Red Sea Restaurant – San Diego

Valerie and Rob turned me onto this Ethiopian place a number of years ago, but not while I was actually living in San Diego. Hence it’s an inked in destination on my itinerary whenever I visit them. I just can’t get enough of it, especially because Santa Barbara doesn’t have its own Ethiopian restaurant.

Side note: SB does have an Ethiopian catering company, and I’ve sampled her food on at least one occasion when it was served during a First Thursday evening downtown. It was good! When I spoke with the owner, she’d indicated her interest in having an actual restaurant at some point in the future. But this was perhaps two years ago and nothing new has arisen. So my mind still wanders to the Red Sea Restauarant whenever I ponder visits to San Diego.

I did also eat at an Ethiopian restaurant in the Upper Eastside of Manhattan earlier this year, and while it was good, it wasn’t great like Red Sea. The variety and flavors of the stews here are so addicting and the bread is always perfect. Portions are usually so ample that we rarely finish our meal, while the New York restaurant we still felt a little hungry afterwards. Sigh.

Anyway, we ate here Friday evening after returning from the Comic Con. We were beat and hungry. And we feasted!
I deferred the menu to Valerie, who’s been acquainted with this neighborhood and Red Sea since high school.

She ordered two combination meat meals and two combination vegetarian meals, and lentil sambussas for the group.

The kitchen simply combines all the main meals into one giant platter with plenty of injera (Ethiopian bread) to hold it, and more baskets on the side. Dig in!

Also with the meal: the lentil sambussa and lots of African beer.
And don’t forget to use lots of napkins, because your hands and bread are the utensils.

We left perfectly happy, followed briefly with a freakout when I realized I’d left my camera at the restaurant. But a phone call later, and a quick drive back to the restaurant returned my camrea safe and sound, after being subjected to a few good humored jokes from the staff there. Silly me.

Red Sea Restaurant (City Heights)
4717 University Ave (between 47th Street & Euclid Avenue)
San Diego, CA 92105