The Twin Cities has had a substantial East African community for decades, and the Ethiopian dining scene is one of the metro’s genuine assets. Most of the best spots cluster on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul and along Lake Street in Minneapolis. Eat with your hands, share everything, leave full.
A St. Paul family restaurant that takes its time, with a broad menu that reaches across regional Ethiopian cooking. The injera is made fresh daily and the kitfo is the order if you want to go beyond doro wat.
Read full entry →A St. Paul Ethiopian restaurant doing both the traditional menu and a few modernized dishes that bring the food to a slightly broader audience. The vegetarian platter is an especially good introduction.
Read full entry →A Lake Street counter-service Ethiopian spot that makes the cuisine quick-and-casual without losing what matters. The tibs are excellent and the lunch combos are one of the better deals on the corridor.
Read full entry →A St. Paul family restaurant doing reliable Ethiopian without much fanfare. The shiro is the order on a cold night, and the staff treats first-timers with the patience to walk you through the menu.
Read full entry →A proper sit-down Ethiopian room on East Lake Street with a real bar, which sets it apart from the counter spots up and down the corridor. Order the doro wat and a glass of tej, the honey wine, and settle in. The combination platters are built for sharing.
Read full entry →A Hiawatha Avenue room serving the standards with care, including a traditional coffee ceremony if you ask. The vegetarian combination is one of the better introductions in the metro, and the kitfo holds its own against the older Snelling Avenue spots.
Read full entry →A Cedar-Riverside fixture that runs until 2 a.m. every night, which makes it the late-night Ethiopian move when nothing else is open. Affordable combo platters, a lunch buffet, and a kitchen that does the standards seven days a week without slipping.
Read full entry →A Lowertown room a short walk from CHS Field, named for the Ethiopian volcano. The Saturday vegan buffet from 11 to 2 is the move for anyone who wants to graze across the vegetarian side of the menu. Closed Tuesdays.
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