Ashur Restaurant

The place was dirty. Table had an odor of a dirty wet cloth. The tea that everybody was raving about is loaded with sugar. It wasn’t the actual flavor of the tea that tasted good. I got beef with lamb and the portion was huge, however the meat was mostly fat. I’m usually never such a hard critic but I was not impressed at all. I would not return to this place. This is a locals joint to hang out and talk in between work and prayers.

This place is the epitome of «hole in the wall». A simple restaurant with a world of flavors. I have had many things on the menu but my favorite is the chicken biryani. The portions are huge and the prices are well worth it. Don’t let the exterior dissuade you. If you haven’t gone yet, you are truly missing out.

This place screams authenticity. Its a simple, casual setting with the best Somalian food. I ordered the lamb with bones, and my friend had the chicken steak. The lamb was so tender and perfectly seasoned (just enough to be tasty but still taste the lamb), the rice was cooked well and tasted fresh and flavorful, and even the salad was good (although minimalist, i loved the dressing). Maybe I was just damn hungry, but this food here was just so delicious that it blew my mind. The hot sauce and amazing chai were the cherries on top. Definitely returning.

We went here last Ramadan when one of our friend was visiting and we wanted some Somalian food. I know obviously a but late in writing the review but oh well… Loved it!!!
The food is delicious and tastes similar to Pakistani cuisine (which is perfect because it reminded me of home). Also all my friends are huge tea drinkers and the tea tasted just like the chai from back home. Win-​win!

Great lamb shank! Rice very fragrant and light with just the right amount of spice in it! Samosas were amazing with a kick at the end so watch out. Even the baklava was great not too sweet or hard! All this for under $ 20 is the ultimate shocker! Definitely a favorite of mine!

My first time was a year and a half ago… and I’ll never forget it. We were hungry late one night and didn’t want to journey far. Fortunately, we discovered this treasure within walking distance. Distance is no longer a factor; I would venture to the ends of the earth for Ashur.
The lamb sports plate is incredible amazing wonderful times a million! The sports plate is their bone-​in lamb with rice for two. Soooo good! It reminds me of the delicious food growing up in the Middle East that I’ve missed. Different, I know, but it still brings back that nostalgia and taste memory. It’s super authentic, full of flavor, heart-​warming, and you’ll never want to stop eating even after your stomach is about to explode bc the sports plate is huuuge. You get a giant platter of enormous lamb shank, tons of rice, and a large salad on the side — altogether an amazing deal. I want to try their biryani, but I keep coming back to this!
The staff is very friendly and happy to guide you through the menu. The last time we went, we got a complimentary banana each. You put in your order at the counter, grab a drink from the fridge, and take a seat. They will bring your food out and you pay at the counter after you are done with your meal. The whole experience is super laid back. They also have screens available for families that may wish to put up a partition for religious/​cultural reasons.
It’s across the street from the mosque, so if you come in at the right time you’ll share the restaurant with a large group of men coming in after worship for a meal. You feel an immense sense of community. You can also tell that they are very proud of the restaurant and they know their food is amazing — we’ve been asked on a couple of occasions by gentlemen on our way out if we enjoyed our meal and are very happy to get our reaction.
We now live downtown, but I will be making special trips to Roxbury Crossing just to get some Ashur in my belly! While I want to keep this place a secret and maintain its intimate, local community quality, my overwhelming desire to share this treasure with the world and bring everyone here wins. You’re welcome.

The food was delicious I likw it and my family also. I can’t stop order from this restaurant. And specially is halal meet.

Solid place for take-​out if you’re in the Roxbury Crossing/​Dudley/​Fort Hill area. Tons of food.

Delicious food but not the cleanest place! I mean, it’s so dirty you might think that you’re risking your life but then… The food is so good that it’s worth the risk!
It’s also a «guys» hangout place, not a kid friendly or family atmosphere.

Such a surprise when I got there and ordered lamb with bones for the first time. It must be a gem in Mission Hill. The lamb is cooked with very limited seasonings, so you can taste the original favor of lamb, which is always one of my favorite. Every time I do want another dish, but I was always too full. Definitely recommend to people who like the original favor of lamb.

I love this Somali Restaurant. I ate Rice Lamb with Bone. Taste so good. This is the best Rice lamb with bone I ever eat in US so far. Want to go back but is far from Pittsburgh.
I recommend to try this Bone Lamb, it’s cook perfect.

Please don’t come here, we ordered goat meat they have given rice with goat meat but there were only bones, how come any body can eat a solid bone. And the rice quality is so less its a kids meal .
Please don’t go this restaurant at all

Damn this place is so good. It’s so authentic and has so much atmosphere. It’s like walking into a restaurant on the streets of [insert name of any Somali city if you know it… I don’t].
Be prepared to sit amongst the loud chatter and laugher of older Somalian men arguing over the days politics.
The place was packed after Friday prayer let out from the Mosque next door. 80% of the customers were Somalian… which is a great indication to the authenticity of the place.
Get the goat meat dish and the lamb shank dish. I doused it in the white and red sauces which may have been some generic version of ranch and siracha. Get them with rice. The rice tasted like it had soaked up the all the juicy goodness from the meats.
The art on the walls looked like they were the owner’s 12 year old daughter’s art class project of her trip to Italy… and I loved them.
There was also a large 2^nd place soccer trophy over the soda fridge. Ashur you may have to try harder at soccer to win, but in my heart your food is already number one. (that’s hopefully the last, cheesiest sentence I’ll ever write.)
Every Somali walking around the restaurant seems to work here. We must have had 7 different waiters… so just grab the closest Somali to you and order some goat meat and Somali tea.

I love this place, we used to come here for quick middle-​eastern dinner that reminds us of home :)
I didn’t give 5 stars because they started to run out of lamb recently and the rice started to not be as nice as it used to be.

My wife and I went to this restaurant a couple days ago and ordered lamp with rice. Although it was tasty, it was cold. After a while we both had a severe stomachache which made us sure that the food had been cooked a long time before or maybe it was a leftover. Therefore, I don’t recommend it and will never go there again.

Great place especially when visiting at the right time. afternoon or weekend. I strongly recommend the boneless lamb. The fish there is not the best I had. Oh and the tea. phonomenal beyond belief. Your visit won’t count without trying the tea they make.

My goodness, I’m here so often that I forgot to write a review for my favorite lunch spot in all of Roxbury.
Tucked into a side street off of Malcom X Blvd, right across from the Muslim mosque where many of the worshipers eat and congregate after services, this place is definitely a textbook definition of a «hidden gem».
It can be a little confusing and intimidating to a newbie here and I felt that way the first few times I visited. Do you order at the counter? Do you sit and have waiter service? Where is the menu? Actually, some of these questions are still unresolved for me because it seems that if they aren’t busy, they will wait on you. But if you go at 1:30 on a Friday right after the mosque has left out, all rules are thrown out the window. Oh, and there isn’t a menu besides what is on the wall next to the counter… they got rid of those about two months ago and I’m a little miffed they haven’t been replaced.
So why would you come here? Because the food is quite exotic for someone who has never traveled to Africa. I’ve been offered free tea a handful of times and have yet to turn it down. I have no clue what kind it is but watching them fill it about a quarter full of condensed, sweetened milk and getting my first whiff, I fell in love. A quick bite for me has been the $ 5 falafel «sandwich» which is more like a sub. And the chicken soup, wow! Packed full of incredibly tasting broth and veggies… although the chicken is sometimes a tad overcooked in it, it was my go-​to most of the winter.
I’ve tried many of the plates that come with rice, salad or french fries (I take it they went American on this one and it’s a bit unnecessary). My favorite is the lamb but it is also the most expensive at about $ 13 for lunch. You’ll easily have two meals out of it, though because it’s virtually impossible to finish in on sitting.
So if you want to travel to Africa without leaving the confines of Boston proper… hear languages you’ve likely never heard before and surround yourself with a caring owner and crowds of people who all seem to know each other, this is the sort of place for you.

Why there have only been 6 reviews thus far is beyond me. Overall Ashur serves up delicious home style cooked meals at an excellent value.
The place is clean, service polite and accommodating.
Not much in the way of parking. It is all on street so it is the luck of the draw where /​when you’ll find a space.
I had the goat and rice and found it to be flavorful without being overbearing.
Hope to get back again soon.

Today, my dad and I went for evening prayers at the ISBCC (mosque in Roxbury). When we walked out, the luscious scent of frying oil and spices beckoned. A few steps later, we were at Ashur Restaurant. It said «Halal Somali food». We had never tried this cuisine, but we thought we should give it a try. As soon as we walked in, we were seated and offered menus. I was the only female in the whole restaurant, but I did not feel awkward.
When I looked through the menu, I saw Italian spaghetti, Mexican quesadillas, American cheeseburgers, and meat and rice platters. In fact, most of the menu is not Somali at all. We went with the Moroccan tagine (advertised as herbed chicken with lemon and olives) along with goat soup. When we received the «tagine», it was nothing like tagine at all! It was actually a platter of French fries with spiced chicken and jalapenos, served with chili and garlic sauce. The goat soup was served with a WHOLE LOAF of French bread. The goat soup was just like meat broth (aka yakhni in India, and yahni in Turkey and Bulgaria). The garlic sauce was amazing with the fries and chicken, so that redeemed the fact that it was totally not the item described on the menu.
We enjoyed the vibe of the place; it definitely seems to be not only a restaurant but a community center of sorts. I saw a guy sit down with his laptop and start doing his homework. Other guys were watching the football game between SC and Vanderbilt and cheering. Middle-​aged dudes in plaid shirts were laughing and drinking tea. Everyone was kind of in slow motion, and that seemed to apply to the service a little bit too. We could not find our guy, and then after our plates were taken away, we were waiting for the bill for a long time. Eventually, we went to pay ourselves. The man seemed a little taken aback when we asked where to put the tip, and then he decided it could go in a donation box. It seems they have the old world style where people do not tip. This shows that the workers were nice genuinely, not because of any expectation of money. You could leave a tip, but I noticed that we were the only ones who did.
If I was a RCC student, I would definitely hit this place up for breakfast. Can’t go wrong with a $ 3 egg and cheese sandwich or $ 6 for 2 pancakes, 2 eggs, vegetables, bread, and tea. All drinks are $ 2 and under. Lunch and dinner prices are in the $ 8 to $ 12 range but with generous servings. If you are envisioning an ‘ethnicky’ restaurant experience with tribal print tablecloth and some African drum music or something, this is not the place. I wouldn’t drive out of my way to eat here. But if you are a:
I. RCC student
ii. Somali dude
iii. Muslim person that wants food after prayers
iv. At the Roxbury Crossing station
v. just want a tasty, filling meal
vi. RCC Somali Muslim student at Roxbury Crossing in search of a tasty, filling meal
I’m sure you will find something here to make you a happy diner. :)

Hidden good eats alert! Cheap! A basic cafeteria looking place, plastic tablecloths and fluorescent lights in a nice brick building with large windows onto the street. Located on a back street on Fort Hill, Boston behind the community College and Mosque. Always busy, but easy to get in. Food is Good comfort food. Chicken, lamb, meat, salads some dishes with nice African spices. Make sure you get the rice, full of all sorts of goodies and the hot tea is delish. Service is always quirky, Order at the counter and take a seat. The other patrons are mostly male from the nearby Mosque. Have eaten here and the food is always good.