Our First Spotlight: Fatima's Cafe

Written by Nellie Zhang

The first time I went to Washington D.C., my family friends brought me to an Ethiopian restaurant and I was so excited because I love trying new foods (unless they had mushrooms). Everyone sat down and my family friends ordered for the table. A few minutes later of us hungrily waiting for our food, the waiter came out with a large plate with thin spongy bread at the bottom that was covered with aromatic, colorful curries and vegetables. We used the extra bread, called Injera, to scoop up the food on top and when we finished the food on the top, the Injera on the bottom was soaked with mouth-watering curries that we had just finished. That was one of the best meals I have eaten and whenever I go back to D.C., I make sure to get Ethiopian food.

One of the amazing Ethiopian meals I had in D.C.

The thing is, I don’t need to go all the way to Washington D.C. to eat great East African food. Fatima’s Cafe is an East African restaurant in Worcester, 15 minutes away from my house and some of the cuisines they serve include Ethiopian, Somalian, and Kenyan. I am ashamed to say that I have craved Ethiopian food for so long, but I have never bothered exploring the possibilities inside my community.

When we went to Fatima’s Cafe, we were greeted with such kindness. They helped us put the food into our cars and tripled checked every order. They even gave us extra mango lassis just in case they had missed something. The restaurant was filled with such warmth and kindness and even though their masks covered their smiles, it was contagious. After driving around town, I returned home to eat the dinner we had ordered. It was delicious and it felt authentic and homemade. During dinner, my parents and I were disappointed that we did not discover Fatima’s Cafe earlier, but we decided that when things open up again, we will make sure that we go back.