Denden Restaurant

Two friends and I thoroughly enjoyed our first visit to Denden, specializing in Eritrean cuisine. The food was delicious, hot, freshly-made and reasonably priced. We had almost exclusively vegetarian dishes, partly because one friend was vegan (don't be fooled by the "Lenten specialties" label--all 6 of these dishes are available year round). Favorites were the red lentils, yellow lentils and potatoes/carrots, all served together on a large platter. Our request for not too spicy was accommodated, yet it was spicy enough for my more spicy-tolerant palate. The seating area and restrooms were immaculate. Service was very hospitable and authentic. We definitely will be returning, hopefully soon!

The food here was delicious and so filling. I came with a group of 5 and basically ordered one item from each section on the menu, trying a lamb, beef, seafood, veggie, and chicken selection. Honestly, I don’t even know if we specifically got what we ordered; it seemed like the server just gave us what she thought was good for each section, which was fine by us. Eritrean food and Ethiopian food have a fairly large overlap, sharing the injera and eating style, but differing on certain sauces and use of tomatoes (among other things). The injera here wasn’t as sour as I’ve had at other places, which I found I actually prefer, and I really loved its taste. The salad in the middle was a nice touch and the dressing was delicious. All the flavors of each item were rich and robust. My favorite was the fish— it was tender and full of flavor; I felt the beef was pretty tough/overcooked though. Overall, it was a lot of food and we all were extremely stuffed afterwards; it was well worth the ~$30 per person cost. A family-owned neighborhood restaurant with very homey vibes and a spacious interior, our servers were super sweet and attentive. They kept bringing out more injera, various spicy sauces, and water for us. Though the food took quite some time to come out, it was worth it when it arrived. Overall, it’s a great spot to bring a larger group, and if I lived closer I would definitely come more regularly. — Price (relative to peers): 4.2/5 Food: 4.5/5 Ambience: 4.4/5 Service: 4.8/5 Overall Value: 4.5/5

The restuarant has no off street parking. If you're as lucky as I was you may find a free parking space along the side streets. Otherwise, its $2 an hr to park on Clark St. I went during lunch and there was no wait. The smell of Sage welcomes guests as you decide on the perfect table for your party. And the sun brightens the front of the eatery with a certain love. So, I decided to sit right at the front door. The menu is easy to understand if the food and style of eating is foreign to guests. The server was kind and friendly. I ordered the T'ibsi Begi'e. Spicy lamb. I waited just about 11 minutes before the food was served. It came out hot and delicious.

The staff was friendly and the food was very good.

My wife and I love this place! We stopped by on a whim and were not disappointed! They accommodated her Gluten allergy very gracefully and made us feel very comfortable, like we were family!

So amazing! We get the veg platter and the portions are generous and v reasonable pricing. Hospitable service and always offering more injera, this is a gem! Everytime I bring someone new here, they all love it.

Great place that I would called undiscovered! Service is very pleasant, food delicious. You have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone...food is to be eaten by hands..not as easy as you might think, but all worth it!

I am Habesha I stepped in this restaurant to have Habesha’s food. The service is the worst I have encountered in the city. The injera they served me was rotten, and I told this thing to the owner. However, instead of asking excuses, she got out of the kitchen and insulted me. No service giving spirit at all. They know that rotten injera causes tremendous diseases, but they feel no shame to serve it to their customer. If they serve me rotten food to me ( who knows well), you can imagine what they serve to none Habesha customers. I advise you to take heed if you choose this place. I don’t know why the city / any other concerned body doesn’t inspect such restaurants frequently.

My grandson's favorite place to eat. His brothers love the bread and I love to lamb. The vegans and the vegetarians all love to dishes. Some like it hot, some not so much.

I'm kicking myself for not posting this review sooner. We've been here a few times and always experienced excellent service and delicious food. Authentic Eritrean cuisine with generous servings sizes.

The food here was delicious and so filling. I came with a group of 5 and basically ordered one item from each section on the menu, trying a lamb, beef, seafood, veggie, and chicken selection. Honestly, I don't even know if we specifically got what we ordered; it seemed like the server just gave us what she thought was good for each section, which was fine by us. Eritrean food and Ethiopian food have a fairly large overlap, sharing the injera and eating style, but differing on certain sauces and use of tomatoes (among other things). The injera here wasn't as sour as I've had at other places, which I found I actually prefer, and I really loved its taste. The salad in the middle was a nice touch and the dressing was delicious. All the flavors of each item were rich and robust. My favorite was the fish-- it was tender and full of flavor; I felt the beef was pretty tough/overcooked though. Overall, it was a lot of food and we all were extremely stuffed afterwards; it was well worth the ~$30 per person cost. A family-owned neighborhood restaurant with very homey vibes and a spacious interior, our servers were super sweet and attentive. They kept bringing out more injera, various spicy sauces, and water for us. Though the food took quite some time to come out, it was worth it when it arrived. Overall, it's a great spot to bring a larger group, and if I lived closer I would definitely come more regularly. -- Price (relative to peers): 4.2/5 Food: 4.5/5 Ambience: 4.4/5 Service: 4.8/5 Overall Value: 4.5/5

Most times the food is SPOT ON. However, the last time I went the food was not hot hot and the lamb was EXTREMELY dry. This was a first.

While this restaurant had the tastiest injera I've ever had (something about the slightly toasted flavor and crispy edges, maybe?) the stews were a little bland and underspiced. Our server even took the time to ask if we liked spicy food and then, when we said yes, to recommend a specific lamb dish (the lamb ali'cha) and... it was zero level spicy, still. However, at least it was cooked to tenderness and it did end up being my favorite dish. The vegetable dishes were good enough, but the flavors blended together. No spice ever really stood out. I felt healthy at the end, but even only a half hour after eating couldn't really remember anything enough to crave it again and return.

I like this cuisine. So, not one of those reviews you read where the person says "I don't really like BBQ and am a vegetarian so did not really like this BBQ place very much" You know the ones. I just found it a bit bland. A little blank. It was all ok. We ordered the vegetarian plate. Comes with a half dozen different lentil, cabbage and greens dishes with a salad in the center. I liked the green salad and one of the lentil dishes was very tasty. The rest left me wishing for the days at Mama Desta's Red Sea. Many many years ago restaurant since gone. It all needed just a little more of something. It's a nice place. Is it Eritrean? Seems just like the Ethiopian food I've had. Whatever the difference, I was bored. Maybe the meat dishes have the pop of flavor I'm looking for. Hard to say.

Clark Street up north has a lot of ethnic restaurants, and this is the only one I know of its kind. Den Den is Eritrean food, which is among the rarest known cuisines around here, even in a big ass ethnic metropolis. It's not that hard to find Ethiopian restaurants, which are similar but have slight variations between these. High prices are the biggest complaint. There's lots of vegan and vegetarian items to choose from. A lot of basically unknown cuisine to average Americans can be found around here. It's very rare to find an Eritrean restaurant anywhere but this is one. There's a slight difference from Ethiopian cuisine, but these are quite similar. It seems there's more meat used in Eritrean. Particularly seafood. Eritrea is along the ocean, while Ethiopia next to it is landlocked. They do have plenty of vegetarian choices though. It's about $15 an entree. The injeera is fluffy and spongy. Lots of vegetarian choices. The yellow lentils are the best protein. Also lots of vegetables such as greens. They serve it like Ethiopian where you use your hands and injeera. Got to make an update for this business. It seems to have changed hours so be sure to go when it's open. They're open daily except for only Wednesdays.

While I appreciate locally owned neighborhood restaurants, and so do really want to rate this one better, it's just ok. My go to meal at any Eritrean/ Ethiopian restaurant is the veggie combo, and theirs had all the requisite dishes; three types of lentils, lots of greens, cabbage and potatoes, but nothing was truly delicious. Their food is under seasoned and uninteresting. The injera was good, and I appreciate the service and kindness. I just wish it was better.

I'm a 30-year fan of Ethiopian food yet have never tried Eritrean food. It's quite similar and while I'm experienced and a little bit knowledgeable of Ethiopian food, I could not quite identify the subtle differences. Customer service at den den was top-notch. The owner and his team were so very polite, friendly and attentive. The restaurant was very clean. They were very conscientious about covid-19 protocol. Our food was so very fresh, flavorful, not salty, and presentation was a treat just like had an Ethiopian restaurant. I will return, and I will do a little homework so I'm knowledgeable of the differences next time!

Having previously enjoyed eating at similar Ethiopian restaurants, I was a bit underwhelmed by my experience at Den Den. I came here with a large group of 8, which they were easily able to accommodate. However, a few things made me wary of returning. While our server was very sweet and eager to offer their recommendations, the food took quite a while to arrive (another table had ordered, received their food, and finished eating before we got ours). I'd also be wary of the portion sizes you get when dining with a large group- everything gets consolidated onto one plate, but that means less food per person (we had to order another individual platter after finishing the large one because we were still hungry, and that one was surprisingly large). On top of that, the flavor of the food itself was lacking and the meats were a bit tough. I did enjoy the injera though- that was my favorite part of the meal, and thankfully we got lots of it.

We got the chicken tibs, beef tibs, and veggie combo platter. It lasted us (2 people) a good 3-4 meals, so the $55ish spend for takeout was more worth it. Service here is very friendly, it's a place where people gather and has a family/hang out feel. I've been a die hard Ethiopian food fan for many, many years now, and have had Ethiopian around the country, and Den Den is definitely a solid choice. Not the best, but it comes less to flavor/grease, and more about personal preference when it comes to meat and veggie tenderness. The flavors are spot on. They can adjust your spice levels including having no spice at all. The portions are good. The injera is a little more sour and softer/mushier so it falls apart a bit when you eat it as a leftover. The only reason I gave it a 4 was because I would've preferred that the meats were more tender - they had chew to them. And the potatoes and some of the lentils still had some bite to them as well, and I prefer my veggies stewed and softer.

Went with my family of 5 (kids age range 9-15) on an early Sunday evening. Eritrean food was new for the kids. Everything was absolutely delicious and the kids loved it! Both the experience of eating with the injeera and the dishes. They were very accommodating with adjusting the spice levels of various dishes. The people working there were also delightful!

Delicious Eritrean food and great service in Rogers Park. I'm a fan of the chicken and my son always orders the lamb. Both are always delicious. The injera is so good, and we enjoy the tea. Note that they are closed on Wednesdays.

The food is really flavorful! The portions are generous. We have a go-to: the lamb tibs and veggie combo. This provides two balanced meals for two people (4 total). They adjust the spiciness of the food to order though sometimes "medium spicy" is more or less spicy--not always exactly consistent, but still tasty. I am embarassed to say this, but if you do take-out, you can eat with a knife and fork :) This place is a hidden gem!

Food is excellent. If you walk in here knowing Ethiopian food, the flavors will be familiar but the names of the dishes less so. We did have a slightly difficult time communicating with the server who sort of cut us off a few times, resulting in us only getting a few items we wanted, but we probably intended to overorder anyway.

We tried Den Den last Saturday for lunch and I cannot wait to go back. We've always loved Mama Desta's Red Sea and Demera, and Den Den uses a lot of the same spices, but the textures and flavors were just a little brighter here. There was a bit of a language barrier so we named categories of food (veg, lamb, fish, beef) and the woman who served us decided what dishes to prepare. Some were spicy, some mild, and they were all delicious, especially the spicy fish. The service was pretty slow (we weren't in a hurry) and so was the wait for the food, but that's because there was one cook and she was preparing 8 different dishes for us--and they were all worth the wait. Some of us like a lot of heat, so our server brought out a side of the awaze spice paste. The whole meal was excellent.

We can to this restaurant for mother's day. The food was more filling than I had expected. I ordered tilapia fried in olive oil. It was both delicious and healthy. I ordered a mango smoothie that was tastier than eating a mango. It was made of fresh fruit. The restaurant prepares meals for those with special diets. The gluten free and vegan meals are served separate from the other meals that are not special diets. The meals were healthy and well balanced. There are meals for children such as a delicious big plate of spaghetti with spaghetti sauce. Their atmosphere was pleasant and family friendly. Their was traditional art on the walls. Traditional music videos were playing for for entertainment. I had very good Mother's Day at this restaurant.

We love this place - definitely in our favorite Rogers Park restaurants! The food is delicious and affordable, the space is quiet and sunny, and the owner is very sweet - whenever we order coffee she always brings it out while it's roasting so we can smell it!

This my favorite Ethiopian Restaurant. The service is always great. Family owned buisness. They are always very gracious and nice. And once I needed a platter short notice and she supplied and also let me borrow a tray. I will always support them https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMe1Mv8jU/

So much food for what you pay! We liked the lamb a lot and the chicken was also great. Super flavorful food it's definitely worth visiting

Been here three times. Tasty Ethiopian food every time. I order the veg platter and once it came with Shiro... the other times, they didn't put it on the platter and said I had to pay for it separate. Inconsistent in that way but overall, flavorful.

Excellent food, great service, and reasonable prices! I went with a Meetup group, and had s wonderful vegan buffet for $15! The owner was very kind and friendly, as were the staff. Looking forward to going again soon!

Delicious delicious delicious Eritrean goodness!!! I have been here a trillion times and never tire of it! The food is authentic, flavorful and made with love and care by one of the most friendly and welcoming chefs ever! Tastes like home made mum's cooking (but only if your mum is a GREAT cook, if not then forget the comparison). I have tried most of the menu and still can't pick a favorite-that's how good everything is! If you aren't into spicy food, have no fear! It is all customizable to your little taste buds. The menu is well put together and the waitress is pretty good at explaining how it works if you have any questions. Have you ever been to Eritrea? No-why bother when you have Den Den to offer you Eritrean goodness without having to deal with annoying flights? Yes-Ahhh! Go here for some sweet reminiscing coz we all know how well Eritrean mama's cook!

Everything about this place is amazing, except for how long it takes for food to come out. We came in on a weekend, around 2pm which is not peak lunch time. It was pretty empty, and very clean (bathrooms and all). We got seated and offered menus. Four dishes for four people was more than enough, we could have probably even done three. The food is extremely flavorful, both meats and veggies. When they say it's spicy, they mean it! Loved that. The hostess was extremely nice. We tried the spicy chicken dish, and both of the beef dishes. Really enjoyed it all. The injera was delicious, and they offer you more throughout the meal. Very filling and delicious meal, just be prepared to wait quite a bit for your meal if you order a few dishes.

Honestly, this is my first time ever having Ethiopian food, and I had no idea what to expect at all. Some friends of mine wanted to try this out since none of us have ever tried eating Ethiopian food before. We are so glad that we ended up trying it! Since we did not know what or how much we should order, our server was very helpful in deciding for us. We ended up ordering 2 beef platters, a chicken platter, and a vegetable platter. Woah, this was so much for 4 ppl and it was very reasonably priced also! It is a bit on a spicy side so it is recommended to ask for less spicy if you don't do spicy very well. We received this flat bread called injera and used it to scoop and pick up the food from this platter. This was certainly a new experience for my friends and I. Overall, the food is wonderful and the staff is very nice. The only slight problem is that the food make take a while to prepare but this just means that it will make you even more hungry when it finally comes out! This place definitely gets 5 stars and I will certainly come back here again. Next time, however, my friends and I may just order 3 platters for 4 people!

Had Eritrean Cuisine for the first time on V-Day. Felt like it was very similar to Ethiopian food. We really enjoyed it! Highly recommend this place! The food is good & so is the service. We ordered two #31 Vegetarian Combination which was great. It was A LOT OF FOOD for 4 people. The fun part is eating with you hands!

I was in the neighborhood and had this place bookmarked as a recc from an Eritrean friend and it did not disappoint. I'm on a little vegetarian kick recently, so we got the vegetarian combination and wow it was delicious. Tsebhis on point. Great flavor and spices done well. About 7 different tsebhis to try on the platter with some salad. Affordable and the beer menu was inexpensive $3-4 per beer. You'll like this place.

OH MY GREATNESS!!!! This was my first time here. And I'm typically a creature of habit and have been going to another Ethiopian restaurant for the last 15 years. But my chain is now broken. The food here is cooked fresh, the potions are great, and seasoned to PERFECTION. YUM!!!!!!

I honestly think I can attach physical qualities to love. They would come in the form of some wot, tibs, and vegetables on some injera bread. The first visit to Den Den wasn't enough, so I went back and then for a few more return visits. The service is out of this world, but that seems to be the case at all of the Ethiopian restaurants, so this gem of an Eritrean restaurant was no exception. What makes Den Den my favourite of all the Ethiopian restaurants is the food. I don't know if it's because the food doesn't drip with butter. Or perhaps there is some "enhancing" ingredients added to the food. It is just "that" good and I mean that in all caps.

One woman cooking on a cold Thursday. "Eat with your hands," she reminds. We got: T'ibsi begi'e (lamb), spicy fish, veggie combo

What a really nice find! My girlfriend and I were in the area and decided to give it a try based on the Yelp reviews. We had a great meal! Service was nice and friendly and reasonably prompt. We ordered three dishes - Alicha Siga, Tibsi Derho and the Vegetable combo. It was plenty and we had leftovers! I worry because this is a great place and we were the only ones there on a Thursday night. Lets give these folks some business so they stay around!

This place was soooo good! Every table gets a platter so you can try multiple dishes. The waitress brought us extra bread for no charge, and the tea was a delightful blend of the house spices. The atmosphere was authentic, simple and quiet. Fantastic service and delicious food! We're coming back!!

Definitely do NOT order through yelp/grubhub! This review is solely based on my not-so-excellent customer service adventure trying to find something to eat all day! So here goes: I started off ordering from my favorite Indian restaurant (Oberois) through yelp. About an hour later, I get a call from GrubHub saying that the place is not open, so they have to cancel my order. GH should have known that before I ordered, but ok, not a big deal. They emailed me a discount code for $25 for the inconvenience. Fair enough. SO, I figured I'd try some carry-out from Den Den. Again, I ordered through Yelp and gladly used my coupon code. Finally, I was getting some food...or so I thought. I was a bit suspicious because when I ordered, there was no estimate on the time it would take. Finally, I called Den Den. After about 20 rings (literally), a woman answers the phone. I told her I had placed an order online, and wanted to know how long it would be before I could pick up my order. The woman, obviously irritated, told me that she's not taking that order and she doesn't answer the phone from "those people" (I assume she meant GrubHub). I told her that I had already paid, and she asked me what was it I wanted to order. She explained again that she didn't answer the phone for them, and that I was welcome to come into the restaurant and order. I hung up, disappointed and starving. To Den Den: Look, I'm no business man, but if you have issues with GrubHub, that's between you and them, but don't get your customers involved. All I wanted was some damn food!!! You all lost a potential repeat/loyal customer. I order out quite a bit and I'm very loyal once I find a good place. I'll never know if Den Den's food is any good. At this point, I don't particularly care to. If this is how they normally treat their customers, then I don't think this place will be open much longer. There's plenty of other places I can do business with. Oh, yeah, as an extra bonus, now I get to hassle with GrubHub to try and get a replacement coupon code, since it was wasted on this order. Fuck it - now I'm just making Sloppy Joes. Thanks Den Den!

I love this place. I really like the spicy fish. Everything I've gotten here has been excellent though. So happy to have this place in the neighborhood

The best Ethiopian in town, and the most reasonably priced too! Well it's technically Eritrean, and if you want a fascinating Wikipedia session, read about the split between the two countries as well as the architecture in Eritrea's capital, Asmara. Anyway, back to the food! Get the veggie platter. Everything on it is really special, and they'll rotate some lentil or leafy vegetable dishes in and out every now and again. Go with a few friends so you can sample the okra and the chickpeas too. Wow those are good. The sleeper on the menu has to be the fish. It's hard to find a piece of fish cooked that beautifully anywhere north of Calumet Fisheries. I like the spicy one, but I bet the non-spicy version is wonderful too. Can't speak to the meat dishes. Sorry about that. I'm sure they're stellar. Also, have to give a nod to the ambience and the service. Such a great experience eating there every time. If you're lucky, they'll be playing contemporary African music videos on the TV. Those are always a blast.

Stopped in this cute family run restaurant and thought everything was quite good, although service was a little slow. (Enough that this is basically a 3.5 star review.) I ordered a drink but it didn't come until after our food had arrived! We ordered the Zighni Begi'e, which was perfectly spiced and delicious. We also ordered the Tsebh'i Brsen, which were less spicy but certainly still hit the spot. The den den wine (a honey wine mead) was lightly carbonated - a first for me that I didn't particularly enjoy. It was also more bitter than most honey wine I've had. My companion liked it just fine. Although not necessarily worth driving up for, if you happen to be in the neighborhood (perhaps for one of the Glenwood Ave theaters), it's a great option.

I had hopeful expectations coming here from the previous reviewers. Sadly we did not find the excellent service reported by other guests. We were among the few brave souls out on a stormy night and there was one very nice waiter to help us. Unfortunately he would disappear and not be seen again for some time. The food was about average for Ethiopian. I would rather dine at Demera or Ras Dashen a few miles south.

I like how they didn't explain the adventure of East African cuisine. The service was nice, prompt and there when you wanted them, not there when you didn't. The food is amazing. Now I am no maven of East African (Ethiopian, Eritrean, etc), but I have had it before and I don't remember it being this good. I had Qilwa Tibs, it is a great thing that the menu has numbers, I had not the least idea how that might sound., the spicy version of course. Tibsi Derho was ordered and Alich a Derho (dark chicken meat served unironically with an egg). As well with two different lentil dishes; one red, one yellow and a tossed salad. Served with njera on a community plate (which is really nice). So that is a nice way to eat other folk food, something that I think is really appreciated with the cuisine. A nice adventure all and all, and they have earned the top spot for my East African go to. Which of course lands them on the list of 'go to'. Cool. The food is nice and flavorful. Spicy where it is supposed to be spicy, and not where it is not intended. And you do it often enough, eating with njera is an easy habit to form.

Coming to Den Den is always an absolute delight! If you're craving delicious Eritrean/Ethiopian food, make sure to come to this family owned eatery of 10 years. The portions are generous and delectable! Flavored just right, the enjera is perfect, as is the tea, boon (coffee), and hambasha (sweet bread). You won't be disappointed. The service is excellent as well!!

Food was delicious and we left none You eat with your hands so wash up in the bathroom. Service was what knocked this down. Language barrier. Also the decor was just ok. We would come back for the food tho.

This is my second time trying Ethiopian/Eritrean food. Before coming here, I had my reservation about Ethiopian cuisine since the last time I tried it in NYC, the dishes were a bit on the pungent side and many flavor combinations tasted unfamiliar to me. This time around, we ordered 3 entrees consisting of mainly chicken stew and vegetarian options, all served and neatly arranged on a single platter with a layer of injera sitting underneath (they also come separately on the side). For the uninitiated, injera is a fermented flatbread that has a very spongy texture and a yeasty taste. To begin the process of eating, you take the injera to grab whatever on the platter in small, manageable bite sizes. I personally really enjoy coming to the end of a meal and eating the bottom layer of injera that had already soaked up all the essence of the meat and vegetable sitting on top. Contrary to my prior experience, I really enjoyed the various dishes and flavors at Den Den. I think it is because the flavors are quite mild but at the same time pleasantly authentic, which my friends and I really appreciated. The thing though, it is a bit above average in terms of price but it's absolutely well worth a visit if you are a foodie. Finally, for drinks, try the Honey Wine that comes in a jug, it's homemade and taste very refreshing!

Not a legitimate business. I ordered delivery, it never arrived. When it was half-an-hour late, I called the restaurant. No one answered. I called multiple times. No answer. Legitimate businesses answer their phones. Den Den is not a legitimate business. They are thieves.

The good: The food is very good and reasonably priced. One MUST try the Eritrean coffee, not just because it's fun to have the woman bring the roasting beans out to the table in a little copper kettle, but the way it is served and the flavor is really unique. The bad: Though extremely friendly, the waitress was clueless (I believe beyond limited English) ,even pointing at the menu was no help. In fact, nobody really spoke English. This normally doesn't bother me that much, but it is really a hassle when you don't get what was ordered as was the case for us. Also as of 2/4/2012 they are still unable to accept credit cards so I suspect that the "malfunctioning machine" is a ploy.

Good tasty food, friendly service, value for money. Would go back for my eritrean food fix.

Good food. Similar to ethiopian food but less saucy and the vegetables are fresher. Interior was clean with interesting decor.

This is a great, family-run restaurant. They have such amazing, flavorful, Eritrean food. The owners/workers are very friendly and provide excellent service. I've tried many of the items on the menu and you really can't go wrong with any of them. You can really tell each dish is made-to-order. Also, they give an abundance of food. I can typically get 2-3 meals out of just 1 order. Definitely check this place out and support this local business!

This is an Eritrean restaurant. The country borders on Ethiopia and the food is very similar. There is a famous Ethiopian restaurant. The food at Denden is just as good and a little cheaper. They are also open for lunch during the week when the other is not. When I was there the other 8 people dining were all native north Africans. The food is authentic and very good. I love the place. Their coffee is very dense and spicy but the flavor was so good that I did not need sweetener even tho sugar was there. I had the lamb and was happy for it. I read my book and luxuriated in the peaceful atmosphere.

No idea why the high ratings compared to other Ethiopian joints. Food was good but no better than competition, probably a bit inferior, and really dumpy inside. Nice enough staff though.

I was looking to try African food and I came across this great place. This is a family own traditional Eritrean restaurant. The food was amazing (I forgot the name of the plate I ordered but if you need a recommendation try number 25.) I love the fact that you have to eat this plate with your bare hands.(you can have utensils but don't be lame).The chefs which was a woman came out to our table to greet us. she was very friendly and happy. They have Eritrean music playing which I enjoyed because it added a unique experience. Our waitress was a woman from Ethiopia, she was very sweet and nice. Definitely try this place!!