Eat Up Havana: Pardon the Dust at Maandeeq Restaurant & Cafe

Over a decade ago, former Westword food editor Mark Antonation began his food-writing career by eating his way up Federal Boulevard. Now, we’re turning our attention to another vibrant culinary corridor.

The four-plus-mile stretch of Havana Street between Dartmouth and Sixth Avenue in Aurora is home to the most diverse array of international cuisine available in the metro area. From restaurants and markets to take-and-go shops and stands, food lovers of nearly any ethnicity or interest can find a place that will remind them of home or open new culinary doors. In Eat Up Havana, Antony Bruno will visit them all, one by one, week by week. Check out his previous stops.

This week, Bruno visits Maandeeq Restaurant & Cafe.

While Aurora’s South Havana Street is certainly a highly diverse stretch of restaurants, spend enough time along the boulevard and you start to notice highly specific clusters. For instance, the southern end of Havana leans largely Korean, with ten or so such restaurants stacked within a mile and a half of each other. But once you start to wander north of around Jewell Avenue, there’s a notable shift to African fare.

One such cluster sits at the far northern end of the Buckingham Village Shopping Center, where a pair of East African restaurants hold court: Ifka Cafe (which we profiled last week) and, just steps away, Maandeeq Restaurant & Cafe. 

Maandeeq has been a fixture in the community for over fifteen years, and by all appearances, it seems to be going through a bit of a rebirth. The moment you walk in, it’s clear the space is neck deep in a significant remodeling project. 

Gone are nearly all vestiges of its former Chinese restaurant past — the dragon-themed entry, the Chinese lanterns, and most notably, the dragon ceiling tiles (although a few remain above the main entryway, presumably just waiting their turn to be removed).

The floor has been ripped out, exposing bare concrete. A coat of paint primer has been applied to the ceilings, walls and window sills. Painter’s tape and plastic protect the glass. Stacks of paint and construction remnants sit in the corner. 

Yes, you can still dine in if you like. But when the woman at the counter greets you by asking, “Take out?” it’s really more of a suggestion than a question. It’s pretty clear this is all just a work in progress, and a much-needed one at that, so it’s unfortunate that recent Google reviews have noted poor “ambiance.” Read the room, folks!

The menu is a pretty straightforward list of lamb, chicken, beef or goat, offered as either lunch (“Lamb Lunch”) or dinner (“Lamb Dinner”), served with rice, curried potatoes and carrots, and a salad. There are also stews, sandwiches and soups. 

If you’re going for the full experience, get the goat. The tender braised meat has a yellowish hue from the seasoning and marinade, and it just falls off the bone. The rice alone will fill you up, and the added curried vegetables offer a nice balance to the overall dish, with the tangy salad standing out as a welcome contrast to the fatty protein. Be warned: It’s a lot of food, weighing in at nearly 3 pounds.

It’ll be interesting to see what the renovation has in store, and how dining in may present a different experience. For a hint of what’s to come, take a peek at the separate cafe space, where tea, coffee and a broad range of sambusa and fried breads can be found. The sambusas come in fish (kinda fishy), lentil (spicy!), chicken (curried), and beef (winner!). 

Here, the tables are new, the ceiling is painted black, and the counter is paneled wood to match the woodgrain tiles on the floor. But the biggest change is the new wall separating the cafe from the main room. 

According to the barista, the goal was to create separate spaces for men and women to accommodate Muslim traditions during the special events the restaurant often hosts. It’s also nice to have a quiet place to linger over a coffee or tea following a meal next door. 

It’s also a reminder that Maandeeq is more than just a restaurant. It’s a gathering place for the local African and Muslim communities. Some go to pick up food or enjoy a coffee. Others may roll out a prayer rug in the corner to conduct their daily rituals. It plays host to birthdays, weddings and more. 

While the space currently may not be very inviting, the people are. So pardon their dust, and embrace the hospitality with some patience, understanding and grace. 

Maandeeq Restaurant & Cafe is located at 1535 South Havana Street in Aurora and is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. For more information, visit maandeeqrestaurantcafe.com. 

All the previous Eat Up Havana stops:

• Old Town Hot Pot
• Leezakaya
• Chutney Indian Cuisine
• El Tequileno
• Milkroll
• Shin Myung Gwan Korean BBQ
• Watan Restaurant & Bakery
• Las Fajitas
• Mr. Tang
• Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings
• Yemen Grill
• Tofu House
• Sushi Katsu
• Coco Loco
• Ali Restaurant & Bakery
• Thank Sool Pocha
• Taqueria Corona
• Hanyang Wang Jokbal
• Coffee Story
• Tofu Story
• Havana Street Night Markets
• Seoul BBQ & Hot Pot (the Hot Pot)
• Seoul BBQ & Hot Pot (the BBQ)
• Pho 75
• Yong Gung
• Chopsticks A GoGo
• Angry Chicken
• L Cafe & Food Court
• Gangnam GT Lounge & Karaoke
• Katsu Ramen
• Dae Gee
• Snowl
• Chef Liu’s Kitchen
• Piramides Mexican Restaurant
• +57 Bar & Restaurante
• Il Forno di Tutti
• Ifka Cafe