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If you’re planning a group outing or just looking for a cozy restaurant with some interesting cuisine for yourself, the Blue Nile is just the place.

Blue Nile is located in Stuttgart’s southwest district of Vaihingen and serves African cuisine, particularly from Eritrea.

The fragrance of exotic spices greeted me as soon as I walked in. Music that I mistook as Arabic played throughout the restaurant. The owner explained that the music is actually native to Eritrea.

The restaurant, which opened four years ago, is owned by Barry Mesfin and his wife, who are Eritrean. He also works as a librarian for Patch Elementary School.

Appropriately, Blue Nile is decorated with African art. Bamboo covers the ceiling and much of the restaurant’s walls. The ceiling is also covered in strings of LED lights, adding to the gentle atmosphere. Smoking is allowed in the bar area.

The menu is in German, but Mesfin will happily walk you through it. Blue Nile’s menu is fairly simple, with options for beef, lamb and chicken cooked and served Eritrean style. The menu also has a vegetarian section offering cooked lentils, okra, spinach, peppers and other vegetables. Platter options are available for up to five people.

I had the spicy lamb served as a type of curry stew with peppers. It wasn’t actually spicy, or perhaps it was just mildly spiced. It was served with steamed vegetables and a small salad.

The food was served atop a large piece of injera, a soft, flat bread used to pick up the meat to eat in place of utensils, though Blue Nile also provides utensils. I found the bread to be a bit bland, so Mesfin offered me rice with the lamb instead.

Blue Nile features a comfortable, exotic atmosphere with a friendly, helpful owner. It is open only in the evenings for dinner, but it’s a good choice for large and small groups alike.

Blue NileAddress: Seerosenstrasse 1, 70563, Stuttgart.

Getting there: Blue Nile is a five-minute drive from Patch Barracks. Leave Patch Barracks’ main gate and drive down Hauptstrasse. Blue Nile is on the left at the corner of Hauptstrasse and Seerosenstrasse.

Hours: 5-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Clientele: Mostly Americans.

Costs: Meals range from 9 euros to 14 euros. Variety platters are available for up to 5 people and cost 14, 28 or 75 euros, depending on the number of people served.

Information:bluenile-stuttgart.de, Phone: 0711 91267028

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