Horn of Africa, an airy and bright halal Ethiopian restaurant, is tucked into a tiny strip off of Summer Avenue. I stumbled upon this place during a random craving for injera: that soft, spongy, tangy, fermented pancake bread.

I was able to satiate my craving and found a whole lot more.

I haven’t been to many Ethiopian restaurants in Memphis besides this one, but I was immediately excited by the atmosphere. The big open space is flooded with natural light from the bay windows at the front, and it cascades over tables of locals diners eating by themselves or with family and friends.

Taste of Summer: Two meat markets, a Queen and the Kay

I’m always excited about a restaurant with solo diners — it tells me that the food’s good enough to eat by oneself, to sit alone and take in only the flavors and aroma and sounds from the room. This was my situation. I felt comfortable and at peace, even while I was waiting for my food to come.

The menu at Horn of Africa is not very large, especially compared to most Ethiopian spots I’ve been to. It’s small: only seven lunch and nine dinner entrees. There isn’t much on the menu for less than $10, but the deals I found were more than delicious.

I decided on the mandazi — a hollow and fluffy hot bread usually served with coffee or tea — and the sambusas — three thin, flaky pastry triangles stuffed with either beef, chicken or lentils. I went with the beef.

The two dishes were served together in a wax paper-lined basket, steaming and warm. On the side: a chutney-like green chili and cilantro sauce called koch-kocha. I used the dipping sauce for both dishes, tearing the sambusas in half and spooning the chili sauce over the exposed center. That center was filled with beef and scallions and seasoned liberally with berbere: a traditional mixture of chili peppers, coriander, garlic, ginger, fenugreek and other spices. These are akin to Indian samosas but arguably they’re brighter, especially with the addition of the koch-kocha.

$10 Deal: Fuel up at Tacos De Soto

I couldn’t get enough of the sauce, so I asked for an extra order and spread it inside the soft mandazi, too. It was like a bread service, but better.

Together, the mandazi and sambusas round out to $10 exactly, and are enough for a full meal.

But for the sake of entrees, I decided to try the vegetarian shiro wat, as well. It’s a chickpea flour stew, heavily spiced with garlic, cardamom and berbere. The shiro wat is served with a copious amount of rolled-up injera, which you are meant to ladle the stew on top of and eat filled and sopping. It’s delicious and hearty, especially for being vegetarian, and leaves your breath smelling of garlic but, honestly, in a pleasant way.

The shiro wat is a bit more than a $10 deal but at $10.99, it’s not by much.

As a whole, Horn of Africa is a lovely, off-the-beaten-path place to bring a few friends or just yourself if you’re looking for a quiet lunch with bold flavors. Come curious. Come hungry.

Horn of Africa, 693 Avon Road, is open Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.