Tesfa Ethiopian Cuisine - Chicago
The food at Tesfa Ethiopian Cuisine looks
so, so good: colorful, glistening, approachable. This is communal dining, and you can get silverware if you ask for it, but otherwise we're all eating the Ethiopian way: with our hands, and it's fun.
"Tesfa was already one of the city’s best Ethiopian restaurants," reports The Infatuation. "But after their move from Uptown to Edgewater, it turns out the best can get even better. Tesfa’s new space is decked out with white brick, sparkly chandeliers, and a wooden bar—some major upgrades from the old location’s plain red walls and dropped ceiling. Despite the design change, Tesfa has kept a few charming signature touches, like a TV that plays an endless stream of Ethiopian music videos, and a mural of the restaurant's logo. Most importantly, the incredible food has stuck around."
Eating at Tesfa feels like an adventure because, for many of us, Ethiopian food is something new. We've enjoyed it several times, and one of the things we love about the food of this part of Africa is that it balances meat and vegetables. There are separate sections of the menu for meat and vegetable items, and the combination plates include a little of each. Meat-centric favorites include dishes like Zil Zil Tibs (charboiled beef spiced with ginger, onion, garlic, tomato, jalapeño, Ethiopian spices, and Ethiopian butter) and Key Wot (lamb cubes stew seasoned with Ethiopian spices, tomato, onion, garlic, green pepper, and, of course, Ethiopian butter).
Veg-forward favorites include Yetimatim Wot (tomatoes cooked in onion, berbere sauce, ginger, and garlic) and Ater Kik Alicha (lentils cooked with onions, garlic,
ginger, and Ethiopian spices).
Many of these dishes are served on injera, the spongy pancake that is both an eating utensil and a napkin (and also delicious).
Dining at Tesfa Ethiopian Cuisine just feels so healthy..and the communal dining environment makes for a warm get-together with friends and family.