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“A lot of people don’t even know where Sudan is,” says Sara Hamid, a dietitian turned chef who moved to the United States from the northeast African country in 2009. Even fewer, then, are familiar with the vibrant cuisine of her homeland. To remedy that problem in Denver, Hamid launched a catering business in 2019 and in May fulfilled her dream of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
The centerpiece of University’s Sawa Mediterranean Restaurant & Buffet—a casual eatery housed in a bright space filled with plants and dark wood—is a buffet table loaded with Sudanese, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern dishes. The diversity of the flavors at Sawa—which means “together” in Arabic—showcases the myriad cultures that influence the food in Sudan. Choose the all-you-can-eat option for $25 to try a little of everything, from velvety spinach hummus to tender chicken shawarma to peanut-layered baklava to creamy rice pudding. (An à la carte menu is available for those with smaller appetites.)
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Sawa also employs more than a dozen immigrant and refugee women from countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Libya, and Mexico, which means that on any given day, you might discover tastes of even more wide-ranging family recipes at this one delicious destination.
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