With a brick wall filled with images of Ethiopia and art made by local artists, booth-style seating and a bar, Tsion Cafe in Harlem’s Sugar Hill area has plenty of charm. The menu draws on the owner Beejhy Barhany’s multicultural upbringing which included a stint in Israel. Must-try dishes include the injera chips appetizer, which is served with a shiro dip, which is made from ground chickpeas and spices. The sega tibs made from filet mignon will appeal to any meat enthusiast, while the mushroom tibs will satisfy vegetarians. Enjoy meals with live music, which is played on select dates. (Check their Instagram feed to keep up with the schedule.) 

At this Harlem restaurant, all meals apart from the mushroom tibs are served with two options of vegetable sides. A standout item is the asa tibs, which is made from diced tilapia fish instead of the usual beef or chicken. There is also a large vegetarian menu, and, for those looking for the opposite, a dish called kitfo, or seasoned prime beef that can be served raw or slightly cooked depending on preference.

Although Lalibela, another Harlem staple of Ethiopian cuisine, underwent a renovation in 2020, it still serves up a classic menu. Try the Lalibela sampler, a combination of chicken stew (doro wot), beef (tibs wot), and vegetable dishes including kik alicha (split peas), cabbage, and gomen (collard greens). Pair your meal with Ethiopian beer; options include Habesha, St George, or Harar.

Eden Egziabher is the founder of Makina, one of the first food trucks in New York dedicated to Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, and she is doing away with the idea that injera is solely meant to be consumed in a sit-down restaurant. Located in Long Island City, the food truck’s menu is limited, but features classic dishes like beef and chicken tibs, where the meat is cubed and marinated with spices, and served in a bowl. There is also a special Makina sauce made from jalapenos that can be added to any dish, and veggie options.

Located in the West Village, Meskerem features crispy fried sambusas, which are savory pastries filled with either beef, chicken, or vegetables. The owners pride themselves on vegetarian dishes such as misir alecha, made of lentils, garlic, and ginger, and misir wot, a lentil stew made spicy with the addition of a berbere rub with chili, cinnamon, and other spices.

Open since 1994, Awash has three locations in New York. But arguably its best outpost is in Cobble Hill. Try the gursha appetizer, which features injera rolls coated with lentils and spices. The samplers provide the best way to enjoy different dishes, as they include two meat and two vegetable options, or five dishes in the case of the vegetable sampler. Also try the ayibe, a mild cottage cheese that is listed as a side dish.

Located on the border of Park Slope and Gowanus, Ghenet has been a mainstay since 2007. Its menu features a large number of vegan options including gomen (collard greens cooked with spices and onions) and classic meat options like doro wat (a chicken stew cooked in spicy sauce and served with a boiled egg). Before digging into the main meals, try the kategna appetizer, which involves pieces of toasted injera coated with berbere (a spice blend made from a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, paprika, chilli and garlic powder) served with fresh tuna, beef, or cheese.

Located in Crown Heights, Ras is billed as the first organic, locally sourced, plant-based, and eco-friendly Ethiopian restaurant in New York. Their lunch menu features various bowls named after areas in Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa, including the Bole bowl which has an avocado salad, cabbage, chickpeas, and collards. The dinner menu includes platters like difin missir, which includes brown lentils and fenugreek.