About Us
Flavors From Afar is a restaurant with a rotating international menu. Each month, we partner with The Tiyya Foundation
to locate refugees and asylum seekers that are interested in sharing their traditional, home cooked dishes. By partnering with refugees, we bring to Los Angeles authentic cuisine that highlights different cultures and flavors that are often not available anywhere else. At our core, we believe that sharing a meal is a delicious opportunity for cultural exchange. Food unites people at the table - nourishing bodies, feeding minds, and fostering respect across diverse cultures.
Flavors launched in 2018 when Meymuna Hussein-Cattan, a former refugee and founder of the Tiyya Foundation, started a small catering company to help support the Foundation’s mission to provide long lasting and sustainable assistance to refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers. She later won a pitch competition hosted by the Orange County Community Foundation.
With the encouragement of the Sun Family Foundation, the catering concept was able to expand. Meymuna then partnered with Christian Davis in 2020 as co-founders to open our brick and mortar restaurant. Together, with his entrepreneurial spirit and extensive experience in customer relations and fashion, Meymuna & Christian transformed the catering company into a beautiful, inspired restaurant featuring refugee chefs and their cuisine from around the globe.
40% of our profits go back to support the sustainability of Tiyya’s community programs!
We close at 4 pm on Wednesday, December 31st. We will reopen on Wednesday, January 5th with new hours.
New Hours
Wednesday 4 pm - 9 pm
Thursday - Sunday 12 pm - 9 pm.
Outdoor and Indoor Seating Available
(Proof of vaccination required for indoor dining)
OUR MEAT IS HALAL
INTERNATIONAL HOLIDAY MENU
Wild-Caught Somali Baked Salmon Coconut Fried Rice $28
Wild-caught salmon fillet atop a bed of coconut fried rice and vegetables
Palestinian Maqluba (Upside Down Lamb Plate) $28
Halal lamb, rice, potato, carrot, onion, eggplant. Served with Palestinian cucumber salad
Guatemalan Chile Relleno Plate $25
Poblano chiles filled with cheese, covered in salsa. Side of Spanish rice and black beans
(+5 substitute shredded beef for cheese)
Chow Mein Guatemalteco Con Pollo $25
Rich noodles and savory shredded halal chicken mix with a medley of carrots, celery, chayote, onion
Haitian Poisson Fri (Smothered Fried Snapper) $28
Crispy, fried wild-caught whole red snapper. Served with red beans and rice
Haitian Marinated Kabrit Plate (Goat) $28
Slow roasted halal goat in Haitian epis sauce, sautéed bell peppers and onion. Side of red beans and rice
Handmade Afghan Mantu (Dumplings) $27
Six ground halal beef dumplings served with chana del lentils in a savory tomato sauce and mint yogurt dressing. Side of cucumber salad
Venezuelan Pot Pie $27
Pot pie filled with halal shredded chicken, plantains, onions, bell peppers
Lebanese Chicken Tawook $25
Four juicy grilled marinated halal chicken skewers, served with pita bread, side salad, and garlic whip
Eritrean Beef Tibs $26
Savory oven roasted halal beef chunks coated in a spicy berbere tomato sauce with bell peppers and onions. Served with pilau rice
Eritrean Vegetable Alcha Medley $24
Roasted zucchini, potatoes, onion, serrano chilis, carrots, bell peppers, and garlic tossed in a curry spinach oil blend
Chechen Lamb Goulash $26
Halal leg lamb shank (deboned) with thick cuts of onions, garlic, marjoram, caraway seeds and paprika on a bed of rice
SIDES
Crispy Sambusas (3) Mixing Allowed $8
Beef and cheese, beef, chicken, cheese and potato, veggie (VEGAN), w/ Somali sauce (mild spice). Filled with cabbage, broccoli, onion, potato, carrots, Somali seasoning blend
House-made Baba Ghannouj (Eggplant Hummus) $10
House-made roasted eggplant hummus with pita chips
Deep Fried Lentil Veggie Patties (6) $10
Thinly pressed and deep-fried lentils, onions, garlic, squash, and carrots with Somali sauce
Flautas $10
Four flautas filled with shredded chicken or cheese and potato. Half and half are available. Dressed in crema, queso fresco, and pico de gallo
Esquite Elote $7
Classic street corn in a bowl. Mixture of corn, butter, mayo, green onion, chili powder
(VEGAN) Somali Fried Rice $7
Fried rice filled with potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, cabbage
Palestinian Cucumber Salad $8
Cucumber, tomatoes, Palestinian hummus, tahini sauce, parsley
CLASSIC MENU
Somali Pan Seared Chicken Fried Rice $25
Seared Halal chicken, Somali fried rice, potato, cabbage, carrot, onion
+5 for additional chicken quarter
(VEGAN) Somali Sautéed Veggie Fried Rice $20
Somali fried rice, potato, cabbage, carrot
Kenyan Pan Fried Coconut Tilapia Plate $22
Tilapia cooked with coconut milk, tomato, onion, and garlic. Served on a bed of rice
+5 additional tilapia fillet
Egyptian Gravy Smothered Lamb Shank $23
Tender lamb shank smothered in gravy. Served with rice pilaf and seasonal sautéed vegetables
+10 for additional lamb shank
Guatemalan Adovato Goat - $25
Savory pieces of marinated goat, fried plantains and black beans
DRINKS $4.50
Jamaica, Passion Fruit Slush, Tamarindo, Watermelon Mint Fresca, Watermelon Slush, Perrier ($3)
HOUSE MADE SAUCE $.50 (each)
Somali Veggie Sauce | Guatemalan Salsa Rojo | Lebanese Garlic Whip | Mint Yogurt
DESSERTS
(VEGAN) Cinnamon Sugar Plantains $8
Fried plantains dusted with cinnamon and sugar
BAKLAVA (3 PIECES) $12
Layers of flaky phyllo, pistachios, rose water and sweet syrup
**The chicken sambusas are not Halal