Tawakal

Tucked away in an otherwise quiet corner of East Boston’s Jeffries Point neighborhood, this Somali restaurant has been drawing national attention for its homestyle food and compelling backstory. Owner/Chef Yahya Noor’s family left after the country’s civil war; after spending time in a Kenyan refugee camp, they emigrated to the U.S. in 1997, and settled in Boston in 1998. Crowd favorites include sambusas (fried dough filled with spiced beef and onions) and goat biryani.