Meskerem Restaurant

(212) 664-0520

468 W 47th St (at Tenth Ave.)
New York, NY 10036 40.7623 -73.9923

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Neighborhoods: Clinton, Midtown

Years in business

Established in 1993

Hours:

Daily, 11:30am-10:30pm

Price:

$

Last updated 10.17.11

Category:

Restaurants, Catering

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Quiet, Family Style Dining, Lunch Spot, Group Dining, Food Delivery

General Info:

Open 7 Days

Cuisine:

French, Ethiopian

What People Are Saying About Meskerem Restaurant

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

Midtown Ethiopian restaurant serving lunch specials plus a full dinner menu with a selection of vegetarian dishes.

ambiance
50.0% positive
  1. “The atmosphere was not so great, but I think it was worth it.”
  2. “The space and decor aren't much to look at, but the low lighting and ethopian music soften things up and the food is delicious - i always get the vegetarian combo which used to be enough for two people but these days it's a bit smaller and a nice big meal”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “The food is great, the wine is good and I always go for the veggie combo.”
food quality
75.92999935150146% positive
  1. “The service here is slow as heck, but the food is good, cheap, and comes out fast once you order.”
  2. “The food is so flavorful, juicy and melts in your mouth.”
  3. “Though the food was good, the treatment we received (with an international guest who was in NYC for the first time to boot) was uncalled for and extremely unpleasant.”
  4. “Pretty good food.”
  5. “The bread was also awful.”
  6. “This is a wonderful place to find really great Ethiopian food.”
  7. “The space and decor aren't much to look at, but the low lighting and ethopian music soften things up and the food is delicious - i always get the vegetarian combo which used to be enough for two people but these days it's a bit smaller and a nice big meal”
  8. “Good food!”
  9. “This place is so relaxed and has such consistently yummy food at really great prices.”
  10. “Very tasty dishes (except the flat bread they serve, it was awful).”
  11. “The food arrives, heavy with flavor and is poured onto a large circular dish with a cool injeera roti on the bottom.”
  12. “live on the block and I think that Meskerem is absolutely delicious.”
  13. “love combining their meat and vegetable combinations on one injera flat bread - so tasty!”
  14. “The food was very good.”
  15. “great find, truly amazing food.”
  16. “Good food, cheap, bad service”
  17. “Except for the sour Injeras (bread), I like this place.”
  18. “All of it is good but I have to recommend the meat sambosa, doro wat, tibs wat, yebeg alecha and the whole fish.”
  19. “So, while the place isn't the prettiest or the waitstaff the most service-oriented, the food is terrific and really, you go for the food so who cares about the other stuff!”
  20. “The menu looked great but the tender beef was like well-chewed chewing gum and the other dishes were not any more tender or palatable.”
  21. “The food is great, the wine is good and I always go for the veggie combo.”
  22. “The food was practically inedible.”
  23. “Good Ethiopian food - one of the best Ethiopian restaurants in this city.”
  24. “They blamed the slow service on the fact that the dishes we ordered "take a long time to make”
  25. “the only, very slight, minor negativity is the occasional slow service, but that's some very small price to pay for this delicious treat.”
  26. “could write a long diatribe about how this restaurant failed to meet expectations, but suffice it to say, as we were walking home, having given leave to our friends, my gf and I struggled to come up with any dining experience which had ever been worse”
  27. “Amazing food”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “The menu looked great but the tender beef was like well-chewed chewing gum and the other dishes were not any more tender or palatable.”
service
50.0% positive
  1. “The wait staff were friendly and made you feel welcome.”
  2. “So, while the place isn't the prettiest or the waitstaff the most service-oriented, the food is terrific and really, you go for the food so who cares about the other stuff!”
  3. “Good food, cheap, bad service”
  4. “They blamed the slow service on the fact that the dishes we ordered "take a long time to make”
  5. “The service was awful.”
  6. “The space and decor aren't much to look at, but the low lighting and ethopian music soften things up and the food is delicious - i always get the vegetarian combo which used to be enough for two people but these days it's a bit smaller and a nice big meal”
  7. “The service here is slow as heck, but the food is good, cheap, and comes out fast once you order.”
  8. “the only, very slight, minor negativity is the occasional slow service, but that's some very small price to pay for this delicious treat.”
  9. “The service was so unbelievably slow, even though we were practically the only people in the place.”
  10. “Never had Ethiopian before, and thw wait staff was very helpful.”
  11. “HOWEVER, both times I've been there, our waitresses were absolutely terrible--slow, snappish and generally unpleasant.”
value
50.0% positive
  1. “The atmosphere was not so great, but I think it was worth it.”
  2. “This place is so relaxed and has such consistently yummy food at really great prices.”
  3. “Good food, cheap, bad service”
  4. “the only, very slight, minor negativity is the occasional slow service, but that's some very small price to pay for this delicious treat.”
  5. “The service here is slow as heck, but the food is good, cheap, and comes out fast once you order.”
wait time
16.670000553131104% positive
  1. “could write a long diatribe about how this restaurant failed to meet expectations, but suffice it to say, as we were walking home, having given leave to our friends, my gf and I struggled to come up with any dining experience which had ever been worse”
  2. “The service here is slow as heck, but the food is good, cheap, and comes out fast once you order.”
  3. “the only, very slight, minor negativity is the occasional slow service, but that's some very small price to pay for this delicious treat.”
  4. “HOWEVER, both times I've been there, our waitresses were absolutely terrible--slow, snappish and generally unpleasant.”
  5. “They blamed the slow service on the fact that the dishes we ordered "take a long time to make”
  6. “The service was so unbelievably slow, even though we were practically the only people in the place.”
4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/09/09

Terrific!

by potumkin at Citysearch

So, while the place isn't the prettiest or the waitstaff the most service-oriented, the food is terrific and really, you go for the food so who cares about the other stuff! I love combining their meat and vegetable combinations on one injera flat bread - so tasty! Only complaint is that we always have to ask for more bread...

  • Pros: Food, price
  • Cons: Ambience, waitstaff
4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/21/08

Good food, cheap, bad service

by wisebrain at Citysearch

The service here is slow as heck, but the food is good, cheap, and comes out fast once you order. I prefer Queen of Sheba for a nice Ethiopian dinner.

  • Pros: Cheap, Variety of Food
  • Cons: Bad Service
1 Star Rating: Poor

12/10/06

Awful Service

by monisha99 at Citysearch

I have been to Meskerem many times and last night, we were treated so rudely that I will never return. The waitress and then the manager made us switch tables in the middle of our meal, didn't bring out the sufficient amount of food that 3 orders would have warranted, and then claimed that they had despite the evidence provided by customers seated around us. Though the food was good, the treatment we received (with an international guest who was in NYC for the first time to boot) was uncalled for and extremely unpleasant. I don't recommend this restaurant to anyone.

  • Pros: food
  • Cons: service
4 Star Rating: Recommended

01/12/06

Delectable Ethiopian

by boomoola at Citysearch

The food arrives, heavy with flavor and is poured onto a large circular dish with a cool injeera roti on the bottom. Shared between all members at the table, the large dish also contains a sublime collection of lentils and vegetarian. Yes, the service is a little slower than average but the food has been worth every visit, every time. All of it is good but I have to recommend the meat sambosa, doro wat, tibs wat, yebeg alecha and the whole fish.

  • Pros: food
  • Cons: service
4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/20/05

Good food!

by komalshah at Citysearch

Except for the sour Injeras (bread), I like this place. The food is great, the wine is good and I always go for the veggie combo. Dont like the somboza too much - I prefer their washington street branch.

The Details on Meskerem Restaurant

Place Categories:

  • good ethiopian food
  • slow service
  • generally unpleasant waitresses
  • flat bread
  • nice big meal
  • very helpful thw wait staff
  • not recommend restaurant
  • like place
  • not so great atmosphere
  • recommend yebeg alecha
  • nice ethiopian dinner
  • good wine
  • tasty very
  • recommend whole fish
  • worst meal
  • delicious treat
  • tasty flat bread
  • best ethiopian restaurants
  • best ethiopian
  • order enpty plates
  • like dont
  • recommend doro wat
  • absolutely delicious meskerem
  • great menu
  • worst experience