Lacto
Ovo
African
Ethiopian
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. In Ethiopian cuisine you will find spiced vegetable and potato dishes. This place offers appetizers and vegetables dishes that are vegan suitable. Modern dining atmosphere combined with some traditional Ethiopian decor. Brunch last Sunday of each month til 3pm. Open Wed-Sun 12:00pm-9:00pm.
17 Reviews
First Review by lebfam
SirettToi
Points +23
Very Tasteful - Edit
The atmosphere, custome serve and the food was great
Read moreGuest
Joeybarber
Points +216
Great experience - Edit
Parking around here sucks but the food and service are great!!!!
Read moreGuest
ercoughlin
Points +99
More than half the menu is vegan! Delicious, authentic Ethiopian food. - Edit
Quiet, open atmosphere, relaxing. The tea is delicious as is the food. The food is served traditionally, so silverware is not offered.
Read morePros: More than half the menu is vegan, even a dessert, Very delicious, Authentic
Cons: Slightly pricey
Guest
AmyE.Worden
Points +267
Delicious authentic Ethiopian cuisine - Edit
The food here is so full of flavor and the atmosphere is very romantic and inviting. This is one of my favorite restaurants! Delicious injera, wat, teas, and vegan chocolates.
Read moreGuest
DiannaRoa
Points +146
Delicious! - Edit
Exactly what my husband and I needed for the night
Read moreGuest
RobertWasilewski
Points +20
They Should Tout VEGAN Options - There are many - Edit
Delightful experience, tons of flavor and much of the menu is not only vegetarian but full vegan including the Injera (a sour bread the dishes are served atop). For us a restaurant like this should really pursue becoming known to vegans for their offerings, heck, they could easily even print up a vegan only menu as well (not that it was hard to find out what was vegan but just a suggestion if they read this). They're BYOB but directly next door is a good liquor store if that's your thing. I just wish they were closer, we eat there anytime we're attending an event in Montclair but to just drive for food it's a long ride and wasteful of fuel. I tried to give 5 stars but HappyCow won't allow it unless the restaurant is full vegan or vegetarian so I could only give 4.
Read morePros: many vegan options, clear understanding of what vegan is, absolutely delicious food
Cons: a bit pricy but you get a great meat
Guest
HeatherFrancis
Points +55
Truly Amazing - Edit
Wow, when I say wow, I mean wow. This place is one hell of an experience. There is a wonderful vegetarian menu, and the staff are so warm to answering any questions about Ethiopian food. I've been here a few times, and I'm always impressed with how great the food is. Now, you must make a reservation on the weekends because it does get quite busy, but any week day you can walk in for some wonderful food. It is a bit expensive, so you might have to save up a little to go, but it is delicious and a great way to try something new.
Read moreGuest
Samcolombo
Points +43
G o o d y u m s - Edit
Been here four times and I always get the Dinich Wet (spicy potatoes) with buticha (pureed chickpea) as one other appetizers. The second appetizer I rotate out but their options are plentiful. Very yummo!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2017-05-26
Pros: Lots of options, Endless injera
Cons: Meat, Expensive (meat is way more expensive, we r lucky)
Guest
Patgonza
Points +28
Awesome VEGAN options - Edit
Had the pleasure of going here last night and was wonderfully surprised. They are listed as "veg-options", but HALF THEIR MENU IS FULL VEGAN! :-) :-) :-).
Read moreI had never had Ethiopian before, but will certainly be back...the food was fantastic.
Pros: 50% full vegan, great food(different from anything I've had), teas, good prices, especially considering the quality
Cons: substituted rice for the traditional bread (avoidi
Guest
Ellenkm
Points +866
best Ethiopian in the area - Edit
We travel for this place. It's worth the trip. Lots of vegan options.
Read moreGuest
xfildchild
Points +18
A family favorite! - Edit
I have been a regular at Mesob for about 10 years, and it is one of my favorite restaurants in NJ. The owners are kind and welcoming, and always happy to see you. The service is very attentive, if a little relaxed, which I prefer rather than being rushed through my dinner. This is not a restaurant to visit for a fast meal, but rather a relaxed dining experience. It's BYOB, which is great, and there's a nice liquor store with a decent selection right across the street.
Read moreThere is quite an extensive Vegan section of the menu, including dessert. And in fact, the Vegan items, to me, are the stars of the menu. They are expertly seasoned and prepared, and are consistently good. My favorite is definitely the butitcha, but the Indugai tibs is also very good.
I don't typically order appetizers, because the entrees are so filling, especially consuming the amount of injera that you do. But I understand the appetizers are just as delicious.
I highly recommend capping your dinner off with a pot of Ethiopian coffee, which takes a while, but is worth the wait. The beans are roasted to order, and the server will bring them out on a large straw bowl right after roasting for you to smell, which is a tradition. It's strong, flavorful, and delicious.
I haven't been to the Sunday brunch yet, but look forward to trying it soon.
Pros: Extensive Vegan selection, DELICIOUS, Friendly and attentive staff
Cons: A little pricey, Slow paced
Guest
katielee
Points +74
Yum - Edit
The food here was delicious. Total comfort food. They were extremely busy, but the food came out right away... I was very impressed. That, and it's a BYOB, which is awesome. I would highly recommend it.
Read morePros: Delicious, Fast Service, BYOB
Cons: Small desert portion
Guest
ButikiGirl
Points +222
Great food, Lots of Vegan Options - Edit
I have extensive experience with Ethiopian restaurants and have had Ethiopian from multiple places in NJ, DC, NY (do not even bother with NY Ethiopian, terrible), and California. This is one of my top 3 favorite Ethiopian places. It's absolutely great for vegans as they are very clear what is vegan (in other establishments you need to watch out for clarified butter and are often wishy washy about what is vegan). Additionally, they provide fantastic desserts. The vegan chocolates and cookies are phenomenal. My husband and I both got the Vegetarian sampler, which allotted us to try a total of 12 vegan dishes. Pretty much all of them were fantastic. I believe only a few were ok. Can't wait to go back. Unfortunately, our in-laws did not have a good experience with their meat options but they can be picky. Reservations are necessary for dinner. When we were there on a weeknight, they were turning away people. Also, service was horrendously slow. I was starting to shake from low blood sugar because of an unexpectedly long wait. We even had to wait 20 minutes to be seated despite having a reservation. Our server was very nice though.
Read morePros: great food, lots of vegan options, friendly staff
Cons: slow service, a little on the pricey side
Guest
LovePandy
Points +41
Love love love this place - Edit
My family has been coming here for years. They are very vegan friendly and always very welcoming -- far beyond the traditional warmth and hospitality for which Ethiopians and Eritreans are known. The food is absolutely delicious (our favorites are kik aletcha and gomen) and they are generous with the amount of injera they serve. The ambiance and service is more upscale than many Ethiopian restaurants.
Read morePros: Fantastic food, Kind and friendly staff, Nice atmosphere
Cons: A little pricey
Guest
cookiem
Points +5888
Very vegan friendly - Edit
I was impressed at the attention given to vegan options at Mesob - though not impressed with the injera. As a lover and regular consumer of Ethiopian food/ injera, I had to try this establishment. Since it's far from the DC mecca of Ethiopian food, I didn't have the highest expectations, but still high, because of the location. Also, the prices imply that the food has good quality. Upon reviewing their menu/ website, it was clear they would have great choices for me, but the question was whether it was tasty.
Read moreYES, the food was very tasty. All the veggie dishes we tried were delicious in flavor. NO complaints about the food flavor/ heat/ preparation. However, the portions were smaller than traditional DC portions for a higher price, and the injera was not the most flavorful and somewhat dry.
For dessert, there were 2 options: handmade chocolates and cookies! They were pretty tasty, and I was happy to have tried them. Worth it to have a little something, but the oatmeal cookies aren't the best - a bit dry, crispy and thin, but awesome that they are wheat free. The chocolates were good and understandably expensive to produce, but I wasn't so impressed that I would spend the $8 again unless I was dying for some chocolate. It's good, but for me, a bit pricey. If someone bought them for me, I would be happier.
All in all, I was pleased. Compared to the other well-known Ethiopian restaurant in NJ, I would go back to this one FIRST! Yum!
Pros: Rich flavor for veggie dishes, Vegan dessert!, Vegan appetizers!
Guest
pandora_13
Points +80
Great Food, Fun Dining Experience - Edit
Mesob is the best Ethiopian restaurant we've found in this area. While service can be slow, the food is great and we always enjoy our meal.
Read moreWe normally get the Vegetarian Sampler for Two. They place in front of you a large platter covered with injera (a spongy, crepe-like flat bread with a pleasantly sour flavor). They then bring out six different dishes, which you get to choose from their large array of vegetable entrees (each of them vegan). Each dish is spooned out onto the injera, and additional bread is provided for the scooping. (They will bring extra injera when they notice you've finished your supply.)
One of my favorite dishes is Shiro (pureed split peas and chick peas cooked with onions, garlic and spices). It has a thick, creamy texture, rich savory flavor, and just enough heat. The runner up is Misir Wat (lentils cooked in a spicy berbere sauce). The berbere imparts a lovely deep red color, complex flavor, and perfect amount of heat; this is probably the spiciest dish of the bunch. The Kik Aletcha (yellow split peas simmered with onions and spices) is mildly spicy with a slightly tangy flavor; it has a chunkier texture than the other legume dishes. The Ingudai Tibs (sliced portobello mushrooms cooked with onion, garlic, tomatoes & spices) is very flavorful, with a meaty texture that adds variety to an array of mostly soft-cooked dishes. Gomen (collard greens cooked until tender with onions and spices) and Atkilt Aletcha (green beans and thin strips of carrots simmered in a mellow sauce until meltingly soft) are simply spiced but very flavorful, and round out the meal nicely.
Of course, the best part of the meal is the food-soaked injera, which we tear apart at the end! Yum...
We always follow our meal with an authentically prepared Ethiopian coffee. House-roasted coffee beans are ground and brewed to produce a thick, richly flavored espresso-style coffee. It's served in small demitasse cups with milk that I think is warmed with spices - I definitely detect a hint of cardamom. Delicious! Just watch out for sediment on the bottom of the cup.
We don't bother with dessert. Flourless Chocolate Espresso Torte and Creme Brulee seem mundane and out of place after such an exotic meal. They do offer gourmet vegan chocolates which are at least infused with traditional flavors (berbere spiced ganache!), but I haven't tried these yet. Honestly, it would be nice to see a few more imaginative dessert offerings.
Overall, a truly fun dining experience!
Pros: Warm, hip-yet-relaxed atmosphere, Wide variety of vegan dishes, Extremely flavorful and satisfying food
Cons: Service can be slow, especially if busy, Does get quite busy on a Saturday night!
Guest
lebfam
Points +97
Lovely food and lovely owners - Edit
I have no idea how they do it, but Mesob seems more delicious every time I eat there. One of my absolute favorite places to eat in Jersey. I have had Ethiopian food at restaurants across the country and Canada, and Mesob stands out as the best. All the veggie food is vegan, cooked in dedicated pans, I believe. If you call a day before you can order a gluten-free injera (teff only). I have dined at Mesob many, many times over the years and am always welcome by the warmth and true caring go the owners and staff. We are blessed to be close by to this treasure. I'd give it a 5 if I could but, alas, they also serve meat.
Read morePros: Quality of Food, Excellent staff, Atmosphere
Cons: Vegan cookies aren't gluten free, Also serves meat :(
Guest
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