Merkato — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Merkato belongs to the middle of LA's Little Ethiopia that houses a half-dozen Ethiopian restaurants. A handful of the restaurants feature fancy decorations outside and use tablecloth inside (Meals with Genet, Nyala, Addis). These places are recommended for dates. By contrast, Merkato is a casual market and restaurant combination. When you peer into the windows of Merkato, bright colored saddles, African fabric, Ethiopian masks, and foreign paintings are decorated throughout the restaurant. I was told that Merkato serves the most traditional Ethiopian meal on the block while Meals by Genet serves a slightly-Westernized version (although I heard some contradictory reports claiming Meals by Genet sun dries their premium ingredients overseas before importing them to LA). As someone who values authentic and traditional ethnic food, the decision to dine at Merkato was simple.

This was my first time experiencing Ethiopian food. We ordered: #13 Assa Tibbs (whole white fried trout Ethiopian style with vegetable sides) #14 Yebeg Sega Wot, Yebeg Alicha (braised beef and lamb stew) Tej (honey wine) Ethiopian coffee

At Merkato, all the dishes you order are combined into one large communal platter and then presented with the vegetables surrounding the meat (if meat is ordered). Utensils are absent in Ethiopian cuisine. A sponge-like pancake called injera acts as the spoon. The injera should be ripped apart and then scooped into the meat/veggies. Don't be shy to get dirty. Don't be afraid to use up all the injera, it can be refilled. Don't ask for forks and spoons - suck it up and experience the Ethiopian culture.

The white trout was very delicious and fragrant - fried crispy with plenty of meat to serve two people. It was a very fun experience to get my hands dirty while digging out the tiny bones in the fish. A must order.

The braised beef and lamb stew were marinated with mild spices and ginger that complemented the cold mounds of enriched vegetables (lentils, cabbage, peas, collard greens).

Tej is a dessert wine that is sweet with hints of honey. My dining companion stated that it was strong. The Ethiopian coffee that I consumed contained cardamom. Unfortunately, the mild spicy body of the cardamom interfered with the citrus and berry finish characteristic of Ethiopian coffee. This beverage can be skipped.

I highly recommend Merkato for those in LA who seek authentic and traditional Ethiopian food. For first-timers of Ethiopian food who had never been exposed to eating without utensils, Meals by Genet may be a better choice to ease into the culture. However, note that Meals by Genet is up to twice as expensive as Merkato. A complete meal for 2 at Merkato is around $45 while I was told that the bill may reach $70 to $80 at Meals by Genet. If $$ is a concern, consider Rosalind on the same street since they...

Now open for dine-in!

This is a cool little market and restaurant in Little Ethiopia. Parking lot in the back is tiny and packed, so we parked in the T-Mobile lot on the side.

The Ethiopian honey wine (tej) is sweet and tasty. Reminds me of dessert wine. You can get glasses in the restaurant and also bottles to take home.

The #1 Kitfo (minced raw beef) tasted quite light and had a nice texture that was slightly chewy. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, since I sometimes have an aversion to raw meat.

The #30 vegi combo was a delightful assortment of 6 dishes: #24 Special Shiro (ground peas in red sauce) #25 lentils #26 collard greens #27 yatklt alicha (steamed cabbage) #28 yekeke alicha (peas in mild sauce)

Some of the dishes were spicy enough to leave my tongue tingly, but if you like heat, then you might love this stuff.

The injera (leavened fermented flatbread) was very sour and packed a punch to complement all the other flavors.

If you like flavor, then you definitely won’t be disappointed in this place.

We were the only customers dining in at a quarter to 2 pm on Friday, so I felt quite safe social distancing here. 2 other diners did come in partway through our meal, but I still felt safe in the mostly...

This place was such a surprise find for me and my friends! It's in a super walkable neighborhood, so I couldn't say much about the parking, but it's really easy to find and looks super noticeable from the outside.

The inside is really cozy and we were seated right away a little bit after the dinner time rush. We ordered the vegetarian combination, which I think is a must for everyone, non-vegetarians (like myself) included! It came with so much food that split between three, along with two samboosas, was more than enough food. We truthfully couldn't even finish it, even though everything was really good. My favorite were the lentils-slightly curried and very tender, but still held their shape and texture. Nothing is spicy, but I did add some chilli spice to everything and I think it made it even better, if that's possible!

Everyone who works there is also super friendly and helpful, and gave suggestions to us, as it was our first time ever trying Ethiopian food. We each ordered a glass of the honey wine, and were given the remainder of the bottle since it wasn't that much left after three glasses! Excellent and cost effective stop for dinner any night, and I'll definitely...