Eat Up Havana: Aurora Eatery Serves East African Specialties

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 Ifka Cafe.

Hole-in-the-wall restaurants carry a certain special appeal, the kind every diner defines somewhat differently. 

Most often, the term applies to small, counter-service spaces with few frills or amenities. Sometimes the space is old, maybe a little run down, and in a less-than-trendy location. And the service may be a little slow or casual. 

So the appeal of a good hole-in-the-wall restaurant simply comes down to the food. Only the food can deliver the delicate mix of tradition, authenticity and nostalgia that attracts both the community that grew up with whatever cuisine is served, as well as the curious foodies seeking a new culinary experience.

Welcome to Ifka Cafe on Aurora’s Havana Street. 

This East African restaurant has been around since at least 2016, and well…it shows. The menus are faded, torn and stained with the orders of hundreds of previous customers. The walls could use a coat of paint — and probably a scrub. Each of the tight four-seat tables boast a large role of paper towels as napkins. 

But the near constant stream of customers placing orders both to go and for dine in during a recent weekday lunch hour certainly didn’t seem to mind. Because here, the condition of the menus or walls isn’t the draw. It’s the food and the community that drives it. 

The menu here is primarily Somalian East African cuisine, and the go-to items among the dozen or so choices are goat (hilib ari) or the lamb shank, according to the young man behind the counter (his conversation studded with a healthy sampling of “bro”). 

But there’s plenty more to explore, including several versions of suqar (stew) made with chicken, beef or fish. Ugali, a porridge-like starch made from flour, water and maize, served with either any of the stews or a braised greens mix called sukuma. One item that catches the eye is “beer,” but rather than the malted beverage, it’s a mix of liver and onions.  

Rounding out the list are a range of sandwiches, sambusa (a spiced beef samosa) and various bread-based side dishes, including the tortilla-like chapati, the pancake-like anjero and the crepe-like malawah. 

At lunch, the goat comes served with a soup that is really more like the jus you get with a French dip sandwich. Beefy, oily and deeply satisfying, it’s easy to assume it comes from the drippings of the braised goat itself. The pro tip, according to staff, is to pour it on the rice and let it soak up the added flavor. 

Not like the rice needs any help. Studded with saffron hues and plump raisins, each bit offers a little pop of sweetness to balance the savory goat and the slightly spicy broth. The goat itself is the beneficiary of a long, slow braise, tender enough for the staff to feel confident serving it with only a fork (as there’s little need for a knife). 

Today, Ifka Cafe is owned and run by Shamsa Sulub, who took the helm (with help of family members) about four years ago. The restaurant has changed hands many times over its nearly two-decade run, but the customers are largely the same. 

The business may be small, but the portions are both large and hearty. Yet the prices are beyond reasonable, with most entrees at $15 or less. Between the flavor and the value, it’s easy to see why it draws such a robust community. 

Ifka Cafe is located at 1535 South Havana Street in Aurora and is open from 8:30 a.m to 9 p.m. daily. For more information, visit ifka-cafe.foodjoyy.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