Fatuma Halal Cafe

Finally, we have a place to eat Ethiopian food in Western Mass -- and not just any place. Fatuma Halal Cafe also serves excellent Somali food -- goat, chicken, or beef with rice and a vegetable side -- all of which we sampled. The injera for the Ethiopian food -- we shared a huge delicious platter of chicken (doro wat) with vegetable sides -- is 100 percent teff, so it's good for gluten-free diners. It's a small place that deserves a large following!

Excellent restaurant: great service, great food, great addition to Western Mass. Many people might just drive by Fatuma (on Dickinson), or drive near Sumner and not know that there are several great restaurants near the X like Fatuma. Somali cuisine is as American as any other food. A hundred and fifty years ago, there were German restaurants in the area. A hundred years ago, Irish. Fifty years ago, Italian. Now there is Somalian and Vietnamese and more. Although I really liked the chicken stew, goat curry, and meat samosas ("sambusa" on Fatima's menu), the restaurant also had a lot of excellent vegetarian options. The vegetarian samosas were terrific. The injera platter (a type of Ethiopian bread that is naturally gluten-free and probiotic, two things that a lot of people are looking for these days, including my sister-in-law) is delicious and really a bargain because it can feed a family by itself. OK, I prefer the chicken to just vegetarian, but I ate all my veggies, too. The injera bread is the "tray" for the dish, absorbing the flavor. It is also the holder, akin to a tortilla for containing ingredients. The one thing to know is that it is not a large place. Two large tables and one small table mean that maybe 12-14 people can dine in. Plenty of people can get take out, of course. It is not fast food, so don't expect to order and take away something in seconds. It will take a few minutes, or longer with an injera platter. But it's worth it. And with complimentary bottled water and sweet tea, and a very welcoming owner, it's a great place to spend time. Go.