Major Restaurant — Restaurant in Indianapolis

The night before my brother's wedding, my Indian family, and the bride's Bangladeshi family came into Indianapolis at various times, with varying dietary preferences, and we were all very hungry. Seeing Ethiopian close to the airport, I called the restaurant and asked if 4 to 11 people (I know, quite a spread in the numbers) could be accommodated in less than an hour. Thankfully they said yes.

When we arrived, with 8 people, despite being kind of in the middle of a dead zone, the restaurant itself was an oasis: the decor was homey, eclectic, and friendly, and immediately we were greeted by the very warm and charming server, Sabrina. She helped us decide on what to order and was such a delight to deal with in every way. She even kept it light, funny, and good humored even when my mom and aunt kept commenting on her beauty, while I felt a little anxious about it!

We ordered lots of sambussa, of practically every kind, a vegetarian platter, a chicken platter, and tea service. I live in New York City, where, we believe, we have some of the best, if not the best, of every type of imaginable cuisine. Yet the Ethiopian food here was tastier than any of my favorite spots in NYC. We all ate so much, everyone remarking on how they ate way more than they realized they were hungry for.

Meanwhile, Sabrina, our server, was attentive and generous with her time, and even brought us some honey wine to try, to complement our special wines we had brought for the wedding as well. ($20 corkage fee here, which is reasonable). The tea service at the end was elegant and tasty, and we asked for milk with ours because, hey, that's what Indians/Bangladeshis do, and our server was very happy to oblige.

Even with eating so much, we still had delicious leftovers to take with us as well which Sabrina packed for us with extra bread (injera). She even gave us a tour of the fun bar in the back which will open soon as well. While the food and atmosphere were 10/10, somehow our server made the experience exponentially better. I generally don't look forward to coming back to Indiana, but this place alone has helped tip the scales back in my home state's favor. We also met the owner and head chef who deserves tremendous praise in every aspect for the 10+ years he's been operating.

I can't imagine another dining experience that could so well keep us hyped for the next day, satiate us and relax us after our travels, and offer something for everyone to love, and then some! Now I get to be that annoying person in NYC who will tell people when Ethiopian cuisine comes up, "Oh, you like _? Yeah, it's pretty good, but the best I've had is actually kinda in the middle of nowhere in Indiana!"

Thank you to Major, the owner, and Sabrina for a truly spectacular night, and meal! I will (hopefully)...

From the reviews I had really expected to like this place. After eating there, I have no idea how the reviews are so positive. First, the restaurant does not appear to be very clean. The table at which I sat was greasy. The service was even worse. I don’t believe I have ever experienced such a disinterested waiter. The woman sat next to me and brought my drink then immediately went back and sat at the counter. I literally had to ask for a menu. Once she gave the menu she once again sat at the counter. I waited…and waited…I closed the menu and began looking around thinking she would realize I was ready to order. But no…as with getting the menu…I had to ask her to take my order. If the food had been good, then I could have overlooked the wait staff’s behavior, but the food came…I am not sure they even put salt in this food. The green lentils tasted as though they had just been placed in water and boiled (and not even long enough…they still hard and a few even crunchy). The red lentil dish was not great but at least had some flavor, the cabbage was actually good, the yellow lentil dish…like the green lentils had not been seasoned at all. In the end, I ate the salad and the small servings of red lentils and cabbage for $22…total of $26 when you add the drink (a simple soda) that cost $4. What a waste of time and money…I will never eat here again. I can tolerate bad service if the food is worth it or bad food if the wait staff is friendly but this is bad food and bad service…oh..and as if the original bad service was not enough…a man (I don’t know if he was the owner, “chef” or what) came over and sat behind the counter and was listening to what sounded like a video of some sort at full volume which was also very distracting. So…the salad was decent (I mean…it was just a salad but comparable to a side salad at most restaurants), the cabbage was good (better than some but on par with many), the injera was good but it was just the injera that you would expect, nothing special. So my advice is…go somewhere else. There are some good Ethiopian restaurants where the wait staff are friendly and interested in actually making sure your order is...

One of the best meals out that I can remember.

This place is a small mom and pop business. They are very friendly. My wife and I arrived late lunch and we were the only ones there. The only negative I can say is that "The Major" needs a location change. It is not easy to see plus it is hard to get to.

We started with lentil sambussas. These are like little lentil pies in a phyllo like pastry. They came with a couple of chutney type of sauces.

I ordered a vegetable dish while my wife ordered a chicken dish. They arrived on platters with a bread base and the food on top. The bread is similar to a pancake/crepe. You eat the food by tearing a piece of the bread a picking up the food. One person's review didn't like this, but I'm the type to use chopsticks while eating Chinese food so this did not offend me. It is something to experience. If you want American utensils -- eat American food.

Flavor, aroma, texture, and presentation are perfect. An abundance of food was provided at very reasonable prices (I spent the same amount the night before at Jimmy John's).

One other review was concerned about speed of service. I don't think this is because of poor service but because of the style of food. Everything is made fresh with no frozen foods. This is truly home-cooked food. I did not find the service to be slow for what I got. They were very attentive and pleasant.

I spoke with the proprietor about his location. I told him I only found his place because I asked Google to suggest some place good to eat. I am positive he could have one of the most popular restaurants in Indy if he only had a better location. He is stuck in a lease right now. I hope he can expand. Please do not be put off because of the location. This place is clean, warm, comfortable, and inviting. The food is delicious. I have a new favorite...