Solay Bistro

They refused to take a $ 25
coupon, claiming they never agreed to use that service which I hardly think is possible. I racked up a purchase of $ 42.50 to meet the minimum requirement stated on the coupon and they wouldn’t take a dime off of it.
The service was extremely slow. 2 hours to get served when there was no one else even in there the majority of the time.

Figured we try this place out because of the claims of vegan and gluten free. We arrived at very empty restaurant, the hostess was very nice to seat us and take our order. We then realized that the cook was not there and arrived about twenty minutes later. The food came out a short while after and was absolutely excellent. We felt bad that we where the only ones in the restaurant and they called in the chef just for us but if this place needs the business and they make amazing food. I would recommend more people give this place a chance because they do deserve it.

Their food was really grea. Not too spicy, lots of flavor. Thre were 5 of us and we had a blast. Its relatively inexpensive, the owner is really nice and the conversation with them was really nice.
We had the sambusa, the big platters, rice dishes.

I have only eaten at Solay one time, but every bite (and sip! — mango kale smoothie, yum!) was delicious. Fantastic food, fanstastic service, a great addition to the Columbus international food scene.
So I’m beyond sad, after noticing the website was down recently, to have learned that this amazing place has closed for business about a month ago. I called their phone number to confirm, and the woman answering (I’m assuming the owner) sounded so sad that I wanted to hug her through the phone.
Another Columbus gem falls to the wayside… I hope that they are receive support from the community and are eventually able to re-​open their doors.

Really good, every thing is fresh.

Excellent place to come for good Somali food. It’s clean, the three sisters who run the place are very nice, not overbearing waitresses, who take the time to make the food basically from scratch.
I had the K. K dish, which was delicious, plentiful, and although some people do not appreciate basic vegetables such as lettuce and tomato, as a side dish, it’s nice to have them. In Africa, where I work a lot, I have had many dishes, many different styles in different countries, and vegetables are essential. They are the fruit of the earth, and I enjoy the fact that at Solay they keep the basics of life on the plate.
The appetizers were great. You can start out with Sambusa and potato cutlets. Those are brilliant pieces of food, with a nice spicy sauce. The K.K. has the following ingredients: Eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, onions, pepepers and green and simmered in a homemade sauce and tossed with freshley made sabayat bread. Comes with your choice of goat, beef, chicken, talapia or salmon. I got the description from their website.
How many local, family run restaurants have so many choices and ingredients that are fresh and tasty? I have to admit I was impressed. Plus, to top it off, it’s not expensive at all. They serve big servings, so you don’t come out feeling somewhat ripped off.
It’s a restaurant that’s made for people who know how to have a conversation around the table, and who aren’t in a hurry. Good place to catch up with an old friend.
I’d strongly suggest you try it out. You’ll be suprised!

I rate this place four stars (taking into consideration the décor and a bit slow service), but the food itself rates FIVE stars!
Came here with a Groupon. I will definitely return again even without a Groupon. Now what would I order with $ 30 to spend?
I had the sambusa stuffed with beef. That’s pastry dough stuffed with beef, oh my, the pastry was so soft and very sweet! Greasy, but worth it.
I had a butternut squash soup. Thick and creamy and delicious!
I ordered the Sabayat combo platter (1 meat, 2 veggies) — goat meat, Chickpeas, green lentils. BTW, if you are confused by the difference between Anjeero and the Sabayat combos, the difference is the bread. Anjeero is spongy bread, Sabayat is more like a flatbread. I had anjeero at another ethopian restaurant and decided it wasn’t really my thing, so I went with the sabayat. I really loved the sabayat here, I was piling the meat/​veggies on it and just stuffing it in my mouth. I went with goat because reviewers said the goat was great. The goat meat was my first experience, and the meat was tender and flavorful. I WILL ORDER GOAT AGAIN! I enjoyed the chickpeas and lentils as well.
And to finish– a Mango lassie smoothie. Tasted fresh and fruity, delicious!
All of it came to around $ 26. Dang it, didn’t spend $ 30, but I couldn’t possibly eat another bite!

What a wonderful little place hidden from sight. I had a coupon I bought on Google about a year ago and forgot about it, so once I stumbled upon the coupon, we tried this place out. We are always on the lookout for vegetarian options, and this is a new spot to add to our list.
Very cozy place with nice décor and a very helpful and friendly owner. Our appetizers were wonderful, we ordered the potato balls and the veggie sambusa. They were excellent and the hot sauce was very good and nice and spicy.
Our main meals were delicious, we ordered the veggie combo platter and the KK with beef. Both were very good and very filling, we left stuffed to the brim and it was hard to stop eating since it was so good. Both of the breads they offer are very very good.
We both can’t wait to come back

An expiring Groupon deal inspired me to come here for a lunch date on a Saturday afternoon. I probably would not have come here otherwise, since the place is out of the way for me. Don’t be discouraged by the unassuming exterior. The décor inside is pretty nice. I ordered the mango and kale smoothie and the anjeero combo platter with chicken, spinach, and eggplant with zucchini sauce. My boyfriend ordered the Somali tea and the beef sugaar. This was our first time trying Somalian food, and we really enjoyed it! The mango and kale smoothie tasted fresh. If you like green smoothies, you should enjoy this. Not so sure what was in the Somali tea, but it definitely had some milk, sugar, and two cloves. It was a little too sweet for me, but my boyfriend really enjoyed it.
The food itself was generally lightly spiced, tasty and filling. I only had really minor issues. My dish came with hot sauce, but no banana, which the menu said I would get with my dish for the full Somalian experience. Oh well. I don’t think it would have gotten along with the rest of my meal anyway. My «eggplant» side came with potatoes, a piece of eggplant skin or at least I assumed it was so, and a piece of zucchini in a tomato-​based sauce. Not sure if I ordered the right side dish. It tasted good anyway. Again, minor issues. The spinach also comes with potatoes, but it didn’t dominate the spinach. The beef in my boyfriend’s meal was on the tough side, but his sabaayat was addictive. It was oily but oh so delicious.
Checking this place out was definitely a good decision.

Location, location, location, right? Wrong! Do not let the hard to find location hinder you from experiencing fabulous food! I have driven by and glanced at this restaurant for quite some time. My thought was that I never see cars in the parking lot — in my book not a good sign, wrong again!
I’m seduced by a irresistible groupon and an article on the restaurant in USA Today. Confirmation, I must try this place.
I’m surprised as soon as I enter, very modern, tasteful décor! Check out the floor. Anyway, I had anticipated a language barrier — not. The owner was extremely friendly and helpful in answering all of my questions regarding my food choices. Her hospitality and kindness had already won me over without eating one bite!
The food — awesome!!! The seasoning, the texture, aroma and plating — all perfect! The anjeera bread, spongy deliciousness! Goat meat, tender meaty goodness! Everything was very good!
The price, portion and taste of food will have me going back on a regular basis!
Also, there are no cars because the majority of customers do take out. It was a steady stream of customers coming and picking up their call in orders.
Try it you’ll like it!

This is one of the best restaurants in Columbus. If you are craving food that is fresh, carefully prepared, and absolutely delicious, this is the place for you. I have never had Somali food before, and I didn’t know what to expect. Everything I tried was spiced well and savory.
The interior is very nice and cozy, not what you would expect to find at a shopping plaza.
The owner was so sweet and helpful. I had no idea what to order and she explained the menu and provided an excellent suggestion.
We’ll be back soon!

Used a Groupon to visit. A gem in the Columbus Square shopping center. I know, who would have guessed that you could find a super clean and well decorated restaurant in this location.
Anyway, excellent food, service, and the owner is very helpful as you try to make selections. I will be back soon.
I loved the KK.

I had been looking for another place to try some African food besides the ol standby Ethiopian place The Blue Nile. I heard good things about Solay Bistro and came upon a Groupon for it.
Locating this restaurant was a bit of a bitch. Using a GPS was useless. I circled the shopping center twice before finding it. It is located a few storefronts down from MiLi Café if that helps at all.
The décor was not too shabby. I can’t recall exactly how it looked, but I remember being suprirsed that tables weren’t clashing with wall décor etc.
I ordered the kale and mango smoothie. The kale gave the sweet and tart mango a nice bit of green «freshness». Not at all grassy like I thought it might be. My dining partner and I split the Anjeero feast with my friend. It’s meant to serve 3 – 4, but we were famished and thought we could handle it. The feast came with 4 or 5 dishes (I think). We tried the goat, chicken, lentils, and cabbage. All were very delicious with the anjeero or sourdough like pancake that was perfect for mopping up the sauces. I liked how the anjeero was cute into zigzag chevrony strips and rolled into neat little bundles.
Despite our best efforts we did have leftovers. The servers were very prompt with water refills etc. (but we were the only patrons at the time). Great food overall. I definitely recommend this place!

My gal pal and I had a lot of chatting to do. She had a Groupon for Solay and we decided this would be the location of our gab-​fest.
As others have mentioned, it’s a little hard to find. Your geepus will not take you to the front door. Use it to get to that massive strip-​mall on Cleveland Ave, and just drive by all the storefronts slowly until you find Solay. That’s what we did.
Once inside, the joint was dead. No one was in there. We didn’t really mind, but one usually thinks of a «bistro» as a somewhat bustling feature of the community. Actually, with the décor and quality of service here (servers are SO NICE!), Solay could really be a great contender in some of the more bistro-​y areas of town.
The food was excellent: good, unique spice profile, quality ingredients, and a good variance to throw into your eating-​out rotation. We ordered the anjerro feast, slated to feed 3 – 4 people. When the platter was first set down, I didn’t think it would feed 3 – 4 people. It looked like my tiny friend and I would easily destroy it. However, we ended up with at least one more serving left over.
We had goat, chicken, and beef, with the cauliflower, lentil, and cabbage (?) sides, all served with delightfully spongey and surprisingly flavorful anjeero. I highly recommend sharing– it’s just more fun to try a variety of different bloops on the giant platter with your pals. Even if you don’t get the feast, this is still food that begs to be shared.
I sipped some of my buddy’s smoothie– so fresh tasting! If I were here for lunch, I might go for a smoothie and some soup.
No alcohol served, FYI.

Another reason not to judge a book by its cover. Decided to try this place because of the glowing reviews from fellow Unilocalers and I was not disappointed — food wise. Tried the KK beef, it was phenomenal. The only drawback was the wait, we were the only customers but it took them more than 40 minutes to get our food out.
I know the columbus food adventure tour visits this place every friday for their ethnic tour. So, that itself shows how good the food is.

Add another international gem to the long list in Columbus/​Emporium Square!
I had visited Solay during a special event a few months back, and while it was wonderful then, I didn’t get the full experience until I went back for lunch a coulpe days ago.
My lunching partner and I were the only ones in there for at least an hour, so if you want a quiet place to dine during lunch,
In an unassuming strip mall, lies what I would call finer dining Ethiopian. While it doesn’t look like much from the outside, my guess is you’ll be quite surprised once inside. It’s beautiful and really nice. (Tablecloths, yay!)
The owners are nice as can be so be expecting great service and a huge smile when you arrive.
Everything sounds good on the menu. Everything. So the way I see it, you really can’t go wrong.
Right off the bat — I couldn’t say no to ordering a smoothie. A banana nut smoothie to be exact. Delicious liquid banana bread! So fresh, made to order, and it couldn’t have been a better start to the rest of the meal.
For my meal, I started off with the vegan butternut squash. I’m normally a fan of anything butternut squash, but this… THIS… was a top favorite of anything butternut I’ve ever consumed. The spice combo in this stellar cup of soup was amazing! Soooo good.
Clearly I was starving at lunch because I also ordered the beef K.K. as an entrée. And a massive feast it was! I didn’t mind though because at the rate I was scarfing it down I was hoping my meal would never end! Again, the flavor combo was amazing.
I cannot say enough great things about my meal and experience here. Authentic. Delicious. Affordable. And oh-​so-​good! Please stop by and give them a try!

This is just a few minutes from my house, and I’m embarrassed to say this was my first time going!
The inside is really beautiful, nothing like what I expected from the outside. It was perfectly quiet with soft music playing, the tables were nicely arranged, and the staff was super sweet.
I got the vegetable soup, vegetable sambusa and a mango kale lassi. All of it was very flavorful and fresh. Great place for lunch, so glad I finally tried it out!

Tucked away in the huge strip mall at 161 and Cleveland; a wonderful little restaurant. (I think it’s in Smackie’s old location, the one it occupied briefly after it was in the building by the road, and before he went with the trailer.) Walked in, and was surprised by how classy the décor is– I felt a little underdressed in a long sleeve T.
The service was very friendly and helpful, though also pretty slow. We were the only ones there when we arrived, though by the time we left (2 hours later) several more parties had come in. The menu is as others have described, and has quite a variety of intriguing items. We got the afternoon tea appetizer sampler, which was small but stellar. Also got some tea, either as part of that or because of some communications trouble. Either way, it was chai-​like, hot, sweet, spiced, and great.
I had the beef sugaar (stew.) Meat was a little tough, but with wonderful subtle flavors. It came with cabbage (great,) spinach and potatoes (very nice,) and your choice of carbohydrate. I got the sabayaat, or Somali flatbread. Kinda like a pita, and amazing.
My friend got the Hilib Arii/​Waaslad, a tender goat dish. Excellent, and came with the same sides. He chose anjeero (Ethiopian flatbread,) which we both liked less than the sabayaat.
We also tried mudslides (almond milk, banana, and dates– nice,) and mango lassies (similar to Indian ones, but a bit less sweet and with more fruit chunks than I’m used to– excellent overall.)
Overall a great experience. A combination of Indian, Ethiopian, and Middle Eastern flavors (there is also pasta on the menu, and I assume the tomatoes in several dishes came from Italian influence.) Well worth a visit.

Oh, world cuisine, how I love thee, on so many levels. Unlike Nesh B. (wink wink nudge nudge), I am not interested in transporting myself to Ethiopia, but rather, experiencing what Columbusite Ethiopians remember and recreate from their homeland. I am also interested in the geography of flavors, tastes, and ingredients, so that is what I shall discuss here.
Kristin N., Matt W. and I ventured over to Cleveland Ave this evening to for dinner, and I really enjoyed myself. I have had Ethiopian in Chicago (at Black Diamond on N. Broadway in Granville) and here in Columbus at Blue Nile, and while I cannot speak to any sense of what Ethiopian food *should* taste like, I can tell you that it was all very similarly prepared and presented, and that I liked Solay Bistro right in between the two (Black Diamond ranking first). Here is why:
I thought the restaurant was very nice, but as Nesh mentions, it doesn’t try to achieve any sort of ethnic vibe. I think this is perfectly fine, but I do really enjoy being in an ethnic space as well as dining on ethnic cuisine. However, Solay is going for a more upscale vibe, as their website notes (which I added to the business info, so hopefully it will be added on soon! If not, it’s just
). Our waitress was *beautiful* — she was model beautiful, drop dead gorgeous — both Kristin and I noted her beauty. This certainly can’t hurt.
We all shared the afternoon tea app sampler, casariya, which was wonderful. It came with fried tuna cakes, sambusa (we chose beef, but there is a vegetarian option as well — importantly, Solay has vegetarian, vegan, and organic offerings), and hummus with pita (a substitute for the veggie pakora, which they were out of). I particularly liked the tuna cakes, because of the subtle warm (spice, not heat) flavors melded with the tuna. The sambusa were excellent as well, and the pita that came with the hummus was heavier and darker wheat than any I have tried — yum.
For dinner, I had the goat dish, hilib arii. Served with the biggest portion of rice in the universe, the goat was tender and succulent, and came with a side of salad. I felt a bit bad about not being able to even make a dent in the rice, but that was seriously an ass-​ton of rice. I really did enjoy all the soft, warm flavors of the whole meal, though.
As with Afghan cuisine (see Café Kabul), Somali food is also an interesting mix of cultures. As Matt pointed out during dinner, Somalia was at one point colonized by Italy, so they have a lot of traditional Italian dishes on the menu. Of course, I had to add that Somalia is not only a postcolonial, but also a postsocialist country. ;)
I always find the geography of flavors from the postcolonial and postsocialist world incredibly interesting. Drawing from Mediterranean, as well as African, and Italian cuisines, I highly suggest you get thee to Solay Bistro for an experience awash in culture and rich, soft, perfectly married flavor.
PS: I just realised I could have ordered couscous, which was an option instead of rice. Duh.

Solay Bistro is a new arrival on the Columbus food scene, offering a fusion of Somali and Ethiopian cuisine. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and while the breakfast menu was relatively tame, the normal bistro menu offers a small but interesting menu for carnivores and vegetarians alike.
My friends and I came in as a group of three, and were able to seat ourselves. The atmosphere is pleasant and light, with light decorations and beautiful wood details around the restaurant.
Our server gave us several helpful suggestions for drinks to start our meal, and we tried two of the excellent house smoothies, a mango, pineapple, and kale concoction that was remarkably refreshing, and a rich berry smoothie that was a great way to beat the heat.
The sambusa appetizer is a slight twist on a Samosa, but if you’re familiar with one you will likely enjoy these, especially with a fantastic tagine dipping sauce. We also tried the Bajiya, which reminded us almost of an herbal hush puppy.
The entrees we tried (goat mixed plate, KK chicken suqar, and vegetarian green lentils) were also very good, and served on tasty injera bread, in huge portions that lead to everyone taking a box home.
There were some minor miscommunications on our orders that the server was good enough to fix, and the owner herself stopped by to make sure everything had been OK before we left.
If I have any complaints, I will point out that the service was very, very slow — not so bad for us since we were not in a hurry and enjoyed talking while we waited, but it might be a concern to some, and that the men’s room was a bit difficult to find, as it’s basically hidden down an unmarked hallway away from the women’s room.
All in all, it was a very enjoyable and fairly inexpensive meal (even with an entrée, drink, and two appetizers the heaviest check was only $ 20), and I look forward to a return trip already.