Happily, the Israeli public has matured a bit from the days when Ethiopian cooking scared most of them off. And yet, at least culinarily, the immigration of Ethiopian Jews still hasn’t broken through the foodie consciousness wall. Humble eateries get mentioned mostly among hardcore fans, and the wider crowd tends to miss the quality, healthfulness, and powerful flavors of Ethiopian dishes. In honor of the Sigad holiday, we gathered 5 Ethiopian restaurants you must taste, just because, to wake up your palate.

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Studio Gursha

The big, surprising star of the Ethiopian-Tel Aviv kitchen is without a doubt chef Elazar Tamano, who after a brief, standout stint on the reality show “The Next Restaurant” created one of the most impressive places we’ve encountered this year – and probably the one we’ll recommend to anyone looking for brilliant, convention-busting casual fine dining. The blend of traditional and modern, the adventurous spirit and the courage to challenge himself and diners, and the ability to turn all that innovation into a meal that’s simply insanely tasty make Studio Gursha a must-visit, with or without the Ethiopian tradition. Don’t skip the pleasure.
Salame 13, Tel Aviv

Ketfo, Studio Gursha (Photo: Sharon Ben David)

Ga’az

The newest restaurant on the list was born just this past September, bringing homestyle Ethiopian cooking true to its roots, wrapped in an aesthetic, pleasant package – different from the hammaroat you may have known near the Central Bus Station. On the opening menu you’ll find familiar names like doro wat (chicken stew in Ethiopian pepper spice called berbere) and alicha wat (beef stew with traditional spices, garlic and ginger), alongside kikil (lamb stew in a turmeric-seasoned broth) and tibs firfir (dried meat cooked in a spiced sauce), and of course fresh injera made in-house for all your scooping needs.
HaRakevet 2, Tel Aviv

Holiday feast. Ga’az (photo courtesy of the restaurant)

Meserkawi

The Ethiopian aliyah was among the later waves to arrive in Israel, and so it took the Israeli palate some time to adjust to its flavors. But Meserkawi, led by Asmarat Megabat, managed to present Ethiopian food to the Israeli palate without compromising tradition – simply by cooking authentic, tasty, special food. For example, with dignified injera, enkulal firfir (egg-and-injera scramble) as well as quanta (fried and dried beef), nech tibs – grilled beef with onion and spices, dulet – an offal stew, doro wat – chicken stew, and other delights.
Rival 4, Tel Aviv

Meserkawi Restaurant. Photo: from the restaurant’s Wolt page

Almaz Mendel

Almaz Mendel is a counter-service spot with authentic Ethiopian food, focusing mainly on injera in various forms and formats. You’ll find an injera roll here which, if you ask us, is the ultimate street-food dish – light, not heavy on the palate, and easy to take on the go. We recommend the injera roll filled with spiced, lightly hot pargit (boneless chicken thigh), served with a side of vegetables.
HaRav Frenkel 9, Tel Aviv

Tenat

A vegan Ethiopian restaurant that raises high the Ethiopian kitchen, which indeed suits vegetarians and vegans beautifully. The undisputed star here is the injera, ceremoniously set in the center of the table with a variety of intriguing salads and dips, such as alicha (gently seasoned root vegetables), shiro (spiced chickpea flour stew), gomen (braised greens) and misir (spiced red lentils), plus excellent Ethiopian tahini. It’s fun and pleasant to sit at Tenat, the prices are fair, and the food is healthy and nourishing.
Chlenov 27, Tel Aviv

Tenat. Photo: Boris Shusterman

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