Nefetari’s treats customers like Egyptian royalty

Nefertari's menu
Photo submitted by Kayla Carter

If you have not had the Nefetari’s experience, what are you waiting for? This black-owned restaurant offers nothing but a great experience from when you step foot through the door, up to when you leave with your belly full and cravings satisfied.

African masks, sculptures, and antiques greet you in the lobby, making you feel as if you have been transported back in time to ancient Egypt. Nefetari’s, named after the well-known Egyptian queen Nefertari, is located at 812 S. Macomb St. near Railroad Square, and is owned by the lovely couple Dr. Shannon and Dana Amesdennd.

The Queen’s Table is placed in the center of the restaurant, “Folks that eat at the Queen’s Table, are treated like royalty, everyone wants to know who’s eating at the Queen’s Table it’s a great experience to have,” said Dr. Shannon

Nefetari’s offers food from many different cultures such as Mexican, soul food, Ethiopian, Greek, and more, while also offering meals to fit different dietary needs. Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, or a carnivore, Nefetari’s has menu options for you.

With lamb being the only red meat Nefetari’s offers, customer Nicola Brown says that is what attracted her to this restaurant.

“This is my first time here and I don’t eat beef or pork. I knew this place would be a great choice for my diet.”

I was able to enjoy their jerk shrimp alfredo with a tasty side of collard greens and was blown away. Every dish is cooked to order, so my entree came out in a timely manner and the owner even came to my table to check on me and ensure I was satisfied with my meal.

The dish was so tasty it was hard to put my fork down. I even convinced Cavette Gray, a Nefetari’s regular, to change her usual order to the jerk shrimp alfredo, and she was happily satisfied.

“I always order the barbecue wings because they’re so good, you can’t go wrong, but I can add the pasta dish to my list” said Gray.

What sets Nefetari’s apart from other local restaurants, besides all their food being farm-to-table, are their business hours. Dinner and weekend brunch is what keep this restaurant afloat. Wednesday through Friday they offer dinner from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday brunch is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. But they don’t stop there! Monday’s the restaurant is closed and Tuesday’s the restaurant is closed, but every Tuesday they open-up their restaurant for local poets to perform, which fits perfectly with the restaurant’s artsy atmosphere. Although the kitchen is closed you can still enjoy a night of poetry and drinks.