Ensira Ethiopian Restaurant - Calgary

I came to Ensira for a New Year's Eve dinner and was surprised to find the place serving a few full tables at 9pm on this celebratory day--it shows that

We just finished a wonderful meal hereWe each had a vegetarian combo platter, which had seven different kinds of stews and vegetables.

Not good. Everything was cold and the bread was straight out of the fridge. Wanted to love it but I didn't. We went at lunch, maybe it's better at dinner time.

A friend of mine lived and worked in Ethiopia for a while so we decided that our next dinner together would be at her favourite Ethiopian restaurant in town – Ensira. I’ve eaten Ethiopian once before, in Edmonton, with a very large group of people. I had a general expectation of what to expect – a large tray in the middle of the table with food piled on top. You use the soft bread (injera) to scoop up the food and eat with your hands. You definitely need to wash your hands both before and after this meal.

I have visited Ensira several times and it is definitely my top choice for Ethiopian cuisine in town. The restaurant is beautifully renovated, clean, and organized. The atmosphere is pleasant, with very friendly and attentive service. The food is delicious, fresh, and authentic. My only complaint would be that when the restaurant is busy, it can take some time to get the server's attention. It would be helpful if servers checked in more regularly and offered more injera. When dining with a large group, the injera provided with the meal can disappear quickly and may need to be replenished.