Boston, MAEthiopian

A Central Square mainstay for more than 30 years, seating guests around traditional basket woven mesob tables. Salata fitfit, peppery curried salmon, and deeply flavorful combination stew platters are the draws, with a gluten free injera option on request and a menu that spans Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking.

Owner Yosef Haile's tangy injera pairs with vibrantly spiced mains like lega tibs, beef braised with onion, tomato, and berbere, and a vegetarian platter built around simmered yellow split peas. The house tej, a honey wine, is the pairing regulars order at this Jamaica Plain spot.

A small, easy to miss storefront on Centre Street just doors from Blue Nile, known for berbere threaded misir wot lentil stew and silky yebeg tibs, sauteed lamb. The dining room also pours fresh mango juice and traditional Ethiopian coffee service, and it recently added a full liquor license.

A friendly counter service spot diagonally across from Symphony Hall, open since 2010. The Addis combo of spicy red lentils, garlicky split peas, and spiced spinach and potatoes over injera is the standard order, alongside besso, a nutty barley and chocolate shake that regulars pair with it.

Owner Befekadu Defar, who trained in Switzerland before settling in Boston, runs this Roxbury kitchen turning out Ethiopian omelets, well seasoned sambusas filled with lentils or beef, and sun colored simmered stews. A few American dishes, like a blackened chicken sandwich, round out the menu for the neighborhood crowd.