African Village Ethiopian restaurant — Restaurant in San Antonio

This restaurant is a hidden gem in San Antonio, and I’m so excited we discovered it! We hadn’t been here before, but I had tried Ethiopian food years ago in Washington D.C. – and convinced my husband and son that we should give this San Antonio restaurant a try. Oh, wow, was it wonderful! When we first pulled into the parking lot at 5:45 pm, on the Friday after Christmas, I was worried because there were so few cars. But when we opened the door, the most delicious aroma welcomed us and pulled us in. My son and I have very sensitive noses, so I turned to him, looking at his eyes. We both grinned and said, “This is going to be good!” And it was. Oh, wow, it was good!!! We had no idea what to order, so we asked the owner to choose for us. That turned out to be a good move. The food when it arrived was beautiful. I wish we had taken a photo! Everything was freshly prepared – do be ready to wait twenty minutes or so after you order. We chose the family-style presentation, with all the sauces, veggies, and meats served in one large, traditional platter-basket. We tore off pieces of the injera teff bread (made there, and so yummy!) and used it to pick up the food. Ethiopian food is eaten with the injera rather than utensils. Very fun, but we used a lot of napkins! We ate ‘til we could eat no more. I would gladly eat this food every day. Not only was it delicious, but it had a balance of veggies and proteins that made my tummy very happy. When food tastes this good, it is no chore to eat vegetables! We followed up with their traditional, hand-roasted coffee that the owners prepare on premises. It’s served in tiny little cups, and was out-of-this world good. If you’ve never had Eritrean coffee, you are in for a treat. We all agreed that we need to come here again — not just that we would like to eat here aga, but that we need to. Such good food! One note: the decor has very much a small-restaurant feel, and the bathrooms are nothing fancy. With food like this, though, the restaurant should be full to the brim, with patrons waiting to get in. Please, everyone, give this restaurant a try. I want them to succeed so that we can keep coming back for their amazing food! Also, the service was really excellent, and the owners took time to talk to the patrons at each table. This was one of the best restaurant experiences we have had, and we are going to tell all our friends and family! The food and coffee together cost $65, for 3 people, before tip. For the quality, it was an...

My wife and I came to try something a little different. What we were not expecting is the amazing journey we went through. We have been to several different countries around the world and have tried so many ethnic restaurants around San Antonio, call it arrogance, but I believed it would be very difficult to find something new to wow us and make us feel as though we still had much to learn about culture and flavor. Let's start with the fragrance as you walk through the doors. The smell was very pleasant and not like we had smelled before. Not quite Indian, even though some of the spices are similar. But you could smell the slow cooked stewed flavors in the air. Next, the Injera (Ethiopian bread). It is made fresh and the owner (we believe he may be the owner) showed us the bag of brown teff flour they use to make the bread fresh. It had a wonderful smell and added a light acidity and complimented the flavors of the dishes. It was also used as a base under the food and soaked up all the deliciousness. Everything that was served had it's own unique smell, texture and flavor. We had fun experimenting with the different flavors and mixing some together. It was wonderful. We told the owner how wonderful everything tasted and he remarked that it is made fresh to order and that is why it tastes so good. As the plate was brought we thought that it would be way to much food, but thanks to the amazing flavor, we had no problem finishing everything. We had been doing some research the night before and we were interested in trying the traditional Ethiopian coffee. We ordered it for after the meal. As we were finishing eating, we could smell the coffee being freshly roasted in the back. Shortly after, the owner brought the roasting coffee out for us to smell as is tradition. We finished eating and the owner cleared our table and asked if we were ready for the coffee. He brought out the coffee in a clay pitcher and with a basket of freshly cooked pop corn. It was amazing! The flavors complimented each other so well and it was a perfect way to end the meal. Just talking, eating popcorn, and drinking a very strong, but smooth cup of coffee. We left extremely giddy, happy, and a little shaky from the coffee. It was much better than I even hoped it would be, and we will definitely be back. If you are considering trying...

If you haven’t had Ethiopian/Eritrean food (they’re basically the same area), do yourself a favor and visit African Village. Our family makes it a point to seek out Ethiopian restaurants whenever we travel, and this is among the best Ethiopian food we’ve had the pleasure of tasting. We didn’t even know it was around until 5-6 weeks ago- and we’ve been there at least weekly since then.

As far as the menu goes, try the doro wat (chicken dish), and any of the tibis (tibs). And the greens, cabbage and lentils (misir) are also great.

Those are just a few recommendations- everything there is delicious. Also, if you’re a vegetarian, you’ll find plenty of options here.

A few tips for the uninitiated- like all Ethiopian restaurants we’ve visited, they serve the food “family style”. Everything is plated together, in neat piles.

The dishes are served on a bed of injera (spongy item made of teff, or an indigenous Ethiopian grain).

Also, don’t expect utensils- you won’t need them. They also provide rolled up portions of injera, and you use those to sop up the food. This is typical of the traditional presentation of Ethiopian cuisine.

In short, give this place a shot if you haven’t been there. If you have been there, then you already know how...