Goorsha in Durham

Great food.. The place is very nice and cozy.. Great location. Right on Main Street , next to Duke University.The service was awesome..

The food here is great! Lots of flavor, a little heat. Definetly different than anything in the area. If your adventurous give it a shot!

While we used to love this place, they have changed the menu to offer less food with the meal but have increased the price. Our take out orders are often missing items and the portion sizes have decreased. Its a questionable value for the money. That being said, the owner is apologetic and does attempt to make things right.

The food is mediocre at best compared to all the other Ethiopian restaurants I have eaten at. There were items missing from the order and the portion sizes for the sides were unacceptably small. If youre going to charge $6 for a side I would like to see more than one tablespoon worth of food.

I wanted to try to this place since i was in town and it was a complete waste of my time. I cant rate the food because we were only given water and no one came back to take our order. We waited for almost 20 mins before deciding to leave. The host had no issue going outside to pour wine though.

First time trying Ethiopian food. If you like spicy this the place for you. The food was good. I would for sure go back again.

I was excited to introduce a family member to Ethiopian cuisine during their visit. I/we were disappointed from the appetizer(s(example: collards and cornbread... cornbread was a soggy round hockey puck below cold collards); to the main entree(s), a combination of their meat and chicken dishes...half had no taste/seasoning and dishes were barely warm.

Possibly the worst dine out experience I’ve ever had. Food took almost two hours to arrive, and when it did, most of it was cold. We were offered pity dessert at the end of what felt like an endless wait. We came for my friend’s birthday and since we were a party of 6+ they charged auto gratuity. Even getting checks/payment took more than 30 minutes.Dining and dashing had never seemed as appealing as it did today.

Writing this review while still in the restaurant because it’s that good. I’m not from the area but it’s easily the best food I’ve had in Durham.

This is amazing! Quality food, authentic test and excellent service. Goorsha can accommodate those who want to test something different or those who missed habesha test. I liked it.

Carefully made, rich and boldly spiced but with delicate flavors I have missed at other Ethiopian restaurants. The injera is really nicely sour, too. They have a whole menu of local hard ciders! With the dishes individually served like this, you can share or not depending on how close you feel to the other diners at your table.

The food was delicious and my friends and I met the owner and chatted for a bit, learning more about the food and the benefits it has on our body. The staff was nice and the location was an intimate size, which was perfect! I really enjoyed the Ethiopian music that was lightly playing in the background too. I would definitely recommend this place to others.

Authentic Ethiopian food. My first ever experience was in college. The food is truly delicious. The flavors are phenomenal. I definitely recommend. Don’t be hesitant. The owner is so sweet and lets you know what to order. You will not be disappointed!

We ordered all of the vegan sides, and they were all *delicious* -- and were omnivores! Im eager to try lots of other dishes. Thank you, Fasil!

Giving 3 stars because I’m Ethiopian but the food is doesn’t take like Ethiopian food. It’s missing the authentic taste… no berbere no salt, just bland. You can tell it wasn’t made by Ethiopian chief. Please fix this!

Spent this past July 4th dinner hour here. Many restaurants were closed and Goorsha had great reviews. We were not disappointed. Great family run business, very friendly and the food was outstanding. Perfect seasoning, prepared awesome. Not much ambiance, but that was beautiful in its own right. Would definitely eat there again.

Ive eaten at Goorsha several times, both dine-in and to-go. Its been delicious every time!!The food is always fresh, healthy, and comforting. The staff is super friendly and accommodating, despite being shorthanded at times when Ive gone (like many places nowadays). Make sure to get extra Ingera to soak up any leftover sauce!If youve ever thought about trying Ethiopian food or just want to try something different and tasty, Goorsha is a great place to go!

This is our favorite Ethiopian restaurant. We drive 40 minutes to get here because it is worth it!!!My son is allergic to wheat and its relatives the injeera here is made of 100% teff unlike other places where some other grains are added causing allergic reactions.The portions are just right, taste is authentic. Clean restaurant with excellent service.The food doesnt take too long to get ready which is nice when you are really hungry.I would recommend this restaurant.

Delicious! Everything we tried was amazing - from the appetizer to the main dishes (lamb, chicken & beefto the Ethiopian cocktail to the desserts (the fried cheesecake was the big hit!). The server was attentive and kind and sang happy birthday to our twins. The owner was wonderful - he came and talked to us after the meal. We will recommend to everyone!

This one of my wifes and I favorite spots, however it was my wifes birthday and I made reservations online we sat for 45 minutes...so we left I was a bit disappointed because I made reservations and it was my wifes birthday.. They was probably understaffed.I will never knock this place we will always come back but the service wasnt up to par.

Service was great, food excellent, nice atmosphere and live music outside on the adjoining patio. Definitely will be back.

Great Ethiopian food! The menu explained the dishes well and the server was very helpful. Would recommend to anyone who would like to try (and enjoyauthentic Ethiopian cooking.

wow wow wow. everything was so delicious! the wait staff was friendly and conversational, and the restaurant was very clean. will be back :)

Great Ethiopian food but have had better. We ordered the sampler for 2 for 46$ which was well portioned. My only critique is that it could be spicier and the lamb was quite dry. Otherwise this is a great place as an introduction into east African food.

Absolutely fantastic place for authentic Ethiopian restaurant. The service was delightful and quick even though it was so busy! Sit outside if you can for a great view. The food is flavorful and portions are generous – perfect for sharing!!

Food was delicious for the most part, the injera was a little too sour for my taste; and our waitress was lovely. However, when we requested for our checks to be split into 3 separate parties (there were only 6 meals total on the ticket), we were explicitly told “that’s too much work.” And when we explained that when we sat down, we weren’t given the option of splitting our ticket prior, we were explicitly questioned “well, did you ask?” Then the same woman went on to lecture us about how it’s our sole responsibility to mention if we want the checks split as soon as we’re seated, then she went on to explain this is how a majority of restaurants handle checks, regardless, of if that’s been our own personal experience. Her tone was very condescending and ruined my experience and perception of the restaurant. I am unsure of her role at Goorsha; however, I hope moving forward, the woman who degraded us is able to learn interpersonal skills.

While the food here never fails to disappoint, the service is pretty abysmal. It takes a good while for the waiter to see you’re seated even if you’re sitting outside at 3pm on a Sunday when it’s hardly busy. They don’t come by much to refill waters either. It takes around 45 minutes to get your food, but the food is all really delicious and it’s the only Ethiopian restaurant that’s central to downtown so I’d still recommend checking it out - although my advice would be skip dine-in completely and just order takeout.

Hadnt ever had Ethiopian..... OMG. Amazing. The patio is great, owner is amazing, helpful, just lovely. 5/5 can absolutely recommend you try this spot!

We were in the mood for Ethiopian food and stumbled upon this well reviewed restaurant, Goorsha. The sambusas were the favorite part of the dinner— crispy and the flavor was great. The kitfo was spicy, but not to our taste. The fresh cheese was lacking any flavor, which may have been intentional, but the portion size of the raw beef was too much. The awaze tibs was extremely salty and the beef was not tender. The awaze spice flavor was great. The injera was good, which I typically don’t like because of the funkiness, but Goorsha’s batch tastes clean and just sour. Probably would not make it back due to the lackluster experience. The service was very good.

Friendly staff, good meal. It has been forever since I had an Ethiopian meal and I had forgotten what it tastes like. My favorites were the appetizers, Sambusa and the Kashka. My friend and I ordered the ZilZil Key Wot and the Chicken Doro Wot. We liked the chicken dish out of the two entrees. Previous reviews showed that the entree comes with two sides but I guess now it is only one and less options.

A fabulous and unique spot to eat. The food is delicious, flavorful, and very reasonably priced. Great Beer and Wine selection, and the staff are lovely. I highly recommend the coffee course, its phenomenal and a great way to end the meal. Ive gone here several times and I will surely be back!

Got takeaway. Id arrived 5 minutes before the time Id specified to make sure itd still be hot when I got it home. It had been made early so once I got it home it was cold. Wouldnt have thought that bad of it, but I was also missing one side from the order. Guess you have to dine in to get the best experience. Very tasty food though

Everything tasted amazing. One of the meats were a bit too salty (meat entree pictured towards the top).We came in unsure of what to order, because other places weve been have combination plates or specials with a bit of everything. Our server gave us some recommendations so we tried them.It was nice that we could pick some vegan options as sides instead of the 3 listed at the bottom of the menu.Personally we didnt like the green bean carrot and collard greens sides. Definitely would come back again if we were in the area.Whole thing came out to be $53.

Delicious vegan food!!!! I got the sambusa (the real MVPand the vegan entree with METIN SHIRO, GOMEN, YEMISIR KIK and beet salad. All of the foods were insanely flavorful and delectable. I ordered some sambusa too go because they were simply incredible. The Staff was very friendly and helpful with ordering! Definitely going back soon!

Came here alone for dinner & so thankful I met the owner Fasil who came by to my table & so thankful he did! Beautiful human & so thankful to have had exchanged conversation! Amazing authentic Ethiopian food, good beer from local breweries, good service, sincere lovely thoughtful staff with live music bands every Sunday night, spacious indoor & outdoor seating with online ordering options. Highly recommend!

Excellent staff but food was mediocre. Drinks on the menu were unique. Having said that this place is definitely worth a try for Ethiopian delicacy.

This was my first time trying Ethiopian food and it was great! They have very good vegetarian options and the staff were really great! Would definitely come again♥️

From MA. Trying a new dining experience. Food was excellent. If first timer Highly recommend asking for the "family" selection (not on menuwhich combines entrees. Enough for four. Outstanding service, great night.

Excellent. I had the combo plate which isnt on their menu right now. Several beef tibs along with Dor Wat. Everything was really good, just coulda been a tad spicier. Very friendly service. Was worth the trip from Wake Forest.

So damn good. The spices are on point. Wish I lived closer so I could eat this every week. Great traditional Ethiopian food. Service is incredible as well

Authentic Ethiopian Cusine. I didnt know what to expect but I was quite surprised at how delicious the food tasted. I would definitely go back and recommend this restaurant to everyone. It has both spicy food and not so spicy for those who prefer less. I suggest the chicken Doro Tibs for your entree and the Kashka as an appetizer. And..the bread that comes with the meal gets two thumbs up.

Service was a little slow. I arrived in between shifts. However the food was delicious. The server provided very detailed information and even offered a fork😄. The sanitation grade was a 98.5. Would definitely revisit.

Goorsha was great! We loved the spicy authentic cuisine. The bar area had a really cool atmosphere and our server was very helpful and kind.I would definitely recommend the Kitfo entree. Ethiopian is one of our favorites and we will definitely be back.

First time having Ethiopian food and it was pleasant! SPICY! But good. The vibe of the restaruant was so nice. I love the colors and it was very clean. Ample parking as well. Nice staff.

First time experiencing Ethiopian food and absolutely loved it here. Service was friendly and helpful in explaining some of the dishes. Will certainly be back to try more!

Glad that there is an Ethiopian restaurant in downtown Durham. Very clean and unlike typical Ethiopian restaurants that Ive been to in the past it has typical tables and a small bar that you would expect in a typical American restaurant. The food is excellent with many vegetarian choices as well as omnivorous choices. They do serve their food on ceramic platters which is not typical but it is fine. Of course they also serve injera bread with the sides and entrees. Got fairly busy as the night went along and I noticed that as it got busier, the service was less attentive. Otherwise will certainly be back. Parking is on street or possibly in the Brightleaf lot next to the building for dinner.

Overall the food was good. We ordered a pocket type pastry with lentils, very good and a apple pastry not shown here which was good. They offered a rib-eye steak for $15 and it was so bad I had to write. Dont order it. It taste like it was cooked in grease. You could not even taste the onion flavor, it tasted like grease with little to no seasoning. We wish we ordered the lamb since the meat itself has more flavor. Sides are extremely small. We ordered 2 salads as a side and as you can see it looks like 1 salad. The lentils were so good. All of our food came on one plate but the people sitting by us food came on 2 plates. Overall it was nice but that greasy rib-eye and extremely small sides make this a 3 star.

Really enjoyed this Ethiopian fare in the heart of Durham! The menu is relatively small, but everything we had was delicious so you cant really go wrong. Come here for very, very different tastes than you will find elsewhere in the Triangle.

Awesome food & great owner, manager, and staff. Moved down here from DC five years ago and this was our first Ethiopian meal since we moved to Durham. We ordered the entire range of vegan/vegetarian options including starters, entrées, and sauces ($24 for two people to stuff themselvesand it was one of the best meals weve had in recent memory. Great addition to Durham.

Positively phenomenal food and sweet, attentive staff. Outside of the samosas, I don’t recall the names of everything we ate. Everything was well-seasoned and jam-packed with flavor. Been searching for great Ethiopian fare for a long while and finally have found it!