Madina Restaurant

Awesome food. Huge portions. I was craving something different. So I showed up at this place with my family after reading the reviews. We were slightly worried in the beginning since none of us had Somalian food before. When the food came, just looking at the portions we realized that we had ordered too much. But we were immediately sold after taking the first bite. In fact, we ordered a take-​out of the Tibisi. The food was really tasty. We loved it. We’ll be going there again to try the Oromo.

The food was very good, it was my second visit in a week. I enjoyed the food so much I was craving to go back a few days later. Everything is done in there custom so don’t expect to be wowed by the service. If you love authentic Ethiopian food then this is the place to come.

More Decatur /​DeKalb lunchtime adventures. Though this place is technically located in Stone Mountain or close to.
It’s located in a standalone former Captain D’s. There will loads of cars in the parking lot, but only a few people in the front part of the restaurant. Apparently there is some type of chill room in back which is typical with East African restaurants. This one focuses mainly on Somali food with only a couple of Ethiopian dishes on the menu.
Ladies, don’t be alarmed when you are the only woman in the restaurant full of men. I’m pretty sure this is more of a dude hangout spot, but everyone was super friendly.
Service was interesting. You order at the counter and then sit at a table. The men taking orders either couldn’t hear well or couldn’t understand my sweet southern (not really) accent. They made quite a few slipups when trying to get for here and to go orders, but it all worked out in the end.
My dining companion and I both got the chicken zucaar, but I got mine with a mix of rice and spaghetti and he just went with straight rice. Actually I ordered rice and injera, but that was one of the slipups. No worries. I’m chill like that. While siting at the table one of the men who took our order brought us bananas and pineapple tang. Pretty smooth. We also ordered chicken samosas which came quickly. I’m not quite sure they were actually chicken, but they tasted good. The shell wasn’t the crispiest after sitting in a warmer for who knows how long, but the filling tasted good. The chicken was delicious and a huge portion for $ 12. They packaged mine to go on accident, but it was stuffed inside the to-​go container. 3 meals worth at least. The rice with curry on top tastes vaguely indian… lots of cardamom and other indian type spices. Super tasty. The spaghetti has a couple of tiny meat bits mixed up with the red sauce. I just picked those off. Pretty bland, with a slight sweet flavor. Be sure to add the jalapeño mince to spice up the chicken a bit.
All in all I would come back. The few vegetarian specials listed sound good, as does a fava beans breakfast item.

The food is amazing I had the somolian style steak with Rice. They serve you a jug of tang with your meal, that was interesting. Also gave a banana for the rice my waiter said that’s what somolians do it. It was interesting but actually blended in pretty good. The place is nice overall a good place and you will get the feel of a somolian restaurant. It’s a must try

Excellent, a real credit to the area.
Went here for lunch, had the Oromo Combo. Great food.
Place is clean, spacious, bright. Service was good, friendly. Would be great for a family meal.

Authentic, great food. Good service but don’t be afraid to go up the counter to ask a question.

This may have been my first experince with et hoping food. This is the best ethnic food I think I’ve ever had. The rice has the best texture and flavor and if you add a squeeze of lemon to it the flavor is explosive. The potato gravy gives makes the meal all the more better.
The atmosphere is a little put offish but the staff is friendly

Family Friendly Somali restaurant. Madina has been around for a while and is a go to for Muslim Somali/​Oromo customers in the heavily East-​African populated area, Clarkston. Its mostly frequented by men from that region and can get uncomfortable depending on how you are dressed and how many people are with you and your look if you are a Girl. The sevice is lacking, they don’t check on you often (or at all) but if they sense you need help they are kind. Its more cultural (Somali) then negligence.
On to the food,
The food here is ample and delicious and very authentic actually better than authentic as I’ve had plenty of home cooked Somali food and find their take to be quite good and on point. When I go, we usually order the Oromo Combination as it has the best sampler of all the their best dishes and obvi cause I’m Oromo, its a no brainer. The Oromo combo comes with rice, injera, Oromo salad, Suqaar/​beef tibs, haneed (tender spiced goat meat on the bone) and their price has been raised to $ 20 but it still serves upto 4 people, a potato stew on the rice, with green cilantro and pepper chutney, its delish!
This last time we also ordered a plate of chicken suqaar which is cubed chicken cooked with onions, tomato, peppers, and other spices similar to the beef suqaar. Both recommended.
A reviewer mentioned brown-​orange water, had they asked or even smelled the drink they would know it is not dirty water but actually a complimentary free jug of Tang orange juice. So there you go.
As far as friendliness, cleanliness Madina is not a place for the picky, if you like authentic food served like it would be in the country of said restaurant then go there with no expectations but that, good authentic food. Otherwise please refer to your Michelin and zagat rated restaurants.
Oh one last item, this place for as long as I’ve known serves Halal meat so one HUGE plus for me.
One star missing just bc of previously mentioned unattentiveness and staring making female restaurant goers inevitably uncomfortable.

The only reason why I am reviewing is bc I have been going to this spot for
recent trip was this past Sunda. I am proud Somali however I must say .can we kick up the service a tad ?
For those who are new to the culture/​food :
1) somalis eat bananas with meals. this is why it comes along with EVERYTHING (im thinking its a cleansing palate thing)
2) the tang is a throwback… free and delicious. I believe they have other beverages.
3) $ 10 for just about everything makes the bill easy to calculate. (fish/​chicken/​beef)
You will not leave hungry but you may be mad at the lack luster service. Just saying.

I love authentic ethnic restuarants. Madina, is truly Ethiopian, from the décor, to the owners to the food.
This is written from the perspective of a true foodie, my lunchmate is a Chef and he does not give complements easily.
The Tang drink that is bought to the table, reminded me of my childhood. (Yes, I admit to drinking Tang) The banana as an appetizer, made me smile, it reminded me of home. Being from Dominican Republic, I love banana’s. A friend says that I can go past a banana without wanting to fry it:-) The entrée plate is covered with injeera, then topped with goat, lamb, rice, potatoe stew, & lettuce. We also had the spaghetti… again reminded me of home. We also ordered Chapati, which is a thick roti. Everything was amazing, of course I loved eating with my fingers.
If you like Dominican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Guyenese, Jamiacan, or Indian food, you will enjoy Ethiopian and Somalian food. Try it, you will like it.
The portions are huge so share, the prices are amazing!!! We spent $ 14.00 for two people and were full!!!

Improve the service. It’s like they did not even want us there.

Oh Madina how I love you so…
You can catch me in here at least once a week. I always order the #10 with Chapati (I spell that right???) The goat is delicious and the potato stew is mouthwatering. The environment is no frills and pretty basic, but I came for the food not ambiance! So stop buy… pour a large glass of Tang and get your eat on!!!

The food was good but we were ignored even when there wasn’t any customers in the restaurant. The price wasn’t that bad either. I love the injera bread here more than at Desta because it’s less tangy (the tangy flavor builds over time so it gets harder and harder for me to eat)
Overall, good food in big proportion (good for sharing), free banana, and bad service.

The food is delicious. The service is great.

I loved this place. They bring you a banana and tang for appetizers. And the menu is so simple, 10 for everything. All the dishes come with a side choice of two different kinds of bread, spaghetti, or rice. You can get half and half sides if you can’t make up your mind. I had Delicious Juicy Goat with half spaghetti half rice. If I could do it over again I would get the goat and bread. But it’s still delicious. They have a great chimichuri sauce too. My friend got chop chop chicken, it was ok, but I liked the goat better.
The servers were super attentive and told us exactly what to order. We could have split a dish, the portions are HUGE. You definitely get what you pay for. I will definitely go back, I can’t wait to try more dishes.

Asalaam Alaikum (Peace be with you),
Madina Restaurant is an Ethiopian AND Somalian Restaurant located in an East African-​friendly section of Memorial Drive. The food is plentiful and inexpensive. Most entrees cost $ 8 — $ 10 and are so filling, you will have to take a box home.
An average entrée like the Chop Chop Chicken consists of a large piece of injeera, which forms the base of the plate, and a big helping of Ethiopian lentils; a large helping of the chop chop; a little bit of salad; a jalapeño sauce (very hot!!); and more injeera.
Other things to consider:
— The appetizers are bananas and Tang and are free.
— The food is 100% zabiha, halal, and the restaurant is frequented by many Muslims in the area as well as others.
— The portions are huge. I really wouldn’t even bother with an appetizer.
— My only problem is that sometimes, their service is lacking.
— Oh, and you can can get all entrees with injeera, rice, spaghetti or parathas.
— There is a large variety of Somalian food as well, including zuqaar, which is a kind of stew. Very good.

A Somali friend told me about the restaurant. He said it was the best Somali restaurant in the area. He was right– good food, large portions, good price (around $ 10). Service is friendly too– the owner/​or cook came out and talked and joked with our group.
Everything tasted great. I went with a large group so it took a while before we got our food, but it was worth the wait. The neighborhood is a bit questionable, so I’d go during the daytime.
In addition to your meal they give you a banana or two. While waiting it might be tempting to eat your banana, but wait and eat it with the food. I say this because the other customers were saving their bananas.
They give you some instant sugary pink mango juice while you wait, but I find that it’s too sweet (so don’t drink that much).