Sitting on a carpeted square layered with a plastic picnic covering, diners lean against ornamental pillows that line the walls, smaller cushions tucked beneath their elbows. Soft brown curtains drape around the room, sectioning off each seating area into its own private corner.
The scene feels more like a family living room than a restaurant, but at Kismayo, a Somali restaurant in Southwest Portland, that homelike setup is intentional, modeled after the home of co-owner Ashwaq Omar’s sister.
“There’s no dining room table, chairs, nothing,” Omar said. “We all sit in her living room, her furniture is very similar to what we put in these rooms, her carpet in her apartment is very similar to the carpet that I put here and these plastic covers are what we use at her apartment to eat together.”…