Massawa

(415)621-4129
1538 Haight St.
(bet. Clayton & Ashbury)
San Francisco, CA
(Upper Haight district)

Price: $-$$
Rating: 8 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 12/30/06

Tasty East African food. No utensils are used, but rather you scoop everything up in some injera (a thin, sour bread) and eat with your hands ala Ethiopian food. I eat perhaps once a month, as it's near my place and is reliably good, low-key, friendly, and importantly on the weekends, easy to get a table at.

Of the entrees I've had, my preferences are the beef kelwa (sauteed round with peppers, onions and tomatoes in a somewhat spicy sauce) and the combination plate, which has beef strips, lamb cubes and chicken on-the-bone. We usually order our meals family style, where they're all placed around the edge of a communal platter, with various dips and stews in the middle. These usually include a peas, yogurt, and a spinach, with some mounds of sauce that I can't identify.

Service is casual and friendly, and the food generally arrives pretty quickly, as it's all been stewing for quite some time, and has only to be spooned out. They serve several African beers and a Brazilian in addition to the usual domestics, as well as an Ethiopian wine (Boabab) that is serviceable, but not memorable. We discovered the superb Cock & Bull ginger beer here, and for that we're grateful.

Its enjoyable having a meal with your hands, and this is a fun place to take out of town guests, as not that many cities sport Eritrean or Ethiopian restaurants. It would be nice if they provided you with a moist towel at the meal's end, however.... They also now serve breakfast, but that's a different matter entirely.

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