Cuisine:

• Others
• Vegetarian

Massawa Description:
One of the Haight Ashbury's hidden gems, Massawa serves affordable Eritrean cuisine in an unassuming and comfortable setting. You won't find any utensils on the tables---traditional East African food is served with injera, a spongy, slightly sour bread that diners pull apart to scoop up their meals. While the menu offers nine meat dishes including kelwa (top round beef chopped and sautéed with spiced clarified butter), tsebhi-derho (skinless chicken drumsticks and-or thighs cooked with onions and tomato paste) and alicha-beggee (mildly seasoned cubes of lamb mixed with potatoes, carrots and bell peppers), it offers just as many vegetarian options. We love the bersin (spiced whole brown and peeled red lentils) and the shiro (mildly seasoned chick peas cooked with onions, tomato paste and hot pepper). The food is meant to be shared and comes to the table on a large platter layered with injera along with chickpeas, spinach and salad with a tangy yogurt dressing. The interior is sparse but large bamboo screens between the tables are a nice touch and add a feeling of coziness, and service is friendly and efficient.


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