Welcome to The Regulars, where we explore what it means to be a frequent restaurant patron. In this series, we’ll introduce you to everyday Atlantans and local characters who have found a sense of belonging and community at restaurants and bars around town and what keeps these regulars coming back week after week.
Despite being born in Liberia and spending part of her childhood there, Georgia Tech graduate and Atlanta fashion designer Archel Bernard grew up regularly eating Ethiopian food. The two countries are on opposite sides of the African continent, with Liberia located along the Atlantic Coast and Ethiopia more than 4,700 miles away to the east.
Her parents came to Georgia as refugees when she was a teenager. But after finishing her college degree, Bernard moved back to her native Liberia to start a business.
In 2019, Bernard returned to Georgia and rediscovered her love for Ethiopian food. She’s now a regular at Desta Ethiopian Kitchen, the Clairmont Road restaurant owned by Ethiopian-born couple Ash Nega and Titi Demissie. Since opening in 2006, Desta has become one of Atlanta’s go-to destinations for Ethiopian food.
“It’s fun, it’s made to share,” said Bernard of the East African cuisine, known for flavorful curries (wot), fragrant meat tibs, and injera, a spongy fermented flatbread used for scooping and dipping food.
On a warm Monday evening in May, Bernard gathered with family and co-workers on the cozy patio at Desta to share large platters of lamb and salmon tibs with awaze (spicy pepper sauce), vegetables, and miser (red lentils).
“We go to Desta because we can share, and because it’s African food, and we’re an African company,” said Bernard, who owns Atlanta-based African clothing boutique Bombchel.
With a flagship store at Ponce City Market, the boutique sells boldly printed contemporary clothing made from West African fabrics and counts White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre among the brand’s fans.
Bernard and her dining companions—employees Valencia White and Na’Khiya Washington, along with her sister-in-law Emily Tomczak and niece Vivian Bernard—donned colorful Bombchel outfits for their shared meal at Desta that May evening.
Bernard appreciates that Desta offers food options for everyone, including meat and vegetarian dishes, and that Afrobeats pump through the sound system. The service at Desta, she said, is always quick and friendly, too.
White, a recent Spelman College graduate and health-conscious diner, said she’s grateful for the number of vegan and vegetarian options on the menu and often grabs takeout from Desta’s Marietta Boulevard location in northwest Atlanta.
“I just love Ethiopian food,” she said. “It’s one of my favorite cuisines, and the food comes out fast and tastes really good, and they’re always so nice [at Desta].”
Affordability is also a factor for White when choosing to dine at Desta. She’s concerned about Atlanta’s soaring restaurant prices, especially after a recent dinner at Cheesecake Factory where she spent over $200 for food and drinks for two people. The individual tibs platter with nine ounces of meat plus a starch and a side at Desta starts at $13.49 for sharing family-style.
At Desta, Bernard said she can comfortably treat ten people to cocktails and a hearty meal for less than $100. That price point makes the restaurant a popular destination for large groups, said longtime Desta server Metsi Afewerk.
Related Link: More stories part of Rough Draft’s series “The Regulars”
“We have big platters and everything is shareable, plus you get your choice of meats, vegetables, and bread,” Afewerk said of the extensive menu, which includes several gluten-free dishes.
No meal at Desta is complete for Bernard, however, without collard greens.
“They have such cultural significance in Black communities,” she said. “They are one of those things a mom makes for her family, whether for celebrations or making sure their kids are getting their vegetables, so they are so special to me.”
Eating Ethiopian food is a communal experience. Dishes come served on large platters for sharing, with people tearing off pieces of injera to scoop up bites of food. It’s not uncommon to see people hand-feeding each other. In Ethiopia, feeding one another is the ultimate act of gratitude, love, and respect.
At the end of the table, Bernard’s two-year-old niece, Vivian, enthusiastically grabs fistfuls of collard greens and injera to eat. She’s the next generation to carry on the regular, family tradition of gathering together for an Ethiopian meal at Desta in Atlanta.
3086 Briarcliff Road, Atlanta. Open Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Marietta Boulevard location open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
