Messob Ethiopian Restaurant
Ethiopian restaurant · Carthay ·
Shared platters, kitfo, honey wine, communal dining
Shared platters, kitfo, honey wine, communal dining
"You made the mistake of telling a first date that you LOVE experimental techno-funk, despite never having listened to it, and now they’ve asked you to an indie show at the Mint. Make dinner plans at Messob Ethiopian and you will at least look like an expert when it comes to eating. This restaurant serves incredible Ethiopian food (get one of the combo platters), and if you’re feeling brave, you can point out the fact that you’re supposed to hand-feed your food to each other here. That will probably make them forget to ask you what your thoughts are on the Rival Rivers Art Project’s second album." - amy clark, brant cox
"Ideally, you’d be able to host a big dinner with all your friends at home, passing around excellent-tasting potluck dishes everyone made themselves. Problem is, your best home seating option is a card table and you are all terrible at cooking. Head to Messob instead. This Ethiopian spot on Fairfax has round tables that are big enough that you all won’t be elbowing each other, and their family-style combo platters come out to under $20 a person." - brant cox
"This excellent Ethiopian restaurant works for families with kids simply because the place is always filled with them. There are long rows of wicker mesobs where groups tear into spongy injera, then sop it up with doro wot and beef tibs. If your group is really big, there’s even a semi-private table up front. The place stays loud and festive at night, meaning most major meltdowns will go undetected by neighboring tables." - garrett snyder, brant cox, cathy park
"Named for the traditional Ethiopian bread basket that doubles as a table, Messob arguably created modern Little Ethiopia when the original owner, Rahel Woldmedhin, opened it in 1985. Today, Messob remains a staple of the neighborhood and a classic date spot where couples engage in gushra — hand-feeding your partner in a loving gesture. For those looking to try a range of entrees, the super Messob exclusive offers nine samples of entrees including the split lentil yemisir wot and the sautéed beef zelzel tibs." - Oren Peleg
"You’ve been fighting about whose responsibility it is to refill the Brita all week, and you know you need to make up. A good way to start would be lovingly hand-feeding each other Ethiopian food. The practice is called Gursha, and it’s a pretty key part of a meal at Messob. But Gursha isn’t the only reason to eat here - the food is fantastic, and if there are just two of you, you’ll probably get to sit at one of the traditional hand-woven tables. You’ll just have to figure out whether the two of you can tackle the enormous Super Messob Exclusive plate. Just kidding, of course you can." - jess basser sanders, brett keating, james montgomery
