By Jessica Wang, The Beijinger

Beijing’s first Ethiopian restaurant, Ras Ethiopian Cuisine, is set to open out at Lido this coming Thursday, March 6. We talked to Danny, an Ethiopian-American, and his wife Marlo about the trials and tribulations of setting up a restaurant in Beijing. After selling their restaurants in Washington D.C., the couple arrived in Beijing with their family of five ten months ago.

“I came to Beijing two years ago and realized there is not one Ethiopian restaurant. So, I thought why not make history by opening the first,” says Danny. “It was time for a change and we figured this would be great exposure for our kids as well,” added Marlo.

The restaurant, which is open only for dinner, will hold live Ethiopian song and dance performances, and traditional coffee ceremonies. Guests will also be able to purchase fresh ground Ethiopian coffee at the gift shop along with other Ethiopian curios. Aside from knickknacks and Ethiopian coffee, the restaurant is decorated with photos of Ethiopia, traditional Ethiopian umbrellas and hide paintings.

The restaurant will offer guests no utensils, so expect to eat with your hands off a communal plate set on an hourglass-shaped Ethiopian table called a mesob (see image right). The primary dish is a pancake-like bread called injera made from a highly nutritional grain known as teff.

“We are importing all these things from Ethiopia. We even brought these tables and umbrellas ourselves,” says Marlo. “It’s a mom-and-pop operation here but we’ve poured all our soul and energy into it. It’s been such an adventure,” she says with a chuckle.

“Taking on this challenge wasn’t easy, especially when you don’t speak the language. Luckily, we’ve received a lot of support from the Ethiopian community here and have met lots of nice people,” says Danny. “I just hope the people of Beijing will like what we’ve done.”

Ras Ethiopian Cuisine
Beijing’s first Ethiopian restaurant to open this Thursday, Mar 6. 14 Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang District. (8479 8388)
朝阳区将台路14号