Ethiopian Village

Ethiopian Village is a traditional Ethiopian eatery tucked away in the rear of a retro shopping arcade on Beaudesert Road in multicultural Moorooka.

This hidden gem is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, dishing up traditional Ethiopian fare from its little shopfront adorned with Ethiopian posters, colourful woven wicker baskets (mesobs) and a few tables and chairs.

Breakfast fare includes Foul (crushed fava beans garnished with fresh onion, jalapeno peppers, fresh tomatoes and sour cream served with French bread) Firfir (hot and spicy beef stew) and Kinche – a traditional Ethiopian breakfast made of crushed wheat, cooked tender and seasoned with spiced butter and mitmita seasoning powder.

For lunch and/or dinner, you can’t go wrong with the restaurant’s Combos, served on a gebeta (large round tray) topped with homemade injera (fermented sourdough flatbread) and small portions of traditional Ethiopian food.

Choose from vegetarian dishes such as Kik Alicha Wot (stewed yellow split peas) Gomen (fresh collard greens sauteed with onions, ginger and garlic) or Shiro Wot (slow cooked lentils and broad beans in spicy red berebere sauce).

Meat options range from Alcha Wat (curried beef stew) and Kitfo (lean minced beef marinated with mitmita, Ethiopian butter and herbs) to Key Wot (beef cooked in chilli and spices) and Dolet Kitfo – Ethiopia’s national dish of finely chopped topside beef,   raw or rare, cooked in kibe butter and chili powder. 

Or you can order a Combo with a mixture of vegetarian and meat dishes.  All combos include injera and salad and are suited for 2-3 people sharing.  

As for drinks, there’s Tej (traditional honey wine), Tella (black tea spiced with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon), Ethiopian black coffee and soft drinks.

By Deb Lidster