Ethiopian restaurant sets opening date

March 14, 2019

Hagere Ethiopian Restaurant will open April 6.

Chani Liben and his wife, Sifrashi Mengistu, hoped to open the restaurant at 2113 S. Minnesota Ave. sooner but encountered delays getting permits to serve food and alcohol.

Liben and Mengistu are from Ethiopia but met in Kenya where they were living as refugees. They got married 15 years ago, and shortly after that, Liben was able to come to the United States. Mengistu, who will do the cooking at the restaurant, wasn’t able to join him until 2012.

Hagere means “my home country,” Liben said.

Entrees will include traditional Ethiopian recipes such as tibs, doro wat and kifto. Meats will include goat and lamb, along with beef and chicken. Many dishes will feature vegetables such as lentils, yellow split peas, beetroot, cabbage, potatoes, carrots and collard greens. Everything will be served with injera, the traditional bread that’s used as a utensil.

Customers can order traditional Ethiopian coffee, which is served in a clay pot. The beer list includes two imports from Ethiopia, Harar and St. George, and the wine list includes two Ethiopian reds, Gouder and Axumit.

Hagere also will be open for breakfast, serving dishes such a genfo, or porridge, and enkulal fifirfir, which is scrambled eggs with tomato, onion and jalapeno.

Liben said he’s planning to have a buffet from 12:30 to 2 p.m. the first couple of days, giving people the opportunity to try a variety of dishes.

“We will keep the buffet if the business runs good,” he said.

The restaurant will be open from 8 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. daily. It’s in the Southway Center in the former Old Soul Cafe spot.

 

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Ethiopian restaurant sets opening date

Chani Liben and his wife, Sifrashi Mengistu, have set an opening date for their Ethiopian restaurant.

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