Dinner in Point E, Dakar: The Evening Menu at Ge'eza

For dinner in Point E, Ge'eza, an Ethiopian restaurant and gallery, keeps its table open until 10pm, Tuesday to Sunday, at 656 avenue Birago Diop. In the evening, the full Ethiopian menu is served: vegan fasting dishes, stewed and grilled meats, Ye Fisig Beyaynetu for mixed tables, and tej, Ethiopian honey wine, to go with the meal. Booking is advisable, especially at weekends.

What people order in the evening

In the evening, unlike lunch when the Senegalese dish of the day draws most of the demand, the Ethiopian menu takes centre stage. The meat dishes, bought fresh in Dakar and cooked with kibbeh, anchor a hearty dinner: doro wot (chicken, 8,000 F), tibs and siga wot (beef, 8,000 F), mouton wot and alicha siga wot (9,000 F). Kitfo, the Ethiopian tartare seasoned with mitmita, must be ordered 24 hours ahead.

For a table that mixes vegetarian guests and meat eaters, Ye Fisig Beyaynetu brings seven fasting sauces and two meat sauces together on one injera, in three sizes: 8,000 F for one, 13,000 F for two, 19,000 F for three. It is often the simplest order when the group has different preferences.

To open the meal, sambusas (1,500 F for lentils, 2,000 F for meat) or a peanut baklava to finish (5,000 F) round out the table. The other meat dishes fill out the menu: kikil, a turmeric lamb broth with kibbeh (9,000 F), derek tibs, meat seared until nicely caramelised (8,000 F), and tibs firfir, injera soaked in the juices of the sautéed meat (9,000 F).

A budget for dinner in Point E

For two people, a simple benchmark: two meat dishes at 8,000 F, two house-made juices at 1,500 F and two Ethiopian teas at 2,000 F, which comes to 23,000 F. Swap the meat for two fasting dishes at 5,500 F and the total drops to 18,000 F. A coffee ceremony at the end of the meal adds 5,000 F per person.

Tej, and the rest of the evening drinks

Tej, the mild, lightly fermented Ethiopian honey wine, is 3,500 F, and its alcohol-free cousin, birz, is 2,000 F. For those who prefer juice, bissap, ginger or bouye are 1,500 F each. A spiced Ethiopian tea at 2,000 F or an Ethiopian macchiato at 2,500 F make a good end to dinner.

The terrace, and the rest of the villa

In the evening, the terrace under the trees offers a different setting from the more sheltered glass-roofed room or gallery lounge. Depending on the weather and the mood, you can ask for a terrace or indoor table when booking, in the notes field provided for a message to the team. Between courses, the gallery lounge displays work by artists from East and West Africa, including Saadio's canvas "Figures", which turns dinner into something of a visit as well.

For dinner with friends or a modest group, the glass-roofed room suits a table that wants to stay together without being too exposed to passers-by. Choosing a space depends on what is available that evening, and it is worth mentioning early rather than on arrival.

Booking an evening table

Booking goes through the booking page, with slots from 08:00 to 21:00, or directly on WhatsApp at +221 78 660 07 07. It is advisable in the evening and at weekends, and necessary for a group of more than six or a coffee ceremony after the meal. For parties of more than eight, also write on WhatsApp in addition to the form. For a midday meal rather than dinner, the article on lunch in Point E covers the Senegalese dish of the day and other midday options.

Ending dinner with a coffee ceremony

After dinner, the full coffee ceremony, at 5,000 F per person, extends the evening by about 45 minutes: three rounds of coffee, Abol, Tona and Baraka, with incense and dabo. It is best booked 24 hours ahead, especially for groups, and confirmed on WhatsApp.

If part of the table wants something different

Dinner at Ge'eza is not only Ethiopian. For a group where one or two guests would rather not commit to injera and wot, the international side of the menu offers a lower-key alternative without anyone having to eat somewhere else first. Pizza margherita, tomato and mozzarella, is 7,000 F, pizza diavola with spicy salami is 8,500 F, and a steak and cheese sandwich on toasted bread is 8,000 F. A burger, made fresh to order, is 7,000 F, or 8,500 F for the truffle version. These sit on the same menu as the Ethiopian dishes, so a mixed table can order both without any extra arrangement.

To close the meal, a peanut baklava at 5,000 F or an iced coffee, from a plain Ethiopian iced coffee at 2,500 F to an iced spiced latte at 3,500 F, gives a lighter finish than a second helping of wot. Either suits a dinner that has already run long, without pushing the evening further than it needs to go.