Ethiopian food (SEA)

[kieran]

It seems like all the threads I start concern ethnicity-specific cuisine these days, but this time I'm looking for a good Ethiopian restaurant for dinner. I know there are several places in the Central District but I don't know which ones are good.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Kieran

[cxt]

I love ethiopian food! Mamster has a link on his website to a review of Blue Nile. I haven't been there for years, but I used to like going to Kokeb at 926 12th, when I worked nearby.

[tighe]

I asked about Ethiopian restaurants a while back and got some good responses. Unfortunately I haven't actually gotten myself to any of them yet.

[kieran]

Thanks for posting the link! Inspired by my own question, I brought the s.o. and some friends to have Ethiopian food tonight. We went to Meskel and enjoyed it, particularly the lamb dishes and the legumes.

I think we'll be going back, but I'm still interested in hearing further recommendations if people have them.

Tighe, as for injera bread: I'm a bread addict and it's not my favorite, either, at least not on its own. But the slight sourness and spongy texture work really well in absorbing the flavors of the rest of the food. That injera on which all the food is placed makes some seriously good eating after the rest of the food has disappeared. It definitely shouldn't be bland and flavorless.

I ate Ethiopian food often when I lived in West Philadelphia, as there were lots of good options in the neighborhood, but it's one of those cuisines that I haven't found myself seeking out a whole lot since coming to Seattle. I think that needs to change.

[mamster]

cxt, I was going to say, "Hey, didn't we go to Blue Nile recently?" but I guess that was at least two years ago. I doubt it's changed: good food, friendly service, low prices, mildly sinister atmosphere.

Kokeb is now Lark, unfortunately for Kokeb fans but fortunately for everyone else.

[vinelady]

I happen to enojy Cafe Ibex over on MLK just out from Columbia City.

[rockdoggydog]

Kokeb unfortunately or fortunately is gone, Lark is where is Kokeb was. Lalibela just down the street from Meskel is also really good, definitely worth a try. Let us know what your favorite places to go were.

Rocky

[adanzig]

I'm in the midst of what will probably be a six month effort to try all of the Ethiopian restaurants that Seattle has to offer. I've only made it to two of them thus far (#3, Queen Sheba, is scheduled for this week) but of the two I've tried, Lailabela and Meskel, the former had the more flavorful offerings, hands-down.

[mark918]

I ate at Mesob (on Jefferson, at 13th) a few times over the summer, and I thought it was really good. It was my introduction to Ethiopian food, and I liked it enough to keep going back. I especially enjoyed the braised lamb shanks.

[grilledcheese]

I've heard great things about Fasica in Columbia City but haven't made it out there yet....

3808 S. Edmunds St.; 206-723-1971

and here's a review of a place called Saba that I keep meaning to try as well:

http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0433...8_food_saba.php

[reesek]

I'm in the midst of what will probably be a six month effort to try all of the Ethiopian restaurants that Seattle has to offer.  I've only made it to two of them thus far (#3, Queen Sheba, is scheduled for this week) but of the two I've tried, Lailabela and Meskel, the former had the more flavorful offerings, hands-down.

←

adanzig - what did you have at each - any recommendations?

I've been to both Lailabela and Meskel too and I'm not sure I agree - though we've stuck to vegetarian platters. I've only been to Meskel once, and Lailabela several - but found the quality and service at Lailabela to swing wildly, making me wary of going back. The collard greens at Meskel are exceptional, and the draker reddish lentils were at least as good as Lailabla's very good ones. The salad on the Meskel platter was injera and tomato...an interesting take on bread salad, while the Lailabela salad is iceberg and tomato - refreshing but forgettable. The yellow lentils at Meskel were not hot enough (temperature-wise) - a problem we've had with our whole meal at Lailabela on 2 occasions.

On the service front...while I don't expect exceptional service, Meskel was a pleasant surprise - the outdoor seating was also a bonus.

have you (do you plan to) make multiple trips to each place? I definitely feel like I need to go back to Meskel and see if the second meal is as good as the first.

[adanzig]

I, too, had the vegetarian platter at both Lailabela and Meskel. I must have hit Lailabela on a good night and Meskel on a particularly bad one since my experience at both places sound like they were completely different than yours.

Our service at Meskel was glacial and I found the food terribly bland (granted, in my opinion, bland Ethiopian is still better than no Ethiopian). We waited 40 minutes for the bill once our plates had been cleared which definitely doesn't inspire me to return. There are just too many other places that I'm looking forward to trying (like Queen Sheba tomorrow!). Will report back!

[ScorchedPalate]

There are just too many other places that I'm looking forward to trying (like Queen Sheba tomorrow!).  Will report back!

←

I'll be interested to hear what you think; I've heard that Queen Sheba was/is deeply flawed.

[Sleepy_Dragon]

Places I've been that are still in business:

Pan Africa (downtown)

-- really like this place, they also do other African food in addition to Ethiopian. Get either the sample platter, the beef or chicken tibs, or any of the other non-Ethiopian items. If I'm lucky enough to get a serving of lamb stew with the lamb still on the bone, I don't hesitate making a disgrace of myself by sucking out the marrow.

Fasica (Columbia City)

-- another favorite, especially for the red lentil stew and the doro wat with egg.

Zobel (Central District)

-- inconsistent. Used to be my favorite place, but not lately. I want to go back though, especially for the sega tibs and shiro.

Blue Nile (Central District)

-- not bad, but if I'm in the area I'd rather go to Assimba or Mesob.

Assimba (Central District)

-- pretty good all around

Mesob

-- very good, also the only place I know of that do sambusas (Ethiopian pastry parcels filled with lamb or veg.)

Meskel

-- lentil dishes seem bland to me, but I love the meat ones and the aforementioned tomato fit fit (injera with tomato, mashed together into a sort of salad)

Tagla

-- breakfast only on weekends. Owners are working on opening a full service restaurant. I love going here for the shiro, so buttery and creamy and loaded with cardamom. I like the injera here the best too, the lady who does all the cooking always makes it fresh.

Queen Sheba

-- never had a good Ethiopian experience here. Nigerian food was decent back when they did it, don't know if they still do.

Both Fasica and Zobel have live music on the weekends if that's your bag. And Tagla has a bunch of Ethiopian foodstuffs and groceries available as well.

Pat

Edited September 22, 2004 by Sleepy_Dragon (log)

[reesek]

sleepy_dragon - this is a great list - thanks so much for taking the trouble!

[Sleepy_Dragon]

No worries. Though like anything else, it's still worth taking with a grain of salt depending on the day you go and the other sundry factors that affect consistency in family-run holes in the wall. I tend not to be bothered too much though, if anything the prices are usually low. If you go with friends to Fasica and order the Fasica combo, they'll bring a big platter to you and still charge the same price on the menu, no matter the number of people.

At one time I did try to eat at all the Ethiopian places in Seattle, thus the list. Kinda got burned out a bit though, so I'm taking it more slowly now, hehe.

Also, if you go to Tagla for weekend Ethiopian breakfast, they won't have a menu. Just ask for whatever seems good.

Pat

[tighe]

Great list S-D. I work a stone's throw from a few of these, so I really need to take the plunge for lunch some day soon.

[adanzig]

At the 11th hour, we decided to try Zobel rather than Queen Sheba last night, as I'll admit I was scared off by a few posters' comments over the past day or so. In my efforts to try all of the Ethiopian places in Seattle, this was experiment #3 and I'd say its tied for second (or last, however you want to look at it) with Meskel. First place is still Lailabela.

We were the only diners in the place for the entire 90 minute meal (we had a lot of time to kill before another commitment). Service was slow but more attentive than at Meskel, although I think I've officially discovered that at Ethiopian places, one must ask for the check. Its not that you're being ignored -- its simply the appropriate custom in their country. Yes?

Anyway, as with the other two places, we ordered a veg combo. It had five dishes whereas the other restaurants offered six (I believe). It was missing the salad that many people often say is a "throwaway" dish but I actually quite enjoy it -- breaks up the monotony, so to speak, of a lentil-heavy veg platter. In this case, the platter also only had one spicy lentil dish...I'm accustomed to two. None were quite warm enough and all needed more of a kick. The injera was great, though. Very sour.

On a more positive note, Zobel subscribes to the philosophy of only charging two diners the price for one veg plate (including refills that we requested of the red and yellow lentils)....a pleasant surprise when the bill arrived. Despite our lackluster dining experience, its hard to walk away too disappointed when the total bill is $16 with tip!

Not sure which place is next on the list but I'll be sure to report back.

[kieran]

Thanks so much to everyone for all these great replies. I feel like I've really been underutilizing these places, especially considering that I only live a mile or two away from so many of them.

I think it's time to undertake a detailed study.

[Sleepy_Dragon]

Pan Africa on 1st Ave between Pike and Pine recently introduced dinner hours and an expanded menu. They're now open until 10pm from Tuesday - Saturday, and offer brunch from 9am - 3pm on Sundays. Also chatted a bit with the owner, he's got a 4 course tasting menu in the works, and is also waiting on a license for beer and wine. Furthermore, after 5pm he'll validate parking for anyone who parks in the Pike Place garage on Western Ave.

Pat

[Placebo]

I've been to Pan Africa once and found it underwhelming, I will likely go again, though since I work all of a block away.

[crouching tyler]

I spent Friday night dining at Pan-Africa - at a table for sixteen. A friend hosted his own birthday dinner there. We had 5 or 6 sampler platters, as well as dishes of beef, lamb, and chicken. Great food, and a refereshing way to celebrate a birthday. I probably would have been happy with just the lentils and inerja (love that stuff), so this was a real feast.

The communal setting worked really well, and the absence of alcohol helped us keep our volume at a normal decibel, as well as allowed us to concentrate on the food. Good stuff.

[reesek]

i went to saba with a friend for lunch on thursday. the veggie combo was very generous, and had, in addition to yellow and brown lentils, tomato fit fit, an okra dish that was excellent, good collards and a tasty green bean dish. also on the platter were the cabbage/carrot mix (no potatoes) and a green salad with beets. the lentils were not as good as others i've had...not creamy enough for my taste, but still decent. $9.

we also had an order of foul. this was unbelievable. a dish of garlicky favas (i assume) with chopped onion, pepper, feta (i think) on top. and about an inch of ghee. it was served with a baguette which seemed odd, but we ate it with both baguette and injera. $5.50 (i think) for that. delicious (and properly hot).