While Eugene itself may have lacked an Ethiopian restaurant for some time, the flavors of Ethiopia and Eritrea have finally arrived thanks to the dedication of local entrepreneurs. For those craving authentic Ethiopian cuisine, a visit to Portland has always been a viable option, but now Eugene residents can savor these dishes closer to home.
Fortunately for residents and visitors of Eugene, the culinary landscape has expanded to include Zagwe's Restaurant, an Ethiopian and Eritrean establishment.
Zagwe's Restaurant is located at 298 Blair Blvd., Eugene. It is run by Paolos and Eden Kidanemariam, the same couple who brought the Ethiopian food cart, Makeda's Cuisine, to the city almost three years ago.
The restaurant officially opened at the beginning of August in a building on Blair Boulevard. It's an interesting spot as it has just a small dining room but ample space outside, including a patio and small stage. The location has a long history of turnover, including One Cup, Vanilla Jill's, Shield Bistro and then Whitburger before becoming Zagwe's. Fortuitously, the Kidanemariam's restaurant fits right into the Whitaker neighborhood and the array of diverse restaurants surrounding it.
"This was our dream - from nothing to this," Eden said, gesturing to the restaurant behind her. "Having a restaurant, even this small, it may seem like a small thing, but for us this is a huge event."
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The journey from food cart to restaurant has been one of resilience, patience and community support, Eden said. Just to open the food truck took five years on its own, while trying to get the restaurant space took six months of negotiations.
Ironically, opening a brick and mortar space wasn't even on their mind until a customer asked if they had an official restaurant. The customer was appalled the Kidanemariams only had the cart and recommended a restaurant space. The couple looked into it, propelling them into securing what is now Zagwe's Restaurant.
At the restaurant, it seemed most customers coming in knew Eden or Paolos, the couple greeting folks by name. With each exchange, folks congratulated the couple before ordering and getting seated.
The Kidanemariams said they feel this is their American dream realized, and are grateful to the customers, friends and family who have remained alongside them on their journey.
Ethiopia and Eritrea are neighboring countries and as a result share many similar culinary characteristics. Paolos said the cuisine is primarily described as having bold flavors and spice.
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The primary seasoning used is berbere, a seasoning mix comprised of turmeric, cumin, cardamom and sea salt. The seasoning can also have other spices like fenugreek, chili pepper, coriander, garlic and more. The spice is a rich flavor and used in many of the dishes, adding greater depth of flavor.
Rather than pita bread, Ethiopians eat injera, which is a spongy, fermented flatbread made of teff flour. It is made in-house and is also gluten-free.
Ethiopian food is typically eaten with your hands and is encouraged in the restaurant, but feel free to request utensils if you want them, Paolos said.
If you're familiar with the menu from Makeda's Cuisine, which remains open, you'll find that and more dishes at Zagwe's.
All of the food is served over injera on a large metal platter. Compared to Makeda's, where all the food had to be packaged separately, it's all laid out.
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If you don't want to just have one of the entrees, you can get a combination platter of either vegetarian or beef and vegetarian. All of these combinations come with a side salad.
Some new dishes include medium rare tri-tip steak cooked in clarified butter with Ethiopian spices, and lamb tibs. There are also mushroom tibs, made with portobello mushrooms for vegetarians.
Some standouts are drinks like tej (Ethiopian honey wine), beer and cocktails.
Eden makes the tej in-house, and it's similar to standard American meads. It is not as sweet, but still a light, enjoyable beverage.
The Ethiopian beers are lagers and light, as the beer culture is influenced more by European beers than American, Paolos said.
Ethiopian cocktails are inspired by the cuisine's flavors, and not actually from the cocktail culture of Ethiopia, Paolos said.
The restaurant's name is a tribute to Paolos' father and an ode to the couple's heritage. The two are second generation Ethiopians, whose love of cooking was influenced by their mothers teaching them to cook.
Paolos said the restaurant name is in reference to the Zagwe dynasty, a medieval dynasty that ruled over modern-day northern Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is an era that is well known for the construction of rock-hewn monolithic churches of Lalibela under King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela. He said his father had always claimed to be a direct descendent but Paolos and his siblings didn't really believe him. It wasn't until his father's passing that Paolos and his family discovered documents tracing the family's lineage. They claimed his father was actually correct.
Paolos felt honoring his father through the restaurant's name was apt.
The couple are eventually planning to have themed music nights, like reggae and various genres of African music, plus performers.
A platter of Ethiopian and Eritrean dishes served with injera.
For those willing to venture a bit further, Portland offers a more established Ethiopian culinary scene. Tucked among Portland’s countless food carts and restaurants, a handful of Ethiopian and Eritrean kitchens craft thoughtful stews, collard greens, and lentils fragrant with the region’s spice blends, like earthy berbere or piquant mitmita. As the weather chills, the warm, layered stews and sauces of the countries’ cuisines make for exceptional fall fare.
Portland’s Habesha or Abyssinian enclaves reside primarily in the Northeastern corridor along Martin Luther King Jr. between Fremont and Ainsworth, but also include a few spots just south of the hub. Regardless of location, expect to order an eclectic mix of dishes to scoop with injera, the quintessential spongy flatbread.
Here are a few notable Ethiopian restaurants in Portland:
- Enat Kitchen Restaurant: Just a stone’s throw from E’Njoni Cafe, Enat Kitchen dishes out an extensive mix of vegan, vegetarian, and meat-centric entrees, from the garlicky collard green dish gomen to the buttery minced beef of the Enat Special. The key wot stew comes with your choice of meat, seasoned with berbere, a spice blend of red chili powder, garlic, nigella, and fenugreek. Ethiopian incense looms throughout the restaurant as the family-run kitchen turns out traditional platters, like the Aberus combination sampler with a taste of the most popular meat and vegetarian options.
- Bole (formerly Gojo): While the color grabs attention, the 32-seat Bole is a cozier space dotted with colorful woven baskets and framed posters of notable Ethiopians on the walls, plus curtains displaying traditional Ethiopian art. Start with the restaurant’s version of kitfo, which arrives alongside house-made ayib cheese. While the restaurant is now in a more traditional dining room, the restaurant’s kilwa beggie - sauteed lamb and onions, ideally served with the restaurant’s layered berbere sauce - is as good as ever.
- Queen of Sheba: While a good number of Ethiopian restaurants in Portland hew cautious with their use of spice, Queen of Sheba doesn’t play around; all dishes arrive at a solid medium-hot. Those who can’t handle the heat should order mild dishes like an aromatic alicha. The restaurant’s veggie combo is an excellent way to try both its spicier misir wot, creamy with red lentils, and the mild alicha kik, sunny with yellow split peas. A rich take on minchet abish is another strong option.
- Try Me Ethiopian Cuisine: Located in Gresham Town Fair, Try Me Ethiopian’s cozy space is a respite within the hustle of the busy outdoor mall. The kitfo can be ordered raw, medium, or well done, served with gomen and house-made ayib. Spongy injera, potatoes and carrots drenched in spices all wrapped in a stew-sauce of braised meats. Eating Ethiopian cuisine is an experience for the senses, its decadent taste in (literal) hand as you use the injera to soak up the sauce and enjoy the food.
If you're feeling adventurous and can't find an Ethiopian restaurant nearby, you might consider trying your hand at making injera at home. One local cook in Eugene has developed a recipe using 100% teff flour, ensuring that uniquely sour taste that only teff can provide. Many Ethiopian restaurants only use wheat flour, or a combination of wheat and teff. The cooking method is a combination of no-oil frying and steaming.
Vegan Ethiopia Episode 1: Injera Bread
Here's a summarized version of that recipe:
Injera Recipe Summary:
- Day 1: The batter forms a sponge-like mass on top of the liquid.
- Day 2: If there are no bubbles after stirring, add a little more flour and place in a warmer spot for an hour or two.
- You'll be making 8-inch wide pancakes, much smaller than the ones in Ethiopian restaurants, but much more manageable.
- But you’ll see during cooking if the fermentation process wasn’t successful. You may decide to throw the batch away and serve rice that night.
