Best Ethiopian in NYC
The 10 best Ethiopian restaurants in NYC, from the city's oldest since 1988 to Bushwick vegan feasts and Queens' only brick-and-mortar spot.
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- 1Morningside Heights · $$ · 116 St-Columbia University (1) · 1239 Amsterdam Ave
New York's oldest Eritrean-Ethiopian restaurant, near Columbia since 1988. The kitfo and doro wat combination platter is the classic introduction.
Nearly four decades in, the kitfo and doro wat platter still sets the standard near Columbia.
It is the city's oldest Eritrean-Ethiopian room, so the kitfo and doro wat combination platter is the classic order.
From @massawanyc on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 2Bushwick · $$ · Jefferson St (L) · 1084 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237
A fully vegan Ethiopian fixture in Bushwick, known for coffee ceremonies and communal dining. The Feast is the platter to share.
The all-vegan Feast is so generous and layered you never miss the meat, and the coffee ceremony seals it.
It is fully vegan, so get The Feast to share and stay for the coffee ceremony.
@bunnacafe ↗Bunna Cafe
From @bunnacafe on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 3Crown Heights · $$ · Park Pl (S) · 739 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
An all-vegan Ethiopian kitchen in Crown Heights from Romeo and Milka Regalli. It reworks family recipes with organic, local ingredients.
The shiro with crispy green beans is vegan Ethiopian cooking at its most refined.
It is all-vegan and organic, so the shiro with crispy green beans is the standout.
@rasplantbased ↗Ras Plant Based
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From @rasplantbased on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 4Clinton Hill · $$ · Clinton-Washington Avs (G) · 1057 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238
A Clinton Hill neighborhood restaurant and bar, honored on Time Out's best-things-to-eat list. It is known for doro wat, kitfo, and a strong vegan menu.
The tibs combo is comfort itself, and the Sunday jazz makes it a night out.
Come for dinner any night of the week and check for the Sunday jazz nights.
@batikitchen ↗Bati Ethiopian Kitchen
From @batikitchen on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 5Sunnyside · $$ · 46 St-Bliss St (7) · 46-11 Skillman Ave, Sunnyside, NY 11104
Queens' only brick-and-mortar Eritrean-Ethiopian restaurant, grown from a 2017 food truck into a Sunnyside storefront. The awaze tibs and sambusas are the signatures.
A food-truck dream finally has four walls, and the awaze tibs taste like the payoff.
It grew from a food truck into Queens' only brick-and-mortar Eritrean-Ethiopian room, so the awaze tibs and sambusas are the move.
@makinacafe ↗Makina Cafe
From @makinacafe on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 6Manhattan Valley · $$ · 103 St (1) · 947 Amsterdam Ave
An Upper West Side Ethiopian staple on Amsterdam Avenue since 1994. The vegetarian combo with sambusas is built for sharing.
The vegetarian combo is a spread of little stews that keeps the Upper West Side coming back after thirty years.
This is the Amsterdam Ave location, not the East Village one, and the vegetarian combo with sambusas feeds a group.
- 7East Village · $$ · 1 Av (L) · 182 Avenue B
A press-favorite East Village spot for traditional Ethiopian home cooking. The injera is made with 100% teff flour.
The 100% teff injera and shiro wot are as traditional and satisfying as it gets in the East Village.
It is closed Mondays, and the injera is 100% teff, so make the shiro wot your order.
@hailebistro ↗Haile Bistro
From @hailebistro on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 8Greenwich Village · $$ · W 4 St-Wash Sq (A B C D E F M) · 124 MacDougal St
One of New York's earliest Ethiopian restaurants, a cozy basement room in Greenwich Village. It has kept a loyal local following for years.
The cozy basement room and gored gored feel like a well-kept Village secret.
It is a cozy basement Village room, so go for the kik alicha and gored gored.
@meskerem_ethiopian ↗Meskerem Ethiopian Cuisine
From @meskerem_ethiopian on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 9Harlem · $$ · Cathedral Pkwy (110 St) (B C) · 2084 Frederick Douglass Blvd
A Black-owned Harlem restaurant with patio seating and a deep vegetarian and gluten-free menu. Portions are generous across the doro wat and veggie combos.
The doro wat is rich and deeply spiced, and the patio makes Harlem feel like a getaway.
It has patio seating plus a deep vegetarian and gluten-free menu, so the doro wat and veggie combo cover the table.
@lalibelaethiopianrestaurant ↗Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant
From @lalibelaethiopianrestaurant on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 10Harlem · $$ · 145 St (A B C D) · 2795 Frederick Douglass Blvd
A family-run Harlem spot opened in 2017 by four siblings from Addis Ababa. It is known for tangy injera and kitfo.
You can taste four siblings' shared history in the tangy injera and kitfo.
It is family-run by four siblings from Addis Ababa, so the kitfo mixed platter is the signature.
@benyam_cuisine ↗Benyam Cuisine
From @benyam_cuisine on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.