Most diners who frequent traditional Ethiopian food restaurants are accustomed to the experience. Longer wait times and a dark, intimate atmosphere are to be expected at most Ethiopian restaurants — but sometimes those aspects deter people from going. That’s why Fetien Gebre-Michael and Yoseph Assefa opened Konjo Ethiopian in Edgewater Public Market.
“We want to make Ethiopian food more approachable,” stated Assefa. The two friends started with a food truck several years ago and were able to build out a niche for themselves in the Ethiopian food community. “We could get Ethiopian food out within 15 minutes — which is unheard of [with traditional Ethiopian food],” said Gebre-Michael. They still operate the food truck alongside the restaurant and travel to breweries, events and HOAs — which has helped the restaurant survive during the current pandemic. “We’ve worked too hard to get to this point. We can’t fail now. Failing is not an option,” said Gebre-Michael of her attitude toward the current state of the business.
Gebre-Michael grew up in Northern Ethiopia with 11 brothers and sisters — yes, 11. “I was the eldest girl which meant I was basically the second mom,” she explained, “My mom would tell me to go make food for the kids so I’d have to figure it out. It went from being an annoying chore to something that I actually liked and it tasted good.”
Ethiopia has a tradition of communal eating with large groups of family and friends sitting down to enjoy a meal together. The ingredients and recipes vary by region but all have one commonality — flatbread that is shared by everyone at the table, torn and dipped in the flavorful dishes it accompanies. Since Gebre-Michael is from Northern Ethiopia and Assefa is from Southern Ethiopia, Konjo offers a variety of dishes from both regions. All of Konjo’s food is made from scratch every day in order to provide guests with the freshest, most authentic food possible. “We take pride in the authenticity of the food,” said Gebre-Michael. Over the years she and Assefa have combined family recipes with local ingredients to create the approachable menu Konjo has today.
Konjo’s dishes include vegetarian options like kik, miser, gomen with dinich and tikel gomen which translate to yellow split peas, red lentils, seasoned spinach with potatoes and curried cabbage with carrots and potatoes. The meat options include chicken tibs, beef tibs and lamb tibs which consist of the protein simmered with onion, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, spiced butter and berbere — an Ethiopian spice blend. All dishes are served with the traditional flatbread that has a sourdough taste and helps balance the bold flavors that come from the main dishes.
If you haven’t tried Ethiopian food before, Konjo is a great place to have your first Ethiopian dish. The fresh ingredients, authentic recipes and heart that is used to create each dish will satisfy your yearning for a warm, home-cooked meal.
Konjo Ethiopian is located at 5505 W 20th Ave Suite #106, Edgewater. Open Wednesday – Friday 12 – 8 p.m., Saturday 11 – 8 p.m. and Sunday 11 – 7 p.m.