Meskerem

I stumbled upon this place last night with a good friend who had been before. Every table was full, but we only had to wait about 15 mins for a table. Like many other NY restaurants, it's definitely cramped. In terms of atmosphere, other than the laid back clientele there isn't much to offer. The service was decent. I am a vegetarian so we shared the white bean entree (recommended by our server) and the vegetarian platter. All was delicious! I can't compare it to anything as it was my first time experiencing Ethiopian, but I would go again. The servers could use some friendliness, but were otherwise attentive. We left feeling sufficiently stuffed after sharing 1 appetizer and 2 entrees.

Meskerem may not be the best Ethiopian food I have ever eaten, but it is quite good and resonably priced. It is a quaint and comfortable space. The service is slow but friendly. This is a great place for a relaxed lunch or a casual dinner with adventerous friends. Check it out.

I thought the food was mediocre at best but unfortunately the whole family group of five really despised the food and the decor passionately. We saw that they had a big fat air conditioner with a little white space heater below it, all dug into an unsightly open space right smack in the middle of this truly sad little place; another missed cue to head for the exit before ordering our food. The menu was a bit hard to figure, unless you are familiar with Ethiopian dishes, you will never know what is to come from that kitchen. Moreover, the food took a while to arrive we were forced to buy more expensive non-appetizers. Their Ethiopian flat spongy bread crapes had too much baking soda, it was bitterly unappetizing. The bean sauces and lamb dishes tasted like leftovers from some days ago. The fish was severely fried dried and hard. We did our best to barely eat what we could, since we figured that I would get a big fat bill. The place is better suited for a culture focus cabdriver take-out joint, but I think the cabbies have better places to go eat. I neglected to see what their restaurant grade was, before walking in, it may very well be a D or an F. Upon leaving for a better restaurant, I looked and saw no grade posted up front. The no grade posted should have been another warning sign for us to steer clear but I forgot to look and ended up with two restaurant bills of nearly $100.00 each, phew at least the second bill was worth it ; good old upper scale Chinese restaurant southeast around the corner.

too much butter. service is unfriendly. amount of butter is ridiculous!

The food is delicious, but I've left hungry the last two times I ate there because the portions are just too small. I've ended up feeling both disappointed that I didn't get enough tasty food and slightly ripped off too. Dear Meskerem, please scoop larger ladles of your yummy goodness onto the platter or else I simply cannot come back.

In this tiny little Ethiopian restaurant, the atmosphere is great and the food is amazing. what is most amazing is that the hospitality of the people who serve you there. I know Ethiopia is a very hospitable country but these Meskerem restaurant waitresses and waiter are taking the hospitality thing to another level. I love it. I went there last Friday. I think its the busiest day of the week there. I hope the manager will give some kind of raise to the people who work there for their hospitality. two young ladies and a guy. I will be visiting soon.

I spend several years living in Ethiopia (I am Kenyan) and this place is the most authentic I have come across in the states.