Dinknesh Lucy

I would have given this place 2 ½ stars if that was an option. Since I couldnt I went with two because there are so many ethiopian places on this block theres no excuse. Its been ages since we’ve had ethiopian. There are at least 6 places on this block so we picked Dinknesh at random. The food was flavourful. Thats the height of the whole experience. We ordered two combos, two sambusas and a coke. The lady walked away as we ordered so all we got was the combos. Its not like she was busy because the place was empty the whole time. I heard the mocrowave beeping away in back. I dont know what she used it for because the injera was cold like it was straight from the fridge. The combos were lukewarm. In the middle of our meal people who I assume were the server’s family came in. She proceeded to have a loud argument with one of them right next us for most of our meal. The food was flavourful so the whole thing could have been worse but we’ll definitely be trying one of the other places on the block next time.

I am one of the regulars here for few years now, I absolutely love food in this place, full of flavours and authentic Ethiopian spices, super affordable prices and owner Is a gem. Dont judge book by its cover is definitely something I would compare this restaurant with.

Oh you so fancy, eating that Ethiopian food! Yup, I am fancy. After first trying Eritrean/​Ethiopian food in SF, I had a massive craving for something different. Footscray is like lil’ everything (lil Saigon, lil Ethiopia, etc.) so we went to Dinknesh on Monday. It was pretty quite, except for a large group and we got served ridiculously fast. We got the meat combination, vegetable combination, and lamb tibes. Everyone enjoyed the meaty stuff and I really liked the potatoes. The injera bread was good, but I’ve definitely had better. The portions were pretty good for the 4 of us and the prices were ridiculous. It ended up being $ 12/​person (unheard of in Melbourne)! Overall, I think it was a good first outing in Footscray, but I’m eager to try a few other places too before coming back here.

When in a developing country, after a week or two, you get into the swing of paying dirt cheap prices for some of the tastiest food in the world. With the economies of scale and cost of living taken into account you don’t feel so tight paying 2 dollars a main. Then you encounter a restaurant that — god forbid — charges 3 and you fall back into tight ass mode and question why it costs that much in comparison. Lucy is like that. It’s about one to two dollars more per dish compared to Harambe and five bucks more than Salaam Authentic. Throw in five bucks corkage and you’re gonna hit that magic forty dollar mark. Ironically it’s right next door to Lentil As Anything so if you feel like pinching pennies, move along. One thing you can’t begrudge though is the owner and her daughter. I reckon they’re worth the extra as they’re some of the funniest people in the Scray and you can catch them dancing and singing out of the corner of your eye if you’re quick. The food is as good as anywhere with no real standout dishes yet a vast selection of combo deals, which we always go for. You’ll get about 14 samples if you choose wisely and a bonus song sung if you put the staff in a good mood.

This place is a gem in the heart of Footscray. This was also the first time I had tried African cuisine, despite having visited the area countless times over the years.
It is a mother and daughter business; the mum works her magic in the kitchen out the back, while the daughter greets and serves customers at the front. She was very warm and inviting, and guided us through the menu. The food was nothing short of spectacular — there was all kinds of food, and lots of it! A lot of the dishes are sauce based, similar to curries, and are mopped up with an interesting, light sourdough bread/​pancake hybrid. I can’t exactly remember the names of the dishes we had, but one was a lamb based dish, whilst the other was chicken. The lamb dish was amazing, and definitely return-​worthy.
When it came time to pay, my dining partner didn’t have cash, so they even kindly escorted her to a nearby ATM!
They also have live African music some nights, but it changes often. Enquire within.