Tsion Cafe

Tsion Café is a unique Ethiopian-Israeli restaurant located in Harlem’s Sugar Hill neighborhood in New York City, founded in 2014 by chef-owner Beejhy Barhany and her husband. Born in Ethiopia and raised in Israel, Barhany designed the menu in homage to her Jewish Ethiopian heritage, harmonizing flavors from Ethiopia, Israel, and the broader Middle East — including injera, shakshuka spiced with berbere, and other dishes drawn from the intersection of the African and Jewish diasporas.

In 2024, Tsion Café became certified kosher and fully vegan, which Barhany described as a way to showcase Jewish diversity. The restaurant is widely believed to be the only Ethiopian Jewish restaurant in America and has long served as a gathering place for the small Ethiopian Jewish community in the U.S., as well as a destination for diners seeking a cross-cultural culinary experience.

Beyond food, Tsion Café operates as a cultural destination, regularly hosting live music, poetry nights, film screenings, and art receptions to support artistic talent from Harlem and beyond. The café is also home to Barhany’s cookbook ‘Gursha,’ which features 100+ recipes, stories, and traditions from the intersection of the African and Jewish diasporas.

In December 2025, following years of escalating antisemitic harassment that intensified after October 7, 2023, Tsion Café ended its regular dine-in service and pivoted to a catering model while continuing to share Ethiopian-Jewish culture through its cookbook, events, and online presence.