Loading

Best Ethiopian in NYC · Top 10 NYC

Lists Boroughs Buzzing Happening About Shortlist

Ethiopian · verified Jul 18, 2026 · By Piyush Puri, MD

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.

1
Massawa
Morningside Heights · 1239 Amsterdam Ave
Official site ↗·Map ↗verified 0d ago
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 their Instagram
Massawa
@massawanyc ↗
From @massawanyc on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.

The map

Loading the map

Keep eating

Best French in Manhattan10 spots →
Best Georgian in NYC10 spots →
Best Middle Eastern in NYC10 spots →
Best Peruvian in Queens10 spots →

2

Bunna Cafe

Bushwick · 1084 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237

Official site ↗·Map ↗verified 0d ago

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.

From their Instagram

Bunna Cafe

From @bunnacafe on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.

3

Ras Plant Based

Crown Heights · 739 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Official site ↗·Map ↗verified 0d ago

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.

From their Instagram

Ras Plant Based

@rasplantbased ↗

From @rasplantbased on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.

4

Bati Ethiopian Kitchen

Clinton Hill · 1057 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Official site ↗·Map ↗verified 0d ago

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.

From their Instagram

Bati Ethiopian Kitchen

@batikitchen ↗

From @batikitchen on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.

5

Makina Cafe

Sunnyside · 46-11 Skillman Ave, Sunnyside, NY 11104

Official site ↗·Map ↗verified 0d ago

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.

From their Instagram

Makina Cafe

@makinacafe ↗

From @makinacafe on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.

6

Awash Ethiopian Restaurant

Manhattan Valley · 947 Amsterdam Ave

Official site ↗·Map ↗verified 0d ago

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.

7

Haile Bistro

East Village · 182 Avenue B

Official site ↗·Map ↗verified 0d ago

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.

From their Instagram

Haile Bistro

@hailebistro ↗

From @hailebistro on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.

8

Meskerem Ethiopian Cuisine

Greenwich Village · 124 MacDougal St

Official site ↗·Map ↗verified 0d ago

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.

From their Instagram

Meskerem Ethiopian Cuisine

@meskerem_ethiopian ↗

From @meskerem_ethiopian on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.

9

Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant

Harlem · 2084 Frederick Douglass Blvd

Official site ↗·Map ↗verified 0d ago

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.

From their Instagram

Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant

@lalibelaethiopianrestaurant ↗

From @lalibelaethiopianrestaurant on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.

10

Benyam Cuisine

Harlem · 2795 Frederick Douglass Blvd

Official site ↗·Map ↗verified 0d ago

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.

From their Instagram

Benyam Cuisine

@benyam_cuisine ↗

From @benyam_cuisine on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.

Editorial guides to New York. Ten lists, every borough.

French

Indian

Peruvian

Indian in the Bronx

Indian

About

Who we are
How we rank
Editorial standards
Editors
Archive
Happening
Crown Jewels

3D model credits

Empire State Building by NanoRay, Brooklyn Bridge At Night by Asadawut Kaewma, and Old Ferris Wheel by Yevheniia Lenda, each licensed CC BY 4.0 via Sketchfab. Statue of Liberty model from Free3D.

City backdrop by Luiz Guimaraes on Unsplash.

© 2026 Top 10 NYC. All rights reserved.Made in New York.

Reach us

hello@top10nyc.org