Meet the Owners

Taste of Ethiopia is owned and run by Meski and Kassa, who opened the restaurant in 2005 and have been in the kitchen and on the floor nearly every day since. Both grew up in Ethiopia — in Addis Ababa and the surrounding highlands — before moving to the United States and, eventually, to Metro Detroit.

The Family Behind the Kitchen

Taste of Ethiopia is family-owned and women-powered: most of the kitchen staff and front-of-house team are women, and many of the recipes come directly from family — mothers, aunts, grandmothers — who taught the cooking long before there was a restaurant.

From the restaurant's own site: "At Taste of Ethiopia Detroit, we bring you a real taste of culture with a side of good vibes. We're a family-run, women-powered spot that's all about making sure you leave with a big smile."

Why Southfield

When Meski and Kassa opened the doors in 2005, Southfield was already home to one of the larger Ethiopian diaspora communities in the upper Midwest. The choice of Northwestern Highway as the address was a deliberate one — accessible to the broader Detroit metro, near the Ethiopian and East African communities that the restaurant would serve, and with enough space for a proper dining room rather than a quick-service counter.

The Long View

Twenty-plus years on, the restaurant has developed the kind of regulars who order by code (B1 and C3, which the staff knows immediately), hosted hundreds of birthdays and celebrations, and become a fixture of the Metro Detroit dining scene.

The Visit Detroit guide put it this way: "Owners Meski and Kassa serve up delicious, authentic Ethiopian food as well as host events for their local community."

Community Events

Meski and Kassa host live music, traditional dance, and Ethiopian community events at the restaurant throughout the year — most recently a return visit from the singer Fikru Yelekal for a night of music, traditional dancing, and celebration. See upcoming events

Come Say Hello

Both owners are usually at the restaurant during open hours. If you're a first-time diner and want a walk-through of the menu, ask. They love that part of the job. Make a reservation