Uptown’s Demera Ethiopian Restaurant was recently awarded a $3.1 million grant to open a location in Bronzeville at 4528 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
The project, owned and operated by Demera’s owner Tigist Reda, will include office spaces and apartments spread across three floors, costing between $6 million to $9 million, according to Chicago Eater. Demera will occupy the ground floor and rooftop, the latter being rare for a restaurant south of Roosevelt on Chicago’s South Side. Once done, the entire project will bring approximately 50 jobs to the neighborhood. Reda hopes to complete the project sometime in 2025.
All of this comes as part of the Chicago Recovery Plan and Community Development Grant, which gave a total of $29 million to 12 grant recipients. Other food-related eateries that benefit from this grant include 88 Plates (from the owners of Thai Pastry), a student-run cafe in the community center of the Circle Foundation, Kilwins Hyde Park, Southside Market, and Yellow Banana.
Demera is often considered one of the best Ethiopian restaurants in Chicago. Reda has used the restaurants not only to provide the community with authentic Ethiopian cuisine but also to raise money and awareness about the Tigray War. This two-year civil conflict started in late 2020 and killed as many as 600,000 people. When the new location opens, customers can expect classic dishes such as wings spiced with awaze and a kitfo roll with injera.
