Nyala Ethiopian Cuisine on Fairfax

Nyala is the first Ethiopian restaurant I ever went to. I’ve been going for over ten years and remarkably, it’s consistently good. I’ve tried all the other Ethiopian restaurants on Fairfax but I keep coming back to Nyala.

One of my best friends and I always get the veggie and meat combos combined on the same plate. We eat everything with the unleavened bread called injera. There’s salad on the platter which I just pick at with my fingers but I think they will give you a fork if you ask.

The veggie combo includes:

• Yemiser Wot – red lentils
• Kik Alecha – yellow split peas
• Defen Yemiser Wot – bean stew
• Yatakilt Wot – mix of carrots, potatoes, cabbage
• Yabesha Gommen – collard greens

 

My favorites are the lentils, split peas and cabbage.

The meat combo includes:

• Doro Wot – chicken
• Yebeg or Yebere Wot – lamb or beef marinated in red wine and sauteed, a bit spicy
• Yebeg or Yebere Alecha – lamb or beef sauteed in butter

I like the savory yebere wot (I’m fairly certain they give us beef- they never ask and we never specify). The chicken can be a bit unwieldy since they give you a leg and it can be awkward splitting it with other people.

 

I have tried other things including seafood but I always go back to the veggie and meat combos. You don’t think you’d get full but that injera bread is very filling. .

 

Other Ethiopian restaurants

• Addis
• Rahel

Nyala Ethiopian Cuisine

1076 S Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90019  —  (323) 936-5918

© The Minty 2013