Many of Denver's Ethiopian restaurants are clustered along East Colfax Avenue and down Havana Street, offering long menus and combination platters of vegetable stews and slow-cooked meats heaped atop broad sourdough pancakes called injera. Big dining rooms with stages and room for dancing are common, since many eateries serve as celebration halls for the city's Ethiopian community. Megenagna, tucked into a shopping strip just off Havana, has a slightly different approach, with its concise menu and cozy cafe ambience. But those are also the restaurant's strengths, allowing the kitchen to display mastery of a few specific dishes while guests receive personalized service. The minced beef dish called kitfo is a house specialty and comes in several different forms — even a meatless style prepared with chopped, seasoned collard greens and soft housemade cheese. Relax with a rich cappuccino after a meal before wandering through the attached market for spices, dried beans and other products to take home. Megenagna is an intimate way to experience Ethiopian hospitality.
Readers' Choice: Queen of Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant