Ate there today and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, the cleanliness, and the prices. Very authentic Somali food, except for the lack of fresh camel milk.
Gabby K.
I had a coupon here, and decided to try them out as I am a big fan of middle eastern! The food was great. The falafel was yummy, and the hummus divine. Though the wait was a bit long as we were the only patrons in the restaurant at the time, its a nice place and I suggest it to others. There was also a parking lot next to the restaurant.
Evan L.
Was this a restaurant? We went in at 6 PM on a Saturday, and except for Wolf Blitzer on the TV screen, the dining room was empty. A teenaged kid behind the counter numbly told us to "come over here," then motioned toward a blackboard with five options in chalk. "This is the menu," he informed us. "Umm, I saw a longer menu online," I told him. "That's not up to date." "Yeah, I, er, we, uh...thanks anyway!" Two stars for untapped potential?
Mi5 D.
Al Huda is clearly family run. also, it clearly used to be something else, and they did not remodel. i really enjoyed both of these aspects. yes, the tiny children of the people who run the place may be heard from out back. so what? the food here is *delicious*, unlike anything i had previously eaten. i had a Groupon, so i got a serious bargain and got to try several dishes. yum yum, i will be back. also, two big thumbs up for immigrant-owned and operated businesses! i love it.
Jenn F.
Good food, the talapia my boyfriend had was very good. We had Sambusa which were yummy! I had the beef kabob that was OK. I expected traditional kabobs but it was like a longer, skinny, meat loaf type. It was ok, but I would try something else next time. Service was good and they were pleasant. They did not have the ac on and it was a bit warm. We would come back for sure.
Ella H.
As other reviewers have said, there's no issue with the food. We enjoyed the samosas and garlicky hummus. The pita bread was a bit stale. My boyfriend particularly enjoyed the samosa crust, which was more like puff pastry than an Indian samosa. My boyfriend ordered a meat/rice/salad plate which he thoroughly enjoyed. The portion was large and everything was well seasoned. I had the falafel sandwich. The falafel was spicier than falafel typically is, served on a soft, thick, puffy bread. It was an incredibly filling sandwich. The coconut dressing was interesting, although there wasn't enough of it to suit me. The service was fine and we didn't wait that long for our food. The waitress was very nice and promptly gave us menus, took our order, and brought out our food. My problem with the restaurant was that they were out of the first three things I tried to order. As a vegetarian, the only option left for me on the menu was a $6 sandwich. I had purchased a Groupon for $30. Because they were out of the entree, drink, and appetizer I initially ordered, we wound up spending only $17, which was only two dollars more than what I paid for the Groupon. If you go with a Groupon, I recommend not having it out in the open. I can't help but wonder if they said that they were out of the items I ordered because I had the Groupon sitting on the table. In any case, to be out of all vegetarian menu items early on a Friday night when there are only two other customers is a bit strange.
Eric W.
The food at Al Huda is super tasty, and the portions are not all skimpy, so you won't go hungry. There's a good selection of common dishes from Northeast Africa, and although I haven't tried them all (I couldn't anyway since I a have a severe wheat/gluten intolerance), I've heard nothing but satisfaction from others who've tried many different dishes. Please note: the food is cooked to order--just like it would be in most restaurants in Africa--so it takes time. Don't expect the meal to be ready moments after you order like you might find in a fast-food or chain restaurant--especially if you come as a larger group--but enjoy the time to socialize and salivate as you smell the delicious meal cooking.
Lindsay R.
I agree with Christi. The food was good but the service was so bad that it was not worth it. The only reason I am leaving a bad review is because I desperately want them to work on this so that this charming restaurant can be saved. Not only was the service bad, but we were the only customers in the whole restaurant!!! I just saw that they put out a groupon... if their service is that bad with only 2 customers, how are they going to handle 30 groupon customers at one time?
Ainsley W.
A real local find (off-Peninsula) for authentic middle eastern food. Food is fresh, tasty and made to order. We were given lots of free appetizers. At the beginning, our party of 10 received beef sambusas (and two veggie sambusas for the vegan among us), a special hummus-like dip, and the sweetest (slightly spicy) tea we've ever had. With our meal, we received fresh pita bread and hummus. It's true, you should come prepared to wait awhile as your food's prepared. The food is made to order and this is a little (probably struggling) family restaurant. Hopefully they'll get faster, but it's no big deal. Talk to your friends, watch the big TV while you munch on your free appetizers (the remote was discreetly wrapped in a napkin basket at our table for our convenience). And yes, there were a couple items that they didn't have in stock and so we slightly changed our order...again, it's a made-to-order family restaurant. (Oh, and we parked at McDonald's. Apparently there's also parking around the corner but Morrill's Corner area parking confuses me.) Everyone in our group loved their food. Portions are huge. My gluten-free husband and four others got the kebabs (originally ordered beef, switched to chicken when our waitress asked us if we'd mind) and RAVED about them. Friends who ordered the chicken shwarma and falafel wraps each loved them. A few of us (including me) got the spicy chicken chapati. I liked it but found it too rich for me to finish. I'll probably order something else next time. The proprietor, a lovely Somali lady (presumably a relative of our waitress), came to talk with us at the end of our meal and apologized for the wait, explaining that each dish is made from scratch. She encouraged us to come back and bring friends. She offered us free cooking lessons sometime, and said that she likes guests of the restaurant to feel comfortable in the kitchen and see how the food's made. We're going to take her up on that offer. As my friend Kit said, "I want to be able to make food that tastes like THAT!" We were significantly undercharged. Fortunately, my friends are good people. We probably left a 60% tip. If you want a cross-cultural experience and some delicious food and have some time to relax, Al Huda is a great off-the-beaten-path choice. Will definitely come back.
Christi S.
Food: awesome. Ordered the special meal that would feed 4 to 5 ppl. It had their version of spaghetti, biryani, and fried fish. Tea that came with the meal was great. Service: not good. We were the only ones here at Lunch. We spent 2 hours. We waited a long time for the menu to be brought out. Then we waited a good time before we were asked what we wanted to order. When it came time to ordering, the flatbread was not yet ready (for the day, so we could not order it), the iraqi koba was sold out from the night before. So we asked what else we could order. She said hummus is ready along w/the pita. We waited (more than 30 mins) for water, tea to be served. When the food finally came out, it was great, but the server never checked back on us to see if we needed anything else. Once we were done eating, she never came back to collect the $. We could have walked out w/o anyone knowing we left. However, we did wait at the counter to pay. There was a restaurant.com gift certificate to this place, I would not recommend going unless they fix their service. It seems as though they make their food to order. Robert Irvine should rescue this place before it goes down the hole. The waitress should be more enthusiastic about working there, she did not seem as though she wanted to work there. It was the most dreadful experiences I've had at a restaurant. I think I will go somewhere else to get Middle Eastern food.
Ate there today and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, the cleanliness, and the prices. Very authentic Somali food, except for the lack of fresh camel milk.
I had a coupon here, and decided to try them out as I am a big fan of middle eastern! The food was great. The falafel was yummy, and the hummus divine. Though the wait was a bit long as we were the only patrons in the restaurant at the time, its a nice place and I suggest it to others. There was also a parking lot next to the restaurant.
Was this a restaurant? We went in at 6 PM on a Saturday, and except for Wolf Blitzer on the TV screen, the dining room was empty. A teenaged kid behind the counter numbly told us to "come over here," then motioned toward a blackboard with five options in chalk. "This is the menu," he informed us. "Umm, I saw a longer menu online," I told him. "That's not up to date." "Yeah, I, er, we, uh...thanks anyway!" Two stars for untapped potential?
Al Huda is clearly family run. also, it clearly used to be something else, and they did not remodel. i really enjoyed both of these aspects. yes, the tiny children of the people who run the place may be heard from out back. so what? the food here is *delicious*, unlike anything i had previously eaten. i had a Groupon, so i got a serious bargain and got to try several dishes. yum yum, i will be back. also, two big thumbs up for immigrant-owned and operated businesses! i love it.
Good food, the talapia my boyfriend had was very good. We had Sambusa which were yummy! I had the beef kabob that was OK. I expected traditional kabobs but it was like a longer, skinny, meat loaf type. It was ok, but I would try something else next time. Service was good and they were pleasant. They did not have the ac on and it was a bit warm. We would come back for sure.
As other reviewers have said, there's no issue with the food. We enjoyed the samosas and garlicky hummus. The pita bread was a bit stale. My boyfriend particularly enjoyed the samosa crust, which was more like puff pastry than an Indian samosa. My boyfriend ordered a meat/rice/salad plate which he thoroughly enjoyed. The portion was large and everything was well seasoned. I had the falafel sandwich. The falafel was spicier than falafel typically is, served on a soft, thick, puffy bread. It was an incredibly filling sandwich. The coconut dressing was interesting, although there wasn't enough of it to suit me. The service was fine and we didn't wait that long for our food. The waitress was very nice and promptly gave us menus, took our order, and brought out our food. My problem with the restaurant was that they were out of the first three things I tried to order. As a vegetarian, the only option left for me on the menu was a $6 sandwich. I had purchased a Groupon for $30. Because they were out of the entree, drink, and appetizer I initially ordered, we wound up spending only $17, which was only two dollars more than what I paid for the Groupon. If you go with a Groupon, I recommend not having it out in the open. I can't help but wonder if they said that they were out of the items I ordered because I had the Groupon sitting on the table. In any case, to be out of all vegetarian menu items early on a Friday night when there are only two other customers is a bit strange.
The food at Al Huda is super tasty, and the portions are not all skimpy, so you won't go hungry. There's a good selection of common dishes from Northeast Africa, and although I haven't tried them all (I couldn't anyway since I a have a severe wheat/gluten intolerance), I've heard nothing but satisfaction from others who've tried many different dishes. Please note: the food is cooked to order--just like it would be in most restaurants in Africa--so it takes time. Don't expect the meal to be ready moments after you order like you might find in a fast-food or chain restaurant--especially if you come as a larger group--but enjoy the time to socialize and salivate as you smell the delicious meal cooking.
I agree with Christi. The food was good but the service was so bad that it was not worth it. The only reason I am leaving a bad review is because I desperately want them to work on this so that this charming restaurant can be saved. Not only was the service bad, but we were the only customers in the whole restaurant!!! I just saw that they put out a groupon... if their service is that bad with only 2 customers, how are they going to handle 30 groupon customers at one time?
A real local find (off-Peninsula) for authentic middle eastern food. Food is fresh, tasty and made to order. We were given lots of free appetizers. At the beginning, our party of 10 received beef sambusas (and two veggie sambusas for the vegan among us), a special hummus-like dip, and the sweetest (slightly spicy) tea we've ever had. With our meal, we received fresh pita bread and hummus. It's true, you should come prepared to wait awhile as your food's prepared. The food is made to order and this is a little (probably struggling) family restaurant. Hopefully they'll get faster, but it's no big deal. Talk to your friends, watch the big TV while you munch on your free appetizers (the remote was discreetly wrapped in a napkin basket at our table for our convenience). And yes, there were a couple items that they didn't have in stock and so we slightly changed our order...again, it's a made-to-order family restaurant. (Oh, and we parked at McDonald's. Apparently there's also parking around the corner but Morrill's Corner area parking confuses me.) Everyone in our group loved their food. Portions are huge. My gluten-free husband and four others got the kebabs (originally ordered beef, switched to chicken when our waitress asked us if we'd mind) and RAVED about them. Friends who ordered the chicken shwarma and falafel wraps each loved them. A few of us (including me) got the spicy chicken chapati. I liked it but found it too rich for me to finish. I'll probably order something else next time. The proprietor, a lovely Somali lady (presumably a relative of our waitress), came to talk with us at the end of our meal and apologized for the wait, explaining that each dish is made from scratch. She encouraged us to come back and bring friends. She offered us free cooking lessons sometime, and said that she likes guests of the restaurant to feel comfortable in the kitchen and see how the food's made. We're going to take her up on that offer. As my friend Kit said, "I want to be able to make food that tastes like THAT!" We were significantly undercharged. Fortunately, my friends are good people. We probably left a 60% tip. If you want a cross-cultural experience and some delicious food and have some time to relax, Al Huda is a great off-the-beaten-path choice. Will definitely come back.
Food: awesome. Ordered the special meal that would feed 4 to 5 ppl. It had their version of spaghetti, biryani, and fried fish. Tea that came with the meal was great. Service: not good. We were the only ones here at Lunch. We spent 2 hours. We waited a long time for the menu to be brought out. Then we waited a good time before we were asked what we wanted to order. When it came time to ordering, the flatbread was not yet ready (for the day, so we could not order it), the iraqi koba was sold out from the night before. So we asked what else we could order. She said hummus is ready along w/the pita. We waited (more than 30 mins) for water, tea to be served. When the food finally came out, it was great, but the server never checked back on us to see if we needed anything else. Once we were done eating, she never came back to collect the $. We could have walked out w/o anyone knowing we left. However, we did wait at the counter to pay. There was a restaurant.com gift certificate to this place, I would not recommend going unless they fix their service. It seems as though they make their food to order. Robert Irvine should rescue this place before it goes down the hole. The waitress should be more enthusiastic about working there, she did not seem as though she wanted to work there. It was the most dreadful experiences I've had at a restaurant. I think I will go somewhere else to get Middle Eastern food.
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