Flavors of East Africa in San Diego - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Best African food I've ever tasted. Going back tommorow.

My friend who is from Ethiopia and myself who is from Namibia were really excited to try food here. We both are no strangers to East African food. The brick of a steak I got as Nyama choma was a slap in the face. Please have your food cooked by someone from the region you trying to represent. Very disappointing experience today..We gotta do better.

Flavors of East Africa is consistently tasty and flavorful. Priced reasonably, food that melts in your mouth, you won’t be able to put down your fork. Today, I had some of the best service I have ever had in a long time, period, thanks to our server Marley. There were also some very kind young ladies working there, whose names I didn’t catch who were also very sweet and made us have an amazing experience. I felt so authentically welcomed. If you want a cozy spot to grab a meal at, where you feel at home, and you can’t go wrong with a single item, this is the spot. Thanks guys!

This place is amazing. The sweet jerk chicken, saffron rice, lentils, and plantains are my favorite. They also have great lunch specials. The staff are really nice. Parking is a pain in this area, so highly recommend uber or lyft.

Some food was overcooked and dry, some wasn't cooked enough. Service was poor. Interior of place was off. Not following all the good reviews, Beware.

Nothing but good things to say about this place. Super friendly service. Chill vibe. EXCELLENT food. The jerk chicken is to die for. Order a sambusa appetizer and thank me later (lentil). Round your meal off with a gingerized hibiscus juice if you like a big old kick of ginger (good for you!). Very reasonable and very good.

This food is incredible! I’m vegan and this place is probably the best food I’ve ever had in my life. I get the corn and beans, lentils, plantains, and their version of fufu😍

Just went to flavors of East Africa and had a great time filled with great flavorful food and a happy belly. The place itself had humble decor but was very clean, bright and inviting. The service was phenomenal and very much appreciated the server topping me off with my to go ginger turmeric drink. I ordered Kuku curry chicken with rice and eggplant all delicious. The amount was a very generous portion hence have enough for dinner and maybe even breakfast. The restaurant was able to accommodate one gluten free patron and another who’s dairy free & pescatarian. Hehe. Thank you Flavors of East Africa. You did not disappoint. Also, thank you to my Reddit friends who recommended this place! :)

Food was terrible. Waste of 20$ wish we dine and dashed. The Jerk Chicken sauce they use is definitely just barbeque sauce from the grocery store not some "in house" sauce they made.

I wish that the atmosphere matched the amazing food. Would love to see more of an African theme inside.

I have tried tons of places throughout San Diego and I can confidently say that out of all those restaurants over all those years, THIS is my favorite hands down! I highly recommend trying their food and eating here regularly— you will NOT be disappointed. The chicken curry is phenomenal and addictive- the sides are excellent but I love the saffron rice and their lentils. Get a whole chapati! And try their apps. I am literally obsessed and in love with this restaurant. I have only ordered online, but I already know that based on the food, their service, dedication to making quality dishes, and atmosphere makes the establishment a 10/10. OBSESSED!!! Do not wait a second longer- try their food ASAP!!!!!

Fresh, delicious, well seasoned food with decent portions — I’ve only had Nigerian & Ghanaian food before & this is completely different yet amazingly reminiscent of the Caribbean food in Belize. Highly recommend if you’ve never had African food or have only had the more mainstream types (Nigerian, Ethiopian, etc). No need to be fearful because it truly does not disappoint no matter which dish you try (fish, chicken, veggie). I will definitely order again & bring family/friends.

Chill vibe, amazing customer service from Todd and Katie who were great with our young kids and very thoughtful anticipating anything we might need, food was sooooooo flavorful and the dinner servings were very generous. I got the curry chicken (very tasty) with collard greens and coconut rice. When I was finished I still had an entire meal left to take with me for lunch tomorrow (definitely a plus). The spicy chicken was perfectly spicy and had a smoked meat flavor. Everything was amazing! So glad we tried this place out while visiting the area!

We found Flavors of East Africa at the Ocean Beach Farmers Market. Week one, we ordered 2 medium chickens (spicy and sweet). We immediately made a plan to go back the following week. Week two we ordered 3 large-sized meals and an extra side of lentils so we'd have leftovers. Our toddler, who is a picky eater, loved the meal the first week, she had three plates. She usually doesn't like repeats so we weren't holding our breath. The second week she's eaten enthusiastically for two dinners and two lunches. We adults also find the food exceptional and are so excited to indulge ourselves in the future even more because our kid also loves it. Highly recommend this spot! Our kid LOVES the lentils, saffron rice, and sweet chicken and ate some of my mom's curry chicken each week.

The only reason for my rating is because they don't always have the full variety of sambusas and it's happening a lot more lately. I understand they do catering but there should be a sufficient amount made on a daily basis to cover all areas

Food was awesome, service was amazing, entertainment was bomb! We had a wonderful several hours on open mic night! Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

All the food is amazing. Super flavorful. Great service too.

Amazing Food.!! Would def recommend to others !

Best customer service ! I love their food ! 🤗

Some of the best and most unique food in the city. Only problem is parking: you may have to park a couple blocks down. Highly recommend!

This is literally the best food

The food is amazing! We tried khinkhali, khachapuri, golubci, shashlik, borscht and everything were 10 out of ten! Very and unbelievable delicious! Thank you, guys!

This is a great place to grab some tasty food for takeout. We dined in but the inside could really use a makeover but the food is what it’s all about! The spicy jerky chicken is good and have a decent amount of spice

Incredible food! Everything is delicious. We ordered trays of food for a party over the weekend. The food was amazing. Our guests raved about it. They let us pick up our order 30 min before they opened, so that was really helpful as well. Thank you!

Great service, friendly. Generous portions. Authentic East African food. Ginger turmeric drink was excellent.

Thanks Katie for the amazing customer service today. Oh my gosh the food is so good here and these plates are huge. I’m so full. Can’t wait to go home and pick up this through the night. Thanks guys.

We had ugali, samaki fillet that came with my choice of coconut lentils and a qtr chapati, short ribs with saffron rice,plantains and a qtr chapati. The ugali was just okay, the samaki fillet was really good, the coconut lentils I didn’t fancy it much. The short ribs had a hint of bbq sauce and that tipped me off. For drinks we had Mango and passion Juice and i thought they’d be like fresh juice but either sugar is added or it’s packaged not fresh like fruit blended as I had expected. At least they play African songs that’s good. The customer service I must say was really amazing at least to my liking. Maybe I should sample other things on the menu but yoooh the prizes weuh😅

Victoria (staff) was super amazing Best African food I’ve had in a long long time. I’m from DC, and this place is better than most places back there. Plus the prices are great!

I recommend the curry shrimp, kuku chicken curry, fried plantains and coconut rice. The 🍛 are just so delicious! The people that work here are so sweet too!

This place is GO TO! Absolutely 100% excellent. We've ordered so many times, and the food is incredible. My wife who spent her childhood and later early 20's in East Africa cannot praise them higher! Do yourself a favor and get some today. Yum!

Whether it’s at their original location or at the street fairs/markets this company always produces! The food is very fresh and flavorful, it’s very hearty and you can tell it’s authentic in its roots, if you aren’t sure what to order just ask for their recommendations! Reasonably priced for such high quality food and protein amounts

My ex husband is from Kenya, we love kenyan food we drive 2 plus hours to eat here! Ginger Chai forever!!

This spot is DELICIOUS!!! The aroma poring out of this tucked away hidden gem would make anyone's mouth water...I do remember sampling their booth at the Farmers Market Once upon a time. When I started doing lunch time deliveries from there I had the pleasure of being able to try one of the plates!! Compliments of the chef...👍 (Thank you Chef I appreciate you!! WOW WHAT A TREAT!!) Completely satisfied down to the last bite My plates seemed to be perfectly proportioned!! I Couldn't help but to "DANCE IN MY SEAT"..... it was "OFF THE CHAIN!" and YUMMY Scrumptious!! Truth is that the amazing flavors alone.... were....well....a 4 sure Party in my mouth!!!!) In my opinion Flavors of East Africa hold a Definite spot on the list of to top 10 "ABSOLUTELY MUST EXPERIENCE in San Diego!" I highly recommend to ALL near and far, Locals and Vacationers.. you won't be sorry you tried it and I'm pretty sure your mouth will love it also... Hope you Enjoy as much as I did and do... Cheers!!! God bless, Stay safe, and Be well... Ciao ☺️🌺🫶

Authentic and delicious! Friendly staff!

Evening everyone. I'm not the kind of person to leave a negative review, nor have the time or energy to post a comment about food but this ish hit different... A few days ago I had a taste for Africa food and went to Google, and whichever African restaurant had the most reviews, that was the winner that day (My mistake). So FLAVORS OF EAST AFRICA Please step forward cause yall was the worst African food I ever had... I was already skeptical when I walked in cause I can see all the staff including the kitchen staff through the waiting area and Noone! was of African descent. I would assume with it being an African restaurant, there would be an African chef. WRONG!!! Then the menu had basic island food, nothing special about it. But I thought to myself... "self... maybe the chefs are trained in the African culture and they know all the seasonings and temperatures and the food still might be great since they have all these great reviews". So I gave them the benefit-of-the-doubt and bought a couple combination plates to have some for dinner and some for work the next day (some mix-match action) yall know how us thick guys do it lol... but Heck nah. The flavors was insulting. The Fufu was disrespectful... it WASNT done right AT ALL!!! It broke apart and crumbled like dry mashed potatoe flakes and they put it in the same plate with my food. PUT MY FUFU ON THE SIDE!!! Sorry for my review being so long. I tried to make it short. Just know, I will never go back there again and I hope they make some changes and they need to start with their FUFU!!! GET IT TOGETHER.

I ate at the Hillcrest Farmer's Market Pop-up and I still can't stop thinking about the eggplant curry! I also had the spicy jerk chicken and the coconut rice, both super flavorful!

You ordered food from here once before and remember how flavorful and decently spicy the food was so I had to get some when my family was visiting from India . They love extra spicy food and it's hard to find that here. Jerk Chicken (sweet & spicy) Absolutely Love the chicken here! It's soft and perfectly cooked and literally just falls off the bone. Really a delicious one. Perfect amount of sweet and spicy when you ask for the mixed.. Even the spicy is really good. I wouldn't mind either of those chickens to be honest! Ugali (mashed cornmeal) First time ordering the ugali and it was a pleasant surprise. It's actually quite plain on its own but with the chicken it goes really well! Good amount of portion on the ugali too. Wali (saffron rice with carrot, potatoes) This rice is really flavorful. The carrots and potatoes inside add a good amount of volume and texture to it. It's good on his phone or with the chicken! Chapati (flatbread) Was expecting a bigger piece of flatbread here but the chapati was quite small. I wouldn't recommend it If you're hoping for a good portion size from one of the carbohydrate sides. Would you recommend the rice or ugali instead. Overall really good food to order for delivery! Never tried the dining but I think the place looks more like a hole in the wall. But delivery is awesome.

While visiting from SF, a friend took y to te place. I felt at home the moment I walked in. It's a definite dining place for me whenever I'll be in San Diego.

I got the fried tilapia wet with fufu and collard greens. Let me tell you it was amazing so the wet sauce was so flavorful, the fish fell off the bone and the greens are good too!

Great food! GREAAAAT! We got 4 different meats and 4 different sides and everything was amazing! Will be my place from now.

Great food... with an East African flare. Parking is tough but most people use the gas station next door.

Still can’t believe I paid $32($42 after tip) for 2 completely inedible oxtails. Flavor was fine but as a person who grew up eating oxtails they are definitely not worth it. All the protein in the picture in cartilage and bone which is mind blowing to me. Maybe their other items are good but stay away from the oxtails.

Delicious as always, the jerk chicken was spicy but extremely flavorful and the Ubali soaked up all of that sauce and paired with the sukuma wiki wonderfully.

Best African food in all of San Diego

This place is damn good. The staff are super kind and the food is consistently great every time I stop by.

So good. I love the eggplant side.

The smell of the Flavors of East Africa pop up at the Ocean Beach Farmers Market drew me in & the long-but-quick-moving line assured me that the taste would be just as good. I had the medium sweet jerk chicken plate with plantains, saffron rice & curried lentils. It was all delicious, but I will be dreaming about those plantains for a long time to come! Plenty of vegetarian options. Big portions - the medium was enough for two meals. Reasonably priced. Highly recommend!

This is the best African restaurant in Minneapolis. Their food is very tasteful and had best customer services. I will recommend to anyone

This place is flavor city! Definitely get the jerk chicken.

Great sambusa, chicken pilao, injera veggies and chai. Flavors were bold but never overpowering or spicy. Avoid dining in, as they are undergoing an interior remodel. Can sit outdoors on the patio or take out

Simple and welcoming place located at the El Cajon boulevard in SD. This is one of my favorite places to go and grab a bite for a cheap price and a lot of delicious food! Not a fancy restaurant at all but the place has a unique and good vibe that makes your feel comfortable. I like the African songs they play in the background! They have combos menu and also separate dishes with a fair price. I always ask for a Jerk Sweet Chicken which cocoon rice and Greens. I also have tried the Sambusas and Goat Curry dish once and they were both amazing!! Service is always good! I highly recommend this place for sure.

Really delicious Kenyan food. Portions are huge and flavor is strong & yummy.

It was rainy on my way there (this was in March) so making my way through wasn't fun, but eating the food made the inconvenience worth it. The next time I am in San Diego (hopefully soon), I will try to eat here again.

I had the goat curry with ugali, greens and chapati. The food was absolutely delicious and the choice selection deep. My partner had a vegan option (the establishment is well known for its vegan menu). I was a big fan of their hibiscus juice but also had the passion and mango to go. The service was great; friendly and helpful with suggestions and favorites. The ambiance definitely made me feel like I was in a restaurant in t he heart of Nairobi city. I'm a big fan!🥰

I enjoyed the atmosphere, and I definitely return.

Delicious food, great vegan options. Really good value as well.

I’ve had Flavors of East Africa at the Hillcrest Farmer’s market and at their brick & mortar location. Both excellent. The jerk chicken, lentils, plantains, lamb, egg plant, and rice were all gluten free. As I celiac I haven’t had issues with their food. I recommend a sweet & spicy jerk chicken combo.

the food is fresh, healthy, and bursting with flavor! Service is fast and friendly. Prices are stellar too, while the rest of the city is gouging us for 12 dollar coffee. You MUST go here!

Different cultures and different tastes. small, nice and, clean place.

Great food. Friendly staff. I recommend the mbuzi curry and chapti.

The food here is excellent and i'm so happy I found this place. I've ordered from them 4 or 5 times at this point and the food quality is always delicious. The place is a little musty on the inside and the atmosphere was more kitchen diner experience then restaurant.

Been here twice and the food is delicious! The oxtail are huge and meaty. Generous portion of coconut rice or ugali along with the choice of veggies in which we have gotten the collard greens twice. My daughter ordered the shrimp curry before and was tempted to order again but went with the beef short ribs. The flavor is tasty that's for sure! I like inside for dining in because it's spacious and clean looking for the most part. The parking can be a bit of a hassle.. the 1st time we just parked at the Mc Donald's across the street and the 2nd time was street parking (we got lucky) I really like this restaurant and plan on having it in my rotation!

My advice is if you are desperate for African food order and pickup to go eat at home. If the floor in the sitting area is dirty, I can only imagine conditions under which the food is cooked behind closed doors. The attendant was very rude and she had a smart mouth. For dine in we were served food in to go boxes with plastic silverware and when asked we were told it is the san diego County law to serve in disposable because of covid. This is may 2023 when every restaurant in San Diego is serving food in plates. Trying to support a black business but truly disappointed

Large special, 2 curry chicken, saffron rice, collard greens... 10/10

Delicious food and great service. We ordered 2 combos and liked everything we got: saffron rice, sweet jerk chicken and plantains coconut rice, curry chicken and curry lentils The favorite was definitely the sweet jerk chicken. Favorite sambusas: chicken, spicy beef and potato

This is a great restaurant in a great location with great customer service. There are many choices of food to choose from and the food is tasty.

If you are wondering if this is the place, it's it! This is the place you want to eat! I ordered the curry chicken with coconut rice and plantains and a couple sombusas...☠️ I am forever changed.

One of my favorite take-out or dine in spots in San Diego due to the reasonable pricing and home-cooked food. Make sure to try their farmers market plates (I think those are the biggest bang for your buck). Whenever I have friends in town, I take them here. We are all still trying to figure out how they make their lentils...

Delightful hostess/server and great place for a fusion of flavors from East African countries. Food was delicious-went with friends who lived in Uganda and Tanzania, who said it was very authentic. Will be going back soon!

We arrived about 1/2 an hour before closing time and the young African American lady told us rudely that all we could order was to go order.we asked us her if we could sit down while we looked at the menu which said we could but after telling her that as she could see I was Disabled she agree and warned us we had 5 minutes to order or leave.we got the menu from another lady and african American girl came and snatched the menu saying the other girl had given us the wrong menus.we then said we like to order Samosas which said the deep fryer was off.we decided to leave as we were been berated with insults and arguments.we asked her the name of her boss which she refused to give us his name. While leaving we bumped onto the manager who apologized for the incident and offered to make us an order of samosas. Mgr said we should be served as long as we there 10 minutes to close .He gave me the name the owner Alvin June who I called and left several messages but to no response.Please fire the anti christ hood rat

Really good, flavorful food. Big portions, very reasonably priced and everyone was extremely friendly. Highly recommend!

The food truck was at the LA Marathon expo and the food was amazing!

Gluten free and authentic! Loved it!!!

Amazing Jungle Fries! My first time there. You have to get them. They are loaded! Large portions and inexpensive! Will return!

Absolutely delicious! Best Jerk Chicken I have ever eaten!

Really good good. I drive an hour just to go here sometimes as we don’t have food like this where I live. I usually get the curry chicken and two orders of sambusas. I love the potato ones and coconut cream cheese pjs apple ones. Only reason why I gave it 4 stars is because of the building itself. It’s in need of a make over really badly. The chairs are torn, the floors are sticky

Tasty food. Outstanding service. Ordinary setting with a pleasant, welcoming vibe. I came for food exploration & conversation - and departed deeply satisfied.

Literally the best food I’ve had in years, and the customer service is exquisite. Wow.

This place offers good Kenyan cuisine

Always one of my first choices when I go out for great food. Sorry no photos, was hungry :) still delicious and a favorite years later, wife's half shown below :)

Best collard greens I’ve had in my life. I seriously would eat them all day everyday. Before this place I swear I didn’t even think I like collard greens. Everything else I’ve tried there is incredible as well. Can’t go wrong.

This might be the best oxtail I have ever had. No joke. Worth every penny!

The worse African Restaurant ever I’ve been there, I received my food it was very spicy I couldn’t even enjoy it and it didn’t say anything in the menu about hot, I told the sever , he was very rude and he wouldn’t do anything, I won’t go there ever again and I don’t recommend anyone else.

The food here is phenomenal. I don't need to say much except that you're missing out if you've yet to try it. The jerk chicken is a masterpiece

Visiting from Chicago so you know the bar is pretty high. The curry chicken and curry lentils were fire! Incredible customer service and the place had nice vibes

Ordered delivery for well done short ribs and they were charred. The salsa given was not even a spoon. I could literally count the number of tomato cubes. Highly dissatisfied.

Incredible! Been here multiple times and have never been disappointed. Very authentic East African restaurant

If you are from Africa, this isn't the place for you. It doesn't taste anything like African food. No taste at all. Barely salt and pepper. How Can you serve and sell this kind of food? We ordered lamb, goat, beef and fish. It was a disaster! We spent $120. We Could have cooked at home but wanted to eat out on a Saturday evening. Don't get fool by the decor. It stops there. Only thing good is customer service. African folks, you've been warned.

Just dropping a golden nugget piece of street art found at this location ✌️

Good food, very welcoming hostess... My family and I had a very nice experience!

Great food, very genuine ethnic food. Was really impressed. As a foodie that also a chef, I give it 5 stars on taste and service.

I am visiting from Canada and I read the reviews before I got there. It lived up to my expectations. We got the ground beef fries, goat curry, jerk chicken, lentils, collard greens and plantain. All were delicious. My favorite is the goat curry. The Gingerised drinks were amazing as well. Narine the host was very gracious and friendly. I can't wait to return!

Food was delicious and the customer service was good also! Portion sizes were good, I will be back!

The hostess was very friendly when greeting us. My friend ordered an Oxtail dinner with mixed rice and plantains. I had the Beef stew with mixed rice, collards, and an assortment of Sambusas on the side. We sat on the outside patio, which is dog friendly and thoroughly enjoyed our meals. I highly recommend this spot for a great homestyle lunch or dinner.

Man i can’t even begin to TELL you how amazing this place is. I had it for the first time at a music festival a year ago and ran across it again the following year and it STILL HIT. It’s affordable, it’s filling, it’s delicious, I mean I really don’t know what else you want. The people are great and the ambiance is too. If you’re in the area do yourself a favor and GO you can’t go wrong with anything here

Ordered the goat curry and neither the menu nor the server mentioned that it would have lots of bone fragments in it. I ended up chipping my back tooth on the first bone I crunched down on. I could come after them for the $150 dental fix if I really wanted to. There wasn't even that much meat in the curry too! For $19, you mostly get bones, gristle, and rice! Everything is served with disposable dishes and silverware too. Do better y'all.

Has to be really good. It is 4.5 and it was on 90 day fiance.

I cannot believe you’re using plastic for all of your diners that eat in the restaurant. Do you understand how bad that is for the environment. Do better!

Flavors of East Africa stays true its name. Never been to Africa, but this is the closest I have been. Since we already had enough appetite as soon as we entered, we did not order any appetizer. Let me start with Staff, very friendly staff, especially Solomon, the ever smiling happy waiter. We even watched soccer game together. Interior is simple and felt very authentic African. We ordered, Injera Bowl, Medium Combi, Goat Curry, Chapati, Injera rolls and dal curry. In different ordered we covered lot of vegetarian and non-vegetarian combinations. The medium combo comes with one Rice, One Chicken Choice, Two Veggie Choice, remember, you can choose two rice half and half too. Our favorites in order: Mbuzi / Goat Curry: Amazing, it as good as Indian Goat curry, same species, and masalas. Goat cooked with African spices and curry sauce, served with rice choice and veggie choice, we asked for extra spicy. Our combo came with SPICY AFRICAN JERK CHICKEN, it was great, but the sweet AFRICAN JERK CHICKEN was not that great, too sweet for chicken. Injera Bowl, came with Three Veggie Choices Served on top of Ethiopian Injera Bread. We asked for Collard Greens it came mixed with Cabbage, so fresh and crispy cabbage, perfectly cooked, Fried Eggplant in a Tomato Based Sauce and Fried plantains, its perfect choice for Appetizer, Dessert or even main entre. And we also tried SIDE OF DENGU, its like dal curry, comfort food. Rice Choices: Coconut rice, Yellow (saffron) rice and Ugali, Ugali is made of steamed corn. Coconut rice was good and we chose for the most combination. The best combinations of all is Chapati and Goat curry, I will go again to try the same. Next time, we want to try Oxtail, full tilapia, and other curries 😊

Sweet chix dish with curry rice is G! Also get toz little turnovers, no beer but most dan welc 2 bring ur own ,no fee 4 dat. Don't get it from the gas station next coz is NOT cold enough,I lije mine crispy cold, but if u don't mind dat...