Samson’s Market Bistro

I am creating a Unilocal account to comment on this place — this restaurant is wonderful. Chef was extremely personable; he sat down at the table with us and chatted with us for a bit. Even gave us a demonstration on how to properly eat Ethiopian food :-).
Food was excellent — you can tell just by walking into the restaurant by how good it smells, you know you are in for something delicious. And indeed, it was; we ordered gorad gorad and lamb wat — both were unlike anything I have tasted before. We had leftovers (I am eating them as I type this). The chef even gave us additional food with our leftovers — complimentary! What a wonderful place. If you are looking for something fun and different, go to this place. You won’t regret it. I am going to return soon to try the Ethiopian coffee.

Don’t be intimidated by Ethiopian food! You don’t want to miss this! We had the vegetarian sampler plus Lamb Tibs and Doro Wat. The variety of flavors and seasonings was amazing. The spiced ghee that they use adds such an amazing flavor, and the injera is spongy and has a nice sourdough flavor. It’s a fun way to eat too, because you pull off a piece of bread and use it to scoop up some deliciousness and eat with your hands!

I like Ethiopian, but rarely find it, especially in North Texas. Now I can. Same great dishes I can find in other quality Ethiopian restaurants. I had the Vegetarian Sampler. I asked if I could get a sampling of all the Vegetarian dishes in one and the owner accommodated me. I got take out. Ready in 15 minutes. The area of Camp Bowie where it is located is easy in easy out, not like other more congested areas. Reasonable prices. Don’t expect quality décor. Here, you go for the food. I will be back.

Everything was wonderful. My fist time trying Ethiopian food and I was very pleased. The owner is very friendly and the atmosphere is very humble. I do recommend it and I will be back for more.

I was a little apprehensive about going here, but I’m glad I did. The owner is very polite and very passionate about food. The food came to the table quickly and I would venture to guess it was prepared perfectly considering this was my first Ethiopian dinning experience LOL.
It’s possible that you have driven by and perhaps not even realized that there is a restaurant inside (sitting next to 7 – 11). Anyway, try it the next time you want a change of pace, I think you will enjoy eating here.

Fun little ethnic joint in the heart of funky town. So happy see more diverse food options popping up! Came here with my boyfriend to celebrate our 6 month anniversary. We loved watching the coffee ceremony and the coffee was legit! It was fun eating the food with your hands and the waiter even showed us how to do it!

Great for vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters alike. Do not miss this cuisine!
Start with an order of sambosas, and move on to the veggie platter for two (ask to double up on the tikil gomen, the cabbage, if you’re not a fan of green beans), Ethiopian coffee, and the spiced tea. The wat for two actually works for about three people. The injera (the bread used for eating) not only behaves like a mix between some seriously delicious sourdough with the texture of an english muffin, but it is gluten-​free, and high in protein, vitamins, and minerals, including iron.
I also took home some spices, frankincense, and spiced ghee.
They won Fort Worth Weekly’s Critic’s Choice for Vegetarian Meal Best of 2015:
«Meatless dining has come a long way in Cowtown, but true variety and culinary adventure remain elusive goals for vegetarians and those who love them. Ethiopian cuisine fits the bill, thankfully, and Samson’s Market Bistro is a great introduction to the flavors and ingredients of the Horn of Africa. Collard greens with cardamom, beetroot with ginger, lentils with berbere, and other brightly colored treats are splashed across the injera flatbread canvas of Samson’s vegetarian sampler. The combination of fresh flavors is enough to hold the attention of even the staunchest carnivore, plus you get to eat it with your hands.»
Fort Worth Weekly also covered them here:
Fort Worth Star-​Telegram covered them here:

Went here with my girlfriend for our 6 month anniversary. We ordered the vegetarian combination and the chicken tib. Everything was very delicious and the staff were very friendly. We also tried the coffee which was delicious as well.

Glad to find an Ethiopian restaurant in Fort Worth! Our youngest son is from Dire Dawa and we want to make sure he gets to stay connected to Ethiopian culture. The food here tasted like we remembered it when we went on our two trips to Addis Ababa. We’ll be back!

If you’re like me and have no idea what Ethiopian food is but you like meat, you’ll love this place! Don’t come if you have intense trypophobia (the flatbread might freak you out).
I came with a friend and we had Beef Tibs, Lamb Tibs ($ 12.95 and $ 13.95, respectively), and the sambosa.
The good:
Meat. Veggies. Sambosa. All delicious. ESPECIALLY the injera (flatbread) underneath the meat. Don’t you dare forget to eat that area (unless that’s not something you eat… I don’t know much about Ethiopian cuisine)!
The bad:
The injera (flatbread) is pretty sour. If that’s authentic, then I respect that. Just wasn’t very agreeable with my taste buds. 4 stars because it is pricey and you don’t get a ton of food.
I would recommend this to anyone who is willing to try Ethiopian food and the price isn’t an issue. I can’t say anything about the authenticity, but it tasted amazing (besides the dough for me). When I have friends visiting, I will considering taking them here.

Awesome. Loved this place. I dropped in after a quick stop at 7 – 11 and am so glad I did! It’s BYOB (yay!), kid friendly, great staff, and most importantly, fantastic food. I was afraid it would be too spicy, but it’s not at all. Filled with so many spices though! It smells amazing when you walk in. I only got one dish (to go, because I had my children with me), but we will be back! Great hidden gem in Fort Worth!

We were invited to eat here Friday night by some friends who are very into ethnic restaurants and food. They found this place via Unilocal (yea!) and so we joined them and another couple. From when you first walk in and the owners greet you, it is obvious that this is an intimate establishment with a friendly vibe. The server (owner’s wife) was awesome with leading us though the menu, and we basically entrusted her with ordering what she thought was best for us to try. She did quiz us about if we liked spicy, raw beef, etc. We started with some fried appetizers, too spicy for me, but everybody else (who is not a wimp) loved them. Then about 20min later she brought out two huge platters of food, perfect for family style sharing. The bread you use to grab the food is served in huge, numerous rolls called injera. It has a bland sourdough taste, but it the perfect vessel for your meats and veggies. I liked the tips preparations best, the lamb was my favorite.
The highlight of the meal was when we all ordered Ethiopian coffee, and they did a mini-​coffee ceremony for us. Incense burned for several minutes while the coffee was prepared and then it was boiled table side and served in a very elegant manner. Delicious and fun.
I wouldn’t necessarily crave the dishes here personally because my tastes are more bubba, but the dining experience was so fun and the owners were so kind that I would suggest anybody who is more adventurous than myself get over there and try some awesome Ethiopian food!

Delicious! We discovered a little Ethiopian restaurant while visiting New York and fell in love with the food and wondered if we could find it locally. Well, we hit the jackpot at Samsons! Even better than what we ate in New York. The vegetables were fresh and perfectly cooked, as was the lamb and beef. Delicious seasonings and very plentiful portions. We tried the vegetable combo platter and added lamb wat and beef tibs. We have plenty of leftovers to enjoy tomorrow even though we tried to finish it all.
Service was awesome and they are byob, which takes it to a whole new level. This will be one of our regular places from now on.

Really glad we made the trip from mid cities to the Fort to check this place out. I don’t have a huge amount of experience with Ethiopian food but enough to know what I like. The first time I tried it, we were in PDX on vacation and every other Ethiopian place has been compared to that since then. Happily, we discovered that Samson’s is every bit as good as that. Maybe better.
Service was stellar. So friendly and helpful. We had a vegetarian sampler with a spicy beef wat. The injera was fresh and plentiful. The food was all cooked to my liking. In some Ethiopian places they cook all the vegetables so much they really are unrecognizable. These veggies were just perfect. They brought us more injera than we really should have eaten, but it was hard to walk away from.
We’ll be back!

I used to visit my sister at TCU a lot before she graduated. One day, we discovered this gem hidden beside a gas station.
It was our first time trying Ethiopian food. The experience was amazing! The owners were so nice and helpful.
We ordered the beef wat with a vegetarian combo. We loved everything.
One of the owners came by to ask how everything was, where we went to school and work, and shared how proud he was of his children for getting a scholarship to the Fort Worth Country Day School.
I would come back for the friendly customer service alone, but the food is worth eating, too.

My best friend is Ethiopian, so I forced my family to try the food of her people. We ordered an appetizer, or should I say the appetizer — Lentil Sambosa. Although I have nothing to compare it to, it was delicious and beautifully seasoned.
Samson himself came over to talk, and wow he loves talking. One of the most enthusiastic and friendly restaurant owners around. We told him about our lack of experience with Ethiopian food, so he basically ordered for us. Dinner came on a giant spongy tortilla in clusters of different foods (as you have probably seen in the pictures). We had a beef, chicken, and vegetable order, although I have no idea what they specifically were. Each were tasty and unique, although my favorites were the chicken and similarly colored mushy stuff.
It was an interesting experience grabbing the various foods with the tortilla-​esque wrap and mixing the flavors. Everything I tried was low-​key amazing. It was an especially exciting dinner hearing Samson’s stories.

This place is so good. This place is small and looks new. Food is deceptively large and filing without being heavy. Normally people eat Ethiopian in groups but every table there was a single person and none of the tables are that large anyways.
I got the vegetarian platter for one and it was just the right amount of bread and veggies. I loved all the dishes. There were two reddish lentil dishes, a yellow lentil dish, some kind of greens, a curry cabbage, carrots, and potatoes dish and a green bean and carrots dish. Everything was delicious and the server came around and gave me an extra serving of one the dishes I liked. I got the coffee to go and got a large cup full. I will come again.

I WANT TO TALK TO SAMSON.
Does anyone else think of Half Baked when they hear that name? Just me? okay.
The owner of this restaurant is just the sweetest guy. We live in the neighborhood and have been frequenting his 711 next door for years. When he first started on construction he had a lot of issues and we are so happy that he is finally open and serving up delicious food.
I am no Ethiopian aficionado and if you’re not either don’t let that deter you. The people that work here will help you around the menu and give excellent suggestions. I like to eat family style and try little bits of everything so this style of dining works for me. Wash your hands and be ready to eat with them! Be sure to end your meal with traditional coffee.
The place is tiny and you may have to wait or get your food to go. The wait is worth it.

Some coworkers and I decided to try something new and different so we ventured down Camp Bowie to Samsons. When we sat down, we were given menus with detailed descriptions of what was in each entrée. We ordered between the three of us Doro Wat (slow cooked chicken), the Beef Wat, and the vegetarian combo platter.
When it came out to our table we were all very shocked because the Beef Wat was in the center of the vegetarian dish. One of my coworkers is a devout vegetarian and therefore had to pick around the combo plate to try and find the parts of the dish not smothered in meat sauce. Then the Chicken Wat came out and was poured on top of the the rest of the platter before we could ask the waitress to stop. Our vegetarian friend could not eat anymore because of this. So be warned, if you are a vegetarian dining with non-​vegetarians, be sure to communicate with the staff that you will need a separate plate! My coworker’s whole dining experience was ruined by this!
The staff was very friendly but a tad pushy. (She kept telling us to eat more, which is hard when you have two people having to eat the amount of food meant for three the meat covered vegetarian combo!)
Ultimately, the flavor and food was delicious! And of course it is fun to eat with your hands and forget the manners for a meal (they don’t serve your meal with silverware). However, because of the vegetarian-​plate-​combo-​served-​with-​meat I have to drop the star rating.

Phenomenal — but make sure to get the vegetarian sampler.
We absolutely loved it. We got two beef dishes, and a vegetarian sampler for one. The beef was great. But adding the vegetarian platter made it fantastic.
Why? So they bring out they food in the middle of a large pizza tray, on top of a thin crêpe-​like bread. So there’s no concept of a «side». If we’d just gotten the two meats, there’d be two mounds of meat in the middle of this crêpe-​thing. And while that might be fine, it seems a bit… basic.
Enter the sampler. Now, you have something like 6 mini-​mounds of veggies. Have some meat, have some veg, all’s right with the world.