Afro Deli & Grill - Saint Paul

The beef samosas are some of the best I've ever had. I also usually get the AfroSteak dinner with a Greek salad. Majority of my orders have been through takeout but I have never had an issue with packing. Deserves usually the baklava; very good but not sure if it's worth the price for the amount given.

The chicken yassa was SO GOOD!! This place was definitely worth going to, I just wish the process had been a bit smoother. First off, the line was really long and moved very slowly. Not sure why it was so slow, because when we finally got to the front it didn't seem like there were lots of questions to be asked. On the positive side, it gave us lots of time to peruse the menu and decide on one thing, then another, then another.I finally decided on the chicken yassa on a salad. Honestly, so glad I got that because the chicken was super good - moist, flavorful, truly delicious. My friend got the chicken fantastic, which she liked very much, but I think I got the winner on this one. Get the yassa! I wish they had asked me a little bit more about my salad preferences, though - before I knew it, they had loaded up the (super fresh, crunchy) lettuce with tons of green bell peppers, raw onions, and tomatoes (all of which also looked great!). Problem? I hate green peppers and rarely eat raw onions, so had to pluck a bunch of stuff off my salad when I sat down to eat. My friend, on the other hand, got asked if she wanted her chicken fantastic as half and half salad and chicken, got rice, and was able to customize her salad. BTW, the rice was delicious too. As for ambience, the restaurant is clean but no-frills and has a nice outdoor space.

First time staying in St. Paul! Normally I'd pick a hotel in Downtown Minneapolis (more interesting bars & restaurants on average) but I found something right next to the venue I was working an event at, so I decided to give it a try. I saw Afro Deli on Yelp, with a highly rated Afro Steak Dinner. Took a short walk to try it out, taking my meal back to my hotel. Service was quiet and courteous, as I walked down the "Chipotle line" and specified what I wanted in my bowl. Hearty and delicious meal. I've never had food like this before, partly why I picked the place. Glad I satisfied my craving for the notorious Afro Steak Dinner! Will explore other places around St. Paul next time and glad this will always be a reliable quick to-go option.

The food made up for the lapses in service and preparation. We arrived on the early side of lunch, so the staff seemed unprepared to take our order at the counter. We ordered the Somali Steak Sandwich, and it was fantastic! (The guy had to clean the grill since it looked like no one cleaned it the night before but I'm glad that little issue didn't turn me away...). The Sandwich was piled high enough with thinly sliced beef, topped with tomato, lettuce, sauted onions) and the spices & flavors were divine. Also ordered the side of Sweet , fried plantains-- probably the best I've ever had. My SO watched him drop it into the fryer. Perfectly fried (not sure if there's a thin batter or not) but my oh my it's good! I think it's a very healthy food aside from all the frying, lol! We sat outside on a beautiful day. The drinks were serve yourself and they couldn't find the cups for that for awhile.Definitely recommend it even with the service issues.

Wow. I was completely blown away by this place. I ordered the Afro Steak Dinner and it was incredible. The seasoning on the steak was so full yet not overwhelming. The steak is moist, which is rare for thin sliced steak. Also, the rice is cooked perfectly... which is shocking considering it's stored in a buffet container. It's loose & toothy:)The price is great; especially for the less than $4 kids meal with generous portions!

I loved the chicken fantastic rice bowl. It was great! It was a good portion size, had good flavor, was GF, and I loved the sauce. I was very happy with my choice.

Afro Deli is a Somali/African cafe in downtown St. Paul (and now has a few locations elsewhere, too).I like the vibe and variety of food they offer, along with the few labeled vegan options.I got the curry vegetable jabati wrap ($13) which is basically a chapati filled with rice and some soggy, curried vegetables. There's no tofu or seitan option. I wasn't impressed with it.I later got a falafel wrap ($9) which is vegan if you omit the tzatziki (yogurt) sauce. I wasn't impressed by the store-bought pita, but the falafel pieces themselves were light and fresh-tasting. I also have had their sambusas, which didn't wow me.All told, I'm glad Afro Deli is around, but if you forced the issue, and I had to choose between a Chipotle sofritas burrito and an Afro Deli curry vegetable jabati wrap or falafel wrap, I'd choose Chipotle. That said, I probably will return to Afro Deli for the variety it offers.

Best lamp gyro I've ever had maybe and the side salad is amazing too which was surprising- the vinaigrette they use is

Really good food & affordable. Definitely worth it! Visit whenever you're nearby it's worth the trip.

On 12-2-24 I visited the Afri location in downtown St Paul Minnesota. I asked the man to change his gloves and he said he wanted to know why? I told him that he had the gloves on before I came into the restaurant and he had not changed them. He had already made a order before mine and he still had the same gloves. With his open palm and the dirty glove he touched my paper that he would have wrapped my sandwich in. I asked him again to change the gloves and he changed them. Then I told him I wanted him to change the wrap paper that he had touched. He became upset as he slammed his hand down on the counter on top of the paper gathered it up to throw it away hard into the trash can. I said " oh no, no I won't be eating here with that bad energy. All because I asked you to change your gloves and your upset like that You won't get my money!! I left. Then I came back into the restaurant to record his face. Then I called the health department on the restaurant.