Sabiib Somali Restaurant - Acton — Restaurant in London

Cosy, comfortable interior serving super affordable homecooked East African soul food with the best hospitality you will ever experience in your life! Leave the Aromat at home, and GO.

I went here with a friend, and had suggested it off the back of seeing a social media advert with tepid expectations - and I was completely blown away! This review probably sound paid for but I am just someone who has high standards of global cuisine that loved eating at Sabiib. I'll break down course by course what I enjoyed, what you should order, and why you shouldn't hesitate to book on right now.

To start When we arrived we were greeted with a smile and seated promptly, with the most delicious must-try spicy green basbaas sauce (a tantalisingly zingy blend of green peppers, coriander, onion and garlic), a sweet 'n sticky tamarind chutney, a small bowl of dates, and in traditional Somali fashion...a banana each. I believe the dates were a a nod to breaking fast as we went yesterday, during the first week of Ramadan, and even though I don't observe it I thought that was a really thoughtful touch.

The Main We ordered the platter for two which was HUGE (we ate plenty and still each had a takeway container to have for next day lunch) and a mouth-watering mountain of food. One thing to know is Sabiib only offer hearty home cooking portions, which I love.

The platter consisted of a succulent lamb shoulder, which was steaming hot when delivered, flavourful and falling off the bone quite literally. Aromatic Somali rice with currants piled high, oodles of pasta saldata (savoury stewed spaghetti in a tomato sauce), fried onions, salad, and pickles, complete with well seasoned beef suquaar (diced browned beef).

On the side we had a single portion to share of flatbread (Sabayaad) which also came piping hot and had clearly been freshly made to order.

The entire meal was a doozy of a dinner, divinely plated and absolutely delicious. I had never eaten out at a Somalian restaurant before, but I will definitely be returning. I'm West African by blood but East African in palette after visiting Sabiib and that's no joke. If I had space, I would've definitely gotten dessert.

Drink We each had the Shaah (Somali spiced chai) which was easily miles better than any of the drivel you get in high street cafe chains.

Price Everything I've just described came to only £44, so £22 for two people for dinner, drinks, and two takeaway boxes of food.

Atmosphere and vibe As you walk in the restaurant is bright and clean with lovely homey decor, uplifting music at just the right volume (no one is shouting to hear the other), padded booths suitable for sitting a long catch up. The seating layout is spacious and not crammed so you feel the need to leave quickly.

The owner was a delight, friendly and personable and balancing the kind charming hospitality that makes you smile while also affording you enough privacy to enjoy your food. Also, a shoutout to our waiter who, when my friend forgot her hat, literally ran out of the restaurant and across traffic to get it back to us before we walked too far...

Well this is my first time visiting Sabiib. My wife and I ordered ansaalato, chicken suqaar, Haniid ❤️, Shaah Somali spiced chai, Timir date cake, Banana & coconut smoothie.

Ansaalato- We started with chicken-mango salad, which is my first but it was lovely and increased our appetite for the main course!

Chicken Suqaar- It was very aromatic rice with lovely flavored chicken pieces which was amazing! Somali rice is love ❤️

Haniid 😍- This is the top 3 dishes I have had in my life!! Wallahi it tastes so good, first time having it was such an experience! The lamb was so perfectly cooked, the meat was coming off the bones so smoothly and the spice was just perfect. The salads were fresh that came with it and the Somali paratha complimented the lamb so well. I was devouring it like a shameless person infront so many people who was eating beside me 😅 Sorry for that couldn’t control it.

Shahi Somali Spiced chai- Honest opinion-yes it is better than Karak chai and I am someone who is coming from that part of Asia. We enjoyed the lovely spice that infused the milk tea and made it something special.

Timir date cake- Just when we thought we were so full that we did a mistake ordering this dessert it came infront of us. And my god it was so good that even with full belly we were craving for more. Tha sauce that comes with the cake made it more flavourful. An incredible dessert a must try. I am someone who loves dates a lot this will be my one of the most favorite desserts of all time.

Banana & coconut smoothie, chutney and sauces that were provided also great. Made it better with all the meat we had. And also the bananas, don't forget the bananas 🫡

The whole ambience of the restaurant was really busy (no wonder with the food like that 😅) but it was well managed by the team. The service was top notch. The lady that help us navigating through the menu was so sweet, understanding and polite. Bless her and rest of the staff! I don't know how I missed this gem of a restaurant when I was living in Acton for two years! But I am surely going to be a regular here. The prices are reasonable, and the portions of the food is adequate. Also the have bidet in the toilet!!😅😅 I know how much muslims around the world will appreciate that. As a muslim and all the halal options we have this will definitely be my top 3 best restaurants to go to in the UK. JazakAllah! See you...

Went to this amazing place couple of days ago. Enjoyed every second I was there from start to finish. Soon as we got there we saw there was no tables available but was told it would be around 20 minutes wait. The person who had greeted us was very polite and welcoming and treated us like we’ve known her for so long. Allowed us to wait in their chilling area which was a beautiful room with a lot of seating. I then asked if there’s any place I could pray. Showed us an amazing prayer area with wudhu facility next door. Waited less than 20mins and our table was ready, brought us the bisbaas sauce and banana and complimentary mocktails. The blue lagoon and strawberry mocktails was bursting with flavour and enjoyed it till the very last drop. Ordered hanid and rice with chicken steak, rice and sweet potato fries. The quality of the food was unbelievable, looked amazing and tasted even better. Very juicy and so much flavour. Then ordered the chai and got complimentary desserts with it. The chai was very good as was the dessert. Ordered the malawax which was Somalia style pancake with bananas and hazelnut drizzle. This was definitely something that hit the spot to finish the meal. All I can say is the restaurant decor and setup is beautiful and comfortable. The faculties they have downstairs e.g prayer room and chilling room was amazing. The food was unbelievable with lots of flavours and a very big portion which will satisfy. More than anything all staff members were very friendly always there if you need anything and always smiling which makes the experience even better. Very good price for the quality and quantity of the food. Outstanding service from start to finish. Travelled from east London and would say it definitely was worth it. Will definitely be going there a lot more Insha’allah. Definitely a place to visit if you haven’t already. Alhamdulilah for the food and service they provide. Food - 10 Service -...