East African Street Food · Saint Paul, MN
Grandma's Recipe.
Saint Paul's Treasure.
Crispy golden pastries stuffed with bold, home-style flavors — straight from the streets of Saint Paul.
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East African Street Food · Saint Paul, MN
Crispy golden pastries stuffed with bold, home-style flavors — straight from the streets of Saint Paul.
Our Story
Sambusa Express brings the authentic taste of East Africa to the streets of Saint Paul. We craft every sambusa by hand — a golden, crispy pastry shell packed with seasoned beef or hearty veggies, served with our legendary signature sauce.
From Mears Park to local breweries and fair grounds, we roll up wherever hungry people gather. Come find us and taste why our customers keep coming back.
Meet the Founders
Abdi is a registered respiratory therapist by trade. After two and a half years battling COVID on the front lines, this naturally joyous, optimistic person began to burn out. He started Sambusa Express as therapy — a way to hold onto his joy while he still works as a respiratory therapist.
He recruited his family to help open the food trailer. Using his grandmother's recipe, they lovingly build every sambusa they serve. Abdi cooks the fillings and runs the fryers. Hawo — previously a family childcare owner and early childhood educator — is the heart behind the engine, wrapping each sambusa by hand, the hardest part of all. The kids run the register and keep the energy alive outside.
"Each bite is like being invited into their home for a family dinner. The ground meat is tender, seasoned with soft onions, and wrapped in a blistered, crisp shell — served alongside a tamarind dipping sauce that makes every order unforgettable."
— Joy Summers, Star Tribune
In Action
What We Serve
Every bite is made with care — fresh fillings, crispy pastry, and that sauce you won't stop thinking about.
Hand-folded crispy pastry stuffed with well-seasoned ground beef and aromatic spices. Served with our signature dipping sauce.
A hearty vegetarian option filled with spiced vegetables and lentils, wrapped in the same golden, flaky crust.
Mix of beef and veggie sambusas with extra signature sauce — perfect for sharing or going all in yourself.
Where to Find Us
New this year — we're pulling up outside our friends at Life Juices on a recurring basis. Unless we have an event elsewhere, look for us Thursdays through Saturdays. Our way of having a consistent schedule for our beautiful, extended fam.
450 Lexington Parkway M., St. Paul, MN 55104
Thursdays 4–7PM · Fridays 4–7PM · Saturdays 2–7PM
450 Lexington Parkway M., St. Paul, MN 55104
🕓 4–7 PM450 Lexington Parkway M., St. Paul, MN 55104
🕑 2–7 PM450 Lexington Parkway M., St. Paul, MN 55104
🕓 4–7 PM450 Lexington Parkway M., St. Paul, MN 55104
🕑 2–7 PMSaint Paul, MN
🕔 5–8 PMMinnesota State Fairgrounds, Saint Paul, MN
🕓 4–9 PMMinnesota State Fairgrounds, Saint Paul, MN
🕚 11 AM–7 PMAlways check our socials for the latest location updates!
What People Say
Real words from real fans — Saint Paul's most-loved sambusa truck.
Best food I had all night at the fair grounds. The sambusas were perfectly crispy and the sauce — absolutely incredible.
The specialty sauce was the perfect combination of flavor and spice. I've been to multiple locations just to get more.
Very good! I'm already planning my next visit. Authentic East African flavors that you can taste the love in every bite.
I stumbled across this truck at a brewery event and it completely blew me away. The beef sambusa is now my go-to. Perfectly seasoned, incredibly crispy.
Hands down the best food truck in the Twin Cities. Fresh, halal, and made with so much care. The line was worth every minute of the wait.
We hired Sambusa Express for our office lunch and everyone was raving. They were professional, on time, and the food disappeared in minutes. Highly recommend!
Get In Touch
Interested in having Sambusa Express at your event, festival, or corporate gathering? Reach out to us on Facebook or Instagram — we'd love to bring the flavor to your next event.
Private events, festivals, corporate lunches — we bring the East African street food experience to you.