Jambo Cafe
African restaurant · Santa Fe ·
African & Caribbean flavors: jerk chicken, goat stew, & more
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African & Caribbean flavors: jerk chicken, goat stew, & more
"Chef Ahmed Obo combines the Swahili, Indian, Arabic, and European culinary influences of Kenya’s Lamu Island, where he was raised, to provide a taste of East Africa in Santa Fe. At Jambo Cafe, opened in 2009, check out the coconut pili pili shrimp, which features wild shrimp over spicy coconut tomato stew and basmati rice, alongside fan favorites like grilled jerk chicken and vegetarian dishes. The exterior of the restaurant looks unassuming, but this is one of those gems where both locals and visitors go to be transported across the world. Know before you go: All of the meats in the entrees are halal." - Karen Fischer
"Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives aficionados will be familiar with this twice featured eatery and Kenyan-born chef Ahmed Obo. Obo cooked Santa Fe favorites, like green chile cheeseburgers, in other kitchens for a decade before opening his own restaurant in an unassuming strip mall space enlivened with colorful walls and art from its in-house bazaar. Jambo Café is an outpost for African-Caribbean flavors. Obo has a much-appreciated heavy hand with spices in dishes like jerk chicken wings, lamb curry, coconut pili pili shrimp, and ever-popular Caribbean goat stew—a favorite of TV Network host Guy Fieri when he visited. Obo, with his spice rack in tow, also resurrected a famous burger joint across town now known as Jambo Bobcat Bite." - Ashley M. Biggers
"Chef Ahmed Obo combines the Swahili, Indian, Arabic, and European culinary influences of Kenya’s Lamu Island, where he was raised, to provide a taste of East Africa. At Jambo Cafe, opened in 2009, check out the coconut pili pili shrimp, which features wild shrimp over spicy coconut tomato stew and basmati rice, alongside fan favorites like grilled jerk chicken and vegetarian dishes." - Willy Carleton, Justin De La Rosa, Karen Fischer
"For African-Caribbean fusion in Santa Fe, I don't miss a stop at Jambo Café." - Vicki Denig
"Founded nearly a decade ago by chef Ahmed Obo, who emigrated from Lamu, a small Kenyan island, this African restaurant was the only one of its kind in Santa Fe when it opened. Obo—who moved to New York at 22 before settling in New Mexico and worked in restaurants and grocery stores to support family back home—serves East African–inspired dishes such as island-spiced mahi mahi, ugali (cornmeal dough), and coconut pili pili shrimp (tiger shrimp over basmati rice with an East African coconut-tomato hot spice). He says his target is local diners rather than only Africans, a community that has embraced him, and he even joined host Sheldon Simeon on Cooking in America to share a meal at the restaurant." - Eater Video