Located in Atlanta’s hub for tasty Ethiopian eats, there’s a new restaurant adding a unique flare to the way guests experience Eritrean & Ethiopian cuisine. Owned by the brother and sister duo behind Therapy and Food therapy, Tamar & Simon have brought their years of experience in hospitality to create an oasis for injera lovers. Their restaurant, Feedel Bistro, curates an experience that gives guests a taste of the culture that goes far beyond food.
The name Feedel comes from the Ethiopian and Eritrean word for alphabet, which is the reason you’ll find the East African characters woven into the artwork and decor that lines the walls. Tamar, who has a background in interior design & designs custom jewelry as well, was keen on designing a restaurant space that showcased Ethiopian & Eritrean culture in an artistic, beautiful and modern way. Captivating photographs of the many ethnic groups across Ethiopia and Eritrea, from the Rashaida to Afar, are on display giving customers a snapshot of the diversity of Ethiopian and Eritrean people. Tamar explains that this is an important part of the experience Feedel curates for its guests. For her, creating a beautiful intentional space where you can enjoy East African food, with great art, & lighting, while learning something new about the culture was the type of experience guests deserve. She was set on creating a space that was elegant and still catered to the people who created this cuisine.
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Feedel’s menu is inspired by Tamar’s mother and sister (who happens to be a chef), they carefully trained Feedel’s culinary team to ensure each dish is rich in flavour and tastes like home. Her mother’s influence is the reason Feedel’s comfort dishes like, Gomen BeSiga – a stewed collard green dish with lamb and Doro wot, a special yet labor intensive chicken stew, are popular favourites amongst their guests.
The must try dishes also include Feedel’s Veggie sampler which offers a selection of 8 deliciously spiced plant based stews. This is a great way to get a taste of a number of delicious East African flavours. Feedel’s sampler includes familiar classics like miser wot, a delicious lentil stew made with Berbere spice, onions and tomatoes and alitcha, a flavourful & colourful cabbage dish stewed in a turmeric sauce. In addition to these classics, you’ll get a taste of special traditional stews that you won’t find elsewhere, dishes that even I had not tried yet like Yeshimbira Asa.
Tamar prides herself on introducing guests to the dishes like Yeshimbira Asa that she grew up on. She explains that Yeshimbira Asa means Chickpea Fish in Amharic. In Ethiopia and Eritrea, where the vast majority observe the Christian Orthodox faith- fasting from meat and dairy is embedded into the culture and why there are so many tasty vegan dishes. Tamar recalls her mom cooking down onions and berbere for hours into a flavorful stew similar to Doro wot, but without the dairy or chicken added. Then crushing chickpeas and creating a dough from the mixture, which she formed into the shape of a fish. Next her mother would lightly fry the chickpea dough so it would retain its shape and add it to the stew where it would soak up all the tasty Eritrean flavours. Tamar explains that Yeshimbira asa was a way to trick the mind into believing you were having fish, when in actuality it was just a flavourful stew with fish shaped chickpeas. (In case you don’t know, East Africans were way ahead of the game when it came to plant based meat alternatives!)
In addition to the traditional dishes, Feedel offers their own take on classics like their mouthwatering mushroom & shrimp tibs in a spicy Berbere spiced sauce or their crispy Sambusa served with a non traditional yet delicious creamy dipping sauce with lots of fresh basil.
Feedel Bistro is a place that not only welcomes you with delicious food but also invites you to learn more about the beauty and diversity of Ethiopian & Eritrean culture. It’s these introductions to new flavours, lessons in Ethiopian & Eritrean culture and attention to detail that really distinguish Feedel Bistro as a leader in the African restaurant scene & why it’s definitely a must-visit restaurant for anyone in Atlanta.
