Welcome to Balageru Ethiopian Restaurant!
The Ethiopian food served at Balageru Restaurant and Bar is intended to be eaten sans utensils—save for the injera flatbread that accompanies each meal. With its tangy flavor and spongy texture, the naturally gluten-free bread is ideal for scooping up portions of organic collard greens and sopping curries, sauces, and stews. The restaurant’s chefs prepare each of those dishes following recipes handed down through the generations, creating authentic flavors that could otherwise be tasted only by visiting Ethiopia or shipping one’s tongue there for a solo vacation.
But savoring Balageru’s vibrant cuisine isn’t the only way to explore Ethiopian culture here. The servers also enact a time-honored Ethiopian coffee ceremony for guests, during which they roast Ethiopian beans to release fragrant smoke. As diners pass the smoking beans around their tables, the wisps of smoke are meant to imbue a blessing. Finally, servers brew the beans and serve the coffee in traditional ceramic cups with no handles.