East African Dining in San Diego
Restaurant Review by Melanie Jennings
copyright 2003 All Rights Reserved

Harar

San Diego has been blessed with a wave of East African immigrants in the last several years, for which our taste buds should be eternally grateful. Disciples of the genre have several places to choose from, but you’ll find continual redemption at Harar on El Cajon Boulevard at Texas Street.

Step into Harar and you’re bound to be greeted by a smiling woman popping her head out from behind the kitchen door. With indoor and outdoor dining rooms big enough to stretch out your legs and relax a while, Harar’s atmosphere is warm and comfortable. You may notice the absence of utensils. Ethiopian food is eaten with one’s fingers and the help of injera, a salty bread made of buckwheat flour. Try tearing small pieces of it from the platter on which the meal is actually served since the juices from each dish soak into the bread–you can have your dinner and eat the plate, too.

Try Harar on a Friday evening for the all-you-can-eat buffet. For the reasonable price of $10 you can sample some of the best Harar has to offer, as well as gab with fellow diners in the informal, family-meal setting. If you’re ordering off the menu, however, be sure to try the kitfo, lightly sauteed spicy ground beef (the rarer the better if you ask me–and you can get it raw if you like). For vegetarians, Ethiopian food is perfect. Try the combination platter and the warm and crispy lentil sambusas. The combo sometimes arrives with a collection of roasted vegetables that are sweet and smoky and definitely a favorite. The gomen, a dish of chopped greens and spices, is less spicy and served lukewarm rather than hot like I’ve had elsewhere. To finish your meal, Ethiopian coffee is as good as gets.

East African Restaurants in San Diego

Harar
2432 El Cajon Blvd.
619-295-3735

Asmara
4433 El Cajon Blvd.
619-563-3666

Awash Ethiopian & Somalian Restaurant
4979 El Cajon Blvd.
619-583-9225

Red Sea
4717 University Ave.
619-285-9722

Aswan
7404 University Ave.
619-464-7100

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