Al Rahman Cafe: Sambusas, chai and Philly steak

The Al Rahman Café’s new sign is officially in place above the storefront at 2202 Lexington in the historic Northeast.

“Al Rahman” is one of the 100 names for Allah. “It also means grace,” says Ali Abdalla, who operates the tiny East African bistro with his three brothers.

For the last year, the place was known as Towfiq, with windows covered by imposing-looking bars and interior walls painted a bright, robin’s-egg blue.

The Somalian-born Abdallas, who also own the neighboring Al Rahaman Halal Market, have been attracting a small group of regulars from the Northeast’s African community. But they struggled to get others to try their dishes.

That’s when Kristen Johnson, a four-year resident of the Pendleton Heights neighborhood, walked through the door.

“I had visited the place two years ago when a previous owner was running the restaurant,” says Johnson, a marketing manager at H&R Block. “The menu was in Somali and no one could translate for me. I didn’t stay.”

A month ago, a neighbor suggested that she return and introduce herself to the Abdalla brothers. The family’s hospitality upon her return visit impressed Johnson.

“That first day, I had a cup of the best chai tea I’ve ever tasted in my life,” she says. “The tea and a wonderful sambusa cost $2! I felt this restaurant could be a real treasure for Pendleton Heights.”

A friend told Johnson that the Abdalla family needed help painting their menu on a chalkboard wall. Johnson didn’t paint the chalkboard. Instead, she and two other Pendleton Heights residents helped Ali, Bakar, Abdifatah and Abbas Abdalla paint the restaurant’s interior over a four-night period.

“They never had to shut down the restaurant,” Johnson says. “We painted in sections from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.”

Johnson brought in paint color swatches for Ali and Bakar to examine, and the men chose two shades – a deep Mediterranean red and a saffron gold – to complement the curries and African stews that they serve. Johnson also helped them remove the bars from the picture windows and apply transparent security film, which turned a formerly dark space into an inviting, sunny dining room with six tables and a window bench.

“We made the bench ourselves with some joists from my house,” Johnson says.

Ali and Bakar Abdalla open the restaurant at 6 a.m. daily, serving chai tea, coffee, vegetable sambusa – a triangle-shaped pastry filled, in this case, with potatoes, spices and peas – and doughy East African pastries.

Abdifatah Abdalla, who manages the Halal Market, has been experimenting with baking scones for the restaurant.
“Customers seem to like them,” he says. “They sell out quickly.”

During the mornings, Ali also prepares the Somalian version of injera bread, which is very different from the spongy, slightly sour flatbread served in Ethiopian restaurants.

“Our bread is made with wheat flour and is much more like a crepe,” Bakar says. “We serve them filled with Nutella or honey or just a sprinkle of sugar. They’re wonderful with tea in the morning.”

To introduce non-Africans to East African cooking traditions, Al Rahman has been offering $1 samples of chicken curry, suqaar beef, “Philly” steak with peppers, or teriyaki-glazed chicken.

There’s no real menu at the Al Rahman Café, but to make ordering at the counter easier for customers, Johnson has hung framed color photographs of the restaurant’s six most popular dishes near the front counter.

“We still explain each dish to new customers,” Bakar says, “but it helps to have a visual guide.”

Al Rahman Café is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The restaurant does not – and will not – serve liquor but sells a variety of American and imported soft drinks and bottled water.