While South Nashville is a treasure trove of Ethiopian cuisine, no place does the basics better than Ethio Coffee House. Located just southeast of the airport, this low-key cafe dishes out house-roasted coffee, handheld snacks and warm smiles in Nashville’s busiest ZIP code.
Coffee is a huge deal in Ethiopia, and its immense cultural status shines through at Ethio. The cafe maintains a full-service suite of espresso and drip varieties, all stemming from artisan coffee beans that are fired in house from green to the familiar roasty black. Every drink is great, but the cappuccino ($3.79) is nearly flawless, the steamed milk highlighting notes of baker’s chocolate and port wine. If you go with a standard cup of coffee, keep in mind that Ethiopian tradition dictates a pinch of salt in the brew — but this hyper-authenticity is entirely optional, and Splenda is provided for those who need it.
While the main attraction at Ethio is the coffee, you should definitely pay a visit to the display case at the register, which contains snacks as hot, greasy and satisfying as they look. A great starter is the sambusa ($2.29), filled with savory spice-flecked lentils and wrapped in a delicate fried shell. If your morning cravings gravitate toward churros and funnel cake, grab the bombolino ($1.89), a deep-fried doughnut with notes of vanilla, brewer’s yeast and fresh green herbs. If all else fails, follow the lead of the Old El Paso taco shell commercial and ask yourself an important question: “Why not both?”
