As soon as you enter the small, simple Blue Nile Cafe, you’ll likely be greeted and seated by co-owner Selam Fikru and will instantly feel at home. You might even see her children working on their homework at a corner table. Selam and husband/co-owner Daniel are all about community. The Blue Nile moved in 2005 from 39th Street to the River Market and has maintained its commitment to authentic, freshly prepared Ethiopian food served family-style on colorful platters. You eat by scooping up the exotically seasoned dishes (the popular berbere seasoning is made from hot peppers, garlic and spices) with torn pieces of injera, a spongy and somewhat sour bread made from a native Ethiopian grain called teff. With half the menu featuring vegetarian entrées, it’s no surprise that VegKansasCity.com chooses it as the city’s best Ethiopian restaurant. To sample a wide variety of ethnic flavors, order a combination platter (either a vegetarian platter or a meat and vegetarian combo, which each serve two really hungry eaters). Make sure you try the vegetarian lentil stew (misir watt) with onion, berbere, ginger and cardamom, or the fosolia beans or cabbage (atiklett) and potatoes cooked with onions, carrots, ginger, garlic and tumeric. The chicken stew (doro watt) is made from marinated chicken breasts cooked in a sauce of red peppers, cardamom and nutmeg, and the beef stew (tibbs watt) is seasoned with berbere, herbed butter, onion, ginger and cardamom.
Beer and wine available, including an Ethiopian honey wine. Serving lunch Tue–Sun, dinner Tue–Sat. Closed Mon.
"Overall we were pleased with most everything, with our particular favorites being the two lentil dishes and the beef."
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Table Hopping blog
As soon as you enter the small, simple Blue Nile Cafe, you’ll likely be greeted and seated by co-owner Selam Fikru and will instantly feel at home. You might even see her children working on their homework at a corner table. Selam and husband/co-owner Daniel are all about community. The Blue Nile moved in 2005 from 39th Street to the River Market and has maintained its commitment to authentic, freshly prepared Ethiopian food served family-style on colorful platters. You eat by scooping up the exotically seasoned dishes (the popular berbere seasoning is made from hot peppers, garlic and spices) with torn pieces of injera, a spongy and somewhat sour bread made from a native Ethiopian grain called teff. With half the menu featuring vegetarian entrées, it’s no surprise that VegKansasCity.com chooses it as the city’s best Ethiopian restaurant. To sample a wide variety of ethnic flavors, order a combination platter (either a vegetarian platter or a meat and vegetarian combo, which each serve two really hungry eaters). Make sure you try the vegetarian lentil stew (misir watt) with onion, berbere, ginger and cardamom, or the fosolia beans or cabbage (atiklett) and potatoes cooked with onions, carrots, ginger, garlic and tumeric. The chicken stew (doro watt) is made from marinated chicken breasts cooked in a sauce of red peppers, cardamom and nutmeg, and the beef stew (tibbs watt) is seasoned with berbere, herbed butter, onion, ginger and cardamom.
Beer and wine available, including an Ethiopian honey wine. Serving lunch Tue–Sun, dinner Tue–Sat. Closed Mon.
"Overall we were pleased with most everything, with our particular favorites being the two lentil dishes and the beef."
—
Table Hopping blog