Ainu Shams Sun Ray Restaurant

First things first: This place does NOT accept
gift certificates. It doesn’t matter whether you can buy the gift certificate on
, the owner/​manager (Ameen Ali) won’t accept it. Apparently
has «cheated» him in the past.
Beyond the seemingly unclean atmosphere and divey feel, this place truly feels genuine. When my friend and I walked in, there was no one there apart from a couple of (what seemed like) regulars: African men who met there to catch up with one another or to grab a quick bite to eat.
After promptly being told that I couldn’t use my
certificate — and subsequently being re-​assured that they still serve really good food — my friend and I decided to stay. To my surprise, we weren’t handed a menu at all, but were rather told that the restaurant could whip up a dish for us consisting of chapati (flatbread — handmade in the restaurant!), a small salad, refried beans, and either spicy steak or chicken. Inclusive of mango juice (and a banana as an appetizer), the total price for each person was $ 10. Not a bad deal.
Our food was delivered to us about 10 minutes later, beautifully presented. To top that off, the portion size was incredibly generous and the food was delicious (the steak may have been a bit overdone, but oh well). What impressed me most — and what made me overlook some of the more conventionally unattractive elements (such as the dinginess of the eating atmosphere) — was the care placed into the meal. I am more than willing to forgive international food restaurants for appearance if the spirit with which the food is made is in the right place.
And indeed it was. Ameen was wonderful to speak to (despite how strongly I expressed my initial annoyance for not being able to use my gift certificate), constantly checked on us during the meal to ensure everything was okay, and even handed us his business card at the end of the meal.
Overall thoughts: Give this place a chance.

This is a Somali restaurant that caters almost exclusively to Somali men sitting around talking and watching soccer (it’s on the same block as Karmel Square, that big Somali mall). I’ve never had similar dining experience.
Along with a large portion of your dish of choice, you get your choice of a massive pile of starch — spaghetti, rice or potatoes. They come by as often as you like with a juice cart — all you can drink of a variety of diabetes inducing sugary goodness. And of course there’s the banana that all Somali places give you.