MAKE Projects

I have been here countless times. When I say I could eat their food daily, I really mean it. As a Somali, I really love their malawah. It's a staple of mine most times I'm here (not pictured unfortunately!), but I love their meals in general. I have had their coffee, tea, dinners (when they had it), breakfast, lunch. It never disappoints. I love this spot so much that it was the spot for my goodbye lunch when leaving a job. Truly the best! The service is amazing. The youth are lovely. The mission is incredible. It's all locally sourced. And incredibly creative + diverse meals. Not to mention very kid friendly! Love love love.

I work from home and was looking to order breakfast/brunch for pickup. I remembered about this place because I walk past it often.I decided to order from here because I love their mission statement and what they stand for. The price ordering online from here for a meal was about the same if I were to order a sandwich from the busy/trendy cafe down my street so I thought, okay i'll try here it's going to a good cause.I ordered the North African Shakshuka ($16) plus 2 bucks more for service fees from ordering online (typical at any restaurant). It stated my order would be ready within 15 minutes. I gave it some time and arrived at the thirty. Minute mark. The restaurant was not busy at all due to it being a weekday morning, however, they apologized and stated they had not seen my order and started working on it right away. The lady who I'm guessing is a supervisor or manager, was very apologetic and offered a complimentary beverage while I waited. I thought that was kind, I ordered the Vietnamese coffee. (It definitely wasn't Saigon but it was complimentary and still enjoyed it)It did take about 20 minutes for me to receive my food, but they also gave me a complimentary desert and they apologized again. I would say if I was in a hurry maybe it would have been more of an issue but I worked from home so it was okay.I think I will try this place again but dining in. The meal was hearty and yummy! Exactly what I wanted.

This is hands down the best brunch spot in North Park. I'm a vegetarian, and they've got plenty of great veggie options, but I always end up going with the Somali Malawah or the Shakshuka. Both are incredibly flavorful, savory dishes that perfectly satisfy that breakfast egg craving. Lately I've been going with the Malawah because the crispy cheese is so unique and delicious.If you don't think of yourself as an adventurous eater, don't worry about trying the Malawah--while it might sound different than common San Diego breakfast fare, if you like the flavors of a good breakfast burrito, you'll absolutely love this.The coffee drinks are also excellent, especially the new orange mocha which I had iced.I really can't say enough good things about the food here, and that would be reason enough to go, but the fact that this place also employs refugees and immigrants and helps them build community in San Diego is just awesome. As someone who lives in North Park, it makes me very happy that we get to have such a uniquely delicious, purpose-driven establishment in the neighborhood. Lucky us!

If you want to feel good about dining out, experience a warm-hearted ambiance, and have an affordable meal... this is a new restaurant to check out!!I am so glad my friends and I randomly walked by this place on the way to Saigon Coffee. Not only was there good food, but also a restaurant concept that I fully support in terms of social justice and awareness when it comes to the ingredients they use. This agricultural kitchen employs refugees and immigrant women and youth which warms my heart because I don't see many of these establishments in San Diego.The staff was super kind, timely, and the owner herself even greeted each table to make sure we had an enjoyable experience. The items we ordered were very potato heavy but the cilantro sauce that comes with the dishes helped balance out the potatoes which had good seasoning. The Shakshuka was my favorite dish! It was full of flavor and the tomatoes were not too sour--it had the rich and sweet flavor of ripe tomatoes. All the ingredients were really fresh and even the fruits were sweet! The interior is super spacious, airy, and clean. Prices are reasonable and I love how they have a specials menu that I think changes seasonally.

I loved the concept and the food! MAKE Project is true farm-to-table as their food comes from their own farm! Additionally, they help refugee and immigrant women by providing job training at this restaurant. After these women get experience, they help with resumes so they can move onto another job and Make Project can help more people. This restaurant itself is big and spacious. I made a reservation since we had a group of 5, but there were open seats as well, so you'd be fine to walk up. The food was SO good. Everyone loved their meals! Good food and a great concept! Nothing to lose!!!

They have moved to a new location on University avenue and it's great! I love what they did with the space! The front patio is dog friendly which Cako appreciates! What I also love is that some of my students work here so I can be obnoxious and they have to be nice to me! LOL!I love how the menu changes depending on what's available. We tried the smashburger, seasonal vegetables, and some really delicious roasted dates! The chef sent us out some burrata cheese and bread...sooooo good! We also had the chicken skewers which were delicious! We passed on dessert because we were full!This is an amazing place to come to which gives young people and immigrants food service skills that they can take anywhere. Definitely worth going to for dinner or brunch!!!Cako Approves!

Couldn't recommend this place enough...Besides all the excellent food we tried, this non-profit has their own farm, sources additional local ingredients, and helps youth and women immigrants and refugees get a job.Everything was fresh and tasty and the service was quick and attentive.The place was not as busy enough as it should've been for a Saturday afternoon so feel free to show up without a reservation. Big space for large groups too.The Somali Malawah was just like a hardy potoato egg and yummy cheese in a thin crepe with fresh sides. The bizbaz sauce it came with is what makes it so good tho. Not sure what was in it... maybe cilantro and yogurt among other things... but so good.Shakshuka was tasty.And the beignets aka Mandazi were really good... not greasy at all and the seasonal jam we had was an apple cinnamon.Looking forward to going back and trying more... especially their dinner

So many yummy flavors and such a good cause! I LOVE the mission and purpose of MAKE Projects. We got the spread trio, shakshuka, and Afghan chicken tacos and everything was delicious. I think my favorite spread was the laghataq. Everything was so delicious and nicely spiced, with very friendly service. The GM makes her way to every table to say hi and discuss the project too! :)

Visited Make Project on a Friday evening for dinner. The space is huge! We were the first ones in the door that evening. The place is well staffed and everyone was very friendly and seemed genuinely happy to be there. I did my research before hand since a lot of the ingredient names were totally foreign to me. We started off with the: Afghan Laghataq- Eggplant dip. This was just ok. The presentation was not alluring in any shape of form. The taste was subpar as well. Grilled Winter Squash with mast o khiar (persian dip similar to tzatziki)- likely the best thing I tasted tonight. Afghan Chicken Kabab with citrus piri piri - nothing specialBatata Harra- Lebanese "spicy" potatoes with lemon, chili flake and fresh herbs- the potatoes looked like they had potential given all of the seasonings however, they were kind of bland to me. Vietnamese grilled lamb shoulder with Haitian pikliz (pickled onions). My husband really enjoy the lamb shoulder! I really wanted my taste buds to go on an adventure while dining at Make Project. Unfortunately, this was not the case this time. I am glad we tried it and that we were made aware of their mission to empower refugee and immigrant women. I'm happy to support Make Project and hope to try it again in the future hopefully once their recipes have improved a bit and or looking forward to trying new items on the menu.

Brilliant idea, and brilliant food! I had the Homemade Lemonade with Lavender, bright, tangy and slightly sweet. I also ordered the East African Mandazi beignets with jam, light and crunchy, the jam was amazing and fresh, so perfect!The Seared Locally Caught Fish Sandwich was excellent, it featured a delicious lemon aoli sauce and a side of potatoes. My only criticism were the potatoes, they needed seasoning, they had zero flavor. I will be back to try some of the other delicious-looking dishes and to help a worthy cause!