I've done some searching here, and I've only seen it mentioned in the context of other posts, or in reviews of Lalibella or Blue Nile. I've never had Ethiopian food before, and I've passed the location a time or two about a mile south of Ray. A couple of Fridays ago, I went in after work.
First off, it's not at all like being in a restaurant. It's more like being in a living room, or a comfortable coffee house. There are only a couple of traditional tables, a small and large rectangle, and a large circular one. The other seating consists of easy chairs and couches, with native tables made of woven straw(?) which the large food platter is rested on.
Tina is a one-woman show. She both cooks and serves. This woman is a DOLL! Engaging, adorable, humble, etc. I've visited four times now, so this is not just a one-time impression. I can honestly say it's like eating with family, she treats you so well.
The food? I don't know watt to say {I know, I know...poor pun.}. If you like Indian food, you SHOULD like this. IF you don't care for Indian, I say try it anyway. I don't mean for it to sound like they are at all similar, as they aren't.
You've probably read of the spongy thin bread on which the food is placed, and how you eat with pieces of the same bread. What may set her's apart is that she bakes it from the real authentic grain, called 'teff'. I'm told that other restaurants either don't use it, or mix it with wheat flour to reduce the cost. It's very costly, as there's only one or two sources in our country to obtain it. She's not at all stingy with it, either, as I've read in other reviews.
I've had both of her beef dishes, the salad, the chicken, the yellow peas, chick peas, lentils, spinach, and the potatoe veggie dish. I can't even begin to try and recall the what 'watt' {stews} they are, but they're all good, and most are great. The lentils and beef tibs (not tiPs} are my favorites that stand out.
Her pricing runs more like the typical Viet restaurant. Extremely good value-for-the-buck, IMHO.
In the interest of full disclosure, there's two things to be aware of. Her hours are not always set in stone, so DO CALL first to make sure she's there. If you're driving by, and the large sandwhich placard is out front ...'Tina's is OPEN', then she's there. Also, her two adorable children are almost always present. I know that CAN be a turn-off for some diners, so just be advised.
If you've even THOUGHT about trying it out... DO SO. I hope to meet you there one evening!
Just adding the Place link.
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Tina's Ethiopian Cafe
479 N Arizona Ave, Chandler, AZ 85225
Okay foodies, just for you, I've now visited the 'other two' in town so as to lend some more credibility to my assessment. That's Blue Nile and Lalibella.
The Blue Nile has the atmosphere, with one side being typical bistro seating and tables, and other room having the real-deal hardwood stools and woven straw tables. Very authentic looking.
The Enjera is awful. While they promote the 'magic' of teff in a placard on the table, it reeks of the smell of wheat. Dark brown, just like wheat bread. The server {an anglo kid w/Rasta dread-locks tucked up under his hat} readily admitted the addition of wheat. What this does, besides cheapening the product, is spoil its authenticity. It robs it of the spongy, bouncy quality that helps hold it together while you use it to scoop your food. Needless to say, that part that absorbs the liquids from your meal turns to absolute mush.
My meal? I ordered a sambusa appetizer, which was two little deep-fried pockets filled with ground-beef. If there was any seasoning used on the meat, I sure couldn't tell. I would've liked to have asked for a salt-shaker, but I didn't bother to ask. I thought it best to order a large combo to get a good scope of variety they offer. It had Dorowat chicken, Beef Tebs, collards, eggplant, and lentils. {Served by a latino kitchen staffer.} The chicken was so spicy as to be 'almost' a complete turn-off. The beef was tough, w/onions and green peppers, and it clearly belonged beside a stack of tortillas at a fajita joint, not classed as "Ethiopian". The eggplant and lentils were okay, but the only thing that was really good were the collards. They had garlic and possibly even ginger, and were the stand-out in this otherwise uninspiring meal.
Verdict? Never again for this diner. {Is there any Ethiopian working there?}
Lalibella.
I barely got my iced-tea, and washed-up before my food was placed in front of me. FAST! I got a combo with a mild lamb stew, string beans w/carrots, and their collards. The lamb was fresh, and done in what I would class as a mild yellow curry sauce. Good, but not scrumpscious. The collards were not quite as good as BN's, but were tasty in their own right. The stand-out here were the string beans. IIRC, it's called 'fosolia'. The enjera was a pale white, with the proper texture and lightly sour taste. No nasty smell of wheat in this mix, though the menu says they do use it.{It must be a case of moderation?}
Obviously, there's real Ethiopian folks working there and running the place. It has zero atmosphere, other than a couple of native pieces of art and musical instruments on the way. Very pedestrian dining room.
Verdict? I would eat there again if asked by someone who liked it, or perhaps if it was a date's favorite place. Other than that, I would GLADLY drive the extra 20 mins. or so to get to the best.....Tina's.
Food first, homey atmosphere, combined with a warmth that makes you feel like you're with family.
I've never been to Tina's, but I've eaten at Cafe LaLibela and Blue Nile several times now. I like both, but I have a slight preference for LaLibela for many reasons, including that I like their injera better. Interestingly, I've heard others (most notably Professor12 on this board) say that Blue Nile's injera is the more authentic version. So at this point, I'm not sure whose injera is more authentic and if I prefer authentic or Americanized injera.
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Lalibela Cafe Ethiopian
849 W University Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281
Blue Nile Cafe
933 E University Dr Ste 112, Tempe, AZ 85281
Thanks a lot for the review. I really, really need to get out to Tina's as soon as possible and I have been meaning to for some time.
I may very well be mistaken on the injera as I have never asked the proprietors of either Blue Nile or Lalibela about their injera. I have made injera myself several times and from that experience as well as what I have read online, I assumed that darker injera indicates more teff flour used. The only source I know of for teff flour in the United States is from Bob's Red Mill and it is the darker variety as opposed to much lighter varieties that are native to Ethiopia. Perhaps Tina has a source for this lighter variety; I'll have to ask her when I dine there.
Also when I first dined at Blue Nile the injera had a pronounced sour taste which I might be stronger in my memory than it was in reality (I had only had ethiopian a couple times prior to that). Making injera from 100% teff flour involves fermenting it for a few days and it develops a STRONG sour taste that can be off putting if you are not accustomed. I still have not mastered making it, particularly the length and temperature of cooking it to get the characteristic spongy texture. It takes a very deft hand to do right which is why I suspect many American ethiopian restaurants cut the teff flour with wheat and add yeast to make the batter less finicky (and reduce the sourness).
Thanks a lot for your review again; I can't wait to get back to the Phoenix area to try this out.
Silverbear- you MUST try Tina's Ethiopian Cafe!! I was first introduced to Ethiopian cuisine by a coworker who took me to Cafe Lalibela about three years ago. The food was alright, but nothing shone bright enough for me to want to go back. I then tried Blue Nile by myself, and found the food to be much better there. I then took my aunt and myself to Tina's and was BLOWN AWAY by the superiority of her menu. I've only been to Tina's maybe twice as the hours of operation are inconsistent.
I always thought that if one cared for atmosphere over food and service, then one would choose Cafe Lalibela. Most of BN's offerings, including the lamb, is good, but you will definitely taste the difference once you've eaten at Tina's.
You know, thanks for taking the time to post these reviews. Particularly these comparisons.
We live in Chandler and I work right by Cafe Lalibela but I've never been to either. I've only had Ethiopian once, back in Seattle...and the enjera really put me off so I've never been back for another try at the cuisine. Reading what you've written I do remember it being dark brown and wheaty with an offputting smell so now you have me intrigued to try the real deal.
Definitely going to try Tina's sometime soon!
Hello Ziggylu
This reply is so late I just managed to browse and saw this section. I just wanted to comment on the Injera a possibility why it was a dark brown. Teff comes in 2 kinds. One is Ivory Teff which is a lighter color and has a milder taste and the other is called Maskal brown Teff. Being that the taste is stronger on the brown teff than the ivory teff you should give it another try maybe it will not be so offputting this go round : -)
How can you say that? We went to Tinas Ethiopian Cafe a few days back and it was a very bad choice. It was dirty and she was very rude to us. I would not recommend this restaurant at to anyone.
To answer your question, "How can you say that?" is quite simply, not every experience is the same. I don't doubt you had a bad experience, but you also need to be open to the idea that others have had a good experience. I have been to Tina's probably 5-7 times and I have always had good food, good service and have had no health/cleanliness concerns. Accept the fact that there are a lot of variables that go into how someone perceives an experience and there is no exact science.
I have been to Tina’sseveral times. Food is good and she is very polite and served me as if I am home.
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