Blue Nile Cafe
Ethiopian restaurant · Kansas City ·

Blue Nile Cafe

Ethiopian restaurant · Kansas City ·

Ethiopian fare with gluten-free & vegan options, injera

Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null
Blue Nile Cafe by null

Information

Blue Nile Cafe, 20 E 5th St, Kansas City, MO 64106 Get directions

$10–20

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Information

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Blue Nile Cafe, 20 E 5th St, Kansas City, MO 64106 Get directions

+1 816 283 0990
bluenilecafemo.com
@bluenilecafe

$10–20 · Menu

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Last updated

Dec 11, 2025

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How to Eat Your Way Through Jamaica Plain in One Day | Eater Boston

"About a half mile north on Centre Street I head to Blue Nile, an Ethiopian fixture that earned a spot on Eater’s list of 38 essential Boston restaurants and is a reliable spot for excellent Ethiopian fare." - Erika Adams

https://boston.eater.com/2024/7/2/24190312/where-to-eat-jamaica-plain-boston-staycation-guide
Blue Nile Cafe

Hana

Google
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!

Sydney D.

Google
Good taste, we ordered the platter which had both veg and non veg options. Loved the flavors. Little over priced

Hasan

Google
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.

Alan G.

Google
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.

Bianca R.

Google
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.

Elisa O.

Google
Clean, neat establishment with flavorful dishes and knowledgeable staff. I like the sampler option to try out many dishes at a good price point. Staff were helpful with questions about dishes and recs.

A B.

Google
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!

Gustavo A.

Google
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.
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Guerard L.

Yelp
I was out on a stroll exploring the local spots and I knew I had to come and check out blue Nile cafe. I've had the opportunity to try this type of cuisine when I visited San Francisco. I was hooked by the flavors and I live to eat with my hands. I came on a Saturday looking for a special kind of drink and I was so excited that they have Mead (honey wine). House made mead which is an alcohol beverage made from fermented honey. Truly one of the original medicine made with ingredients from Mother Earth! Give it a try and have a taste of the nectar of the gods.
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Aruna K.

Yelp
I was amazed at how much Ethiopian and Indian cuisine have in common. Yellow dal - Yekik Watt Shimbera Watt - Channa Masala Misir Watt - Rajma Sambusa - Samosa with cabbage and lentil filling That sort, some spices differ but basically its the same. Order included mango juice, which the girl said is made with real fruits. I didn't believe it. Then there was the ginger root juice- costing exactly same- it didn't make sense to me. Update: Received a msg from Daniel F- Owner, he reconfirmed that all their juices are made with actual fruit. Updating rating as well. For the main course got the 4 vegetable plate- the 4 sides we chose were collard greens, yellow dal, potato and cabbage, and beans and carrot, all this comes with the Ethiopian bread supposedly made with wheat and barley. Its located in the City Market , one of the popular destinations for farmers market on a weekend- today is Saturday Deal breaker - there was a long strand of hair on one of the plates. It was on top and was easily removed from the food but it still bothered me :(
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Elle M.

Yelp
TL;DR: If you haven't had Ethiopian food before, this is a great place to start. Blue Nile has plenty of both vegetarian and meat options that come with injera (Ethiopian bread) that's used to sop up all the sauce as well as a few other sides, usually lentils and some vegetables. It's a great combination of tangy and savory, with just a little bit of heat. My personal favorite is the meat combo, which includes Doro Watt (chicken) and Tibbs Watt (beef) with red lentils, collard greens, and cabbage and potato sides, but the Yebeg Watt (lamb) is also great if you enjoy lamb. Only thing to note is the service can be a bit slow in general, so prepare to wait even if the place is empty.
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Sabrina S.

Yelp
10/10 -- So gooooooood! The sampler is definitely enough for 2 people. The sambosas were also delicious.
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Marcia W.

Yelp
This was our first visit. We were greeted as we walked in. We were waiting for another person to join us, and were given menus and water. I read other yelp reviews to determine what I should order. We ordered veggie Sambusas as a starter. They were served hot, and delicious! I chose Doro Watt as my entree, and my husband had Yebeg Watt. Both were great. Atmosphere was calm, there was soft music playing and customers in and out. Never felt rushed, very good experience.
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Ryan D.

Yelp
The food at Blue Nile Cafe was not very good. I had a hard telling what I was eating. The server was nice and friendly. The food was very expensive for the quality of food we received. The atmosphere was very cold and uninviting I will not be going back here.
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Navita P.

Yelp
Very elegant restaurant ! Service was very good. Portion was a bit small in my opinion but maybe that's because it's a bit of a fancy place. I would visit if I was ever in the area.
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Stacey-Ann M.

Yelp
Food was good. Service was a little slow but my friends and I enjoyed ourselves. The servers were really nice. The portions are generous and they have good vegetarian options. They are near one of the stops on the free cable car and there are plenty of other restaurants in the area. I ordered a chicken dish with rice. I opted not to get the injera because I'm not a fan of it. The chicken was tender and everything was delicious.
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Christine V.

Yelp
Loved it loved it loved it. I must see stop by for lunch after an afternoon at the market. The only downside is parking, but please do not let that stop you from stopping here and eating this delicious Ethiopian cuisine.
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Caroline L.

Yelp
If only Blue Nile wasn't so damn far from the house....*sigh*...anyway. My man and I had been craving Ethiopian for a while but had been unsuccessful in satisfying that craving. The place by our house changed ownership AND wasn't open. So we googled and found Blue Nile...it was too late for us to make it so we made reservations for the following week. Really that was the only way we would have remembered to make it :P. We came in on an early Saturday evening in June and immediately realized - didn't need a reservation. But still it's better to have one than not right? You never know how busy it can be at any given time. Of course, as Ethiopian is among out favorite cuisines we had to try the honey wine and their meat combo....OMG soo goood. We opted not to do family style...again because my guy eats much faster and doesn't leave much for me at all. So no giant platter to share. My only complain was the injera bread - we've been used to the brown injera which is gluten free, but these were white. Again no big thing, just not what we were used to, still delicious! Only downside - it's so bloody far from us and parking in the Rivermarket is horrendous. Otherwise I'm sure we'd be back much more frequently.
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Bill Z.

Yelp
I'm in the heart of barbecue-land, and the first place I visited was an Ethiopian restaurant? If you know me, you'd know the answer is, "Of course!" plus I have the rest of the week to hit all the great bbq here. Actually, a friend who had been to KC a few years earlier had been here and highly recommended it, so off we went, taking the trolley from Union Station - very convenient since the restaurant is at one of the stops. The menu is pretty simple and straightforward but included all the basics and combinations. In fact, there was one item on their platter that I'd never actually had at any prior Ethiopian restaurant, a mushroom dish. It was delicious, and now I wonder why most Ethiopian restaurants don't carry it. Injera is thick here, and they evidently have 2 types available, with regular flour or teff. While it wasn't listed on the menu, a sign out front said tej was available, so we asked - yes, indeed available by the glass or bottle, so we ordered a bottle. It's evidently made here; it was served room temperature (I would have preferred chilled), but it paired great with the food, which had, for us, the right level of spiciness. I have more friends coming to the area later this week, and we hope to get a large group here for dinner some night. Fortunately, they can accommodate a reasonably large group easily, and reservations can be made online.
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Erica J.

Yelp
Finally made it into Blue Nile after several recommendations from friends. There are 8 vegan entrees and a handful of entrees available with meat. If you're struggling to decide, there's a combo option where you can sample smaller portions of up to 4 different entrees. I went this route and ordered the Misir Watt (#2), Atiklet (#3), Yekik Watt (#4), and Shimbera Watt (#8). All entrees are served with injera, a spongey pancake-like flatbread (there's a gluten-free option available for a small upcharge).
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Brekay C.

Yelp
Today we checked out Blue Nile Cafe ! I honestly thought there were only vegetarian options , but learned there is more options for those that prefer meat . I ordered the Meat combo sample platter . I was very impressed by the flavors . The mango juice was fresh ! This place was very good and definitely worth a second visit !
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Shalil J.

Yelp
Located in the heart of the city market, this Ethiopian restaurant is a hidden gem and a must try for your next visit to Kansas City! To start out with, we ordered the veggies sambusa. For those who have never had Ethiopian before, this is similar to a samosa from Indian cuisine or an empanada from Latin American cuisine. It was a pastry filled with lentils and veggies, and I'd highly recommend giving it a try. We were a party of 3 and we weren't too hungry the night we visited so we decided to share the sampler platter combo for our main meal, as was recommended by our friendly waiting staff. This dish featured all 8 of the veggie options and 3 meat options. In my opinion, this was the perfect way to try everything. My favorite of the veggie options is yellow split pea, number 4; my favorite of the meat option was the Doro watt, number 10, which was the marinated chicken. All of the options on the platter were fantastic and tasty! For dessert, we tried the baklava. It was one of the sweetest and tastiest baklavas I have eaten, and I'd highly recommend this as the perfect way to finish your night! The restaurant itself is casual so you don't need to dress very fancy for it and the seating is cafe style. It's a tasty and quaint way to spend an evening!

Lynette G.

Yelp
Great service and wonderful food. We only get to experience Ethiopian food when visiting other places. Blue Nile was fantastic. We shared the vegetable platter and the meat combo dish between four and it was the perfect amount while giving us a taste of many dishes.
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Amanda M.

Yelp
Blue Nile is good y'all! The patio is clutch on a nice KC day (or night) with plenty of people watching and a view of the streetcar. If you love to share, family style, Ethiopian platters are the best! Let's you try just a bit of all the things. We usually get a veg platter and a meat platter and go to town. Misor Wat was my personal favorite. Wine by the bottle? Yes please! The flavors will keep you coming back for more!

Abhinav M.

Yelp
Came to try this with coworkers as we were attending a conference. It was easy to find place and we sat outside as it was hot on the inside. Pros: good welcoming staff, clean place, service was fast, and not overbearing. The food was delicious. With good portion size that was filling for the three of us. It was the first time for my coworkers and they really liked the flavors. It was a good balance. Cons: Inside was really hot. The food could have been warmer, it was just warm. Overall, would definitely come back and highly recommend.
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Nicole K.

Yelp
This is a really great spot to sample Ethiopian food. And they are also very gluten-free friendly! We split the sampler platter between 2 of us, but it could've easily fed 3 - 4. Food was delicious, service was a little slow but we didn't mind. The patio is great on a nice day!
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Will S.

Yelp
If you've never had Ethiopian cuisine before this is great the place to try it. The staff is great and are happy to make suggestions on what to order. The fact that the food is delicious is a good reason to give it a shot too.

Christian S.

Yelp
Great food! I come here every time I stop in Kansas City. The vegetable and meat plater are my favorite. The servers are very nice and the place has a good atmosphere. 10 out of 10!!!!!

Alex P.

Yelp
Everything I got in my Veggie combo is very good. Thought it was kinda pricey but so is everything else food wise in KC
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Cammie S.

Yelp
Really loved this place! The food was amazing! Service was great, servers were really nice and attentive. I loved the atmosphere, I went with my husband maybe an hour before they closed and they were all still so welcoming and didn't make us feel like we shouldn't be there since it's so close to closing time. If you've never has the veggie Sambusa appetizer you need to! It was delicious! We also ordered the Doro Watt for our main entree. This was so delicious! Is a chicken dish stewed in Berbere sauce and it comes with 2 veggie sides and of course Injera (this is the Ethiopian bread. It's has a spongy texture and is flat, it's taste is on the sour side, it goes perfect with all their dishes). They also have a gluten free option as well for the Injera! This was definitely enough for 2 people but if your really hungry maybe go for their #19 Sampler dish or #20 Meat Combo :D
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Travis T.

Yelp
Overall, this place gets 4 and a half stars. The sampler platter and the veggie sambusa was great. I wished the injera was a little more sour/fermented since it's more authentic that way. Beware that ordering extra injera comes at a hidden charge of $1.95 for four rolls not mentioned on the menu, so be careful when ordering extra injera.
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Dan N.

Yelp
Service was great and we left stuff. We tried the two person sampler, and it did not disappoint. They had about 10 different items on there and there was only one or two that I didn't really care for.
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Nora F.

Yelp
When my friend told me Blue Nile was open for lunch on Sunday after we explored the city market, I was jumping for joy like a kid in the candy store. It had been so long since I got to enjoy this delicious Ethiopian food. And it was even better than I remembered. The samplers are definitely the way to go. You het to try a little bit of everything and it's all so freaking good. I eat meat but the vegetarian options are my favorite. I almost cried when I got too full to finish the sampler. 12/10 recommend.

John R.

Yelp
To be clear, I do not begrudge any business the opportunity to close on the holidays. But when you advertise that you are going to be open, and take reservations like you're going to be open, then you need to either BE OPEN or REACH OUT TO CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE BOOKED RESERVATIONS!
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Zhané W.

Yelp
I just tried Ethiopian food for the first time and I'm so glad I came to this place! I ordered the meat sampler and it was absolutely delicious. Even though it's called the "meat platter," the vegetarian options that come with it are actually my favorite part. Great service, nice outside dining area.
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Raúl C.

Yelp
This place is amazing. Quality of food is high, very fresh. Taste like home made food. Try the lamb in any form.
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Abby P.

Yelp
Delicious food and a good deal to order the vegetarian plate. You can pick three different things and you get two of the "bread rolls"...I should probably look up what they are called. Very crepe-y and great to eat the dishes with. It's a pretty small place but a lovely location in the River Market. I'd always wanted to go, so I'm glad to have finally checked it out. I'm sure I'd order again! I'm guessing from the menu, because it has been a while, but I think I got the Inguday Watt, Misir Watt and the Atikeltt. Each were delicious and I really can't pick a favorite! I will say though, I love me some mushrooms. Check this place out! They are quick to serve and i'm telling you, those combo deals are the best way to get a bang for your buck, especially if you've never had Ethiopian food.
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Michael D.

Yelp
I visited blue Nile with 2 friends on a busy Friday evening. We were promptly greeted and seated, and we ordered the big sampler platter. The sampler is great for either 2 really hungry people, or 3 kind of hungry people-- It is full of wonderful flavor. I have visited this spot many times and I've always been very satisfied. Once in a while, it seems like they get a little overwhelmed and you have to wait a bit. If you like spicy ethnic food, you will probably really enjoy Blue Nile!
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Ben H.

Yelp
The only reason this review isn't a five is because they seemed a little under-staffed at our time of visiting, which led to some pretty long wait times. We ate out on the patio and had a lovely time. I highly recommend the Vegetarian Sampler Platter that comes with so many dishes to try. The mushrooms and potatoes are fantastic! Some of the best Ethiopian food we've had. A must-visit if you're in KC.
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Scott M.

Yelp
The restaurant is nothing short of fantastic. I met a group of 7 on a Saturday evening. I had the Duba Shorba which is a butternut squash and red lentil soup with exotic spices (whatever that means!) to start. I then had the Meat Combo. They say it's only for 1 person, but it's quite a bit of food. It lets you try 5 different of their mains as a smaller portion. All were very good. I'm honestly not wet versed in this cuisine. But, now I want MORE especially so that I can describe it better! I would absolutely go back.
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Paradiso T.

Yelp
We were so happy to have an option to order vegan for pickup on New Years Day, and hopeful that we would have a new favorite to add to our rotation. If it was just about the deliciousness of the food we ultimately ate, this would be a 5 star review; unfortunately, literally NOTHING about our customer service experience would allow me to leave anything close to that. First, we showed up to pick up our food at 6:30 per our pickup time annnnd - they were closed. We spent the next few hours finding then waiting for our order to be complete at a very busy time, on one of the busiest restaurant days of the year. My very ill wife became more ill because she had nothing to eat - but we figured, everyone makes mistakes and judging from previous reviews it should be easy to resolve. Nope... We could have hoped that they would call us the next day to see if we wanted our order or a refund, or even just take the initiative to refund us - but instead had to call them two days later. My wife told the gal who answered the phone what had happened - no sympathy, no apology, no offer to make things right. When she said that we wanted to pick up that order at 4:30 that day, and to please make sure that the injera breads were gluten free because she is intolerant but the option wasn't offered when placing an order via the website, the hostess finally had something to say; my wife was informed that there would be an upcharge for the gf version. She responded that it seemed that comping gf bread was pretty much the least they could do to make up for us starving for hours on New Year's Day, there was again zero response. K... bye? A couple of hours later, a man called my wife to get more details about our "refund." Huh? She went through the entire spiel - again - and to his credit, he seemed a *little* sorry for our terrible night, and said they would comp the gf bread. But when I showed up on time for the pickup, I had to then wait 20 minutes for the food to be ready. A few people came out to apologize and said they'd added free stuff to the order and would call my wife again to apologize, which sounded great - but it turns out that the "apology" freebie was a ridiculous amount of $2 injera bread... but, while there was a *little* gluten free in there, it was almost all glutinous - so even if we had wanted a huge amount of inexpensive bread, my wife couldn't eat it - as they knew. Nowhere to go but the trash. And now, two days later, no one has called my wife. The good news? We did find a new favorite restaurant! Another nearby Blue business, with excellent customer service and vegan sushi. This business? As yummy as the food may have been, we won't be able to forget that our time and health needs are demonstrably not important to them. There are other great Ethiopian restaurants in the area; we'll continue to support the ones which seem to care about our experience, not this one.
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Jason G.

Yelp
I don't know anything about Ethiopian food. I don't know what's good or bad. But the 2 people I went with grew up in Kenya and they can attest that this is good Ethiopian food. For a Midwestern I needed to go in with an open mind. It was all delicious and I was introduced to a new flavour or two. I would recommend coming here to support a local restaurant. I can't tell you what to order because it's still pretty new to me. But talk to the server they will be able to point you in the right direction.

Kris H.

Yelp
The service was absolutely perfect! Our server was knowledgeable and sweet and efficient. The food was FABULOUS! We did the meat and vegetable sample platter and everything was delicious. Pricing is very reasonable. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience!
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Brandon B.

Yelp
This place is . I have used Uber Eats a few times here, haven't been disappointed yet. My go to is the veggie combo dinner. Will have to make a trip to the actually restaurant soon.
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Iris T.

Yelp
First time trying Ethiopian cuisine. It was delicious! I am excited to try more dishes. The vegetables sides were prepared perfectly and the lamb dish was plentiful. We had enough to share. I forgot to take a picture of the "bread" it was served with. It was spongy yet thin like a crepe and rolled like a jelly roll. Although not my favorite alone, it paired perfectly with our food.
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Heather S.

Yelp
Ordered food for takeout based on reviews. Everything was excellent! I ordered a few dishes that I've never had before and everything was fabulous. I had the bread, yekik watt and gomen. I was so full that I saved the rest for the next day and was able to thoroughly enjoy all of those beautiful flavors again! So happy we made the stop here for our dinner.
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Ming C.

Yelp
They serve fresh healthy, comfort food. Friendly service, clean, quiet atmosphere. Reasonably priced. Vegetarian, vegan options
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Erica F.

Yelp
Located by the Market area in the fun downtown Kansas City this is an exotic option for lunch. The parking around the area is not difficult, although street parking can be a bit difficult, there is plenty of metered lots around and when we came for lunch over the weekend it was not difficult at all to get the car parked. They have a very rustic looking and the eating experience is fun and very easy. they also have plenty of seating and a great service. Our waiter was pretty attentive and fast to explain how the lunch experience worked. Here you have a cafeteria style all you can eat. The waiter serves the drinks, but keep in mind that on weekends they seemed not to be able to serve alcohol, he told me why but I forgot right now the reason. So when you ready to eat you just go to the window where the food is displayed and tell the server what you want in your plate, they serve you and you eat, you are allowed to come back as many times as you wish and eat as much as you can. Here was my combo. RICE- pretty good as rice is expected BEEF CHILI- I was expecting it to be super spicy but the truth was that is was not, I was glad cause I like to taste my food and not burn inside (if you like spicy this might be too mild for you and you should ask for some spicy sauce cause there was nothing spicy in the meal) CABBAGE- this was some amazing cabbage I can safely say, I am not a super fan of it, but this one was perfect and the seasoning was pretty amazing. MUSHROOM GRAVY- it was some sort of paste but it was pretty nice to try. COLLARD GREENS- since I am not a super fan of that, I could have gone without it, but it was tasty and if you like your greens you should definitely go for it. LENTIL MASH- it was pretty nice and tasty, again the seasoning here was the rockstar making the side amazing in taste and blending well with the rest of the meal LENTIL SOUP- very nice as well, but I would not go for it as the lentil mash was more than enough I felt, but if you are a lentil lover, you will have an amazing time here. INJERA- this is like a traditional tortilla, it has a spongy texture and taste a bit sour and bitter at the same time, this is a very nice little tortilla when eaten with the meal while warm. I just want to point out here for the people who are watching their figure that the meals from that part of the world, specially the INJERA is SUPER high on calories and such, so if you come here make sure to do a super tourist walk after cause the calories you will have here are going to be off the charts. since they were not serving alcohol we only had water, we did not have dessert cause we went for it elsewhere just for the experience, but I can tell you that the meal was pretty good and it is not the first time I come here, you definitely should give it a try not only for the food but also for the experience of having a meal from another part of the world.

Susan P.

Yelp
Everyone knows Kansas City is famous for BBQ, but our meal at Blue Nile was far and away the tastiest I had. My husband and I had the vegetarian sampler platter for two. This entree includes servings of 1-8 on the menu and a generous amount of injera. We carried the food out around 2:30 and then reheated everything around 4:30 and it was delicious. The sampler platter is plentiful and we were both stuffed. Service was fast and friendly, and the price was fair for the huge amount of food that we received.

Joyce C.

Yelp
I recently had the pleasure of dining at Blue Nile, and the experience was nothing short of extraordinary. The highlight of the evening was the meat platter. Highly recommed this plate.

Alexis V.

Yelp
I order the Butternut Squash soup. It is my favorite soup and it was yummy. The levels of sensation formed around the spice absorption and was healing and comforting while being nutritious and healthy. I enjoyed the restaurant between lunch and dinner to have a small plate/bowl and do some work on my computer. It was quiet cultural experience in the heart of downtown. I could see myself returning for an entree. Thank you!
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La'Trice M.

Yelp
Delicious fresh and a great environment! I recommend everyone try this place. Get the combo so you get a lil taste of multiple items.

Stanley D.

Yelp
The food was inexpensive, plentiful, and exactly what I hoped for. The service was good but I'd go back for the cuisine.
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Patrick D.

Yelp
First time trying Ethiopian and I wasn't disappointed. The food here was great and delicious. A lot of great vegan and gluten free options too!
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Kim W.

Yelp
Delicious and perfect for two people. The variety and the flavors are excellent if you're not sure where you want to start. The bread is so tasty and tart while the spices in the curries are not too spicy but oh so savory. Went on a Friday night and it was busy. They close around 8pm so you definitely need to get there earlier if possible. Great location at River Market. Outdoor seating is an option. We shared the sampler combo for two and each got mango lassis. Had lots of leftovers to take home and ended the night walking over to Betty Rae's for dessert. Highly recommend! Been here multiple times before and was happy to introduce my friend to a new cuisine which she now enjoys too. Tip: they have gluten free bread so bring all your GF friends here

Angela S.

Yelp
We had a lovely lunch at Blue Nile yesterday. The food was delicious and the service was great!
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Leah O.

Yelp
My mom has been wanting to try this place and I'm so glad we were able to! We both got the veggie platters so that we could try each vegetarian dish. Shimbera Watt (#8) was our favorite out of the eight dishes they offer. Dinich Watt (#7) was our least favorite, but still very delicious. It just didn't pair as well with some of the dishes compared to the others. It was slightly tart compared to the others that were more flavorful. This is a great place to take any vegetarian or vegan friends. We really appreciated being able to sit outside. They are also offering carry out and curb side pick up. Also, I'm not sure how soon they'll be able to get it fixed but Google search results/Maps may say they are "permanently closed". This is not the case! I called them this evening (10/3) and they confirmed this is not true. So go try this place out!