Flavors of East Africa

switching my cheat days on weekdays. lunch specials so worth it(+) large size = 3/4 sweet + 1/4 spicy = perfect combo(+) excellent service(+) joined the mail club (so i can order togo plate next visit)

4 is the magic number.  I got lucky and pulled into the last of the 4 parking spots in front.Friendly person in charge welcomed me in.  Cool African artifacts.Lots of tempting choices.  I chose the oxtail.Plantains were soft and sweet.  Maggie loved them.Fries were crispy and had tasty fried potato flavor.Chapati was like a tortilla and I liked the mild flour tortilla like flavor.Oxtail was tender and full of beefy flavor.  Loved the sauce and the stuff used to season the oxtail.  The rich flavors remind me of the oxtail at Havana Grill.  This is one of the best preparations of oxtail I've had.2nd visit.Steak was well done and hard to cut with a butter knife.  It was dry and the texture was rough.  The flavor was beefy with just the right amount of salt.  I think it was top sirloin steak.  My preference is for ribeye cooked medium.Beef short ribs were tender and moist.  Loved the flavor.  There was a sauce on it which was delicious in small quantities.Staff was very nice and answered a bunch of questions I had.

Good quality, Good quantity, Good value.Overall I'd recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to try out East African Cuisine. There is something for everyone and the servers that work here are very helpful and can direct you towards something that will satisfy you. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND trying the "secret menu" Passionfruit/Ginger Hibiscus drink!! Also parking was a little rough; I had to park four blocks away (under 10 minute walk).Came in for a weeknight dinner and there was ample seating available. I was immediately greeted by one of the staff who showed me to my table and was patient and friendly with my questions about the menu. I asked about her recommendations and I ended up ordering the following:Passionfruit and Ginger Hibiscus Juice: This is a "secret menu" order and is something I would've missed out on had the server not recommended it to me. This juice was very light, sweet, and refreshing with the unique scent of ginger. I would HIGHLY recommend you all order this to try alongside your entree.Mbuzi Choma: Smokey, charred, meaty. This grilled goat was absolutely a treat for me as I have recently taken up barbecuing. There is a combination of the familiar smokey charred taste which facilitates the more unique game-meat taste of the goat. I've tried a lot of different meats from beef and pork to unique game meats like veal, goat, and lamb and I would put this right in the middle and recommend this highly to anyone who wants an introduction to game meats. If you are looking for something more tender, I would try the Oxtail or Nyama Choma (Roast Beef) as that is what the server recommended me for something tender.Biriganya: Rich, filling, meaty. This fried eggplant dish is so flavorful and is a perfect complement for rice, or even better, the ugali! Admittedly, it is mildly "over-powering" when it comes to flavor but this works to your benefit when eaten in combination with the Ugali which is an East African variation of "fufu" for those who are familiar. For those who might not be big fans of veggies for the argument that they are plain and flavorless, this side will be what challenges that.Ugali: Plain, filling, light. This was the first time I have tried anything like the Ugali and I was very pleasantly surprised. I've never had anything that was both so filling yet felt so light. By itself it is quite plain in flavor and texture, but this side is not meant to be eaten alone. Combine this with your meat and veggies and you're in for a treat.

I've never had East African, let alone African food, so I was eager to try Flavors across the street from The Lafayette on El Cajon.They offer a number of proteins including goat. The entrees come w/ your choice of rice and veggie. We started off w/ 7 sambusas (mainly savory, w/ one sweet). The sambusas were GBD and came w/ a nice sauce for dipping.For my entree, I had lamb curry w/ saffron rice & collared greens. My cuz had grilled goat w/ coconut rice & lentils. The curry was bursting w/ flavor from the spice combo, and the meat was tender. In addition, the portion was massive: I only ate half. My cuz's goat was a little dry for my liking, but I guess its prepare jerky style.The waitress was super nice and helpful w/ the menu. There were only two tables dining in, but she was working her ass off managing all the Uber Eats and DoorDash orders. The ambiance is nothing to speak of, but there is a lot of room.I'm glad my first experience w/ African food was an excellent one. I can't wait to try more dishes the next time I am in SD.

Friday evening not packed at all, but parking was very rough. Just find a spot on street parking nearby and just walk.Inside is very minimal - but we sat in the booth. There were only 2 servers juggling pickup orders and sitting tables so it took a minute for them to take our order, but understandable as a lot of call in orders etc. Food is wow - I don't think I've ever had real African food. Everything was so flavorful, rich, filled with complexity. Good portions as well especially for the oxtails. We got lamb, oxtails, shrimp, and chicken to try like each of the meats, but they do offer fish and goat as well. The entrees allow you to pick a veggie and option so we pretty much tried all of the options. We really loved the collard greens, lamb, and oxtails. Tender meat with just perfect seasoning. First time eating ugali or fufu, and it went so well with the stews or anything we ordered. Loved the food and just 5 stars.

If you're looking for a taste adventure this is where you want to be.The ambiance? Eh, it won't transport you to the Serengeti, but the staff are so warm and welcoming, you'll feel like you're being hugged by a herd of friendly elephants. Brought my team here, and we had a feast fit for a safari king - from jerk chicken to goat stew, every bite was a stampede of flavor. Kilimanjaro? More like Kilima-YUM-o! And don't get me started on the curries - they were so good, we almost broke out into a spontaneous conga line. So, if you're craving adventure in every bite, Flavors of East Africa is where it's at. Just watch out for rogue spices - they'll sneak up on you faster than a lion on the hunt!

Very unassuming interior with good service. We came on a Friday around dinner time and were seated right away. I came here with some friends, we got the Lamb Curry, Oxtails, Curry Shrimp, and Spicy Jerk Chicken. Everything was so good. Portion sizes were pretty good too. I don't know if I've ever had legitimate African food before, but everything had so much flavor. The lamb and oxtails were tender and the rice was well-seasoned. It was my first time trying ugali, which I found hard to roll with my hands but it tasted kind of like grits. The Curry Shrimp tasted like a green Thai curry, and the Jerk Chicken actually had some spice to it. I wasn't a huge fan of the eggplant, it was quite heavy/oily for my taste. My favorites were the Lamb Curry and the Oxtails. I would definitely come here again.

The spicy jerk chicken is something else.... it is packed with flavor in each bite. I love the level of spice they use and had my roommates each take a bite and they all said "oh wow". Overall 10/10This time I got the coconut rice and lentils on the side. Their saffron rice is jammed pack with flavors so if you want a simpler rice to pair with your flavorful jerk chicken, I say go with the coconut rice. The lentils were of course amazing! And the plantains were a sweet finishMy only downside (that will not take away from the rating because I love their food so much) is that I paid 4.95 for one beef sambusa and a side of tamarind sauce. Was it delicious? absolutely! but it was quite small to only get one for that price. Either way I love their jerk chicken too much to be sad about it!

You ordered food from here once before and remember how flavorful and decently spicy the food was so I had to get some when my family was visiting from India . They love extra spicy food and it's hard to find that here.Jerk Chicken (sweet & spicy)Absolutely Love the chicken here! It's soft and perfectly cooked and literally just falls off the bone. Really a delicious one. Perfect amount of sweet and spicy when you ask for the mixed.. Even the spicy is really good.I wouldn't mind either of those chickens to be honest! Ugali (mashed cornmeal)First time ordering the ugali and it was a pleasant surprise. It's actually quite plain on its own but with the chicken it goes really well! Good amount of portion on the ugali too. Wali (saffron rice with carrot, potatoes)This rice is really flavorful. The carrots and potatoes inside add a good amount of volume and texture to it. It's good on his phone or with the chicken! Chapati (flatbread)Was expecting a bigger piece of flatbread here but the chapati was quite small. I wouldn't recommend it If you're hoping for a good portion size from one of the carbohydrate sides. Would you recommend the rice or ugali instead.Overall really good food to order for delivery! Never tried the dining but I think the place looks more like a hole in the wall. But delivery is awesome.

**ordered through UberEats**As a vegetarian I was so happy to see plenty of options to choose from. I really enjoyed my meal from here! It was absolutely delicious. There were so many wonderful flavors. I got the large plate with Ugali, eggplant, lentils, collard greens and beans with corn. It was divine. There was so much flavor and texture and each side was absolutely unique. The Ugali was great to eat with the plenty of sauce the food has. I was so pleasantly surprised to see such a large portion for a reasonable price. It was packaged well for take out to ensure it didn't make a mess. The wait time was a little long but that's ok to wait when the food is this good.