Tsion Cafe offers a cozy Ethiopian dining experience in Harlem's Sugar Hill, where you'll find creative dishes, a charming patio, and a warm atmosphere.
"Home to Tsion Cafe, which serves Ethiopian Jewish cuisine and connects the community through food and cultural stories." - Rebecca Flint Marx
"Tsion, located in the basement of an old Sugar Hill townhouse, serves vegan and kosher Ethiopian food and with tasty Middle Eastern dishes. (Owner Beejhy Barhany was born in Ethiopia and raised in Israel). For the full experience, get the Tsion platter—shiro, atakilt, lentils, qeysir, and injera—and add some portobello tibs or oyster mushroom wot. Follow that up with malawach, a delicious Yemeni pastry glazed with honey and sprinkled here with coconut flakes. If the weather is nice, the peaceful back patio is a good spot to sip on the bourbon-based “X” cocktail, an homage to Malcolm X, who worked in the same space once upon a time." - the curious uptowner, sonal shah
"The back patio at this Ethiopian restaurant is right behind a brownstone in Sugar Hill, and eating a vegetable combo or some doro wot here is an excellent way to mimic the lifestyle of someone who owns their own brownstone. You can see how the tables are spaced out in the picture below, and make a reservation here by calling 212-234-2070 or emailing tsioncafe@gmail.com." - hannah albertine
"Owners Beejhy Barhany and Padmore John have long sought opportunities to express their Ethiopian-Jewish identity. Inspired by influences from Ethiopia and Israel, at Tsion, Ethiopian Jews dietary needs are prioritized, and the couple regularly hosts events that highlight the diaspora’s culinary expressions through Judaism. Of course, everyone is welcome at the cafe, where dishes like chicken sambusa, lentil and shiro injera rolls, and painstakingly spiced doro tibs with jollof rice satiate new and returning guests." - Kayla Stewart, Eater Staff
"Tsion Cafe is a little restaurant on the ground floor of apartment building at the northern end of Harlem, and if you live in the area, it’s where you should be eating Ethiopian food. We like the veggie combo that comes with bunch of different things like chickpeas, beets, and lentils, along with a side of injera. Although if you want meat, get a burger or some chicken stew. And if it’s nice out, sit in the backyard and drink an Ethiopian beer." - bryan kim
