Cafe Eritrea D'afrique - 4069 Telegraph Avenue

This place is currently holding the title as "Best Find" in our project thus far.

I'd wanted to try this place for a long time. The Partner in Chow wasn't so convinced that she'd like it - we weren't sure if this was Ethiopian food or more West African-style food, and she was still mourning the loss of Blue Nile.

From what we can gather, Ethiopia and Eritrea have similar/idential cuisine - or at least this place would indicate such.

We walked in to find a bunch of Ethiopian or Eritrean men at the bar hanging out. We took this as a good sign.

OK, the bad first: the atmo is lacking, it's true. Tile floors, uninspired takeout-type tables and chairs, and awful lighting. I'm someone very sensitive to lighting - fluorescent lighting in particular - so it's something worth noting.

However: the decor was made up for by our super nice waitress, the menu giving the heartfelt and compelling story of the restaurant (look up "The American Dream" and you pretty much have it), and the food.

Oh, the food. Such good Ethiopian food. Or Eritrean food. Whatever you want to call it, the food is fantastic and it's cheap. The menu warns you that the food is addictive, and we agree. We've already been back twice!

What we ordered (on all 3 trips): Vegetarian platter (for 1 feeds 2 people with a side; for 2 feeds 3), a side of the fava bean thing (it has feta on it)
Service: friendly and eager to answer questions, if not rushed in any way (even when you might be a little rushed)
Atmo: uninspired local Mom 'n Pop
Crowd: Ethiopians/Eritreans and local folks in-the-know
Spent: around $20.00
Overall rating: 4.5 sporks

We'd consider giving this place a 5 if it wasn't for the sterile atmo. But we haven't found better Ethiopian food elsewhere. Asmara wins on decor, but the food here is better.