When I first started exploring Tempe about 5 years ago, I was sort of taken aback by the fact that there were two Ethiopian places less than one mile from each other in a town where I never actually saw any Ethiopian people at all. Growing up in Los Angeles, I was accustomed to the Little Ethiopia neighborhood near Fairfax, but just couldn't make
sense of this particular scenario. I went to Blue Nile a few times and for the most part, I enjoyed it. My heart however, got stolen by Cafe Lalibela down the road, so I have not been back. One thing that's kind of cool about Blue Nile though, is that the larger dining room is traditional seating (low basket seats or pillows on the ground with a low woven
basket table). However, the dining room alone does not make up for the fact that they're food isn't as flavorful as Lalibela and the service can be hit or miss.