BARO ETHIOPIAN AND ERITREAN
Neighbourhood: West End
Address: 810 Beverly Street
Phone: 204-421-5944
Entrees: $20 – $50
Some restaurants encourage diners to share. At Baro Ethiopian and Eritrean Restaurant, sharing is simply how the meal unfolds. Platters arrive layered with injera and, as hands reach across the table, tastes become part of the conversation. This style of dining has long been central to Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, where food connects people as much as it satisfies an appetite.
Baro brings that tradition into a colourful space of handcrafted details, dark wood and aromas of simmering stews and layered spice. Meals are presented on traditional woven trays, creating an authentic experience for those new to the cuisine.
The agilgil platter offers an ideal introduction. Designed for curious diners, it brings together a selection of dishes atop airy, gluten-free injera, the spongy fermented flatbread that serves as both accompaniment and utensil. It is a hearty meal that reveals the cuisine’s signature flavours.
Lentil samboosa makes a perfect start. The delicate shell cracks beautifully, revealing a filling of tender lentils seasoned with fragrant spices. Timatim fit fit transforms tomatoes, onions and jalapeños into a distinctive Ethiopian expression. Torn pieces of injera soak up lemon juice and the bright vegetable mixture, for a dish with refreshing acidity and satisfying texture.
The kitchen’s slow-cooked specialties reveal the depth of the cuisine. Doro wot, a beloved chicken stew, builds its richness through hours of simmering onions, berbere and niter kibbeh, creating a deeply flavoured sauce that coats tender chicken and a hard-boiled egg. That same attention to time and seasoning appears in gomen be sega, where silky collard greens provide an earthy counterpoint to brisket so tender it nearly falls apart on the fork. The greens are finished with a buttery, spice-infused sauce that lends richness to their earthy character.
The experience extends beyond the meal with Baro’s traditional coffee service. Presented in a clay jebena alongside espresso cups, sugar, popcorn and burning incense, the ritual invites diners to slow down.
The fragrant smoke fills the air as coffee is poured, creating a memorable moment that engages sight, aroma and taste. At Baro, even coffee invites diners to linger.