Free Ethiopian Food Sample!

I visit OH often to work, it's the best place to work. So many food and drink options. But when the news broke about Enat opening a stall in OH I could not wait to finally check them out. This was my 1st time so thank you so much to the young lady who helped me with the menu and what to order. I ordered the derek-style lamb tibs that comes cooked with fresh diced onions, tomatoes, garlic and jalapeno peppers. My two sides were the tikel gomen (which is cabbage and carrots cooked with onions, garlic) and gomen (which is chopped collard greens sautéed with onions and garlic)...... And WOW WOW WOW!!!!! This food was so amazing. The flavor literally slapped me in the mouth. I was in heaven. I loved the derek-style lamb tibs the most. There were crispy, seasoned and cooked to perfect. The sides went deliciously with the lamb tibs. I also really loved the injera that came with my meal (which is a soft, spongy, thin bread). SOOOOOO SOOOOO good. As if it needed to be any harder to decide where to eat in Optimist Hall! LOL, I now have a sure fire go to every time! If you haven't had Enat yet, you gotta check them out ASAP. I can't wait to go back.

Did you know that some of the best Ethiopian food in this country is right here in Charlotte? Well, now you do. I've only had Ethiopian food in other big cities like NYC, Austin, Philly, and the DC area, which in and of itself is a bastion of ethnic food. Charlotte is getting there but in a sea of burgers, pizzas, and tacos, Enat is a shining beacon. The Good: y'all, the food is incredible. The best Ethiopian I've personally had. We weren't sure what to order but the very nice guy at the register suggested the Meat Platter, served family-style for 3-4 people. There were 3 of us and it was a bit too much so it's probably perfect for 4. My parents are so hard to please but we all couldn't stop raving about everything. We got the Sambusa app, and on the platter: Awaze chicken, Lamb tibs, Derek-style beef tibs, Gomen, Miser, and Shiro and I highly recommend all of it. We met the owner, who was incredibly sweet, and told us how her mom makes the injera and the pictures of her mom making it displayed around their stall. I also love that there are two reserved booths for their customers (because we know hunting for a spot at OH can be challenging). The Meh: nothing! The Bad: nothing! If you're looking for an authentic, unique experience, I can't recommend Enat enough. Service with a smile and amazing food...you can tell they're passionate about what they're doing because it REALLY comes out in their food and how they interact with customers. It's only been a week but I already can't wait to go back!

I found out about this place from the Yelp Charlotte top 100 list. This was my second time having Ethiopian food. We started with Sambusas and got beef, chicken, and lentil. These are one of my favorite things at Ethiopian restaurants. The beef were my favorite followed by lentil. For entrees we got the vegan combo plate along with the Derek Tibs with lamb. The vegan combo was essentially all of the sides. It was quite tasty. My favorite thing was definitely the Derek Tibs though. I hadn't had this before and it was delicious. It's customary not to eat with utensils and instead use the injira (spongy bread) to eat with. Be prepared to get a little messy. I love Ethiopian food and this place was no exception.

I love optimist hall, they have such a variety of restaurants. Enat was such great place to try! I love trying new and different foods. I thought their veggie plate was very good and filling. It reminded me a bit of Indian cuisine. Overall I had a great experience and I'd be excited to try another plate of something ethiopian.

Wish this place wasn't so far of a drive or in would definitely be in my regular weekly rotation. LOL But we will find ourselves here often enough I am sure. Small and cozy run by family - you feel welcomed right from the start. The waitstaff is patient with newbies and explain the menu so you feel comfy with how or what to order. They even have a glossary right on their menu. :) I tried to vegetarian sampler platter and you CANNOT go wrong here folks - you get to sample every vegetarian item they offer and honestly it was all good. There were 12 different dishes to taste and it was more than plenty to share. I liked all the lentil dishes (the cold one was my least favorite) and the collard greens were full of flavor as were the cabbage and green beans (they were my hubbies fave) - the hubster added the lamb dibs and man were they tasty too. Little chunks of grilled lamb in spices with peppers and onions. Even the spicier dishes were not offensively spicy but just the right amount of heat to make it interesting but you can still taste the actual flavor of what you are eating. While the spongy bread has no flavor it is used as your fork or spoon to scoop up all the goodness on your plate. Get ready for your hands to get a little messy but in a good way. They have hand sanitizer right on the tables for your convenience. The place was clean (including the bathrooms) - tastefully decorated with traditional Ethiopian artwork and the staff amazingly friendly and attentive to their valued guests.

I love this place their food is flavorful and what I would expect of an ethiopian restaurant. Their service is quick and we were able to get our food within 20 minutes. We also got refills of our water regularly. It's a small hole in the wall that gets pretty busy. One kid waiting for their take out was craving their samosas. I loved their lentil samosa and Misir wat. Their shiro comes in the pot and you have to pour it onto the enjera. I thoroughly enjoyed everything and I would definitely recommend going to others.

I was immensely impressed and satisfied with the food and services at this restaurant. Their fish tibs is one of my favorite. It's cooked perfectly and goes well with their rice as well as enjera. Definitely a must try.

I have been to a number of Ethiopian restaurants in Charlotte and prior to coming to Enat, I was ready to give up on the cuisine. This place is, by far, the best Ethiopian food that I have tried. The space is very small and unassuming, but clean and neatly decorated. It is in a little shopping complex off of Plaza. The menu is smallish, but in a nice touch they give definitions of many of the Ethiopian terms. There is a cooler in the front with juice, water, and sodas - no alcohol is sold. It seemed like the person serving us was an owner/manager as she knew everything about the food and even the Armhaic letters on the wall. The service was quick as the restaurant was empty when we arrived. My wife had Kifto 360 which was some sort of spiced meat patty with cream cheese pressed between two tortillas and sliced like a pie. She absolutely loved it. As a main dish I had the lamb nibs, while my wife had the vegetarian platter. Everything came out on one plate, with a side dish of rolled up enjera (slightly sour, spongy bread that you use to pick up the food in lieu of utensils.) The lamb nibs were excellent and I liked the green beans and cabbage and carrots as well from the vegetarian platter. The vegetarian platter had 8 different combos so it is great to sample from. Everything was just a touch spicy which was great. The prices were not super cheap, but very reasonable both for the quality and quantity of food that we got. I would definitely go back.

It was cold and I was lazy so I got food from Enat delivered via Postmates. It came fast and everything was at the right temp and delicious. Since it was my first order I tried a few things -- awaze lamb tibs, with fasolia (green beans and carrots) and the beet and potato side added on. Plus some extra injera, because who doesn't need extra injera? That's definitely enough for two full on meals so don't get carried away with your order unless you like leftovers. The awaze tibs was super flavorful and spicy but not overpowering. The beet and potato was really good -- I've never seen that dish at an Ethiopian place before but it is my new favorite. The injera was springy and fresh, probably some of the best I've had in this town. Only complaint is that the container let the ater mix completely with the awaze tibs because the delivery person didn't keep it flat, but it was delicious anyway. I can only imagine it will be much better right out of the kitchen.