Afro Deli & Catering

Went here on my way to ADC. The place was a bit crowded however there was a lot of seating in the back! I ordered the Somali steak sandwich, wasn’t thrilled because the steak was little tough and hard to chew. Also the bell peppers where little raw and cut too big. Overall the concept was okay however I feel as if I could have gotten better food elsewhere.

I had the veggie fantastic, and it was amazing. I’ve been fantasizing about it since coming here about a month and a half ago. I will definitely be back, and probably bugging the cooks to give me the recipe because it’s really that good.

Been there twice now. Went there about a week ago for lunch in between classes. Food was quick to come out employees were friendly and the food was very very good. A good change of pace place to eat if you’re on West Bank

First time at Afrodeli! Cashier behind the counter was a sweetheart and really patient with my friend and me since we were asking a lot of questions. Food came out pretty quickly! The chicken fantastic was an amazing dish — it’s on the lighter side/​not too heavy or rich. The kéké was good but I’m not a huge fan of sweets so I preferred the chicken fantastic. The sambusa was definitely my favorite! I think they actually make it fresh there so I recommend trying it out!

Love the chicken fantastic. It’s nice to have something different and authentic every once in a while. Very quick service and reasonable prices. Don’t go with a big group unless you want to sit outside and have a casual experience!

Calling it: Best veggie sambusas I have ever had and good gravy is that basbas sauce incredible! Spicy and vibrant. Super affordable. Definitely worth a visit

A totally under-​appreciated dish here is the Keke entrée. The «noodle» dish is like a fantastic version of lasagna. The red sauce is rich like marinara but the real distinguishing factor about Keke is the noodle pieces. They’re flat, squarish and incredibly bready. It was like they look pita bread and flattened, cut, and tossed it into tomato sauce. The noodles are soft but has a very nice flaky quality too. I can’t believe that something could be better than pasta but here it is.

Afro Deli is a busy little business just outside of the UMN — West Bank campus. The menu includes Middle Eastern /​North African — style dishes, such as sambusas, falafel, Somali-​style rice bowls, and so on. I’ve tried an array of items here, and I return to dine occasionally but I’m not overly enthralled by the options. My go-to’s are probably the vegetarian platter (hummus, yogurt sauce, hot sauce, veggie lentil sambusas, falafel) and the roasted vegetable sandwich. Very mediocre stuff. But, the price and convenience (order at the counter) factors are desirable. The dining area upfront is tiny with a ledge and some stools, but there is also a slightly larger backroom for overflow as well as a fairly spacious patio with some lovely floral arrangements when the weather permits.

Literally everything I’ve ordered so far was fresh, tasty without making me feel too guilty. Homemade doughs were just magical. Made me feel at home (even though I’ve never been to Africa nor the Middle East)

Overall, the sambusas were excellent but everything else was meh.
My husband tried the chicken gyro. The chicken was dry and bland. I tried the keke with gyro meat. It was like a sweet pasta that was ok, nothing compelling and the sweetness overpowered the flavor of the gyro meat.
In short, I’ve found there to be more compelling options in the twin cities.

I’ll just write some words describing my first experience here, which I just finished in my car and its savory morsels still linger in my mouth.
12 min line including takeout wait at lunch rush.
Upbeat music from the Southern Hemisphere.
Gargantuan burrito thing!
Yummo.
Oh sweet lord this is good.
Spicy?
I need to tell my brother about this place, who is also not African.
I wonder if I can eat the whole thing?
No.

I tried Afro Deli on the recommendation of some classmates, not thinking it’d leave much of an impression… WOW, was I wrong!
Let’s just say, I ended up going so often over the course of a couple years, that the owner and I were on a first name basis, and I could order custom versions of each dish. Seriously, Afro Deli is awesome. I’ve tried nearly every item on the menu, and I don’t think you can go wrong with anything. Give it a show!
Biggest tip: If you can, order ahead! The wait is usually very, very long, if you get a made-​to-​order item. The quesadillas are the best kept secret! Mmmm, my mouth is watering as I type this…

Yummy, yummy, yummy! I’ve been eyeing up this place for months, and today, I finally got the opportunity to step inside for lunch. I ordered 3 veggie sambusas to go, for $ 3.99. Even though they were very busy, my food was up quickly. They had some fun music playing, and the employees looked like they enjoyed their jobs.
The sambusas were delicious. The smell alone made my mouth water. They were filled with lentils, onions, garlic, and lots of cilantro.
I cannot wait to go back and try the rest of the menu. I’m guessing they make a pretty mean gyro.

This is a hot spot in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood for good reason. It’s affordable and delicious. Seating is limited, but don’t forget about the back dining room!
The Chicken Fantastic is my favorite, but I haven’t found anything I didn’t like yet.

The steak sandwich is great and I definitely agree with everyone’s recommendations. A side of regular fries is an extra $ 1 but well worth it!
The meat sambusas were good and perfectly deep fried. I wish they came with a creamier sauce to help with the dryness of the meat. I’m thinking something along the lines of Chimborazo’s Aji sauce. This is crossing cultural boundaries, but it would shut this place down with lines out the door: p
The place was packed, so to go was the only option. Even then, I was just standing around not really going anywhere with the slow service.
I’ll definitely be back!

Great place for sambusa! The atmosphere is friendly and busy. Took a bit to get my sandwich but it was worth the wait. The samoli steak sandwich was amazing; great spices and perfect bread.

I’m surprised no one has made a comment about the reggaeton music in an Afro Deli?!
So confused but I like the overlap. That is until I feel like I’m in a Miami club and it’s been 20 minutes and I still haven’t gotten my food and I’m surrounded by crumbs on dirty tables and I start to hyperventilate because of the small space. I began to see floating stars, until finally, through the distance, I hear my name and I snap back to life. I grab my order and quickly exited out to the patio.
I leave all the chaos behind me as the door slowly closed shut. I picked out a seat on the patio and took my first bite of the steak sandwich.
Ah, so this is the meaning of tranquility.
(Disclaimer: I love reggaeton.)

i work in the hospital near this place, and it is so good! We got one sambusa of each kind to try the different flavors (veggie, chicken, beef). I am a heavy carnivore but i think the veggie was best seasoned. I had my share of bad/​old sambusas but these were flakey and just enough crunch.
We also got the Chicken fantastic and the Afrosteak in a bowl. They are pretty hefty portions (see picture). I usually like read meat but i actually preferred my chicken fantastic bowl. It was a bit creamier whereas the steak one was more stir-​fry looking. Both were pretty good and we had no complaints. I took a baklava (to go because I was dead full), which was pretty awesome (not to sweet, and little crunch from the nuts — just the way I like my baklavas).
I am not sure how authentic «African style» the food is given Africa is huge. But, the experience was great and I know I will come back. Note the place is pretty small so not a lot of seating if you have a larger group.

A friend introduced me to this place and I’m disappointed that I didn’t visit Afro Deli when I first moved here!
The workers here are not just friendly — they are kind. Sometimes, one of the workers gives me a free tea or sambusa. :)
I don’t usually become a regular, but I now go to Afro Deli twice a week. At first, I wanted to try half the menu, but I started with the lamb gyro and was hooked. Still, I’m on a mission to try at least 10 items, and here’s what I have to say so far:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lamb Gyros — if you don’t know what to order, get this. This is the only item with lamb in it (though I’ve asked for it in other dishes!) and the meat is juicy.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Somali Steak Sandwich — the steak tastes chewy because it is cooked well-​done, as in other dishes. I like the flavors, the bread, and the size (it might be more like a snack for most Midwestern men; it looks like a 500 – 600 kcal sandwich)…but I just don’t like the way the meat is cooked. Update: this sandwich is great the next day, after the juices have soaked into the bread and I’m too busy to make anything!
Falafel Sandwich — standard fare and a solid choice, though I would still prefer the lamb gyros or chicken fantastic.
Chicken Fantastic — the regular size is two meals for me! It is very filling, especially with the rice and fiber-​rich vegetables.
Harar Beef & Veggie Stew — this stew is mildly spicy and tasty. However, the meat seems overcooked and I got tired of chewing it.
Keke — I ordered the vegetarian version and asked for lamb on top. Loved the lamb, disliked the African noodle. The noodle tasted bland and dry… like over-​floured pie crust. In the leftovers, I could even see flour in the noodles that fell apart. I would not recommend this dish. (When I came back a week later, one of the workers explained that the noodles were actually a paratha or chapati flatbread that has been fried or stir-​fried…)
Caesar salad — great dressing-​to-​greens ratio. Chicken is on the dry side.
Sambusa — love all of them, though I usually get the veggie one. They seem so neatly folded and I like how sambusas are easier to eat than its doppelgänger, the samosa. Sambusa = flat. Samosa = pyramid. And always cooked to order!
Shrimp Sambusa — limited edition, March 2014 only. Meh. It was not good. The tiny pieces of shrimp seemed like the sort that comes out of a plastic bag and gets dehydrated.
Chicken wings — crispy and on the plain side, comes with a mild/​med bbq sauce and ranch. The one time I ordered a dozen wings, my basket had 15. :)
Sweet potato fries — soggy and no accompanying sauce :(
Baklava — I don’t know if it’s made in-​house, but I love the version that is sold here. I am starting to think it’s dangerously unhealthy to eat this dessert even once a week, given how filling the above are.
Somali tea — what a wonderful winter drink! it has milk and spices, and makes me smile when I take a sip.
Conclusion: Lamb gyros is my #1. And maybe a veggie sambusa. And maybe baklava. I don’t miss the other dishes at all. (The one other dish I would recommend is the Chicken Fantastic, for curiosity’s sake.)
P. S. Free wifi! Extra seating in the quiet conference room! Nice bathroom with thick toilet paper!
P. P. S. Eventually, I plan to try the afrosteak dinner, veggie platter, suqaar, chicken curry, and chapati wrap. I will update this review accordingly. :)

I finally made it to Afro Deli after a work meeting at the African Development Center and it was painfully clear that I have been missing out. I ordered the small chicken curry and a side order of sweet plantains to go. The staff were extremely friendly and the diversity of the patrons reflected the neighborhood. Everyone comes together over good food! The curry was larger than I had expected for a small order but I’m not complaining over leftovers. The curry was moist and seasoned well but I was hoping for more heat. I have a ridiculous standard of «hot/​spicy enough» though so I have come to expect this. The plantains were freshly prepared and perfectly sweet with that caramelized flavor and coloring that I hope to see.
This place is a true value. I paid less than $ 11.00 If you are intimidated by trying Somali food, don’t be! Almost all of the menu items were familiar and the staff is friendly enough to answer questions. Also, don’t let the parking situation keep you away. I was never interested in competing with two campuses worth of students and locals for parking but I easily found a spot right off the side of the building.