While the Ethiopian food scene is not one of Houston's strengths (#1) but if the ones here were as…read moreimpressive as Bahel, it would be an embarrassment of injera riches. They've managed to distinguish themselves as an outstanding dining option in the Gulfton area, and somehow maintains cultural authenticity with its unique integration of a restaurant and mini-mart all under one roof. While they've only been open a handful of years, they've managed to become Houston's highest rated Ethiopian spot. They've managed to do so with a combination of adapting to the area, making the cuisine approachable to novices, providing excellent service, and above all, keeping the food fresh and tasty. The interior does a good job of showcasing their roots, through traditional attire in display and cultural pieces throughout the dining area. There is indoor and outdoor seating, which includes a large private room for group fun. The mart itself is expectedly small, but functional with a limited number of imported goods for purchase.There are also TVs playing international games while locals come in and chow down, communal style. I ordered the #2 combination from their "all time favorite" section, which includes chikina tibs, doro, and two vegetarian dishes (whole lentil stew, and dinich wot potato stew). I was warned by the server that the portions would be overwhelming, but I was not the least bit intimidated. Then the platter arrived and indeed, the portions were stacked. This meal would have been doable for 3 people, but I still managed to take out a majority of it after many furious scoops from their incredibly fluffy injera, which was tangy and full balanced with nice elasticity. The spices were strong, but the flavor was addicting. Overall, everything was exceptionally prepared and despite being incredibly full, I still managed to continually shovel most everything into my mouth. Service was busy, but was kind and considerate. I'm already planning a return visit, but with hungry reinforcements to help me conquer a much larger platter. From top to bottom, this is my kind of establishment and one that I am looking forward to eating at over and over again. __________ (#1) Just trying to be like you, D.C.

First time to Bahel and we were looking forward to it! Located in a little strip, parking was easy…read moreenough. When we walked in it wasn't too busy, but business did pick up throughout our visit. Service was quick, which was very nice. Our food came out pretty quick. We started with Sambusas, both meat and veggie. They were hot and delicious! Well seasoned, and we'll stuffed. The veggie actual had more of spice to it, which I enjoyed. Awaze Tibs were very tasty. I really enjoyed the 12 veggie combo, it serves plenty when grazing in groups. We also had beers, and a round of something more traditional that I do not remember the name of. It was like a mix of beer and wine, no carbonation. We had a group of 8 and split up all the things. Very easy. Would definitely go back.

Lucy was a fantastic restaurant and cultural experience! I went with a couple friends who had never…read morehad Ethiopian food so our server, Milano, served up some injera with a plethora of food options. She also made sure we tried the traditional coffee complete with the incense and everything. We had our coffee with honey and even though I'm not a huge fan of coffee, I was delightfully surprised. At the end we asked about the clothes and were encouraged to try them on and get a picture. Milano was so kind and helpful to us! I would recommend this to anyone who wants to have an Ethiopian experience.

As an Ethiopian food place, the food is pretty average but it is pretty well decorated inside. The…read morerestaurant is also a hookah lounge per the menu. Food - the flavors are great and as expected (however the injera wasn't that fresh). Got the meat and veggie platter, the best parts were the veggie parts, the meat tibs were decent except the chicken (it was just too dry) Ambiance - cute casual well decorated inside yet would appreciate better air flow Service - can be slow especially if there are other customers as they cook fresh as they noted on the menu page. friendly staff otherwise, appears to have one staff for the whole restaurant

I really enjoyed Blue Nile! This was my first time trying Ethiopian cuisine…read more Came with a couple friends and we shared the honey tea (aka tej - not listed on the menu but you can ask your server for it), yebeg tibs (lamb), doro wot (chicken), and sides of collard greens and cabbage, as well as the meat and vegetarian sambusa. Our food also came with injera. Everything was really tasty; the chicken was tender and the lamb had a nice kick to it (we got the medium spice level). The honey tea was what really won me over. It was sweet and had a roasted flavor that reminded me of brown rice/genmaicha tea. I ended up buying a bottle of it to take home. Our server was also very nice and helpful! There is an attached parking lot to the side. We came around 7:30pm on a Monday and it was quite empty. The interior is very spacious and cozy feeling.

Ah man... where do I even begin?…read more We arrived around 8:05 PM, and our order was taken right away. We ordered 4 beef sambusas and 1 vegetable sambusa as appetizers. After 10 minutes, nothing. Another 10 minutes passed, still nothing. The restaurant wasn't even busy, just one family there before us. We finally got our appetizers at 8:28 PM, and at that point we still hadn't received our entrees. Another 10 minutes went by with no food. We tried to be patient, but we were really hungry and had driven all the way from Katy for this. My mom was fasting, and we were expecting a nice dinner, but the experience was honestly disappointing. Our entrees didn't arrive until 8:48 PM. We ordered the lamb injera, and it was honestly terrible. It had no seasoning, no salt, and just looked like it had some yellow coloring. The injera itself was cold, almost icy in some spots. On top of that, there were barely any meat pieces, maybe 4-5 small pieces, which is ridiculous for a dish that costs around $27-28. We also ordered a chicken dish, which was actually the only decent part of the meal. But it's definitely not worth coming here just for that. The prices here are high, and we were fine paying for good food. The problem was the long wait time and the poor quality. Overall, a very disappointing experience.

This was a fantastic meal at a newer spot in Houston. My friends and I split the veggie combo and…read morethe Doro wat, as well as the veggie sambusas. The injar was soft and tangy and the dishes were all well balanced with a slight spice. Food does take some time to prepare, but well worth the wait!

My Mom and I had Eritrean food for the first time here tonight, and we both absolutely loved it. We…read moregot Adulis Tibs lamb and the vegetable platter- it was so delicious and lots of food. This is a cozy family place that is so friendly - Birhana the owner and cook was just as sweet and welcoming as could be, and was dancing around to a soul music soundtrack. We will be back.

Not to be confused with the Horny Africa Delhi, which runs sex tours from various African cities to…read moreNew Delhi in India. If you're feeling horny then come to the Horn Of Africa Deli for some of the best Ethiopian type food you can imagine. The prices are so much cheaper than places like Lucy, and the tastes are delicious and homemade, with hefty portions (that will not end up in a hefty bag) for next to nothing. Definitely one of those little hidden gems that you would never try unless you come on Yelp (but not sexually) or happen to be in this awesome plaza which also has great Thai and Viet. And no, it's not full of Horny Africans. Not all the time, anyway.

For starters, I'm not African and I'm not familiar with African cuisine. This place just happens…read moreto be fairly close to where I work so it was a combination of wonderful smelling food in the air around that place and my curiosity which lead me give it a try. I've been there twice so far and both times, I've ordered the Curry Basil Chicken with Rice (#24 on their menu) and both times it was outstanding! I had all of the intentions of trying something else on my second visit; however that #24 was just too fantastic for me to pass up. I think it was like $11 if I remember correctly, but man, it was a lot of food and it was hot, fresh and made when I put in my order. It's truly enough food for two people; however I must confess that I polished it off by myself on both occasions because it was so good. I did have a tiny bit of "Catholic Guilt" about that so I just put in a few more thousand steps on my Fitbit to make up for it.

I'm sorry, but it's VERY clear that one of the reviews here for Nazareth was written more about a…read morebad relationship than food haha! Also, if you don't like "ethnic" foods (ie African, Indian, etc) then this place is not for you. Here's my breakdown: Food = 3 stars Service = 5 stars So I give 4 overall. The food was good but not amazing, and certainly not my best Ethiopian meal (I don't think I've found a great Ethiopian place in Houston yet). The excellent service really made the experience, though. The young woman running the tables and the bar was very attentive and was very friendly (and even put up with my lame attempt at speaking Amharic! haha). My date and I ordered the vegetarian combo plate so I can only comment on that. All the dishes were fresh, as was the Injera bread. It wasn't as flavorful or spicy as I'm used to with Ethiopian, but that could be a regional thing (I'm accustomed to those in Los Angeles). To wrap up, I recommend y'all try it. Ethiopian is truly one of the best foods at there, and it seems to be getting more and more popular in the USA.

Lovely people. The owner manager was very helpful in recommending dishes for us. He didn't choose…read morethe most expensive ones either, which was nice. The waitress was attentive but also left us alone to simply enjoy the food. The flavors were simply delicious. Will definitely go again. Soon :)

Went there last Saturday & everything was on point. We had a large party & everyone was…read moreaccommodated very well. Service was extra-friendly & the food was fresh especially the injera!

Went into this store, looking for some hard to find Ethiopian ingredients. Was greeted by the most…read morehelpful woman. When walking in I was amazed at all of the products that she had in her shop. She had all the spices, and also had fresh injera which is hard to find. It was soft spongy and very flavorful. She also was very helpful on letting me know how to store it so it will keep longer.. They also had dresses., shirts and throws. This is a wonderful store and if you happen to be on the southwest side of town, you should go in and take a look around. You will be amazed.

Waiting to get on with my to go order…read more Maharaja Bhog is the best example of North West side of food- Gujarat and Rajasthan states of India mainly and the 'guest is special' treatment, and the best part, its 100% vegetarian! It is a thali ofcourse. The best experience is dining in. Where you even get to wash your hands at the table and use the napkin the server holds to wipe of. Then the flow of dishes start- first with chass ( buttermilk)and one more beverage - lemonade, or shikanji , all good for digestive purpose traditional Indian drinks you take with meals.... ( not in the modern kitchens...not anymore... like most food habits around all cultures across the globe ) Then chats, sabzi and piping hot any two types of bread. Its unlimited. When I go, the starve the whole day and go for dinner ... lol... its just not fair to the delicious experience otherwise... There is a huge spread. And lastly followed by ghee khichidi or either rice or millet and one more rice item, sometimes even plain rice. After u r really totally done and plates cleared. They come around with coffee or tea! If only you were sitting in a garden with 100's of tables overlooking the mountains and had noone waiting for u to clear so their can occupy the seats.... remember even those people waiting would have starved the whole day .... That day got a to-go order. Its not an experience under any comparison but food is still great. Can't wait to do my dine in again sometime.

We were two group one 3 people Jain other two normal when bill came he charges $175$…read more151 for food 25 for service charge he charged service charge without our Manoj shah Manojshah2@gmail.com

Cafe Abuja was amazing! I went about a week ago after going to a Nigerian church and was in the…read moremood for some good Nigerian food. I saw that they had a lot of good reviews on Google so I figured I'd try them out. And I am so happy I did. I ordered some egusi stew with mixed meats (which does not include pork - Thank God). And I had it with pounded yam. It cost about $19 I think, which when ordering I thought was a bit much, but I was still anxious to try them out. When they brought the food, I then saw why the price was what it was. They brought 3 containers (1 for the egusi, 1 for the meats and 1 for the pounded yam). It was A LOT of food! So $19 actually wasn't bad. And what's more is it ended up being enough food for about 3 meals!!! Anyway, the taste was phenomenal!!! It was sooooo good that I've been bragging about this place ever since! The restaurant itself is very beautifully and tastefully laid out. The service was great! Once you order, you are able to get a text message when your food is ready. Which I really liked because I wanted to check out the other stores next to it while waiting. They are also playing good Afrobeats music inside, so you are nice and relaxed while enjoying your food, or the wait for your food to go. This is my new staple spot for naija food!!! Chefs kiss

I have finally tried fufu... and it's a delightful experience! I got the assorted meats (tripe, cow…read morehoof, beef) with Egusi Soup and a side of fufu. The meat with sauce was really delightfully salty and complemented the neutral fufu. Much of the meat is collagen so I'm not sure if I would get it again though. The egusi was right in the middle in terms of spice and flavor and also very beginner friendly! This thing can feed like 3 people because fufu is so filling. For the appetizer we also tried a beef pie! Pretty good, nothing super outstanding but I liked it :) Ola our server was happy to tell us all our options and even gave us free Nigerian bread with Nigerian butter on the house! I'm not sure what was different about it but it smelled very sweet and had the similar texture to milk bread. Also being two Asian females apparently attracted some attention because gentlemen from a different table tried to pay for our drinks and they were very curious where we were from. This has no bearing on the establishment I just wanted to mention it cuz it was so startling. No worries though because we gracefully (?) fended off their advancements. Definitely felt welcomed here though haha.