[This story first appeared on Boston Restaurant Talk.]
A Somali restaurant in East Boston is saying farewell to its home, though it looks like it plans to find a new space.
According to a source, Tawakal Halal Cafe on Maverick Street is shutting down on Jan. 5, with a Facebook post from the place saying the following:
It's hard to put into words the feelings swirling inside us as we share this message. Back in 2018, we started this journey with a simple wish: to share our mothers' cooking and the flavors of our Somali heritage with you, our cherished friends who became like family. We wanted to bring the tastes and scents from our upbringing to more people, not knowing the challenges that came with running a business. But through it all, our love for sharing our culture through food never wavered. What followed was beyond our wildest dreams. Each time you walked through our doors, shared a meal, or exchanged warm embraces, our small place became a sanctuary. It echoed with laughter, the clinking of utensils, and the growth of beautiful friendships over steaming plates of food. The awards and recognition we received weren't just about us. They were about the love you poured into every dish and the stories you shared at our tables. They were proof of the connections we built together here.
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The note mentions that the people behind the place are currently searching for a new home while referring diners to their satellite location at the MIT Student Center in Cambridge, which is open to the public.
Tawakal Halal Cafe debuted in 2010 on Bennington Street in Orient Heights, but closed a year later to focus more on catering; it reopened in its current home in 2018.
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The address for Tawakal Halal Cafe is 389 Maverick Street, East Boston, MA, 02128. Its website can be found at tawakalhalal.com.
[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
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