Most people size up an authentic Ethiopian restaurant by how hot the stew is. Wrong test. The better one is what hits the table first, and whether a fork shows up before you even ask for one.
At Messob on South Fairfax, the first thing to arrive is injera. It is soft, a little tangy, a little spongy, and it gets spread across the plate like an edible tablecloth. Stews go on top. You tear off a piece, scoop, and eat. Nobody guards a portion, because nobody really has one.
What makes a place feel truly authentic?
Time, for starters. Brothers Berhanu and Getahun Asfaw took over Messob in 1985, long before the city gave the neighborhood an official name. In November 2002, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously designated Little Ethiopia, after lobbying that included the brothers themselves, according to the LA Almanac. So why does that matter? Because the family cooking here helped build the street it still cooks on.
Then there is the name. A messob is a woven Ethiopian basket that stores injera and doubles as a communal table. In Amharic, the invitation to the table is enebla, which means let us eat together. That is not decoration. It is the whole philosophy.
Authentic means shared.
And the street backs it up. The block was once an extension of the Jewish commercial district along Fairfax, nicknamed SoFax, until Ethiopian families who arrived in the 1970s made it their own. Banners with that old nickname still hang from the streetlamps, according to PBS SoCal. Every September 11, the street celebrates the Ethiopian New Year with a cultural festival. Think about that for a second. A restaurant open since 1985 is not chasing a trend. It is part of the street's memory, and that is what separates a themed dinner from the real thing.
Is this really the best Ethiopian restaurant in LA?
Rankings are slippery, but you can judge the best Ethiopian restaurant in LA the way locals do, by checking the classics. Doro wot, the slow-cooked chicken stew, is the benchmark dish. A columnist at the Daily Bruin reported that Messob's doro wot was a hit with the entire table. Lentils and tomato fit-fit, a dish tossed with torn pieces of injera, tends to win over skeptics in about two bites.
Prefer lamb? Time Out singles out the yebeg siga alitcha, a lamb stew built on garlic, ginger, and warm spices. And no pork ever shows up here, since most Ethiopians are Orthodox Christians or Muslims.
Can vegans eat well at an Ethiopian table?
Better than well. Ethiopian Orthodox fasting days cover a big chunk of the calendar, so the cuisine has had a deep plant-based side for generations. Time Out describes a vegan combination at Messob that can include yater alitcha (steamed peas), yatakilt alitcha (steamed vegetables), yemiser wot (split lentils), and collard greens.
Four colors. with Four distinct textures and One injera. Who says a vegan plate has to feel like a compromise?
How do you eat it without looking lost?
Right hand only. Tear, pinch, scoop. That is the entire technique, and dropped bites are forgiven instantly. The same Daily Bruin writer stuck to right hands only to honor custom, and called the Ethiopian honey wine a must for first-timers. Sweet, golden, and a good match for spicy stew.
Timing helps too. On a packed evening, that columnist waited about 15 minutes in the back wait room, and the red, green, yellow, and burgundy decor made the wait easy. Bring a friend, because Time Out notes the traditional coffee ceremony here is meant for at least two people.
So skip the fork. Walk in hungry, order a combination platter, and decide within three bites if the place is the real thing. Messob is at 1041 S Fairfax Ave, open daily from 11am to 11pm.
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