You can go to Lula's Café, 2921 N. Oakland Ave., for Deeka Chicken. Or Doro Wot. Or if you prefer, travel tips.
The East Side spot offers East African cuisine, and a whole lot more thanks to its well-traveled owner Omar Gagale.
Gagale — who first came to Milwaukee from Somalia in 1978 — travels to Italy and Croatia at least once a year. He has family in Sweden. And he has lived in Arizona, Rome, Washington D.C., and Kalamazoo, Mich.
But when it comes down to it, he's perfectly happy in the Brew City.
"In '92, after the civil war in Somalia, I could have lived anywhere in the world," Gagale said. "Not just anywhere in the United States, anywhere in the world. And I chose Milwaukee. Now that says something."
Gagale was working as a cab driver three years ago when a friend offered him the old Seidita's Italian Deli location. He and his wife Lul Osman jumped at the chance to open their own place.
"My wife always wanted to have a restaurant," Gagale said. "She likes to cook."
Lula's Café — named for Osman — opened in January 2002, and is the only restaurant in Milwaukee to serve Ethiopian and Somali food.
"Lula's adds to Milwaukee's diversity because it was one element that was missing from Milwaukee for forever," Gagale said. "They've never had (a
restaurant) like this that serves food from that part of the continent."
The eatery is small and personal (it can seat about 30) and with green tablecloths and empty red-trimmed deli cases, reminders of the building's past as an Italian deli still exist. But Gagale wouldn't have it any other way. The intimate atmosphere allows him to get to know each and every customer.
"People, when they come, they ask questions when I serve them," Gagale said. "It's great because I can tell them about my country.
"I'd like to keep it this size. The kind of food we cook requires a lot of attention. Everything is homemade."
Featuring a variety of tantalizing flavors, the menu has something for the pickiest to the most daring of tastebuds.
The Somali dishes feature spices like garlic, cumin, cilantro, curry and ginger while the Ethiopian meals use the less familiar berbere and awaze.
According to Gagale, two of the most popular dishes are the Somali Chicken Sukhaar which is sautéed with onions, peppers and traditional spices, and the
Ethiopian Beef Zigni which features beef cubes sautéed in traditional herbs and spices. All Somali meals are served with a side of seasoned rice, and flat bread comes with the Ethiopian dishes.
For those who prefer to eat sans meat, a number of vegetarian options are available (they're actually all vegan) including Nuhur, which features eggplant, spinach and mixed vegetables in tomato sauce, and thespicy Bulay — broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and mixed vegetables in a red berbere sauce.
But Gagale realizes that not everyone who visits Lula's Café is willing to dive into a pile of Somali Thin Sliced Steaks or Saharo. There are steak and
chicken sandwiches to choose from, and then there's Italian cuisine, which isn't too surprising considering Osman grew up in Italy.
Gagale said they also offer the pasta because "the place used to be an Italian deli and for little kids who come in with their parents that aren't as adventurous."
Located near University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the customers who dine at Lula's Café are very diverse, spanning generations and races.
"I have customers from all over the place," Gagale said. "At least 10 to 20 percent of the customers on a daily basis are from Africa. But we have a lot of international students who come here that are not from Africa. A lot of professors come here, too."
And if you'd rather stick with hamburgers and grilled cheese instead of Chicken Sukhaar or even Italian, you can still sit down with Gagale over a cup of cardamom tea (otherwise known as chai) and he'll tell you how to travel Europe at a 40 percent discount.
Lula's Cafe, 2921 N. Oakland Ave., is open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
