Phoenix, AZEthiopian

Arizona's first Ethiopian restaurant, a husband-and-wife strip-mall room in Tempe open since 1996 and long the Valley's Ethiopian mainstay. It leans heavily vegetarian, with lamb tibs and lentils over teff injera, and generations of ASU students learned to eat with injera here first.

The veggie sampler pulls misir wot, misir alicha, and shiro together on one platter, spiced intricately enough to make legumes taste remarkable. Zil zil tibs sauteed in ghee and a doro wot that glistens with clarified butter round out a menu the paper called world class.

A family-run kitchen turning out generous combo platters of meat and vegetable wats and tibs over injera prized for being soft and pliable enough to stretch like taffy. Portions run large, and a Habesha coffee ceremony greets diners at the door.

Wallet-friendly wats and tibs served on floppy, tart injera, with the doro wot and a berbere-laced misir wot among the standouts, plus baked meat sambussas to start. Monday evenings bring a traditional coffee ceremony that turns dinner into a slower, ritual affair.

An Ethiopian coffeehouse from owner Aisha Tedros roasting beans in small batches for a full coffee ceremony, alongside injera and pita plates and a hand-blended chai. It is the Valley's spot to pair the food tradition with a proper Ethiopian coffee ritual on Thomas Road.