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This is consistently the best Ethiopian I've had in NYC. The flavoring is much better and more balanced than at other Ethiopian restaurants.

We love this place. The food is consistently good, but you need to find the items on the menu the suit you. My husband loves lamb, I like beef and shrimp. We have a couple of friends that tried it the first time and weren't impressed, but then tried a different dish and loved it. Everything is always fresh and the injera...mm..to die for.

I really like the restaurant, although some of their dishes are not always consistent in flavor..the one thing that wont fail you is the tebsi dorho...it is great! I saw a comment about someone saying the salad on the plate seems like an attempt to americanize the food..but I dont know any habeshas who will eat injera without salata..salad is part of our cuisine... how else would we be able to digest all that meat? Well all I can say is this place is authentic, they care about their food and dont be afraid to ask for more berbere or salt if you need it..also if it is too spicy ask for yogurt on the side...it is really good. Also try the honey wine, the spiced tea, the alcoholic coffees...there is alot of good stuff here! Believe me, I have had my share of Eritrean food...from the motherland back to the states.

Of all the Ethiopian places in NYC (and I've been to about 80% of them). I went to Columbia, and I spent 4 years in the area and Massawa has consistently held up compared to other places like nearby Awash (which is also delicious) and midtown places like Queen of Sheba.

I wasn't too impressed with this place. The smell coming from inside is intoxicating when you walk by, but the food just didn't hold up. I expected intense flavor, but was disappointed, as many of the dishes were somewhat bland. The place is cute, and the atmosphere is nice. Everyone was polite however, we waited a long time for the food to be brought out, and then again for the check.

Compared to other Ethiopian restaurants the food here was not so great. . We did enjoy the fava bean appetizer and the lentil stew however - but were otherwise quite disappointed with the main course. The service was adequate - slow and inefficient, but pleasant. The vegetables were really overcooked and the other items (lentil special, pureed pumpkin) were really bland and without any of the familiar Ethiopian flavors. I had never seen a "lettuce salad" alongside all the other main dishes. It was almost as if they were trying to cater to the American palate - but why would anyone go to an Ethiopian restaurant if that's what they were looking for ? Will likely not go back.

Based on some of the reviews, I expected to wait a while for my food, but 45 minutes? It was just too long. They didn't even bring out our appetizers to give us something to be hopeful about. At one point I looked around the restaurant and not a single table had any food on it. By the time the food came, I was so hungry I would have eaten anything. I think the food was pretty good, but I question my own judgment because, again, I was so hungry. I got the vegetable combo, which was alright. I thought the beef dishes my friends got were a bit more flavorful, but I was not too disappointed. Atmosphere is really nothing special (there's a lounge downstairs, but who wants to sit in a musty NYC restaurant's basement next to the toilets, and besides, it was unlit), and I think the value is okay, considering you can't leave without feeling pretty full thanks to the wonderful bread. Apart from having to wait forever for our food, the service was pleasant, but slow. Drinks and water refills took too long, and we had to specifically ask for everything, including menus. Massawa is really not a bad place, and I might go again armed with the knowledge that I may not eat for an hour, but I think that there are some other local places that have better atmosphere and marginally better service.