Barwaqo Kabob

I’ve only been here once back in 2012(?) and had a great experience — of course it helped that my friend was Somalian and frequented in this place.
It is a bit dark in there and a looks intimidating when you enter. The waitress came up to us and asked us what we wanted without offering a menu. I’m going to assume she didn’t offer a menu because she may have known my friend… But not sure. He spoke to her in Somali and ordered for both of us. ** side note– Matt C. comments are not 100 false, yes they didn’t really speak english and yes, the inside is very hole-​in-​the-​wall, and not «clean looking» (maybe the actual sanitation upkeep is better than what it looks?) so if that concerns you, yes maybe steer clear, but within context, many taquerias employ people that barely speak english… So this place caters to mostly of the same ethnicity so of course they dont care to speak much english — they have their niche market. Hell, I even have a hard time ordering at some McDonald’s because they can’t speak english. The being ‘rude’ part, there may be some truth in that, but I didn’t experience it myself.
While we waited, we ate a few sambusas (bread with meat stuffing) and drank their papaya drink (Orange), which I recommend both.
Our entrees arrived not too long after and boy was au in for a treat. I wish I inquired what he said to her or what the entrée is called as a reference for my future visits without him. The plate came with rice and a generous sampling size of each meats: lamb, beef, chicken (I believe that’s it), also bread. The meats were delicious!
I have longed to come back since my initial visit, but never found the time. I definitely won’t have 2016 end with another missed visit… Someone done with me :)

Food was good but service was terrible to non African (whites). Sanitation was not being kept up in the kitchen or dining area. No air conditioning, very hot in the restaurant. Cooks were rude and didn’t understand English.

The greatest thing about this restaurant is that it’s authentic and true. I ordered the goat and my roommate ordered the spicy chicken which could have been spicier but the flavor of the meat was what made it awesome. It comes with jasmine rice and lots of it, a good proportion of meat and some vegetables that pair well. While we waited the woman working served us wonderfully tasting hot tea. We also were served vegetable somosa’s (sp) which were great! Honestly, this place is a hidden gem of Edgewater. I would not recommend BYOB. Please eat there too. She seemed a little offended when I took the order to go.

This restaurant now has menus, although not entirely descriptive of what you’ll be eating, which is plenty. For between $ 7 – 9, you can have grilled meat with stewed vegetables, beans or rice, and a wonderful, fresh piece of Somali bread. The chicken I had was grilled to perfection and tasted heavenly. I ordered extra rice because it was just that good. For basically 3 meals — I had to take much of it home — I payed a total of $ 11 including a carrot juice drink that was self-​dispensing from a counter that also had tea. Yes, this restaurant is authentically Somali, so a majority of the patrons are Somali nationals and there are Islamic prayer rugs in the corner — so we didn’t BYOB and I wouldn’t recommend it (the Long Room and Ten Cat aren’t far away for after dinner drinks!). An all around wonderful experience I will certainly repeat.

Yum… I’m still licking my chops as I write this. Ditto to the previous reviewer (damn you, I thought I had a 1^st review on my hands for sure!) about being the only American in the building and double ditto about having the best grilled chix ever.
I’m guessing the place is fairly new. I had stopped into the location a little over a year ago when it was a new Lebanese style fast food joint. I wasn’t able to sample the cuisine then, since it was cash only (warning: still is) and I had no green on me. So today I was driving by, super hungry and had a couple bucks in my pocket (my whole meal was literally $ 6) — I figured it was a perfect chance to give it another try.
I was a little surprised when I walked in and instead of seeing a grizzled Lebanese gentleman behind a to-​go counter, I found about a half dozen Somali cab drivers feasting, a large flat screen tuned into al Jazeera and a patron performing the afternoon prayer on rugs in the corner. I didn’t get any looks coming my way, but I must have had a surprised one on my face.
Luckily, a young guy (I’m thinking the owner) approached me and said hello. He apologized that they didn’t even have a menu, but gave me a run down of a couple items I could choose from. I played it safe with a chicken pita wrap, which came with a iceberg lettuce salad and a delicious lentil-​ish soup. The chicken was tender and well seasoned, cooked to perfection. Very nice. The owner told me he didn’t make the dish spicy for me, but to try it and next time I could order with more spice.
I definitely would have wanted a little more kick and I have a feeling I’ll be back to order some. What a cool, unexpected experience (and a great deal for good food).