Banadir Somali Restaurant — Restaurant in Inglewood

Banadir's kitchen in Inglewood opens at 6am, and for the next 5 hours, a husband and wife tandem prepare Somali-style breakfast for $6.99. The menu is fairly straight forward, including combinations of anjero with stewed chicken, beef liver, eggs, or fava beans. During lunch and dinner, the menu opens up to heavier items and more elaborate dishes, including permutations of rice, pasta, goat, and fish.

For breakfast, I ordered the anjero, paired with sides of ful and chicken suqar. I have eaten the Middle Eastern variations of ful before; the Somali preparation was slightly different. What I received was fava beans in pureed form, laced with salt and toasted spices, sprinkled with crushed bell peppers, stir fried on a pan. The ful's texture was creamy, and unlike dishes with similar consistency like Mexican refried beans or Indian curries loaded with butter, Banadir's ful was more hearty, not oily, neither heavy nor bland, and had just the right amount of peppery heat to relish but not linger for too long. This dish had more sophisticated flavors than the Egyptian version I had before, which was more tangy, and the Iraqi counterpart, which was just straight up boiled fava beans served in an olive oil base.

The chicken suqar, or stew, was dressed with similar spices as the ful. Nothing special to mention, except that the meat was certified Halal. It's because over 95% of people from Somalia are Muslim.

The anjero, on the other hand, was a "one of a kind" highlight. It was a type of bread with consistency similar to the hybrid of south-Indian dosa and American pancake. The chef explained that anjero is considered the main course of this meal, which took time for me to get used to because in the Western world, savory stews and meats usually receives the most attention. Although anjero sounds very similar to the Ethiopian injera, the two are different types of flatbread. Somali anjero is much thicker, larger, and resembles a crepe. It has a sourdough taste from the fermented batter, and if you want to add tanginess, use the lime given on the side. 2 pieces per order. I find injera relatively tasteless compared to anjero, but they both serve similar purpose, to be eaten with the savory stews.

Somali citizens like to start their day by consuming a cup of tea, so a black bitter tea was included in the breakfast combo. You can also substitute tea with a bottled water, which I regrettably did. I didn't follow the Somali tradition.

Based on the breakfast I was served at Banadir, I would describe Somali cuisine as a fusion between Middle Eastern and east-African cooking. The breads, spices, and stews are somewhat similar to Ethiopia and Kenya cuisine, the meats and confections seem to be influenced by Middle Eastern neighbors.

I will like to return to Banadir for dinner someday to try the famous rice and goat platter. Every dish is cooked to order at Banadir, one by one, so the food is ultra-fresh. The next time I hear a reference about Somalia, I will think of their tasty food rather than pirates hijacking boats and...

Consistently delicious high quality food with good prices and large portions. I like the goat the most, lamb #2, but I've tried all the lunch/dinner options and they're all excellent. All dinner/lunch options have the same sides. The only difference is price and protein. The proteins have consistently been tender and well spiced. I'm used to spicy food, so this doesn't bother me at all, but those averse to even low level of spiciness may find it spicy or may want to ask to tone down the scoville level. It comes w/ fluffy basmati rice, salad, yummy spicy green sauce (basbaas?), banana, bottle of water, a delicious spiced tea (closest thing I've had to it is Ethiopian spiced tea or some Indian chai but without the milk), and awesome soup. The soup is light & brothy, but deeply flavored. That soup in many other restaurants would easily be the signature dish and worth spending extra $$ on. If I have any complaint about the place is that sometimes they run out of that awesome soup and to a lesser extent, the delicious tea, especially towards the end of the day. The portion size is enough to split into 2 comfortable sized meals or if you're extra hungry, it will definitely satiate most appetite levels. The service has always been friendly, nice, and helpful. The decor/atmosphere is definitely not fancy. It's very casual, and before covid restrictions, was like a bit of a community gathering spot. Diverse groups of people would come here. Added bonus is that it's halal (Somalia is predominantly Muslim after all). If you go during the Ramadan, hours may differ, so check ahead if during that...

My first time here, in trying the food was amazing... but the 2nd time I brought a guest, and some friends and family decided to hang out for good food, but was disappointed to say the least. Did Not have the same Cultural feel to the food... the TEA was sooo delish... and I wanted the food to Match the drinking experience, but the Owner was Not there to oversee the help in the Kitchen, so the Person was inexperienced, did Not know the Presentation of the entrees, therefore could Not deliver on the same food quality. However, when the Manager arrived, I let him know, and he attempted to Make it right with offering the food of choice on the House, however. That was also Not satisfactory upon eating it... The GOAT just was Not there that day... I didnt attempt to make substitutions with the Lamb... The Fish was also a disappointment, bcz we wanted Salmon, but was told there wasnt any More, just Tilapia, only to learn after we had Tilapia, that they were surving up SALMON. 🤷🏽‍♀️😂🤦🏽‍♀️ I dont get it... how it can go fro. EXCELLENT to worse in a few weeks time... but it did. I'm almost afraid to try it a vfc again, so soon in the Future... a decline, is a decline... Looks like No Matter who Makes it... but it would have to go from Worse, to hella Great for Me to trust so soon again. We'll see what a different day brings... I Might,...