Adulis

"A typical Eritrean meal waits until all members of the family are seated before breaking injera. And at Adulis—an Eritrean restaurant in Vauxhall that’s over 25 years-old—togetherness is in every single bite. The casual spot is a place for gathering and sharing—splitting sour, tangy injera and scooping zighni (a heartily spicy beef stew) or hamili (a garlicky vegetarian spinach stew) that’s both comforting and refreshing. Bring a team—you’ll need the stomachs—or bring your most indecisive friend and watch them fully relax when you order the veg and meat platter for the table." - team infatuation

"In his guide to the city’s best East African restaurants, Riaz Phillips says Adulis’s “palatial setting has to make it one of the finest east African and Eritrean restaurants in the capital.” The dark wooden fixtures give every meal here a sense of occasion. The restaurant is well-suited to solo or group dining, with a menu offering selections for one, two, four, and eight persons, and excellent options for vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters. Look out for kwanta fitfit, smoked, dried beef with green chilli and injera; zilzl assa, grilled red snapper seasoned with Eritrean herbs; and the entire range of vegetarian and vegan stews, comprising spinach, beans, chickpeas, and lentils, all eaten with more of the excellent, subtly tangy, and moreish injera." - Adam Coghlan

"Adulis is a spacious, homely, dinner-only Eritrean spot on Brixton Road. Not only is it a casual place to get a weeknight dinner, but it’s so filling that you’ll probably end up with a goody bag for later. Save yourself the angst of deciding between everything on their lengthy menu and go for one of the platters. Our go-to is the veg and meat platter. It’s got a nice mix of vegetarian options from a comforting hamili stew, to a peppery zighni that we’re very into. All served on a satellite dish-sized injera, it makes for a deeply satisfying meal." - Rianne Shlebak

"Adulis is a spacious, homely, dinner-only spot on Brixton Road. And not only is it a casual place to get a weeknight dinner, but it’s so filling that you’ll probably end up with a goody bag for later. Save yourself the angst of deciding between everything on their lengthy menu and go for one of the platters. Our go-to is the veg and meat platter. It’s got a nice mix of vegetarian options from a comforting hamili stew, to a zighni we’re very into. All served on a satellite dish-sized injera, it makes for a deeply satisfying meal. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch" - Rianne Shlebak

"Surely Eritreans must laugh at the modern concept of ‘sharing plates’ when every meal eaten is shared from a communal ‘plate’ of injera — a large, flat ‘pancake’ made with fermented teff flour. Local favourite Adulis has been serving them generously piled with tsehbi for 23 years: highlights include awaze tibsi fitfit, a heady mix of lamb, berbere spice and niter kibbeh (spiced ghee), and dulot made with spicy beef and tripe. Vegetarian dishes are just as satisfying, and here it’s all about the hamli b’ajibo, a dish of dry cottage cheese mixed with spinach, which lends freshness and verve to any injera it graces." - Helen Graves