Jaliz Cuisine of East Africa

Great way to try something new. Their tasty food is very healthy and fresh Go to the back of the house to order, or You can call to order as well

I love this place, I drive for hours just to get some Ugandan food. The owner is so kind and welcoming, the food is delicious and tasteful. The smell of the goat stew will make you smile, the yams are so good you won’t stop eating.

Phenomenal food with a friendly family wanting to share their delicious food with the world. Highly recommended!

I love this place. Been there quite a few times before. I love the food here. Original Ugandan food. Dinning arrangements in the back available but not conventional seating arrangements. I love the ambience--- "wild" and "different'. Under tents like a living room set up or under the tree. Their meat is fresh and organic, specially the chicken. They don't use the regular frozen chicken. Hand slaughtered and fresh..... exceptional taste!! Rice with chicken, baked plantain, peanut sauce, chicken curry, fish, beans, bbq (order in advance) ---all Ugandan style. Go to the back of the house to order for dine in or carry-out. If you are open to experience something new, visit this place (dine in), but if you are "picky person" go somewhere else!!

Pretty much a low key spot with GREAT Ugandan cuisine made with care (I could tell)!!! Tried & LOVE the goat meat soup with rice, some plantain & gnut spread (peanut taste is immaculate). Must return more sooner than later!

It doesn't make sense how something can taste sooo good. I hadn't had Ugandan food in over a year but oh my.. we found this little gem with the help of Google. The reviews done even do this place justice. The food was soooooo delicious. Had goat meat and chicken stew.l with matooke. Was worth the trip. And the hospitality of the owner was even a bonus. We will ve back when in LA

Food was amazing! Such great flavors. The goat stew had perfectly tender chucks of meat. Extremely filling. The hot sauce oil was excellent. Try it out if you've never been!

This was my first time trying homemade Ugandan food and it was wonderful! I loved the peanut sauce covered plantains, greens, spiced rice, chicken stew and cassava. I'll have to take a friend or two there next time. The hospitality was great as well. Hints: don't walk down the alleyway like I did because the house is on the right of it. You're served the house special and an aromatic black tea, so there are no menus to choose from... just sit down in the kitchen and you'll be waited upon. Enjoy!

Excellent...? Have you ever had their amazing bread, vegetation dishes? Baked chicken? The Best in SFV.

First off, this place is closed. It is a house in a residential area. It's closed off with fence around it. Yelp said it is open.

Went here and looks like this business is no more. It's in a residential area so hard to say. But I've tried calling the number and reaching them on social media and have found no response. Their social media posts and reviews here are from a while ago so unsure they are in business. The food pictures look great so it's sad if they had to close! Yelp moderators please check.

I buy my box of matoke from Jalia since I live far away from the restaurant, she moved to Canoga Park in case the address is not updated yet. Here is the address it 21044 Sherman way Canoga Park. Her pone number is 818 207 1877. Time is still the same and days off Monday. She has good food, I wish I lived close to her

Service was nice. But two plates of food was $50. Not affordable. I feel like we got leftovers that were microwaved. Meat was dry and rice was hard and dry. Chicken was rubbery. Maybe we just went on a bad day but I regret two plates being $50 is way too much for lack of freshness. Very sad because I wanted this to be a good experience.

The food was amazing. Yes, amazing. Absolutely delicious. The service was wonderfully friendly. The portions were gigantic. All true. And I was pleased that my family was fearless enough that they were willing to march into someone's back yard and ask to be fed. This place may test your manliness. And after reading some of the reviews, a few have failed that test. My clan did not. And I talked about my meal here for a full week afterwards. To essentially anyone who would listen. It was so wonderfully, uniquely, terrifically different from anything I'd eaten in recent memory that I couldn't shut up. When my Mom chatted up the owner and raved about the uniquely Ugandan combination of spices that they offer to perk up your tea, the owner gave her a jar..... Of an item you can only find in Uganda!!! That was wonderful. Very kind. But this place is grubby. Straight up, no excuse grubby. I love holes in the wall and I'm comfortable with the fact that sometimes the tastiest food is found in places that are the least visually appealing. But my wife used the restroom as we arrived and was grossed out by the grime on the door. She used the restroom again as we left and was so undone that she spent 10 minutes scrubbing the door before she left. They have sections of carpet in the back yard instead of grass. But the carpet was covered in dirt and leaves and was slowly sinking into the soil. It was difficult to square up the joy and wonder I experienced from my amazing meal with the ick factor I had to deal with to remain in the room. We went in November when it was cold and unpleasant outside and when it can be tough to gather up the pluck to handle all those ordinary tasks that are so much more pleasant to do in good weather. I hope that's what was going on. I pray that's what was going on. I hope that each Spring the owner is invigorated by the sunshine and lovely weather and gives the whole place a bristling scrub. Because if not, this is a place that might be best enjoyed to-go.

I feel so very hurt that I was served old leftovers. The chicken was so dry and stringy and so was the goat. The rice was dry etc. Overall, as someone who loves African food, it was beyond disappointment. I didn't want to rate them badly but I have to be honest. This was the worst food experience of my entire life and I Love Food. I think it says a lot about them to be willing to serve someone old food and charge them $50 for the nasty scraps. The price was absolutely the cherry on top to how shocking it was. I could have went somewhere beautiful with delicious, flavorful food for that price. We were genuinely CONNED. I gave the food we did not touch to a homeless person down the street, but I apologized profusely explaining to them what kind of food it was. I even felt guilty to feed this to someone hungry!Can't believe it. I'll never forget it - worst food experience of my life.

Two reviews, short and long version: -Short version: Homemade Ugandan cuisine served in someone's house that's fresh and delicious, and yes, you should go! -Long version: This is located inside a house on Kittridge across from a school, and you walk around the right side of the house. There are no signs on the front of the house, so if you are uncomfortable with that, well, this is your heads up. I showed up around 12:00 pm on a hot Friday, and was invited to eat inside the house even though the bulk of the seating appears to be outside. I had rice, sweet potato smothered in peanut sauce, chapati, and spinach. I had this with goat, but you can get chicken or fish. It took about 10-15 minutes to come because, remember, you are getting freshly prepared food that is quite literally homemade food. The peanut sauce that was smothering the potatoes was out of this world great, thick and gooey and delicious, and with small bits of spinach in it. This covered up some delicious potato. This is the source of sauce that you would probably want to have smothering everything. Biscuits? Done! Vegetables? Yeah, gimme more! Eggs? Okay, that too! Got any left over for rice? The chapatis are slices of thin flat bread that resemble the Indian bread of the same name, but maybe a little bit softer and flakier. The goat came in a separate bowl (see photo), and was delicious. Now, I know that a lot of Americans don't eat goat, either because they think it's odd or maybe they don't like the taste. Then again, a lot of Americans don't like lamb too, and I've always thought that you if you don't like lamb, it's probably because you haven't had fresh lamb, such as the kind you get in India or Iceland. Anyway, you can get fish or chicken. That said, the goat was delicious, really tender, if ever so slightly stronger in its "goatness" than some of the Mexican or Somalian goat I've eaten. This comes with the bone, so it requires a bit of work, but it's worth it. But I mention this because some don't like this so much. The meat was very fresh and full of flavor and was halal, which I prefer in part because I feel it's typically fresher and better quality. The rice was good, and pouring some of the broth of the goat from the bowl over the rice made it amazing. The spinach was also good. Afterward, one of the charming ladies came out with a bowl of sliced watermelon and cantaloupe. This was rather welcome especially since it was a hot day, but was also a nice way to end the meal. This entire meal was $15, which to me is a steal for the amount and quality of food. If this at all sounds good to you, I wholeheartedly recommend that you give this a try. I love experiences like this, and hope that you feel the same way after you've eaten here.

Could Jeliz be nicer... No. Could this feel anymore like an E African (or W Africa for that matter) casual dining experience... No. Could the food be anymore lovingly cooked and prepped... No. Called a day ahead. Ordered Goat Soup for 15 plus chaptis. It was ready when I arrived at noon the next day. Brought a pot to simplify transfer and hit the road. Reheated in next day served it at a group gathering... Home run! Cant wait to return some weekend evening with friends and share a taste, in everyway, of E Africa with friends who have never enjoyed its food and its hospitality. ( It will be rustic in many ways... Be a good traveller and go with it and have a great meal and a great experience alongside many from the ex-pat African community.

I loved what I ate here, though I was hoping based on some of the pictures and descriptions I saw here that I would get a little more of a sampler! Like grasshoppers or matooke or chapati or ground nuts or something a little more different... but lesson learned: call first! We showed up with no warning in the backyard of this house - the chef was on the phone and kids were playing around us - and she still cooked us a full meal of goat and fish soups with rice in under a half hour. That's pretty impressive, and we felt welcomed. Plus, both soups were excellent and very different from each other. The goat soup was extremely rich and meaty with 1000% goat flavor slapping you in the face each time you took a bite, marrow seeping into the broth from the bone, tender meat slipping onto your fork. The fish was a full half-fish (the back half!) floating in a deceptively light broth, white flesh flaking off with little effort. The accompanying rice was hearty with liberal amounts of chicken (for some reason my mom's plate had about 5x the chicken mine did). I couldn't close to finish it and had to take it home. Next time, maybe I'll have the good fortune of coming when more dishes are able to be prepared, but I won't ever complain about getting to eat anything this chef cooks.

Thanks Yelp for connecting me with this Ugandan food kitchen. I visited Uganda some time back so I was thrilled to find a spot where I could relive my culinary experiences of matoke (mashed bananas), ground nut sauce, chapati, goat, chicken and various stews. I even tried their grasshoppers, which incidentally were better than insects I've tried in Mexico or Asia. Call ahead if you decide to come and the menu will be more varied. They have outdoor seating and a spacious back yard (note this place is in a private home) and there is even enough space for an event of 100 or more people. It would be fun to attend a party here. Looking forward to my next return. And until we meet again, Kwaheri!

This is not at a regular restaurant. No signs. In fact, i didn't see any cars parked out front. I parked on the street and walked to the back. I was greeted by a gentleman who sat me down in one of the rooms where there were tables inside just passed the small kitchen. This little place inside a regular house. It really feels like a home cooked meal. I got there at 11:30 and I don't think they were quite ready for someone to come in.I waited for an hour and a half. I didn't mind. I wanted to try their food and was in no rush. I would probably come in at 12:45 next time. After placing my order, which was whatever is available that day since there is no menu, i got a mixed plate and the goat (i could've had fish) but I love goat. I had never had Ugandan food before so I was pretty excited to try it. The flavors are not spicy. The food has some interesting textures and may not look to appetizing due to the bland color but it is a culinary adventure into the exotic or someone like me that is not well versed in this type of food since I have never been there. Nevertheless, I enjoyed coming here for the experience and suggest any adventurous eater to try it. After another 10 min, I got my food. It was great. It came out nice and hot. I was out by 1:30. Which was a little long of a wait. I noticed there were more people arriving around 1 so that seems about the time people eat around there.

The food here is delicious, and everything about the place is intimate and comfortable. A restaurant that feels like a home -- because it is! The chapati is perfectly soft on the inside and flaky on the outside, and the matoke and peanut sauce is savory and delicious. Bring an appetite, the portions are big! The hours aren't regular, so I recommend checking in advance to see what time lunch or dinner will be served. Let them know what kinds of things you like to eat, and they'll surprise you with something delicious!

This was the first time that I've had East African food, or Uganda food. After looking this place up on Yelp, I decided to give it a try. And man, was I surprised. The food was awesome. Very fresh and homemade quality. I had the chicken pilao rice with matooke, greens, chapati, and goat meat stew. All of it was great, and the flavors were so different. I loved the pilao rice because it was a very feel good food. The matooke had the most awesome peanut sauce on top of it. Just outstanding. And the chaptai was fresh made, kind of reminds of Chinese scallion pancakes. And the goat meat stew, wow! If you are looking to try some great African food in LA, give this place a shot. It's a hidden gem in Van Nuys, and shouldn't be missed. What's also unique is that this food service operates out in Jalia's house, so seating is outdoors in the backyard. It makes you feel like you're in the wilderness of Africa! I shot a YouTube video of my experience at Jaliz Cuisine, which you can find on my YouTube channel called Rockstar Eater.

INCREDIBLE. I went to Uganda for two months last summer and absolutely loved the food. The group that I went with decided we HAD to find a restaurant in LA that served matoke, and we found Jaliz. Walking into the home and being served massive plates of rice, sweet potato, greens, MATOKE with G NUT SAUCE, goat and fish made us feel like we were back in Uganda. We even got to practice our Luganda which we hadn't spoken in two months. The hosts were so friendly, as were the other folks there that were part of the Ugandan community in the area. We stayed for two whole hours. Then as we were leaving, one of the owners told us to call ahead the next time we were coming so she could specially prepare us food beforehand. Long story short, you will not be disappointed. The food is home-cooked. The atmosphere is so welcoming. Go there. Do it.

This place SLAPS. the kindest people. the tastiest food. the funnest surprises. what more can I ask for? the food? amazing. huge portions and very tasty. the owners were so nice as to cater to our lack of knowledge about the cuisine. they gave us 3 entrees, two goat one chicken, and it was more than enough food for even 4 hungry people. passion fruit juice? amazing. they even walked us through what each item on our plate as we are unknowledgeable. my favorite was the goat and the peanut butter/banana side. they even offered us chili oil which spiced up our food, but i made the mistake of touching it and then touching my face. i would advise against this but that mistake was all on me. anyway, i was a fan of the intimate setting and the astroturf. i will recommend this place to anyone! please eat here!

I'm sorry I had to give this place 2stars but I just didn't care for the food. The goat soup was just broth and a few pieces of meat and the chicken rice was mostly full of bones. The other two items were sweet potatoes. The yellow one was okay but the other is covered in a peanut sauce that was very overwhelming and I did not like. My bread was incredibly oily. The sliced avocado was just a weird addiction. My biggest issue is that my meal didn't seem fresh. I felt like I was eating somebody's left overs. He microwaved my food to heat it up which caused uneven food temps. Everyone was really nice but the food just wasn't that great.

Ever since I found out about this place, I've really wanted to try their food because I've never had Ugandan food before, and I'm pretty sure you can't find it anywhere else. When we reached the address, I was unsure if we went to the right place since it was literally just a house. However, I hesitantly walked into the backyard, and wouldn't you know it, there were tables set up and everything. They basically set up the backyard so that people could sit and eat there. It was a nice quaint space back there. Anyway, they don't have any menus, but the woman who took our order kindly explained all the different foods they could cook for us, so we ended up ordering 3 plates of rice, matooke, sweet potato, chapati, and spinach. And we ordered a different meat (chicken, fish, and goat) for each plate. First of all, the plates were enormous! Each plate had huge portions and we ended up taking a lot of it home. I liked the rice since it had some chicken and it was interesting since it had a taste of cinnamon in it. And the chapati is like a pan fried tortilla (similar to a green onion pancake if you've ever had it), which was really tasty and good for scooping up other stuff. One of the highlights of the meal was the matooke, which is mashed plantain, with a peanut sauce on top. The matooke was somewhat dense, but still moist and not dry at all. It tasted great with that tasty peanut sauce. All 3 of the meats were delicious. Each was cooked perfectly and served in a bowl of really flavorful stew. The fish was tilapia and it was nice and flakey. Both the chicken and goat were bone-in and smoked beforehand, and you could definitely taste that wonderful smokey flavor. Also, both were amazingly tender and fell right off the bone. The goat almost reminded me of how oxtail feels since it fell of the bone and had all that tasty tendon and collagen. This was probably the most delicious and tender goat I've ever had. And the stew was absolutely loaded with all that rich meaty smokey flavor. Our meal ended up costing $45 with each plate costing $15, which I think is great considering the quantity and quality of the food. I suggest calling in your order beforehand so that they will be prepared to make it for you and because they're willing to make whatever dish you want if you request it. Overall, the food was incredible and completely unique from what I've eaten before. Plus, the service was great; the people there are so kind, it feels like they're welcoming you into their home and providing you with a true home-cooked meal. I'm so glad I was able to eat here and I'll definitely eat here again. ------------------------------- Update: I really wanted to try their luwombo, which I heard was a dish where they steam meat in plantain leaves, so I called a day in advance to order it since it requires a one day head's up to prepare. We picked it up to go, along with an order of smoked chicken and goat. The luwombo is actually not as exotic as it sounds, as it was mainly cut up beef ribs steamed with a curry and tomato-beef broth. However, the beef ribs were still delicious and extremely hearty. While some of the meat is attached to a bunch of chewy stuff, it seems like beef ribs are generally chewier and not as tender than pork, and there were some pieces that were nice and tender with a good marbling of fat. The broth it's served in is tasty, but very rich and heavy, since it has a lot of beef fat. Also, this time the goat they cooked for us was goat tails, so the bone-in chunks were huge and super rich. If you enjoy oxtails, you'd probably like these too, as they have all that delectable cartilage, meat, and gelatinous stuff. One huge plus is that the luwombo costs $20 for a huge pot of cut up beef ribs, and each order of goat and chicken is only $5, so we ended up paying $30 for an enormous amount of meat. Just a warning though, the luwombo and goat are extremely heavy, so you might feel stuffed after eating them.

Amazing cook and food. I travel to Africa every two years, but due to COVID, damn it, I have not been able to enjoy myself hahaha. Anyway, Jaliz Cuisine brought Africa to me. The peanut favor you can only get in Africa, appeared and brought a smile to my face. Great food served by great people!

Jaliz is such a wonderful lady! The fish stew was amazing. The fish was fresh and the gravy was refreshing and flavorful. Definitely a must-try!!!

I may have given this place more stars if I had been able to locate it but apparently it is a private residence and the whole neighborhood is residential with no signs or anything to indicate there is a restaurant there. I am not comfortable just going up to a strangers' house or into their back yard not really knowing if it is even the right place, so I pulled over and tried calling but the number is apparently a cell phone with no greeting message to identify it as a business and the voicemailbox was full so I couldn't leave a message and it hung up on me. I drove from Woodland Hills just to check this place out because it sounded really good but sadly, I would not know. A sign (even a small one) would help immensely! Disappointing experience.

Yaya makes bomb spinach peanut sauce, pilau, goat meat, and mutoke.

Definitely a different experience since it's just an obscure backyard in Van Nuys. The food was excellent though. We had the samosas to start, which were just OK, but the main entrees of beef, chicken and fish were amazing. Reminded me a lot of West African food, especially the peanut sauce which was sublime. Of the 3 meats, the fish was the best, chicken was kind of gamey, they had some roosters running around so might have been a backyard chicken. Portions were good and we brought our own wine and beer which is a nice perk. The whole meal with appetizers and small dessert came to about $18 each including tip.

This is the place to go to connect with the Ugandan community in Los Angeles. I am no expert on Ugandan cooking, but I know what I and my Ugandan friends like, and this is THE place to go for a meal like back home. I liked the mbusi, and the chapati are especially good, also the ground nut! The setting is nice too, you sit in Nnyabo Jaliz's backyard, and are served by her family; so sweet! Waybale Ngo!

I had read the Yelp reviews of Jaliz, and had wanted to try it for some time. My niece is planning to travel to Uganda, in the near future, and so I thought it was a good time to go and to invite her and some other family. None of us had ever eaten Ugandan food before, so we had no specific expectations. People have mentioned the tables in the back. We ate inside, at one of the tables set up for guests, indoors. It looked like, at this time, the backyard was not being used for customers. There was no fish on the day we came, so we chose from the goat or the chicken. I had the goat. So did my niece and nephew. My brother-in-law had the chicken. The meat came in a bowl along with a delicious rich broth. It was so flavorful, and the goat just fell off the bone, it was so tender. Along with the meat we each got a plate filled with other dishes.. spinach, matoke (plantain) with peanut sauce, cassava, and a generous portion of rice, along with chapati bread. Everything was delicious. I particularly loved the matoke. The peanut sauce was so yummy. The portions were good sized, and I couldn't eat everything, before getting full, so I took some home, as did my niece. My nephew and brother-in-law cleaned their plates. I don't know Ugandan food, so I can't compare it to anything, but I can say that I loved my meal, and I really enjoyed the experience of being allowed inside someone's home to have a good and hearty meal. It was wonderful, and I expect to come here again in the future. Thank you for the hospitality!

After spending the last 6 months living in Kampala, Uganda, finding a Ugandan restaurant in Southern California brought me so much joy. Jaliz Cuisine Restaurant made me feel like I was back in Kampala. It's the real deal. When you drive up to Kittridge St. where this place is located you will see no sign, no indication that any restaurant is there. It's right across the street from a high school in a relatively quiet neighborhood. Don't worry. Trust the address that you have been given. Find the house, and walk into the backyard. There's no sign there either. But you'll find a vast space with a lot of seating, lights, and heaters sitting outside. You might even hear some Luganda music playing the in the background, and some Ugandans eating the food. Welcome to Jaliz Cuisine Restaurant. I was immediately greeted by some of the customers, who in typical Ugandan fashion greeted me by saying, "You are welcome." I proceeded to then talk to them in Luganda, the language spoken in Central Uganda. After a bit we were seated. For food, we had matooke(mashed green bananas cooked in banana leaves), gnut sauce(imagine a peanut butter based sauce), goat meat, pumpkin, taro, passion fruit juice, and a big chapati(flatbread esque). If you want Luwombo, make sure you call ahead at least one day so that they can prepare it. The moment I bit into the matooke, and dipped it in the gnuts, my face erupted in pleasure as did my taste buds, stomach, and emotional memory. I was transported back to Uganda, where I ate matooke and gnut sauce on a near daily basis. The owner of the place came out and greeted us, and I had a good conversation with him in English and in Luganda. Incredibly friendly place. And it's a family owned and operated establishment. Per person, we each paid $15, and juice was $3 a person. I had the Yelp $25 for $50 coupon, so for a group of three, our final bill there was only $19. But if you were to go to Uganda and find the same food, you'd pay no more than $5. This is a bit on the expensive side, but they import their matooke, and import ingredients from Uganda. Plus, this is the only Ugandan restaurant around, so it's worth the price in my opinion.

I went to Jaliz today and it was an amazing experience. I say experience bc it was so much more than a restaurant, it boasts the friendliest service in town, and an open outdoor space. I had never tried African food before, let alone Ugandan food, but the friendly staff brought us an array of foods that provided for an amazing introduction. We were first served tea, which is so great and had the taste of ginger. Next arrived our plate of food: chicken and rice, a spinach & green bean combination, and plantain with a creamy peanut butter topping along with chipati (basically a tortilla). This combination was so flavorful and exotic! Next, the server brought us goat soup. For those who have never had goat before, let me tell you it's delicious! The broth of the soup was also superb! For another taste of Uganda, the chef brought us her special juice which tasted so fresh and vibrant! Lastly, we enjoyed a sort of donut hole puff (made from a corn mixture) with our tea and honey! My boyfriend and I were more than full, and I ended up taking a box home with me! Just speaking about the food alone, it was delicious and very accessible, even to those anxious about what Ugandan food encompasses. I would highly recommend buying the $25 for 50 deal! We got a lot of food and made full use of the offer! It's an amazing deal that will leave you more than satisfied! As far as the service, I must tell you that In addition to the food, I learned so much about Uganda, the language, the culture and the origin of the family business. I was able to talk to and shake hands with the amazing chef, a rarity even in family owned small businesses! The atmosphere was lively, friendly and gave a wonderful taste of east Africa even with some energetic music! I highly recommend dining at Jaliz! I know that when my boyfriend and I return, we are going to be bringing friends! Thank you to the staff and chef for an amazing afternoon, we look forward to dining with you again soon!

First off, most interesting dining experience I've had in LA because this "restaurant" Is in someone's backyard. This can either be a good thing or bad thing. Good because it was certainly unique, intimate and fun just DON'T expect a restaurant. The food was good. The goat soup was fantastic and was the best dish. The fish soup was also good except the fish was not deboned which was frustrating. The rest of the food was good, interesting and seemed authentic but needed salt and a bit more flavoring. Service seemed genuine but again this is not a restaurant. The people were extremely nice. As a CAVEAT anything extra will be charged even if it seems like it is part of the meal for example we got juice that we didn't order but were charged for it and these extra things will rack up the bill. This however would be a pretty fun spot with a big group of friends.

Don't be afraid of the exterior. The people are friendly and I felt like I was having a backyard party. We got recommendations from the patrons and ordered the fish and goat. I wish I could give 10 stars because they were out of wine and someone went to the store to purchase it for us. I loved the food. So glad we came.

They have the best African food...I love visiting the place. Long live Jaliz. They have matooke, chapati, lumonde. You feel at home whenever you visit just visit and be a witness.

The food here is . It's a house so I'm not too sure the legality of it but it seems the owners set up the the yelp page. They have no menus. I knocked on the back door and asked if they are serving, she said a few items but I just went with what was cooking on the stove: goat stew. It was served with with fried rice, spinach and green beans, cooked plátano macho topped with a peanut sauce, and chapti . Everything was very flavorful and cooked at the perfect texture. The goat stew tastes similar to Mexican birria and required no toppings or sauces. They serve large portions; I'm currently eating my left overs! Paid $13. Im planning on returning to try other dishes, and I hope they open a storefront soon!

So good! It's a private home so it's a little confusing coming in, but once you're in you get extremely good service and amazing food. To be fair, I've never had this style cuisine before, but it was delicious! I had a meat and rice dish and the flavors were perfectly matched. My friend was a big fan of the plantain dish. Our server told us that they get super busy at night, but they're only open Friday through Sunday! Great music, welcoming atmosphere. We'll definitely be back.

Just had an amazing meal at Jaliz. Definitely a unique experience, more like a friend invited you to their home. Really amazing home made food. Super friendly service. Meal only 15 per person and oh my gosh am I full !!! Don't expect menus, they will tell you what they have. I got the goat meal and husband got the chicken, both really testy. The Ugandan style tea is really good too, kinda spicy but delicious. Not a "restaurant" per say. Extremely casual but worth it. Only thing wasn't if my liking was the plantains and peanut sauce but that's because I generally do not like peanut sauce.

Authentic Ugandan cuisine. In someone's backyard. Great food. As authentic as it gets. Family affair. Can sit inside or outside.

Being first-timers, they bought us a varied sampler: lamb stew, chicken stew, rice pilao, yams with peanut sauce, spinach, chapati. Every item was terrific, and the servings large--we took a lot home. I haven't come across authentic Ugandan food elsewhere in the LA area, so this may be the only source. Be aware that it is run out of the chef's home and there is no sign out front. You need to go around to the backyard patio, which is where we ate, but I believe that there is some limited seating indoors as well. Absolutely worth seeking out. We will definitely be going back.

Really good food. It was my first time trying Ugandan food and I'm really impressed. The peanut sauce was amazing with plantains. The spice used for the beans was awesome as well.

This is, hands down, the best food experience I've ever had in Los Angeles.

I just love this place!! It's truly a found treasure that I had NO CLUE was nestled here in the Valley! I made my first visit here this past Saturday 2/27/16. After a vigorous hike I was actually in search of an Ethiopian spot to enjoy and decided to search for Ethiopian food in Winnetka (Which I knew did not exist in the Valley but I gave it a go anyway) assuming it would give me listings of restaurants in LA as it always does. But to my surprise a Ugandan spot pop's up and it's close enough to me to avoid sitting in LA 101 and 405 traffic!! I was BEYOND excited and kind of upset at the same time that I never knew this place was in the Valley before lol. I read the previous reviews which were all great and on point. This Ugandan spot is so authentic to the T. It's at a home and you will need to walk around the house to the back yard area. They literally cook the food right out of their kitchen as you would be able to see for yourself. Immediately I felt very welcomed and at home, the ladies were soooo helpful and sweet!! They explained every dish option and provided a nicely detailed menu for me to look over and keep. I also picked up a few Ugandan words regarding the food names so that was great as well ;-). On to the food: AMAZING, filling and healthy sums it up! Depending on what you get, you could make 2 meals out of one, being they are pretty generous with their portions...which I absolutely loved! I sat ate and chatted with the ladies and one other regular customer for a while, and their hospitality was the best I have encountered since living in LA with out a doubt! They made me feel like family :-). I had left overs for the next day and the taste was still just as great and fresh as it was the day before FYI. I'm sure you could tell by now that I will definitely be a returning regular. BTW: They do accept Credit/Debit Cards as a payment method (super convenient), Cash...NO CHECKS.

My daughter and I like trying different ethnic food around Los Angeles. So, we decided to go and try this place, and I have to say, we didn't regret. Along with the food being amazing people were very friendly and welcoming too. We didn't feel like we went to a traditional restaurant where you sit at your table and socialize with your family and friends only. We felt like we are visiting a friend. Long story short, we are definitely going back and try more of their amazing food and wonderful hospitality.

Dynamite! The staff is very hospitable and the food is great. I would eat here again without question.

I must say the goat and beef stew are amazing, pilawo hands down and chapatis taste just like home. It's my to go to restaurant on Fridays. I love food in general but it has to be right and that's why I come here..

The food was delicious the service was excellent bring your appetite very large portions very hospitable it's like being home with your mom cooking

All the food was wonderful and we thoroughly enjoyed it. What threw us off was the location... It was in the middle of a neighborhood in Van Nuys. Basically, it was a house, not a restaurant. When we googled the restaurant before going, we had absolutely no idea what we were getting into. All we knew was it was in Van Nuys. It was off putting to say the least. Overall it was great food with a strange experience. But we would go back for takeout, one day.

Do not be swayed by the outward appearance of this homey establishment. Inside, you will find truly sensational East African cuisine. This is hands down the most unique dining experience I've had in the LA area, and would highly recommend it to anyone open to a one-of-a-kind experience. I highly recommend the chicken-based soup, goat meat, and matooke (one of the staple dishes). If you're fancying something specific, call ahead before you come in to request it and they will gladly prepare the dish for you!

Soooo good. Authentic and excellent! Not a traditional restaurant but rather this is in someones backyard. Go here.