Hirna Restaurant & Cafe

Cuisine: Ethiopian
Formality: Informal

We had lunch at Hirna's today, not knowing what to expect.  We walked in and it was mostly empty of people and there was about 8 tables, all empty.  Soccer was playing on an overhead TV, and some folks were sitting behind a divider wall watching it.  As we entered further a smiling man came out from the kitchen to a counter on the far end of the room over which hung a sign showing the menu.

There was some confusion on our part whether we should sit down somewhere or go to the counter and order.  We did the latter, and after accepting our orders the man indicated we find ourselves a place to sit.

The dining room was nice and clean, and our food came reasonably fast.  I ordered chicken drumsticks with rice and salad.  I got three drumsticks on a thick bed of delicious rice (basmati?  Jasmine?) with lettuce on one side and mixed cooked veggies on the other.  The chicken was cooked thoroughly without being overcooked or dry, and the sauce was tastey.  I especially liked using the hot sauce the man brought to our table in a separate cup.

One friend ordered a beef stew on rice, which was much like my plate but with beef stew instead of chicken drumsticks.  My other friends both ordered some kind of chicken stew on injera (ethiopian flat bread).  Everyone said they enjoyed their dish and would come again.

Something that really impressed everyone was that the man came and asked if we were happy with everything, and if we weren't full he could bring more.  We were already contently full so didn't ask for more.  In fact, I could have eaten a bit less rice but wanted to finish my plate in case this was like eating at Gramma's kitchen where she'll keep feeding you till you're full and would be insulted if you didn't eat all you were given.

Price was around $10 for each of us.

I'll definitely be going back again.

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