Tanganyika Grill

Finally a place at the food court that offers more vegetarian and vegan choices. Secondly, it actually tastes delicious! Thirdly, their menu consists of African food. A treat for you guys who are looking for to eat out of the ordinary. Even though I live in Orange County, I would definitely make an effort to stop by here when within the area to show my support.

My bf and I found ourselves wandering the food court because we were hungry and waiting for our AMC Movie Première to begin. We wanted to grab a quick bite to eat! The place looked like a small business, not a chain, so why not try! The ratings were highest from the rest of the food court offerings, so we decided let’s do this. The cashier girl was very nice and patient with us, she let us sample the teriyaki and curry chicken, which was alright. We asked her opinion of what her favorite meat topping with her jungle fries would be, she said she didn’t eat meat so she couldn’t tell. So we went with out intuition. The wait for the food was longer than we’d like, since everything we ordered was going to be fried, and frying food takes some time…
The GROUND BEEF JUNGLE FRIES were very flavorful and delicious! I enjoyed the fact they used skinny fries instead of fat fries. The cheese melted fast. The onions and cilantro was a little too much for me because I typically don’t like cilantro’s or onions, but I just picked it out when it became overwhelming. The red onions were nice though, because they added a sweet crunch. The sauces incorporated in the fries were delicious! We also asked if they had hot sauce, the person over the counter asked how hot do you want it from 1 – 10, we said «7», so he brought out this tiny little bottle with yellow chili oil and dropped a few drops into our jungle fries. We loved it! The chili oil gave a great kick to our fries!
The SAMBUSA’S are small, but they were also a dollar each. We tried the chicken (very flavorful), the spicy lentil’s (spicy), and the coconut cream cheese pineapple (a sweet treat like dessert).
Overall, we were very satisfied. If a friend asked what to try at the mission valley malls food court, it would be Tanganyika Grill. The food was good. I would definitely come back to try some more!

I ate here because I found myself wandering the food court with an open mind, an empty belly and zero commitment to any of the other establishments. Sure, most of the other places also offered samples but Tanganyika seemed different. It didn’t appear to be a chain, there were no corporate uniforms and the overall setup was modest at best. A local biz? Absolutely!
After ordering I backtracked and looked it up on Unilocal.A rookie move, no doubt, but a 4.5 star rating confirmed that I made the right choice. For under $ 10.00 I landed the jerk chicken, seasoned rice, the eggplant and two sambusas — the spicy beef and chicken. Five minutes later I was served up a nice looking plate, which was neither overflowing or lacking to fill real estate. It was the perfect portion.
The chicken was tender and tasty but it seems that all of the flavor was coming from the sauce and not cooked into the chopped juicy morsels. Perhaps they use the same chicken for both the jerk and the curried chicken? Hell, I don’t care, for a small counter in a food court having an option like this is a welcomed change. The eggplant was delicious but that should have been expected as the man running the showing sold me on it with a declaration of, «I make the best eggplant!» The sambusas closed out the show and I almost expected to hate them since I saw them plucked from the freezer, dropped into the fryer and cooked for several minutes. The good news is that they were an item that I’d order a lot more of since they only carry a $ 0.99 price tag.
My only suggestion/​constructive criticism would be to offer some sauces. A caddy filled with some hot sauces of varying levels would go a long way and I can only imagine that dipping those sambusas in a lil’ somthin’, somthin’ would take them to the next level. But hey, who the hell am I?

4.5 stars?
Again, what is wrong with people giving these reviews. Unless these are solicited reviews. Awful food and even more awful service. I would encourage you to come look for yourself. Stand behind and look at the way the food is prepared and the service as well. Then judge for yourself.
30 min to get my order, and I was only one of two people at the counter. For a mall food joint, this is unacceptable, but abhorrent. And if you are thinking the food was worth the wait, then think again. PAM cooking oil on the grill, bad looking meat, and can’t tell you enough about the cleanliness of the place.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been in the Mission Valley Mall food court, so it was a pleasant surprise to see this addition. Pretty easy menu to navigate (choose your meat, then sides) and I ended up with a 1 meat+2 sides combo. Wasn’t up for the kick of the Jamaican jerk chicken flavor, so I opted for the mild chicken curry as my meat, and then chose the spinach mixed with cabbage and the fried plantains as my sides. Also, ordered the ginger lemonade, and it all came to about $ 11. Staff was pretty friendly and chill, and while it took some time for the food to be prepared, it was cool to see them training a new cook. After the food was ready, it was hot and steaming which was amazing and they make sure your order is right.
Tried the food and it was so good. The curry was very flavorful and blended well with the sides (I saved the plantains for last as a dessert cause they were just the right amount of sweetness). And wow, I was surprised to see purple lemonade, but it’s mixture with ginger was just incredible. Definitely one of the best new things I’ve ever tasted this year. Overall, delicious food, cool staff, good prices, and will highly consider coming back again this week already.

So good!!!
I really liked this restaurant and the food they cook. … They just need to be faster. my calification for them is 9.5.

Really good food! Tasty slices and good prices! Delivery to my house too! Got the sambusa and all the flavor were good. Good lamb and great chicken!

Delicious eggplant, jerk chicken and rice. So glad I stumbled upon this great place. Flavored are not too exotic for a gringo like me.

This place is banger 1 meat 2 sides 7 $ sambusas $ 1 game over get on it 100%. Dude working the counter is cool bumpin music

I had the Goat and Chopped Eggplant with Rice. It was all very delicious. I’m definitely coming back try more things!

Whatever you order definitely get the sambusas every single one is absolutely delicious you will not be disappointed everytime I come here that’s what I get.

Stumbled upon this unassuming gem in the food court.
Curios about the cuisine this part of the world, was pleasantly surprised at the wonderful flavors experienced tonight!
Tried the meat combo chicken curry with lentil and eggplant and it was amazingly good. Perfectly spiced and the textures the veggies great. Enjoyed it to the last morsel.
The sambusa is a perfect companion to the combo!
Kudos to Bruce and staff that prepared the outstanding meal.

The Mboga (spinach and cabbage) as well the Birngy (eggplant) are pretty good. The Chapati tastes a lot like Naan. Nice change of pace from the mall courtyard usual suspects.
Looking forward to returning soon.

This place is a hidden gem for a vegan. Right in the food court is the most delicious vegan food. The lentils are fantastic and the eggplant is so delicious.
My fiancé’s son got the chicken and said it was phenomenal!
Highly recommend and will be back!

Love the sambusa’s. In the past jerk chicken was spicey so I was unable to enjoy. Here it’s slightly sweet which is refreshing. If you want to try African did this is the place

I’ll first say that I’ve never eaten here therefore I cannot rate the food quality. However, Since April I have attempted twice to place an order. After the second incident I decided to post a review.
Both times, the tall black gentleman who I believe is the manager (and who occasionally sports a Bluetooth earpiece) was too preoccupied with his phone conversation to even acknowledge my presence. He just kept walking back and forth yapping away with that earpiece stuck in his ear and totally blew me off. It’s hard to miss anyone standing at the counter so his blatant refusal to greet me and take my order was completely deliberate and totally unacceptable. Will never return here again.

One does not usually expect much from a mall food court so I was immediately intrigued by the option for African cuisine. It’s not something I’ve ever had and therefore I had to try it.
The guy was working solo and definitely had a rhythm down. He was super friendly and personable even though he was busy, which was nice. The food took a bit longer than what I’d expect in a food court. But he was working by himself and everything was cooked while I waited.
I got 2 sambusa and a ginger lemonade. The lemonade was light on the lemon but strong on the ginger, which I didn’t mind.
The sambusa were good but a bit dryer than I expected but the spices were really good. I tried the chicken and potatoes flavors.
They also had a good range of vegetarian options which always makes me happy to see.

It’s cooked food people!
Yes, I said it… It tastes as though my mom made this, if my mom was African.
I ordered through the Eat24 app for delivery. You gotta get a bunch of stuff so they will deliver, so I got:
Pineapple lemonade: it was ok
Sambusa (shrimp): it was good, but I couldn’t taste the shrimp at all… I think next time I’ll try a different kind
Vegetarian plate (4sides):
Biringanya (eggplant) — my favorite, it was so flavorful and not fried. I gotta learn how to make this at home.
Dengu (lentils) — in coconut curry. I would have liked them a bit thicker (more lentils, less curry) but they were very good also.
Mboga (spinach with cabbage) — this was just ok, I don’t think I’ll have it again
Mzuzu (fried bananas) — I love bananas, and these were good… But I wish they came in something sweet to dip them in. Oink.
Vegan jungle fries — these were very good also, I believe they put the same sauce that the eggplant is cooked in, plus onions and some other stuff. By the time I got to the fries I was super full already. It’s a huge portion, you could plan to share this among at least 3 ppl. I asked for no cheese and even then they were good.
Wow… I ate a lot… But most of it was healthy so I don’t feel too bad.
Delivery took a little while, about an hour, but the delivery boy was really very nice. Kudos to him.
I will definitely order from here again for sure.

I was looking for something somewhat healthy and not being from SD, I found this restaurant on Unilocal.I was a little skeptical being that it was in the food court, but I’m so glad I took a chance. I had the Safari chicken, Mboga (spinach and cabbage), Mzuzu (plantains) and Sambusas (samosas). Everything was sooo delicious. The Safari chicken was so moist and flavorful. Sometimes chicken breasts can be dry, but these weren’t at all. I’m going to try to make the Mboga at home because I loved it that much. The sambusas were good as well. I tried the Ginger Lemonade and personall wasn’t a fan, but I heard it’s one of the more popular drinks. Next time, I’ll try the spicy chai, which is always a go-​to drink for me if it’s available. For a food court restaurant, this is definitely worth a try. I’m glad I followed my fellow Unilocalers.
Also, the young lady at the counter was very nice. If I’m in SD again, I’ll come back.

I need a break from posting Disney reviews.
We met with friends for a bite before catching a movie. Everyone else got whatever, but I’ve been meaning to try this place out. I noticed the Grill after they first opened a few months ago, but lost patience when no one was at the counter despite ringing the hotel bell. Ding! Ding! Herroooo… anybody home?! A month later I’m back for lunch.
The jungle fries are a fusion take on carne asada fries. It begins with a bed of crispy shoestrings, topped with what looked like a ground beef mix sauteed in a tomato based sauce, then finished with chopped tomatoes, red onions, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sour cream. The fries were a bit oversalted for my liking, but the flavors are tasty and a good sized portion on the plate. If you’re getting fries to-​go, be sure to ask for extra crispy otherwise it’ll end up a much soggier mess from the box steam and the saucy topping.
Service was friendly and conversational. I got a kick out of him taking a phone pic of the dish he made. I’ll be back another time to try something traditional from the menu.
If you’re tired of the same generic mall crap and looking for a gateway to different flavors or vegetarian options, yet don’t feel adventurous to explore African restaurants along ECB or Univ Ave, then check out Tanganyika Grill either here or at the Plaza Bonita mall. Their ultimate goal is to bring diversity to San Diego malls.