Meske Ethiopian Restaurant

Really good food. And quantity was filling as well. The initial smell of the place disappears but the water smelled funky. Barring that it was a good experience. On a side note, midway through eating our food we realized the injera was in the shape of Africa.

Those of you familiar with my reviews know that Ethiopian is actually my favorite cuisine. Having moved to NYC 6 months ago, I am still on the lookout for a consistent spot and haven’t yet found one.
Was in Hells’ Kitchen the other day and decided to try this or Queen of Sheba. Did a «mental» coin toss and decided to do this (it may be have been subliminally influenced by all of Queen of Sheba’s annoying Google/​Yelp ads.)
Unfortunately, I don’t think I made the right choice. First, the place was almost empty, but my request to sit at a four-​person table for the space was DENIED. «Four people may need that table,» I was told, amidst something like 15 empty tables only 2 hours until closing.
I ordered the combo, where you get a sample of veggies plus each of the three meats (lamb, chicken, beef). It was OK, but the portions weren’t particularly filling like they are at some of my other favorite Ethiopian spots. It kind of felt like some of the U Street spots in DC that shortchange tourists looking for an «ethnic experience» who don’t know any better.
I’m giving it 3 stars because it wasn’t bad food, just not good food. So the search continues in Manhattan.

Amazing food, lots of spices and reasonably priced

We were able to only order the appetizer to realized that it was not good at all. Their sauce look like a bad pico de gallo; after the appetizer we cancelled our order and went next door to the usual Ethiopian that we always go which is authentical.

After working a nearby security shift on Christmas Eve, I dropped in here, having been craving Ethiopian food for a loooooong time.
On entering, I encountered a cozy, no-​frills dining area, soul music, and a very sweet, pretty waitress: all very good signs! The menu had a decent selection of vegetarian and non– vegetarian options. Prices were reasonable.
I ordered the lega tibs, which amounted to fajita-​like cubed lamb (with onions and peppers). It appeared in a generous portion, flanked by a zippy red sauce and a milder yellow one, atop injera. A second piece of injera accompanied it.
Lamb was very chewy though flavorful and not a bit of fat. Injera was absolutely perfect. Neither did the sauces disappoint. And for $ 18 including tax and tip, I was stuffed! Not bad for theatre district.
Of note: there are several Ethiopian beers on the menu. I’ll be coming back for those (and to see said waitress)!

I went into Meske last night with my girlfriend. I have to say I am in love with this place and will be going back often.
Staff– incredibly welcoming, sweet, and cool. Make you feel at home but provide great service.
Food– amazing and tasty. Very authentic.
Overall– new favorite spot.

I love the food here! Since my office moved downtown, Hell’s Kitchen is no longer that accessible but I still return for my occasional Ethiopian fix. The atmosphere is nothing special and the service can be quite slow (even when they’re not that busy) but the food is well worth it. Give me a glass of honey wine and my favorite lamb tibs and I’ll definitely make the trek midtown.

Came here on Wednesday at 9pm by myself looking for a quick meal. Got exactly that. Super attentive and polite server. Got vegetarian combo. Awesome delicious food. Ethiopian restaurants where I come from (Silicon valley) could learn a lot.

I have eaten here several times, the food is excellent, I’d say on par w the other place around the corner (Queen of Sheba), and the service is pretty good. Highly variable so I hate to compare even though I’ve eaten at both numerous times.
I find Meske more rustic so I opt for them more often than note. The ambiance of Queen of Sheba seems a little too contrived, whereas Meske is simple.
I mean don’t get me wrong, Meske could do with an upgrade, but I like its lack of pretension.

Had a post theater meal here and it was just ok. I was so hungry & grateful that it was open but I’ve definitely had better Ethiopian. I got a combo platter and the presentation was just very unappealing. The Injera honestly tasted like it had been sitting out too long. But the dealbreaker was the completely inedible lamb. I don’t know how long that lamb had been there but it was worse than a rubber boot. I mean, completely inedible. They should have been ashamed to serve it. I did speak up about it & the server agreed and gave me another serving of the beef. Additionally, my Pinot Noir was not good. I know wine well enough to know that the problem is that it was improperly stored. If you’re serving wine, store it properly and serve it properly.
The Ethiopian restaurants in Chicago are outstanding and that’s what I’m used to. They usually take a lot of pride in the quality of the food & the presentation. So it was very disappointing that at this place, mediocre was good enough. For $ 30 between food and drink, they need to do better. Absolutely would not return.

Small. Very casual. Very courteous friendly service. Yummy food. Clean bathroom. Slightly dingy feel to the place, especially when we arrived pre theater and sat at a table that was next to a room deodorizer tucked into the corner. Phew! Moved tables and were much happier. Ethiopian beer a good match for the spicy food. We had one vegetarian mixed dinner and one meat one so we tasted everything. It was my friend’s first time eating Ethiopian food, but she took right too it and we had a blast. Food came quickly and we made it to our B’way show with no rushing.

Meske Ethiopian Restaurant is one of only a few African (and possibly the only Ethiopian) restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen. Meske is also on Seamless, so I got the Meskerem Combo for delivery. I probably would not recommend getting Ethiopian food for delivery because the cuisine, by nature, is very communal so you should eat it with other people. I also didn’t get extra injera on the side, which was disappointing!
The Meskerem Combo ($ 16) is a great option if you are unsure of what to get and want to try little bit of everything. Under a layer of injera (slightly sour, spongy Ethiopian bread) is a combination of tibs wat, gomen besaega, yebeg alecha, miser alech, and miser wat.
Tibs Wat is prime beef cooked in a pan, and then sauteed with red wine and finished with berbere sauce (ground red pepper). The sauce was really spicy! The meat also wasn’t very tender.
Gomen Besaega is a special cut of prime beef seasoned with garlic, onions and ginger, then finished with boiled collard greens. This dish was super oily, and the meat also was rather tough.
The final meat entrée was the Yebeg Alecha — my favorite! It consisted with tender pieces of lamb (with bones) marinated with butter then sauteed with ginger, garlic and curry. The lamb was so tasty!
Of the two vegetarian entrees (they were very similar), I liked the milder, Miser Alech. This was split, lentils dipped with ginger, garlic, onions, olive oil and curry. Miser Wat was the same entrée, but with berbere sauce so much spicier.
I think you get much bigger portion if you eat there in person.

My first Ethiopian food experience was at Meskerem and I’ve never stopped going back. The food is flavorful and just divine.
Those who are fans of Indian cuisine will most likely enjoy Ethiopian if they haven’t experienced it yet. And yes, you do eat with your hands, but if you really insist on utensils the restaurant did provide as I recall.
It’s a very low key, casual dining restaurant with great food. I prefer this location vs. the Greenwich village as 47^th street location served meat vs. Greenwich location being vegetarian.

Recently came after a day at MET, the honey wine was smooth and delicious and the food was also really good.
The bread’s sourness took some getting used to but complimented the vegetables and meat very well.
Only thing I would say could be improved was the overall cleanliness of the place, saw a few flies flying around during our meal which was slightly unappetizing.

The service here was extremely slow, and they were not very busy. The food is served as different tasting and colors of mush on a big circle of spongy bread. This may be just how the food should be, but none the less unappealing to the eye. The different veggies and meat all had good flavors, but nothing fantastic. No wow factor. By the way, important note, there are not utensils and you must use spongy thin bread to pick up your bites of mush… if you get bothered by soggy textures, this place is not for you. The price was very reasonable.

Not a fancy place, but super clean. If you are in the area and looking for Ethiopian, there is no need to travel downtown or up to Harlem. Meske is delicious and the injera is just right. I have been here twice and both times were solid good food. One note; I only ate the vegetarian dishes and they were all delicious.

Really wanted to try ethiopian food for a long time and we zeroed in on meske. We called a couple of places to check if we could substitute the beef items in the non vegetarian combo with poultry or lamb but all of them said that was not possible. We ordered the vegetarian combo and the Doro Wat. Both were lovely especially the vegetarian combo. The veggies were very well cooked and very flavorful, something we weren’t expecting. The chicken was a little dry but the gravy it was cooked in was really good. Really good portions too. We ordered the honey wine and the Ethiopian beer on the servers suggestion and loved them both. The service is ok not great not bad. We really enjoyed the experience.

They’v got the berbere and they know how to use it! They do not hold back, which I find to be typical at most US Ethiopian restaurants.
I loved the spices, the friendly wait staff, and the extra zingy shiro.

Had one bite and pushed the plate to the side.
Ethiopian food is definitely not my forte.

Really enjoyed my time here. The ambiance is pretty basic, and there aren’t too many seats, but this place was full constantly on a Sunday night.
Lots of different dishes to choose from. I feel like they could have more bread with each other — but that’s mostly because each order comes with so much food. They do not skimp!
Some of the best Ethiopian in town, for sure.