Although the two signs outside say "East Africa Restaurant" and "24 hrs," neither applies to this place. East Africa went out of business some time ago, and it can be hard to tell if its replacement, Kilimanjaro, is actually open for any portion of the day, let alone the whole thing. East African taxi drivers make up most of the clientele, parking their vehicles in a row outside. If the weather's nice, expect to find a group of these guys relaxing on the porch following their meals.
Kilimanjaro offers three squares a day, though it may be difficult to track down a menu listing all the options. A $5–$6 breakfast comes with your choice of soup, liver, beans or chicken suqaar, a dish made by sauteeing chicken in a mixture of cilantro, onion, carrots, pepper, chicken base, oil and garlic. It's served with anjera, a pancake-like flatbread. Oatmeal is also available for $5. Lunch, usually served buffet-style, offers dishes like goat meat with rice or spaghetti or the very popular fish and rice, each $8. The dinner menu includes similar fare, focusing on beef, beans and rice.
If you want to know more about the origin of the cuisine you just ingested, you can check out the few pictures of the homeland scattered about the interior of the restaurant, or you could even try logging onto the internet via the lone terminal by the counter. Don't expect to get much information from your waiter, though; while service here is friendly, most of the staff speaks limited English.
Centerstage Reviewer: Alicia Eler
