Best Ethiopian Cuisine In The Twin Cities
The Twin Cities offer a wide variety of restaurants with different menus ranging across numerous styles of cuisine. If you're craving Sambusa, Tibs or just looking to try authentic, spicy food, look no further. Here are some of the most raved about Ethiopian restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Blue Nile
2027 E Franklin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55404
(612) 338-3000
www.bluenilempls.com
Price: Entrees from $10-20
Hours: Sun to Thurs - 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Fri and Sat - 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
At the Blue Nile, you'll find heaping portions full of spice. Some of the restaurant's most popular dishes are the Gosa Sample Platters, which offer an array of tastes for either one person or for sharing with a friend. With three options, you can enjoy all vegetarian dishes, three vegetarian dishes and a choice from the Maraka menu or strictly Maraka dishes. Maraka is a meaty Ethiopian stew and sounds a bit bland, however it is one of the most delicious foods enjoyed from Blue Nile. This Seward neighborhood restaurant also offers pita bread in place of the classic injera.
T's Place
2713 E Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55406
(612) 724-8868
www.tsmpls.com
Price: Entrees from $8-16
Hours: Daily - 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
T's Place's food is spicy. As in, dishes with 27 spices spicy, and aromatic curry made from scratch spicy. Chef T learned traditional Ethiopian cooking from his aunt. After traveling Europe and studying different cooking styles, he settled down in Minneapolis to share his African cooking. The menu offers everything from lamb to shrimp and beef to vegetarian dishes. T's Chicken Curry is the spiciest options on the menu, made primarily with chicken, vegetables and coconut cream. Along with the wide variety of food and combo platters, T's Place also offers a nice selection of African beer and a full bar.
Related: Best Vegetarian Eats in Twin Cities
Lucy's Restaurant
3025 E Franklin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55406
(612) 344-5829
www.lucysrestaurant.com
Price: Entrees from $9-17
Hours: Daily - 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Lucy's Restaurant offers classic Ethiopian cuisine with a straightforward approach. Here, breakfast is served African style with plenty of spice and Kita (flat wheat bread). If you go during lunch or dinner, various single plates or platters are available to share. Some platters can feed up to 8 people. For those diners looking for a single meal, choose Lucy's Doro Wat. This classic Ethiopian dish is done right, boasting flavors of Ethiopian butter and red peppers to season the chicken leg, of which is paired with cottage cheese and a boiled egg. If eating at home is your thing, choose from Lucy's carry-out menu.
Fasika
510 N Snelling Ave
St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 646-4747
www.fasika.com
Price: Entrees from $9-17
Hours: Daily - 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.
St. Paul's Ethiopian gem, Fasika, is known for its great, cheap eats. It may be a small restaurant, but offers big portions on menu selections. On the menu, you'll find fish, beef, lamb, chicken and one of the best vegetarian selections around town. This reputation is largely in part from the Atkilt dish, which vegetarians and meat lovers alike can enjoy. The stew comes with a hearty inclusion of curried carrots, potatoes, cabbage, peppers and onions. For only $8.95, this deal seems almost too good to be true. Most menu items are heavily flavored with Mitmita, a traditional combination of spices that adds a nice amount of spice to the dishes. Fasika might look small, but inside you will definitely taste big flavor.
Katar River Restaurant and Bakery
2751 Minnehaha Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55406
(612) 245-0556
www.katarrestaurant.com
Price: Entrees from $9-15
Hours: Daily - 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Named after the Katar River in Ethiopia, this small restaurant offers fresh and tasty African-style food. In the morning, it offers a breakfast menu and on Saturdays and Sundays, Katar River hosts an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. This ceremony is an event everyone should attend at least once in a lifetime, if just for the divine Ethiopian coffee. If visiting for more than just a coffee tasting, order the large Gored Gored plate. This dish includes cubed beef mixed with awaze sauce (a garlic-y hot pepper paste), onions and herbal butter and cooked to each individual order. Choose between raw, medium or well done beef. During the summer months, you can enjoy sitting out on the patio with a spicy stew or veggie combo and a plate of Injera nearby for dipping.
Related: Best Neighborhood Gems: Minneapolis
Amber Ranzau lives on the edge of Uptown in Minneapolis and is a gal about town. She frequents the local restaurant scene, loves to support new and local businesses, follows the latest and greatest fashion and design trends, and she does all of this while working as an interior designer, spending time with her man, The Specialist, and taking care of her two goldfish Felix and Petunia and their tankmate Huey the Snail. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
