Two Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurants offering a taste of home on the Danforth
Over 20 years ago Rendez-vous opened its doors on the Danforth. Offering diners an authentic Ethiopian and Eritrean food experience.
Back then there was one person cooking, waiting tables, making drinks and managing the place: Banchi Kinde. Today, Banchi employs a team of folks dedicated to sharing Ethiopian hospitality and cuisine and as of this year, has a second spot just a few blocks away offering a fully vegan menu.
Hana, who has been part of the new team over at La Vegan since March, says the classic veggie combo is ever popular, along with the mushroom kifto. Her fav though is shero wot (roasted chickpeas in a Berbere sauce) and she highly recommends you check it out.
It means a lot to the team to not only introduce new folks from other backgrounds to their classic and modern take dishes, but to create a warm sense of home for members of the community who grew up in Africa, especially Ethiopia and Eritrea. More than anything else Banchi tells us, “‘We want people to feel at home.”
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This series was cooked up to highlight some of our team’s favourite Black-owned restaurants here in Toronto. Photographed for FoodShare by the talented Brianna Roye (@briannablank on Instagram) we wanted to bring you some of the Black folks in our city who are building community through food. We were tired of seeing features like these show up on our feeds in February and disappear for the rest of the year, folks are Black after February too!
Stay tuned for more to come…
And tell us your favourite Black-owned restaurants and food shops. Visit us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn to share your recommendations!