Meske Ethiopian Restaurant
“We tried the vegetarian combo and all of the stews were very interesting and tasty.”
“Tibs is basically Ethiopian rib tips smothered with Berbere spices and served on top of a traditional cold bread known as Injera.”
“I go to Meskerem a couple of times a year (and would go twice a month if I lived in the neighborhood).”
Meske Ethiopian Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I went on a Saturday afternoon and it was only me and another table. I really love Ethiopian food. The food here was fine but not the best Ethiopian I've had. The service was also fine. The interior was nice. Overall, a good place. I think the food would've been better if I had gone during a busier time, when the cooking is more fresh (because they're cooking for a crowd). My favorite was the miser alech (lentils)
Laid back casual choice for good Ethiopian food without having to go further downtown or uptown. They can accomodate a group of 10 without too much reorganization of furniture but it's a snug fit.
I get a kick out of walking about Hells Kitchen these days as it has changed so much. I have a soft spot in my heart for this neighborhood having spent a great deal of social time during the Guiliani era club days, shaking my moneymaker in various venues long gone.
Be sure to STOP EATING before you're full or the ingera will grow to surpass the boundaries of your stomach. Anyone who has passed that limit, knows exactly what I speak of. Do round off your meal with some sweet honey wine.
Meske Ethiopian Restaurant is one of only a few African (and possibly the only Ethiopian) restaurants in Hell's Kitchen. Meske is also on Seamless, so I got the Meskerem Combo for delivery. I probably would not recommend getting Ethiopian food for delivery because the cuisine, by nature, is very communal so you should eat it with other people. I also didn't get extra injera on the side, which was disappointing!
The Meskerem Combo ($16) is a great option if you are unsure of what to get and want to try little bit of everything. Under a layer of injera (slightly sour, spongy Ethiopian bread) is a combination of tibs wat, gomen besaega, yebeg alecha, miser alech, and miser wat.
Tibs Wat is prime beef cooked in a pan, and then sauteed with red wine and finished with berbere sauce (ground red pepper). The sauce was really spicy! The meat also wasn't very tender.
Gomen Besaega is a special cut of prime beef seasoned with garlic, onions and ginger, then finished with boiled collard greens. This dish was super oily, and the meat also was rather tough.
The final meat entree was the Yebeg Alecha – my favorite! It consisted with tender pieces of lamb (with bones) marinated with butter then sauteed with ginger, garlic and curry. The lamb was so tasty!
Of the two vegetarian entrees (they were very similar), I liked the milder, Miser Alech. This was split, lentils dipped with ginger, garlic, onions, olive oil and curry. Miser Wat was the same entree, but with berbere sauce so much spicier.
I think you get much bigger portion if you eat there in person.
Really enjoyed my time here. The ambiance is pretty basic, and there aren't too many seats, but this place was full constantly on a Sunday night.
Lots of different dishes to choose from. I feel like they could have more bread with each other – but that's mostly because each order comes with so much food. They do not skimp!
Some of the best Ethiopian in town, for sure.
I've had Ethiopian before in Harlem and it wasn't a great experience on the food nor the place. Trying Meske out with friends has changed my feelings on the cuisine. We had a nice meal and good service.
Great beef Samosas that was full of flavor and spices. The side pepper spicey relish dipping sauce was a great compliment with the samosa. I went with the veggie combo plate. Don't fill up on the ethiopian bread as it is just filler but the veggies were wonderful. I was a fan of the various lentil dishes. Be prepared to eat with your hands!
Came here with a date and was told the kitchen was going to close by 10:30pm ahead of time as we knew we were going to cut close to their closing time. We arrived by 10:15pm and the host checked with the cooking staff to make sure they can still serve us. And they were able to.
I had been having a craving for some Ethiopian food so wanted to try this place out as it seemed to be reviewed consistently the best of all the ones in manhattan.
Since we were kind of in a rush since they were going to close soon we didnt really have time to really check out the menu. We were able to order the Vegetarian platter, Doro Alecha and 2xhoney wines.
All the food was put together in a big platter with lots of bread that you can use to scoop up the food.
Overall the veggie platter was good, but not great to me. Maybe I was expecting some more spices but some of the dishes tend to have a bit of a sour taste. The Doro Alecha was good, the sauce was a bit overwhelming for me but my date enjoyed it.
I did enjoy the honey wine, very smooth and sweet.
Overall it was a good experience again to try Ethiopian food again. Might be better next time to arrive earlier since we were the last patrons in the restaurant.
Those of you familiar with my reviews know that Ethiopian is actually my favorite cuisine. Having moved to NYC 6 months ago, I am still on the lookout for a consistent spot and haven't yet found one.
Was in Hells' Kitchen the other day and decided to try this or Queen of Sheba. Did a "mental" coin toss and decided to do this (it may be have been subliminally influenced by all of Queen of Sheba's annoying Google/Yelp ads.)
Unfortunately, I don't think I made the right choice. First, the place was almost empty, but my request to sit at a four-person table for the space was DENIED. "Four people may need that table," I was told, amidst something like 15 empty tables only 2 hours until closing.
I ordered the combo, where you get a sample of veggies plus each of the three meats (lamb, chicken, beef). It was OK, but the portions weren't particularly filling like they are at some of my other favorite Ethiopian spots. It kind of felt like some of the U Street spots in DC that shortchange tourists looking for an "ethnic experience" who don't know any better.
I'm giving it 3 stars because it wasn't bad food, just not good food. So the search continues in Manhattan.
The service here was extremely slow, and they were not very busy. The food is served as different tasting and colors of mush on a big circle of spongy bread. This may be just how the food should be, but none the less unappealing to the eye. The different veggies and meat all had good flavors, but nothing fantastic. No wow factor. By the way, important note, there are not utensils and you must use spongy thin bread to pick up your bites of mush…if you get bothered by soggy textures, this place is not for you. The price was very reasonable.