Gothamist: A Taste of Ghenet in SoHo

felix

Fri, 24 Feb 2006 08:11:18 -0500

I've eaten at most of the ethiopian restaurants and I'd say my favourite has to be the Meskerem at 68th and amsterdam (not the other one 47th, which is also good). Awash (uptown) and Queen of Sheba are also pretty good, but 68th st. Meskerem's food is excellent (although they don't have azifa, sadly) and much less greasy than any of the other restaurants.

roboppy

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 23:11:43 -0500

I don't have anything to compare it to, but I liked my dinner at Awash in the East Village.

Tinkertown123

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 15:50:50 -0500

I couldn't agree more with the negative commentary on Ghenet. About 5 years ago Ghenet was wonderful--beautiful decor, great service, delicious food. Then--maybe 2 or 3 years ago?they revamped their interior, which now looks like a third-rate nightclub, and the food and service went downhill. New owners maybe?

janelle

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 15:41:06 -0500

i've eaten at awash - delicious! i haven't had much to compare it to, though.

Ona

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 13:49:43 -0500

I love the west side Meskerem best. Ghenet is second, because they have that spicy injera appetizer that no one else has. But I don't find the seasoning on their vegetarian items as delicious as Meskerem's. And I prefer Meskerem's injera, which is more stretchy and less grainy tasting. I have eaten at the McDougal Meskerem a few times, but it is crowded and not nearly as pleasant as the 47th street one. A friend of mine went to Ethiopia a few years ago, and was all excited about eating real Ethiopian food, but she said all she ever got was injera and boiled lentils. She was out in the boonies, not in a city with restaurants to choose from, though.

famdoc

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 13:47:41 -0500

And the Gothamist sage queried: Where do you like to get your Ethiopian food? Makeda, in New Brunswick, NJ. The place looks like Indochine used to (crowds, sound level, beautiful people) a decade ago. Incredible food, astonishing African art gallery and shop. Service is outstanding.

janine

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 13:45:41 -0500

Meskerem is the best of the NYC choices, though along with Mexican and Barbecue, NYC isn't the greatest town for Ethiopian. If you're ever in DC, try out Zed's and if you're ever in Cleveland, the Empress Taytu is quite good too. The food is no better than Meskerem, but they have traditional seating. Seriously, they built an indoor hut and you sit on individual stools with a tiny little table for each person and the food arrives in a big, flat basket that's placed on a pedestal in the center of the group.

citizen

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 13:45:17 -0500

I second Queen of Sheba. Excellent food, more flavorful than Ghenet, and far, far better than Meskerem.

KeithS

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 12:34:15 -0500

I ate here last month and wasn't too impressed. The food was fine but not memorable, and the wine pricing is downright abusive. I much prefer Meskerem on the West Side.

Cecilia

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 12:33:05 -0500

My favorite Ethopian restaurant is Queen of Sheba in Hell's Kitchen. The food is very good and the service attentive.

curdnerd

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 12:32:55 -0500

The best Ethiopian in the city can be had at Awash">http://www.awashnyc.com/">Awash on Amsterdam between 106th and 107th.

Ace

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 12:14:50 -0500

Ate there Tuesday night for the second time. First was last summer. The food is great and the service was fine last summer but was awful on Tuesday. We were basically on our own after our food was delivered and had to flag down a waitperson for more water, more beer, more anything. It was packed at first but the lack of attention continued even after it thinned out.