Zigni House

I’ve been to Ethiopian/​Erytrean restaurants before, and this one is just like the others: very good food, with a different twist, due to a spice mix that no other cuisine has.
I don’t really understand the comment below, from Rolando G.: I’ve eaten here many times, and I’m still alive. The kitchen may look dirty (why /​how did you get there ?), however, that’s the case of many a «fancy» restaurant as well, and nobody complains. I guess the fact that it’s an African restaurant raises some suspicions…
I recommend going for the big platter, offering a bit of everything that succulent cuisine has to offer.
Top it with an Ethiopian beer, and finish your night with a nice coffee or tea in the garden, sharing a chicha with friends, and it’ll be a night to remember !

I love this place! Delicious food, the best flavours and very filling. There are also lots of vegetarian options to choose from and you can experience plenty of variety. I’ve always had very positive experiences here, the staff are always friendly and helpful. The only downside is that you typically have to wait awhile for your meal, but it is well worth the wait!

We had the buffet option which offered lamb and chicken curries meat balls and some minced meat and many veg dishes and salat. Really enjoyed it. Everything was fresh and staff friendly. Buffet was around 10£.

This is a nice East African restaurant. The food is varied and tasty, service is slow but maybe that means the meals are made from scratch.
Staff are friendly, the décor is pretty cool and you can eat with your hands — the E African way!
I live close by so often pass this place and it always seems to be empty, don’t know how they stay open but I am glad that they do!
I recommend this for something a bit different.

I had been looking for a decent African restaurant, and rode past Zigni House, and pulled over to take a look. Managed to get an opportunity to visit a few weeks later.
I rang ahead to find out the opening hours, and was told they were open. Headed over, to discover the owner had opened early following the call and we were first customers.
The food was typical Ethiopian, which while common in New York and the US, has not penetrated UK as much. The environment is comfy and relaxed (very African). They have homemade honey wine for authenticity.
The owner chatted to us, and produced two cook books she has had published on cooking, so knows her stuff — which was supported by the food.
My only criticism would be the lack of goat — however, it’s not something you see on the menu in the UK much, and lamb made a very satisfying alternative.
My friend had never heard East African before, and was delighted — took loads of business cards and couldn’t wait to return.

I knew it might be out of my comfort zone, but still wanted to try it. My feelings are mixed. We ordered a mix of chicken and lamb curries, of various spices. It came with rice and a flat bead. The bread was very sour, and unedible in my opinion, though one of my friends seemed to quite like it. The rice was flavoured heavily and was delicous, and all the curries were fairly nice.
I wouldn’t go back again, but I’m glad I went once.

When I lived in San Francisco, a friend introduced me to East African food. I loved it. Since moving to London, I’ve missed my favourite Eritrean café. I’ve been longing for shiro a chickpea dish. I’m happy to say I’ve found it here at Zigni House. On the way back home from a rehearsal, I decided to stop there for lunch yesterday.
The place is causal and comfortable. The prices are really reasonable. The food was fantastic. I ordered the timtimo and shiro. The woman who served me was very friendly and told me a bit about the dish. She said that it is specific to Eritrea and that it has healthy properties that help alleviate certain ailments.
I really enjoyed my meal. I left Zigni feeling really satisfied. The food was just the right amount of spicy to leave you with that warming feeling in your belly. I’m going back and next time I’m taking my husband.

Quite tasty! Probably not the best East African I’ve ever had, but I would certainly return. The waitress was very nice (though the food took a REALLY long time to arrive) and the food was solid. The chicken we got was particularly tasty, though I forget the name now. It was on the bone.
The place was basically empty (Tues night), so it was comfy and quiet.
They have sharing platters for 2 for like £25 or you can pick three items on your own for like £13
And no, «spicy» is not too spicy.

It was my first time trying Ethiopian food so obviously I have no frame of reference but overall, I have to say it was exactly as Unilocal puts 3 stars — «a-​ok.»
The décor was cool and it was nice sitting on long couches. It was fun eating on a circular plate with a huge injera to share. However, the food was just too oily. I understand that much of the dishes are fried but after being fried, I would’ve appreciated if only the food were served. Instead, it felt like the tibs were put in a bowl, then any excess oil that was used to fry it was poured over it to serve to the customer.
I’d be willing to try Ethiopian again in the future, but maybe another restaurant to compare my experiences.

I took my aging family here for their first East African meal — they loved it.
Really nice atmosphere and so much delicious food.
Be sure to try the ‘local’ beer.

Pretty good meal here — I love Eritrean food though so I might be biased. I think Lalibela in North London still beats this place hands down, but this is much more convenient for me so I’ll probably be back. Veggie sharing platter for 2 is 20 quid — seems like there should be a bit more variety and food for that amount of money?

GREAT ETHIOPIAN! (Yelling from my rooftop)
I came here for a late birthday meal and it did not fail to ring in the new year in my life. Tibs tibs tibs, and awaze qulwa!!! Spicy, delicious, and the injera was perfection. Although the service was quite slow, we didn’t mind since we were sitting on 3 couches «‘aving a laugh.»
Zigni House also stays open til quite late, so you can have a lounge, some food, as well as some drinks. It’s never too busy on a weeknight, but maybe we were just lucky!

Go for a less traditional Sunday meal and head down to Zigni. The food is east African, with the owner/​chef having written the first recipe books on food from this area, it is as authentic as it gets. With a 3-​part layout consisting of a lounge/​drinks area, a formal dining area and a family dining area, you could feel like you were dining at home (if it wasn’t for the slightly different food!). For an interesting meal that does not break the bank, this is a winner.

This Ethiopian restaurant is a little gem of a restaurant, and makes for a very different dining experience. The staff are very friendly and the restaurant has a real air of African authenticity. The food is unusual — I had a cute but hearty bowl of cooked lamb, complemented by a large fermented, doughy pancake. Ethiopian beers are available, and were enjoyably refreshing. This is a great place to visit for something different. Leisurely dining is assured so a good place to take an open-​minded date!