Nyala

I’ve been meaning to return to Nyala for years, since I first had my tastebuds rocked. I’m so glad I finally made it back because boy did it satisfy! There are 3 well-​priced options of banquets, depending on your hunger levels, or go rogue on the menu and order up a storm. We chose the medium banquet with dips, entrees, a platter of main meals and sides. Good golly it was a lot of delicious food! The slow cooked meats fall apart in your mouth and the spices are heavenly. The service was prompt and very helpful. BYO is a plus also (wine only). Coconut chicken and Nyala special are standouts.

Amazing African food.
We gorged ourselves on a banquet option and while your brain is telling you ‘don’t be a chump and fill up on the breads and dips’ your mouth over-​rides such logic once presented with the food itself. We left it for our host to select our mains, and they didn’t disappoint — an array of delicious meats, all with their distinct flavours and spices, mopped up with that amazing spongy injera bread.
The service was very friendly, and we had a great seat by a window to people watch out onto Brunswick Street as the sun set, enjoying a BYO bottle of red that complimented things perfectly = loving life.

So I have mixed feelings about this place. The food was quite delicious but I had quite a hard time digesting it although it’s more of a me not being able to because I have a weak stomach.
I can’t compare with any other African curry based cuisines because I haven’t had any other but this place did please and the prices didn’t shock. It wasn’t crowded, the service was kind and the décor was traditional and quaint. They even have a selection of African beers or local beers for the less adventurous.
I was quite impressed. We ordered a couple of curries with traditional breads and dips. It was delightful, what we couldn’t eat we got to take home and it was enjoyed the next day as well.
If you’ve never had african before, I say give it a go!

We asked the waiter to bring us something traditional and delicious, and we were not dissapointed!

–Africans seem to like eating alot. Every African eatery I’ve been to in Melbourne has pretty big portions. This place is no exception
–Really comfortable, cosy and roomy dining space (don’t let the ominous stairs leading up put you off)
–Sambusa pastries entrée was great, as was the Ful (fava beans)
–Mains are deceivingly filling. Portions don’t look like much but once you start mopping them up with the injeri bread and rice you start to realise it’s actually quite alot of food. 2 mains and 1 – 2 entrees between 2 hungry people is more than enough

We went to Nyala, having had a really great Ethiopian dinner at Nil Bleu (voted the best African restaurant for seven years in a row) while living in Montréal last year, which inspired us to seek out Ethiopian cuisine on our return to Melbourne.
Nyala is charming and the waiters friendly, however the service is slow on a recent Saturday night. The upstairs dining room is bustling, and surprisingly popular with date night couples, amongst larger groups on our recent visit.
Of course, Nyala is African, rather than Ethiopian; much like eating European when you want French or Italian. Not having much knowledge at all of African regional cuisine, the only thing uniquely Ethiopian I could find on the menu was from the great, but small, selection of beers.
I’m not sure if the menu is authentic, but it’s flavourful, nonetheless. I’d visit again and meanwhile, will continue my search for Ethiopian cuisine in Melbourne

It’s a sad fact that not all foods were created equal. Environmental factors determine what foods will grow in which areas, so taste and flavour varies drastically from continent to continent. So while much of Asia has traditionally been flushed with a plethora of fruits, vegetables and seasonings and influenced the varied nature of their palates; places like Britain developed a more plain and straightforward approach to flavour. Of course, the changes in the world in the last few centuries have meant that people have had greater access to different foods and become more accustomed to eating the foods of different cultures. Thus modern Melbournians enjoy food originating from across the globe in their everyday. However, until recently there was a dearth of African food presence in Australia and Melbourne. Now that it has been introduced, it’s almost requisite that everyone tries it.
Nyala does what it does very well. The service is friendly, the furnishings are warm and African themed, the menu is relatively broad and the prices are on the cheap side. When you throw in BYO and location, it’s no wonder that it’s managed to etch out a steady living. Nonetheless, I personally just can’t get totally on board with African food. It’s all nicely cooked and some of the spicier dishes are quite tasty, but I’m not a fan of the texture of the traditional bread with which it’s served and some of the curries in particular are a tad bland. Maybe it’s just my background, but if I feel like plainer tasting food I tend to stick with basic British/​European dishes.
Eating at Nyala is certainly a good experience and I’d recommend people to try it at least once, but there’s something about African food itself that just doesn’t inspire me to go back and try some more. That said I’m sure there are many people who will love it. Who knows, you could be one of them.

Hey you! Yes you, the uncultured thug. Put down your parma and pot of Carlton Draught and get some real culture in ya!*
I’m generally terrified of anything new and different, so needless to say I was apprehensive about my first dining experience at an African/​Ethiopian restaurant. However I was pleasantly surprised by the strong flavours and high quality of the food placed in front of me.
You are looking at food that is mostly bite-​sized meat portions with delicious thick sauces and rice (or a traditional bread called injera.)There was also a great selection of vegetarian dishes too which means there is something for everyone!
The service is warm and friendly, prices are quite cheap. plus it’s BYO which makes it even more affordable! Definitely check out Nyala if you are in the mood for something different yet flavoursome.
* Please note: I believe that parmas are awesome as is Carlton Draught.

Nyala has been a fixture on Brunswick Street for over two decades now and it has to be one of the few restaurants in Melbourne let alone Fitzroy that serves (authentic?) African cuisine.
Nyala refers to a Southern African antelope that is very common in Ethiopia. And the owners of Nyala are Ethiopian but also do a number of dishes from across Africa.
When we were there the restaurant was very empty and the service was extremely friendly and attentive (as you’d expect with so few patrons). The food was pretty good and flavoursome and they had a number of African beers to try.
I’ll go again but I’m still a little bit on the fence…

African cuisine, I mean cuisine that is sub-​Saharan, cuisine with little or no Middle Eastern or Mediterranean influence, is one cuisine I am unfamiliar with. Not because I’m not interested, but because there aren’t very many options around.
Nyala African serves a range of African cuisine, but predominantly focuses on Ethiopian dishes. I wasn’t sure what type of food to expect. For our entrees, we ordered dips that were similar to Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dips I’ve had — they were similar to hummus and baba ghanoush and served with a flatbread known as injera.
For our mains, we ordered two curry-​like dishes, known as wat, which is a thick stew. The wat was good, but nothing amazing. The lamb curry was tender and spiced, but comparing this curry to other curries or curry-​like dishes I’ve had, I don’t think it stands up.
They did have some African beers — Hansa from South Africa and Harar from Ethiopia. Both were lagers, which makes sense — in the heat, you’d want something light to drink. The beers were good because of the novelty, but I wouldn’t normally drink them.
I’m still on the fence when it comes to Nyala African — I haven’t tried enough African cuisine to make a good comparison.

Nyala is an absolute revelation. Seriously, if for some reason you haven’t already been, do something about it. While Melbourne may pride itself on it’s hallowed restaurant scene, there so are so few places like this that offer something unique and are totally lacking in pretension.
The food is truly amazing, and better yet you get the chance to undo all those years of indoctrinated table manners and eat with your hands. For me the novelty will never wear off; it’s just really fun. Not to mention the ultimate first date ice-​breaker. The traditional accompaniment to most Ethiopian meals in the Inerja, a spongy pancake-​like bread, that is torn off by hand and used to scoop up the delicious spicy dishes on offer at Nyala. Admittedly, these are pretty odd tasting when eaten alone, but in combination with the meat and vegie dishes it’s perfect. My only complaint is that they don’t serve Ethiopian flavoured beers, but otherwise the staff are gorgeous and couldn’t be more accommodating if they tried.
I really can’t rave enough about this place.

it’s so refreshing to eat somewhere in an Australian city that isn’t Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Pizza or Fast Food — especially when it’s as good as Nyala African.
Coming highly recommended to me by friends it didn’t disappoint with a vibrant atmosphere created by the African artwork, music and happy customers.
There’s something liberating about eating with your hands and perhaps that’s why I like African food so much, possibly also because I’m a big eater and I couldn’t get through a shared entrée and main at Nyala. So disappointing because it was delicious.
The pancake/crêpe’s that you wrap your food in make sharing food a real pleasure and a much less formal affair than it can sometimes feel like in a twosome.
The service was great, super friendly with big African smiles to match and nothing was too much trouble.
It’s median-​priced but completely worth it and it’s BYO. Go here.