Save this restaurant

Photo: Martha Williams

A slew of cabs parked out front is what every restaurateur wants; it’s when those cabs’ drivers are your only customers that times can get a little tough. Such is the case for the Mezengi family, owners of Peacock Café and Restaurant. Resembling something transplanted from a working-class Parisian arrondissement, this no-frills BYOB focuses on fiery Eritrean food, a close cousin of Ethiopian cuisine.

Al dente spaghetti with meat sauce pulls from Eritrea’s Italian colonization in the late 1800s; ditto for an eye-opening pot of strong coffee made the old-school way, the beans pan-roasted, freshly ground and then brewed in a clay carafe on the stove top. Elen Mezengi (pictured), the skilled chef and owner, also turns out Eritrean favorites like tsebhi assa, pan-fried chunks of lemony catfish, and tsebhi begie, tender lamb chops served over sour injera bread. Meanwhile, one of her three children (Yohana, Seare and Noel) acts as waiter, host and buser while Dad drives a taxi.

Business is slow, but this tight-knit family is intent on surviving, and on introducing their native cuisine to Chicagoans. “The Eritrean community in Chicago is only 300, 400 people, so we all eat together, play together and help each other out,” Elen says. “But when [other] people find us,” Yohana adds, “they love the food because it’s different and you just can’t get it anywhere else.

6014 N Broadway at Glenlake Ave (773-262-2005). El: Red to Thorndale. Bus: 36 Broadway, 84 Ridge. Lunch, dinner. Average main course: $9. BYOB.