Makeda Ethiopian Restaurant

I just found out this institution has finally closed. Let me say this, the food was always 85−90% amazing! I frequented this place for several years in the 90’s. The food was a step above, I would describe as «gourmet» African to anyone I knew. I was introduced to this cuisine in Houston in the late 80’s so I was somewhat familiar. Needless to say, the food here was amazing and I always loved they fact they supported «live» music. Looked like a «win-​win» formula. But for me, what killed me was a sense of HUBRIS. I rarely felt truly welcome here. Most servers and receptionists were indifferent at best, though one middle aged lady always treated us right. And she enjoyed heavy tips for her service and positive attitude. The clincher for me was when I made a reservation on their website on a Tuesday for the following «holiday» Saturday. Late Friday afternoon I receive an E-​mail response as follows: «It SAYS on our website NO MORE Reservations for Saturday.» Very blunt and to the point. I e-​mailed back and explained I reserved on Tuesday and I had guests flying in from Boston. As you can guess, no response. So I boycotted the restaurant for more than 10 years, only going back once when my son returned from Florida and really wanted to go. So in some respect, this may be «Karma»??? If the owner tried to open a new place, I would certainly try it. The food speaks for its self. But I would recommend paying close attention to the front end, the reception and waiting staff. They can and do make or break your business, one customer at a time. BTW, does anyone know where this spectacular chef went?

RESTAURANT CLOSED! Eviction notice on door.
Even though expensive, no other comparable ethiopian restaurants in the area. Very sad to see it go. :-(

We are so sad to hear Makena is closed. It was our favorite restaurant in the area and the best Ethiopian restaurant anywhere. I hope the owners find a way to reopen in New Brunswick or find another location.
Now where are we supposed to go for Christmas Eve Dinner?

Restaurant has CLOSED. Last time I went there was an eviction notice on the door. Despite the service complaints I had I am very sad to never have this food again.

As of 12÷13÷14, Makeda has been evicted. I passed by on my way to my car and saw a sign pasted in the window.

It’s closed and shuttered. They were evicted by the County Sheriff when I went by this evening for dinner.

Service is the worst. 1 server for the entire place. That same server is also the host and bartender. 90% of their beer/​wine/​drinks are «ALL OUT». And the menu is expensive!!! What a laugh.
Water leaking from the ceilings. Filthy, decades-​old carpet and furniture smell really bad.
Ambiance= someone’s musty dark basement.
Prices= A bad Joke.

My girlfriend heard about Madeka from a coworker over the summer and it was one of the first places we visited this fall after returning to school.
From the outside, this place might appear to be a «hole in the wall» –we actually walked past the entrance twice before realizing it was there– but the ambiance upon entering was authentic to say the least.
We were skeptical at first as there were no other customers there at the time but the waitress (who seemed to be the owner) was warm and welcoming and excited that we were excited!
We tried the meat sampler the first time there (they also have a vegetarian option) which I definitely recommend to any other first timers. We were able to find things that we liked (and didn’t like!) so that the second time visiting we knew exactly what to get!
$ 8.95 lunch can’t be beat (for portions similar to those served at dinner). Even dinner isn’t outrageously priced– I’d give it $$ rather than Unilocal’s $$$.
Overall great experience every time we visit.
Favorites: Tibs wat (small beef chunks in deliciously flavorful sauce), ful (I think of them as Ethiopian refrained beans), and fitfit (cold tomato, jalepeno salad)

Pros
–lunchtime menu is affordable
–veggie lunch time fishes were tasty
Cons–
–the day I was there, service was terrible. We waited for more than an hour and lot of people left
–night menu is quite expensive

This restaurant left a bad taste in my mouth. Went there on a Sunday afternoon, although the place had only two tables seated, it took the hostess ½ hour to get us seated. Ordered the food and that took its time (again I wonder, with an almost empty restaurant why would it take so long).
The food came in and ½ of the items was ice cold. It was like they took it from the freezer, microwaved some dishes and forgot the rest.
Never ever again.

the lunch special is a great deal! I’m a fan of the doro tibs with the fitfit, shiro and gomen. honey wine is also very good!
wouldn’t recommend it for dinner since you get the same small portion as lunch but for double the price.

If u are indian u will be suprised to see curries served on Dosas
We asked for spicy but still felt it was sufficient
Food was good but needs to build taste to start liking it
Veggie choices are with good with potatoes and carrots

The staff here is kind of rude and the food is overpriced. The portions are big but if you want to split the food with someone, they charge you $ 7, which I think is ridiculous since other Ethiopian restaurants expect you to share. I called in advance to check on this and they told me that it wasn’t true so I was disappointed when I realized that the woman on the phone had no idea what she was talking about. When I asked to speak to the manager, he was unwilling to talk to me.
I’d say overall, I think the prices are unreasonable for what you get but if you don’t mind the prices, give it a try. I just thought the staff could’ve been more polite and knowledgeable about their weird rules, but there may have been a slight language barrier.

This place has been consistent through out the years. You always know that you’re going to have a good meal and you will leave with your belly full. Whats even better is that they have live jazz on Thursdays at 8pm, so you can gran dinner in the back and then make your way over to the bar area and enjoy some great music.
One of my favorite meals here is the Ful dish, This consist of beans, tomatoes, onions, hot peppers and potatoes in the traditional Ethiopian wrap. This meal gets me every time as its filling and delicious. Its always great to eat somewhere where using your hands is the preferred method to eat, (though i usually end up grabbing a fork). Everything about the meal is delicious and if you add a little hot sauce, its even better. If you’re looking for some good ethiopian food and entertainment, this is definitely the spot in New Brunswick.

The salad here is amazing.
Lunch is great value.
Go check it out, you won’t regret it.

This is very good, savory Ethiopian whose rating unfortunately is dinged by perceived high prices.
The problem is, Makeda is as close to fine dining for Ethiopian that I have seen. You’re paying for a MUCH nicer dining experience. Is that worth $ 25 for the veggie combination platter versus $ 18 at other establishments? That’s up to you. I’d prefer if Unilocal would let us filter out reviews based on price!
Anyway, the Ethiopian cuisine here is quite authentic and varied. You’ll see items not commonly found at the Queen of Sheba’s of the world. The décor and layout is quite pleasant, and you’ll even have, gasp, linen and tablecloths!
The injera was very tasty with the right amount of sponginess and a lower sour level than sometimes can be a turn off at other Ethiopian joints.
The service is pleasant and attentive, but not necessarily smiley. They do jazz nights and seem to make a stab at championing East-​African culture, but let’s be frank, the downtown New Brunswick location makes this a challenge.
Very filling and largish portions. I’m about to burst thinking about the copious amount of lentils, split peas, and other wats, what, I digested!

This is the third Ethiopian restaurant that I have visited so far. While it happened to be one of the more expensive restaurants I’ve been to, it was the most tastiest I have had. Our server was a lovely young woman who was very kind and patient with us as we had many questions about the menu. I would not recommend getting appetizers as the main course is actually quite filling. My husband and I shared the meat sampler which, while seemingly expensive at $ 55, it was quite a good amount of food and we both left completely stuffed.
Parking is difficult to come by in this area. If you do make it out there I would recommend stopping in and trying their food.

I want to give them a 4 but for some reason I’m really bothered by the fact that I got charged $ 8.50 for my $ 7.50 salad. The Fit Fit was $ 7.50 and the Tossed Salad was $ 8.50. I haven’t used the word «tossed» in about 3 months or so. I know I said «Fit Fit» last night… because saying the word «fit» back to back in quick succession isn’t something you forget.
I did indeed get the $ 8.50 tossed salad last night… not charged $ 8.50 for a $ 7.50 salad, but why in the world was I given something I didn’t ask for?!
Also, no normal Blue Moon.
Out of Guinness and Honey Wine and whatever else my friend asked for.
I made sure I asked for water and not her because they barely had anything she would ask for.
Service was alright. The hostess and waitress were nice enough I guess.
I don’t think I’d come here again though. Pretty expensive and they charge extra for sharing. If you have some craving for Ethiopian food then go ahead and knock yourself out.

So, as a restaurant, the food here is not that great. I might be slightly biased though because I haven’t enjoyed Ethiopian food from other locations. I have heard that it is more of an acquired taste. The atmosphere is super cute with traditional Ethiopian furniture and basket woven tables to eat on, if you like. I came here with a friend and we really enjoyed the Bob Marley songs along with a bottle of wine. The wine selection is fairly large and on the higher end with pricing, $ 25 dollars a bottle. I hear that they play live music on weekends.
I have been to this restaurant twice. I wouldn’t recommend coming here for dinner. But it was nice to go somewhere different with an ethic feel for some drinks. Don’t think I will be coming back. Waiters are sort of lazy, but I was in too much of a good mood to complain.

Ethiopian food, warm and friendly people, beautiful place, and lovely experience!
I’ve been here 8 or so times, and each time — never disappoints. Kinda pricey, but very good quality!
FOOD
* Shrimp Alecha (Ginger, Rosemary, Jalapeño sauce)
* Chicken Doro Tibs: Cooked in a spicy hot sauce called «awaze»
* Beef Minchetabesh: prime rib cooked with ginger, onion, and cardamon
* Vegetarian: Perhaps even my fav over any of the meat dishes. They offer a wonderful combination plate so try several items.
* Zaalouk (eggplant!)
(A lot more choices, all pretty delectable)
LIVE MUSIC
Fun! Friday and Saturday nights
WINE/​BEER/​CHAMPAGNE
A wide-​selection of everything, with prices varying from reasonable to expensive
MUSEUM/​GIFTS
Beautiful goods displayed, some for purchase
CONCLUSION
With all that said, it’s a really nice place to go!