Nestled in Milwaukee’s Lower East Side, alongside heavy hitters like the Diplomat and Sanford, is another culinary institution that you probably haven’t heard of if you are not from the area.
Blue Star Café is a family-owned Somali restaurant just off Brady Street that’s been serving hearty, affordable dishes since 2012.
It’s a wonderfully simple restaurant with a straightforward, well-organized menu that contains only a few offerings. When I go, I frequently see regulars walk to the kitchen, cracking open the door labeled “employees only” to greet the owners, Abdirizak Aden and Alia Muhyadin.
Diners eat off paper plates or occasionally, large aluminum platters. If they aren’t using plastic cutlery, they scoop handfuls of rice and meat with their right hand, as is tradition in Somali dining.
Somali cuisine, while less popular in Milwaukee than other global cuisines, might deserve more recognition.
Somalia’s position near the Arabian Peninsula gives the cuisine a Middle Eastern character, and due to its history of commerce with India, it also shares some similar spices and cooking techniques. Xawaash, which is the foundational blend of spices in Somali cooking, closely resembles Indian garaam masala.
Additionally, due to colonization, they also borrow from italian cuisine. They serve spaghetti with Suugo suqaar, accompanied with a side of sliced banana, which came from the plantations set up by the Italian occupants.
The flavors that result from this blend of cultures feels oddly familiar and can impress even the least adventurous palates.
Blue Star Café captures what makes Somali food so special all while being a casual, affordable place to eat. It’s one of my favorite restaurants here.
My first run-in with Blue Star was last year, when another cook at the restaurant I work at introduced me to it. Based on his recommendation, I ordered the tender goat platter for $14.99 and a beef sambusa, which was just $1.99.
The goat was supremely tender, and the flavor was incredibly complex, accented with a myriad of spices that, besides the sweetness of the cinnamon, I could not quite pick out. It was also served with bright orange pieces of onion, soft and fluffy cubes of potatoes and raisins.
And before you go ordering the platter without the raisins, give them a chance. They provide the perfect pop of sweetness that stands up to the savory components on your plate.
The chicken suqaar is another standout protein option. The bite-sized pieces of chicken are marinated in cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika and other spices, and are served atop your choice of basmati rice, pasta, salad, veggies or kay-kay, which are slices of flatbread soaked in lamb stock.
Basmati rice is my go-to but that kay-kay, soft, flakey and fully saturated with that savory stock, is another a great option and worth the extra money to add on.
The sambusas are equally delicious. Sambusas are flaky pockets of pastry dough stuffed with boldly spiced ground meat, just like Indian samosas. Dipped in yogurt and their spicy, herbaceous green sauce, they make for the perfect treat on the side of your meal and only cost $2.
Other highlights include their sandwiches, served on plush hoagie rolls with lettuce and a creamy sauce. I prefer one with the Somali steak, and at $6.99 a sandwich, it is well worth trying out.
Blue Star Café is serving some of the most uniquely flavorful dishes in the city at an extremely reasonable price point. I recommend adding it as a stop on your next trip to Brady Street or as an occasion all on its own.
You can find the restaurant at 1619 N Farwell Ave. If you stop by, you need to try out the tender goat, as there are few things in Milwaukee that taste that good and cost that little.
This story was written by Joey Schamber. He can be reached at [email protected].
