Blue Nile

Caveat Emptor; RIP Blue Nile.
Yes, that’s right. The Blue Nile sign is still outside, but it is now «Café International» per the laserjet printout on the front door. When I called to make reservations, the young gentleman on the phone explained they were no longer Blue Nile, but now Café International with the same Ethiopian recipes served in the past. Hmmm. Ok – my sister had a Groupon she recently purchased on my recommendation of her wanting to try Ethiopian food. I continued with my reservation and at the end he asked me if I had a Groupon or restaurant. com certificate, to which I replied, «yes.» «Since we are not Blue Nile, we will not honor the certificate. You can get a refund from the seller,» he responds. Damn. Oh well. Let’s still give this place a shot.
So, I want you to know that I had never been to the Blue Nile when it was the Blue Nile, but based on the reviews here, service seemed average and the portions hardy. Not so much our experience at Café International. The menu was much more abbreviated than I had seen on Blue Nile’s website and almost a quarter more in cost.
The staff seemed confused and disoriented, but I guess that was because they were a «new» restaurant. When we ordered, several of us asked for our entrees to be «extra spicy.» This didn’t seem to be a problem and he jotted down our request. Dinner took about an hour to be served and when it finally came out, all 5 of our meals were dribbled on one piece of injera. This bothered me in 2 ways. The portions were extremely small and we had vegetarians and meat eater dishes side-​by-​side. Yes, I am very familiar with the Ethiopian «family-​style» way of serving, but this was ridiculous. I’ve experienced that no more than 4 people’s portions grouped and I’ve never seen meat on the same injera as a vegetable combo. The server explained there had been a mix up in the kitchen and thats why it took so long, also the dishes could not be modified for spiciness. Um. Whatever, at this point we were all starved, but it was upsetting that we spent about $ 15 a head and received about a ¹⁄₃ cup portion each. The food was delicious, albeit mild, but there was not enough. We left hungry.
The only positive thing I can say about Café International is that the wine was $ 3 a glass and bottles of beer were $ 2. Good deal. Especially to kill time while we waited forever for our entrees and to fill our bellies because the food sure didn’t.
As we were paying our bills at the front, the server encouraged us to stop back soon and shared with us that in the future they would be adding on all sorts of cuisine and then rattled of a dozen cultures including Thai, Vietnamese, Costa Rican et al. Wow. They can barely handle the curtailed Ethiopian menu from the previous restaurant. Good luck!

Here’s the thing, until very recently, I’d never had Ethiopian food at all. Since this is the only place I’ve ever had it, I feel the very best I could rate Blue Nile at this time is a 4 since I really don’t know what «As good as it gets» is in this case.
But I can’t give it that full 4-​star rating for one simple reason: As great as the food is, the service is lacking. If you want a refill on that water, you best get it yourself. I mean, once you get your order placed before you, they kind of disappear. But the food is so delicious I can almost forgive that. I mean, seriously good. And it comes out to your table lightning fast.

Absolutely delicious. I went here with my boyfriend this past summer when I had a really terrible cold, so I couldn’t really taste anything which was a huge bummer because it looked great (we are both huge fans of Indian food so we figured we would try Blue Nile one day). I ended up going about 2 weeks ago with a friend who has never had Ethiopian food. Since he had never had it before, we got the two person sampler plate that has 4 different, basic Ethiopian dishes on it (chicken, lamb, chickpeas and beef) and of course your side of bread that serves as your utensil. It was even better than I had imagined! Super flavorful, tender meats, with great spices. It looks like not a lot of food when you get, but it really does fill you up; we couldn’t even finish the whole plate.
The service is good, you pay up front after your meal. I think for the 2 of us splitting the bill, with the sampler plate, a soda, and a water, it came out to about 12 dollars for each of us.

Yumm… That is all.
No not really :)
This place looks a little. dingy. But I’m glad I’d read about it on Unilocal ahead of time and we went ahead and ate here. The service was good, and I enjoyed that they had the traditional seating option (the other Ethiopian restaurant I’ve eaten at didn’t have that available when we were there). My group split two sampler trays (one meat, one veggie). The food was amazing.
Only disappointment– the injera was a little cold, but the food was hot enough to warm it up so that was ok.
I would definitely return!

This review is specifically for the lunch buffet I’ve had not too long ago on a weekend.
When I was out and about in the area, I decided to try out the lunch buffet here. I came here months ago with some family, but wondered if they had anything new.
I quickly glanced at the food, and decided to just order the buffet due to time.
Well, after I started serving myself, I noticed everything was at room temperature. While there was no problem with the food itself, I was completely turned off by the fact that the burners were off right in the middle of the afternoon.
There were probably like 8 – 10 items total to choose from. There were no new dishes to choose from compared with the last time I came here.
I may come back to try an actual entrée, but will never order the buffet again.

Wanting something different for dinner Saturday night, my friend and I decided to try Blue Nile. I have only had Ethiopian food once before, last year in DC. That said, I guess I was walking in with high standards. I couldn’t remember any of the dishes I had in DC, so I was pretty clueless when I opened the menu (as was my friend).
The owners were friendly, greeting us right when we walked in, and we were immediately seated; I was kind of surprised how empty it was. We took some time to peruse the menu, trying to figure out what we were going to eat. We thought the combination platter would be best way to go, since neither of us had a clue what we liked. We asked the owner lady/​server what she recommended and basically let her order for us. I went with the the #2 combination, since I’m not into too much spice; my friend went with #3– he likes it HOT. He also ordered veggie sambusa for our appetizer.
Soon after we ordered, our sambusa arrived piping hot, fresh out of the fryer. After several minutes of letting it cool off, we bit into them and both agreed they were awesome. I couldn’t tell you what vegetables were in there, but the spice blend was so good. We weren’t even able to finish the appetizer before the food came out.
The large platter arrived containing both both of our orders spread on the injera, which is used as the vehicle to get the food from «plate» to mouth. We dug right in, trying a bite of each of the four entrees that came with our combination. The key fitfit (beef) was good, although on the verge of being too spicy. It was the only thing I couldn’t finish– my friend happily helped me out with that. The cabbage was also quite good. My favorites were the doro alicha and the fasolina bekarot… I couldn’t get enough of them! The doro alicha was a chicken leg and hard boiled egg covered in a yellow sauce (maybe some curry flavor?). Whatever was in this made it sooo good. I didn’t see the fasolina bekarot on the menu, but I was told it was some sort of potato and carrot dish. It came with large chunks of potatoes, small pieces of carrots and onions and was also in a yellowish sauce– but tasted a little different from the chicken.
The owner guy came by several times to fill our glasses with water and tell us how proud he was for our progress of eating everything up. After we had successfully finished everything in front of us, my friend decided we needed to try the rice pudding for dessert. I was pretty full, but managed to have a few bites. Although not the best rice pudding I ever had, it was still good and a nice finish to our meal after all of those spices!
The combination was the way to go for being clueless about Ethiopian food, but I’ll definitely be ordering the doro alicha (or wat) and the fasolina bekarot on my next visit. There are plenty of vegetarian dishes, and Blue Nile also offers a lunch buffet (which I’m looking forward to trying some day soon).

Apparently, I just love Ethiopian food!
Everything I’ve tried here has been delicious, and the service is usually top-​notch as well. Its a tiny bit seedy… they could use a décor overhaul and a deep cleaning. But they are really trying, and I hope they stick around.

I’ve been here a few times. I’ve always been impressed.
The injeera is delicious. I highly recommend going in a group and getting combo plates with all sorts of things to try. Even if there is one or two things you don’t like, there will be plenty of things to impress you.
Delicious!

Huzzah! It’s an Ethiopian restaurant with a reasonable service time. That seems to be the scourge of most establishments I’ve tried. I can remember waiting for an hour at Red Sea in Charlotte. Never again. I can’t be too hard on myself for that, as it was my first foray into the still-​exotic cuisine. It was definitely a learning experience.
Contrary to the Blue Nile in Ferndale, MI, this one actually uses teff in their injera. Let’s just say that if they didn’t, then they at least got the color right. I would have liked it to be a little more sour, but at least I could taste it this time. This has become my favorite place for Mesir Wat. Lentils are one of my favorite foods, and they served such a delightful dish that it’s going to be hard to try others when I go back.
We were welcomed warmly and served well. I can’t think of any problem that arose during my dining experience. On a side note, the place feels a bit dated, but I can’t fault a small operation for that. I’d love to stop by this place again the next time I’m in Columbus.

You could easily walk buy this place and never notice it, and that’s really unfortunate because it is just a great dining experience.
We first tried Blue Nile about three to four years ago and it has become a family favorite. The food is great, the service is great and the owner actually remembers us every time we are there, which in this day and age is amazing.
Going there is more like going into someone’s home to join them for dinner with all of the associated warmth and hospitality.
A clue if you are not prone to like spicy food, don’t order anything with «wat» at the end of the name.
Wat, I don’t know. No I don’t know is on second, who’s on first… sorry I had to do that.

By far the best Ethiopian restaurant in Columbus, quite possibly the entire Midwest. The restaurant offers several meat and vegetable dishes and is vegan-​friendly. The food is stellar and is very affordable. The restaurant also offers a lunch buffet as well.
The restaurant itself could use some updating, but is clean and has plenty of tables, as well as traditional seating. Note: The traditional seating carries a fee.
As many others have noted, the owner and his family are very friendly and will remember you every time you come in.

The food was flavorful and the workers were very nice. we had a goof up with the receipt that was fixed quickly.
As for the food, it definitely seems authentic. I’ve had Ethiopian a few times and this lives up to what I remember. The bread is strange, spongey and almost pancake-​like, but everything is always flavorful and interesting. I enjoyed it, for sure.

The owner always remembers me, even though I don’t go very often.
The food is great and its my go to Ethiopian place for out of towners.
The honey beer is awesome, even though they won’t tell you where you can find it in Columbus.
My only qualm is the price. You can go to the Sahara or lalibela and pay less.
Oh and the buffet is not as amazing as ordering off the menu.
Also you will pay extra if you want to sit at the tradition woven grass tables they have there.
Cheers.

Let me start by saying I lived in Washington D.C. which is the Ethiopian capital of the U.S. so I’ve had some darn good Ethiopian food. Before actually entering The Blue Nile, my eating partner and I slyly walked past the windows to scope out our fellow eaters. Yes, a little creepy of me. It is my belief that no butts in seats means sub-​par food. I might revise that belief after this experience.
We were one of three full tables in the restaurant. The Blue Nile offers a variety of seating options — a more communal option and typically American table and chairs. I liked the authenticity of the décor and menu.
Our service was prompt, but it got awkward when the server returned to our table three times to ask if we had questions. No. We just couldn’t decide. It would have been that way if we had been eating at a pizza parlor. I can never decide. But, I think she assumed we weren’t familiar with the cuisine and was trying to be helpful. The questions we did ask were answered very well and with excellent recommendations — like the house honey wine. It’s sweet and washes down the spicy meat dishes quite well.
Prepare to get a little messy if you’re going for Ethiopian as the food is eaten with your hands and Injera (a sponge-​like Ethiopian bread) instead of utensils. The food was pretty good and it is fun to choose a platter or two to share so you get to try a little of everything. I was just a little disappointed with the portion sizes, but I was also sharing a meal with someone who eats like a pubescent boy and it seemed to go fast.
I will definitely return to The Blue Nile a second time. Regardless of the awkwardly efficient service it provides a unique dining experience that is very communal and fun to share with friends.

I have really fond memories of eating here while in college. I still enjoy the food. Things I noticed this time were that the bread given with the meal was cold and the sambusas were microwaved and chewy (not too yummy). However, I enjoyed the meal and our daughter enjoyed the atmosphere and music. We would go again.

Dear Blue Nile… although you don’t look like a lot from the outside and your inside is simple yet filled with Ethiopian adornments and art work on the walls, your food is amazing!!! Sincerely — two new fans!
If it were not for that small neon blue sign that said open in the window, we would have not known it was open from driving down High Street. We had never had Ethiopian before but it was on our bucket list. Upon walking in we were warmly greeted and told to sit anywhere on the other side as the side we came in on was jammed with happy diners who had partaken of the lunch buffet.
We were offered a choice of the buffet or ordering from the menu. We chose to go with the menu so we could experience a wider variety. Hubs picked the Blue Nile #1 for two platter. I wish I could remember the exact names of the foods but unfortunately I cannot.
The food is served communal style on one big platter with a big round of injera as the base with your ordered food on top. You also receive a side basket of injera and napkins. No knifes, forks, or spoons — this is finger food for real! You tear off a piece of injera and grab your food with it and in the mouth it goes.
I told the lady who waited on us (think she was owner) that we had never had Ethiopian before and she was very kind to explain what everything was. Our lunch was this killer good spicy lamb. I mean the meat was moist, tender, and juicy good with this hit of spicy heat that came and tickled your taste buds within moments of chewing the lamb. There was some chopped beef with peppers and onions — it was rather mild. Then there were two chicken legs and two boiled eggs in this spicy red sauce. I think it also came with yellow lentils along with cow’s milk cheese.
I told hubs to back off the lamb and he wouldn’t get hurt, so he polished off the lentils and the beef. The boiled egg in the spicy red sauce was definitely different, but still good. And let me tell you, eating the injera that had served as the base for our food after it had soaked up all the tasty nummy goodness of the sauces — oh baby!!!
The owner was so sweet as she came to check on us and to ask if things were too spicy (she said sometimes people either don’t like it so spicy or can’t handle it, we loved it!) Our platter plus coke and mango juice came to a before tax total of $ 35. We’ve spent more for lunches and less for lunches — no complaints here. The check also comes with wet wipes… you will need them.
Do eat here!

This is one of those places that I consider a true hidden gem. Just by looking at this place you probably wouldn’t really expect it to be as great as it really is and some may even pass it up for a more trendy looking restaurant and if you do so then you will be missing out big time. I have not had the buffet since I honestly cannot keep myself away from their doro wat. It’s seriously the best chicken I’ve ever had, it falls off the bone, it’s spicy, it’s savory, it’s everything it should be. Their kitfo, mesir wat, kik alicha, and gomen are also pretty darn delicious. The injera is great as well. I had eaten my fair share of Ethiopian before coming here and I can truly say this the best I’ve ever had.
The owners are very friendly and accommodating and for the people that haven’t had Ethiopian food before they are happy to teach you the proper way to eat it. The décor may not be high-​end but, the place still manages to always make me feel happy and welcome. I couldn’t ask for more.

It’s been a minute since I visited the Blue Nile, and I’m just now remembering to write this review – forgive me if I miss any details.
I’ve had authentic Ethiopian food before, on several occasions. Not «authentic» restaurant food but home-​cooked food made by someone who grew up in Ethiopia. I loved it, loved it, loved it – injera is not my favorite, but her spice combinations were out of this world. I had really high hopes for Blue Nile, and I talked about how awesome Ethiopian food was for months to my husband, but sadly, it fell a little flat.
If I re-​visited Blue Nile and had exactly the same experience, I would give it a two-​star review; I am giving it 2.5 and rounding up to 3 because I only went the once. The service was fine. My husband was a little flummoxed about the no-​utensils thing, but I am constantly eating with my fingers whenever I can get away with it, so I didn’t mind that bit at all. The food was what I found sub-​par. I was really eyeing the Gored Gored, but I don’t like to eat raw beef in an establishment I’m unfamiliar with, so I ended up ordering the Minchetabesh, a spiced, chopped beef with onion and ginger. My husband also ordered beef, I believe his was either the Lega Tibs or the Tibs Fitfit; his was a bit better than mine, which came out as a big lump of supremely greasy ground/​chopped meat. It was also kind of bland; it tasted like taco meat that was seasoned with the packets of pre-​blended seasoning and then put on a plate without draining. Ironically, the injera was my favorite part of the meal. That and watching the obviously new people (including hubs. I’d say including myself as well, but as I said, I take to fingers-​as-​utensils – I’m not a fan of metal forks and spoons) who aren’t used to eating with their hands in that sort of setting.
I wanted to love the Blue Nile, but I was disappointed that I elected to go there over the Taj Mahal, which were my two choices for a date night. Taj is very much superior.

The sourdough pancake is always more sour at the other Ethiopian restaurant: This is going to be a (pseudo) philosophical review.
The Blue Nile is a wonderful place to eat. They do respectable Ethiopian cuisine. Why must it be compared to other Ethiopian restaurants in far off destinations that might be slightly better? Are you not setting yourself up for perpetual disappointment thinking this way?
The owner is so nice it makes you feel guilty for every bad thought you’ve had in your life. Is my negative disposition gaining me anything in my life? What pleasure must a simple curry bring to him!
The service can be slow– use it as a moment to consider why you are always in such a hurry. What is to be gained by leaving when you are already spending time together with the ones you love in a comfortable place? (Oh right, your movie starts in 15 minutes… where’s that f’n check already!)
The honey wine is really sweet. Is it possible for honey-​wine to not be sweet? Would it still be honey-​wine? Ponder that deeply.
The other reviews do a good job of explaining this place for the unfamiliar. If you’ve never had Ethiopian, its closest cousin to the curious American palette would be Indian, but there is a sour profile that replaces the richness which makes it quite unique. I recommend ordering one of the combo platters and trying as many different variations as you can. It also helps because you might start to get confused trying to track which words means what– give up control– and you can relax and enjoy!
Notes and Anecdotes:
–Once a while back, the (as previously mentioned very nice) owner was prodding myself and my companion to finish off the complete meal and the extra pancake that he had brought. It was a lot of food.
He kept saying ‘you can do it,’ ‘no problem!”. Then immediately after we finished he said «I’ve never seen two people eat as much as you two just did!»
–The honey wine is sweet, and I don’t like sweet wines by default. I like wines that taste like sucking on gravel soaked in lemon juice. But I enjoyed the honey-​wine! Go figure.
–Despite my above ramblings of nothing gained from comparing restaurants such as this, there is one thing I wish they served that I don’t believe they do. There is a group of Ethiopian dishes which are basically raw meets cured in spices. I’ve enjoyed these greatly where I’ve been able to have them in the past. I don’t believe the B’Nile offers these. Maybe something to do with the local food safety laws?
Jokes:
–If you are like me, and you end every night out by hand feeding your date grapes or chocolate covered strawberries, please take extra caution in washing your hands thoroughly after eating this meal (no utensils). Wouldn’t want to ruin the moment!
–With the presence of the ‘Blue Nile’ and the ‘Blue Danube’ in close proximity, I dream of opening a café along the same strip called the ‘Brown Olentangy’. We will serve either bologna or turkey sandwiches on wonder bread, your choice of Doritos, ruffled lays, or Fritos crushed in between the bread.

I went here for the first time yesterday and was reasonably impressed with the cuisine and most of the experience. The owner, who greeted us and sat us himself, kept calling us «brothers and sisters» and was very friendly. He explained some of the dishes and the eating tradition in Ethiopia, was helpful with advice and had a positive vibe.
The food was good. I got a combination of five vegetable dishes, the beyaynetu, others got veggie sambusas, a lamb dish (yebeg wat) and some sort of combo dish with beef and lamb (shifinfin). The food is served in a big shared platter on top of Injera, their native bread. You are given more pieces of Injera with which to eat. You tear a piece of the bread and use it to grab the food. Very neat experience.
Only downside was a mediocre alcohol selection and the fact that not once did they come to refill our waters, which needed refilling… badly.
Of note:
— They offer a lunch buffet every day, or week day at least.
— A friend/​coworker of mine is from Ethiopia, having been in the country about four years now. She said she was not impressed and that there is food that is better representative of her country on the east side. I’ll be trying some of those in the future.