Horsed

In Somali, the word Horsed means "reconciliation", and thus it's not surprising that this restaurant near Havana & Mississippi aims to bring the Somali communities of Aurora and Denver together.

Horsed began life as Iftin Cafe (no relation to Ifka Cafe a little further south on Havana) and then became Shabeelle (named for a river in the region). But in fact, not an awful lot has changed food-wise.

Yes, you can still get many of those old favorites - Suqaar (sliced meat stirfry), Hilib Ari (roasted goat), and other items which are listed in some of my prior reviews, so I won't bore you with them here. Portions are not as gargantuan as those at Maandeeq, but really, there's something to be said for moderation sometimes.

(Please note that currently, none of Aurora's Somali eateries offers Hilib Geyl (camel - a most popular meat back home), but you can buy camel meat (as well as goat, lamb, chicken and other Halal meats) by the pound a few blocks north, at Havana Halal Market)

Particularly memorable (not necessarily always available) items at Horsed include a refreshing Liimo (lemon) drink, which put me in mind of a Mexican agua fresca, and Muufo, round griddled discs of maize flour that are the perfect accompaniment to whichever meat dish you desire. This side is truly corny, in the best possible way.

If you plan to stop by, I would suggest going in the late afternoon or evening. The lunch hour is always packed (and I do mean PACKED!) with folks enjoying themselves.