African Paradise Restaurant

I will refrain from writing a review to the tune of «Gangster’s Paradise,» but it’s a near thing. African Paradise is located in a strip of Somali shops along Morse Road. It’s very traditional, with separate dining areas for men, women and families (there is a section cordoned off for «women only»). AP is loud, and nicely decorated, as most African restaurants are, with music and TVs and people speaking into cell phones. Mango juice here is like water — they bring it to your table automatically.
They have a menu, but like most African places, it’s best to ask «what is good here?» — since they tailor their menu based on what is available in the butcher shop. We were in luck — roasted goat was on the menu. The spouse got the goat, I got chicken, and we chose to have it served up «family style» (i.e., all on one plate). YAS. The goat was tender and super-​spiced and marinated. Probably some of the best I’ve had. Marinated and tender chicken, too — very nice. About five pounds of rice and a small side of iceberg lettuce salad with Italian dressing. We ate until we could not eat any more, then picked at the rice until we got the check. HUGE meal, mango juice, tea, water = $ 13 each. AP shoots straight to the top five African restaurants on my list.

Arrived at 5pm on a Saturday and was sheepishly told that they are only providing food to go until 9pm. That’s right. No dinner served before 9pm. Not impressed. Probably won’t return.

I first heard of this from a guy at work who said they served camel, but I didn’t see that on the menu. Anyway, Sweetie is out of town, and although she cooked a ton of food for me I am also trying out some places she would not be interested in. I didn’t think she would like this, and I was positive as soon as I pulled up out front. It is in a run down strip mall off Morse, and the whole mall was packed when I came on a Saturday afternoon.
Inside the restaurant, it was only moderately busy, and I was seated quickly and got quick and friendly service. They bring a complimentary bowl of soup, a thick vegetable curry which was excellent. Since everyone else suggested the mango juice and I like it anyway, I went with that, and it went well with everything.
This is Somali food, which I have had before, but not this good. Another way I know Sweetie would not be into this is that there is a menu item called «Foul.» (It’s beans, nothing weird.) There’s a lot of interesting stuff here, and I will have to come back to try more, but today I went with roasted goat. It. Was. Amazing. Tender, savory, inspired involuntary noises… Man, it was good. There were a few bones, so be careful. It was mixed with some onions and paired with a fresh green salad. You can choose your side– bread or rice, basically. I got curry rice– a hint of curry, jasmine rice cooked just right, and, uh, french fries? Whatever, it worked. They also brought a side of hot sauce, moderately spicy and apparently house-​made.
It all adds up to a ton of amazing food at a great price. The décor… could be better. But the food and service were perfect. And I ate onions and curry and didn’t bug anybody but our animals, who smell worse than me anyway.

Large portions, the rice is perfectly seasoned and cooked. I have been here twice and loved the food each time. The staff is friendly and helpful with suggesting menu items to try. The hot tea is delicious! I will definitely be back.

We stopped by right before closing time and the waiter was very accommodating. They were out of a few dishes but we were able to try the beef stew with jabati flat bread. The beef stew had tender pieces of potatoes and carrots, melded with lots of spices and flavor. The jabati flat bread is similar to nan but less greasy. They also served us a entire pitcher of mango juice.

First off, thanks to all of the previous Unilocalers for your reviews. I read them all. All the 4 & 5 stars described the place perfectly! Thank You.
I went in, I was the only non-​African in the area (including outside). Don’t judge the book by it’s cover. Inside, they seated me and made me feel welcome. I had the waiter give suggestions. I had the cubed beef and the rice. Mango juice to drink. I told him it was my 1^st time there.
Before my dish (s) came out, he gave me a cup of vegetable soup, very good. The food came out… ON 2 LARGE PLATES. Very good and a lot of food. He also brought out some Somolian Tea. I would go back just to sip on tea. Holy Crap! That is the best tea I have ever had!
I forgot to ask for the hot sauce.
I will go back tomorrow if I can.
Oh yea, all of that… Juice, soup, 2 plates of entrée and hot tea…$ 10

First time for me & my friends to try Somali food and it was amazing !
We ordered the family plate and it was enough for 4 people. The dish was so delicious and the service was good. The waiter Ali was very nice to us :)
I recommend this restaurant for whoever wants to try Somali food.

Great Somalian cusine. You get lots of food for $ 8 or so. I would recommend trying the beef or chicken steak with rice. The rice is absolutely delicious and so much TLC behind the making– it makes you want to smack the chef becase its that good. Its very flavoral, and has sesonsings like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, garlic etc… Something you normally wouldn’t expect in rice, but it is a masterpiece, and a hidden gem. The chicken drumsticks are good too. One may think its not up to par when it comes to décor, or cleanliness, but don’t walk out. Stay calm, and eat! I promise you won’t regret.

I can’t believe this restaurant does not get more reviews. After patronizing this restaurant for a while, and other African restaurants in the same vicinity, I should say that they have the most savory and flavorful rice that is delicious enough to be eaten alone without any meat. But add the goat curry and you have one excellent meal that leave you wanting more. Enuf said.

I tried this place and phoned in my order to go. I had the roasted goat and rice. The rice was really good but the goat was a little more tough than I expected. I had an order of the bread that came with a side of dipping sauce. The sauce looked like a mixture of the meat stock with onions and carrots in it. The mango juice you cannot get to go but he let me try some anyway. This stuff is grand!

Great food and awesome service. The lamb and goat are extremely tasty. Their teff is amazing.

Friendly tasty filling clean authentic generous potion, choices of lots of feebies mango juice free somali tea free potato soup free bannana free. Tea hot mmm spicy and sweet.

«What?! You’ve never had somali food before?»
And so I hopped in the car with my two somali friends and slowly approached the back alley of a tiny strip mall. I followed confused as to what was happening. We walked through a slightly cracked, door and BOOM– restaurant. My friends informed me that the back section was for people who wanted to dine in privacy (for families, or for groups of ladies) as the front section was more of a social, chatty atmosphere.
For the three of us: a large platter of spaghetti, rice, goat, fish, and chicken, complete with bananas, soup, and mango juice totaled to $ 20. Score! Would I be back? Yes! Maybe next time I’m in town, I’ll brave the curious eyes of guys lounging about near the restaurant’s entrance.

I tried African Paradise for the first time tonight. A former coworker and good friend has a group that tries new foods from different countries once a month. Tonight we went Somalian.
The food was amazing. The staff was exceptional, polite, funny, and very helpful. It was nice to go to a place where the meal is more of an event. And good lord it is inexpensive. 6 adults cost a mere $ 59 and there was so much food left over.
There were a few courses. We started off with soup that seemed to have a potato and onion base, but it was not heavy at all more of a broth. Then there was a flat bread with a tomato and olive oil sauce with just the right amount of spice. There were a few beverages with a mango drink, water, and the most amazing tea. The tea was dark amber, sweetened with honey and had a blend of ginger and cinnamon.
The main course was roasted goat with rice. The goat was good. The rice was nicely seasoned and blended well with all the other spices throughout the evening. It was never overwhelming or too much of any one thing. We sampled each others dishes and the chicken will be my next dish.
They have a an amazing hot sauce. So good that it gets its own paragraph. It starts out sweet — kind of like sweet barbaque, but it was not barbaque. Then after you finish the bite the heat comes on slowly, like an old man easing into a warm bath. Then it heats up and lingers in the center of your tongue like a first kiss. Your second and third bite of food after sampling this sauce and spice is still there to flavor your food. Too much of it will cause a light sweat and a little watering of the eyes, if you are not careful. And like a hard liquor too much too early and it will hurt you. The approach to this hot sauce should be the approach to a long and happy life. All things in moderation, savor, and only take what you need — do not over indulge.
I expect to return many more times. I really like the idea of slowing things down and enjoying food. The atmosphere is a very nice place to relax and enjoy your food. I really liked the wide array of flavors from sweet to spicy.

I’ve been excited to try African food for quite a while now, but I was intimidated by my lack of… err, never have tried or been near a real authentic restaurant of the sorts.
Based purely on the taste of the food, I don’t think it’s my thing. For authenticity, graciousness and uniqueness, I loved my experience.
The foods I did enjoy:
–Jabati — squishy, spongy, Somali bread
–Salad — I appreciated the simplicity
–Kay Kay — it was kind of like a noodle in awesome sauce? It was tasty, my favorite, actually.
Did you know it’s customary to eat a banana with your Somali meal? Me either, until now. We were offered some. Did you know it’s customary for woman and men to dine separately? Me either, until now. We were able to all dine together, of course, but it was cool to see how other cultures enjoy their meals.
I would say for the regular ol’ Columbus diner, this is an experience they probably won’t enjoy. But if you’re looking to try something new, get out of your comfort zone and be able to say, «Yea. I’ve eaten there and it was a (_​_​insert opinion here_​_​) experience,» have at it, friends!

African Paradise has always been a great dining experience.
My boyfriend said that he wanted to try something new and some how I remembered how good this restaurant was and thought he would like it.
It is located right next to the Somali community hang out so it is easy access for them to grab a bight to eat. The staff was warm and welcoming upon entering and asked us to take a seat where ever we would like. The decore is decorated with African trinkets and it doesn’t feel like you are in Columbus. Our server gave us drink options and also suggested the vegetable soup. We decided on the mango juice. He brought out a pitcher for our to share.
When ordering our server couldn’t have been nicer, was welcome to all questions and was truly wanting us to have a great dining experience. As for our entrée, we decided on the chicken kalankal. It is chicken with onions and carrots cooked with spices. It was great! It also came with a little salad and a huge mound of wonderfully flavored rice. We shared and also got two orders of jabati. Jabati is the Somalian bread. It is almost like naan, but not as fluffy and more flaky. When ordering our server asked if we wanted the spicy sauce or the mild. We chose one of each. This was something I was not offered before when ordering the jabati in the past. The spicy sauce was not overpoweringly hot and had a hint of curry flavor. The mild sauce was also good, except I didn’t know meat was in it, so if you don’t eat red meat, order the hot sauce. Over all the meal was great. My boyfriend said that next time he is going to eat with his hands like the Somali diners and was glad we went there for dinner. It was plenty of food to share and it only cost $ 12!
If you are looking for a new experience, this is the place to go!