Asmara Restaurant

Asmara Restaurant has served Eritrean food in Cambridge since 1986, welcoming Boston locals, New Englanders and international visitors. Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisines share similar spices, flavors and the tradition of eating family style with injera, the bread used in place of utensils. The restaurant makes its injera in two versions, a rice and wheat blend and a mostly teff bread, and the menu offers spicy, mild, vegetarian, vegan and meat dishes.

Part of the draw is the setting. Groups can gather around a mesob, a traditional woven basket table where the shared plate sits in the middle, and the walls display Eritrean artifacts and paintings by an Eritrean artist. The aim is for guests to experience something different through flavorful food and the colorful culture of Eritrea, a Horn of Africa nation that became independent in 1991.

What to Know

• The restaurant is listed in Boston’s directory of Black-owned businesses.
• Homemade honey wine can be purchased from the restaurant.
• Takeout and third-party delivery are available in addition to dine-in.
• Diners with wheat allergies are asked to talk with the manager about options.