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Born in Somalia, Sainab Yussuf moved to the United States with a dream of opening her own restaurant. After leaving her country, known to most as a land devastated by civil war and famine, she settled in Columbus, Ohio, for over a decade. Sainab moved to Anchorage a year ago with her family, joining the blossoming Somali community in Alaska. Today, Yussuf’s dream is a reality.
Safari Restaurant opened its doors in October, quietly moving into the former Cold Stone Creamery franchise location between Northern Lights and C Street.
Ice cream fanatics continuing to pull in to the obscure location will still reach for the metal ice cream cone handle on the door, but looking up they will see a new sign overhead. In yellow and black letters, Safari announces its arrival and promises customers a taste of East Africa. The eight page menu offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week. “Nothing sits in the fridge,” host Zakaria Hassan tells me proudly. “All made fresh when you order.” Safari Restaurant makes homemade mandazi bread, samosas, falafels, and kebabs daily. Yussuf literally brought out an entire feast for us to try, including their beef steak, fish sandwich, spaghetti and meatballs, and BBQ drumsticks.
Mandazi ($1.50) is a traditional sweet and airy East African bread made with flour, salt, sugar, eggs, and butter, deep-fried and served piping hot. On a cold day, the samosas (two for $4) are especially satisfying. Stuffed with a filling of ground beef, onion, potatoes, carrots, and spices, they will be sure to win your taste buds over.