Meskerem Restaurant

Terrific! – So, while the place isn't the prettiest or the waitstaff the most service-oriented, the food is terrific and really, you go for the food so who cares about the other stuff! I love combining their meat and vegetable combinations on one injera flat bread - so tasty! Only complaint is that we always have to ask for more bread...

Good food, cheap, bad service – The service here is slow as heck, but the food is good, cheap, and comes out fast once you order. I prefer Queen of Sheba for a nice Ethiopian dinner.

Editorial Review – Midtown Ethiopian restaurant serving lunch specials plus a full dinner menu with a selection of vegetarian dishes.

Awful Service – I have been to Meskerem many times and last night, we were treated so rudely that I will never return. The waitress and then the manager made us switch tables in the middle of our meal, didn't bring out the sufficient amount of food that 3 orders would have warranted, and then claimed that they had despite the evidence provided by customers seated around us. Though the food was good, the treatment we received (with an international guest who was in NYC for the first time to boot) was uncalled for and extremely unpleasant. I don't recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Delectable Ethiopian – The food arrives, heavy with flavor and is poured onto a large circular dish with a cool injeera roti on the bottom. Shared between all members at the table, the large dish also contains a sublime collection of lentils and vegetarian. Yes, the service is a little slower than average but the food has been worth every visit, every time. All of it is good but I have to recommend the meat sambosa, doro wat, tibs wat, yebeg alecha and the whole fish.

Good food! – Except for the sour Injeras (bread), I like this place. The food is great, the wine is good and I always go for the veggie combo. Dont like the somboza too much - I prefer their washington street branch.

User review by catsanddogs – The space and decor aren't much to look at, but the low lighting and ethopian music soften things up and the food is delicious - i always get the vegetarian combo which used to be enough for two people but these days it's a bit smaller and a nice big meal for one.

Don't Go! – This may have been the worst experience I've ever had. The service was so unbelievably slow, even though we were practically the only people in the place. They blamed the slow service on the fact that the dishes we ordered "take a long time to make". Out of their entire wine list, they had maybe two bottles of wine actually available. The food was practically inedible. The bread was a texture I can't even describe. I'll never go back.

Worst.Meal.Ever. – I could write a long diatribe about how this restaurant failed to meet expectations, but suffice it to say, as we were walking home, having given leave to our friends, my gf and I struggled to come up with any dining experience which had ever been worse, and we both came to the conclusion that we had just suffered through the worst meal we had ever had.

Such a bad experience – We planned on going to Queen of Sheeba, another Ethiopian restaurant in the neighborhood, but it was full. We then found Meskerem and decided to eat there instead. The service was awful. It took 20 minutes for anyone to even come by the table. The menu looked great but the tender beef was like well-chewed chewing gum and the other dishes were not any more tender or palatable. The bread was also awful. The food arrived after we'd waited an hour. This was a funny experience but we will never go back.

Yup about the crappy service – Pretty good food. I've had a lot of Ethiopian (it's big in DC and a few other places I've lived), and this ranks something like a 7 on a 1-10 scale. So on that front, no complaints. HOWEVER, both times I've been there, our waitresses were absolutely terrible--slow, snappish and generally unpleasant. Yes, I know it's college-town and I can certainly understand a bad day... but at least don't be actively mean to your customers when they haven't been mean to you first. I dunno... maybe the restaurant works waitresses too hard? Or just isn't hiring nice ones?

Great – Never had Ethiopian before, and thw wait staff was very helpful. The food was very good. The atmosphere was not so great, but I think it was worth it.

the best ethiopian in nyc – one of the more overloooked, yet fascinating, ethnic cuisines, has the worthy representative in meskerem, the best in nyc (and possibly east coast). whether you're in the mood for veggie or meats, you've got something to savor here. beef cubes and lentil stews are personal favorites of mine. the only, very slight, minor negativity is the occasional slow service, but that's some very small price to pay for this delicious treat.

Great Food, Fun Experience – The best Ethiopian restaurant I have found in New York. I think it has some of the tastiest food I have found in New York. Try the Ethiopian beers when you go.

Unusual Expereince – The best Ethiopian Food in town !! A great experience for someone who has not tried eating with their hands !!

Ethiopian Food Lover – I live on the block and I think that Meskerem is absolutely delicious. It's a staple in our weekly diets, and it's perfect for vegetarians. It's such a good bang for your buck - especially the vegetarian combo. Great for everyone!

Amazing food – This is a wonderful place to find really great Ethiopian food. The food is so flavorful, juicy and melts in your mouth. Even for those who have eaten a large variety of foods with a large variety of tastes, the food here will still surprise and amaze you. While the place looks rather small and undecorated, I will definitely go back just for the food. A great find, truly amazing food.

Not what one would think – In "When Harry Met Sally..." Billy Chrystal made a funny joke about Ethiopian restaurants; "This is great, we'll order two enpty plates and leave." Throw that idea out of the window, I was impressed. Very tasty dishes (except the flat bread they serve, it was awful). Spicy, flavorful and very filling. The wait staff were friendly and made you feel welcome. We went to the one on MacDougal St, it literally looks like someone's basement. Not much atmosphere and yes, no forks or knives! Try it.

Yummy – Good Ethiopian food - one of the best Ethiopian restaurants in this city. The service is sometimes a little bit inattentive or forgetful, but very friendly. This place is so relaxed and has such consistently yummy food at really great prices.