• cheap vegan lunch at nyala ethiopian

    9
    February 18th, 2009quarrygirlLA restaurants, nyala ethiopian

    with such a huge selection of local restaurants, being a vegan in los angeles is easy…but it sure isn’t cheap. most meals cost anywhere between 9-14 bucks, and if you are one to grab lunch from a restaurant during the workweek, this can add up really fast. luckily there is at least one place in this town where herbivores can get stuffed at lunch time without too much wallet damage—nyala ethioipian on fairfax has an all-you-can-eat vegan lunch special from 11:30am-3:30pm on weekdays for just $6.95. that’s right, for under 7 bucks you can eat all the ethiopian food you want, and it’s all animal-free. if i worked anywhere near this place, i’d probably be there every day.

    nyala vegan buffet $6.95

    nyala vegan buffet $6.95

    you may remember that i’ve written about ethiopian food before on this blog and described how most meals consist of several thick, spicy stews called wots and that are served on top of a large piece spongey sourdough bread called injera, with more rolls served on the side. traditionally you use the bread to scoop of bits of the wot and eat it, without any utensils. for the vegan buffet, nyala’s doesn’t serve the stew on injera (i guess that wouldn’t be practical for getting seconds), but they do offer plenty of bread on the side.

    nyala-injera

    i got my fill of spicy stews consisting of lentils, potatoes, assorted vegetables and greens. it was all absolutely delicious and i took extreme comfort in the fact that every single thing offered at the buffet was vegan. the bread worked well on the side, and was perfect for scooping up the thick wot. with so many different flavors of stew and the option to go back and get as much as you like, i can’t see how they keep this buffet under $7! seriously, it’s the best vegan lunch deal in this town that i’ve ever come across.

    the atmosphere is also quite lovely at nyala. the place is large and spacious, and has big windows that the sun shines through during the day. the booths are comfy and there’s a mix of modern and traditional ethiopian decor.

    nyala-interior

    so for a delicious and cheap vegan lunch that will stuff you to the gills, hit up nyala on fairfax for their weekday special. all those who work in the area, consider yourselves very lucky. i am just waiting for the next federal holiday so i can eat nyala’s lunch special again–president’s day this week was my first opportunity!

    nyala-exterior

    nyala ethiopian
    1076 south fairfax avenue
    los angeles ca 90019

    (323)936-5918

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8 responses to “cheap vegan lunch at nyala ethiopian” RSS icon

  • a pity they don’t offer this on saturdays and sundays – even if at a higher price and possibly for less time. I realize it would probably cannibalize their regular menu a little, but it would be great to see these restaurants full on a weekend.

  • that really is a cute place.

  • Nyala is hands-down my favorite Ethiopian restaurant (and definitely one of my favorite restaurants, period, in LA). I’ve been eating there since 1998 when I was in my first year of law school. It’s a shame I don’t get there too often because the atmosphere is warm and friendly, the staff are wonderful, and the food is fantastic! I’m so happy you were able to eat there Monday. They deserve all the business they can get!

  • do they have dessert there? 🙂

  • Now I have to find a reason to get down there at lunch time during the week. My friends always make fun of me when I suggest Ethiopian food. I need cooler friends.

  • Mmmm… I’ve never had ethiopian food but that spongy bread looks right up my alley.

  • You should try Rahel across the street. It’s run by the same people who run Messob except it’s their vegan version. Thinking about it, I think we need to go this weekend! It’s been a while…

  • Yet again, thanks for this AMAZING blog. I’m a huge fan of Ethiopian food, and have eaten at just about all the Ethiopian restaurants on that little strip of Fairfax that is Little Ethiopia. Nyala and the new all-Vegan restaurant (forget its name…Rosalinn perhaps?) are very good, but the BEST and purely coincidentally the cheapest veggie option is at MERKATO. Their veggie combination platter is pure heaven, relatively low fat and excellently made…at below $7 for a huge amount of food.
    Try it :). You may not go back to Nyala. It is so good that even my meat eating friends agree it is yummier than whatever poor animals they’re consuming!


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