On the Passing of Addis Abeba and Ethio Café in Chicago

by Kristen | Filed under: Restaurant Reviews

The passing of Addis Abeba, the most beloved and renowned Ethiopian eatery in our city was apparently a bad omen: I returned to Wrigleyville and found Ethio Café closed indefinitely.

Two Ethiopian restaurants closing in one month? How can this be? Chicago may be more famous for its Italian beefs and steakhouses than its ethnic cuisine, but we take pride in our restaurants as symbols of our diverse city and its rich history of immigration and assimilation.

Unfortunately, in the eyes of developers, sports and mega-bars are more culturally rewarding (read: profitable) than ethnic cuisine and culture. The hostess at Addis told me that when their new landlord callously raised the rent, they immediately had to shut down—they didn’t even have time to find a new location. Our surmise is that the same happened for Ethio Café since it is less than 2 blocks from Addis.

Wrigleyville may get obnoxious during the baseball season, but I always thought the neighborhood had character. It is in the center of the North side, where, over time, isolated immigrant groups melded together and flourished, which used to be reflected in its quaint shops, restaurants, and nightlife. Now, we find a neighborhood almost as bland as the fake Irish and sports bars that seem to spring up at ever increasing rates.

This travesty also has dire implications for other Ethiopian restaurants in Chicago. Aside from Mama Desta’s (which is unabashedly Eritrean posturing as Ethiopian), our two remaining Ethiopian restaurants are practically out of the city and aren’t easy to get to by public transit; the loss of the Ethiopian element in one of our most thriving neighborhoods means a loss of exposure for an already sadly neglected cuisine.

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First posted on February 20, 2005