Katie S.
Yelp
Alif Brew & Mini Mart is a grocery store mixed with a cafe, serving up Ethiopian eats. The injera platters and wraps are delicious options.
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The casual eatery has a wide variety of typical cafe drinks (coffee, tea, chai) along with Ethiopian foods and drinks. The grocery section is stocked with a variety of spices, snacks, and home goods . You order and pay at the counter and take your food to go or for dine in. I got the injera Everything Platter, chicken injera wrap and vegetable injera wrap.
Our food came out fairly quick (~ 10 minutes), which was impressive as there was only one individual taking orders and prepping them, and it was so busy! We self-seated at one of the tables. There are ~ 10 small tables and ~ 5 seats for counter seating. Alif Brew was fairly quiet, despite how busy it was, and there is free WiFi for patrons.
I shared the Everything Platter (chicken, beef, and side of vegetables) between two people and we found it to be a good portion to get comfortably full, but not stuffed. The variety of vegetables in the platter was enjoyable, but my favorites on the platter were the cabbage, chickpeas, and beef. I found some pieces of beef were a little tough, but it had good flavor so I didn't mind too much. The teff injera wraps were the right spongey texture and sourness, and I only wish there was more on the plate. I would definitely order this again.
The chicken and vegetarian injera wraps were essentially different contents from the Everything Platter, but now in wrap form. I didn't really enjoy how mushy the wraps got since I took these to go. They ended up not holding their structure well when taking bites. I would definitely only recommend ordering the injera wraps if they can be eaten fresh or near fresh! However, I would order these again for sure, as well, since the filling was delicious.
Overall, I had a great, no-fuss experience at Alif Brew and I'm sad I didn't try it earlier. I highly recommend a taste of their Injera Platters and I look forward to being back soon to try more of the menu.