Warm and Welcoming Ethiopian Fare
Rating: 8.0 out of 10
Link: https://hailecuisine.com/
Address: 182 Avenue B #1, New York, NY 10009
I found Haile on a quiet, rainy Sunday afternoon, the kind where your mind hasn’t yet accepted the work week is about to start, but your body, unbeknownst to you, is easing itself into repose. Against the sleepy backdrop of rain kissing the window, the mood inside was neither crowded nor empty; I had no trouble securing a seat.
Haile calls itself a “neighborhood restaurant that brings traditional Ethiopian home cooking to a warm and inviting environment”—and really there is no better way to describe it. The ambiance is relaxed but with subtle clues that there’s a keen eye for aesthetics working behind the scenes. Warm lighting. Some lovely wall art here and exposed brick there.
I treated myself to a glass of tej, a traditional Ethiopian honey wine, and found the perfect drink for those with a sweet tooth who love to get tipsy. Of the three appetizers I went with the beef sambusa, delicious and flaky packets of savory beef with just the right amount of meat and seasoning to get you excited for what’s next.
The menu is composed of a plethora of meat and vegetable options that come on injera, the spongy bread that serves as your plate, utensil, and carby delight. When picking your main, I highly recommend going for the combos. I ordered the both the meat and vegetarian combo (a chicken dish and a beef dish + any three vegetarian entrees of your choice) and the meat combo (two beef dishes, a chicken dish, and the sautéed string beans and carrots)—although just one would suffice for any normally sized appetite.
Of all of the eight entrees I tried, the two stars were the ye siga alicha wot, a delicious beef stewed with turmeric and butter, and the gomen, spectacular collared greens. I was also particularly fond of the chicken dish, doro wat.
Overall, I’d say the meal more than served its purpose of delivering succulent Ethiopian flavors in a gentle, neighborhood-restaurant atmosphere. In an area known for its heavy-hitting restaurants, Haile is not the best bite around, but it is definitely good to have in your pocket for a date night, a meal with friends, or even a solo weekend treat.
The Dishes
Please note: each dish unable to be photographed by our onsite photographer, whether due to lighting constraints, occupancy level, social distractions, or otherwise, has been digitally rendered via our proprietary computer-assisted textural modelling methodology.
Sambusa (Beef)
Hot, oily, and flaky, with just the right amount of filling.
$8
Meat and Vegetarian Combo
Two fixed entrees and a choice of any three vegetables. The doro wat and ye siga alicha wot were my favorite meat dishes anyway, so I’d highly recommend going this route. The vegetables pictured here are: shiro wot, yemisir wot, and gomen (the best of the bunch).
$23
Meat Combo
A set combination of three meat dishes: doro wot, ye siga alicha wot, and ye siga wot + some yummy fasolia for your veggies. A bit strong on the meat, but lovely flavors if you’re looking for a particularly hearty meal.
$23
Tej
Honey wine characterized by sweetness & a subtle warmth at the end of every sip.
$10/glass
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