Staff was really polite but Service was really slow. Our food was served after 40mins, a few tables who came in after us had their food served before us. One of my friend and I ordered the Vegetarian Combination Entree, the other friend ordered Beef with Injera. The taste and flavors aren't authentic, it's "Americanised" to suite everyone's taste buds but I was disappointed since it lacked the whole essence. read more

Asmara Restaurant - Vegetarian Combination Entree - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

We came here because the line for Marufuku was over 50 parties (a severe con IMO to the "convenient waiting list" that the Yelp app offers irc). No regrets. The vegetarian sampler price varies from lunch to dinner, so it's probably more worth it to come here for lunch, but we thought dinner was still worth it. They didn't even charge us for the extra injera (bread) since we finished it and still had some "stews" left. For the two of us, we got the vegetarian sampler and the catfish. The catfish was AMAZING. I've had plenty of Chinese and Texan catfish but this definitely blew everything I've had out of the water. It was so tender and juicy, and the sauce is a perfect match. 5/5 special, 5/5 tasty. read more

Although I have had Ethiopian food very few times in my life, and therefore cannot pit the quality of this food against other Ethiopian food restaurants, I can judge the flavor. The food itself was... good, but not particularly memorable. The flavors begin to blend together pretty early on in the meal. We had a hard time distinguishing what, exactly, we were eating. That said, the portions were very generous, and the wait staff was very friendly. We also didn't get charged a corkage fee, which was a nice little surprise. Caution: If it says "spicy" they don't joke around! read more

Asmara Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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MUST TRY!! I regret not coming here as often as I would like; But, every time I visit I am never disappointed. If you have never had Ethiopian food it is a fun interactive way to have dinner. When you order the items they come out family style on one big platter and you get to eat with your hands!! (you don't have to, just ask for a fork) The food is great! There are a ton of meat and veggie dishes to try, I suggest #15 if you like meat. It is cubes of sirloin with a little kick. read more

Never had Ethiopian food before... this place put me on! i had the number 26 and some chicken that tasted like mole it was hella good! then i had 2 warm baklavas fat boy heaven read more

We got the veggie combo and the chicken platter as takeout, they were both AMAZING! Highly recommend this place. Very generous portions, we will have hella leftovers :) read more

Picked up take out meat and veg combo meals. All breads were put in the same boxes getting them soggy, food taste was meh.

A is for Asmara Visit date: 9/19/2015 Cost (incl tip): $34 Number in party: 2 We ordered the Vegi Combo plate with the Red Lentils, Yellow Split Peas and Mustard Greens along with the Regular Combo plate with Beef, Chicken and Lamb. Both Combos were served on one large platter. Injera, buckwheat bread was in abundance. Everything was tasty. The red lentils were perfectly seasoned and had a touch of spicy. Not being a fan of lamb, we were both surprisingly happy with the flavor, taste and texture as it was not gam-y, again the seasoning was spot on delicious. Food is 4.5 out of 5. Service was acceptable. Food came out quickly. Regrettably, our waters were not refilled until we were done with dinner. Service 2.5. Environment is a bit outdated. There is a small section of low seated chairs and table which seemed cozy, but we sat at a standard dining table. The decor is a mix of 70's and 90's with no noticeable upgrades since. The appearance was clean. Ambiance 2 out of 5. read more

Asmara Restaurant - 2 Combo plates, Vegi and Regular, served on one platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Amazing food. Great atmosphere and excellent staff. Highly recommended traditional Habesha food. Stop in you won't be disappointed!

We were in that area for the Burmese restaurant, which was closed that day... so we decided to try this restaurant (thanks to Yelp) and was a good choice. We ordered these: Doro Tibsy (i think): Awesome taste... chicken was cooked to perfection and very tasty. Zilzil Tibs: Lamb was very well grilled, and tasty. Sides were okay. Good service and nice interiors. Would definitely go there again. read more

It was my first time trying Ethiopian/Eritrean food and I can say my experience here was the best, not only is the food flavorful and fulfilling but the customer service is wonderful. I do plan on coming back!! Thank you! read more

2.5. So sad....not good, not bad but very indifferent. Clean place and bathroom. Food: MEH. Bread had non of the sour taste one loves. Food was not exciting...not spicy, not bland just meh. Had no desire to finish plate (telltale sign it was not good...lol). read more

I love this place. Always and forever. I order by phone and my food is hot and ready by the time I drive down there. I miss their spacious dining room but am happy to support take out until we can return. read more

In my attempt to go to all of the Ethiopian restaurants in the Bay Area, I visited Asmara. It ranked last. Specific dish reviews: Doro Tibs - Weird, cheap meat; good flavor if you're only eating the onions. Combo (Doro Wat, Beef Berber?, Lamb) - Doro's the best but small portion; beef overwhelmed by sauce. Potatoes & Carrots, Salad - Okay. After eating here we noted that of our last four meals the cheapest were best. (We split big entrees here.) Fuddruckers - $3.25 Boston Market - $3.50 read more

Beautiful ambience pleasant staff food is delicious nice and quiet for a first date be open to trying new things. I will be back again read more

Asmara Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Food was good but served lukewarm, not sure if that is how it is supposed to be? Friendly staff but server was not very attentive and forgot our tea and didnt check on us very much. I may come back but will try another place first read more

Prime choice for Ethiopian food in the Oakland/Berkeley area. This was my first experience eating Ethiopian food and it was just great for lack of a better adjective. It was our date night and my husband and I didn't know which dishes were good to order. The waitress helped us out and gave us a good recommendation to order the Vegetarian Combination (i.e. 3 different vegetarian entrees) with Honey Wine. We were happy with what we ordered. I consider their honey wine to be the best, now that I have tried honey wine at various Ethiopian restaurants. Service was also great! Intimate setting - perfect for dates! read more

I'm not terribly experienced with Ethiopean food (ok, I admit, this was the first time I've ever had it). I didn't know what to expect at all as I went with two other people who have also never had Ethiopean food before. We each ordered a dish and the waitress asked if we wanted it on one big plate. Being a sharing kind of group, we said yes. In about 20 minutes a big plate full of food was placed on our table. We got three meats each marinated in its own tasty sauce. You get a basket of injera (sour, squishy, sponge bread) to sop up the food with. I really enjoyed the way the sour bread offset the sauce on the meat. The service was very slow, but the waitress was helpful to describe the food. I can't complain about portions (we took a third of the food home), but I wish there had been more salad to go with all the meat. We didn't ask for more salad, but a table near us did and the waitress happily delivered it. The interior was quite oppressive and dark and we could barely read our menus with the sunny glare from outside. If you care about decor and fast service, don't go here. But, if you want to have a tasty meal, the marinated meat is well worth it. read more

Asmara Restaurant - Three orders on one huge plate. The portions are huge, so make sure you're really hungry! - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

food was delicious and the service was amazing. Super friendly and welcoming, I'm kinda disappointed in myself for not trying this spot earlier. Cant wait to go back! read more

This was the first place that I tried Ethopian food (over 10yrs ago??) I've been hooked ever since! The atmosphere isn't the greatest...it's a little dark to me, there's a slight smell of raw meat when you walk in, but you get use to it eventually. honestly it could use a little updating/expanding, since they have the bar on the other side...why not open it up?? Anywhoo......I come here with my family we always get the 2orders of the combo which is chicken,lamb, beef, and we get a side of lentils. carafe of the honey wine.....Boy oh boy I tell you after eating all of that...I swear I don't eat anything to the next days afternoon. Talk about good hearty filling food! On the occassions that I've gone by myself I order #21 chicken and greens! Yum-o!!! Yah service is slow...but it's sooo worth the wait. read more

Amazing food but be prepare to eat like a barbarian aka with your hands :) my first time I had Ethiopian food and delicious ! We got a combo platter and also the spicy lamb and regular lamb! Combo meat platter and also combo vegatarian! Injeria which came out is a porous light type of bread you use to pick up all the food and sauces It came out super quick and all had super good flavoring! Pretty awesome and delicious. My cousin was telling me that the Injeria takes days to make and hard to get right! It was delicious and slightly sour ! So good they also had a full bar. I tried the sweet wine which I loved! Germ-a-phobe this is probably not the place for u to come to unless you get your own plate, but definetly worth it Street parking up front, don't forget to pay for parking or else you may get a ticket! read more

Asmara Restaurant - Delicious platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Best Eritrean/Ethiopian in the Bay Area. The food is AMAZING! I crave it all the time. We love the meat combo and veggie combo. Don't miss the homemade honey wine, which is rare to find homemade and SO GOOD. The people who work there and the owners are really lovely, and the ambiance is charming. This place has ruined me for any other Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant; I haven't found anywhere this good and fresh. read more

I've never had Ethiopian food before so this was a new experience for me. I came here for lunch with some coworkers and shared a bunch of dishes family style. The food is served on a large platter with meat and veggies. Instead of utensils you scoop the food up with flat bread (similar to a crepe) that is on the side. The flavors were very unique, and the meat was very good. I recommend getting the lamb cubes. The only downside here is the service. While the servers were nice and polite, they just took too long. We were there for an hour before they took our order, and then waiting for the check was another half hour or so. In total we were there for two hours which is not something you want to do in the middle of your workday. Overall though the food and experience was good. I would definitely come back here for dinner but not if I was in a hurry. read more

Asmara Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Hard to pick a favorite Ethiopian restaurant in place like Oakland but this is ours. The owners sons are both wonderful and elevate the experience for us time after time. Our order is the veggie sampler and assa tibs (catfish) and it delicious. I am always eating past the point of full because it is really just that good. You can sit on either side, restaurant or bar and we normally prefer the bar side for warriors games. Sometimes it feels a little like our secret and we want it to stay that way. But really I wish this family well run business all the success in the world. read more

First time here and want to say that the beef (Tibsy) was very tough/fatty but overall the potatoes were amazing - we wish there were more of that in the dish. It was also very wet. Service was quick and I appreciate this small biz being open during SIP. Thank you so much for your hard work guys! Be safe! read more

Been coming here well over a year. Such a friendly, sweet staff. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. One of the best spots for authentic Ethiopian food. Thanks for everything! read more

Best Eritrean Food in town! I love going there with my Family. The service is excellent, Food is flavorful and always consistent and they make the best Espresso Martini. ! If you are looking for an authentic Eritrean restaurant with great service make your way out to visit them. read more

Love the service and the food every time. Super clean, gluten-free friendly. Great owners.

This place is amazing! The food is delicious and the whole entire staff is so nice. I wish I was local so I could come here all the time. I highly recommend read more

Delicious Ethiopian food....came here for dinner on a Friday night and the ambiance was great:) We ordered :- Yebeg Alicha - Lamb curry simmered in onions and butter sauce Ziggni - Strips of marinated beef... All served on injera bread and salad. The service was a bit slow but I highly recommend Asmara restaurant :) read more

Incredible food, family style service on a big platter, quick service. The owner always comes over to check in after your meal and make sure you enjoyed it. Try the Ethiopian stout and the lamb dishes, you won't regret it. read more

OKAY TRULY THIS IS THE BEST ERITREAN RESTAURANT HANDS DOWN!!!! When I was a teenager my aunt would always bring my cousins and I to eat the Asmara the employees were always very nice and the food has always been amazing!! My favorite dish is the chicken and greens oh and the potatoes that comes with the dish are just mouth watering the bread is also amazing it's like a perfect sourdough taste not too thick not too thin it's perfect to eat with your dish if you've never had Eritrean food I promise you this place will not disappoint you this restaurant is a must try definitely oh and make sure to get the chicken and greens dish spicy I usually don't like spicy but it's really good for this dish it's just a hint of spicy nothing too much I will be going back this week so I'll post pics then read more

Very tasty food and very kind service. Loved their chickpea dish!! Highly recommended!

After reading some reviews and trying different Ethiopian restaurants in the East Bay, I have to rate Asmara as my current favorite (only behind Axum). Good customer service, excellent food, and a nice atmosphere. They cost more than I'm used to and their veggie platter unfortunately doesn't come in different sizes as some other Ethiopian restaurants do. That causes it to not end up being as good a bargain as I'm used to. In fact, the two meat dishes my friends purchased ended up costing the exact same as our veggie platter (for two), which would remove the second star if the food wasn't so good. I've eaten there twice and had it brought home many more times than that. It's generally quite full (we went last time on a Sunday around 8pm to find it almost full on Aug 1st, 2010) so if you plan on having a large party you may want to make a reservation. In fact, if you can I would recommend it. You do have to be a little rude in order to get prompt service, otherwise you won't get your water automatically refilled, which is bad customer service at a spicily treated food restaurant. According to my three fellow diners last time, the Ethiopian coffee is very tasty and good before dinner as well as after. They had to force the before dinner request quite firmly however. Another bad customer service issue. However the food is excellent and if you go with good friends you'll have a very good dinner with them. Just remember to keep reminding them about your water and make sure they don't forget anybody's injera. read more

This always has been and always will be my favorite Ethiopian spot. The food is crazy good! The owner, his family and everyone who works there are extremely friendly. I've been coming here for 21 years and its always been super consistent. Many birthdays between myself and my friends have been celebrated here. My favorite dish is the Gored Gored with red lentils and salad. They have also gone through some upgrades in the last year or so. Half of the space is a restaurant and half is a bar/lounge. The bar area has gotten some major work done and is gorgeous. Great place to go watch games and they have a DJ on Friday and Saturday as well as live jazz on Thursday. I'm a little loath to give the secret of their greatness only because I enjoy those days when it's a little quieter and I can sit at the bar, chill out and eat but it's so good I guess I can share. read more

Wow! Just wow. The food, the people, the staff, the ambiance, all great for a family where someone wants to try and share all the options. read more

Today, my mouth was transported to Ethiopia and taken on an exotic ride through the Semien Mountains. From the fermented Injera to the juicy beef tibs, each bite played a harmonious melody on my tastebuds. I highly recommend the veggie plate & the beef tibs. Guaranteed successful date night, no returns¡ read more

Really love Asmara! We've eaten in their dining room a couple of times and gotten takeout once. Each time our meals have been tasty, portions are generous and service has been hospitable. We'll be back! read more

On a Saturday night, we came (2 people) and had a table pretty quickly. The room is very well decorated, the atmosphere was both quiet and warm. Honey wine was delicious, fruit juice was greatly appreciated as well. The food came a bit late, but the waiter kept updating us, he gave a free glass of honey wine to make us wait, and most importantly the food was excellent, it was worth waiting for it. Warning little stomachs: portions are huge! Overall it was a very enjoyable experience, I will be happy to return! read more

This was a fun experience! I have to admit I am not that familiar with Ethiopian food, but we wanted to try something different. The staff were super friendly and walked us through the menu and helped us make our selections. The food was delicious and I highly recommend the Ethiopian iced tea, which was spiced with cardamom and ginger. We will definitely be back! read more