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Mara was very elegant inside. The staff was very attentive. And the flavors were pretty good. Only thing is, we ordered only one dish to get a few. It was $70. That's quite expensive for one dish and one appetizer one dessert. This is Chicago. There are many options. Next week we will try another African Cuisine.
I've been wanting to try Demera forever and it lived up to the hype! Very delicious and great portions, you could never leave hungry. The service was very quick and the food came out fresh. I will be back!
Such a good restaurant, must try! It was my first time having Ethiopian food as there is a strange lack of them In Chicago, there is too much that I wanted to try that we over ordered and I still have to go back to try a few things
My first Ethiopian cuisine experience and it was amazing. Highly recommend! Service is friendly and fast. Ambiance is warm and welcoming as well. Free parking on nearby streets.
The best Ethiopian food I've had. The atmosphere dining and was great, the restaurant is super cute and classy. Service was very good as well, but most of all the food is just so so good.
This was only my second time trying Ethiopian food. Very very pleased with both the quality of food and service! Went with a group of friend tonight to celebrate making it through another work week. I was pleasantly surprised at the decor. Nice spot...sheik, casually elegant, and classy. Located right across the Green Mill in uptown Demera is in a pretty awesome location. Being a big appetizer guy I went with the Sambussa Sampler to get a taste of all of their varieties. Absolutely delicious! I actually could've just been satisfied with a couple more samplers. Accompanied by a tamarind-like sauce and presented very elegantly. If you love samosas you definitely have to try sambussas! I'm making it a point to get those again. For my main I went with a Tilapia filet dish. So typically I am not a big I fan of Injara but the Injara here was convinced me otherwise. O and btw they also have a GF Injara as well as other GF options. I didn't even expect to but I just couldn't stop eating. I put a killin on everything I ordered. So much I didn't even have room for dessert. And the very attentive and friendly service just made the meal that much better. Glad I discovered a new gem.
I had been before, but brought 5 friends for Restaurant Week. Most had not tried Ethiopian food and none had visited Demera. We had a wonderful server and tasty food and I so appreciate how easy they make it. Is it the very best I've had? No, but it's really solid and prices are very fair. Special shoutout for the crème brûlée! Ambiance is casual and noise levels were good enough to hear each other. We found easy meter street parking and will definitely come back again soon.
First time in years eating Ethiopian food, and Demera reminded me what I had been missing. The food was amazing, full of flavor, and truly enjoyable from start to finish. Everything tasted fresh, rich, and well prepared. A great experience and definitely worth returning to!
The food is excellent. We love Ethiopian, but this was our first visit to Demera. We had a 7:30 reservation and came hungry. There was water immediately, but then there simply wasn't a server. When he finally arrived (from outside the restaurant?) it was close to 8. Nice guy, but we were hungry. Placed our order and waited. And waited. He finally came by to say the food would be out soon, as others around us were served and lots of carryout orders flew out the door. Our too tiny appetizers came, but nothing more. We waited and remained hungry. We asked him to check, and we waited. When the food finally arrived it was past 8:30. We had ordered the four person platter, for four people, but it simply wasn't enough. We wanted to order more, but again there was no waiter available and a sad realization that it might take another hour. We paid and left. Bottom line is that we arrived hungry, we sat hungry for over an hour, and we left unsatisfied.
Excellent first visit to Demera. My daughter had heard lots of good things about this restaurant and us being in town wells a great excuse to give it a try. The interior consists of two cozy rooms - tables full of people! The decor invites diners to settle in for an intimate, delicious meal. Everyone we encountered was welcoming and friendly - from the host who greeted us to our servers, etc. I've only had Ethiopian cuisine twice now - I'm no expert. That said, our group of four had a fabulous time sharing a wide selection of the menu. All the dishes had terrific flavor. We started with the appetizer messod- which was quickly devoured! We enjoyed sampling each of the five sambussas. Really hard to pick a favorite. From there, each couple chose a Demera Massob in order to get to taste several items throughout the menu. Some favorites included the door tins, siga alicha, and Kaiser tibs. Demera is a wonderful restaurant & a lovely dining experience. So glad we stopped in!
I have been here a handful of times and love getting the sampler platter. I recommend brining out of town friends/families here!
This was my first time trying Ethiopian and it was fantastic. So fun to try so many different things. I have a shellfish allergy and they were very accommodating in subbing the shellfish dish for more beef and they gave us a different type of beef rather than more of the same kind so I really appreciated that. We also had the 3 types of Sambusas for an appetizer and it was so nice to try. They cut them in half which made for easy sharing with my two friends. Lively atmosphere on Friday night. It was perfect for catching up with friends.
I've wanted to try Demera for years. They had lots of seating: good for large groups. The space has warm lighting and would be a good spot for a cozy date night. I've never tried any of the menu items before. We decided to order the Sambussa Sampler. This came out very fast. I enjoyed the fried flaky texture. My favorite of the five flavors was the beef. I felt it had the most flavor. They bring it out sliced in half so it was easy to share. I ordered the lamb entree Ye-Beg Wot. I thought it tasted similar to another lamb dish, and I wasn't sure if the slight burnt flavor was on purpose or not. The lamb was pretty tender. I wish it came with a few more cubed meat pieces. I felt like there was a lot of little lamb bits floating in the sauce. The other dish was Awaze Tibs, a beef dish. I enjoyed the flavors. The flavor combination was something I was not familiar with. It was fun to try to figure out what was in it. However, beef was tough and difficult to chew. FYI, the meal was actually $23 not $22.50 listed on the website. Sadly, both entrees were not very spicy to me. I would come back to try the Messob platter. The pictures look great and I saw multiple tables that ordered it too.
Demera was an excellent introduction to Ethiopian food! Since it was our first time, the staff was incredibly friendly and attentive, taking the time to answer our questions and make recommendations. The food was absolutely delicious and tasted incredibly fresh. It struck the perfect balance of being healthy while still being satisfying. We ordered a platter that didn't look like it would be very filling at first, but it was more than enough food. I would definitely recommend Demera to anyone looking to try Ethiopian cuisine, whether it's your first time or you're already a fan. If you're planning a date night in Uptown, this is a great place to start the evening, then head across the street to the Green Mill for live jazz and cocktails. It makes for a fun night out! read more
25 days ago
I have been to demera several times but never left a review. Its a great spot in uptown. They have a lot seating. We came on a Sunday for lunch, we made reservations ahead of time. - Service is 10/10, our waitress was wonderful. - The sambusas were excellent and the dipping sauce was incredible- i wish they sold it separately in a bottle. - the Shai was perfect and flavorful. Absolutely delicious - our food was good not as good as I remembered. The portions were also smaller but we were full. Demera isn't my favorite Ethiopian spot in Chicago ( I think Tesfa is better) but I've always had a good experience here. read more
2 months ago
Mara was very elegant inside. The staff was very attentive. And the flavors were pretty good. Only thing is, we ordered only one dish to get a few. It was $70. That's quite expensive for one dish and one appetizer one dessert. This is Chicago. There are many options. Next week we will try another African Cuisine. read more
2 months ago
I've been wanting to try Demera forever and it lived up to the hype! Very delicious and great portions, you could never leave hungry. The service was very quick and the food came out fresh. I will be back! read more
8 days ago
Such a good restaurant, must try! It was my first time having Ethiopian food as there is a strange lack of them In Chicago, there is too much that I wanted to try that we over ordered and I still have to go back to try a few things read more
25 days ago
My first Ethiopian cuisine experience and it was amazing. Highly recommend! Service is friendly and fast. Ambiance is warm and welcoming as well. Free parking on nearby streets. read more
6 months ago
The best Ethiopian food I've had. The atmosphere dining and was great, the restaurant is super cute and classy. Service was very good as well, but most of all the food is just so so good. read more
6 months ago
This was only my second time trying Ethiopian food. Very very pleased with both the quality of food and service! Went with a group of friend tonight to celebrate making it through another work week. I was pleasantly surprised at the decor. Nice spot...sheik, casually elegant, and classy. Located right across the Green Mill in uptown Demera is in a pretty awesome location. Being a big appetizer guy I went with the Sambussa Sampler to get a taste of all of their varieties. Absolutely delicious! I actually could've just been satisfied with a couple more samplers. Accompanied by a tamarind-like sauce and presented very elegantly. If you love samosas you definitely have to try sambussas! I'm making it a point to get those again. For my main I went with a Tilapia filet dish. So typically I am not a big I fan of Injara but the Injara here was convinced me otherwise. O and btw they also have a GF Injara as well as other GF options. I didn't even expect to but I just couldn't stop eating. I put a killin on everything I ordered. So much I didn't even have room for dessert. And the very attentive and friendly service just made the meal that much better. Glad I discovered a new gem. read more
I had been before, but brought 5 friends for Restaurant Week. Most had not tried Ethiopian food and none had visited Demera. We had a wonderful server and tasty food and I so appreciate how easy they make it. Is it the very best I've had? No, but it's really solid and prices are very fair. Special shoutout for the crème brûlée! Ambiance is casual and noise levels were good enough to hear each other. We found easy meter street parking and will definitely come back again soon. read more
First time in years eating Ethiopian food, and Demera reminded me what I had been missing. The food was amazing, full of flavor, and truly enjoyable from start to finish. Everything tasted fresh, rich, and well prepared. A great experience and definitely worth returning to! read more
3 months ago
The food is excellent. We love Ethiopian, but this was our first visit to Demera. We had a 7:30 reservation and came hungry. There was water immediately, but then there simply wasn't a server. When he finally arrived (from outside the restaurant?) it was close to 8. Nice guy, but we were hungry. Placed our order and waited. And waited. He finally came by to say the food would be out soon, as others around us were served and lots of carryout orders flew out the door. Our too tiny appetizers came, but nothing more. We waited and remained hungry. We asked him to check, and we waited. When the food finally arrived it was past 8:30. We had ordered the four person platter, for four people, but it simply wasn't enough. We wanted to order more, but again there was no waiter available and a sad realization that it might take another hour. We paid and left. Bottom line is that we arrived hungry, we sat hungry for over an hour, and we left unsatisfied. read more
Excellent first visit to Demera. My daughter had heard lots of good things about this restaurant and us being in town wells a great excuse to give it a try. The interior consists of two cozy rooms - tables full of people! The decor invites diners to settle in for an intimate, delicious meal. Everyone we encountered was welcoming and friendly - from the host who greeted us to our servers, etc. I've only had Ethiopian cuisine twice now - I'm no expert. That said, our group of four had a fabulous time sharing a wide selection of the menu. All the dishes had terrific flavor. We started with the appetizer messod- which was quickly devoured! We enjoyed sampling each of the five sambussas. Really hard to pick a favorite. From there, each couple chose a Demera Massob in order to get to taste several items throughout the menu. Some favorites included the door tins, siga alicha, and Kaiser tibs. Demera is a wonderful restaurant & a lovely dining experience. So glad we stopped in! read more
2 months ago
This was my first time trying Ethiopian and it was fantastic. So fun to try so many different things. I have a shellfish allergy and they were very accommodating in subbing the shellfish dish for more beef and they gave us a different type of beef rather than more of the same kind so I really appreciated that. We also had the 3 types of Sambusas for an appetizer and it was so nice to try. They cut them in half which made for easy sharing with my two friends. Lively atmosphere on Friday night. It was perfect for catching up with friends. read more
I've wanted to try Demera for years. They had lots of seating: good for large groups. The space has warm lighting and would be a good spot for a cozy date night. I've never tried any of the menu items before. We decided to order the Sambussa Sampler. This came out very fast. I enjoyed the fried flaky texture. My favorite of the five flavors was the beef. I felt it had the most flavor. They bring it out sliced in half so it was easy to share. I ordered the lamb entree Ye-Beg Wot. I thought it tasted similar to another lamb dish, and I wasn't sure if the slight burnt flavor was on purpose or not. The lamb was pretty tender. I wish it came with a few more cubed meat pieces. I felt like there was a lot of little lamb bits floating in the sauce. The other dish was Awaze Tibs, a beef dish. I enjoyed the flavors. The flavor combination was something I was not familiar with. It was fun to try to figure out what was in it. However, beef was tough and difficult to chew. FYI, the meal was actually $23 not $22.50 listed on the website. Sadly, both entrees were not very spicy to me. I would come back to try the Messob platter. The pictures look great and I saw multiple tables that ordered it too. read more
10 months ago
Had an excellent time here! First time trying Ethiopian food so admittedly my friends and I were a little confused about the menu, I wish there were pictures! But other than that, we ended up all getting delicious things and having a great time. The injera complimented the food really well, I love the taste of the fermentation. Highlight for me though was definitely the crème brûlée. Love the orange flavor in it. read more
My sister being in town, she wanted to try this place. When we walked in, the restaurant was empty. However, they asked if we had reservations, which was confusing at first. Not long after we were seated, it made sense why that was asked. They clearly had a busy night planned, but we're still very kind and accommodating. The place is very clean, smells great, and is well appointed. The food, however, is why this place filled up so quickly! We ordered a family style meal and it was absolutely amazing! We expected to like some things more than others, but we're pleasantly surprised to enjoy the entire platter. I highly recommend this place and am very excited that it's just down the street from me! I can't wait to return! read more
First time trying Ethiopian food and this was a great first impression. This place was PACKED on a Saturday night, I'd suggest making a reservation unless you're willing to wait like an hour for a table. The sambussa were SO GOOD, loved the sweet and spicy sauce and the farmer's cheese. The baby goat was also very tasty, super tender and well seasoned. read more
9 months ago
It's my first experience going to an Ethiopian restaurant, so I was excited entering the restaurant - amazing lighting, amazing ambience inside. I went all in and ordered their Sambussas, the honey glaze was so delicious, made the appetizers taste great! A great start!! My entree was their Messob, and the blend of meat and veggies were blended with spices that had me impressed. Big fan of the bread!! To end the night - I chose the tiramisu - short and sweet. I decided to eat here for Chicago restaurant week and I'm so glad to have done so. The servers were very friendly helping me try the many dishes that highlight Ethiopian cuisine at its best! I'll be going there again, and you should too read more
3 months ago
2 years ago
We always enjoy our meals at Demera, we've been eating here for 20 years, although we haven't been as regular since they moved further north. Now it feels like a treat. The staff is always pleasant, the manager is especially friendly and welcoming, the surroundings are comfortable and of course the food is solid. We always share a big plate of vegetarian food and enjoy a couple of beers. Good value for money. Recommended. read more
2 years ago
When my mom called and asked if I were in the mood for Ethiopian, I immediately said yes! I love the flavors of this incredible food and love Demera's environment. It's inviting and with it being 70 degrees, there was a nice breeze from the balcony. We ordered the sambusa sampler which has five different fillings. The lentils and spinach might be my favorite! And they come with this sauce that has a slight sweetness and spiciness. I just keep that sauce around for the rest of the meal. We then got the sampler for 2 which includes 3 meat and 3 veggie dishes. For the mean dishes, we ordered the Doro Wot (with an extra egg), the awaze tibs (amazing flavor and so tender, and the Ye-big Wot was also good! For veggies, we ordered gomen (collards) , misir wot (red lentils), and tikle gomen (cabbage). We also ordered another order of gomen and and a side order of kayseer tibs (beets). Again, everything is incredibly flavorful and I just love the spice! To drink, I had the hot toddy with tea. It was so warm and soothing; I've been a bit stuffy. Finally, ended with the tiramisu and inhaled that. Not a crumb left...so. I've been here several times and it never disappoints. The staff are always kind and make us feel welcomed too! See you again Demera! read more
First time visiting this place. I had heard so much about it so was excited to get in! We did make reservations in advance. I would highly recommend that if you are planning to go on weekend! The place was super crowded!! We got the vegan messob platter and the meat messob platter. Both the dishes were delicious!!! The lamb and chicken was soft and tender. The coffee of course was extremely good! I would definitely visit again read more
Had a nice dinner with some fellow coffee lovers here on a brisk Friday evening recently. Our party of six was seated in a cozy corner and the service began. I chose the Merkato cocktail, a delicious blend of fresh basil, Maker's Mark, and Ethiopian tea, infused with cardamom, cinnamon, and clove. Later in the service, I had the Ethiopian hot toddy, which was a great twist on the classic, again with the tea and infusions. It was like a hot, comforting version of the Merkato, but with that honey and lemon splash. For the meal, we went family style with the sambussas platter, featuring crispy fried dumplings and a sweet and spicy honey sauce. They were crispy and delicious, with the sauce bringing a great contrast in flavors. Ambasha bread brought a platter with a spreadable Ethiopian cheese flavored with collard greens, with the greens giving it a fresh zing of vegetable flavor. Moving to the main course, we went for it and elected the chef's selection messob, which brought a huge platter with a large injera bread, topped with generous servings of lamb, beef, chicken, and vegetable stews, including lentils and some salad. Each diner also received more injera to either top with the spoons we asked for, or just "pinch" into the portions on the communal platter. All of the stews were delicious, but special nod to the lamb, which had a delicious flavor which reminded you that it was, in fact, lamb, but was not overpowering in the least. Finally, we requested the buna (coffee) service for the table, which was presented in a traditional clay pot (jebena). A lively debate ensued among the table of coffee fanatics as to what roast level the coffee was, but regardless, it was a nice, warm way to end our meal. If there was any knock at all on our experience, the service got a bit slow as the meal drew on, probably owing to the surge of customers. read more
Ive been wanting to try Ethiopian food for some time now, and I knew Demera would be a great place to start. I placed an online order for takeout and the food was done before the promised time. The staff was very friendly and welcoming and the dining area looks upscale and very elegant. I ordered their Demera Messob for two. I tried to order a little bit of everything. One of each meat with a combination of a different sauce. We ordered their Doro Wot, Lega Tibs, an Siga Alicha for our meats. For our veggies we ordered their Misir Wot, Yatkilt Wat, and Dinich Wot. Everything was delicious and very flavorful. They also packaged everything perfectly. It was definitely something different, but a very unique experience. I can definitely see myself retuning but not for takeout again. Would prefer to have everything plated for me the traditional way. read more
We had previously sampled select items from the Demera menu when there was a location at Time Out Market . This time we ordered from the actual Demera Ethiopian Restaurant on Broadway. The extensive menu offers many tempting options. We settled on the Sambussa Sampler to start. We added orders for two of the Misir Wot, the Inguidi Tibs, the Kim Alicha, the Shiro, the Gomen, and the Quosta. Does anyone think that is enough for three of us? NO! We also added an additional individual orders of Inguidi Tibs, Kayseer Tibs, Ye-Asa Leb Leb, and Shrimp Tibs. Yeah. That seems to be about right! The sambussas were great with crisply fried luscious coatings containing our choices of the lentil, the spinach, and the cheese fillings. These delightful dumplings were served with a spicy sweet sauce that was fantastic! The Misir Wot was a stew of red lentils in a savory berbere sauce. Just the right amount of zing to the spice in this dish. The Inguidi Tibs was a delightful combination of sautéed mushrooms, garlic, onions, and ginger. The tastes here were excellent. The Kim Alicha included split yellow peas cooked with onions, garlic, and turmeric. Delicious! The Shiro was a mix of vegetables cooked with ginger, rue, garlic and spiced to perfection! The Gomen was tasty with collard greens cooked with onions, garlic, and ginger. The final part of the orders for two was the delectable Quosta with its spinach cooked with tomatoes, onions, and ginger. Yum! As we move into the remaining dishes the word that comes to mind is scrumptious leftovers. Well... That was two words but you get the idea. Moving on to the rest of our order we have the Kayseer Tibs which was made up of sautéed beats and carrots with a spice mix featuring cinnamon. Loved the taste here! The Ye-Asa Leb Leb included tilapia cooked with onions, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, and seeded jalapeño peppers. The blending of flavors here was fantastic! Finally, we have the Shrimp Tibs with shrimp prepared with onions, tomato, garlic, jalapeño, awaze, and rosemary. This dish was, like the rest of our meal, superb. The generous amount of injera that came with our order, with its signature sponginess and slightly sour flavor, was the perfect pairing with all of the dishes we sampled as we used it to scoop up all of the delectable goodness. Demera Ethiopian was truly special with perfectly prepared dishes that were exquisite in their flavor profile. We will definitely be returning in the future to try more of the choices available on the menu. Yum! read more
2 years ago
Demera Ethiopian Restaurant is in the perfect location if you are catching a show at the Riviera Theater or Aragon Ball Room. The staff is friendly and attentive. We were running late for our reservation because we had a difficult time finding our spot hero parking space, and we got caught in a down pour. The staff was super understanding and seated us immediately. Our waitress helped us understand all the menu offerings and made some helpful suggestions. We chose the veggie messob where you get to pick six of the vegetable dishes available off the menu to share. The veggie dishes we chose included: Dinich Wot (Spicy), Shiro (Spicy), Gomen, Yatkilt Wat, and Kayseer Tibs. My husband drank a Hebesha Ethiopian beer and I selected the Tej (honey wine), which is very sweet - I would not choose it again. They do have a lovely selection of cocktails. If we visit Demera again I would like to try some of the meat dishes. I really enjoy lamb. I think that the meal for two was the perfect portion size for two people, but in retrospect I think the prices are a bit high for what you receive. There were no leftovers. We were dining on a Saturday evening and two concerts were going on, so it was crowded and the noise level was above normal. There were many large parties around us, and it's always fun seeing what everyone orders. The food and drinks are very artistic looking. I was surprised by how quickly the food arrived at our table. Once again, the quick service makes the venue perfect if you are going to a show. You are able to pay at your table with toast. read more
First time trying Ethiopian food and it was super comforting! The injera was reminded me of dosa and the sambusas reminded me of samosas:) I would specifically recommend the doro tibs and misir wot. The portion sizes for the platter are huge and very shareable! It's a bit pricey but worth the experience read more
8 months ago
8 months ago
As someone who hasn't had much Ethiopian food, Demera is a wonderful restaurant! During restaurant week, we got their lunch menu. The portions are a bit small but it leaves you feeling well off and not super full/bloated! The service can be a bit slow but that's because of how busy they get. The food is delicious and I love that they have vegetarian and meat options- at the top of my list is the quosta (spinach), kik alicha (yellow peas), and ye-asa leb leb (fish). The creme brûlée is definitely a must get! read more
1 year ago
Demera is probably my favorite restaurant in the city. Their honey wine is my favorite! And I love the veggie sampler. We had six people and ordered 3 sampler platters (one with meat and then two veggie). It was more than enough food and such a fun way to get to try a variety of things on the menu. My favorite veggies options are the beet one and the spicy lentils. But honestly, they are all good so you can't go wrong. It was my birthday dinner and they gave me a free slice of tiramisu cake which was to die for. It was so light and fluffy! read more
2 years ago
We chose Demera to celebrate a birthday out of town. Ethiopian cuisine is one of our favorites and this uptown establishment was delightful. We made a 630pm reservation with ease and our driver had no issues navigating to the restaurant through the busy city streets. We opted to sit outside on the patio, which was spacious and clean. The atmosphere was welcoming, service top tier, and fellow diners had good energy. The menu is quite thorough offering many options. It truly was great, most importantly, their berbere sauce was probably perfectly spiced for me, offering a well welcomed heat! read more
2 months ago
5 months ago
1 year ago
Authentic Ethiopian restaurant, the three of us got the dinner sampler platter with six different mini meals. Pros- great way to try different types of Ethiopian meals if you don't know what you like. Cons- I'm not crazy about most types of Ethiopian meals. Nice place just not for me read more
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More info about Demera
4801 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL 60640
Uptown
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(773) 334-8787
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http://www.demerachicago.com
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