Social Profile: 
✔️Breakfast ✔️Brunch ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out ✔️Delivery
… View more
Massawa Restaurant, established in 1988, is New York City’s oldest African restaurant. Located near Columbia University in Morningside Heights, it offers a warm, communal dining experience rooted in Eritrean and Ethiopian tradition. Family-owned and operated, Massawa serves authentic Eritrean and Ethiopian dishes made with natural ingredients – from richly spiced lentils and vegetables to savory meats, all shared over injera. Known for its welcoming atmosphere and cultural authenticity, Massawa remains a neighborhood landmark and gathering place for students, locals, and visitors alike, celebrating over three decades of heritage and hospitality.
East African eatery serves traditional Ethiopian & Eritrean fare scooped by hand with injera bread.
Hours
| Monday | 10:30 AM–10 PM |
| Tuesday | 10:30 AM–10 PM |
| Wednesday | 10:30 AM–10 PM |
| Thursday | 10:30 AM–10 PM |
| Friday | 10:30 AM–11 PM |
| Saturday | 10:30 AM–11 PM |
| Sunday | 10:30 AM–10 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 1239 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027
Phone: (212) 663-0505
Website: https://massawanyc.com/?utm_source=google
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: opentable.com
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
Massawa | Eritrean & Ethiopian Restaurant | New York
Massawa is one of the very first Eritrean and Ethiopian restaurants in the U.S., and has enjoyed a large following of patrons since its opening in 1988 in …
Cafe Massawa | Harlem | 3153 Broadway, New York, NY, USA
3153 Broadway. New York. NY 10027. HOURS. OPEN DAILY. 11:30AM-10PM. CONTACT. [email protected]. Tel: 212-663-1800. MAILING LIST. SUBSCRIBE. Thanks for …
MASSAWA (@massawanyc) • Instagram photos and videos
The Oldest African Restaurant in NYC – Since 1988. Serving Eritrean and Ethiopian Cuisine 1239 Amsterdam Ave #MassawaNYC …
Reviews
Dick Whiting
Wonderful East African restaurant serving Eritrean & Ethiopian fare. The space and the staff are warm and inviting. I had a hot cup of cinnamon coffee while I waited on the rest of my party to arrive, I recommend it. Laid back cozy vibe, with space to chill while waiting for your table. We had lunch and the prices were great, and the portions generous. We had samplings of the vegan and vegetarian offerings, they offer different levels of spice and their were five in our group with everyone stated and happy. One person in our group also had salmon and attested to its tastiness, it certainly looked like it was prepared perfectly. The injera was light and had the perfect balance of tang – again, ample portions too. Swollen and happy, we had to decline dessert. Overall a wonderful experience. Great for groups, friends, kids, or an intimate date – soooo good!
… moreYummy Toyama Eats
MASSAWA is an Ethiopian restaurant located in Harlem. It is a casual upscale restaurant, modern and elegant without being pretentious. The food and drinks were amazing! The cocktails were great. We had a MANGOTINI and a BUBBLE GUM MARTINI. For food, we had the vegetable platter which allowed us to try a whole host of things. We added a protein to that , a spicy beef stew. Everyone has a fun tome eating in this unique way. The minor pet peeves I had was that the waitresses didn’t explain each dish, and the beautiful and clean toilet had problems flushing. All in all, a very fun, satisfying and unique dining experience.
… moreLena S
After hearing great things about Massawa from a dear friend for years, I decided to give it a shot. Last Friday, the two of us shared a trio of sambusas and an Alitcha Beghe entrée. Everything was delicious! We even had to order another pair of fish sambusas, as that was our favorite of the trio. All of the food is 10/10 though we never received napkins, a must when eating injera with your hands.
Our server was kind and pleasant, but slow and inattentive. She did not give her name, but volunteered her young teen age when we asked for drink recommendations. I received the tasty agave ginger lemonade, instead of the alcohol-based ginger lemonade I ordered. When I did get it, it was pure completely unpalatable. After dinner, we ordered pumpkin lattes with oatmilk. After 20 minutes of waiting, our server returned to tell us that the bartender left to buy oatmilk from a local store and scurried off before we could cancel. It took about 40 minutes to receive lukewarm lattes.
My friend loves this place and wanted to share it with me. The food was wonderful, but the service dampened the experience.
… moreOur server was kind and pleasant, but slow and inattentive. She did not give her name, but volunteered her young teen age when we asked for drink recommendations. I received the tasty agave ginger lemonade, instead of the alcohol-based ginger lemonade I ordered. When I did get it, it was pure completely unpalatable. After dinner, we ordered pumpkin lattes with oatmilk. After 20 minutes of waiting, our server returned to tell us that the bartender left to buy oatmilk from a local store and scurried off before we could cancel. It took about 40 minutes to receive lukewarm lattes.
My friend loves this place and wanted to share it with me. The food was wonderful, but the service dampened the experience.
N weathers
I came here for a Sunday night, dinner and really enjoyed the food. For our first experience of Ethiopian food, I enjoyed the flavors of my salmon dish and the red lentils. Ingera bread was tasty and something different. The Samusa was really good, but I did not care for the sauces. My Agave ginger lemonade drink was ok.
… moreAlexander Eng
Very delicious Ethiopian food. We were a group of four, including one vegetarian. The very nice server recommended the goat stew and roasted chicken dish, along with the vegan sampler. This allowed us to try many of the top flavors. It was all delicious. Would recommend to all looking to have a fun experience with Ethiopian food.
… moreSree Sreenivasan
I used to eat here during my Columbia years. Happy to be back. Lots of elbow room to try the food you eat with your hands.
… moreMichael Lehrman
If you like Ethiopian food this is the place to go. Food is divine. Good cocktails too. Go before 7 for $9 specialty cocktails. The meat and vegetarian combos were both excellent. The Fava bean dip is divine.
… moreWamuyu
Casual but chic ambience. Excellent food. #NYC #Manhattan
Meal type: …
… moreMeal type: …
Miranda
the restaurant is SO CUTE. would be good for dinner dates. each table has each flowers and the dotted floral decorations to well with the woody feel of the atmosphere. so worth coming by if you’re in the neighborhood.
the food overall was rlly good. i particularly enjoyed the samosa (2 sauces were very flavorful) and the garden salad (the dressing is light and goes perfectly balanced with the watermelon blocks and arugula). the ginger coffee was interesting and very strong.
… morethe food overall was rlly good. i particularly enjoyed the samosa (2 sauces were very flavorful) and the garden salad (the dressing is light and goes perfectly balanced with the watermelon blocks and arugula). the ginger coffee was interesting and very strong.
V T
Such a lovely place with tasty food! Has an outdoor protected from the wind area and quite large indoor space. We ordered a vegetarian sampler with lamb and salmon and it was way enough for two people. We could not finish the food but it was so good, especially spicy lamb! We also tried a rum cake which was just ok but then i do not have a sweet tooth so perhaps sweet lovers would appreciate it more. I have to say that the menu has many drinks options ranging from mimosas (for those who like festive brunches) to different teas and coffees. I highly recommend this great food stop and will be back myself for sure!
… more