Leaf N' Brew

WOW!!! 🤩 I stumbled across this restaurant while I was out on a walk. I ordered the Broadway Burger with fries and a smoothie. It was delicious!!!😋 My order was ready under 10 minutes and the ladies behind the counter were so sweet! If you’re looking for something fast and tasty this is the spot! They even serve breakfast and beautiful looking healthy salads! Thank you! Kendra from Ontario, Canada

Leaf n Brew and Najashi are run by the same person in the same stall. I always rate good Ethiopian restaurants 5 stars since they aren't very common and aren't typically well known. If I were only comparing it to other Ethiopian restaurants I might give it 4 stars for nitpicky reasons. The food gets 5 stars. I ordered the Doro Wot and Injera. I rate the flavor the second best I've had (#1 was in Jacksonville but they closed) in terms of both spice (the flavorful combination of spices) and spiciness (the level of spicy heat which I would describe as a low-medium). One note, which the owner mentioned, is that she uses chunks of chicken breast rather than whole drumsticks and thighs for ease of serving and eating, which was perfectly fine. It also included the traditional whole boiled egg. The only thing a little lacking was the tanginess of the Injera (sourdough pancake). I prefer it sour (like a proper San Francisco sourdough bread) but since some people aren't used to it I can understand why it's on the milder side. I also ordered the Ethiopian coffee which was served in an Ethiopian pot, came with sugar, and for ambiance, traditional incense on the side (I don't generally like incense but this was quite nice and pleasant). The coffee was dark, roasty, caramely, unfiltered (as it should be) and not bitter. The nit-picks I have are 1) it's in a food court and not well labeled. The building has a sign that says Najesh, but the food stall only shows Leaf n Brew (which the owner plans to rectify). A picture of Injera is the only indicator that you're in the right place since it is not on the displayed menu so you have to ask for it (or view it online). 2) it is priced for a sit down restaurant ($20 for an Injera dish, $34 after coffee, tax, and tip). The owner was happy to talk with me and brought me my food, so if this would have been a full restaurant that price would be perfectly fine, but for a food court style it's more expensive than expected. However, those are fairly minor, so I still highly recommend this place if you want to try some Ethiopian near downtown Nashville!

It's in an odd 'food court' building, and was the only restaurant open when we dropped in at 6pm on a Saturday night. Out of stock of quite a few menu items such as sweet potato fries, onion rings, milkshakes. She was friendly and helpful. We got a good burger/bun and great fries. The gyro was spicier than expected (not the traditional tzatziki sauce).