demera is involved in serveral pop-ups & events around the chicagoland area
AN EVENING OF HOPE 2025 – CELEBRATING 5 YEARS OF EMPOWERMENT
Experience the Transformative Power of Unity at our partnered 5th Annual Evening of Hope: Celebrating 5 Years of Empowerment
September 18, 2025 | 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM CST
Demera Ethiopian Restaurant
4801 N. Broadway Street
Chicago, IL 60640
Presented by Demera Restaurant and HPN4Tigray, this milestone evening marks five powerful years of community, compassion, and collective action.
Last year, you showed up in full force, and your generosity echoed across borders. This year, we’re honoring just how far your support has carried us—and the powerful momentum we now build for the years ahead. From equipping hospitals and sending life-saving medications, to funding mental health services in Sudanese camps and launching medical training programs across Tigray, you’ve helped HPN4Tigray transform hope into healing.
This year’s offerings include:
🍽️ An unforgettable culinary showcase featuring Chicago’s finest chefs, including Demera’s own Chef Tigist, serving up hand-curated delights crafted just for this night of purpose and celebration.
👗 Our signature marketplace (or souk) returns, featuring original artwork, cultural clothing, and handcrafted accessories, perfect for those who love to give with impact.
🏆 The crowd-favorite live auction is back, come ready to bid, laugh, and win in support of life-changing programs.
🌟 Meet the doctors behind the mission, whose voices from the ground help shape our work, come give them their flowers.
🌍 Stories that inspire from lives changed over the past five years to those still counting on us for care, dignity, and hope.
Whether you attend, gift a ticket, or make a contribution, your support fuels lasting impact. From specialized medical outreach bringing pediatric and OBGYN care to rural Tigray, to community-based mental health programs reaching those still healing from deep trauma in the refugee camps of Sudan, and computer training that opens doors for refugees, every gift helps us go further and reach those who need us most.
💛 Together, we've made five years count. Let’s make the next five even stronger.
Secure your spot, invite your circle, and help us continue the work: For more on our organization, please visit www.hpn4tigray.org.
VALENTINE’S DAY PRix-FIXE DINNER
Valentine's Day is right around the corner 🧡 From Feb 14th-16th, we'll have our special prix-fixe Valentine's Day menu available at our Uptown location! It features some special dishes that will only be available on this limited menu, like dessert collaborations with Verzenay Chicago 🤤
DEMERA
VALENTINE’S DAY 2025
February 14th- February 16th
$52 PP
First course: Choose 1 per person
Sambussas (2 pieces)
Fried dumplings served with sweet and spicy honey awaze sauce
Choose from: chicken, beef, spinach, lentil or cheese.
Ethiopian Style Tuna Crudo
Delicately sliced and marinated tuna with an Ethiopian spice-infused citrus dressing, crispy injera, and mitmita aioli.
Whipped Ayib & Ricotta Dip (Vegetarian)
Creamy ayib and ricotta dip spiced with mitmita and honey, served with toasted ambasha bread.
Berbere Roasted Baby Carrots (V) (GF)
Fresh baby carrots roasted with our berbere spice on top of siljo (Ethiopian hummus)
Second course: choose 1
Demera Messob for 2
Choose 3 meats and 3 veggie dishes from our menu
Beyanetu for 2
Tasting platter of our 9 vegan dishes
Third course: choose 1
Chocolate Lover’s Cake
Demera x Verzenay collaboration
Mitmita Orange Creme Brulee (GF)
Vanilla bean custard infused with orange and mitmita, finished with a layer of caramelized sugar
Vegan Chocolate Cake (V)
Demera x Verzenay collaboration
FIVE COURSE FUSION DINNER WITH PRAIRIE GRASS CAFE
Next week, Chef Tigist & Chef Sarah are coming together for one-night only to present a 5-course tasting fusion dinner!
The menu is the perfect fusion of Chef Sarah’s classic French-inspired American food and Chef Tigist's Ethiopian food ✨
When: January 23rd at 6pm
Where: Prairie Grass Cafe
Cost: $85/person with optional wine pairing for $54
RSVP by Monday, January 20th. Spots are limited so call Prairie Grass Cafe at (847) 205-4433 to reserve your spot before we sell out!
INJERA MAKING WITH CHEF TIGIST
Every Tuesday, we'll be hosting an Injera-Making demonstration in Uptown!
Come for dinner between 5:30pm-7pm and watch Chef Tigist make Injera from scratch (no extra charge).
INJERA MAKING WITH CHEF TIGIST
Every Tuesday, we'll be hosting an Injera-Making demonstration in Uptown!
Come for dinner between 5:30pm-7pm and watch Chef Tigist make Injera from scratch (no extra charge).
INJERA MAKING WITH CHEF TIGIST (Copy)
Every Tuesday, we'll be hosting an Injera-Making demonstration in Uptown!
Come for dinner between 5:30pm-7pm and watch Chef Tigist make Injera from scratch (no extra charge).
INJERA MAKING WITH CHEF TIGIST
Every Tuesday, we'll be hosting an Injera-Making demonstration in Uptown!
Come for dinner between 5:30pm-7pm and watch Chef Tigist make Injera from scratch (no extra charge).
INJERA MAKING WITH CHEF TIGIST
Every Tuesday, we'll be hosting an Injera-Making demonstration in Uptown!
Come for dinner between 5:30pm-7pm and watch Chef Tigist make Injera from scratch (no extra charge).
INJERA MAKING WITH CHEF TIGIST
Every Tuesday, we'll be hosting an Injera-Making demonstration in Uptown!
Come for dinner between 5:30pm-7pm and watch Chef Tigist make Injera from scratch (no extra charge).
INJERA MAKING WITH CHEF TIGIST
Every Tuesday, we'll be hosting an Injera-Making demonstration in Uptown!
Come for dinner between 5:30pm-7pm and watch Chef Tigist make Injera from scratch (no extra charge).
VEGAN THANKSGIVING at home 2024
Pre-orders are live for our annual Vegan Thanksgiving 3-Course Meal! Available through Resy
—> All vegan dishes!
—> 3-course meal: 2 appetizers, 12 dish entrees, & 2 desserts
—> $46 per person
—> Pre-order through the link in our bio by November 26th
—> Pick up at our Uptown location on November 27th from 5:30pm-7pm
—> Enjoy at home on Thanksgiving!
INJERA MAKING WITH CHEF TIGIST
Every Tuesday, we'll be hosting an Injera-Making demonstration in Uptown!
Come for dinner between 5:30pm-7pm and watch Chef Tigist make Injera from scratch (no extra charge).
Demera’s 4TH Annual Fundraising Event ‘An Evening of Hope’
SAVE THE DATE! It's time for our 4th Annual Fundraising event, An Evening of Hope 🧡
🗓️ September 16th, 2024
📍Bronzeville Winery
This year's theme is 'Music & Food for Humanity' and celebrates Ethiopian culture and cuisine with music from our community and food from 10 esteemed Chicago Chefs! A huge thanks to Bronzeville Winery for opening their doors to host our event this year.
All proceeds are donated to Health Professionals Network for Tigray, a non-profit dedicated to helping those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia.
Tickets are available through the button below! If you can't make it, donations are accepted as well. Mark your calendars and together we'll make a difference that truly matters! 🌟
Dinner with saigon sisters
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! We’ll be partnering with Saigon Sisters to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month on May 29th at our Uptown location!
Experience a one-night-only fusion of Asian and African cultures from our chef and owner @tigistreda and chef and owner of @saigonsisters Mary Aregoni.
Let’s come together to celebrate these diverse and dynamic cultures, build community, and support an essential cause: Help women get back on their feet after the unfortunate war in Tigray. Engage yourself with welcome cocktails by Conniption Gin, learn how to make Injera traditional Ethiopian bread and enjoy Banh Xeo demo followed by a dinner full of Vietnamese and Ethiopian flavors.
Tickets include drinks and a 3-course meal. More details on the full menu coming soon! Get yours now.
Injera Making & Wine Dinner
Join Chef Tigist and @babylonstoren winery for a special night of injera making, dinner, and wine pairing!
🗓️ April 24th, 6:30PM-8PM
• Doors at 545PM for drinks and mingle
• Collaborative injera making with Chef Tigist at 6:30PM
• Followed by dinner & wine pairing
Babylonstoren is a women-owned South African winery, farm, restaurant and hotel. We're thrilled to pair their wines with our traditional Ethiopian cuisine to give you a taste of a variety of African flavors.
All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to @isbha04 to help women in Ethiopia get back on their feet after the war 🧡 Purchase through the link in bio!
CHICAGO RESTAURANT WEEK 2024
The best week of the year is coming up 🥄 Chicago Restaurant Week starts January 19th through February 4th—and Demera is delighted to join in on the fun!
Make your reservations now on Resy and stop by for lunch or dinner!
Demera Vegan Thanksgiving at Home
Thanksgiving At Home with Demera
Vegan 3-course Dinner
$49 per person
Appetizers
-Kayseer salad (golden beets salad, vinaigrette, onions and fresh slice jalapeno)
-Berbere roasted pumpkin
Main Course - Beyanetu (12 vegan dishes)
Misir wot, Dinich wot, kik alicha, gomen, quosta, tikle gomen, yaklit wot, kayseer tibs, shiro, foselia, Misir alicha, ingudai tibs.
Dessert
-Duba pie (pumpkin pie)
-Vegan cheesecake
HOW TO ORDER
Pre-order through Resy through the button below
Place your order by Tuesday, November 21st at 4PM
Order pick-up at Demera starting Wednesday, November 23rd at 4PM
Enjoy at home on Thanksgiving Day!
Chicago Chef's Cook for Ina's 80th Birthday Bash
Let's Party! Chicago Chefs Cook for Ina's 80th Birthday Bash to raise funds for nonprofits Green City Market and Pilot Light
THE EVOLVED NETWORK 5-COURSE fundraising DINNER AT DEMERA
Join us at Demera for a 5-course fundraising collaboration dinner on April 18th from 6 to 9PM! Click the link in our bio to get yours 🍽️
Our chef & owner Tigist Reda is joining chefs Sebastian White, Sarah Stegner, and Casey Doody to create an amazing family-style meal that blends flavors from each chef's specialties.
100% of the proceeds will go to Chef Sebastian White's non-profit, @the.evolved.network. The money will be used to provide free programming for Chicago kids in systemically oppressed communities through wellness, farming, financial literacy, and culinary training. We're so thankful to be participating in an event that gives back to our community 🧡
Demera at Bar Sótano
🇪🇹 Ethiopia meets Mexico 🇲🇽 Demera at Bar Sótano!
Tickets are ON SALE NOW for our one-day-only collaboration dinner with Bar Sótano on March 30th @5PM! Our chef & owner Tigist Reda is partnering with chef Jackie Hernandez to create a unique fusion 6-course dinner, raising funds for Health Professionals for Tigray. Both chefs will pull flavors from each of their cuisines, transforming them into something completely unique. Get ready for an injera taco, honey glazed short rib with mole and gomen just to name a few dishes you will see.
Curated cocktails will be available as well 🍹🥃🍸
Reserve your table while they're still available!
'Cooking for a Cause' Class at Time Out Market
All the proceeds are going to be donated for women and children affected by the war in Tigray.
Join Demera owner and chef Tigist Reda as she cooks for a cause at Time Out Market Chicago. All proceeds from the evening will go toward benefitting the women and children affected by the war in Tigray. Attendees will learn how to make Ethiopian staples like doro wot (bone-in Amish chicken stew with berbere sauce), misir wot (split red lentils stew) and gomen (slow-cooked collard greens with onions, garlic and ginger), as well as the traditional sour flatbread known as injera. At the end of the class, you’ll also get to take home a gift bag filled with spices, recipes and more.
Included: cooking class 4 different menu items, gift bag: Berbere powder, cardamom, kibbeh butter, lentils and teff flour)
TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT
Chicago Chef's Cook: Earthquake Relief
Chicago’s chef community is boldly stepping up to support and provide humanitarian relief to all people affected by the earthquakes that devastated Türkiye and Syria. Proceeds from this event will be donated to World Central Kitchen, in an effort to deliver food, nourishment and resources to survivors.
This event is organized by the Chicago Chefs Cook group. Revenue will be collected by and distributed through fiscal sponsorship provided by Green City Market, a 501c3 nonprofit (EIN: EIN: 36-4289022).
DEMERA OPENS IN THE TIMEOUT MARKET!
We are beyond excited to announce that Demera is opening our second location in the Time Out Market on February 6th. We cannot wait to join this eclectic group of Chicago restaurants and continue to provide delicious and authentic Ethiopian food to Chicagoans!
DEMERA is participating in chicago restaurant week 2023🍴
We’re excited to announce that we will be participating in Chicago Restaurant Week 2023! Chicago Restaurant Week is a 17-day celebration of the city’s award-winning culinary scene. The 16th annual event brings together more than 300 of the city’s top restaurants, representing a near-endless array of cuisines.
During Chicago Restaurant Week, diners can enjoy special prix fixe menus from restaurants throughout Chicago and nearby suburbs. Chicago Restaurant Week 2023 will run from Friday, Jan. 20 to Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023.
Go visit their website and follow our Instagram for more updates!
DEMERA’s New year’s eve dinner
✨ Ring in 2023 with Demera!✨ We're offering a special New Year's Eve pre-fixed dinner menu for $85 per person.
INCLUDED:
Choice of 1 appetizer
1 shared Messob
Choice of 1 dessert
Demera drink flight: 3 cocktails
*vegan options are available for each course!
Reservations aren't required but are highly encouraged. We will also have our regular dinner menu available and we're open until 10PM! Go to our reservations page to get your table and cheers to 2023 🥂
GIVING BACK IS A PART OF WHO WE ARE
In 2021, Our Chef-Owner Tigist Reda launched a non-profit program that uses her power and passion for culture and cuisine to help support a cause of great importance to her, Hope 4 Tigray Women.