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Union St (M, R)
Bergen St (2, 3)
Atlantic Ave-Pacific St (2, 3, 4, 5, M, N, Q, W, R, B, D)
Tue-Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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I came to Ghenet Ethiopian on a date a few weeks ago. I had never had Ethiopian food and was anticipating an experience similar to that of Ben Stiller's at the Indian restaurant in Along Came Polly. The food was definitely spicy and it was all finger food much like Stiller's but I did not break a sweat and was not destroying my girlfriends bathroom afterwards.
This little place in the slope is darkly lit and has a fantastic design with interesting paneling all along the walls. The seats are bench style with a few pillows for you to put behind your back if you like. The service was good and timely and it was just a very relaxing place to be.
The food was absolutely delicious. It was cooked very quickly and it doesn't look like there is a lot on your plate when they bring it but hot damn was I full. We ordered the platter to share and we picked at everything on the plate. Mushrooms, beef, peas, and even a hard boiled egg, the food was great. My only complaint was that it is a bit on the pricey side but I'm told most Ethiopian food is so if you're going here you probably already know that.
I'm a big fan of Ethiopian food and I'm spoiled in San Francisco by Assab who make an awesome kantisha (mushroom w/ berbere) dish. On a recent trip to NYC for music I was also on a hunt for a restaurant to match.
Ghenet was a pilgrimage from Manhattan but seeing a vegan friendly menu made my mouth water for good, fresh ingredients and I was not disappointed! I can only speak for the veggie dishes but I went with a group and the carnivores were just as pleased as I was.
The menu is a little pricier than I'm used to, but I walked away satisfied. Also, you wouldn't think it from the outside, but the decor is chill and chic. I have a feeling whenever I'm in NYC, I'll be hitting up Ghenet.
So I really enjoy Ethiopian food, and I LOVE injera bread. I went with 3 other friends (1 picky eater, 1 spicy lover, 1 semi- foodie) I had a single combination platter with chicken, mushrooms, and some type of beans. It was more than enough for one sitting, so I was able to doggy bag some of it home. The food was somewhat saltier than i expected, but I guess thats why there is injera bread on the side. =) The food was very spicy, so be prepared for that. My plate + tax + tips came out to be like $21.
Dim lighting atmosphere at night- romantic and cozy i guess.
I went on a Tuesday night, so service was pretty quick.
I'm a huge fan of Ethiopian food and in my opinion, Ghenet is the best in the entire city. 4.5 stars. Good portions, good food, good service and the ambiance is spectacular - no bad lighting/tasteless decor here.
Great date spot or to dine with friends. Then go get a drink/see a show at littlefield, just 2 blocks away!
"I'm feeling lazy.. let's get delivery."
"Ok, what are you in the mood for?"
"Well... what I'd REALLY like is Ethiopian, but there's no way we'll find a place that delivers."
Sure was nice to be wrong about that one. Not only do they deliver, it's some of the best Ethiopian I've ever had. At first I balked at the prices (around $35 for a vegetarian combo for two), but the high quality of the food, very generous portions, and quick, neatly packaged delivery made it well worth it.
Now I just need to find a shop nearby that sells honey wine.
I used to frequent their Manhattan location. I have tried a lot of different spots...Queen of Sheba in Hell's Kitchen which has gone down hill in service and taste since 6 years ago, there's other spots in Hell's Kitchen, the East Village and even a spot I've eaten at near Columbia University.
They all are either horrible service or less than tasty food.
Ghenet has tasty injera, nice portions and nice staff. The service isn't fantastic. I've def not had my water filled as often as I would have liked but for the most part they rate number 1 in my book for NYC Ethiopian. It's similar in taste to the Ethiopian food I grew up with in Berkeley, California.
So apparently this restaurant was in Manhattan and it closed and reopened in Brooklyn.
The food was ok.
I will start by saying I have never had Ethopian food before and I enjoyed eating at Ghenet, it but the food wasn't spectacular.
I am not really in a hurry to go back.
The facts:
Ghenet is across the street from the "sheep station" a rocking australian bar I love. For some reason I never really realized this fact until I was walking home.
@ Ghenet you will most likely be served in a huge dish with various meet neatly positioned on the bread everyone raves about. Get ready to eat with your hands
@Ghenet the food will be a bit spicy so make sure if you don't like spice don't order here. The couple next to us asked for something to dim the spice and the nice watress kindly shook her head no and say we don't have anything. (basically shut the fuck up bitch and eat the food!).
@Ghenet they have a really great Ethopian beer with I really enjoy, I can't remember the name.
Lastly, the decor is lovely and cute. The bathroom is spacious and well lit from above.
Thats all i got folks
now go, go enjoy Ethopia's finest import at your doorstep.
ooooh and they deliver, for those brooklynites
This is amazing Ethiopian food. Even the injera was noticeably better than my former favorite Ethiopian place (Asmara in Cambridge, MA). I got the vegetarian combination, and every single item was delicious. it is impossible to choose a favorite, and the portions were very generous.
I would describe the restaurant as cute and cozy, but the decor was nothing to rave about.
The only possible complaint is that the meat combination meal only allows you to choose one meat dish, and the meat dishes are somewhat limited. As a vegetarian, I couldn't care less, but I felt obligated to represent the carnivorous opinon for you meat-eaters out there.
Ghenet's is the BEST restaurant for Ethiopian food in NYC! Great food, wonderful staff, amazing ambiance and the best macchiato's I have ever had. Perfect place to try Ethiopian food for the first time since the staff can help you decide what to order. Ask for Hannah--she's the sweetest! Go--you will not be disappointed.
Ghenet is a really great addition to the neighborhood. The food was really well done -- tender meat, the right level of spiciness, fresh injera bread, good Tej honey wine. Plus, the staff was really helpful and considerate. Highly recommended.
Never having Ethiopian food before, I didn't know what to expect but the reality was better than anything my imagination could've conjured up.
FIrst, it was a nice walking distance from the sub station to the restaurant located in Brooklyn.
The restaurant was small but nicely decorated with lattice screens and some candles giving the place a very peaceful feeling hence, "Ghenet- where angels eat".
We ordered a huge combination platter with chickpeas, collared greens, spicy chicken, beef cubed, tuna cubes, and mushrooms and injera bread. I'm fascinated with this bread because the color reminds me of clay but the texture is spongy and soft. And like an unseasoned traveler, I was looking for utensils but this is a dig-in-with-your-fingers place. Very authentic.
Good thing I'm not a novice to eating with my fingers or trying new adventures, I dug into the food with abandonment- tearing the injera bread and scooping up the tasty morsels.
My fav are the tuna cubes/tartare (better than most sushi/seafood any places) and the beef cubes. The chicken was really good too but it was kinda hard tearing the meat from the bones w/o utensils =)~
We toasted our feast with Ethiopian beer which had way more flava than your American beer.
A plate ranges from @$10-$25 and the portions are decent but I recommend for everyone to try this place. So, feeling stuffed and at peace with the world, we waddled back to the subway station to head back to Manhattan. I hope I'll be rewarded with wings in the next life =)
Excellent Ethiopian food! I was heartbroken when I heard that their Elizabeth outpost had closed... I thought the ambiance of that location was far superior to this Brooklyn location.
All and all, the food is still excellent. The combination dinners are still a bargain and go excellently with a bottle of tej (honey wine). Better than Meskerem and just about all the other Ethiopian restaurants I've been.
What's odd to me is the decor. The front room is trendy like a corner Thai restaurant in Manhattan and the back room is sparsely decorated. It feels like what I'm guessing its intended use was - a backyard patio. There's no charm. Plus, the heater was blowing air right at our table - it dried out my eyes. Ugh. It's not a big deal, but it made it that much harder to enjoy my meal.
All and all, still delicious and I'm happy it's in my nabe.
I've never had Ethiopian food, so I didn't really know what to expect. A friend of mine strongly recommended this place so we went. This was a far walk from the subway station, so I was thinking to myself, "This better be extremely delicious".
I love this place!!! The atmosphere was small, dark, but cozy. What's great is that my friends and I went at 11pm and the staff was still extremely friendly. Half of us ordered the mango juice which was delicious and didn't taste artificial at all. Some ordered the Ethiopian beer; I remember the name started with 'Saint' and they said it was really good.
Food wise, our table ordered some kind of combination (my friend, a regular, helped us order most of the stuff). But from what I remember, the combo included 1) pickled cabbage and potatoes, 2) Doro Aletcha chicken, 3) Sega Tibs beef, 4) tuna, 5) mushrooms, 6) some kind of veggie, 7) and this really REALLY delicious paste-like concoction. This was all placed on one large plate. I didn't know what most of the stuff was on the plate in front of us, but I didn't care because it was SO good! I would say most of the food had a tangy taste to it; it didn't taste unfamiliar, but it was refreshing and unique. The bread you are given to scoop up the food with your hands has a sour-dough characteristic. It tastes a little strange on its own, but mixed in with the food made everything amazing! It doesn't look like a ton of food at first, but we were all definitely satisfied and couldn't even clear off our entire plate.
Because of Ghenet, I now LOVE Ethiopian food and will definitely be coming back to this place!
Food was good! And...the ambience was great! I absolutely love this place. It is unassuming from the outside,but it is a cute little spot to get away for dinner. We shared a combo platter for 2, and the portions were very generous! We had lentils, cabbage, mushrooms, and collard greens for veggies; and we had chicken and a beef stew. All were very good, but I wished they had more meat options, ie lamb or maybe fish?
I really liked the decor, they had a yellow couch lining the wall of the restaurant, and for chairs, they had stools. It felt very relaxed ;-) Will definitely go back when I need an Ethiopian fix!!
I was an Ethiopian cuisine virgin until Ghenet with all the typical signs - nervous with sweaty palms etc - but very fortunate to have an experienced cuisine eater guide me through the process who knew exactly what he was doing. I'll always remember my first time. And it was good.
Naturally, I let him make the first move by ordering. The menu was a foreign language. He asked me so patiently what I liked and didn't like which made me feel secure and sure of this decision. He ordered the Ghenet Combination for 2 plus another veggie thing I couldn't pronounce (the beef stew, 2 lentils, and chick peas).
He wooed me without utensils and I sat back and relaxed, took it all in with the lentil dish and I found myself not being able to hold back. I smiled with a little yelp for the spicy beef out of curiosity and excitement. I was very happy. I didn't know what to make of Injera, the spongy bread though. Was it actually bread? Is he trying to push this experimentation to new limits my first time? Eh, spongy bread is an acquired taste; it takes practice. But with the comfy setting, the dim lighting, the fantastic service (expect some type of wait. this place is popular) and the romantic mood, I soon forgot i was eating a chewy moist sour thing.
In the end, we licked our plates clean, full and satisfied. He knew exactly what would hit the spot. How was my first time? I'd do it a second, that's for sure!
The food and atmosphere are great, but they ripped us off. They need to post that there's apparently a minimum food charge per person. The four of us ordered at least $10 in food or drinks per person, but they made us order more food -- even though it wasn't remotely crowded, and not all of us wanted to eat (some were there just for cocktails). To add insult to injury, they then added an automatic gratuity of over 15% to our bill. This policy was also not on the menu. We complained, and they just stared at us silently. It was weird, rude, and we're unfortunately not going to return.
Love love love ethiopian food. I have never been to the Ghenet in Manhattan but if its anything as good as this joint I need to take a trip.
The vegetartian platter is the best of all 3 ethiopian spots ive hit up (awash, queen of sheeba). The prices are a tad bit higher but nothing that would keep me from going back.
Very nice atmosphere probably due to it being new but definitely more modern than its competitors.
Yum yum. Hit this place up if you're in the area. You definitely wont regret it.
Vegan friendly
I love this place. I was upset when I went to the Manhattan location to find out that it was closed. It was great news to hear they'd reopened in Park Slope. This location is a little smaller, but it's nice they have AC now. The food is phenomenal. I love finding plenty of options in food since I'm a vegetarian. You can get a family style plate that gives you just about every vegetarian entree on the menu... and they're all fabulous. I'm not a big fan of injera bread, but remember, you use it as a "scoop" for the food... not really as the food itself. This place is GREAT.
Sweet Geesus!
Going out for Ethiopian used to be the obligatory gesture made by my baby, once a year, on my birthday to appease me. See, even though I could eat Mexican every day, Ethiopian is my ABSOLUTE fave. My guy, however, has been unimpressed by a lack of ambiance, poopy wine lists, and slow, inattentive service that plague so many Ethiopian restaurants.
But Ghenet in Brooklyn has done what no other Ethiopian restaurant has been able to--make my guy look forward to coming back. It's small but kinda(?) stylish, offers a full bar, and our spunky server was tending to a full house all by herself but she was great about checking in on us. Our vegetarian platter was amazing--rich and savory, and Ghenet doesn't chintz on the injera. Be warned--portions are HUGE. Our two-person order could have easily fed three, and probably four.
Two complaints:The sambusas were disappointing as the lentils were dry--each bite meant lentils spilled out on the plate. And we were out of water for most of our meal--big no no as you get hella thirsty eating Ethiopian. They need to get water carafes or more help on the floor. Still, neither of those will keep me--OR MY BABY!--from going back again.
I am picky about Ethiopian, and this one is great. Veggie combo x2 = 8 dishes, so we were able to try some I haven't had before. The lentils were deliciously spicy and delicious. They even gave our French tablemates silverware without a grumble. We didn't try the coffee, but that's in store for next time.
Mmm mmm good, yummy for my tummy! I'm a huge fan of Ethiopian food, love it, such a fun social meal! This was my first try in NYC, having tried a handful of places in SF and Berkeley. So I was very excited to try Ghenet in my own hood. I'm not a big meat eater, so I got the veggie combo - lentils (my fave!), cabbage and potatoes, green beans, collard greens, and split peas. He ordered the lamb. We mostly shared everything, the veggies came on 1 giant plate, lined with injera, and the lamb was poured into the middle (with our permission, since not everyone likes meat touching their veggies), but we fought over the lentils. Everything was delicious though, including the injera. We were super stuffed in the end, and very, very happy. I can't wait to go back! Who wants to join us?
Ghenet is a decent enough place. This being my first time here and my first foray into Ethiopian food I won't claim to be an expert. However, we should all admit that when it comes to any ethnic food, if it's not in the appropriate ethnic neighborhood most likely everything will be Americanized. Or softened for the Yankee's palate. Three of us went and shared a samosa like appetizer, some sauteed mushrooms, mild beef stew, lamb stew and some vegetables. All of this came with a sourdough like flat bread. The samosas and mushrooms were seasoned well as were the meat dishes. The beef was a bit dry but still tasty. The flat bread was the most interesting part because it tastes like it's full of lemon, it's really the fermentation which gives it the tartness. However, one gets tired of the bread t overwhelming the food so you revert to just eating the meat.
Like I say it's a decent enough place and I'd certainky go back. I hear Queen of Sheba is a bit truer to Ethiopian form so I will definitely go there if not Addis Ababa itself.
I request that Ryan Matthew be stripped of his "first to review" on this one and it be given to Katie S. You can't review a place that hasn't even opened yet and writing three sentences about how great you think its going to be is NOT A REVIEW.
I, on the other hand, DID GO TO GHENET last night and thought that it was amazing. I've only eaten Ethiopian once before, AWASH in Manhattan, and I though this was leaps and bounds better. We were a small group of three so we decided getting the sharing platter would be the best bet. It gave us the opportunity to try 3 of their meats, Chicken and 2 beef options and all of the vegetable options. My favorites were the collard greens, spicy mushrooms and potatoes & carrots. The honey wine pairs nicely with the spicier items.
The decor is different from the Ghenet in Manhattan as well as being a bit smaller in size. Strange for Brooklyn - you'd think it would be bigger. Still there are a good number of seats and larger tables for bigger groups are plentiful. I feel more relaxed in this place than I do in a lot of restaurants in new york. Perhaps is the comfy benches or the low light or perhaps the dark decor. At any rate, this has quickly become one of my favorites in the city.
This was my first experience with Ethiopian and it did not disappoint. My lady has praised this joint after several lovely experiences. It was indeed crowded so we sat at the bar. The lamb was amazing, as were the other veg options with that spongy bread. Be warned: it expands in your stomach, so best to go slow and eat in small segments. The staff was very warm and we got a round of drinks on them (as well as a simple but satisfying pear dessert).
Oh Eric, don't be like that...
My experience at Ghenet this evening was ok. I started out with the vegetarian Sambousa which the first time around turned out to be meat...ack! A simple annoyance which was quickly fixed, but an all too consistent mistake made by their twin in Manhattan. How much effort does it take to label your product?
Anyway, after the sambousa I had a fantastic vegetarian mesob with a selection of five vegetarian options. I wish I could list them, but alas, the names are hard to remember and after 4 glasses of that fantastic honey wine it's even more difficult.
Pros: Good food, excellent service and cute atmosphere
Cons: Veggies need to watch their back and the windows need drapes or shades. If you arrive before sundown the sun is killer.
And if you were to ask where to go for Ethiopian in NYC, I'll still emphatically suggest Queen of Sheba. However, this is still a great addition to Park Slope's ever expanding list of culinary choices.
I went here for dinner on a Friday, it was very crowded and loud, but the place looks great and the food is fantastic. I've had Ethiopian before, but this was much better. We waited a while for a table but it was worth it.
The meal started with the beef Sambuca, it was very small but tasty, similar to a samosa or empanada. Crisp and not greasy with something like a red pepper sauce i believe, would have been great if it were about twice as big. For the entrees we shared the vegan vegetable combo with just about everything and the Tuna with shallots and peppers and spices. The vegetable combo was excellent. It arrived on one huge plate, no utensils of course, and we all dug in with our hands. I'm delighted to say that every table i saw did the same, nobody asks for forks in this neighborhood i assume. Good stuff. The meal was fun and filling. I don't recall all the items there were about 8 in total, but i really liked a few items i don't usually enjoy, the carrots and the pea dishes were both unexpectedly excellent. The mushrooms had alot of spices although it was not quiet spicy, a 10 on the intense flavor scale. Most of the vegetables were blended, except for the mushrooms and green beans.
The Tuna dish was a perfect addition, right in the middle of the vegetable dish, thus voiding the vegan/vegetarian factor, thankfully my vegan friend was cool with it. I expected chunks of cooked tuna and spices, which i though sounded good although in the back of my mind i know tuna is better raw... To my surprise it arrived raw! Not seared or anything, this reminded me of spicy tuna don, except instead of rice, it is on that wonderful thin pancake. A heaping pile of fresh raw tuna, mixed with shallots I believe and pepers, wonderful simple dish. It really matched perfectly with the heavy, spicy, rich vegetable dishes around it.
We did not have any meat dishes for the main course, the fish and vegetables were way enough. 4 People, drinks, dessert and 1 app came to about 125, so i'd say its a good deal. The servers were very nice, but not very attentive, they could use more staff. Highly recommended.
I don't eat a ton of Ethiopian food but I definitely enjoyed Ghenet. The atmosphere is chic but comfortable and the food was tasty. I cannot tell you what we ordered, all I know is that we devoured a big combo of meat and vegetarian items. Some of the veggie dishes were spicey, which I dug.. went on a Sunday night and it wasn't crowded at all.
This is my 2nd time having ethiopian food and I love it! This place is very mellow and the service was great. Not to mention the food! Everything was delicous and the amount of food you get for 2 people sharing is excellent. A neat place to take visitors too.
My first time at Ghenet tonight and I'd go back in a heartbeat. We got the combination platter, which gave us the opportunity to try 2 mains and 4 vegetarian sides. Loved, loved, loved it. Wonderful variety in hotness, nothing out of the ballpark, but everything had intense, different flavors. My fave was the collards and the buttery cabbage, potato and carrot. My husband liked the lentils (not dry at all and quite spicy) and we both loved the whole meal. We thought we were finished until they offered dessert--house made sorbets, the perfect cooling end to the meal. I had honey wine and he had blood orange--mahvelous!
Service was perfect, just attentive enough and a tangible undercurrent of kindness. Decor pleasant and the noise factor perfect--noisy enough to have privacy when you speak, not tinny enough to drown out your dinner companions when they speak.
We'll be back!
We need good Ethiopian food in Park Slope, but this is not the venue to change that fact.
Fun, communal dining experience and tasty comfort food. Love the injera bread and found the beef dishes better than the chicken. For photos of the various dishes and further explanation, check out my food blog. You can find the address in my profile.
I am so happy that Genet has opened a branch in Brooklyn. The decor is nicer than at the Manhattan location, and the food, as I hoped, was excellent. The service was great; no one hovered, but water glasses were filled promptly and dishes were cleared at the appropriate time. Plus, all the waitstaff was very friendly. We ordered the vegetarian platter for two, which allowed us to try all eight of the veggie dishes. There wasn't one that I didn't enjoy. They seemed to serve us less Injera bread than I've gotten before, but they brought us more without hesitation. I was definitely pleased with the experience and I know we'll go back.
Good, but not great, Ethiopian food. The meat dishes I had were somewhat tough, though the vegetable dishes were all outstanding. I do love Ethiopian food, and it's close, so I'll be back, but I've certainly had better.
I would not call myself an expert on Ethiopian cuisine, but rather an advanced intermediate savant de consumption. As such, this restaurant is best I've encountered in NYC. If you love Ethiopian food like I do you will thoroughly enjoy your meal at this restaurant. Relative to other places I've been, the prices here are a bit high, but if you go with two or more people and get the combination special you will actually pay less than usual for a lot of really good food (each person ordering gets two vegetable dishes and a meat dish for around 15 dollars). While everything my dining mate and I tried here was high quality, we both really loved the gomen, which is a sauteed collards dish. I'll leave it up to you to try the other great items on the menu, but let it be known that the injera was good. It wasn't overly thick, too dry, or wet (except for the injera on the main plate, which is always delectably saturated with the exquisite juices of Ethiopia's patria victus).
For my first taste of Ethiopian, Ghenet was pretty damn good. There was a lot of discussion at our table about the combo plates and whether to get them or not, given that they suggest whole entrees will be coming your way at a ridiculously cheap price compared with the price for a single entrees. We ended up going with one vegetarian combo for two (eight little piles of different foods) and one Ghenet combo for two (six little piles of food, two of which are meat). I would disagree with other posters that a combo for two can feed more than two, though. Anyway, I was unaware of the Ethiopian way of eating, which apparently involves crepe-like things instead of utensils. So, if you go here, like crepes. Kinda bizarre but fun. I definitely enjoyed the atmosphere, decor and service, and the food was pretty good too. Some things were pretty spicy; others not so much. Also: honey wine! As advertised. Crazy but good. Next time we'll try some appetizers and maybe branch out to the non-combo'd entrees. And I do think there will be a next time.
We were thrilled to find this mecca of delicious Ethiopian food in a lively, charming setting with great service in our neighborhood...yet another reason to stay local in Brooklyn!! Ghenet has plenty of vegetarian dishes. Their soups, which the waitress easily confirmed were vegetarian, were really tasty although didn't seem particularly Ethiopian...but who cares? We always opt for the vegetarian tasting platter for two...plenty of food and it allows you to taste everything. The mushroom dish is pretty unique...I haven't seen it at other Ethiopian restaurants. Also, the interior of the space itself is beautiful!
We tried Ghenet recently since we are Ethiopian food lovers. It was ok but was not impressed. We've had better. For appetizers we ordered sambusa which was minuscule. For dinner we ordered the veggie combo which lacked flavor (felt a little watered down) and you only get 4 (if you want to add a 5th it is $13). The lamb was pretty good but dry and the injera was super thin (maybe that's how it is supposed to be??) On a positive note, they did a wonderful job decorating. The space is small but they've made it extremely cohesive and soothing but since this is not a spa...I'm not sure I would recommend this place to the Ethiopian food lover.
unimpressed, the worst Ethiopian I have eaten, the place was packed, but they arent ready to handle the load yet . service was friendly, but the food was so unflavorful bad I dont think Ill go back.
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