Haile

A family-run Ethiopian dining room on Avenue B, a short walk from Tompkins Square Park, Haile is small and personal, closer to someone's living room than a restaurant. It is one of the few places below 34th Street to get Ethiopian cooking with real care in it, and the neighborhood treats it as a regular habit rather than an outing.

Order the shiro wat — ground chickpeas simmered with berbere into a smooth, earthy stew — and a combination platter of meat and vegetable dishes on injera. Ethiopian Orthodox fasting traditions mean the vegetable side of the menu is as serious as the meat, which makes it an easy table to share.