Blue Nile

Pros: interesting menu, delicious food, great ambiance, great service Cons: not much parking, a tad bit pricy (but worth it) If you want good Ethiopian food in Houston, this is the place! It's a hidden gem, but worth checking out! It's a little on the expensive side, but totally worth it. I would recommend this place for special events, such as a really special date or wedding anniversary. And you don't need reservations. I recommend any of their savory food (trust me--it's all great!), and any of the desserts that are freshly made the day you're visiting; if you ask for any of the other desserts, they'll have to pull them out of the freezer and the flavor will be... passible, but not as good. I'll have to come back for their coffee ceremony at some point!

7 months ago

One of the most unique experiences I ever had dining at a restaurant. Blue Nile has been recognized as one of the top ethnic-authentic restaurants and also the best Ethiopian restaurant overall in the Houston area for numerous years. I decided to check it out and it lived up to the hype. Everything feels authentic and true to its roots. The decor, ambience, food, clothes of the waiters, etc. It was my first time eating Eastern African cuisine and it was great. I tried the lamb Dulet, an Ethiopian delicacy, and it was very delicious. While I didn’t have the other options, reading about them gave me the impression I would’ve also enjoyed them. This restaurant should definitely be in your bucket list if you ever find yourself in the Houston.

3 months ago

The ambiance is just right. The restaurant has a very homely feeling, and I love the simple decor. The service was so nice, I should have taken a picture with the server🤦🏽‍♀️. Definitely somewhere you’d like to visit for a quite meal in a relaxing atmosphere😉

3 months ago

Overall: EXTREMELY delicious! the food was very flavorful. it even smelled and looked so good i kept forgetting to take photos before digging in. they asked if we were sharing our dishes and brought them out on a huge single plate. admittedly, someone in our party who has ate there a few times before noted it seemed like maybe the serving sizes were smaller when combined on the sharing plate versus when served individually, but this may have been a visual effect of the plate size. this was my first time here so i cannot speak to this. it is definitely within the fine dining price range, about $30-$40 for each entree, but it was worth it for the quality of the food. the decor is very beautiful. i appreciated the fresh flowers at every table. i think this is a great place where you can eat alone but also an impressive gem to bring someone to for a date or a large group meal. the atmosphere was lovely and the music playing was very enjoyable and not too loud. there were a lot of cultural decorations and beautiful pictures hung up which was really cool to look at. the bathrooms were clean. there is a parking lot. however, it is not large (probably fits 10 cars), so if it’s busy you may need to park on the street, but the street parking was ample. great service, very friendly and prompt. the servers were attentive without being overbearing. there’s an open floor plan, so i assume they were able to keep watch without having to come up and interrupt. they helped us pick out dishes and explained what was in each one. they also accommodated my mushroom allergy. they roast their own coffee in house which is supposed to be very good, and fills the place with a delicious aroma when they make it (according to the friend in our party who has been there multiple times). sadly we didn’t get to experience it this time, but that just means we will have to come back! i will definitely and happily be returning and bringing visitors here in the future. some critiques: -it is very cold inside. we would have stayed longer if it wasn’t so chilly. i assume it was because they cooled it so that it would be comfortable if at full capacity, and it was fairly empty when we went. - they had a good selection of drinks. however, i was surprised that soda was $5, and it was a can of soda. i would have expected a refillable soda or such, but even then i thought it was a little steep. that being said, everything else was so delicious in the grand scheme it was okay. what we ordered: - gomen (collared greens) -blue nile special tibs lamb (they left out the jalapeño by request and it was very flavorful but not spicy which i appreciated a lot as this was my pick and i struggle with spicy dishes) - yessegia wot beef - sautéed fillet of fish -kitfo beef -pistachio cake -baklava -heineken beer -hot tea -sodas

3 months ago

My husband and I just moved to Houston and were craving Ethiopian food. Everything was so good! The cabbage was the best we’ve ever had!! We will need to bring our parents here when they come to visit.

2 months ago