After watching and waiting for years, a pair of restaurateurs are finally convinced that Tucson can support not just one but two Ethiopian eateries.
So Brooke and Telahoun Molla have opened Cafe Desta downtown at 758 S. Stone Ave.
On the restaurant scene, it joins venerable Zemam's, long the city's only Ethiopian restaurant.
The Mollas say they had wanted to open a restaurant on Fourth Avenue back when Zemam's first opened in the mid-1990s, but they thought one Ethiopian choice might be enough for local diners.
And now? "Ethnic restaurants have a certain following," said Telahoun Molla. "I think Tucson is big, and people are definitely open for ethnic foods."
Cafe Desta's dishes, ranging from spicy lamb to a mild collard greens dish, are all served on bread called injera with various sauces.
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Telahoun Molla said the food can be enjoyed communally or individually.
"It's a very relaxed, casual type of dining," he said. "It's a pleasant and comfortable environment."
Cafe Desta is also in the process of acquiring a permit for a bring-your-own beer and wine policy, Molla said.
Besides the restaurant's spicy meat dishes, Cafe Desta has several vegetarian options, including legume and cabbage dishes.
Peg Raisglid, owner of Lovin' Spoonfuls, a vegetarian restaurant in the city, said she thinks it's excellent that Cafe Desta offers vegetarian dishes.
"With more vegetarian restaurants, people will become aware that it's a more healthful option," she said. "I can't wait to try it."
The Molla family also owns Café Lalibela in Tempe, but Brooke and Telahoun went to high school and college in Tucson.
"We've always loved Tucson," Telahoun Molla said. "This is home."
Amanuel Gebremariam, owner of Zemam's, said he wishes the Mollas the best of luck, as he knows the challenges of starting out in this business.
"The more Ethiopian restaurants that flourish in Tucson, the more people will know about Ethiopian food," Gebremariam said. "I'm hoping everything will work out fine with them."
If you go
What: Cafe Desta, Ethiopian restaurant.
Where: 758 S. Stone Ave.
Hours: Mondays through Thursdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Price range: $6.25 to $13.95.
Phone: 370-7000.
DID YOU KNOW
Tucson's other Ethiopian restaurant, Zemam's, has been open since 1995 in a former house at 2731 E. Broadway.
Rikki Mitchell is a University of Arizona journalism student and a NASA Space Grant intern. Contact her at rmitchell@azstarnet.com or 573-4663.