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Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Ethiopian Restaurants African Ethiopian, African [Edit]
145 BroadwaySomerville, MA 02145
(617) 628-9300
- Nearest Transit:
-
Broadway @ Michigan Ave (101, 89, 89/93, 90, 9109)
Broadway @ Glen St (101, 89, 89/93, 90, 9111)
Cross St @ Broadway (90)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5:30 pm - 10 pm
Fri 5:30 pm - 11 pm
Sat-Sun 2 pm - 11 pm
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
93 reviews for Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"the food was good and the honey wine was awesome." In 19 reviews -
"...overall experience, head to Addis Red Sea in South End." In 16 reviews -
"Don't miss the cottage cheese appetizer." In 7 reviews
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93 reviews in English
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Review from Kris T.
Nashua, NH
3/29/2012
This restaurant has been reviewed an insane number of times, so I am not going to bother with an in-depth review here. I will also add as a caveat that this is my first Ethiopian food experience, so, if you are a connoisseur, my opinion/palate may be of limited worth to you.
After reading many reviews here, I, like most, was worried about the bar noise, and the general ambiance and service. I guess we lucked out, as, at 7:30 PM on a Thursday, the restaurant was virtually empty, and the bar only had a few drunks milling around. In short, the atmosphere, while not a selling point, as also not much of a detraction.
There was the expected language barrier, leading to a few mix-ups- no real harm done. They were out of beef sambosa, which I had been dying to try, but the vegetable sambosa were terrific; so, again, no big deal. I was rather annoyed that the online menu listed no restrictions on the $23 combo plate (3 meat, 4 vegetable dishes), yet on the physical menu there was nothing but restrictions, preventing me from getting another 3 of the 7 things I wanted to sample. I had a slightly more difficult time letting that one go (I don't handle food disappointments well, it seems (I did travel from NH to eat here, after all)). The server, however, was very friendly, which helps significantly, when receiving bad news.
So, after all this, I still give this place five (5) stars. Yes, the food was that good. Turns out, I am not a huge fan of raw beef dishes, and the cabbage was not really my thing, but each of the other 8 dishes that I sampled were terrific. As others have stated, they could have been a bit warmer, but the taste was out of this world. The "bread" was the perfect balance to the heavy flavors of the entrees, and the coffee was also a real treat. All said and done, my girlfriend and I left full and happy, and will definitely be going back with friends, long drive or not.
Note: the waitress did NOT add the gratuity to the bill, as my coupon said she would, so double check, and make sure you remember to tip! -
Review from Ana R.
3/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
This was my first venture to this or any Ethiopian restaurant. I was oversold on it by a couple of friends who come regularly and love it. We got the Groupon and set a date.
There were 5 of us total, and we ordered a lot of food. But let's start with the service. We were given glasses of water at the start, but had to ask several times for napkins, straws and cutlery (some of the apps we got had to be cut to share). We then had to ask again for water refills. We were the only group there for at least a half hour (6pm). The two waitresses (one might have been in training) had difficulty answering our questions regarding the menu and serving sizes.
I know this isn't a trendy place and isn't pretending to be, but for the prices and the push towards traditional Ethiopian (read: exotic) fare, I expected more... something. The lighting is harsh and the restaurant reminded me of the seating area at a take-out pizza joint. I got excited, thinking the food would make up the difference. It didn't, not really.
We ordered the two-person combo (three veg, three meats) including a cottage cheese/kale concoction, plus the Fasika fish, a lamb entree and the vegetable curry plate. It was plenty of food for the five of us.
A side note on service: our cottage cheese/kale plate was brought to us before the combo platter and we started eating it. A few minutes later, our waitress ran back to tell us we'd gotten that plate by mistake and it belonged to another table, so she'd have to add it to our bill. Since we'd ordered it as part of our combo, we asked her to take it off our combo and we'd pay for the plate already at our table. It took some explaining on our part on how to make this work (although to me, it seemed like a simple and reasonable request that the waitress or manager should have thought of and not us), and in the end I'm not sure we didn't end up paying for both orders even though we only got/ate one. This was really strange. I'm accustomed to the restaurant paying for its own mistakes, and not foisting it on the customers. Certainly, this couldn't have been the first time a plate had been delivered to the wrong table, but the waitress didn't seem to know how to handle it except by making us pay for a plate of food we didn't even ask for.
The food is served family-style on a large platter which is lined with spongy bread. You get more spongy bread to use as a utensil, and everyone eats with their hand. Most of the dishes were too spicy for my taste, but the dishes I did eat plenty of (the lamb, which was littered with bone shards, the fish and the vetable curry) were all good, but didn't blow me away.
What did blow me away was the sambosas appetizers. We had both veggie and beef and I would have gladly eaten 5 more of each. The fillings were flavorful and the pastry was nice and crispy.
All together, our bill came to $75, which to me was not reasonable for what we got in return (including service). With the Groupon, it came to a more manageable $45.
Parking was by meter or permit. Meters in this area are only free after 8pm, so take $2 in quarters just in case.
The impression I got from Fasika was a decided "meh." Alright, but I won't be running back. I will try Ethiopian food again, but at a different restaurant, where I can be treated to a better experience. -
Review from Nanette S.
Cambridge, MA
2/25/2012
Food was good. Split the combination for 2 and it was plenty of food, although not very much of anything. It is hard to split a small chicken drum stick between two people. I do prefer Addis Red Sea and, even more so, Blue Nile in JP. A bit more taste to every dish at those places.
Had the coffee: it was great, Didn't have the honey wine.
The reason for the low stars is the service. It was fine when we arrived, but, as soon as the tables filled, rapidly slid downhill. The last hour we spent there was post-dinner service -- in fact, over 20 minutes was just waiting for the coffee and another 15 for the bill. I ended up just giving them cash and leaving even though I would have given a bigger tip if I thought I could get change from a larger bill in any reasonable time. -
Review from Daniel H.
Concord, NH
5/8/2012
I eat a lot of ethnic food, but this was my first Ethiopian experience. I don't really care too much about great service over good food. Most small international places are never really well known for great service and would prefer the decent food any day. The food was wonderful and cooked by someone who knows how to cook this type of food very well. So patience is needed for the food to come out.
The woman who cooked, i think was the owner and she came out to chat and was very lovely and gave us extra food for free. We went at a funny time and so the restaurant was empty, but looks like it could be fun of an evening. The decor was nothing special and they have this random bar in the restaurant. However, it still deserves a 5 star because the food was great and very flavorful.
Appetizer we had the lentil dish i think called Azifa and was so good! Then for main it was a combo of things all on top of the great bread they have and can eat with fingers. Really good experience and food. Would go again for sure. -
Review from G J J.
San Francisco, CA
5/4/2012
They don't hire enough people to work here. However the best sambusa in Boston.
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Review from Josephine P.
Boston, MA
1/29/2012
I have gone to Fasika a couple of times and both times it was pretty quiet and there were only 2 other tables seated. Food does take time to arrive and although I think it is worth the wait, I don't know if I would come a third time. The first time we went, service was pretty decent, but the second time we went, service wasn't very good at all. I am a fan of the food so maybe I'll grab some take out next time. I think their honey wine is really good and I like Ethiopian-style coffee.
I can't remember all of their vegetarian items by name, but we tried them all and we thought it was all pretty good, no duds. -
Review from Charlie D.
Somerville, MA
1/30/2012
I recently visited Fasika after purchasing a Groupon for it. Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised! The honey wine was a nice treat (and very affordable!). The Kitfo appetizer (minced beef with cottage cheese and spices) was excellent, as were the Fasika Special (lamb cubes with wine and awaze sauce) and Doro Wat (skin-on chicken in Berbere sauce with hard boiled eggs). Having only been to Addis Rea Sea in the past for Ethopian, Fasika easily meets or beats Addis in terms of quality of food and taste.
While the outside of the restaurant looked great (it had recently been redone), the inside looked a little tired and could probably use some updating as well. You enter into the bar area, which is only separated from the restaurant by a sliding partition wall. The bar had some loud pop music playing, which you could easily hear from the restaurant, which had a TV playing Ethopian music videos. The conflicting sources of music were a bit distracting at times.
But don't let the decor dissuade you. The food was excellent, the service was friendly, and the prices were very reasonable. East Somerville is not as bustling as Davis or Union Squares, but it certainly has some good food that's worth seeking out! (And the parking is much easier too!) -
Review from Elise K.
1/21/2012
I went to this place while on a work trip to the Boston area. It was a nice place to meet a friend (even though she got parking ticket! Pay your meter!).
We chose this place because it looked good and cheap. We ordered a platter for two served on the special bread. We had a variety of chicken, lamb and beef as well as green beans, potatoes and lentils. All were tender and well seasoned - just blander than we expected as they were supposed to be spicy!
We also ordered honey wine which was tasty.
The only problem we had was that we had asked for one dish to be brought early. Instead they brought it twice and charged us twice! -
Review from Dougie H.
Boston, MA
3/31/2012
I thought it was great. I would recommend it as an experience, and the food was good and the value too. I hate expensive divey places, but when they are affordable and authentic I love them.
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Review from David V.
12/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Upon walking into Fasika, it's hard to tell if you are walking into a Somerville townie bar, or an Ethiopian restaurant. Interestingly, it's a little bit of both! A thin wall with a sliding door separates the restaurant from the townie bar.
This was my first experience with Ethiopian food, so I don't really have a basis for comparison. But, I can tell you that the food was DELICIOUS! My wife and I went with a group of people, but it is totally possible to get a filling dinner for 2 here for under $30. My wife and I split the combo for 2, which gives the option of 4 vegetable dishes and 3 meat dishes. We were very impressed with the food and the service. The food took a while to come out, but I believe that is because it was prepared fresh to order. The quality of the food was great! Our servers were friendly and patient and took the time to explain things to us. Our order got a little messed up, but our servers took care of it quickly.
My only complaint, and the reason I gave this place 3 stars instead of 4 or 5, is the townie bar attached to the dining area. The combination of the loud music and drunk, singing (also loud) bar patrons is something that can ruin a meal. Unfortunately, you have to enter and exit the place through the bar.
If you go here, I recommend going early, before the local bar folks get there and make a lot of noise, so you can enjoy your dinner. -
Review from Simon L.
10/4/2011 3 photos
Possibly one of the more confused little spots in the world that serves up some fine African fare. Entering the bar on the right, base thumping hip hop blares while a sultry looking group of regulars sips beer and cocktails. Take a left and enter the small dinning room through the swinging doors and you're safe from the chaotic atmosphere of entry bar room.
Have a seat at the small, rickety, wobbling tables and the lone server will be over for a drink order in a moment. Delicious Ethiopian beer, ultra hoppy with a tinge of a sweet grass flavor. The sweet Honey red wine, at $16 bottle is not only a steal but well worth its palate cleansing qualities and goes quite nicely with the subtle fire that follows.
Started with the Ayeb Bé-Gomen, a homemade cottage cheese mixed with fine chopped collared greens, herbs and spices served with the standard injera.
Next a couple of combination plates for the three of us - you get a choice of 3 meats and 4 non-meats. Server recommended 2 for the table. We chose the following:
Yé-Minchet Abish is a fine chopped prime beef stewed with ginger, onions, cardamom, other spices and spicy berbere sauce. This incredibly tender preparation of beef was both fiery and flavorful.
Yé-Beg Alicha, fresh lamb cooked in mild turmeric sauce, a particularly buttery dish and apart from the chicken, my favorite on the platter.
Doro Wot, my top pick, is tender skinned chicken cooked in berbere sauce and served with hard-boiled egg is stunning. Two bone in chicken breasts arrive, juicy with fall of the bone meat. Two of the most tasty morsels.
The Tegabino is a spicy traditional sauce made from roasted legumes and Berbere that was particularly fiery.
The Yé-misir Wot consists of split lentils cooked in berbere sauce.
Yé-Tikil Gomen fresh cabbages, carrots, potatoes and green pepper cooked in a turmeric sauce.
Yé-Atakilt kilikil green beans, carrots, potatoes and onions cooked in a mild sauce.
In traditional fashion, everything arrives on a large mesob platter and served with tons of inerja to stuff your dripping face.
Extremely hospitable and polite service, Fasika is well worth the trek to East Somerville. -
Review from Jason M.
Boston, MA
Updated - 11/4/2011
East Africa meets East Somerville in this old time watering hole / Ethiopian mix.
My go to:
Fasika
FishListed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Andrew R.
7/13/2011
Cheaper than Addis. Food is roughly the same quality. Some dishes are better (lamb dishes), and some are not (chicken dishes). The food isn't as oily here though, so it won't play havoc on sensitive stomachs. The injera is not as tasty as Addis, but that's because it's more authentic, with that sourdough flavor from real teff.
It's good, and with a http://restaurant.com deal, it's far cheaper than those other ones too. -
Review from Claire N.
Middlesex, MA
1/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
It started when they served my vegetarian friend a near samosa... Food was mediocre. Service was worse.
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Review from Rinah Y.
Medford, MA
1/23/2012
It was so good, that after eating there on Friday I recommended it to a friend and we are headed back there tonight, Monday. I wouldn't recommend it for kids unless their palates can withstand the heat. A little too much for my 8 yo. I had the beef Sambosa and a spicy lamb dish that was outstanding. More than enough food for two meals. I will update after tonight's meal.
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Review from Sara S.
North Andover, MA
10/13/2011
Absolutely delicious food, and the prices are extremely reasonable. Dinner for two (we split the non-vegetarian combo for two and just drank water) was a grand total of $22.
The only small quibble I have is that the chicken, although delicious, was served on the bone, which in my opinion made it very difficult to eat without utensils. Every other Ethiopian restaurant I've ever been to (and that's quite a few) has served the chicken off the bone to make it easier to just scoop it up in the injera and eat it.
However, everything else about the meal was fabulous and I look forward to returning. Oh, and the other reviewers are right about the weirdness of the split bar/restaurant/no ambience thing. This probably wouldn't be a place to go for a romantic, quiet date, but if you're looking for outstanding Ethiopian food and don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it, this is your place! -
Review from Tori G.
Somerville, MA
8/21/2011
Fasika is a little out of the way for me, but I decided to try them out after they offered a HomeRun deal a while back. My expectations were't very high after a thoroughly underwhelming experience at Addis earlier this year. But Fasika restored my faith in greater Boston Ethiopian.
I split the vegetarian combo with a couple friends, so I got to try almost every vegetarian option on the menu (other than the curry, which you can't get as a part of the combo). Everything was solidly tasty, and we each had a different favorite. I was partial to the lentils and the potato/carrot dish, one of my friends couldn't stop raving about the collards. But the true knockout was the injera which was tangy and fluffy, and the server was great about checking back in with us and bringing extra if we needed it. I also liked the hole-in-the wall atmosphere and friendly service.
The only disappointment was that I left the paper copy of my coupon in a different bag, and since the manager was around they couldn't honor it from my friend's iPhone. But I don't really mind, because it just gives me an excuse to go back again! -
Review from Dominic L.
Somerville, MA
12/26/2011
Absolutely delicious food. Best Ethiopian in the Boston area, hands down. And it's cheap, too - you can get a dinner for 2 with appetizers, leave with enough left over for lunch, all for under $30.
Great for both omnivores and vegetarians. Try the Vegetable Curry & the Gored Gored. You won't be disappointed. And they offer combination platters, so you can enjoy real family-style dishes.
Downsides: It's attached to a townie bar, which can add or detract from the experience, depending on your mood. Don't expect fast service. And the chicken dishes aren't the best. -
Review from Marty K.
New York, NY
12/5/2010
See my profile to find where I put up the pics that are missing from this review.
Getting tired of the same old same old chain restaurant or the ubiquitous pizza/Italian joints we ventured off into Somerville for some Ethiopian food. I was paired up with perhaps the most adventurous of the crew members on my aircraft and when he said, "Yeah! Ethiopian is one of my favorites," I was psyched.
Especially since we only had the short 45 minute flight home from Boston to NY and wouldn't be sealed up tight in a metal tube next to each other for a 5 hour transcontinental flight after a lentil heavy meal ... if you know what I mean.
So we GPS'd our way through closed bridges and wrong turns and finally made it. Hmm, which door, which door? Ah, I picked the dining room door as opposed to the bar door. Empty. Ah, man, you know what I think of empty dining rooms. OK, forge ahead.
4 tables on the left side of the dining room with the traditional mesob (low wicker dining tables).
Our table on the far left completes the picture of the empty dining room but there were several patrons in the bar area. Non eating ethiopian food though.
After noticing that one of the vegetarian appetizers had cottage cheese in it I started to explain to our server that I was a strict vegetarian and didn't ... she said hold on a sec, went and brought someone over to the table who spoke English and the issue was put to rest. Vegan. No problem.
Starting out with the Sambosa, a mixture of lentils, onions and jalapenos pretty much set the stage for the evenings fare. Sambosa, (like Samosa?), are lightly fried. The filling was on the bland side for me and needed a shot or two of salt but the dough was crispy and light.
Wait, wait, throw these few pieces of Romaine on the plate first.
I expected much more heat than I got. It looks like a lot of green in there but wasn't spicy at all.
For our entree we started out ordering 2 dishes but at 10 bucks a pop I added a third. We ordered a Vegetarian Curry, (eggplant, squash, green and red peppers), the Ye-Atakilt kilikil, (green beans, carrots, potatoes and onions in a mild sauce), and the Ye-misir Wot, (lentils cooked in a berber sauce).
I haven't been to an Ethiopian restaurant in years but do remember enjoying the experience and this was no difference. I asked for silverware for the appetizer to cut it for the picture but the entree needs no utensils.
The large serving platter is brought out first with the traditional Ethiopian bread called Injera covering the bottom and another plate with 2 more folded Injera is placed next to the platter. Injera is like a huge thick crepe with little flavor, (at least this one was) and a faint sour note. It is traditionally made from teff. You tear off pieces and use them like little scoop to pick up the food with.
The kilikil had a sweet tinge but not overly flavorful. The curry had unmistakeable hints of turmeric and tasted like a "traditional" curry would without much punch however the wot had an undertone of heat and earthy richness.
I still asked for some hot sauce and was brought a small shaker of cayenne pepper which helped a bit. I prefer my spice added in the kitchen though.
Traditionally served with Injera on the bottom, our server doled out the entrees for us. It's hard to tell but this plate is about
1 1/2 feet across.
Not a bad meal, the check and tax was $36 and with tip came to just over $42 for dinner for 2. There was certainly no lack of food. Next time, and I fully intend to go back to this restaurant, I will make sure to tell the waitress to add some heat in the kitchen and ratchet up the spices. -
Review from Wen-fai F.
Cambridge, MA
7/25/2010
I absolutely hate to rate on service but I feel this really needs to be said. If you go, LOOK AROUND AT THE PATRONS BEFORE YOU SIT DOWN. If everyone looks impatient and no one has food on the table, do NOT sit down unless you want to be waiting for 3 hours, only 15 minutes of which will be spent wolfing food down your throat because you've been waiting so long to get your food and you're starving. If we had been smarter about this, I wouldn't even be writing this review.
In short, I came with a friend on a Sunday night and we waited a ridiculously long time for everything. To order, to get water, to get our food, to get the check, to get our leftovers. Everything took so long. We didn't have cash on us and contemplated leaving without paying the bill but I guess that that would have been illegal.
The worst part about it was the food did not redeem the service or I would have been fine giving this place 4 stars. We ordered the combo for 2 for $22.95. It was decent, but not great and we had ample leftovers. We got one small plate of bread to accompany it and that was it. Under normal circumstances, we would have asked for more but between the time it would have taken to track down our server and actually get the bread (the way things were going, probably about 45 minutes) it really wasn't worth it.
And at the end of the night after taking care of the bill, we had to go up to the front and ask for our leftovers. The woman ended up mashing all our dishes together into one big gloppy mess and it was so disappointing.
Judging by the high average rating, this was probably a fluke but I will never be back. I rarely just write off a restaurant so it's actually very disappointing to me to have to do this. -
Review from Josephine L.
Boston, MA
6/22/2010
Ethiopian food is one of my favorite cuisines and I make it a point to have it in every city I am in. It's probably a good thing I haven't made it out to DC long enough to have dinner there, because I know how great the Ethiopian food scene is. Doubly fortunate for Fasika too, as with no DC to compare to, they definitely stand heads and shoulders above most places I've been to.
Fasika is very bare bones in terms of decor, and that usually means lots of delicious, authentic flavor because the owners have their priorities straight.
The injera is perfect texture and delightfully sour. The Ethiopian salad and Azifa are both delicious, esp when eaten with pieces of injera. And the beef Sambosa is piping hot, crisp, juicy and absolutely delicious. I was licking my fingers by the end of it, and I did not care who saw me and laughed (well, it was really just my boyfriend and he claimed it was because I was cute).
We settled on the Fasika Combo for Two (I always get combos to maximize options) and chose the Kitfo (beef tartare), Ye-Tibs Firfir (beef cubes in Berbere sauce), Ye-Doro Tibs (chicken), Ye-Gomen Wot (collard greens), Ye-Tikil Gomen, the corn thing (I forget its name) and Tegabino. I also ordered some Ethiopian honey wine because it's the perfect complement. It came in this big, round glass carafe and was so cute (and strong)!
The portions were less spread out on the serving injera than at other places, so initially it looked like we hadn't gotten very much food. Half an hour of munching later and no more than 60% done, that impression had changed. I thought every dish was fantastic, but my favorites were the Kitfo, Ye-Doro Tibs and the green beans with carrots (yeah, I'm too lazy to scroll up and write its Ethiopian name).
Dessert was the Baklava. Or tried to be, but we were both so stuffed that about two-thirds of it were sent back (unfortunately). A word of waning if you use a http://restaurant.com certificate: the value does not include drink orders, only food. If It'd known that, I....might still have gotten the honey wine, but I would have felt more personally responsible for it, ha ha.
If you have a voucher, it's worth the long trek up to Nowheresville, Somerville.Listed in: Ethnic Boston: Authentic,…
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Review from Liza H.
Newton, MA
3/21/2007
The best East African restaurant in Boston. Flavorful, authentic food. This is where the Ethiopian Track team eats after the Boston Marathon.
The Doro Wot, Goreb-goreb, lega tibs, kifto, gomen wot and various legumes dishes are marvelous. The injera bread is better than that served by Addis or Asmara.
Ethiopian bar offerings of honey wine and Hakim Stout beer are super.
Dont expect to eat and run. The service is so slow, you may find the bleached bones of previous diners draped over the chairs still waiting for the check.
And I love this place!Listed in: Horn of Africa
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Review from Sara S.
Boston, MA
3/29/2009
This place is so weird.
If you're looking for an authentic atmosphere, this isn't the Ethiopian restaurant for you. While you may or may not be sitting in low seating and eating with your hands, you'll also be hearing the drunk townies next door singing along to Bon Jovi at 5PM on a Sunday.
I don't know if Fasika is a "front" for some other business, but this strange Irish dive bar in combo with Ethiopian food is bizarre and I don't know how it can be logically explained.
Honey wine was fabulous, and at $16 a bottle, it's pretty damn awesome. We started of the equivalent of a Ethiopian spring roll- filo dough pastry fried and filled with lentils and spices. Yummy, but it seemed like it should be served with some sort of sauce.
I ordered lentils with garlic and ginger. It was OK. Quite bland for my taste, especially at an ethnic restaurant such as this. It was OK, healthy, filling. The bread wasn't warm and a little sour. Still OK, but I prefer Addis Red Sea food to this.
I know I'll be back here only because it's so weird and I like weird places. I also like hole-in-the-wall ethnic places and sketchy people, so Fasika obviously fulfills my needs from that perspective.
Service was attentive but food took a while. They don't take AMEX.
Enjoy, but understand that this is a very, VERY odd dining experience and you're going to have a hard time carrying on a conversation with screaming, karoke-singing drunks in the background. -
Review from Michaela L.
Portland, OR
3/11/2008
All stars are for food, and not ambiance, though Fasika has recently put proper doors between the restaurant and bar that more effectively block the sound. I'm also not a fan of the multiple televisions but that's just me.
My husband is Eritrean and this is the only place we'll go for Ethiopian food in the Boston area (Eritrea won independence from Ethiopia in 1991 in case that connection wasn't clear) when we're not cooking it at home. His favorite is the 'special kitfo,' which is raw, ground beef (you could ask for it slightly cooked if that's offputting) mixed with spices and spiced butter and served with traditional cheese (looks like cottage cheese). Traditionally you follow this with some kind of liquor to kill the bacteria in your stomach.
My favorites are lamb tibs (spicy), chicken stew (not spicy), and one of their vegetable stews with carrots, cabbage and I don't know what. If you don't know what to get, order a meat combo or veggie combo, very hard to go wrong.
On our last visit dinner for 7 with several rounds of drinks and very enthusiastic kitfo eaters ran us $18 apiece including tip. Beware Fasika doesn't take credit cards, the ATM in the restaurant may or may not actually give you cash, and the only bank ATM within walking distance is Citizen's.Listed in: One T Line Limit
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Review from Josh G.
Somerville, MA
6/3/2007
The concoctions coming out of the kitchen of this East African restaurant are fantastic. Simple, hearty food made with care and attention to detail. The value is through the roof as well, with the too-much-to-finish combo for two priced around $20. From the ovens to the kitchen door, Fasika makes the more expensive Ethiopian places in the Boston area look slightly ridiculous. Then the food leaves the kitchen (oh how good it must smell in there!), and....hmm.
Hopefully the owner has been turned onto Yelp, because this is yet another review bemoaning the setting of his restaurant. A framed photo-collage poster of Haile Selassie next to a Budweiser bar mirror? I'm a white boy from SE Mass, and I was uncomfortable with that juxtaposition. This sort of identity crisis permeates the entire room, and it creates an atmosphere that detracts from the meal. With all of the effort put into the food, it's worth it to put a little more into the decor.
They do take out - I haven't tried it yet, but that may bring them up a star. -
Review from annie k.
Los Angeles, CA
1/20/2007
Very strange setting, as mentioned earlier. It works OK I think, but it certainly doesn't qualify as a nice atmosphere like Addis Red Sea.
I really liked the catfish, which tasted fresh from the water, and was spiced delightfully. Along with it came some smoky collard greens, which were excellent. I didn't really like the red lentils, which didn't have enough fat--better versions of this are rich with clarified butter. The injera was OK, but I prefer darker, thicker, whole-grain versions.
Service was incredibly nice, slow, and apologetic for being slow. I'd rate the catfish dish five stars and the lentils two stars, so there's good reason to go (if you like catfish). -
Review from Tammy R.
Arlington, MA
11/3/2010
I've been to Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant four times. The place looks like a dive from the outside; it actually has a side that's a bar. Inside is spare, with basic tables and a few traditional seating areas. The food is straightforward, no-frills and well done. A giant platter of Injera arrives with piles of kitfo, the raw meat awesomeness of an entree, Doro Wat, which is too spicy for me but gobbled up by my husband, and several other piles of yum. I love ayeb begomen, a spiced cottage cheese mixture that cuts the heat of the Berebere spice.
I love tactile food, and Ethiopian promises just that - scooping up mounds of meat and vegetables with spongy Injera, and eating the sauce-sopped remnants of Injera at the end. Fasika is an enjoyable feast, and I hope to go back many more times! -
Review from Flying P.
Somerville, MA
5/19/2007
Fasika is half ethiopian restaurant, half Somerville townie bar. My first time, I passed it twice and looked in the window, only being able to view a bar counter and some really depressed middle aged white men in trucker hats and I thought, this can't be it. Throughout my delicious meal I watched some woman drunkenly dancing to "c'mon eileen", two other women catfighting, while the rest played keno and tried their luck at the dispensable lotto ticket machine. AAAAAAAWESOME.
Food: Excellent. I split the combo platter and had some honey wine. The injera is the best around and I recommend all of the vegetarian dishes(yellow split pea, collard greens, and red lentils were my favorite), as well as any lamb dish with bebere sauce. The honey wine was also interesting, served in some sort of alchemist bottle with a really narrow neck. The service was slow but they are extremely nice. It is amusing/puzzling to watch them tolerate the drunken townies as they cross over from the bar and jokingly pretend they are going to order something.
Ahhh, if this is not a manifestation of what East Somerville is (where the minority is the majority, with some white scatter here and there), I don't know what is. -
Review from Mollie W.
Somerville, MA
11/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
First I would like to say that this was amazing because there were two men eating dinner at the same time we were and they were yelling in English and Ethiopian at the Celtics.... 'Come on!!!' "other words, in language I don't know'... "RONDO!!!!"
Now on to the food.
This was a fantastic dining experience. I'm ashamed that tonight was our first time eating here considering we literally live around the corner..
We ordered the sweet honey wine. And while it was very sweet it was addictive.
Since we had a http://restaurant.com gift card we had to spend 35 (on food, not drink), and between four of us we were stuffed.
We decided to get two appetizers, the sambosa(veg) and the Ethiopian salad. The salad was chopped with an amazing dressing and the sambosa were hot and crisp stuffed with almost a meat-like lentil mixture.
For our meal we shared the non-vegetarian combo for two and an additional order of the fasika lamb special. The combo came with three beef and four vegetarian dishes of our choice
For meat we got the...
Fasika Special (AMAZING
Ye-Minchet Abish Mild (good)
Ye-Minchet Abish Spicy (GREAT)
Kifto- Strange, almost raw, beef in butter....
The vegetarian dishes were all amazing..
We got the..
Tegabino (AMAZING)
Yek-Kik-Alicha (good)
Ye-Misir-Wot(great)
Ye-Atakilt kilikil (great
Our waitress was really nice and attentive, injera showed up immediately when we needed it... we will be back!!! -
Review from Obi ..
Allston, MA
4/7/2007
Having only eaten Ethiopian food once before (at Addis Red Sea), I was excited to take the plunge again. A friend suggested trying Fasika at its new location after lamenting it's loss from JP, so we checked it out early on a Tuesday evening.
Just to reiterate what's already been said - the service is a little slow, but the food itself is fantastic. Unfortunately that in no way compensates for the Bizzaro World environmental battle between the bar and restaurant. Barely separated by a small divider, the place is an aural nightmare, with the bar's jukebox playing Rod Stewart, Boston, Def Leppard, etc. accompanied in full voice by the aforementioned besotted patron at the bar. Mildly amusing at first, then progressively grating. As if to compensate, the TV volume was on relatively loud - I kept expecting Brian Williams to stop his newscast to tell our singer to clam up. The (only) restaurant waitress was doe-eyed and charming while the bartender looked like she had cornered the market on peroxide and fake-tan-in-a-jar. Good food can only carry bad aesthetics so far. -
Review from Kristin M.
San Francisco, CA
8/23/2007
Pros: yummy, hearty, cheap food. I usually share the veggie combo (for 1) and then maybe order an appetizer or extra side. Even if I feel like I am really hungry and need lots of food, this ends up being enough.
Cons: Not as comfortable as the last location. I was freezing from the A/C, the lighting was not thought out (one table in the corner had no lighting), and yes- the bar next door is blasting music that drowns out the Ethiopian music and I'm like, just pick one and stick to it cause I can't handle listening to both. Oh, and they are cash only.
I would definetly come here for the food. If you are looking for atmosphere for a date or something, go to Addis (more expensive and ritzy). I've been to Asmara and didn't like the food much at all, so have never been back.Listed in: Around Davis Square
-
Review from Scott F.
Brookline, MA
5/15/2008
Go for the food, really. Cheap, quality, yummy - but the service ain't so great. Basically, this place is a bar on one side (full o' townies drinking PBRs, etc.) and a restaurant on the other.
Last time I was there, a patron (on the bar side) was delivering a drunken lecture on the virtues of REO Speedwagon. No joke.
Again, great food. Slow service. Odd clientele. Don't go if you're in a rush or can't tolerate loud discussions of (should be) forgotten bands.
Oh yeah - this stuff rocks for takeout. Heats up nice 'n' easy the next day too! -
Review from Roberto C.
Somerville, MA
8/3/2007
The previous reviews here are spot on but I feel the need to lob in my two cents. Looks a little sketch from the outside & if you go to the right there's the odd (Foreigner Four & Journey were big tonight) townie bar right there & then the restaurant.
Okay, the ambiance was questionable - but the food was PHENOMENAL. We got the special for two (~$20) w/four beers & we were under $40 including tip. I've never had Ethiopian before, but it was very good & our waitress was great & very fast. Highly recommend these guys - we're definitely coming back soon! -
Review from Kristin C.
New Haven, CT
4/3/2008
For takeout - 5 stars
For eat-in - 2 stars
I had read the reviews, so I was expecting to have to put up with slow service and a weird atmosphere in order to get some good grub. And the food was good! FAR superior to Addis Red Sea; downright tasty. We got the vegetarian combination and really liked the cabbage/carrot dish, some kind of stringbean dish, and the red lentil dish (the green lentil dish was the only one that was yucko.)
But the service was among the bottom 10 places I've ever been to in my life. We ordered the veggie combo as soon as we sat down, knowing we'd have to wait a while, and when the food eventually came, we asked the server what the dishes were. "Veggie combo" she says. "Yeah, but what are the different foods?" She shrugs and says "Everything, I don't know," and walks off.
We had to ask for drinks again and again, and when she finally brought (very tasty honey-) wine, she didn't bring a glass until we asked repeatedly again. We asked for one tonic water (multiple times) and she brought two bottles of spring water. We said we had asked for tonic water, she shrugs again, says "Well this is what the bartender gave me" and just stands there until we ask her to go back to the bartender again. We asked if they had mint tea, she said yes, and when she finally brought tea, it was Lipton - no mint. It was a truly aggravating experience all around - the drinks are just one example. (She never brought the check, for another.)
The food's quite good & we'll look forward to eating it again - in the comfort of our own home. -
Review from Anna B.
Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA
5/25/2010
Call me harsh, but I can't eat food when it looks like poo!
:(
The boyfriend begged me to come out and eat Ethiopian with him (which he loved doing in DC) and flooded my ears with praise, so I finally decided to tag along with him one night. Boy, was that a mistake. But then what was a small-city girl supposed to expect? First of all, why the hell is Somerville mad sketch at 8pm on a Wednesday night!?! And how far away is this place from the T? We took it to Sullivan Station, but it in my 3" heels, I thought I might pass out before we arrived.
On our journey, I saw a total of 3 liquor stores, a gang behind a church, about 9 guidos (not all together, surprisingly), and at least THREE lowriders from the West Coast with hydraulics.
When we finally arrive to our destination, I went in only to be greeted by...NO ONE! Awkwardly, we stood around the door and finally seated ourselves. After waiting for he server (which took about 10 minutes), I decided to venture and check out the set-up of the room. Everything is made out of hardwood and when you go toward the bathrooms, there's another bar area in which looks pretty contemporary and relaxing. But since we came to eat, we sat right near the door (we should have planned it better since it was about -40 degrees out and every time the door opened, I squealed) which had one of those fancy native tables...weaved basket table? lol
Despite my ignorance, we ordered a bunch of things:
-Ye Beg Alicha (Lamb in tumeric sauce)
-Doro Wot (broiled chicken in a special tangy sauce)
-Ye Minchet Abish (beef in a ginger/onion sauce)
Overall, the service was fast and warm. I definitely enjoyed talking to the waitress who politely handed me a napkin when she realized I had been chewing and spitting out some of the bones all over myself... And she taught me a couple of words on the menu and explained how these dishes were more traditional than others.
Surprisingly, I didn't enjoy many of the meat dishes. I barely got the lamb down my throat when I felt the spices tingling my mouth and I had to spit it out. And the beef just had to strangest sauce/smell that I couldn't manage to eat more than a few bites. However, I found the chicken dish the most flavorful, but that wasn't saying much. There were too many little bones, and everything was just mush.
Despite having a bunch of leftovers (usually leftovers end up being my second dinner), I didn't bother. I guess I'm just not a fan of Ethiopian after all. -
Review from Ladyjane S.
Cambridge, MA
9/17/2008
I had a hard time with this one... the food tasted great and the atmosphere really wasn't too bad. I rather liked it...especially that they have a bunch of their traditional tables. The bar music (and conversation) in the background was only slightly distracting...
I do have some gripes:
1) the food was not hot...in either meaning. It didnt bother me so much that the food wasn't spicy but most of it was barely lukewarm. call me crazy, but I don't like it when cooked food tastes like its been sitting out for half an hour...which it quite possibly may have...
Actually, that really is my only gripe, because the food still tasted good (we got the combo platter for 2) and the waitress was actually very attentive and fairly quick. Also, the price can't be beat for this type of food.
I'll definitely be back, and next time I'll ask for it "HOT"! -
Review from Liana K.
12/26/2009
Ethopian food is just awesome and there's not too many options for it in Boston, so while this is not the best, the fact that it is ethopian is yummy enough. We got our order confused where we ended up with 12 dishes for 6 people when we thought we just ordered 3 of the big dishes for 2 people, so it was a bit frustrating that the waiter never commented on thinking its a tad bit weird that we have 12 dishes for 6 people. The staff is kinda cold and detached but the food was still awesome. sadly ethopian food doesn't make for the greatest leftovers.
The decor is kinda trashy hole in the wall with loud music bar in the other room where they try to combine dive bar and ethopian resturant in one location. Odd combination but they do what they need to survive.
and honey wine! so good. -
Review from Zachary A.
MA
4/4/2007
I'm no pro when it comes to Ethiopian food as I've only had it twice in my life (the first time in Denver and followed by Fasikas original location off Huntington).
I went to this place based on the reviews....and must say it was a great first experience. The service was somewhat slow but that's fine...she was very pleasant and seemed to be the only person holding the place down (which got crowded around 6). My girlfriend and I ordered the combo plate ($19.95) with lamb, beef and chicken along with lentils, collared greens, split peas and some sort of traditional curry. The food very tasty. Again...I'm no pro so I can't really rate based on other places. Far as drinks go I ordered a native Stout (Hakim?) which was great and only $4.00 then switched to Michelob drafts which were only $3.00 while my g/f had some regular wine.
The bar that splits the place is strange. One side is Ethiopian while the other is just plain old shitheads (trashy white folk). They kept feeding the jukebox with the likes of Summer of 69, Bon Jovi and other horrible songs ...to top it off some asshole was singing along the entire time and doing the guitar solos using his voice...unbearable. With Ethiopia having such amazing music I would much rather hear something that goes along with the food...if I wanted to hear a bunch of jerkoff's sing I'd go to a dive and eat a burger....but at an Ethiopian spot? I bet if they got rid of the jukebox and keno it would get rid of most of them however it could be some added income so whatever....
All in all the place was really good.....I plan on going back for the catfish that everyone here is raving about.
Oh..if you forget to bring cash they have an ATM at the place...$2.00 service charge. -
Review from John E.
Hopedale, MA
2/18/2008
Hooray! We've finally found a good Ethiopian restaurant in the Boston area. Fasika doesn't rank with our favorites in California or DC, but it is way ahead of the local competition.
It's an odd combination of local bar and small restaurant, but the two are in separate rooms with their own entrances. Since we have a toddler, we showed up as they opened. At 5:30, the bar was pretty quiet. There were maybe two people inside. As a result, our dining experience was very nice, and we didn't get any noise bleed from next door as others have reported. -
Review from Fazle K.
Medford, MA
5/5/2009
The restaurant used to be in JP and we would drive way out of our way to eat there, then it suddenly closed. By chance we happen to noticed it reopened in Somerville now we go all the time.
You definitely need patience with the service. This is not a place of a quick meal, but if you want a relaxing in expensive meal in a casual atmosphere this place is great.
