No, Ethiopian food is not too spicy, and that makes Messob one of the restaurants to try in LA right now. Berbere-heavy wots bring real heat, but mild alitcha stews and soft lentils let you set the spice level yourself on one shared platter. The usual suspects, like the taco stand with the line or the steakhouse with the famous cocktail, cannot offer that.
Here is the proof, starting with a myth worth busting before you order.
Is Ethiopian food really too spicy for first-timers?
No, and this is the biggest myth keeping people away from a great meal. Yes, wots like doro wot carry berbere, the chili-based spice blend Ethiopian cooks lean on. But the alitcha dishes sit on the gentle side of the menu, built on garlic, ginger, and mild spices. Time Out points to Messob’s yebeg siga alitcha, a lamb stew made exactly that way.
So you control the heat. Order one spicy stew and two mild ones, and the platter balances itself.
What makes this table different from other restaurants in Los Angeles?
Nobody gets their own plate. Everything lands on one big sheet of injera, the soft, tangy flatbread, and the whole table digs in together. The name says it all, because a messob is a woven basket that holds injera and doubles as a communal table.
And it changes the mood. That shared habit sets Messob apart from other restaurants in Los Angeles where everyone guards a separate entree. People lean in, pass bites around, and argue over the last scoop of lentils. A USC columnist who visited with two friends described exactly that, with each person ordering one lunch item and everything arriving together on a single injera.
Will you be waiting forever for a seat?
Sometimes, but it is nothing dramatic. A Daily Bruin writer once waited about 15 minutes in the back wait room on a packed night, and the room itself made that easy. The decor runs red, green, yellow, and burgundy, and the cabana-style front area, built from straw and bamboo, feels like a tent on a private safari.
Messob opened in 1985, which means it was serving Ethiopian food in Los Angeles long before Little Ethiopia had an official name. The city made that name official in November 2002, and the first street festival that followed drew about 5,000 people. Brothers Berhanu and Getahun Asfaw took over the restaurant in the early 2000s and helped push for that designation. Not a bad résumé for a place that looks this relaxed, right?
What should you actually order?
Start with a combination platter. It works like a tasting menu, and nobody has to commit. If you love meat, ask your server about kitfo, the minced beef dish seasoned with spiced butter that people in Ethiopia’s Gurage region traditionally prepare for the Meskel holiday. Vegetarian? You are covered. Time Out lists a vegan combination that can include steamed peas, steamed vegetables, split lentils, and collard greens.
Then add a glass of Ethiopian honey wine. Another Daily Bruin tip, and a good one.
One more thing worth knowing: no pork ever shows up, since most Ethiopians are Orthodox Christians or Muslims. That makes group planning easier than you would expect.
And the second myth?
That eating with your hands is awkward. It is not. Injera is both plate and fork, so you tear, pinch, and scoop with your right hand, which is the custom. The Daily Bruin writer who stuck to right hands only did it to stay faithful to tradition, and nobody at the table blinked. Servers have seen every kind of beginner. Nobody is keeping score, and a dropped bite is forgiven in seconds.
Here is the plan. Pick a night this week, bring two friends, and head to 1041 S Fairfax Ave. Messob is open daily from 11am to 11pm. Tear a piece of injera, scoop, and see how fast the spicy myth falls apart.