Calanley Restaurant

The food is always fantastic here. You can get beef or chicken and pick between rice, pasta or bread!!! If you are very picky about seating arrangements or ambiance I would take it to go because it is not a fancy place. You literally go there for good home cooked affordable food!

This is the best Somali restaurant I've ever been to. Great service and amazing food. I got the chicken sucaar combo: it came with rice, lettuce, a drink, and a banana. I mixed the banana in with my food and took the green hot sauce that was offered and mixed that in as well. I also squeezed the lime juice from the included lime wedge over the mixture. I was asked if I liked barbecue and I said yes. I'm not sure if that changes the dish at all but it was amazing as presented to me so I'd suggest doing the same if you order it. I will be coming back!

Ate at Calanley tonight for the first time--I don't know why this place is listed as "permanently closed" on Yelp, because it is very much open and delicious. The building itself is very much a no-frills basic little restaurant, but it was clean and welcoming. This was our first experience with Somali food; we expected it to be similar to Ethiopian, but the dishes we tried were not at all like the Ethiopian foods we've had. The service was friendly and helpful, and the server brought an appetizer of soup before we ordered. He also gave us a small helping of rice to find out if we liked it. The soup was a flavorful goat broth with a big wedge of lime right in each bowl. We weren't sure if it was meant to be squeezed into the soup since it was submerged in the broth, but we went ahead and were delighted with the result. Along with our meal, we ordered guava juice. It was light and chilled and seemed to be fresh squeezed. For the main course, we ordered the goat with flat bread and the salmon with rice. This was probably the best goat I've eaten. I usually order goat curry when I go to West Indian restaurants, and it's almost invariably a little bit chewy. Like all goat I've had, Calanley's was served in small pieces right on the bone...however this was by far the most tender, sticky, succulent goat meat I've ever tasted. It seemed to be marinaded and both grilled and slow cooked. The grilling gave it a lovely slight char that went nice with the richness of the marinade. It reminded me of pot roast and barbecue combined, but the flavor of the meat was the star, rather than that of the sauce. The flatbread that came with it was nice and chewy, similar to a naan or roti, and it was also served with another portion of the soup we had as an appetizer. The fish was quite overcooked for my taste, and rather dry, but the flavor was good, and reminded me of tandoori chicken, also featuring the nice charring. The rice (which the server had given us a taste of before) was an enormous portion, light and fluffy with mild seasoning. We ended up taking some of the bread and soup, and a lot of the rice home with us for later. Overall, I'd say Calanley serves great food at a great price. The only complaint I have is...where's this banana I keep hearing about?

My favorite Somali spot in Columbus. I usually order takeout, though I have dined in. This is not a fancy establishment, but the food hits the spot, every time! I always get the chicken and rice. The serving is generous and the price is right. You always find different vegetables mixed in, but the chicken is always cooked to perfection. The white sauce is key- it's what makes this dish special. I also add on the Ethiopian hot sauce, though the heat level always varies. Some days it's hot, some days it's mild. Of course, you get a banana to mix in with your meal, so don't be shy.

Wow I love this place: you can always find the local Somali community here as well as a gigantic TV in the dining room where you can watch news from the rest of the world. There is something soothing about the din of foreign languages being boisterously spoken in the background while you eat the humongous portions of delicious Somali or Ethiopian food. At Calanley's, they take care of the whole meal. First, you get a banana, and then you get appetizers, followed by the main course. Be sure to try the juice that starts with a "J" (I forget what it's called). Scrumptious. Not just for the stomach but for the soul.