Haile Bistro

I wasn’t blown away by the flavors of the food it was honestly kind of bland the chicken was just spicy that’s about it. There are no desserts which I found bizarre but the honey wine is so amazing I didn’t even care. There’s only one person in the entire restaurant which I find insane but it’s a small spot so I guess you can get away with it. It was hard to understand her and she wasn’t super friendly but she wasn’t mean either. As with other Unilocal reviews it just seemed like she wanted to get the food on the table and go back to her business. I’ve never had Ethiopian food it was my first time and it was honestly ok. just not as great of the photos I suppose but I think I would go back again specially for the wine and the restaurant in itself is small and beautiful nice for a date.

HORRIBLE received food poisoning last night ordered the lamb bits! Vomited in the lobby of my hotel!!! So embarrassing I wouldn’t risk it! Not zagat worth and the food wasn’t even tasty going down!!! Beware

One of the best Ethiopian places in the city, with great honey wine. I found the veggie options to be the far tastier choice than meats, so I would recommend just getting the veggie combo and go crazy with their selections!

Definitely one of the better Ethiopian restaurants in terms of flavor I’ve been to in NYC after trying ones in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Got the vegetarian combo for two to share (~$ 33 for two people) and honey wine. The dishes were very flavorful and cooked well. I liked that the collard greens weren’t cooked to death, unlike some other places I’ve been to. My only critique was that the injera, which albeit soft, was not sour enough for me. But, hey, to each their own. The honey wine called Enat was fantastic — $ 8/​glass.
Cool atmosphere, very intimate, so good for small groups and dates. Service was solid.

My name is Lindsay and I’m addicted to Ethiopian food. It’s true. The second I finish eating it and feel so full I’m about to explode I crave it all over again. I’ve been to most of the Ethiopian joints around the city: Awash, Meskel, Injera, Zoma, so when we found out about Haile we decided to see how it stood up. The restaurant itself is a lot nicer, more comfortable, and warm (yes, in terms of heat) than most of the others. Their honey wine was very good and the food was good, though for the price I’ve gotten better portion size at all the other Ethiopian places I’ve mentioned. Definitely worth a try.

Came here after I saw pics of a friend of mine who had honey wine. When I first heard this I was like why haven’t I ever had this. Well it’s deff worth the visit. Their Ethiopian honey wine is delicious. Me & my friend went there for dinner & shared a bottle. The food is finger food & they have a lot of vegan options. It was very unusual I will say, but not in a bad way. This was also my first time having Ethiopian food. It’s deff an squired taste. It was bits of meat & sautéed veggies. The salads are very good & I liked the collard greens. I would prob stay away from the beets bc they were very bland. Will I give this place another shot? Deff. The wine alone makes this place a must. The service is good & the staff is very friendly & they all have very cute what I imagine to be Ethiopian accents.

I had some of the best Ethiopian food I ever had here. The staff was really accommodating of our requests and all the service was great. The curries and injera were delicious. We got all of the vegetarian curries and quite a few meat ones. Not a single complaint was made about the taste of the food. The honey wine was also high-​quality. This was a great find tucked away in the depths of the East Village. I would highly recommend.
Also, I accidentally ate a beef sambusa even though I’m vegetarian because the kitchen staff told the waiter the wrong thing. So if you get sambusas make sure you have clarity on their contents. The lentil one was really good anyway.

First impression: excellent attentive service! What a gentle mannered staff. Second impression: we’re in Ethiopia! With the dim soft lights, bamboo baskets on the walls & accompanying brick walls, you feel the easy comforting desert night aire is near. The menu is 1 page & very straightforward, a great reprieve from decision stress. We had 1 meat & vegetarian combo & 1 meat combo. The lamb sauces are obviously hours of careful slow cooking for deep rich taste, the chicken is so soft it comes off the bone like melted butter, the bread is so perfectly soft & moist, the beets are fully marinated to a thrilling degree, the spices used throughout are so wonderfully complimentary, the service attentive & kind. Bathroom is classy while narrow. As Arnold would say, I’ll be back.

Great neighborhood spot — you can even get a seat on a Saturday night. Actually, on a recent Saturday night we did have to wait a few minutes and they brought a chair outside for me to lounge on. That’s service! Really, this place is wonderful: cozy atmosphere, chill staff, awesome food. Palatable wine, can’t win them all.
Have the order down to a science, with a heavier focus on the veg, always doubling up on the shiro wat & the gomen. The chicken dishes can be a bit dry, so we go for the lega/​lamb tibs.

There was a time when I could confidently say that I’d been to every Ethiopian restaurant in the city. That’s not the case any more, but Ethiopian cuisine continues to be one of my favorites. We’ve eaten at Haile on a semi-​regular basis since its opening, and the food has been consistently very good. The standouts dishes are lega tibs, kitfo, yemisir wat, and last but not least — shiro wat — my favorite Ethiopian dish which Haile does really well.
Depending on the day, they also carry a selection of Ethiopian beers.

Got a beef entrée (Ye Siga Tibs) that came with a side of collard greens. They have great variety with both meats and veggie options. Your meal comes served on injera, but they also give your group a plate of more injera on the side.
Our entire group got some honey wine. I’ve definitely never tried that before, but it definitely hit me hard! It really tasted like I was drinking honey. So good.

When we arrived, there was nobody there to seat us. Only one person is the waitress/​server/​hostess. Finally got a seat in the corner. The ambiance is nice, dark, pretty. We ordered the lamb and the combo platter, both which were pretty decent.
The hostess was hard to understand sometimes, especially when she used authentic names for some of the dishes, and we had no idea what they were.
The food okay, with all the dishes jumbled up together and the taste of the bread/​roti thing being too strong to taste teh different vegetables. The chicken was the best. I guess I’m not such a big fan of Ethiopian food because there isn’t as much spice/​flavor as I Iike.

Coming from Miami where the concept of Ethiopian food boggles the minds of the uneducated locals, it’s a real pleasure to be able to eat ANY Ethiopian; good or bad.
Thankfully it seems I made the right choice because this place is GOOD.
It seems the way to go here is to order the combination so you can try a little bit of everything since everything is so flavorful and well spiced you can’t go wrong!
You also can’t go wrong with the Tej, which is nice and sweet but not overbearing like I’ve had with some Meads and the like.
Service here is very good an attentive. The space is small so things may be a little busy, but it’s totally worth the wait.

Let me start off by saying Ethiopian food is one of my favorite cuisines. I’ve eaten it in several places in Houston, Austin, NY, and most importantly have had it in DC, Ethiopian capital of the non-​Ethiopian world. So you can just disregard reviews from the n00bs who have only had it a few times. Go ahead and delete those from your memory now.
Additionally I had dinner at another Ethiopian restaurant less than 2 weeks before I had dinner here so I have the ability to easily compare it to other places in the city and let me tell you, YOU CAN DO BETTER IN NY.
As an appetizer I got one of my favorite dishes, the simple, but very flavorful tomato salad. Let me tell you I’ve never seen a $ 6 salad look so small and pathetic.
The meat and vegetarian combo I and my friend got was just not great. We asked the chef to make us a combo with different vegetarian options so we could try them all and that just didn’t really happen. The injera on the platter beneath the food was dried out by the time I reached it.
However, the most disappointing part of the dining experience would have to be the service. First off, when I called to make a reservation (which was very unnecessary), they took down the date and time and neglected to ask me for my name. Then when the food came and I asked for an explanation of each dish, the waitress has some difficulties telling me which was which and had to consult the menu the entire time. How does a waitress not recognize what dishes her restaurant serves?!? Additionally, they are very stingy with the injera. Whenever you ask for more, they bring out just one roll, which is great if you don’t want food waste, but just leaves a bad feeling about the restaurant.
So in conclusion, keep Unilocaling and go elsewhere for your Ethiopian fix. Maybe check out my other reviews of Ethiopian restaurants ;)

We’ve had been to several Ethiopia restaurant, but since Sheba in Miami closed, this is the BEST we’ve been to
Cozy, super friendly owners (staff) & the food… Amazing!

I had only tried Ethipoian food once before venturing here but I am definitley a fan. Our friend who’s eaten this type of food before recommended we give it a shot.
The actual restaurant isn’t that big, but it’s intimate. I actually think it would be better for a date then a group of friends, so if you have a bigger group I would recommend a reservation.
The service was a little on the slow side, but we did order two seperate platters (meat + veggie). We also had a couple of appetizers, I remember the sambusas and they were quite crispy.
For anyone who has never tried Ethopian, all the food is served family style. You get little wraps of bread to scoop up the delectable bites. I really liked the lamb and some of the other veggie choices (I forget the exact names). It’s the first time in years I’ve tried Ethipoian but based on other reviews and my experience this place does it right.
On a final note, the Amber Beer was impressive. A must order.

Disclaimer: I’m by no means an authority on Ethiopian food. I’ve only had it about three times. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed my meal. Haile is a solid bet whether you’re craving Ethiopian food (as I was strongly when I visited) or if you’re looking to expand your culinary experiences in the City.
Haile lets you order combination platters, which is the best way to sample any cuisine you’re unfamiliar with. My friends and I ordered 1 meat platter, 1 vegetarian platter.
Appetizers are on the small size but do pack flavor. The sambusas (think samosa but with a less flaky crust, and flatter) are crispy and well seasoned.
Order the Ethiopian Amber beer here. I can’t remember what it was called, but it pairs very well with the food and is one of my new favorite beers. Kudos on our waiter for the recommendation.
Prep time is a bit long, but our patience was rewarded.
Sidenote: I actually ran into a friend of mine here by coincidence. NYC is a huge place, and sporadic encounters are not too frequent, but it’s always memorable when they happen.

Hands down the best Ethiopian restaurant in the city. The atmosphere is cozy and the dish options are plentiful. I highly recommend sharing 2 combo dishes if you come with another person. The lamb is juicy, the chicken is well seasoned and the staff is very attentive. I’ve been to this location 4 different times and have always left happy and full.
As for drinks try the honey wine (Tej) if you’ve never had it. It’s on the sweet side but great to experience. As for the sides, the collards are always yummy and the chicpea option is always my way to go. Not to mention the beets, they are the hands down the best I’ve had. I plan on returning.

I am such a fan of this restaurant! It was so fun to be sitting in an Ethiopian cuisine place and not really know what to expect. The dinner was an experience to remember. Came on a Monday early evening around 6 PM and since they open at 5 PM, it was definitely early. We were the only party there and then people started trickling in, long after.
For appetizer, we had the Sambusa (lentil) pastries filled with green pepper, jalapeño, onion. It came in 3 pieces — 3 triangles — and it was mighty tasty. You would eat it with the green sauce provided. It has a bit of a kick from the jalapeño, so if you don’t like spicy food you probably shouldn’t eat this.
For the main meal we had — Fasolia (Sautéed string beans, carrots, seasoned in a spicy garlic sauce), Shiro Wot (Chick pea sauce flavored with onions, herbs and spices), Key Sir (Red beets, carrots and potatoes sauteed with onions and garlic), Lega Tibs (Pieces of marinated lamb sautéed in onion, jalapeño, spiced butter) — you order combinations. For 4 ladies, we ordered two combinations and an appetizer. It was more than enough food! So full… All the things you order show up on a big platter that has a thin layer of bread on the bottom of the silver plate.
The funny story was before the main meal came, came the injera — the bread … Being really uncultured americans, we thought the bread was just for consumption alone. We started eating it looking like idiotic people. We asked the waiter what the bread was … and then he was telling us that we were supposed to use it to hold the main meal with our hands. Hey, we knew that we weren’t supposed to use utensils, ok? Don’t JUDGE US. LOL. No, but the waiter wasn’t mean about our question and explained to us nicely and even laughed with us. not at us. I hope at least. The bread is a spongy texture — eating it by itself I wasn’t a fan of it, but it worked well with the combinations we ordered.
My definite favorite out of all was definitely the LEGA TIBS marinated lamb. I’m not a big lamb fan in general, but holy moly that lamb was GOOD. My second favorite was definitely the Key Sir (red beets!). I’m not even a big fan of beets either, but it was so delicious!!! It had the texture of a potato and. I LOVE POTATOES. Is it a healthier substitute? I hope so. yum yum.
Remember to wash your hands because this meal is eaten with hands! This would definitely be a fun place to bring a date since they don’t rush you out and it is such a fun experience! Everyone has to try this at least once. get out of your comfort zones and learn about other people’s delicious cuisines! Remember also. DONT EAT THE BREAD BY ITSELF! IT IS NOT AN APPETIZER! hahha. I’m still so embarrassed. injera…

3.5 stars.
Came here at 8pm on a Friday with a small group and it was deathly empty, which was quite strange to me, given the rave reviews. However, it began to pick up as the night went on, which furthers the notion that I am old and eat dinner early on weekends. Anyways, I had been to the likes of Meskel and Awash and had really enjoyed my time there, so I was eager to try Haile, especially since it’s close to my apartment.
Service was actually very attentive in getting our drinks and checking in, but I was bewildered as to why it took over an hour to get our entrees. The appetizers came out pretty quickly, but we waited what seemed like forever afterwards. We were only a table of 4 and other tables who had been seated after us got their food before we did. We kept asking about it and they simply kept saying, «it will come. It will come.» C’mon, son.
Anyways, onto the food, which was the the good part of the experience. Had a little bit of the honey wine, which was a bit sweet for my taste, but I can see why people like it. We ordered the sambusas as an appetizer and they were great. Similar to empanadas, the beef sambusas were just the right texture and for $ 7 for 2 large pastries, not a bad deal. The doro wat (chicken) and the lega tibs (lamb) were very tender and flavorful, but everything else was pretty standard. The waitstaff were great about giving us more injera (spongy sourdough flatbread) to soak up all the leftover sauces and stews on our plates, although, again, it took them a long time to actually bring it out.
The food is very tasty and relatively well-​priced, but make sure you have the patience and the time to wait for a long meal. I’ll likely get some takeout in the near future, whenever I’m craving Ethiopian food.