I’ll have wot he’s having: Vancouver's Ethiopian restaurants
There’s nothing quite like the Ethiopian dining experience. Shared with friends and family and eaten with your hands, it’s a tactile and involved ritual and filled with comforting spices and teff-based injera bread. Vancouver has its fair share of authentic cafés serving this North African cuisine that’s filling, flavourful and very affordable.
0783348 BC Ltd
1279E Hastings St E, Vancouver, BC V6A 1S4Easy to overlook on a non-descript stretch of East Hastings, Axum is nevertheless considered some of the best Ethiopian in the city by the locals. A clean, inviting dining room welcomes diners to settle in and decide on the chicken, lamb or lentil wot (stew) or the various tibs (pieces of meat sautéed with vegetables). As is common, combo platters are a great option and everything is served on fresh, spongy injera. Fresh ingredients shine through without overwhelming oiliness and just the right amount of spice.
Fassil Ethiopian Restaurant
5-736 Broadway E, Vancouver, BC V5T 1X9This family-run restaurant at Broadway and Fraser is a must-visit if you’re on the hunt for traditional Ethiopian food. Come early or make a reservation as the small space fills up quickly and service can be somewhat slow. But the food is well worth the wait and the portions are substantial. If you’re new to the cuisine, let the servers guide you, or try a combo platter for a little taste of everything. Spiced perfectly and filled out with endless injera, this is one satisfying meal.
Red Sea Restaurant
670 Broadway E, Vancouver, BC V5T 1X6For excellent, filling food on a budget, try the Red Sea Café, a decidedly non-budget-looking restaurant also at Broadway and Fraser. The dim lights and cotton tablecloths exude a warmth not always associated with a $10 dinner. But that’s what you’ll pay for an impressive vegetarian platter for two ($21.95 total). Even their savoury, spiced meat dishes — lamb, chicken and beef — are very reasonably priced, and bamia, a crispy okra side dish, will shatter any slimy illusions you may have about this tricky vegetable. A must-try.
Cafe D'Afrique
363 Broadway E, Vancouver, BC V5T 1W5While not strictly Ethiopian — the restaurant serves Moroccan and South African specialties as well — there are plenty of classic dishes from the continent’s northeastern country to choose from. Healthy portions of each dish come served on injera, with a few unique twists like pickled beets, potatoes, coconut rice and bean salad. They also serve a few African beers, the perfect foil for the spicier meat dishes, and the friendly, welcoming owner, Kidist Gebremariam, was the long-standing chef at now-closed Nyala.
Afro Canadian Restaurant
324 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2N3This little hole in the wall on Cambie between Hastings and Cordova is all about fast, cheap, yummy food from across the African continent. Much of it is Ethiopian, however, and the friendly owner — usually the only guy in the place — is happy to steer you in the right direction. This is a perfect lunch spot (though it’s also open for dinner and it’s licensed) for a quick midday break with massive portions that will certainly see you through the afternoon.
Gojo Café
2838 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5N 4C6For truly attentive service without being overbearing and for a taste of house-made tej (honey wine) head to Gojo Café on Commercial Drive just south of 12th. All the usual offerings are here, with the vegetarian portions occasionally being on the small side. But the variety should satisfy and the warm, spicy meat dishes are sure to satiate that craving for Ethiopian. And be sure to finish the meal with their traditional coffee ceremony — a welcome authentic touch.
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