Taste of Somalia is so good - I can't say it loud enough…read more The service is top notch. We had a lovely conversation with the owner and his cousin. We got chai on the house and they hooked it up with the sauces. We waited in the car and they delivered to our window. They used to open from 2-6pm(?) but changed their hours for Ramadan from 5-10pm to cater to their customers. The rice is extremely flavorful. I could eat the rice alone honestly. The meats are juicy with a hint of sweetness. The garlic sauce is perfect, I like the consistency. It's not super creamy like a ranch. It's more fluid, it comes right out of the container, no scraping needed. The green "hot sauce" gives the dish some acidity (although it can be spicier, it's more flavor than hot sauce) with the cilantro-vinegary feel and taste. The portions are huge. If you like The Halal Guys, picture that elevated. I am a loyal Halal Guys fan, don't get me wrong - I still love it, however Taste of Somalia is truly a level up. The Somali spices shine through delivering a much more robust and complex flavor profile. This is a must have. Thank you Taste of Somalia, can't wait to visit you again.

Everything was 10/10. Big portions, soulful vibes, delicious food. I got the mixed meat rice bowl…read morebecause I couldn't decide between beef or chicken. It was super flavorful, and fed my two toddlers and I with leftovers. The service was welcoming and friendly! I'm definitely coming back. Don't forget the milk cakes, it's just like tres leches my fav! The only thing I would do different is ask for more of the garlicky white sauce, I'm not sure what it's called but it was great!

No frills but authentic food with great flavor. I ordered the salmon and veggie samosas. Oh my,…read moreperfect amount of filling and fried to perfection! The owner plated my food and even gave a free sample of the fettuccine Alfredo which was flavorful and full of cheese. I ate on those samosas for 2 days and they reheated well each time. I will visit again!

I was starving late at night and decided to get some pasta mind you this is not the first time I've…read morehad mama sambusa first time wasn't disappointing but this time I called to order 1 shrimp pasta the lady said it'll take 20mins cuz the shrimp takes time to make? So I then went to go pick up I was soo excited even paid $30 cash cuz I didn't have change and obviously don't mind tipping the mom working late. When I got home and opened the box there was a weird smell I tried to ignore and fist bite had to spit it out idk why it smelled I tried the pasta thinking maybe it's just the shrimp but no same thing and then I tried to smell the cheese and that's when I gagged I really was excited to eat this and now I have to just throw it away because I'm scared of food poisoning. So I made my brother smell it thinking I'm tweaking but he also gagged and almost threw up just like me. This is really disappointing

The wait time was excessively long, and the chicken was noticeably salty and overcooked…read more Additionally, the cleanliness of the establishment did not meet expectations.

Paradise serves the best chicken and rice! It's so tasty, I keep coming back for more. Definitely a…read morefavorite!

Got takeout- sports meat combo goat and lamb with rice and pasta. HOLY what a value. Fed 4 of us…read moreCOMFORTABLY with plenty of sides for leftovers throughout the week. DELICIOUS meat, loved the goat and it was my first time having it. So so good and am already craving it again. Takeout was only like a 15-30 minute wait which is so quick for the amount they gave us. Can't comment on inside because I didnt sit in but will one day!

This was my first time trying Somali cuisine, so I had to ask for suggestions on what to order, and…read morewas recommended the goat and rice plate. No regrets here! The goat was flavorful and tender, and came on a mountain of perfectly cooked and seasoned rice. They also provided hot sauce and a lemon wedge. Others in my party got the chicken suqaar plates, and enjoyed their meals too. We all were obsessed with the bisbaas/basbaas (green hot sauce) that came with our meal, and I really liked the dynamic flavors in the food. Pricing is a little high, but the amount of food you get is generous. I'd definitely come back again and will plan to take leftovers home or share an entree.

Solid! Picked up a salmon pasta & coffee. I was a little confused about the line but the gentleman,…read morepolitely guided me to a spot to order. I was quoted 10 minutes but they had it ready in just 5! The serving is very generous, the salmon was cooked perfectly. I saved the rest for at home so I could add my hot sauces to enhance it. As a home chef it's rare that I eat out but this was so worth it. The coffee was also perfect.

Delicious food, big portions, quick and good customer service, and reasonable prices. Love the food…read moreand went and bought it twice today: once for me and once for my family. I stopped by the restaurant today and bought rice with chicken suqaar for takeout for $15.00, which is reasonable. The rice was moist, and the chicken suqaar was cut into larger pieces than usual to keep it moist, then toasted golden brown with seasoning to perfection. I like the green hot sauce; it was fresh and had a medium kick. Nice. I got the food in about 7 minutes, and 4 employees at the register sped up customer service. Nice job overall. 5/5. The place is too small, 4/5. Rent a bigger place in the same neighborhood. Why? You don't lose your customers. I live 3 minutes from the restaurant.

This is an unassuming place that you might not even think had good food. Looks are very deceiving…read more The portions were ridiculous and the quality of the noodles were like they hand rolled them themselves. The only thing that kep this from being a 5/5 was they forgot to give me a banana. If you're in the area you want great Somali food, check this place out!

Good spot for Somali cuisine. You order at the counter and then you can be seated. I ordered the…read moregoat with pasta. Everything tasted so good and the portions were huge! However the wait for the food was pretty long and the portion of pasta was a bit overwhelming. But otherwise I enjoyed it!

Overall experience was a 5, but the food was a 4.366666. Jk... kind of. The parking reminds me of…read morebeing in another country. All the rules Just go out the door and you gotta make it work. I stayed for a while and the place was never empty. The parking stayed beyond packed. Yes the food is worth it. A while back a unwize friend told me to never start a restaurant. We'll places like this will make you second guess. The service here is amazing. Top 10 I've ever had in the world. Probably because of the owners making sure of this. I highly recommend this place if you live in the area. If you don't live in the area, come if you want the largest portions of food. Besides that, it's average Somali food. That being said, average is extremely good. Their food is absolutely delicious. I just know how good this dishes can really be. If you don't compare this to other African restaurants then yea i would say 5 stars hands down. Also the place could use a make over, but you wont be turned away by the authentic grandfather's family dinner time vibes.

The food and service and price are horrible I almost throw up. The owner is rude and charging a lot…read morefor rice and some meat. Over charging for food that tastes bad. And I got sick

First time here and we tried the beef schwarma wrap and the lamb shank plate. The wrap was…read moredelicious, but the portion was a bit small and one person could easily eat two wraps. However, the lamb shank plate had a huge lamb portion on bone served with basmati rice and sautéed veggies, flavors were great and the plate was large enough to share. The dining area was pretty bare, service is ok, and they didn't offer any water other than bottled water to purchase. I'd probably come back and get takeout rather than eat here next time, but the food was good.

Absolutely delicious food that made me feel amazing after eating. The green sauce was very spicy…read moreand blended well with my dish. aaand they gave me a banana... what an interesringly odd yet nice touch. The price / portions were also spot on in my opinion. I ordered the chicken Kati. Thank goodness they actually had the bitter bread. The portions are on the larger side. I had enough for a second meal later in the day. Yes, it was so good I couldn't wait to eat the rest. Usually I save left overs for the next day. Since I got this food to go, I'll keep my review rating to just rate the food. The parking is pretty bad with only about 8 parking spots, but at least they have do have dedicated parking. I showed up at 9 am and the parking lot only had one space left just for me. There was already several people inside eating. Even more came and went while I waited. The interior needs a full make over in my opnion, but it's all fairly functional. Also their drinking water situation was confusing as they didn't even off me water with my meal. Maybe that was my fault. I originally asked for my food to go but mentioned that I was so hungry I was gonna eat some as soon as they handed it to me. So they decided to give it to me on a dine in plate. Don't come for a fancy date night or even to impress anyone. Unless you explain the interior design situation ahead of time.... it's like eating at an old uncle or grandparents house. Their service is fairly average, but the employees are a super chill vibe. A lot of customers had very lengthy conversations with the teller regardless if they were ordering, just hanging out, or already done eating. Honestly I've been thinking about going back all week. Next time I'm in the area, stopping in for a plate will be a must.

Safari Njema is an awesome spot in Columbia City that produced the most memorable meal that I've…read morehad in recent memory. The restaurant is a short walk from the lightrail station, tucked into a small row of restaurants just off the main drag. What I'd recommend you do is to either come at a very off-peak hour, or call ahead and place your order when you're on your way in. This is very much one woman's passion project, and so there is pretty much one woman cooking in the kitchen at any given time, even when it is busy. So, if you just roll up at peak dining hours, you will end up waiting quite a while for your food. It just is what it is. I don't have much patience for waiting, and I am supremely prone to hanger, so why then do I still really like this place? Because all that passion and love that she puts into her cooking -- you can taste it. It's been weeks since my visit and I am still daydreaming about the meal I had there -- a whole fried fish which was reduced to a pile of sucked-clean bones by the time I finished with it, the silkiest collards I've ever had, and the mountain of savory rice, all sprinkled with the tangy, mouth-watering house made hot sauce. I don't know what she seasons that fish with but I licked it off my fingers shamelessly. I visited with a friend who is a regular there, and so I got to visit the kitchen and chat with the owner after our meal. You can tell how much she cares about using food to bring people happiness and show people how good Kenyan food is.

One of my favorite meals of the year!…read more My partner and I wanted to try something we haven't before and we were lucky enough to be in south Seattle where we don't get to visit often. We decided on trying Kenyan food which we had never tried before. We were really glad we made this stop! Before getting there we were really set on the Samaki and we decided on getting it wet fried when we realized that was an option. The service was incredibly kind and we could tell that each dish was made to order with care. The samaki came with two sides and it was completely shareable which made it very affordable too. We were really happy we got the wet fry option because The curry that it came with was amazing. We were so happy with all the rich and colorful flavors. The restaurant itself is pretty small but offers a good number a seats. We will happily be back soon.