The Blue Nile

Stop whatever it is you are doing and go to blue Nile right now. If you have not been to this restaurant I feel sorry for you and your tastebuds. I have frequented this establishment for almost my entire life. Birthdays, graduation, happy days, sad days all spent here.The spicy peas are what you get when you take a pea and throw into the air and an angel catches it and gently hands it back to you. If I had a Time Machine I would go back and simply experience this dish for the first time again. If I could choose between a billion dollars or the recipe for the spicy peas I would choose a billion dollars and then spend about $10 million of those dollars to buy the recipe and keep the rest. It's truly hard to describe how transcendent this dish is.Truly the best restaurant on the planet.

Great food, great service, great ambiance. Had a great meal here with my family and we are looking forward to returning soon. Great vegan food!

We ordered the overpriced veg meal with all you can eat. There was nothing we ate that tasted good or even resembled Ethiopian flavors. It's truly an abominations! Vegan but awful. Bread not sour.

I worked at Blue Nile while attending U of M in the late 1990s and ate countless meals there then. The owners Habte and Alma were always so lovely to me. I've lived in New York for 25 years since and have eaten at several renowned Ethiopian restaurants in cities across the US, but none compare to Blue Nile. Blue Nile recipes are perfect from the injera bread to every single dish on the menu, it's truly the best. I've craved a Blue Nile meal for years and had it on my bucket list to come back to Ann Arbor just to eat an Ethiopian feast again. I finally got a chance this past weekend. As soon as I walked in the door the aroma (and nostalgia) hit me. Everything tasted exactly as I remembered after all these years. They've expanded the restaurant but it still retains the same style as it did when I worked there. The staff is friendly and attentive. It's a great value (in my opinion, they should raise their prices).I was sad not to be able to buy tea by the jar anymore, so I drank several refills to savor it. Blue Nile is a treasure and I hope it continues to thrive.

Our friends who live in Ann Arbor took us to The Blue Nile recently while we were in town. It was Nate's first time trying Ethiopian food, which was exciting to share with him. The vibe inside was cozy and dimly lit, and I think it would make a great date spot. You can make a reservation on their website, but we didn't end up needing one on a Sunday evening. We found street parking nearby, but there are garages around that you can park in as well.The best way to go in my opinion is to get the all you can eat vegetarian platter. For $20 per person, you get generous portions of each of the vegetarian dishes, and they will refill whatever ones you want any time. You can also add their meat dishes for an additional cost - we got each of the meat dishes, including chicken, beef, and lamb.Blue Nile has a full bar, which is pretty unique for this type of restaurant. I opted for the spiced Ethiopian tea, which is a warming blend of spices and is perfect for a chilly fall day. The meal begins with a hot towel to clean your hands, as the food is all eaten without silverware. The dishes are served with injera, a spongy fermented flatbread that also serves as a utensil to scoop the dishes up. I've had better injera before, but it definitely did the trick for this meal.I really enjoyed all the different dishes, but my favorites were the red lentils, spicy beef, and lamb. Everything was super flavorful and the meat was so tender. The chicken fell right off the bone. I like that they had the option of meat dishes, as the other Ethiopian restaurants I've visited usually are completely vegetarian or vegan.Service was attentive and friendly and we were completely stuffed after this meal. I'd visit again for more tasty food and hot tea!

I have had the Blue Nile on my list of places to try for some time, and I was finally able to make it! It did not disappoint. We ordered the vegetarian feast, which is $19.99 per person. The veggies are all you can eat. We also added a la carte beef and spicy chicken. Unfortunately, I did not write down the accurate names. The beef was the star of the show. It was spicy, earthy, and delicious. My favorite out of the veggies were the cabbage and collard greens. The bread given to eat the food was light and spongy but very filling. It almost made me wish for a fork because I was so full from using the bread. The customer service was excellent, and I loved the beautiful details of the restaurant like the hand towels provided to clean your hands and even the beautiful wood decor of the restaurant.

Interesting place, food was good and staff were great. I recommend trying this place, you will enjoy the experience.

We went to The Blue Nile with the hopes of finding an Ethiopian restaurant similar to our favorite in Chicago, The Blue Nile did not disappoint, but the menu structure was unclear to us before dining. You essentially HAVE to get the all you can eat vegetarian meal, then add on any meats or extras. That's about $20 per person for veggie dishes. The portion sizes are generous - my husband and I had a hard time fully finishing just our first plate. I understand why they have this policy, but the no leftovers rule was a bummer. It ultimately felt like we didn't get that much food for what we paid, just due to the limitations of our stomachs that night. On the bright side, the food was amazing. Everything was unique and flavorful; we actually liked it better than our Chicago spot. I would still come here again, just better prepared with an empty stomach and AYCE expectations. This is also a great spot to take any visiting vegetarian friends.

I was really excited and looking forward to experience Ethiopian food for the first time. I'm originally from Chicago but am visiting Ann Arbor with my best friend whom has dined here before. The prices here aren't not cheap. It's more like $$$. We ordered the Veggie Platter which is $19.95/pp which is AYCE. The server will come ask if you would like a refill on any of the veggies entrees. However, the meat is not part of the AYCE option. Meat dishes are ordered a la carte and range like $7-8 depending on chicken or beef. The lamb however is $16.95. The spiced tea is also very good $3.95. It comes with Injera (Ethiopian bread) that is very spongy in texture. The way to eat the food is to rip off a piece of the Injera and use it to scoop up the entrees using your fingers. I'm sure you can ask for utensils but don't expect them to be at your table. The Injera is nothing like a naan that is more "bready". It's very hard to describe and it's not at all flavorful, but super filling. The flavors are savory and they have a kick. However, I found the taste to not be rich enough to my liking. I prefer Indian food that packs a punch with all the spicy yet has some richness to the entrees. Here I didn't sense that but did sense a lot of spices throughout the dishes. The restaurant decor is beautiful. I gave it 4 stars only because our server wasn't that attentive and failed to refill our tea and water when we requested a few times.

Really delicious food and friendly wait staff. Veggie feast was super well seasoned. I'll definitely come back.