Tsion Cafe & Bakery

It was my first time having Ethiopian food. We ordered the veggie combo, tibs with potatoes, and extra injera. A new culinary experience for sure and I enjoyed every bite. The décor is very nice. They have an outdoor area as well.

Although, the place has a nice and comfortable atmosphere the Ethiopian food I ordered was a big disappointment.
I ordered a veggie combo for $ 28. It was below mediocre especially for the price they charged. The injera was rubbery and tasteless-​they might be using too much wheat and little amount of teff, I’m not sure. The ingredients were very bland and dry, as well. What happened to the fresh Ethiopian spices and lemony juices that diffuse into the injera?
I’ve eaten at Ethiopian Restaurants in LA, Washington DC, San Francisco, Oakland CA, Boulder CO etc since I’m a big fan of this cuisine. Tsion Café serves one of the least desirable I have experienced. Wouldn’t think twice to go back to order another veggie combo again.

Just left this place now and had to give my review! As an Israeli in the middle of a neighborhood that I don’t know, it was amazing to discover a few of the dishes that I know from home. Tried the malawach which made me very happy! The ful and the combo for one. We were two people and left very full and satisfied! Ambience is relaxed and service was pleasant. We will be back.

Had the croissant sandwich which has the Addis eggs on it. Delicious. Not too heavy. Great flavored. Not greasy.
The coffee was surprisingly good as well. Not expecting that.
Will be back.

The best cappuccino on the Upper West Side and North Manhattan — puts Counter Culture Coffee in all those fast growing hipster places to shame! It’s a true quality organic Ethiopian coffee. Tsion has it all other coffee places have plus space, plus genuine friendliness of staff, plus good food and tasty beers and good selection of wines! It’s not only great place for dinners and brunches but also for mid of the day coffee break and snack. Sweets are great too! Absolute winner. Come and see for yourself. It improved my quality of life in Washington Heights — I don’t mind coming twenty blocks down for this experience!

Now let me preface my review by saying this 4 star rating is only due to the fact I have not actually had a chance to enjoy the ambiance of this restaurant.
I can’t see why I can’t make this a 5 star updated rating later.
I ordered the Tibs. Upon walking into this location, I was pleasantly surprised. I say this not to be cliché, but really surprised. The dining area was beautiful and serene. Great art on the wall. Clean! everything was clean. I picked up the Tibs and then purchased the Honey Wine. The honey wine was great. Imagine a great tasting wine that give you a wonderful warm feeling without you feeling drunk. It’s great. The owner and the cashier were so welcoming and kind. I’m going back to actually eat in this place.
The food was FANTASTIC (sorry to steal your catch word). So delicious and filling.
I’m not going to drone on about the restaurant and make up things to make you feel like you have to go. You should go to enjoy a wonderful Ethiopian cuisine. I can’t wait to go back and actually enjoy the restaurant’s atmosphere.

Imagine: you walk past the exterior and you say to yourself: nah, it looks small. Then you walk in anyway and are shocked by two things: OMG! It smells wonderful and wow, this is actually bigger than you thought. Seriously.
You ordered the cappuccino and taste it without sugar first. You like it. You choose the raw sugar out of the four varieties on the table, and add it to the drink. You love it. While waiting for your mushroom quiche to arrive, you enjoy creamy caffeinated goodness out of a cute mug. The idea of rushing through a quick breakfast seems ridiculous. All of this happened to me. True story.
The quiche is deliciously moist and flavors are light. The crust was not crispy but it definitely stood up firm against all of the moisture of the quiche. If, like me, you dread a mushy crust breathe easy. The side salad comes dressed in a balsamic dressing, which was light and a flavorful contrast to the quiche.
The artwork on the walls changes quite often, as the décor is carefully maintained. Someone truly took the time to decorate this place and create a comfortable environment. There are table, couches and bar stools to choose from. I wish this place was open late night because it would make for a nice place to dance.

I have only tried the Ethiopian Vegetable combo here and a pancake dessert, but the veggie combo was so good that I may not be able to order anything else here. Everything smelled so good coming out of the kitchen (I do mean to try the salmon), and the restaurant is a total anomaly in Manhattan. Spacious, with an outdoor space, not too loud, with such friendly servers and proprietors. Not to mention the beautifully decorated space. Everyone should try this place whether you’re local or not.

Do it!
It’s well worth making that unexpected stop, planned visit, or trailing off your usual route for. I’ve only had Ethiopian once back home in nola, and it was also a good experience so it might be safe to say Ethiopian is a cuisine that appeals to my taste.
Walked in as a party of three on a Thursday night whim and was seated right away. I knew the second we got there my buds were gonna be happy; those smells don’t lie. This nice, chilly evening called for tea, so the spiced Ethiopian it was, delicious decision. Unable to settle on one dish each, we went family-​style in ordering.
Tibs are a must, don’t play yourself by not getting these. We also had Firfir, Malawach, and Shakshuka. Everything was great, I thought the Shakshuka was phenomenal with the pita, it was my favorite of all the dishes we had. Careful tho, it’s really hot! To say mostly everything did not contain any meat, I left completely satisfied in fulness.
We also allowed room for a desert, which was more like a sweet version of Malawach. It reminded me a lot of baklava, almost like a baklava pancake, really good. It was the perfect finale to it all.
Service was good and on point, everyone there was really nice and sweet. I hope they’ll be around for a while, it’s a great neighborhood restaurant deserving of out-​the-​door business.

Went last night. It’s cozy and friendly, not too crowded on a Saturday night, and the food was excellent. I try to hit every Ethiopian place in NYC and see what’s what in the vegetarian options. This is definitely top-​tier.

AMAZING! What a lovely secret spot. With the unsuspecting entrance, you will be pleasantly surprise by the open and clean layout. Colorful art fills the walls and there are lots of seating options. First I came here for tea and dessert, mallawach which was delicious. Two days later, we came for dinner and were wowed. New to Ethiopian food, we ordered the veggie combo for one and the chicken tibs. Everything tastes so fresh, healthy and flavorful! Plus it was a blast to eat with our hands. Can’t wait to come back!

I’ve walked by for 3 months now and never stopped in. When I saw Tsion was on the Cups app (good for purchasing tea and coffee pre-​paid packages), I decided to stop in.
My initial reaction was that the space inside was larger than what’s visible from through the doorway, with a couch and bench area near the restroom entrance. I was also excited to see there were pastries on the counter of the bar (yay, bakery).
The coffee was out when I came in at 6pm on Sunday, so I went with the Paris tea, a black tea blend. I was offered honey (yes please, awesome!). And that was the extent of my visit because I asked where to sit with my laptop and learned no laptops are allowed on the weekend.
I don’t know when I’d come in here again but the menu looked appealing and next time I hope to try the food.
Pro-​tips:
— No laptops allowed on weekends or after 6p on weekdays
— I noticed the hours on Unilocal were different than on the app. Definitely needs to be verified
— Cups says outlets and free wifi access is available — probably should verify this as well

This restaurant is really one of the best in the neighborhood. Food, beverages and service are great! I had never tried Ethiopian food before coming here, the waitress was very kind and explained us everything you need to know about it. I already came here twice and both times I had a great experience.

A wonderful neighborhood café and eatery; so happy to have found this place! Delicious La Colombe coffee and organic, fresh breakfast and lunch fare. A cozy spot to read, study, or meet up with friends. Reasonable prices for breakfast and lunch, a bit more expensive for dinner.

AHHH!!!
This place was absolutely amazing. Boyfriend and I originally came in for our free coffee on the CUPS app. But when I sat down, we decided to order the Mediterranean pancake. It was amazing. Amazing. Amazing. It had a rich and flavorful deep tenure that was combined with light tomato sauce and a boiled egg all for a great price– $ 9.50!!! For drinks, we got the ginger tea and the iced chai. The ginger tea was amazing and something one should drink after a long night of alcohol. They were both bitter when we got them BUT they give a syrup blend (it seemed like Agave) which dissolves into the drink AND you can sweeten it to your tasting which I think is GENIUS. I love this place and as soon as I finished my meal, I made plans to come back ASAP.

Disclaimer: I have never had Ethiopian food before my visit here. I did not have any expectation.
Décor/​atmosphere. 4.5 star. Inside the restaurant actually 5/​5, with tasteful furniture and a small but comfortable patio. It’s either recent renovation or place is super well maintained… 0.5 star off actually for the surrounding neighborhood. It actually feels a little desolate and slightly unsafe even on a Sunday late afternoon.
Service: 4.5 stars. The waitress greeted us warmly when we entered and was very helpful in making recommendation on menu as well as showing us the proper way of eating ethiopian! However after we finished the food we felt a bit rushed. On the other hand, they can probably handle a crowd pretty efficiently.
Food: this is hard to be objective for me, because I had a very great first impression partially because of the novelty of the exotic taste/​spices. Interestingly, wife thinks the food tastes very asian to her somehow Apparebtly something in our «Tibs» with side of cabbage is spicy and sour, and the resultant taste is reminiscent of kimchi! Well, either way I love the taste so much I think I’ll be craving for it often in near future.
Coffee: wow other reviewer are right the coffee here is awesome. It taste as deep and fragrant I feel could be comparable to stomptown coffee that we get from a couple of ultra poplar coffee places in town.
Apparently place has live jazz band that performs on certain nights. I look forward to checking it out
Great experience, definitely will come again. ^_^

They now serve Ethiopian brunch! How fun. I highly recommend the Addis eggs. I don’t often order eggs when I eat out (too much margin for error), but these were spicy and yummy. I would come back to try the French toast.

Serving up La Colombe coffee so it doesn’t get much better. Super friendly owners and staff. I usually just come in for coffee but the couple of times I’ve eaten the food has been great! Also a great selection of pastries available.
Wish they would open earlier so I could stop in for coffee on my way to work!

Recently my husband and I moved from the well manicured neighborhood of Gramercy Park to up-​and-​coming Sugar Hill in Harlem.
While investigating the area prior to our move, I began taking down notes regarding places I thought I would need to know about (Banks. drug stores, etc) and places I would like to eat and drink at. BOY does Tsion fit the bill in every department!
Intimate. Cozy. Modern wood-​filled décor. Sweet backyard. Oh, I did I mention, fab Ethiopian dishes as well as Jewish food (bagels and lox, eggs and lox with Injrea bread).
Everything I have eaten here has been fabulous and don’t forget to check out the Sugar Hill brand beer (made elsewhere but who cares) and the Organic Spanish red wine which is divine in my estimation.
Love it love it love it. Tsion is really a jazz club but is normally open from 10AM to 9 or 10PM (later on weekends) and music is just the icing on the cake.
Did I mention they serve all kinds of deserts as well?
You have to check this place out to believe it!
–Janet Aschkenay

Met a friend for a quick bite. Friendly service however no offer of refills on coffee which is underwhelming. The menu is a bit brunch heavy. I’ll have to try the teas next time.
Loved my poached eggs but the limited dessert selection was a real letdown.