Kare Ethiopian Restaurant: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Kare Ethiopian Restaurant sits on East McDowell Road in Phoenix, and it solves the biggest problem at most Ethiopian spots. Figuring out which stews are safe to order usually takes a conversation. Here, the menu splits cleanly into a Vegan Dish section and a Meat Dish section. You don’t have to interrogate the server about ghee. If it’s listed under Vegan Dish, it’s vegan.

Start with the combo route, the easiest way in. A Vegan Combo for one runs $20 and pairs several stews with injera, the spongy flatbread that doubles as your only utensil. Scaled for three, that combo runs $37.99, a solid pick for a group where not everyone eats the same way. That works out to roughly $12.66 a person before tax and tip. One table, two orders: a Vegan Combo and a Meat Combo, side by side, no one guessing what’s in what. Worth ordering on their own: misir wot, a red lentil stew, kik alicha wot, made from split peas, and shiro wot, built on chickpea flour. All three sit in the traditionally vegan corner of Ethiopian cooking. Kare puts them under their own labeled heading instead of burying them in a mixed menu. Meat Dish runs its own items, like dullet ($18.99), right alongside, so a mixed table orders off both lists without cross-checking anything with the server.

Breakfast runs its own lane too, with items like kwanta firfir ($15.99) and a Kare Breakfast Combo ($14.99), plus foul ($12), the fava bean dish that shows up on Ethiopian and Middle Eastern menus alike. One review called a meal here “likely one of the best vegan meals I have had in Phoenix.” Others describe the staff as warm and the room as family friendly, the kind of place regulars bring first-timers to break in their palate. More than one review calls it a hidden gem, tucked into its stretch of McDowell Road rather than sitting on a main strip.

Gluten-free injera is available on request, which matters more here than at most restaurants, since standard injera is the utensil, not a side dish. Ask when you order, not after the platter lands.

Price-wise, combos run $20 to $24 per person before drinks. That’s casual sit-down territory, not quick-bite budget. This is a strong pick for a first Ethiopian meal, since the labeled vegan section removes the guesswork that trips up newcomers elsewhere. It works just as well for a return visit once you know your favorite stew.

Hours run Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Mondays. Reach the restaurant at (602) 327-8275, or find it on Grubhub, Uber Eats, and Postmates for delivery if you’d rather not drive out.

This isn’t a restaurant that can do vegetarian if you ask nicely. It built a vegan section into the menu on purpose, priced it like a real meal, and staffed it like one too. Order the Vegan Combo, share the injera, and skip the interrogation.