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    Blue Nile Restaurant

    4.2 (402 reviews)
    ModerateEthiopian
    Open 12:00 pm - 10:30 PM

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    BLUE NILE RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Blue Nile Restaurant

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    Absolutely horrible food test like water

    Those people are a scammer!! I wonder why Ethiopian people don't eat here. The charge is insane as well. The test was absolutely like a water. I wonder why I don't see any Ethiopian people in this restaurant. I would not recommend it to anybody!!

    Doro Tibs Combo with a side of Gomen Wat and an order of Shiro Wat
    Petra E.

    This great little place unfortunately doesn't open until 4:30 on weekdays, so we've been waiting for just the right opportunity. We finally got the opportunity and it was amazing . For the two of us we got two orders: 1. Doro Tibs Combo with a side of Gomen Wat 2. Shiro Wat We had them served on a single place to share and they came traditional style on a large injera with a generous extra supply of injera. The woman who served us was very helpful with questions and made a special check to be sure the vegetarian item could be served on the main plate. She also kept us well supplied with napkins! All around a great meal with leftovers I enjoyed the next day.

    Lega Tibs Combo Doro Tibs Combo Siga Wat
    Mary Ann V.

    I haven't had Ethiopian in years! I forgot how good it was! Small restaurant and modern. I love that Ethiopian is about using hands and sharing The injeri bread has a slight sour taste, but balances so well with curry type foods

    Josiah D.

    Stopped into Blue Nile for the first time tonight. I've lived in the area for about a year and Blue Nile has been on the top of my list to visit -- I'm happy I did! The decor inside is very warm and tasteful, it feels elevated and is a perfect date night spot for a casual evening. We ordered the Veggie sampler and had each of the vegetable options. We also ordered two extra primary dishes and an appetizer. This was enough food for all 4 of us. The food was really yummy -- it was my first Ethiopian food experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed the range of flavors and spices. I will definitely be returning in the future!

    Veggie combo + beef/lamb
    Mary C.

    We went to Blue Nile while visiting friends in Boston. We have an Ethiopian place we love in St. Louis so we decided to compare the two. They both offer a vegetarian injera combo platter--Blue Nile's veggies weren't as flavorful. Our gomen wat (greens) in particular were very bland. The misir wat (red lentils) had good seasoning and a little spice, and out of all the vegetarian sides was our favorite and would be my recommendation. The yelik alicha (yellow split pea) needed seasoning though, and the tikil gommen (cabbage) and yatakilt wat (carrots) could've been saltier/sweeter respectively, but these were ok. The vegetarian dishes overall didn't give the feeling of "wow you could have a great completely vegetarian meal" that I expected. On the other hand, Blue Nile's veggie platter also came with a side salad that looked boring but was dressed well. The meat at Blue Nile was spiced better than the veggies, and in both the lega tibs (beef) and yebeg tibs (lamb) the tomatoes and onions mixed nicely. Some of the beef was tough, but the lamb with tomatoes and onions was the standout. Finally the injera itself I would've preferred less dry/more squishy. It's still a lot of fun to eat in a group of 4, since everyone can reach over and grab everything. It's a nice place to share food and talk. It was open to the air during what felt like an unpleasant Boston summer - kind of hot and humid, including inside Blue Nile - so I felt a bit sticky. The servers constantly refilled our cold water though which helped us stay cool. In general the service was nice and helped resolve some confusion with our order. On a side note, and this is probably simply a STL vs Boston thing, I felt like the portions at Blue Nike were smaller for the price. And Meskerem (our STL place) serves quickly, like they have most of the veggies made already, whereas Blue Nile took ~30 min (but maybe because we got vegetarian at Meskerem but meat here). Still fun overall but again as a venue it was humid.

    Taj T.

    Getting to try a little bit of everything is a love language for me, and boy did Blue Nile pile on the love for me With an assortment of veggie dishes that I'd never even tried before at the countless Ethiopian restaurants I've been to before, Blue Nile easily earns its reputation for great, plentiful, and fairly priced foods. This is a family joint, and they make you feel like a family when you're there. We had our infant with us, and they were very accommodating of our need to take extra time placing our menu, extra napkins, and extra love. Vegetarians are spoiled for choice here, but not only did I get a Vegetarian Revenge to try all the veggie dishes, I also tried the Legna Tibs. If you can eat meat (and don't worry, it's halal!), definitely go for this delicious dish made of streak strips in a striking berebere spices. To accompany these all comes the injera, the spongey bread that here has only a subtle fermented flavor that perfectly complements your curries. The ambience is definitely cool. Under the dim, neon lighting of a surprisingly high ceiling, you'll enjoy a dinner that's both cozy/comfy/intimate while also feeling grand. If I'm ever in Boston again, I'm definitely coming back!

    Doro and Lega Tibs Combo
    Thomas T.

    The restaurant is cozy and a reservation is a must. Street parking can be a little difficult in the area. The interior gave a nice impression and the staff were attentive. Once ordered, the food comes out quickly. My fiancée and I got the Dora (Chicken) and Lega (Beef) Tibs Combo and they put it together on a large injera with extra injera on the side. We got the Misir and Shiro Wat and we both loved the Misir Wat a lot more, it had a lot more flavor. The chicken and beef came out warm, I would have preferred if they were hot. I enjoyed mixing the different combinations together. Overall this is a great experience for Ethiopian food.

    Injera
    Alice Z.

    Highly recommend the honey wine! Come hungry the portions are large and leave you feeling stuffed. Fluffy injera and the veggie and meat options are all great.

    Veggie combo (6 veggies) + doro wot + spicy lamb
    Madow N.

    The food was super bland this time, especially the veggie combo and the lentil appetizer. Just seemed like there was no seasoning. Even the spicy lamb was not spicy. Service was very good even though the restaurant was packed. Parking is never easy there but a few spots on the same street opened up around 7:45pm (Thursday). There's a Whole Foods nearby but I don't know if I would risk parking there.

    Siga wot (fine) in the front, doro wot and side of misir in the back (not very flavorful)
    Stephanie N.

    Honestly disappointing. Got siga wot, doro wot, and side of misir. They did not have kitfo, one of our favorite dishes, but we generally enjoy the other dishes as well so we were happy to try them here. Honestly was on the bland side, which is shocking for Ethiopian food, although the siga wot was somewhat more flavorful. Didn't have any classic buttery or umami + berbere strong spice notes, just a more generic mild spice. Also only two very small chicken drumsticks in the doro wot, surprising given the price, and a very small couple of spoonfuls of misir on the side. We have eaten a lot of Ethiopian food in many cities, particularly numerous times in DC, and this fell very short of our expectations. I was disappointed enough to let my partner finish most of it and try the Ethiopian Cafe nearby, which was much more in line with our expectations. On the plus side, service was fast and kind. Thank you to our server.

    lean beef

    The food here was delicious. The sambosa was crispy and filled with slightly spicy lentils. The meat dishes are all served on a slightly sour and very tasty bread/pancake called injera. I had the lamb (yebeg tibs) and it was great - so flavorful and tender. I didn't try the 2 kinds of beef or chicken that my company ordered, but according to them, it was great! My side of collard greens was equally delightful. The reason it's not 5 stars is the price of the food for the amount you get. Ordering a combo (meat dish + a side order of a vegetable dish) helps the price, but the helpings were noticeably small for the price. The service was great -- super friendly and accommodating to both my friend with allergies to dairy and someone in my company who asked for a fork. Blue Nile is a great place to check out if you're in the area.

    Veggie combo, left to right:  Gomen (collard greens), misir (Split red lentils), Yatakilt (Carrots, string beans), and Ye'kik Alicha
    Chirag P.

    Somewhat intimidating at first since the menu didn't really have descriptions on anything (even though the online menu does?). So was kind of fumbling through my phone figuring out what to get, and plus have a chick pea / chick pea flour allergy which some of the items have. The waiter though was very friendly, asked if first time eating Ethiopian (YES!), and told him about my allergy and was accommodating. So, intimidation disappeared after that, went for the veggie combo. I looked to my left table and noticed was either their doro (chicken) or siga (tenderloin), and was thinking next time I got to try those out. I live right around the corner too so definitely ordering soon. Injira is an interesting thing. It reminds me tastewise like indian appam cooked, but more filling. Love it! The Misir and the Ye'kik Alicha were the top two items. The Gomen and Yatakilt were OK, not as much flavor as the other two. Great food though overall, recommend it.

    Veggie Combo Six Lega Tibs Doro Tibs
    Holly C.

    What a great Ethiopian staple in the neighborhood. Food was tasty, service friendly. Definitely worth visiting!

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    6 months ago

    Absolutely amazing food and fantastic service! This charming little restaurant in JP is a true gem--can't wait to go back!

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    10 months ago

    Excellent outdoor seating and the food is very good. Definitely recommend for folks looking to have authentic Ethiopian cuisine

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    Great food, great service, lovely setting. It's a particularly wonderful spot for family meals.

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    Page 1 of 11

    Blue Nile Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Blue Nile Restaurant

    Do they have dine-in?

    Yes, both in the restaurant and on a patio!

    Are there any dishes that are mild for people who can't handle spicy hot?

    You can specify heat level when ordering. I'm sensitive to heat, and found both the Doro Tibs and Yebeg Tibs dishes to be pretty mild IMO, as were the Gomen and Yekik Alicha.

    Are these guys closed forever now? Is all lost?

    No, they're back open for takeout now!

    View All 4 Questions

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    Ethiopian Cafe

    Ethiopian Cafe

    4.7
    (83 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    We came here on a weekday and had the restaurant to ourselves. Upon walking in, we were welcomed by…read morethe sight and smell of (incense?) which bothered us a bit but otherwise, the meal was good. We had two orders, which they were welcome to combine into 1 shared big plate as we planned to all share together. They were happy to accommodate a gluten-free meal for my friend (we believe most things on the menu are gluten free to begin with) which was great. They have a sink next to the restaurant counter for customers to wash their hands prior to using their hands to eat their entrees. As for the injera, it was a bit dry but they did have a decent amount of quantity for the price. Overall price and service for the restaurant was good for the food you get. Service was decently quick! As for the food, it was pretty flavorful. We all enjoyed all the veggie options, especially the lentils. The lamb really good and flavorful and I would return just for this! Again, my only gripe is that the injera is a bit dry. In addition, the sauces for the chicken vs beef tasted pretty similar so we wish they were differentiated a bit more. What we ordered: - 2 person Combo (except lamb) w/6 veggies (we chose Doro Wet (Chicken) and Siga Wet (Beef) - Yebeg Tibs (Lamb entree)

    This is one of my favorite Ethiopian places in Boston (Addis Red Sea was a favorite while it…read moreexisted!). It's a small, cute place with a few tables and chairs for dining. We usually get takeout and I'm always impressed by how well it is packed. We got the meat combo for 2 which includes 2 meat dishes, 6 veggie sides, and injera. Injera is the soft spongy "bread" that you eat the curries with. For the meat, we ordered the chicken dish, Doro Wet, twice and each order contains with one boiled egg and one chicken drumstick. For the 6 veggie sides, we ordered all the six listed on their menu - the collard greens, mix veggies, different types of lentils. I wanted to sub one of the veggie sides with the cottage cheese appetizer but they said they couldn't do that - boo. The food was ready quickly about 15 mins or so. The portion sizes were great. And wow, the food was tasty. The injera was perfect, not too sour which is something I always think about before getting Ethiopian food. If it's too sour it can overpower the curries but it should have a slight hint of tanginess to be tasty. The Doro Wet was spicy and having the 6 veggie sides helped with balancing it out. We enjoyed our meal, especially the injera on the bottom that gets soaked in all the juices - yummy!

    Photos
    Cute little table
    Cute little table
    Combined in 1 plate= 2 person Combo (except lamb) w/6 veggies (we chose Doro Wet (Chicken) and Siga Wet (Beef) + Yebeg Tibs (Lamb entree)
    Combined in 1 plate= 2 person Combo (except lamb) w/6 veggies (we chose Doro Wet (Chicken) and Siga Wet (Beef) + Yebeg Tibs (Lamb entree)
    19A. Meat Combo for 2 Person

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    19A. Meat Combo for 2 Person
    Lucy Ethiopian Cafe

    Lucy Ethiopian Cafe

    4.1
    (517 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    This has been my favorite Ethiopian restaurant I've found in Boston so far! I've ordered delivery…read moreon several occasions, but this was my first time in the space itself. I love it because it actually is like a cafe, just with a full service menu. There were people doing work or having a quiet meal to themselves. (I went on the evening of Marathon Monday). My sister and I ordered the meat veggie combo for 2, where you get 1 meat entree and four veggie sides of your choice. We got the lega tibs, tikil gomen, shiro wot, misir wot, and kik alicha. We were quite hungry so we cleared the entire thing. It was a perfect portion for two! The injera is soft and the proportion was perfect. I would love to come back for a meal or to even grab a quick lunch! Or to study and eat at the same time ...

    Excellent! Highly recommended. I am new to the cuisine, but niece invited me to try. The beef combo…read morefor two was great. The variety of vegetables sides were wonderful with different flavors and textures. The sides were so good that next time I might just try the veggie combo. We got a medium spice and it was warm and flavorful, but not over powering. Priced very competitively for Huntington Avenue Boston. I would highly recommend it. Just be prepared that the cuisine is eaten with fresh flat bread not with utensils so wash your hands and get ready for a delicious experience. Note you order at counter, but the service was quick and friendly. Also try the traditional Ethiopian coffee. The presentation is amazing and it is a deep flavorful coffee. My niece recommends the peanut tea - she said it taste like like drinking a yummy peanut butter smoothie.

    Photos
    The back dining area
    The back dining area
    Ethiopian coffee
    Ethiopian coffee
    Dining area

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    Dining area
    Karibu

    Karibu

    4.5
    (192 reviews)
    7.4 mi
    $$

    You could say I drove up from South Western Virginia, just for this restaurant. I was not…read moredisappointed. We arrived a little less than an hour before closing time but we were still happily served. Let me be clear, this is a Ugandan restaurant. Okay, moving on. Our food came out, steaming hot and fresh- nothing seemed like it was reheated (try eating reheated posho y'all). We stayed long after the restaurant was closed to finish our food which really gave me the real homey Ugandan vibes. There were also a bunch of Ugandan uncles in the corner just chatting it up the entire time which was fun. Also, there's a store with Ugandan products, raw frozen cassava/matooke, bitenge, and some other Ugandan staples like Royco, Blueband, Majaani, etc!

    People who have traveled in the 3rd world will immediately "get" Karibu. Think of it as being a bit…read morelike having dinner with a family from another country. I can see from the reviews that some people are expecting a smooth assembly line operation like you might expect if you were eating at a cafeteria in Den Bosch in the Netherlands--which I've done. This ain't that. But bring your patience and adaptability and a smile and you'll be rewarded with a hearty country meal East African style. If you want anything spicy ask for it. In the 3rd world in my experience my Anglo looks meant they leave out the spiciness unless you ask otherwise. The vibe is like a Ugandan version of a British village pub full of locals socializing. If you want to meet every Ugandan expat in the Boston area, come on by. But while most of the people were Ugandan we obvious non-Ugandans were greeted with open arms. We asked them to just bring us dinner, and so they did. One interesting thing was the Indian influence--Uganda had had a large Indian community there until Idi Amin appropriated everything they had and kicked them out of the country. I guess some? many? have returned since Idi Amin was kicked out himself. So among the more obviously indigenous chicken stew and cooked plantains as a major starch was samosas and chapatis, much as you'd expect to find in an Indian restaurant. Portions were so big I got two and a half additional meals out of it. I've tried a lot of cuisines--I live in the SF Bay Area which is one of the most multicultural places on Earth--so for me this wasn't all that exotic. Ethiopian food is a lot moreso and a lot hotter, for example. So someone who's only mildly adventurous should do fine here. Actually Cajun cooking from Louisiana is more exotic, frankly. And hotter. And there's nothing on Karubu's menu like that Gulf Cajun fave "Bucket of Mud Bugs" (crawfish). Both my wife and our local friend who dined with us enjoyed our meal, and I look forward to returning on our next trip to Greater Boston. Interestingly both one of our Uber drivers and the night clerk at our hotel were Ugandan and familiar with Karibu and very pleased that we planned to dine there. A lot of the infrastructure people we deal with as we travel are really very interesting people if you talk with them and don't just treat them like they're invisible. And it can make your travels more interesting than just going somewhere and doing the standard tourist things.

    Photos
    Menu
    Menu
    Sides
    Sides
    Karibu

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    Red Lentil Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurant

    Red Lentil Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurant

    3.9
    (827 reviews)
    4.2 mi
    $$

    This has been here forever but i just tried it for the first time…read more The nutty lasagne is delicious. There are a ton of veggies in it. There wasnt a ton of the vegan ricotta or soy mozzarella in it which is good because those usually bring a lot of salt. This lasagne was perfectly balanced. The portion size was huge too. The sesame crusted seitan strips were also very good. The service was not the best. Took forever to get water and menus and then seemed to take an additional forever for them to take our order. We were there for a full 90 minutes and the restaurant was not busy. Also, the water, juices and soft drinks did not have ice. One of our party stated it may have been because they are Ayurvedic... and we never asked so not sure the real story.

    I must confess, I'm a meat eater through and through. However, years ago, I tried Red Lentil's…read morevegan paella and never forgot how good it was. So when the craving hit again, I decided to go back and see if it was as amazing as I remembered. It absolutely was. The place was packed when we arrived, which makes total sense. You don't see many fully vegetarian and vegan restaurants around here, especially with such an interesting menu. We started by sharing the red lentil soup. I can see why the whole restaurant is named after this dish. It was warm, homey, and delicious. The perfect way to start the meal. When the paella arrived, it was every bit as delicious as I remembered. The orzo was perfectly cooked and balanced beautifully with green peas, cauliflower, ginger, and a mix of other flavors that just worked. The soy sausage was especially flavorful. My partner ordered the Shepherd's Pie, made with layers of Yukon gold and sweet potatoes and a delicious balsamic vinegar and pesto sauce. It was not only beautiful to look at, but after stealing a bite, I can confidently say that'll be my next order. I also had the Green Monster juice, which was refreshing, and managed to taste both healthy and delicious. As a committed carnivore who still appreciates great vegetarian and vegan food, I must say Red Lentil has earned a spot on my regular rotation. This isn't just great vegan food, it's great food, period.

    Photos
    Red Lentil Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurant
    Nutty Lasagna
    Nutty Lasagna
    Red Lentil Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurant

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    Blue Nile Restaurant - ethiopian - Updated June 2026

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