Bethel Ethiopian Closes
Bethel Ethiopian in Midtown closed on Friday after just six months of operation. Owner Seble Sebsebie, a transplant from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, says her fledgling business had been struggling since February.
The former manager of Horn of Africa Ethiopian restaurant on Murfreesboro Road, Sebsebie planted her red-green-and-yellow flag on Division Street near Music Row, hoping to find a broad audience for her far-flung African cuisine. In addition to flavorful meat stews, Bethel offered a vegetarian-friendly roster of lentils, stewed vegetables and fresh salads—with an all-vegetarian buffet on Wednesdays—which earned the cozy restaurant a loyal following of herbivores. Unfortunately, the devoted audience was not large enough to support the rent in the Midtown location that once housed Ken's Hibachi Express.
Clearly heartbroken, Sebsebie said she is recovering from the shock of closing and has not determined her plans for the future.
Comments
I am heartbroken by this news. I have been telling every Nashville vegetarian/vegan/general healthy eater I know about Bethel and I was a regular at the lunch buffet. I have a new site launching soon and I planned to sing her praises to get more people to go. I even had two lunches planned there in the next couple of weeks!
Such a bummer. I don't know why more people didn't try it. If they had, I know they would have wanted to go back again and again. Those spicy lentils! Mmmmmmm.
It's a sad day for dining in Nashville.
Posted 06/03/2008 at 12:38:05 PMMan, I tried to go there yesterday and figured it was just closed on Mondays. As I was walking away, a couple walked up and also tried the door.
Crap.
Posted 06/03/2008 at 12:42:07 PMi will miss this place. it was so good. i hope she re-opens somewhere else.
Posted 06/03/2008 at 01:44:00 PMi only went once and the food was actually very good. i am sad that it is closing too because it was a quality place. now i wish i had gone more, but i'm not on the row that often like i used to be and i rarely think - let's go have ethiopian... bummer...
Posted 06/03/2008 at 02:12:40 PMOkay, so I'm a little behind the curve and just wrote about this on the Nick & Rudy's page. Such a shame...it was a great place.
If anyone has a hankering for Ethiopian, or wants to pass along their sympathetic feelings to another fledgling Ethiopian place, go to Gojo on Thompson Lane. It looks a little sketchy from the road but is very homey inside.
They are probably the nicest people I have ever met, and they need your business!
www.diningcompass.com/gojo
Posted 06/03/2008 at 02:36:29 PMWe finally got around to trying Bethel last week and were bowled over by it. Very sorry she is closing.
Posted 06/03/2008 at 05:08:56 PMWell, the hits just keep on coming. Just talked to Ernesto at the Italian Market on 51st...one of my very favorite places in Nashville. He closed his doors on the 31st at midnight.
I am so depressed. What a jewel.
Posted 06/04/2008 at 09:04:03 AMJust went by Gojo Ethiopian Cafe today to talk to Ahmad -- he and his wife are truly some of the kindest, most genuine people I've met. He was very excited as they just got their website up and running!
You can see their menu here: http://www.gojoethio.com/menu.html . But he would like you to know that the prices aren't all right (close, though) -- still working out some kinks.
Please give these wonderful people your business whenever you can!!!
Posted 06/10/2008 at 03:49:25 PM