Banadir Somali Restaurant

The food: The goat meat was very succulent, so flavorful. However, I had a dish with a lot of bone and fat (in comparison to my friends plate it was at least ½ fat)
The service: not a warm greeting but they warmed up to us at the end — could be a difference in customs .
The location: it’s a hole in the wall, but that’s were treasures lie, right? Definitely a treasure.
Experience: overall a great experience trying Somalian food for the first time.
⁴⁄₅

I’ve been mourning the Somali eateries in Minneapolis since I left a two week conference there in 2012, particularly this one restaurant that was down the street from my dorm and served a football sized plate of goat and perfectly spiced rice and yammy salad (yes, yammy, not yummy) for $ 8. I didn’t really expect to find anything so magical anywhere else.
Well, Inglewood revived the dream today. In a tiny, very missable blue-​awninged restaurant with 8 things on the lunch menu (really just 4 things, each with an option of pasta or rice). We almost turned around and left when we saw this, because one of us (not me, obviously) was a vegetarian. However, he decided to try his luck, and did end up being able to fill up on rice, salad, and soup.
That may sound sad, but the rice at Banadir is pretty amazing, for rice. It’s half white, half yellow-​colored, and is full of delicious spices and caramelized onion shreds and oil. And as for the soup, it’s the goatiest soup ever. There may not be discernible chunks of meat in it, but it tastes like pure Essence of Goat.
Now, the chunks of goat themselves, which I ordered over the rice…
The first one fell apart on my fork as I tried to get it to my mouth. The second fell apart on my tongue. Every piece was tender, and every piece was coated thoroughly with spicy marinade, and if the marinade wasn’t spicy enough, there were also peppers stir-​fried in. Check out the picture… the plate was twice the length of my hand, and at 6’1″, believe me, I have big hands. I ate about half of it and was stuffed.
Here I missed the yams in the salad (this version had none and was accompanied by ranch dressing) and the random banana that was promised on the menu, but I am certainly not complaining. We were also brought complimentary hot tea and bottled water and the tea was like a liquid Cinnabon — all cinnamon and sugar. I’d love to come back for breakfast and try a totally different menu — not that I know what any of the things on the breakfast menu are!

Long overdue review ! Probably one of the best hidden gems that I have found in California.
Don’t be dissuaded by the run down looks of the place and the neighborhood. The owner is sweet and courteous, the food is heavenly and way cheap for the quantity and deliciousness.
I took 2 friends along with me and they kept thanking me the whole day for the awesome food.
We had the Goat and rice. Will post pics and videos.

Yikes. I went into this restaurant anticipating «a gem» and «a slice of heaven» but got the exact opposite. I got charcoal and a slice of goat sack.
The customers in here were extremely intimidating and looked like extras from the movie Captain Phillips. Yes, that means swashbuckling pirates. My friend and I were frozen in fear and tried not to make any sudden movements as a bunch of wildcards were posted in the dining area getting their mean mug on. While the server was kind, the vibes of this entire establishment were off from the get go. The table had fossilized rice encrusted on top of it and the floor was extremely sticky. The fact that this place got an ‘A’ from the Health Inspectors truly leads me to believe they just downloaded a copy of the image on Google and plastered it on the front of their wall. Extremely dirty and they really need to start mopping and cleaning the place up. Al Jazeera was playing on the TV and displaying images that would make anyone lose their appetite.
Ordered the rice and goat based off all the reviews I read but the meat was extremely tough and seemed like it was just reheated frozen deer meat. Gross. The rice was okay. Never again. This place has to be re-​inspected.

Lisa and I were in search of lunch and her adventurous spirit led us to Banadir.
The café is not much to look at, but we were warned by Unilocal that it’s a hole in the wall, so we were unphased. The wonderful proprietor greeted us warmly as soon as we walked in. And we immediately launched into a million questions about the menu, and he patiently answered them. Then he offered to dish us a combination plate (which is not on the menu) so we can basically try EVERYTHING.
It was my first Somali meal and wow was it amazing.
I can honestly say EVERY SINGLE ITEM is amazing. To give you a sense of how amazing it all is. I spent a summer on Dominica and ate goat the entire time, and developed an intense, gag inducing hate of goat meat, but Banadir’s goat is utterly delicious. So delicious, in fact, that I was tempted to have an entire plate of it. It’s THAT good. Alas, Lisa went with the goat, while I had the chicken. The lamb and stake were both delicious too.
Oh, and the almost unnaturally lime green hot sauce. Man. Delicious hot sauce. Definitely have some.

First time trying African food. This place isn’t the best looking but very delicious and so worth it. My boyfriend and I ordered lamb and rice. It came with a soup full of yummy veggies and so much flavor. Our food also came with a banana which might be unusual to someone but it went very well with our food. The lamb was so juicy and tender with so much flavor. The manager/​owner of the place was very polite and friendly. He checked on us to see how our food tasted and in the end invited us back to his restaurant. Very delicious!

Fantastic food. If it’s your first time, I would recommend getting the combo with fish, beef and chicken sukar so that you can get a taste of everything and see what you like. The spicy green chile sauce that you put on your rice is so good that I often buy it to take home to put on other dishes. The soup served with limes is also amazing.

The good is good, they REALLY feed you so expect large plates. Also, enjoy the tea because it is really really good. I give it 4 stars rather than 5 only because I don’t have enough experience with Somali food to know how it stacks up.

A friend introduced me to this spot & I’m sooo glad she did! It was my first time trying Somalian food & it was very tasty! Some things on the menu reminded me of Ethiopian food but don’t tell them that! We had the goat with half rice & half pasta. I have never had goat that was served in big chunks that & that had the kind of seasoning all the way through the meat the way this goat did. Big pieces of goat has a tendency to taste kind of gamey, but this was NOTHING like that; it was very tender too! There is a spicy green sauce that I added to the rice & pasta that was so good… it burned the heck out of my mouth but I didn’t let that stop me from killing it! Our food also came with a banana (to mash into your food-​I chose to keep mine separate), complimentary soup & a spiced tea that I had about 6 cups of while there & one to go. Will definitely be back!

A gem. A brilliant star. A slice of heaven.
I was hesitant to write this review as I don’t want anyone to know about it! All mine.
Rice flavor was reminiscent of my mother’s biriyani… Somali goat is simply magnificent. Full of well balanced spice… I feel like I am in someone’s home… kind owners who are concerned for the happiness of their guests.
This is why I love Los Angeles over any city in the world. We have the best executed ethnic food anyone could ask for.
I feel so content after eating here.

Yassssss Lordt !!! I absolutely enjoyed my dining experience at Banadir. This was my first experience with Somalian food and I’m glad it happened here :-D !!! The service was nothing short of AMAZING! They recommended I try the goat n rice, which came with banana.
Goat & Rice– ohhhh my goodness was I not ready for how good this was! It was absolutely delicious. I don’t know what they season their food with but it was SO GOOD! And the portion was HUGE! My daughter loved it with the nana, I choose to go without! They gave us all kinds of other stuff to try like the soup which was great but I was too stuffed to finish and their tea! Now I’m not even that hard core on tea, but I drank easily 4 cups! Don’t know what it was but I LOVED IT and wish I could have it in my pantry. I’m telling you, this place is awesome and the service was excellent! Now the décor wasn’t all that but I’ve had wayyyy worse experiences in beautiful establishments.

Hey Unilocalers, if you want to try the best Kabsah –rice with meet– ever made, you should visit this remarkable restaurant. They are specialists in The Middle Eastern cuisine. the service in there is extremely perfect. they serve also variety kinds of salad. they are so friendly. I recommend this restaurant for any one who is interested in the middle eastern cuisine. BELIEVE ME YOU ARE GOING TO BE ADDICTED TO IT. it is better than the restaurants in somewhere else.
** For some people, they also serve SAMBOSAH sometimes ;)

This humble looking eatery is tucked inside a small entrance right by a barber shop in Inglewood. I found the place on Unilocal and decided to give it a try.
Ambience — While I walked into the restaurant, an elderly lady greeted me and asked what would I like to eat for lunch and I asked if she had any suggestions for first timers. She was like, you should go for goat and rice. The place looks little shady with very simple furniture and people randomly walking in and out.
Food — The rice was very flavorous and the goat was cooked to perfection, meat was tender and cooked with a great combination of spices. I grew up eating goat and can easily make out the quality of it from the first bite. They also served hot Somalian tea which had a very unique flavor of cardamom.
Overall a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to try a new cuisine.

5 stars for the value and experience
Ordered the chicken banaadiri and goat with rice plates. I would say that it’s difficult to cook goat properly, and this restaurant does it well. It was my first time trying Somalian food, and I thought it was influences by both middle eastern and African cooking styles. Good portions and they even give you a banana per plate.
Super nice owner with a family-​friendly atmosphere. The place might be a little harder to spot at night, but don’t miss it! Support great local businesses!
Very tempted to come back and try their breakfast options

I am an adventurous type eater. So my review may not represent typical American people.
This restaurant has simple menu, but it was quite tasty! Restaurant people are nice. My friend and I came here as we were attracted to «Somalian Food» that we rarely encounter.
— Setup
The store front and décor is simple. So I believe this restaurant can’t be a romantic destination for a date. It was perfect for two bored foodie guys who were looking for something interesting. On the other hand, service and food was quite good and satisfactory. There is a hot water server filled with Somalian tea which is flavorful, spicy and sweet.
— Food
The rice and meat which is this restaurant’s specialty was quite good, too. It comes with main dish, soup and a banana at $ 10.99. Not bad at all. The taste was savory and the amount was enough for two adults. I would say this was the best goat dish ever for me. Usually goat meat is stringy, hard to chew and served in small portion. This goat meat was tender, juicy and flavorful. Chicken was so-​so, still not bad. We were happy about the food.
— Extra
Restaurant menu was simply printed on a white paper, but I don’t mind it as my main focus was food. The restaurant person explained about Somalia, and I learned what I did not know about this country like it has the longest coastline among African countries.
To conclude, I would recommend this restaurant for those who like to try new, authentic and different food. Menu is simple, and it would not be realistic to come here everyday. I would definitely enjoy this food every once a while. This review is focusing more on the taste and the intellectual satisfaction rather than the store interior and appearance.
Again, this restaurant has value. :)

This was my first time eating Somalian food, so I can’t compare this place to others. When I first drove by this restaurant, I easily missed it due to it being a tiny restaurant on a busy street. Just an FYI — there is a parking lot across the street, which is great because parking on the streets in this neighborhood does not seem too safe.
K, moving on. The restaurant is a tiny hole in the wall place that has a limited menu. These tend to be my favorite kind of restaurants because I find that these are the restaurants that really focus on the taste of the food and specialize in a few dishes. My three friends and I got their specialty — a 3 meat (goat, chicken, and beef) platter with rice. Each portion is $ 11, but the server told us that the portion size is pretty big, so he recommended that we only order 3 portions for the four of us. Our food came out on two ginormous platters. One platter was half salad and half meat and the other was the rice. The meats were all marinated and cooked wonderfully. The chicken breast was pounded pretty thin, had a tangy marinade, and was still very moist — delicious! The beef was also thin and flavorful. Finally, the stewed goat was very tender and delicious — not gamey at all. The rice was quite delicious and pretty as well.
The food here is really good and pretty lean. Rice and protein = mmm. The portion size was great as well. Prices were good and service was great. The family (I think?) that runs it is very kind. However, remember that this is a typical hole-​in-​the-​wall place, meaning that the tables were a little sticky, ambiance is lacking, and it’s not in the best neighborhood. Some of the silverware was also dirty as well.

One morning, when I told my friends that I was stuck alone with two Somali people, they thought that I had been captured by pirates and held hostage. I had to explain to them that I was not kidnapped; the friendly Somali family around me were in the kitchen preparing breakfast the way they would eat it in their native country along the east-​African coast.
Banadir’s kitchen in Inglewood opens at 6am, and for the next 5 hours, a husband and wife tandem prepare Somali-​style breakfast for $ 6.99. The menu is fairly straight forward, including combinations of anjero with stewed chicken, beef liver, eggs, or fava beans. During lunch and dinner, the menu opens up to heavier items and more elaborate dishes, including permutations of rice, pasta, goat, and fish.
For breakfast, I ordered the anjero, paired with sides of ful and chicken suqar. I have eaten the Middle Eastern variations of ful before; the Somali preparation was slightly different. What I received was fava beans in pureed form, laced with salt and toasted spices, sprinkled with crushed bell peppers, stir fried on a pan. The ful’s texture was creamy, and unlike dishes with similar consistency like Mexican refried beans or Indian curries loaded with butter, Banadir’s ful was more hearty, not oily, neither heavy nor bland, and had just the right amount of peppery heat to relish but not linger for too long. This dish had more sophisticated flavors than the Egyptian version I had before, which was more tangy, and the Iraqi counterpart, which was just straight up boiled fava beans served in an olive oil base.
The chicken suqar, or stew, was dressed with similar spices as the ful. Nothing special to mention, except that the meat was certified Halal. It’s because over 95% of people from Somalia are Muslim.
The anjero, on the other hand, was a «one of a kind» highlight. It was a type of bread with consistency similar to the hybrid of south-​Indian dosa and American pancake. The chef explained that anjero is considered the main course of this meal, which took time for me to get used to because in the Western world, savory stews and meats usually receives the most attention. Although anjero sounds very similar to the Ethiopian injera, the two are different types of flatbread. Somali anjero is much thicker, larger, and resembles a crêpe. It has a sourdough taste from the fermented batter, and if you want to add tanginess, use the lime given on the side. 2 pieces per order. I find injera relatively tasteless compared to anjero, but they both serve similar purpose, to be eaten with the savory stews.
Somali citizens like to start their day by consuming a cup of tea, so a black bitter tea was included in the breakfast combo. You can also substitute tea with a bottled water, which I regrettably did. I didn’t follow the Somali tradition.
Based on the breakfast I was served at Banadir, I would describe Somali cuisine as a fusion between Middle Eastern and east-​African cooking. The breads, spices, and stews are somewhat similar to Ethiopia and Kenya cuisine, the meats and confections seem to be influenced by Middle Eastern neighbors.
I will like to return to Banadir for dinner someday to try the famous rice and goat platter. Every dish is cooked to order at Banadir, one by one, so the food is ultra-​fresh. The next time I hear a reference about Somalia, I will think of their tasty food rather than pirates hijacking boats and asking for ransom.

I was able to try Somalian food for the first time at a Ramadan event at UCLA, they were catered for dinner. I had no idea what to expect but we got amazing meat and rice.
In one dish we had lamb meat sautéed with onions, and another dish was goat meat that was bbq’d. The rice was fresh and a perfect combo with the meat. I can’t wait to actually go to the restaurant and try their $ 11 special.

This hole-​in-​the-​wall Somalian restaurant impressed me by their hearty Goat and Rice! The goat meat was seasoned so well with varieties of spices and herbs which gave out a beautiful aroma. It’s NOT the usual goat curry with rice you find in some Indian cooking
Eat the goat with the banana they give you! The sweet, soft, and creamy banana compliments the goat very well! The complimentary vegetable soup was executed beautifully and absorbed the essence of all the ingredients. Yum!

I ordered the Goat/​Lamb and it was so amazing! A friend and I split the lunch deal so in the end, we eat spent about 14.00. What a smashing deal.
The meat is wonderfully flavored and tender. The soup is also a very nice starter. I’m coming back again soon.