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Ethiopian Restaurant Enat Joins Charlotte’s Optimist Hall

Enat will be the 27th tenant for the food hall.

A platter of traditional Ethiopian fare from Enat.
Kenty Chung
Erin Perkins is the editor of Eater Carolinas.

Visitors to Charlotte’s Optimist Hall will have a new food selection starting Sunday, May 22, with the opening of Enat Ethiopian. This addition will be the 27th tenant for the Optimist Park food hall.

The original Enat Ethiopian opened in 2017 at the Plaza in Shannon Park and will continue to operate there as well as the new stall in Optimist Hall. Owner Tina Tedla says she is excited to open a second location as a tribute to her mother — the word “enat” means “mother” in Amharic, one of the languages spoken in Ethiopia.

Menu offerings will include traditional East African dishes like crispy sambusa, tibs, miser (lentil stew), tikel gomen (cabbage and carrots), shiro (chickpea stew), and ater (split pea stew) — all served with spongy injera.

Enat Ethiopian is located between Boxcar Betty’s and Ava Pizzeria in Optimist Hall. The stall opens from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday through Saturday.