Can I say yum? My friend took me here one day and we left very happy. Enough said. Not many people inside when we went in, but the service was still great. read more

I've always loved Asmara, and Ethiopian food in general. Even as a Vegan I can find lots of great choices.

Good quality Ethopian food served by friendly people. I especially liked that they make their own honey wine. Definitely worth a swig. They do good with combos, allowing you to sample a wide variety of the dishes. Make sure to wash your hands and trim your nails, you're eating with your hands here. They also give you warm towels to clean your mitts before you eat, a service that I wish more Ethiopian restaurants had. read more

Tried the meat combination. I love Ethiopian food and have never eaten at a Ethiopian restaurant that I didn't like - all thus far were at different gradients of positive. Unfortunately I did not enjoy any one of the items. Everything has the same sour taste - like lots of vinegar in every item. The meats were not fresh or tender. The preparations were uniformly bland. Given the great location and friendly service, and my fondness for Ethiopian food, I would have liked to give this place a better review. read more

I am glad Asmara exists because it is one of the few Ethiopian restaurants in the area and because it is quite delicious. I am no expert on the dishes, so I greatly appreciate the Meat Combination Platter option that has three types of meat dishes, a lentils dish, and a salad. However, there is one other dish that I always order: Kitfo! If you haven't tried it before and the sound of spicy raw beef with herb butter interests you, you should definitely consider ordering it. Just ordering these two things would be enough for a meal. Also, this restaurant has mesobs, which add to the authenticity of the meal. Though the service might not always be prompt, it will always be friendly. If you crave Ethiopian/Eritrean food and you are in the area, I would recommend Asmara. read more

i like its exotic feel. i am pretty sure they cook the food well, but i am just not used to the flavor. a little sour for me. i go to asian restaurants pretty often, but it is always exciting to taste something different, like Asmara. read more

I went here for lunch with some coworkers and was pleasantly surprised. I haven't had real Ethiopian food in about 3 years. The portions were just right, but it was pricey! It was $15.95 per person(!) for the meat combination for lunch. Yikes! I was floored by the price, but I would go again. Since we were the only people in the place, we were served quickly and were out of there within an hour. read more

Menu here! http://www.asmararestaurantboston.com/menu.html Okay. I'll try to say something different than what has been said. I've been going to this restaurant since... 1997. Or so. This was my first first Eritrean and second Ethiopian restaurant. And I've been going since. Including bringing dates. I've tried Addis Red Sea (in 1995) and others. Ethiopia had a trade route going to India since before the Dark Ages, so there's a lot of overlap in spices. And Cantabrigians seem to not mind spicy foods, so yes, you can get it mild or spicy. I love their traditional Ethiopian basket tables as well as have eaten on their Western tables. The Ethiopian table leads to a more communal meal (yes, it's "family style" -- you all eat together). First, they gave us hot hand cloths to make sure our hands are clean. Your meal is served on injera, like a spongy sourdough buckwheat bread, and they give you as many plates of injera as you want. Grab some injera, some of your food and enjoy. (No utensils ... traditionally, you eat with your hands.) They do have vegetarian options (in fact, most of the food is vegetarian, you can get some combos/dishes with meat). They also served a Mes honey wine (they didn't call it mead) that was floral and slightly sweet. I would not get leftovers ... that would get the injera very sog-tastic. read more

This place is ok but not great. The food is average (at best), not enough spice, bland and portions are small. It's also pretty expensive (but I guess I am bias because I am used to getting phenominal food from my favorite Ethiopian place in Phili for half of what Asmara is charing). The decor is nothing to write home about, it's not dingy but not nice of romantic like at Addis. All in all, since Boston really doesn't have a great Ethiopian place (which is a shame) Asmara might be somewhat of a substitute for those who are desperate for a "wot". read more

This restaurant is a consistent winner. Whether I want a good meal with the husband, or want to bring an out-of-town friend to try something new, Asmara is always great. I would recommend going with the "sampler" which comes with a salad, and then an array of different dishes to try. They also have a vegetarian sampler if you're so inclined. The service is also great. Timely and friendly, and very patient about explaining anything you have questions about. read more

Take a tissue in case you get the hot food nose runs. The novelty of eating with my hands didnt make up for the lack of variety in flavor of the meat dishes. Appetizers were best. Stuffed peppers and tomatoes are highly recommended. The Ethiopian beer was excellent. The thick crepes that your food comes on are very filling and bland on their own. Service was poor. read more

Went there on a Friday night with two other people; it was not too crowded but the wait for seating was long. Servers were friendly and my honey wine was tasty. We shared Sega Bebaynetu (meat combination) and Ahimilti Bebaynetu (vegetable combination), some portions were quite spicy but overall very delicious. I especially love their soft bread; it's very filling and none of us had any room left for dessert. Compared to Addis Red Sea, this is a less intimate environment but with similar tasty food; good for hanging out. read more

we had the popular N.O 22 and 23. the pancake was soft and tasty. But the spicy meat mix and vege are just not that impressive. But anyway, it's a valuable place to check if you haven't try north african food in boston. So I give it 3 stars~~ read more

Felt ripped off coming here- the portions are skimpy, food is bland, injera bread is too sour. I left hungry after paying ~$16 or $17 for the vegetarian combo. Do not recommend. read more

Nice atmosphere, but nothing too special. The food is decent and they have some nice combination platters. I love that there are lots of vegetarian options. The wait staff are always attentive and smiling, but you might have to wait for a table if you come during peak dinner hours. Although I do enjoy this restaurant, it is sometimes hit-or-miss. read more

I go here just about once a week. The veggie combination and kitfo are great and the tomato salad is delicious.

They have both traditional and normal seating (go for the traditional!). Food came out super fast and it was super tasty with the perfect spiciness level. Waitress was incredibly nice, as well. Awesome experience!! read more

Coming from the Bay Area, I didn't think I could find another Asmara's that tasted just as good -if not slightly better than the Asmara's in Oakland BUT I did! Don't let the decor or exterior fool you, this place is legit! It truly tastes like authentic home cooking at its finest. You'd do yourself a great disservice if you passed this place up. read more

We tried the meat sampler, vegetarian sampler and the shrimp dish. The variety of tastes, textures and flavors was appealing. We particularly liked the spicy hot items. Light and dark Ethiopian beers were refreshing and full of body. The home-made mead was interesting and probably quite good if you like mead. Once the waitress started her shift at 6:30 the service was good, including info on geography and politics of the region. All in all, a tasty and informative in an enjoyable setting. We'd eat here again! read more

The food was okay, although I've had better. The price is what bothers me. It cost $17 for the meat combo, but the food just didn't live up to that price. The service was also rather inattentive. read more

This is a fun restaurant to go to with a group of people. I have only been to a few Ethiopian restaurants before but this is one of the tastiest. Unfortunately, I don't know enough to speak to the authenticity of it. I was recently there with three other people. We ordered a sampler platter and it was more than enough food and was all tasty. It also seems like it would be a fun place to take a date. I was there on a random weeknight, and it was active but not crowded. Give the Ethiopian beer a try. It was good and unique. read more

The food here is authentic and excellent. I can say this because I lived in Ethiopia for a year and can discern a thing or two about the regional cuisine. The only disappointing thing about the experience was the VERY slow service. The service was good, polite and information-filled when it did come, but they had only one waitress on the floor when they should have had three!! It did really change the experience. We also tried to make a reservation and were not allowed to do so. We then had to wait, even though there was space for us to sit. A reservations system, and at least one other waiter on the floor would have changed the entire experience. I hope that they can get their service up to par, and I would eat there again if I get a hankering for Ethiopian-Eritrean food. read more

A really nice place with a very tasty and unusual food. I would greatly recommend this place if you want to taste some food from other places and be delighted with an awesome service read more

Lovely place. Everything made me feel like I was on an adventure - the tables, the music, the informative video, the friendly staff. And the food - an absolute joy. Cannot recommend highly enough. Took our teen daughter and she loved it. read more

This is my bff favorite place to eat. He brought me here and wow. This is the best food I have ever eaten. Highly recommend it here

Awesome food! Love the vegetarian sampler. This is a great place to go with a few friends so you can try lots of stuff.

Very delicious and highly recommended. The Mes-beer is in my opinion much too expensive. They offer even Dorho zigni Fit-Fit and Fit-Fit have rarely seen that being offered outside of africa! Many different dishes on offer and very, very tasty food. I hope I'll be here sometime again. read more

Don't come here for the ambiance but do come for the unique and delicious flavors of Ethiopian food. The vegetables and stews are served on a crepe like pancake that's made from Teff grain (a gluten-free flour) and wheat flour . If you are dining with gluten-free diners, call ahead and they can make gluten-free pancakes to order! read more

I love Eritrean food, and this place was great! wonderful service, and plenty of food. They accommodated my gluten-low diet which I appreciated greatly. Would definitely return. read more

For someone who eats ethiopian food all the time, it was not soo authentic. However it came close and was good. The place is small and clean, service is not that bad. If you are craving the food then it will do. read more

Absolutely love Asmara. It's one of our go-to spots and we never get tired of it. We always get the same two items since they are just that good: the shiro and timtimo. And really friendly and prompt service in a comfortable setting. Highly recommend read more

Third time I've had Ethiopian/ Eritrean food and this place definitely was the best. I thought the lamb and lebleb was especially savory. The injeria was a bit disappointing because the consistency was a bit too spongy and was sticking to one another. Still tasty though. Would come again! read more

Service is fantastic and the food is excellent. We get the meat platter most often, since it always hits the spot.

ALL WITH WHEAT ALLERGIES, REJOICE! My girlfriend and I had a delicious meal at Asmara last night, and upon inquiry while ordering, were told that they have a wheat-free version of the injera, the bread one uses to eat all the food. It was at least as good as the wheat version -- perhaps a tiny bit more sour, which I like. I'm told that the version without wheat is actually the one they use in Ethiopa, so fear not, purists -- the wheat version is for the Americanos' taste buds! Happy day! And, as others have reported, the waitress was so sweet, she brightened our night. Good place. We were a duo, so we did not wait long for table or food. But some four-tops did wait a bit longer -- nothing outrageous. Enjoy! read more

i'm a huge fan of this place as i love ethiopian and it's about 10 minutes from where i currently live. i love both their spicy red sauce and their milder yellow sauce with both lentils and split peas. their chickpea shuro is also very good. prices for eithiopian food always seem unusually high to me given the relative cheapness of the ingredients, but the prices here are no higher than i've seen elsewhere and their portions are big enough for at least two meals. read more

If I were to make a top ten list of reasons I miss Boston, Asmara would definitely feature on the list. I used to regularly organize friends to come out and enjoy the friendly atmosphere and stuff ourselves silly, and did I mention, AMAZING food. For Ethiopian food addicts everywhere, this restaurant is a Mecca. Their meat combination is the best I've had anywhere, and believe me, I've been looking. Definitely worth checking out! I certainly don't understand the negative reviews. Asmara is best enjoyed on a very empty stomach, since they are quite generous with their portions. I also highly recommend pairing your food with their honey wine. Sometimes it can be sickly sweet, but theirs is just right. read more

I can't eat gluten (not celiac, just gluten intolerant), so I am always looking for restaurants where I can have something carb-like that's gluten-free. If you call an hour or two ahead to Asmara, they will make you injera with teff only (and no wheat), so long as you tell them when you're going to arrive (i.e. make a reservation). Another reviewer commented on the truly wonderful sour taste of the injera. This is in contrast with Addis Red Sea, who said that I needed to call a day in advance. I didn't like the combination plate when we got it. I say, just get one dish per person and share everything. The honey wine is good. I LOVED the clove/cinnamon tea that they offered to me when they saw I wasn't ordering a wine but my boyfriend was. I tend to have stomach issues, and it really settled my stomach. I love going to this restaurant, and I think for the taste and the experience, it's a great deal. It felt kind of crowded many times, so I recommend going early or late. read more

The food is very bland and looks like dog food. The honey wine is nice (pricey at $27 a bottle). The towels they give for cleaning your hands at the beginning smell like mildew. $150 not well spent :'( read more

A couple of days ago I had an incredible meal at Asmara restaurant. I have eaten at 5 other Ethiopian restaurants in the Boston area as well as 3 in Philadelphia and one in New York, and none of them compare. The service there is also excellent. Friendly, and you don't have to wait long for your food to arrive. Nice atmosphere too. Good place to take a date. I have eaten there many times in the last 12 years and the food just keeps getting better. It is one of my top 2 favorite restaurants in the Boston area (Red Bones being the other). The price for a meal without drinks is about $16-$18, which is not cheap. But it is definitely worth it. And in this economy, the fact that their prices are not low-end means that you usually do not have to wait for a table. I have found that food at these various Ethiopian restaurants tends to either lean towards more mild and sweet or more spicy and sour. Asmara would be in the latter category. Although this is the spiciest food that I eat with any regularity, I have gone there with friends who like their food spicy and they tell me the food at Asmara is only moderately hot. I am a bit of a lightweight, so they are probably right. If you have not had Ethiopian before, you should also know that it is normally eaten by hand without silverware. But I'm sure you can request silverware if you want it. read more

This is one of our favorite restaurants in Cambridge to take our out of town guests to. Great location near the "T" for out of towners, great food, and wonderful service. It could be a little cheaper, but it's worth it for the ambiance, music, and difficult to find Eritrean/Ethiopian cuisine. Don't skimp on the fabulous coffee. It caps off a fine, festive meal that's romantic and fun for the whole family (what kid does not enjoy eating with his or her hands?!). read more