ANN ARBOR, MI – In downtown Ann Arbor, traditional Ethiopian food can be found at the Blue Nile Restaurant.
The Bile Nile, 221 E. Washington St., re-opened Thursday, June 11, after closing three months due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The restaurant is taking many safety precautions moving forward.
The original restaurant opened in 1983 in Detroit, before moving to Ferndale. A second location opened in 1989 in Ann Arbor. Married couple and co-owners Almaz Lessanework and Habte Dadi, who originate from Ethiopia, took over the Ann Arbor location from Seifu Lessanework.
The restaurant serves traditional Ethiopian food, including a lot of meats and vegetables. Lessanework said the vegetarian feast, a sampling of vegetables, including yellow split peas, cabbage, mixed greens and lentils on injera, an Ethiopian flatbread, is one of the more popular dishes.
A platter of food at the Blue Nile in downtown Ann Arbor on Saturday, June 13, 2020. The Ethiopian restaurant reopened this week after the pandemic forced restaurant closures across the country.Jenna Kieser
The restaurant also serves spicy and mild chicken, spicy beef, lamb and spiced Ethiopian tea.
New customers come in everyday and he and Lessanework love to share and educate people about Ethiopian food, Dadi said.
The coronavirus outbreak forced the restaurant to shut down in March. While the owners tried to keep it running for carryout during Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order, they did not receive enough business to make it work, Lessanework said.
Safety precautions in place since the restaurant has reopened include installing a plastic shield at the front counter, requiring employees to wear masks and gloves and following the 50% occupancy order for restaurants.
The restaurant also has shrunk to just dinner hours from 4 to 10 p.m. because they’re not sure what direction they will be going and dinner is the most important time for them, Dadi said.
The restaurant still also offers catering, carryout and group gatherings, if the group does not break the 50% occupancy limit, Dadi said.
While the pandemic and closure brought economic hardships for Blue Nile, the owners are optimistic going forward, Lessanework said, especially after students return to the University of Michigan in the fall.
The full menu can be found on the restaurant’s website.
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June 16, 2020 at 06:51PM
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Local Eats: Recently re-opened Blue Nile Restaurant offers traditional Ethiopian food to Ann Arbor - MLive.com
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