Blue Nile Cafe

If you like fermented food, I highly recommend having a meal here! Their Vegetarian sampler platter is huge and very filling with potato, lentil, and chickpea dishes, and you get to enjoy eating with your hands as you scoop up the various dishes with the injera (teff flatbread). It's a great day when you don't feel bloated or ill after eating out in this country! The injera flatbread is soft, chewy, has many small bubbles, and is quite tart from the fermentation of the teff flour. They did seemed to be more sour and saltier than when I came a year or two ago. They also have a brown teff injera option for those who want it gluten free. Gomen, their collard green dish, and fosolia, their green bean dish, had some hard fibers from not preparing them properly, but overall it was an enjoyable experience. My favorite vegetarian dishes were Atikeltt (cabbage and potato), Shimbera watt (chickpeas and green peas), and Inguday watt (mushrooms and onions). None of the dishes stood out to me as being particularly strong in spices, so the flavors tended to blend from one dish to the next, especially when eaten with the sour and salty injera. Since this meal uses your hands to scoop up the dishes with the injera, and no wet towels are given to wipe off your hands prior to eating, I recommend using the restrooms in the center of the building to wash hands, heading left from the east door of the restaurant, and using the handicap push button to open the restroom door when coming out to avoid touching it directly. The last time I came here, their Ethiopian coffee tasted like it was made from a strong dose of instant coffee crystals, so I wouldn't recommend getting it unless they show that they brew actual coffee beans. I had their homemade mead at that time which was lightly fermented and still quite sweet, but I don't remember seeing it on the menu this time. I saw instead they now serve chai. If you want to take advantage of their lower price options, I recommend coming between 11-3pm during their lunch buffet and lunch pricing. I thought their lunch pricing continued in until 4pm, so I was surprised to see that the bill came out to be $5 more than expected. Will now know for next time!

I ordered doro watt. The food took about 30 minutes to arrive, which was fine. What wasn’t fine was what happened next. I asked for a fork, and the waitress said, “Of course, I’ll bring it in a second.” Then she disappeared and came back ten minutes later with one. I told her, “It’s been ten minutes,” and she replied, “I didn’t hear you, it’s loud here.” So I asked, “If you didn’t hear me, why did you bring a fork after ten minutes?” Her response? “You should’ve eaten it with your hand.” I understand doro watt is traditionally eaten with the bread they provide, but no one in their right mind would dip their bare fingers into a bowl of chicken stew. Even if some people do, what happened to basic customer service? Is it really that hard to bring a fork when a customer asks for one? And to make it worse, the restaurant was nearly empty, just three other customers besides me. It wasn’t busy, it wasn’t chaotic, and yet somehow it was still too much to ask for a simple utensil. The food itself was completely mediocre. Complete waste of my 40 minutes and money.

We have ordered takeout from Blue Nile several times but this was our first time dining in. All the better an experience! We got the combo platter and that appears to be the most commonly ordered item, with good reason. It says it serves two and that's true if both diners are very hungry. It would easily feed three. The variety of items is very welcome and all of it was expertly prepared and flavored.

It was very good. You eat with your hands. The sour bread is so good. The platter is the way to go. You get all the veggie dishes and 2-3 of the meat dishes. It can feed 3-4 easily. The flavors were poppin! I’m definitely going back soon.

The food at this cozy spot is truly incredible! This is our third visit here and each time we are impressed with the food and service! We ordered combo plate #20 (five dishes, two meat and three vegetarian), a pot of hot tea and baklava for dessert. If you notice when you sit at the tables there are no salt and pepper shakers, that's because their homemade dishes are so flavorful, they need no extra seasoning. Each offering is prepared to perfection, combining unique favors and textures. It's why we keep coming back! The wait staff is always friendly and welcoming, prompt with service and we have never waited long for our order. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting KC! Conveniently located in the River Market, you'll find lots to keep you occupied in the area!

This is the best Ethiopian food I have ever tasted. Last year I visited Addis Ababa and the Blue Nile Cafe does it better! I had the meat combo and it was delicious. The food quality was superb and the service was great. The food was so good, I really considered driving back to the city just to eat there again.

*UNHYGIENIC, USED ZYN POUCH FOUND IN MY WATER* Would not recommend this place in the slightest. The food was alright, but to my horror, there was a slimy zyn pouch (nicotine pouch) at the bottom of my glass of water. I thought maybe it was a napkin until I fished it out. It smelled like mint and everything. I don’t know what kind of establishment they’re running, but this is DISGUSTING. To add insult to injury, the manager tried to imply that maybe it was mine. I’ve never owned a nicotine product in my life. I cannot stress how much you shouldn’t come here if you value cleanliness. Very disappointing.

When I find myself thinking “I’d really like a meal that actually tastes like something,” this kind of food is exactly what I mean. Blue Nile blends flavors and textures to create some truly excellent dishes. I had the meat combo, including two meats and three veggies all of which were delicious. Unless you specifically ask for silverware, you’ll use injera to scoop up your food. Normally that would be a bit too messy for me, but here I enjoyed the experience. The staff was great, and the restaurant was quiet (with most of the crowd choosing outdoor tables, we had the indoor dining area almost completely to ourselves).