Me and Maria visited Utrecht’s only Ethiopian restaurant the other week, restaurant Sunshine, in the Pauwstraat close to the Oudegracht. Keep reading for our review!
The place
One rainy night Maria and I decided to go try out a new restaurant, after much deliberation we finally decided to try out the Ethiopian restaurant close to our house. Having walked past their sign a few times we always said we would check it out sometime. At first we didn’t know what to expect exactly, neither of us had ever had Ethiopian food before so we were in for a surprise. First things first, when you get to Sunshine don’t expect a fancy restaurant, the interior looks old but cozy and the place could use a lick of paint. But don’t let that put you off, the food will compensate for that 🙂
The food
After we sat down the friendly waiter promptly walked up to our table and suggested we forgo a menu and go with his suggestion. Since we were in the mood for trying out new things, we decided to go with it, and this was probably the best decision of the night! He presented us with a beautiful plate of food, filled with all kinds of meat, chicken, potatoes and vegetables. And everything tasted as good as it looked. One thing that stands out is the lack of cutlery though, in the Ethiopian cuisine food is eaten with the help of pancakes that you use to grap handful of the food. After the first bite you really don’t mind anymore though. In addition to the exotic food I had a very tasty mango beer, served from a coconut. Maria gave the homemade honey wine a try, unfortunately not her taste though
The Verdict
What started as a surprise visit ended up a night full of surprises. I’d recommend this restaurant to anyone willing to try something different for a night. And when asked if you want to go with the chefs choice, don’t hesitate and go with it.
Looking for more places to eat at? Have a look at our locations on a map.