At this new Northland spot, customers can have a traditional Ethiopian breakfast all day, along with traditional entrees, appetizers and desserts.
The two owners, Obse Lamesa and Lalise Terefe (pictured below), are natives of Ethiopia and both worked at Amazon. They said they looked around at their co-workers, wondering who they had the most in common with.
Lamesa and Terefe not only were from the same country and worked at the same place, they went to the same church, and they both had a dream of owning an Ethiopian restaurant.
So now they are partnering in J&K Ethiopian Restaurant. They remodeled a space (7104 N.W. Prairie View Road, KCMO) in the former Northland Kmart complex for a mid-November opening. J&K are the initials of their oldest daughters’ first names.
For breakfast, the women offer such items as waffles with Ethiopian-style scrambled eggs (tomatoes, jalapenos and Ethiopian seasonings), and firfir (torn flatbread in a tomato stew).
Entrees include the vegetarian shiro tegabino, along with chicken or lamb tibs, lamb, and ugali (milled white maize served with ground beef and greens).
Saturday specials include flatbreads made from teff and topped with buttered Ethiopian cottage cheese and traditional seasonings; fish dulet with onion and serrano peppers; and chicken doro wot.
They also serve traditional Ethiopian coffee and tea, fresh ginger tea and birz (made with fermented honey), along with desserts such as baklava.
Hours are 11 am to 9 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays, and 2:30 to 9 pm on Sundays. It is closed Mondays. Tasty Thai had previously operated in the space but relocated to 7106 N.W. Prairie View Road a couple of years ago, according to an employee.
