, had to take some home and ate 2 more meals
-a LOT of decent food for less than $10
-spiced tea. Delicious. Kind of like Chai Tea but better. And I am not usually a fan of tea.
-THE BANANA is the perfect end to the meal. I am a huge fan of the banana. lol.
Cons about this visit:
-when you enter the place it isn't clear that they have a cafe there. You kind of have to wander through the grocery aisles to find it. But it isn't a huge place, so you will get there.
-I wasn't quite sure if I was supposed to sit and wait for a server or stand at the kitchen door and order. I sort of hovered around the kitchen door until he came over and asked me what I wanted. But after that he invited me to sit anywhere and he brought everything to my table. Even checked on my water and brought extra napkins. So there is table service, it seems.
-the dining area wasn't up to what most people expect, I suppose. It could use a fresh coat of paint, some posters (or anything) on the walls. I dunno. I didn't come here for ambiance, I came for food. But I wouldn't take a guest here, either.
-I was the only person eating in the dining area. If there were other people, I would think it would be loud and possibly cramped. There is a tv that was showing an NBA game when I was there.
-the dining area didn't seem clean to me. Granted, I was there at 7pm and there was only 1 person working in the kitchen so he couldn't be out washing tables. Tables needed washing, chairs looked a bit sketchy. Floor probably could use a scrubbing or new tile.
-I almost didn't order food when I saw the condition of the dining area. However, I could see into the kitchen and it was very clean (kitchen definitely cleaner than the dining area) so I decided to order. Also, I heard a Somali woman ordering take out food and I figure, if the people who grew up eating this type of food eat here, it must be okay.
So to sum up, delicious food and good value, but would recommend take out instead of dine-in. Also, check out the grocery store for spices and natural foods.