I finish the last bite of lentils I can manage, scooped up with a piece of fresh injera. My friend remarks at my “tumeric-stained lips,” so I get up to head to the washroom.
“Do you want to try some Ethiopian coffee?” our server Asmeret asks me.
Asmeret B. Ayele, along with Bashatu Gutama and her husband Abdissa Tumie, owns and operates Habesha Ethiopian & Eritrean Restaurant in Des Moines. They opened the restaurant at 3500 Merle Hay Rd in April 2025, determined to see more Ethiopian cuisine in the metro…