Deg Deg Grill - 24 Somali Mall and Karmal Square Mall Locations - Minneapolis, MN
Letās face it, youāre not gonna go to Deg Deg. Not to the 24 Somali Mall location, and especially not Karmal Square Mall . . .
Why aren't you going Deg Deg? Because frankly just getting there would scare the living shit out of most Minnesotans. Let's start with 24 Somali Mall. Physically in the Phillips neighborhood, but mentally somewhat lifted out of east Africa. Give 'em a shot. I think you'll be pleasedYou pull into the area, 24th Street just east of Chicago. See dozens of African men standing around, milling about, chatting or phone to their ears, wearing either long garb, typical American street clothes, or what Iād call Sunday Best. The vibe is a mixture of chill, lively conversation, and conviviality. Almost like an open air coffee shop. Nobody's in a hurry to be anywhere. Traffic can be a cluster, and parking is a nightmare at first glance, but plenty of easy free parking if you donāt mind walking a neighborhood block towards the hospital
If you want a good looksie, go in through the main entrance. Youāll find yourself in a Middle Eastern bazaar, lined with clothing for sale. You'll pass dozens of shops, stocked TO THE GILLS, half selling (or not selling as it looks) the same things. You'll find barbershops, money exchanges, travel agents, phone shops, clinics, religious whatnots, etc catering to the community. There are also a number of other restaurants I'd like to try eventually. This goes for both malls, but more so for the sprawling Karmal Square
Through the main doors, take an immediate right, and if you make your way to a the southeastern corner of the mall, youāll find Deg Deg. And believe it or not: Quesadillas. Burritos. Chicken wings. Cheesesteaks. Cheeseburgers. Seasoned French Fries and cans of pop or juice standard with every meal. It wouldnāt be out of place in any American mall. Based on the clientele, this food is beloved by East African youthHow's the food th0ugh? Just fine; nothing special. Someplace that if it were near work or home, or at a typical American mall, it'd fit right in
EVERYTHING comes with a big pile of Sysco seasoned fries. Generally. I'm not the biggest fan of them, but these are more of a battered style that I dig. Thick, fluffy inside, crisp out, nice coating, and every time they've been freshly dropped in the fryer, even when they're busy, which frankly is almost always. I don't recall once being there and nobody orderingEVERYTHING also comes with two sides of a dip that is mixture of mayo and spices. Maybe some ketchup, though it doesn't taste ketchup-y thankfully. Brings a small tinge of heat, and it "pairs" well with everything on the menu
The above Cheesesteak was adequate, but not quite a substitute for a proper Philly with onions and peppers
Their California Burrito with Chicken (left) was filler upper. Basically just chicken and fries wrapped in a tortilla. The griddle on the wrap was a nice touch. But with Fish (right)(which was ordered at the Karmal location so I wouldn't put any reflection on 24 Somali), was all I could do to choke down half. They pulled a frozen vacuum packed filet out of a freezer, and . . . I don't know what they did to it for the fifteen minutes it took to cook the order (a microwave was involved I'd guess). Safe to say it was not enjoyable. The other half went in the binTheir wings wouldn't be out of place at any sports bar, and again, on a big pile of seasoned fries. I wanted to try their smash burger, but they weren't available at that time
As for the Karmal Square Mall location . . .
. . . it's a trip. Tucked in between Lake St and the Greenway, you enter the main mall through a parking garage off Pleasant. Costs a buck or two if you're there less than an hour. I couldn't even begin to explain how to get to Deg Deg, other than to go to the furthermost northeast corner of the mall on the first floor. Navigating there is your own problem
The EASIER way is to find street parking on Pillsbury north of the greenway, and make your way to the back entrance just south of the bridge (see above)
Other than a larger world to explore, I can't recommend this location over the other. Where 24 Somali Mall is professional looking, their branding/logo all over the place, a fairly open kitchen, bright, clean appearing for the most part (with the exception of pallets of product/disposeables along one wall) . . . the Karmal location is "utilitarian" to put it politely. Dark, dingy, you order through a hole high in the wall, and frankly they don't seem to care much for appearances. The mess you see on the table, on the floor was there there over twenty minutes with three people in the kitchen
Both sites had hand washing sinks out for customers, so that was nice, but Karmal's (below) was directed with a Sharpie on a panel, sink coulda been cleaner, and one of the knobs was janky
So, Deg Deg Grill. Go yourself, explore, have a mini-adventure followed up with typical American foodstuffs. Or place an order online, especially if you love seasoned fries
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24 Somali Mall - 912 E 24th St, Minneapolis, MN 55404, #612-259-7933
Karmel Square Mall - 2910 Pillsbury Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408, #612-825-1466
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