Zigni House

It's a shame this place was such a let down as we had high expectations when we looked in and saw the interior. We found the service to be very poor, even though the place was empty. It lacked any real atmosphere, the music was so bad it felt like sitting in a school disco and didn't really fit the surroundings.
The food wasn't particularly good either, which is a shame as it's about time the top of Essex road gets a half decent restaurant. Instead it looks like we'll still be heading over to upper street to get better value.

There is no doubt that this establishment could have real potential. The combination of relaxed east african style seating with the promise of authenticly served Eritrean dishes generated considerable excitement as we stepped through the door. Sadly our anticipation was gradually eroded by a rather disappointing culinary experince. Our starters, which essentially consisted of a feta salads. pitta and hommus, took around 50 minutes to come. Once the mains arrived, some 1h15 mins later, our flagging interest levels were mildly piqued by the sight of the huge Injera pancakes from which all the food is served off. However the waitress ignored our requests to keep the meat and fish dishes seperate which resulted one member of our party being unable to enjoy most of the dishes. The final insult was to be told that the card machine was broken despite a complete lack of prior warning. What frustrates most is that shoddy service aside, the uniqueness and flavour of the dishes could have made this a real find. The mains were generally very interesting, with an fascinating blend of tastes and textures. Unfortunately however, there are simply far too many basic flaws to merit a recommendation.

The food was excellent. We had the Combo Special for 2 which was a delightful selection of several different dishes, all with delicious and varied flavours. The only reason I'm giving a 7 rating is because the portion was extremely small for £29.95. We mentioned this to the server and he said if we came back they would give us more next time. I guess we'll have to go back and see!

This is one of the most exotic Eritrean/Ethiopain places I have visited in a long time. The decor is amazing, the atmosphere is soo relaxed warm and friendly. And the food is delicious. We had a large platter with all types of dishes and each one had a very distinct flavour. I've been to a lot of other Ethiopian restaurants and most of the food tastes bland. They don't have the best selection of drinks, but speaking to one of the staff members, they said they were getting a new menu done. Definetly be back there with friends.