Ethiopian Goodness
Tested Travel loves an Ethiopian restaurant! While we’ve never been to Ethiopia (travel goals!), we have had the good fortune to have traveled to many cities where Ethiopian food can be found, including Durham, NC.
Goorsha Ethiopian Restaurant
The Food
Ethiopian is best-enjoyed family style — with everyone sharing a single plate. Being meat eaters, our favorite is a combination plate that includes awaze tibs (lamb), zizil key wot (beef), and doro wat (chicken). A traditional Ethiopian plate is served with vegetable sides including timatim fit fit (tomato, onion and jalapeno salad) and azifa (lentils). These delicious dishes are served on bed of Ethiopian bread called injera. This thin, spongy, slightly sour “bread” is also used for eating — you tear off a piece and use it to grab your food from the shared plate.
Goorsha in Durham, North Carolina offers a delicious and traditional Ethiopian selection. The meats were tender and cooked to perfection. The vegetable sides provided a good companion to the meat dishes.
To our good fortune, Goorsha also serves Ethiopian beers, which can be hard to find in the US. We sampled St. George’s Amber which made a nice compliment to the slightly spicy food.
The Ambiance
As noted on the Goorsha website “In Ethiopian culture, friendship, honor and love are expressed by feeding each other – an act known as a goorsha. To perform a goorsha, simply place a bit of food into another’s mouth with your right hand. A goorsha is a sign of acceptance and appreciation – like a hug between friends.”
This feeling of friendly, intimacy permeates the small restaurant. Goorsha has seating for about 30 in the interior with a few more seats at the bar. They also have a great front patio which provides additional seating in nice weather.
The restaurant is located in downtown Durham, an active and fun part of town.
Read more about Goorsha on their website: https://www.goorshadurham.com/
