The hotel restaurant was closed so we decided to take a short walk up the street for a bite to eat and ran into this hole-in-the-wall North African restaurant, something that is hard to find in the Pacific Northwest from whence we just came. Chris had braised lamb shank over saffron rice and I had the fish biryani with their homemade spicy hot sauce that they said was not harissa but oh man it made my ears whistle and the flavor was amazing. We each got their homemade Somali spiced iced tea called shaah cadays that instantly became my new favorite thing upon first sip. The predominant flavor is clove, but there's also hints of cardamom, cinnamon, a zing of ginger, and a peppery-ness that was altogether a combination of something that I definitely want to make. The staff were so friendly and welcoming to us dining there. Happy that we went off the beaten path today and had this rejuvenating experience.

I came in here with my family for a take-out and they offered such nice and professional service to our entire family and provided us with everything we needed and more. I highly suggest it to anyone that wants to try something new and different. Delicious taste, good prices. 5 stars 100%.

Enjoyed the Tawakal Plate and Vegetarian Platter. Definitely planning to come back to try their biryani. Piers Park is only a half mile away and a wonderful location to have your dinner at sunset overlooking Boston Harbor.

The kabab and falafel plates were amazing. So delicious. Everything was fresh and so tasty. I was so excited to finally get here after reading about it online. We will be back for sure. Excellent place!!

Landed at Logan and went to look for Ethiopian. Instead found this Somali place. 😘 Did not disappoint. Here is what to order: 1️⃣ Vegetarian Platter. I'm a meat eater first and foremost. But the Spinach and Chickpeas! Five star yummy AF. 2️⃣ The sambusas. They're similar but completely unloke Ethiopian sambusas. ⚠️ The hot sauce is spicy , delicious and addictive. 3️⃣ The Lamb Briani. It's cooked in some kinda 🍅 sauce that introduced 3 new flavors to my palate. Delicious. Also order the tea cold/chilled. Total bill was $64. Worth every penny.

It's been a while since I've eaten at this place and I still think about it. My boyfriend and I thought we'd a new type of cuisine and Tawakal Halal Cafe popped up on Ubers Eats. Words can't eve describe how good it was (so good we only took a picture after we started to eat it). We are obsessed with the seasoning they put on their fries and honestly, they should consider selling that stuff on it's own!

This was my first time trying Somali foods, and it exceeded my expectations. This is a small place with only a few tables, but very friendly and helpful staff that recommended dishes to try out. Everything came out quick and very hot. We got the tawakal plate with beef, chapati wrap with chicken, sambusa, and shaah tea. The Tawakal plate is made of cut up chapati pieces with beef in a spiced (but not spicy) tomato sauce. The chapati pieces almost felt like noodles since it was soaked in the sauce. The chunks of beef were really tender. This was my favorite dish that I tried during this meal. Chapati wrap: lettuce and shredded chicken wrapped in a chapati. Also comes with fries and their own hot sauce. Sambusa: lightly seasoned beef, similar to samosa, perfectly crispy on the outside. The shaah tastes similar to chai, especially if milk is added. The spices were strong and it wasn't too sweet. I would recommend this restaurant, and already looking forward to coming back to try out all the other dishes!

Decided to stop by this place after reading amazing reviews and it did not disappoint. Everything was extremely tasty and the people were super nice. Definitely recommend!

Absolutely amazing!!! The service was very good and the food was fresh and truly phenomenal. I am so happy to have discovered this cozy restaurant and hope to return. Would definitely recommend if you’re in the area but also will say that it’s worth the trip.

Food is DELICIOUS, flavorful, & fresh. Counter service, casual, & limited seating (especially during COVID times). Family owned & operated business that cares and gives back to community. At its heart is family/owners' knowing how food brings us together and how important this is. Entire menu is FIRE (amazing).

Incredible place! Everytging we had was fantastic! The flavours in their sauses are out of this world! The staff are wonderful and even though the place is tiny the atmisphere is very relaxing. We were able to sit in the back behind the building on a beautiful night. My reccomendation is to begin and end with the tea!

Awesome food. Well seasoned. Nice service. Will be back for more

Today, 9/22, I visited Tawakal Halal Cafe and it was a glorious experience. From the meaty sambosas, to the succulent steak and cheese chapati, my meal left me BEYOND delighted. I got a third way through the chapati and was completely stuffed. Despite being stuffed, I didn’t want to stop eating. Tawakal was the perfect place to start my visit to Boston and I look forward to visiting here again on future trips.

Amazing food! Huge portions! Even sharing the fries, there's so much! Very clean. Friendly staff/family!

This restaurant is truly one of the best! This is a family owned restaurant located on the corner of the street. The hummus and chapati is incredible. The chapati is soft and the hummus is flavorful. The lamb kebab biryani was amazing. The kebab was cooked perfectly and full of spice. The rice complemented it well. I want to try everything on the menu.

The iced tea is amazing. I normally do not like sweet(ened) tea, but this one has just the right amount of sugar and is not by any means overly sweet. The Tawakal plate was delicious, too. As many already mentioned, this restaurant is Somali ("African" is too generic a description).

BEST EXPERIENCE! The food, the customer service, the owner - 5 stars. They had a lot of vegan options for my friend which I love and the lamb was cooked to perfection. So tender. Wish I took a photo before digging in lol. Definitely recommend.

Somalian cuisine has a lot of overlap with Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian dishes you’ve probably had before, but with very specific variations in key areas. The sambusa is similar to a samosa, but with a fried pastry texture more like a crab rangoon shell with an amazing crunch. The Chapati wrap is similar, with a wrap texture that you won’t find with a traditional naan or even most roti you’ve had. The spice variations are different and deeper, and a stronger tahini ratio with their hummus. If you like any of the cultural cuisines mentioned above, you need to try this place to experience truly incredible and delicious variations in some old favorites. Every option is good, just pick your protein and format choice, and enjoy. Oh and the falafel might be the best I’ve had in the city of Boston, but that’s up to your judgement.

We had a layover at Boston BOS, took a free airport shuttle to get to the Tawakal Cafe and had biryani, spaghetti and fries for to-go. While waiting we were served some free cookies and chai. Food are great, generous portion, fries are out of the world. Service was great. Will definitely come back as again insha Allah.

This spot is a must! It is so delicious and freshly made. We were so so impressed and pleased with our meal. And SO affordable. 10/10!!

Go for: Legitimate Somali/East African cuisine. If you've been to that part of the world, you'll agree. Avoid if: you didn't bring an appetite for carbs. Something surprising: the place never seems crazy busy, despite the rave reviews. Reservation needed? No, probably not Overall Experience: 3/5. The food was delicious, but the decor could use a refresh, the staff seemed disinterested, and we could have used a few some plates, utensils, tap water, and more napkins (the basics). Value for Price: 4 Sanitation: 3 Food Quality: 4 Menu Precision: 4 Service Quality: 2 Timing: 4 Decor: 2 Access: 3 — 5 among the best 4 strong 3 not too bad 2 mediocre 1 never again

Cramped but don’t let that stop you. Amazingly, the chicken soup was absolute fire - and you never expect soup to wow you. The kabob biryani have a very interesting flavor too.