Maandeeq East African Cafe

I randomly found this place after a visit to Lowe’s in the shopping center next door. I walked in and immediately was reminded of the little restaurants that I would sometimes come across in parts of Kenya and Tanzania during my travels a few years ago (never been to Ethiopia or Somalia, though I think that is what this restaurant’s ethnic focus is on). So that means, every single customer was a man; some spoke English, others not. My guess would be that every single customer was either from Ethiopia or Somalia, which made me even more confident with the whole experience and the food I was about to order. You can tell the crowd was a little thrown off with a white women in business causal clothing being there, but nobody stared or made me feel uncomfortable. The owner/​cashier there helped guide me in an order that would satisfy my lunch craving… ended up getting a fried fish sandwich that was wrapped in a deliciously thick Chapatti, served with a green salsa. Also came with a small bowl of soup and a bottle of water, all for $ 8. I was very satisfied.

We tried it out the other day. We were in the area waiting for tires at Costco. When you walk in you can tell its an old Chinese restaurant. The staff was nice and friendly, but didn’t speak a lot of English. The menu doesn’t have prices, but it’s about $ 11 per meal. It starts with a banana and some really good soup. All of the meals also come with a huge plate of rice. I got the chicken Shwarma which was quite tasty. It was a lot of food though and I probably could have just split a meal with someone. All in all it was a pretty good experience.

I like to try different ethnic restaurants and found Maandeeq on Unilocal.It is Somali instead of Ethopian. When I walked into the place, it seemed kind of odd as the decorations on the wall were all Chinese. Anyway, a sign said seat yourself so I sat down and there was a colorful menu on every table. The funny thing was the menu had pictures but no price list.
A waiter came by to take my order, he was quite friendly. I ordered the fish of the day lunch and a chai. A couple minutes later a small bowl of lentil soup and a banana were brought to my table. I was not quite sure what to make of the banana. The fish of the day was fried tilapia with a red sauce on top, a side salad and plate of basmati rice.
The food was okay. The lentil soup was a little watery. The fish was slightly overcooked and therefore a little dry and the sauce also made it a a bit less crispy. The rice was good and tasted kind of similar to Indian spices. Anyway, all that including the chai was exactly $ 12, quite a good deal.
This restaurant must be authentic because all the customers except me were African although I cannot say if they were from Somali.

I have to say, I wasn’t prepared for the atmosphere of this place when I walked in for the first time. We decided to eat here because one of my friends was really craving goat (very random). For whatever reason, this place came up early in our search. Before I even got out of my car to go into the restaurant, I witnessed a few young people standing outside of the restaurant around a black town car. As I was parking, one of the boys/​men got into the car and sped off. I’m normally a pretty fast driver, but even for me this seemed dangerous. Not a minute later, that same car sped right back into the spot it was parked (blocking other cars and not a real parking spot) in front of the restaurant.
I made my way in where I met up with some friends. The table they originally sat us at was a booth right in front of the register. One booth seat had a giant hole in it where the seat cover was ripped and there was no padding. I think we looked really uncomfortable because someone came out and offered us a different table in what looked like the main dining area. As we walked through the restaurant, I realized that the patrons that come here seem to be VERY regular and from a single demographic. My friends and I got a lot of stares and I did feel a little uncomfortable. Once we sat down, I looked over the menu and ended up ordering the chicken shwarma with a side of rice. One of my friends ordered the goat with a side of spaghetti (kinda random? I’d say so). The person who took our order was VERY nice, but he really pushed that spaghetti on my friend. When he brought out our food, my friend’s «side» of spaghetti was the biggest plate of spaghetti I’ve ever seen. We were pretty convinced that they made too much for the day and needed to get rid of it.
The goat dish was pretty good, and surprisingly the spaghetti wasn’t bad. While it wasn’t exactly like the spaghetti with tomato sauce that I’m used to at Italian restaurants, it was a close cousin. My side of rice was also very good. It was seasoned pretty well and had a little bit of sweetness to it that I really enjoyed. The worst part of everything was the chicken shwarma. I’m not sure if Mediterranean shwarma and East African shwarma are supposed to be the same thing, but what I experienced was not the same. The chicken was in super thin strips, which dried it out. The seasoning was also a little off; more tangy that what I usually enjoy. And most of my plate was bell peppers and onions. A couple friends ordered sandwiches and they got a lot more bread than they bargained for.
If you do come here, I would recommend the goat and definitely get the chai tea. The chai is super authentic and really good. The only reason I’d probably come back is for some chai tea TO GO.

What an interesting place! No alcohol, good chai, only white person in there, amazing food!

This place now has menus! If you’re looking for exciting well-​spiced food in an elegant Chinese dragon themed space, look no further. The food is very good here. Go with a group and get one of everything to share. Tender goat, lamb, chicken and delicious biriyani type rice, for lack of descriptive words on my part. I love their chai. The best part of the meal is the fresh green hot sauce that is brought to the table. I have been here several times and the food never disappoints. The other night I tried sambusas here for the first time; fresh fried and so tasty! Sambusas are similar to the Indian samosa, but with a choice of chicken, beef, lamb or fish. Amazing prices too.

This Somali eatery located in an Aurora strip-​mall offers a peek into a rare (for Denver) culinary dimension.
Maandeeq is a word used particularly in Somaliland (the semi-​autonomous region in the north of Somalia) for a type of female camel, and the restaurant serves as a meeting-​point for expatriates from Somalia, Somaliland and Djibouti.
Eagle-​eyed visitors will notice that the space was formerly occupied by the Empress of China restaurant, and to that end, the current owners have kept many of the internal accoutrements, right down to the bottles of soy sauce on each table.
There is no menu at Maandeeq — they serve what they have available each day. If you come by early in the morning (beginning at about 10 am) you may be able to partake in a meal of Suqaar (sliced beef cooked with onions and peppers) served with Canjeero (a pancake-​like bread which is indeed vaguely similar to the Injera of Ethiopia and the Taita of Eritrea).
At lunch and dinner times, the choices become quite a bit more varied and, in addition to Suqaar, may include Hilib Ari (succulent roasted goat), thin-​pounded marinated beef steak, or a vividly yellow rendition of the Middle Eastern favorite, Chicken Shawarma.
Lunch and dinner meals come with a choice of accompaniments. For example, Bariis is a cardamom and clove-​kissed rice pilaf. Or how about Baasto (spaghetti with tomato sauce, a nod to the former Italian presence in much of Somalia)? Jabati/​Sabayad (a chewy flatbread which hints at Somali cuisine’s South Asian influence) is another possibility, or even Ugali [Soor] and Sukuma, a dish originating across the border in Kenya and consisting of white cornmeal porridge and a purée of leafy greens.
I have tried each dish listed above and can personally vouch for its toothsomeness (I know that’s not really a word, but humor me, OK?).
All meals come with a banana (Moos) which is meant to be mixed in with your meal (per Somali custom) and a peppery soup called Maraq, and for a dollar extra you can try the soothing, comforting spiced tea called Shaah.
Other possible beverages include mango (Cambe) and guava (Seytuun) juices, or Vimto (the English mixed-​berry soda which is *very* popular in much of East Africa and across the Middle East as a whole).
Most Somalis are devout Muslims and do not drink alcohol — thus Maandeeq does not have a liquor license. Please do not ask. In Somali, the word Beer in fact means Liver.
I (or as the folks at Maandeeq know me, «that weird white guy who shows up from time to time») highly recommend Maandeeq to those who are seeking something a little different in the culinary canon.