Jubba Restaurant

La nourriture est excellente! La seule chose à reprocher est le restaurant en lui même, rafraîchir la peinture serait vraiment super

Greeted with a Salaam and a sincere smile, my Husband and I ordered the Sport plate (plenty for 2) with chicken and beef and a combination of rice and spaghetti. The wait was definitely worth it because Masha Allah, this was a hearty and delicious meal. Generous with their portions, you will leave feeling fulfilled. The complimentary tea was a great conclusion to this meal. We truly enjoyed our stay, and lots of love from a Kansan! Wishing you barakah and blessings in your business.

I ate goat, ya’all.
And this goat was the G.O.A.T.
So glad I finally tried this place out! The reviews are for real. It’s more than worthy of its 4+ star rating. Since it was our (the gf and I) first time, we followed the advice of Unilocalers – and our server – and ordered the Sports Plate. You choose two meats and two carbs and they’re thrown together like a Fajita-​slash-​Stir Fry plate… and the Chapatti bread is a legit mix of a Tortilla and Naan, or something along those lines. Everything was so new and unique, but also somehow all familiar. If that makes any sense.
For our two meats, we ordered Steak and Goat. It was our first time trying goat and we were both so surprised at how delicious it is. Super tender and juicy like a slow cooked pot roast & NOT GAMEY at all. I kept trying to taste something weird or different in it, but nope, it’s just delicious in every way. There’s a little fattiness to it and the pieces are all one the bone… so it’s flavor city. The steak was also packed with flavor and the seasoning for everything was on point. Mixed in with the meats were A BUNCH OF VEGETABLES, including Green Beans, Onions, Green Peppers, Broccoli, Water Chestnuts, Sugar Snap Peas, & Carrots. SO GOOD.
Before all that, tho, we started with 2 Sambusas that came with an awesome, super fresh Green Sauce. The Sambusas reminded me of a similar street food I used to eat in Madagascar but with a little more pepper in the seasoning.
4.25 stars. Excited to come back and bring friends too.

Super delicious. This is a diamond in the rough. I had never had African food before and will definitely be back for more.

Wow! Very low class and rude!!! The owner and friends or cousins talk their own language fuc. ingg loud and dont give a f about costumers! They open they big mouth and spit out stuff from they mouth while they talking! WTF! Close your big mouth and respect costumers and shut up! You want to talk with your friends and family in your language? Go outside low life, low class idiots!!!

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.
This is my go-​to spot when I’m craving for something hearty and warming.
Location is what makes it small scale.
Service is not what you’re coming here for.
But the food makes up for it! Try the Sports Plate between 2 people & decide what suits your pallette.
* Free warming sweet tea that they have perfected.

I really love the goat and rice!!! Sooo delicious and healthy. Must try! The waitresses are so friendly too.
The restroom need upgrading, but the food is so good. Oh I got the ginger tea too. Perfect!

Wow. I am so sore because the flavors from this place just sucker punched me from Africa!
I am so in love with this place. I don’t care about the sticky tables, the sketchy area next to the VTA station, or the staff who do not come to check on you during your meal.
Get the Sambusa… it is a party in your mouth! The mix of black peppers, African spices, onions with ground beef was amazing! It was sooooo good that my friend ended up ordering more for his entrée.
I loved the goat with it’s unique powerful spices. However, I have to point out that they have big chucks of bone and some fatty pieces. (I think I got about 3 – 4 good pieces out of it.)
Get the Chapatti bread and skip on the rice, it tasted like a roti but better. You MUST ask for the green sauce, it is so good that I took a shot of it by itself.
They have an African honey tea that was also very delicious near the back of the restaurant. MUST DRINK the tea. :)
They come to you to take your order but I would recommend asking them for the menu and going up to them when you are ready to order. Otherwise, you may have to wait for a very long time while you stomach eats itself.

Bravo for the authenticity and flavor. Super tasty sambusa. .
It’s Jubba time again. Miracle flavors from same ingredients.
Come with more people and must try sambusa With the green sauce.

Ok, so there are some issues with this place — least of all being its location. Sitting right next to the Ohlone VTA station, it becomes a little noisy due to the train traffic.
Maybe the owner (the African lady) was overworked and handed us two menu cards and asked us to pick any table. We ordered for a Kay Kay and a Vegetable Plate — the server was nowhere to be found so I walked upto the billing station to place the order, and it took forever to come to our table!
By this point, the beautiful lady sitting in front of me was already fuming and her skin tone had strangely changed from white to something closer to glowing red coals! I was hoping at least the food would turn out good to somewhat compensate for the extreme delay.
And boy was the food good? It was excellent! Kay Kay with fried chapati, Vegetable Plate with Injera — both dishes were done to perfection.
Left me wondering, if only they could improve the overall aesthetics and customer service — they’d be so much more successful. I wish them all the luck!

My first time eating African food and I must say I liked it. A friend of mine was coming to town and of course I was charged with finding a good lunch spot. Jubba was a place I’ve had on my list to try so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. My friend agreed and we met there.
After doing a little research on Unilocal,I knew I wanted to try the Beef Suqaar. I know the Sports Plate is quite the popular pick, but I didn’t have the appetite for that sizeable amount of food. Perhaps next time. The Beef Suqaar was similar to a beef stir fry with tons of different veggies intermixed with the beef. And the spices were very tantalizing. Definitely something my palate has never experienced before. And that injera bread. A little bland but it supposed to be to counterbalance the flavorful, pungent Beef Suqaar. It’s like a slightly thicker, sponge-​ier crêpe. I’m a fan. The free spiced tea was definitely a plus on a chilly day.
If you haven’t tried African food, definitely make a trip to try Jubba. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Terrible service — multiple staff members walked past us. Ridiculous. No water had to order bottles… I got sick later that evening from the horrendous food. Do NOT go here.

The only African food I’ve had was Ethiopian and that restaurant ruined my experience for all African food. Did not enthusiastically vouch for it when it was picked as family dinner.
Expectations blown out of the water. Yes– this location is a little hard to find, definitely use Google Maps to find it. It’s next to the hair salon place. But it was packed– and luckily we were immediately able to find seats.
Food = phenomenal and definitely huge portions. Listen to everyone and get the sports plate and get goat. Get the chapati (more like Indian naan) as the side and not the injera (basically a crêpe). Go for the authentic experience and use your hands :) Try the complimentary tea! It tastes like Chai.
Service = It was good– they’re nice and will answer all the questions you have. Pay for your check at the front.
Ambiance = Focus is all on the food. Not much décor.
Definitely coming again and again.

I bookmarked this place for about year before I decided to try it last night with a friend.
The restaurant is right next to the VTA train station, it is kind cold during the winter night, so dress warm.
The food are heavenly, one of the best African meal I had for a while (and I been to Ghana, Togo and Ethiopia).
We got the Jumbo Steak and Roasted Goat Cutlet. Both are very delicious and the sauce tasted great with the veggies. The Injera isn’t sour like Ethiopian restaurants, and I liked it better (I’m not a big fan of the sour injera). And I’m not a big of the rice, it is under-​cooked in my opinion (however, that is normal in Ethiopian cuisine, the rice is always bit hard for my taste).
The service is good, but very informal.
Tip for the guys: If you are taking a girl out on a date here, here are few things might be helpful for you:
1) The place is very informal and basic, and it gets cold
2) I didn’t see any alcoholic beverages
3) The food is delicious, but because both the steak and goat are very chewy, the best way to eat it is with your hand, so it will get messy.
FYI — If your girl doesn’t mind eat with her hands in-​front of you, she might be the one for you.

Definitely recommend this place if you’re up for something different. The food is a little on the heavier side so just be ready for it.
I got the Jubba beef wrap and it was huge! I could only finish half of it and had to take the other half to-​go. The beef is cooked with peppers and is super flavorful and juicy. The flavoring of the meat is different from anything I’ve had before. The wrap is super thick and filling. I saw a bunch of the other dishes and they looked even bigger than my wrap! Prices are a bit high, but the portion sizes make up for that. You’re definitely getting your money’s worth.
Workers are friendly and the place is very large and clean. Jubba is in the far south side of San Jose so it’s a bit of a trek for me to get to. Well worth the drive though if you’re in the mood for a delicious hearty meal!

Was heading home from Yosemite on Hwy 85 and was looking for food — thanks Unilocal for suggesting this place! A bit hard to find since the signage is facing the light rail instead of the parking lot; the restaurant is at the end of all the shops.
We ordered the Sport Plate (feeds two) with goat and chicken, and half pasta half rice. Excellent meal for only $ 26 which includes two drinks and free (overly sweet) tea. The goat was tender at first but got a bit tough as it cooled. The chicken was tender and flavorful. Both the rice and pasta were satisfy; there was so much I had the leftovers the next two days for lunch.
Highly recommended if you’re near Oakridge Mall or driving by on 85!

Ooh Jubba, how I have come to love thee!
Our first trip here was with Mr. & Mrs. Slum. We were quite puzzled by the location. Small shopping center across from a VTA station. We were equally confused when we walked in and realized it was a free for all with seating & you go up to the counter to order. Once you place your order, most entrée items come with a drink which you can get from the fridge. After waiting for quite some time, our food finally comes out & the portions are super generous! We all thought it was funny to see such Asian looking plates though.
If you’re really hungry, I would suggest sharing a sports plate. Basically two choices of meat entrees and two pieces of chapati (their bread which resembles naan but sweeter & thicker), rice, or injera (spongey looking bread). The bf and I were so full and had leftovers! I would NOT recommend the beef steak, it was so chewy and inedible. The beef suqaar on the other hand was delicious and tender! Flavor is on point with the meats and veggies. The chicken suqaar is just as good. Please DO try the sambusas, they are amazingly delicious! Be careful of the green hot sauce, it’s pretty darn spicy!
There is some complimentary tea towards the back of the restaurant. Watch out because it’s scorching hot and very sweet. Once you’re done with your meal, you go up to the register where you ordered & you pay. Don’t come here looking for great service, it’s the food that shines! We have definitely found a gem with Jubba :)
I highly recommend take out because it cuts down your wait time. I was quoted 15 mins but it was done in 10! We’ve found that one order or beef/​chicken suqaar is plenty to share. Just get an extra order of that delicious chapati & 2 sambusas & you’ve got yourself an excellent meal!

I randomly came across this place on Unilocal one day and decided to try it out. African food?! I had no idea what that was and felt adventurous. After trying it, I pretty much agree with everything I read:
— the restaurant is weirdly located in a VTA lot, I can see how it can be hard to find. Google Maps is your friend.
— I came on a Saturday night at 8:30pm, so no wait. The place was bustling and crowded, but there were one or two open tables.
— The sweet tea is good. I wish they let you put your own sugar in though, because it was a bit too sweet for my taste. I prefer this to the guava/​mango drinks they have in the fridge
— The wait for the food was a bit long. We were able to get seated as soon as we got there and ordered our food shortly after sitting down, but it took our food like 30 min to come out. We weren’t in a hurry though, so not a big deal.
My husband and I ordered the Sport plate, which is basically an entrée for two people and you get to choose two meats. We went with the goat per Unilocal recommendation, and the beef. We decided to get 2 portions of the pasta instead of ½ pasta ½ rice. It also comes with 2 salad sides and 2 free drinks from the fridge.
Goat: Like everyone says, suuuuuuper flavorful and delicious! It tastes like lamb, but less gamey. The meat was so tender and juicy, and fell right off the bones. The bones were a bit annoying to deal with, but the flavor totally makes up for it.
Beef: Not as tender or flavorful as the goat, but still good! No bones to deal with.
Pasta: I admit, I was expecting to be blown away by the pasta after reading the reviews. But… it was just pasta. Don’t get me wrong, it was good pasta, but there really wasn’t anything special about it. It’s not as thick as spaghetti noodles, but not quite as thin as angel hair. Somewhere in between. I do like my noodles thicker and chewier, but this was good for what it is.
Overall, a really good first African food experience! The meal definitely was on the heavier side, so I won’t come that often. Only when I’m craving that goat flavor burst! This is definitely somewhere I’d take friends to share the experience.

First time trying African food and I was not only impressed but excited for the prospect. Who knew this type of restaurant exists in the most random part of San Jose?
The restaurant itself isn’t too big but it’s in a very convenient location right next to the light rail.
We ordered the sports platter which is essentially two entrees put into a grotesquely large plate. The beef and the goat were both incredible. If you’re not a lamb lover, goat is actually much like beef so you won’t have to worry about the gamey taste. The beef was incredibly flavorful while the goat was good but you still needed the dipping sauce. We had half and half of the pasta and the rice. OMG, I don’t know how to describe the pasta but it’s so amazing. It has got that rich buttery tomato taste and is smooth and just comfort! I am trying to lay low on the carbs but I could not help but take continuous large bites of it. The rice was incredibly packed with flavor too– reminded me of paella rice!
The only thing that bothered me was the way they were doing construction inside the restaurant while people were eating. It was actually dangerous. They had a guy from the inside of the restaurant trying to shatter the glass on the of the windows. So there was flying glass while he was drilling the window. Apparently window glass is really hard to shatter. That was the very definition of ghetto. I honestly hoped that the owners would not have made such a lousy decision to do that because it was loud and so disrespectful to the paying patrons. I know I would not have done that.

My friend and I knew we were in for a treat when we got here… The restaurant was packed for dinner, but the wait for a table didn’t take too long. Their menu specializes in African food which was something new to my friend and I.
WE ORDERED:
— — — — — — –
— Sambusa — Very similar to samosa with a little spicy meat inside! The green dipping sauce was good with it!
— Mandasi — Another African staple which reminded me of donuts sorta…
— Sport Platter — This is a good portion for two people! You can do a combination of rice and noodles with two choices of meat! We went with the injera and noodles! The noodles were sooo good! The beef’s marinade was really good too and we were definitely stuffed after the long wait for the food!
The food definitely left a good impression to us, but the wait is super slow here. Good thing my friend and I managed to talk and gossip the entire time we were waiting, but it was obvious other diners around us were getting really impatient. Overall friendly service and good food can be found here so don’t skip this place and its relaxed vibe!

Came back with a bigger party than before, ordered a bunch of food but somehow I wasn’t as happy as before. The service is still not the best and the wait time is ridiculous if not for the sweet tea they offer for free and mango juice given to the kids (powdered juice posing as mangoes — yuk!)
Thing is the mandazi bread wasnt as fluffy and big the last time I remembered. Its still sweet and all but the size seemed downsized.
I ordered the goat plate. Love the meat, love the rice, however the veggies were kinda thrown in on the spices. I love it better if it was better presented and not black speckled with spices and mixed into a brownish black thingy underneath the meat. For something that’s 13 bucks a plate it would be nice to have a more delectable presentation… come to think of it I should have chosen the sports plate instead to share it with. The hubs ordered the steak that looked more like old and tough beef jerky slabs and the kiddo ordered beef too which she couldn’t finish.
Flavor wise its still there, but not as laudable as I remembered it.

Das Jubba ist ein einfaches, somalisches Restaurant direkt an der Strassenbahnhaltestelle «Chynoweth». Der Laden ist schon etwas schräg, es gibt auf der Karte insgesamte ca. sechs Gerichte und auf die Frage nach Getränken hiess es «Nehmt euch einfach was aus dem Kühlschrank, ein Getränk ist im Essen mit drin». Es gibt abends keine vegetarischen Gerichte, aber man kann verhandeln und mein Kollege fand es auch gut. Insgesamt ist das Essen sehr lecker, man sollte nur von der Ziege die Finger lassen. Das wurde auch von anderer Seite bestätigt. Das Preisniveau ist sehr günstig, es gab für $ 12 ein reichliches Essen mit Getränken. (Es gibt nur nichtalkoholische Getränke.)