Vegan Ethiopian Comfort Food in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights

Comments Off on Vegan Ethiopian Comfort Food in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights

Famished after a hike up the hills of Bernal Heights, an inner neighborhood of San Francisco, California, I proceeded to hike down Cortland Avenue looking for some vegan, gluten-free fare. Even though it was in fact San Francisco, every restaurant told me they didn’t have vegan or if they did have vegetarian, it wasn’t gluten-free or if it was the latter, it wasn’t vegetarian. You get the idea, YET, in San Francisco?

Hungry and dejected, I plodded on homeward, when my eye caught “Ethiopian” on a sign above my head. Ever a fan, I walked into a small 6-stand mini-mall of epicurean delights, and headed for east Africa.

Eji (pronounced EEjee) of Eji’s Ethiopian greeted us with a warm smile and without a word about my dietary restrictions, said her shop is 100% vegan and gluten-free. I thought if this doesn’t work out, she could definitely have a career as a psychic. However, she should keep her day job, because the food was delicious. Spongy injera bread she was quick to point out was 100% teff flour (some Ethiopian restaurants use a combo of teff and wheat) held together well and taste-wise was no different from any teff alloys I had eaten previously. And it mopped up each entree with fiendish delight.

The stir-fried cabbage seasoned with turmeric, garlic and ginger was pungent with a hint of sweet; the misir wot (spicy lentil stew) packed quite a bit of heat, the alicha wot (split yellow pea) was mild but filling, and a squash puree – a mix of acorn, butternut and pumpkin (something not on the menu yet) – was a wonderful combo of sweet and savory all in itself. How wonderful it was to find vegan, gluten-free fare in one of my favorite cuisines. This is comfort food that anyone – vegheads and Celiacs alike – can devour without guilt.

There’s no seating here (save a small bench outside), so this is meant for takeaway, however you can get it delivered through Good Eggs. Eji’s has only been open a little over a month, so ambiance there is a work in progress. What would add a nice spice to the walls would be photos or art from Ethiopia, frames for the pictures she currently has for the entrees, and a printed menu for takeout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eji’s Ethiopian

331 Cortland Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94110
408-806-1801

Read More Share

Recent Author Posts

Join Our Community

Connect On Social Media

Most Popular Posts

We Blog The World

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share this post with your friends!