This was my wife's first time eating Ethiopian food and my second time. We thoroughly enjoyed the food and the service was excellent. They we're playing some atmospheric tribal type music which was very relaxing. We shared the vegetarian combination plate for lunch ($11) All the flavors were very complimenting of each other and very tasty by themselves. Loved all the different bright colors of each dish. The bread 'injeera' (not sure if that spelling is correct) was delicious, and kind of had a bit of a sour dough taste which was awesome since we love sour dough. The kind lady said they ferment it for 3 days to get the taste. Would definitely recommend this place for a great relaxing meal. read more

Came here for a quiet dinner on a Friday night and it was a very good meal. My boyfriend and I shared a vegetarian combo and the lamb tibs. There was enough for us for be very full and still have leftovers for lunch the next day. We loved the cabbage, the green lentils, the yellow split peas, and the potatoes and beets. Everything taste great together and also apart. The bathrooms are clean and parking isn't too difficult close by. We were really happy with our meal and at about $30 including tax and tip, it was pretty reasonable! read more

Great food!!! I love everything about this place. Injera is great, I love the #1 spicy lentil but you should get the combo plate your first time. $10 for the healthiest lunch you can get, portion size is just right, plus support a nice sweet local business. A good place to bring a date if you don't mind eating with your hands (I love it) read more

this was my first time eating Ethiopian food and I was delighted by the food at Bole. i shared the vegetarian combination plate between myself and 2 friends and it was delicious! I got to try a little bit of everything and loved every part of the dish. I left the restaurant pleasantly stuffed! (also recommend the honey wine - it was delicious!) read more

Hole in the wall restaurant, but very delicious. We ordered the vegetarian combo plate for the two of us and it was plenty and sufficient. It came with three different colored lentils, cabbage dish, kale dish, beet dish, and string bean dish. And of coarse lots of Angeera bread, which was delicious. All was very lightly spiced, so nice to the palate. Definitely recommend this place! Note: there is no dessert served here. read more

Such a good vegetarian (vegan) plate and the woman who helped us was wonderful. Absolutely will go again and will recommend to others.

I love this place. Great flavors. It was closed but is now open under a name I don't remember. The cook is the same as before.

Fantastic Ethiopian food with lots of fresh ingredients and great vegetarian options. The staff is friendly, the neighborhood's delightful--I will be back! read more

Bole Restaurant - Vegetarian combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

We ordered 3 take out meals two nights ago and were amazed at how good the food was. We had two veggie combos and a spicy chicken entree. The veggie combos had so much variety with each and every dish being wonderfully flavored. The spicy chicken had just the right amount of bite to it. The injera (soft bread) was perfect and they provide really generous amounts of food for very reasonable prices. The meal was ready in very short order, too. I highly recommend this restaurant! We live in Southeast Portland and it is WORTH THE DRIVE for the quality of food. AND you'll be supporting a Black owned business, too! You won't be disappointed. read more

Food was great, loved the hot cinnamon tea. Ordered vegetarian combo and misto meat combo. Don't let the location or interior scare you off. read more

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This is the best Ethiopian restaurant in Portland. It's a go to take out option for us. We always get the vegetarian combos, and they never disappoint. The injera here is bomb! read more

One of the best Ethiopian places in the city. The spicy chicken curry with the half egg comes damn close to the best chicken curry I've had. All the vegetarian items are good and different. The beet and the lentils deserve special mention. Extremely friendly owner and excellent service. Easily my to-go Ethiopian place now. read more

Having gone to some of the more swanky-looking Ethiopian restaurants in town (all of which were completely disappointing!), Bole hit the spot! I'm not originally from here and back home there was phenomenal, authentic, Ethiopian food. I think what makes this food so good is the love that it is made with. Family-owned, small space, but the injera was fantastic and the veggie combo... let's just say, I was having difficult not eating more, even though I was full. They also make wonderful Ethiopian coffee! Omg! If you haven't had Ethiopian coffee, it's a treat. Sans the grinds that are common in strong, small, Middle Eastern coffee, this coffee was perfect! Hopefully they have an Ethiopian coffee ceremony sometime soon. I'll definitely be back (Tuesday, actually). read more

This place is phenomenal! The staff was so warm and accommodating (I didn't know anything about the food coming in), and it was hands down the best food I've had in a while. Will definitely be back! read more

Huge fan of Ethiopian here. After exploring the neighborhood this was the perfect place to eat. Delicious. Homey. Friendly. I just moved here and can walk to Bole, totally stoked. I will be here often. I had the veggie combo and honey wine. Looking fwd to trying the stews. read more

Small dining room but food is full of flavor. Friendly and quiet. InjeraMeat ComboVegetable Combo

I have eaten Ethiopian food in many cities now and so far this is my favorite in Portland, although I'm still exploring. Good for people that want to try Ethiopian but don't do well with spicy food since you can ask them to prepare food not spicy. I agree with everyone's recommendation to try the veggie combo. read more

First time having Ethiopian food - such sweet people working here and the food is amazing! I will definitely be coming back next time I'm in Portland :) read more

Fan-freakin tastic! We inhaled everything before I could take a picture. It's my second time eating at this unassuming little spot. The owner is super nice (unlike another Ethiopian restaurant in town) and the prices are great. I could easily be a vegetarian if all veggies tasted like this! This place will also listen when you tell them to go easy on the spicy (most other Ethiopian spots make me cry and chug water throughout the meal, despite asking for everything as mild as possible). They can also turn it up a notch if you're into that though- my husband loves spicy and his dish make his eyes water. read more

Bole Restaurant - Finally snagged a pic before scarfing this deliciousness. Veggie combo with lamb tibs yum! - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I love this restaurant, the food here is one of the best Ethiopian restaurants in Portland. The lady who makes food and serves is very sweet. I go here often and this is the closest taste to my childhood. I definitely suggest eating here! read more

Bole was so good (: Friendly people and delicious. We had combination plate and the steak Loved it! I also had the honey wine and it was super good. read more

We came to this restaurant after convincing my boyfriend that Ethiopian food was so freaking good and would've blown his mind away but I am about to say that I failed on this one. We went to check out the place and I must say that it was very charming and had kept the Ethiopian feel--from food to the chairs. I had explained to the owner that I had Ethiopian food in the last and I appreciate great authentic cooking. When we received the food, I was blankly staring at the portions of the Doro Wat (the spicy chicken). It was tiny. Like a fossilized piece of chicken leg. I had the chicken shredded before and it was not coming with the egg not too hard boiled, but not so fresh egg. And the sauce didn't have any character. The injera was the only good thing on it. My boyfriend couldn't eat another bite and we paid for the food and tipped the server accordingly. It was not a great experience for us in dinnertime, but we may probably come back in the future. read more

This place is great! Really excellent vegetarian combo - great flavors and textures. Had a couple things I haven't seen at other Ethiopian restaurants, too! The service was friendly, and prices very reasonable. We'll be coming back! read more

Very welcoming service! The food is authentic and very delicious! I will be back. I enjoyed the vegan sampler with my BestFriend while I was visiting Portland. The food came out quicker than I expected which is always a plus. read more

Bole Restaurant - Delicious vegan sampler for 2! - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Great food! 4 of us shared a meal and it was delicious, our favorites were the lamb tibs, Doro wat and beets. A little more expensive than we expected but it was worth it! read more

Bole Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This is hands down my favorite Ethiopian in Portland. Not salty and great spice. Prices have gone up but still reasonable and portions are generous. It's right across from the Eritrean community center...you know it has to be good!!!! Live this place. The Ethiopian music videos are top. read more

Bole Restaurant - Key wot, tibs, combo veg - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

After driving by, we decided suddenly that we were hungry and immediately found a place to park to we could walk back to the restaurant. I had been craving Ethiopian food for a month and my girlfriend had never been to such a restaurant before, so we decided it had to happen at once. I am grateful that this was the restaurant we had been driving past at that moment in time, because it was excellent! The gentleman running the restaurant was extremely friendly. My girlfriend has a dairy allergy, so he identified for her any dish that was made with butter to avoid, and then recommended the awaze yebat tibs. I had the spicy beef wot. Both dishes were outstanding, and her first experience was a good one. We will definitely be back to this place read more

This place is soooo good! Bole gives generous portions. Every dish I've tried is cooked to perfection with amazing flavor. The veggie combo and doro wat are my favs. The folks working there are very sweet. It's a cozy, mellow, and relaxed space to eat slowly and savor the experience. I always leave feeling happy and satisfyingly full. read more

What a fabulous discovery! Freshest injera, brightest colorful veggie combo plate, perfectly spiced (not hot) beef tibs. Sweet friendly service but What A Cook! Not a fancy place but lovingly decorated and Very Reasonably priced. Yum! read more

I am tempted to keep this place a secret but I would die if it shut down from lack of business so I'm obligated to tell you... GO HERE NOW! The best, most flavorful and authentic Ethiopian in Portland. I eat Ethiopian about once a month and I used to live in Seattle and eat it often and this place is the real deal. Family run and based on quality, everything tastes bright and fresh with amazing depth. Get the veggie combo or any of the meat tibs, I've honestly had everything on the menu at this point and it's all good. read more

We arrived here after a long day of exploring the city of Portland and needless to say we were quite famished. Gojo definitely fulfilled our expectations of being both filling and delicious. When we entered into the quaint little shop (which is located on on a street full of amazing restaurants), we were greeted by the owner, who happily gave us suggestions on what to order. We ended up ordering a misto (combination of spicy and savory chicken), steamed greens, and a ground beef dish. Despite this being our first time eating Ethiopian food, the owner was more than happy to tell us how to eat it. Although the portions of the specific menu items themselves were not that large, it was incredibly filling due to the large amount of injera that they give you here. If you're in this trendy district of Portland and you want to find a culinary adventure, I definitely recommend you give Gojo a shot. read more

I just moved my business to the neighborhood and am still scoping out all the best lunchtime spots. In my search I came across Gojo. Granted, I am a huge fan of Ethiopian food, but even I was surprised at how much I liked this place! The shop was neat, clean, and well decorated. The husband and wife team were great. Even making small talk about where I got my shoes (super cute)! I ordered the vegetarian combo platter - and quite a lot of food came with it! Not only were there 7 dish samples to try, but 2 additional injera. Out of everything on the plate I think I loved the spinach dish the best and the green lentil dish the least (a bit dry), but everything was delicious. I will definitely be back! read more

Loved the veggie combo and lamb tibs. Nice atmosphere with friendly staff and traditional music. read more

Bole Restaurant - Lamb tibs and veggie combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

We had their vegetarian combination platter. We shared 2 platters among 3 of us.. Good quantity and tasted fairly good as well. read more

This spot is amazing! Such a cozy place. The owner helped walk us through the ordering process with her favorites, and they did not disappoint. The vegetarian plate with two curries was the perfect order. I am merely visiting, but be assured every time I am in Portland, coming here will be a priority! read more

My favorite restaurant! The best Ethiopian food I have ever experienced. Delicious injera. Highly recommend the veggie platter. I can't get enough. read more

I hadn't been since they changed owners, but got take-out and the quality is just as good as it was before. I kept telling myself to stop eating, but even when it had sat there getting cold for a while, I couldn't stop picking at it. Life may feel like a Styrofoam container filled with soggy injerra sometimes... but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Looking forward to exploring the rest of the menu. read more

Great food for everyone. My family is vegan and we ate well. Unique experience in a homey environment

I lived in Ethiopia for several years and basically went out of my way to not only come to this restaurant but basically drive into Portland for the night to get Ethiopian food (as we were in the middle of a vacation). We arrived at an appropriate time for dinner and several hours before closing and the woman seemed annoyed that we had entered her place of business, but none the less greeted us and told us to sit. We then ordered the shiro wat and shekela tibs. While she charged us full price for the shiro wat combination she only provided the shiro and not a lot of ingera. Disappointed I asked her for some gomen (cooked collard greens--like what was suppose to be on the byonet) and she provided some hastily made cooked broccoli then charged me extra for it. At the end of dinner I asked for two cups of coffee traditionally served at the end of the meal including dinner and from the smell coming from the back it was clearly being made, she said no and that I was to come back for lunch. The shekla tibs were decent for what I have had in the NW and the shiro was shiro, the ingera was really good and high quality I would have brought some off her if things had gone better. However I cannot get past missing out on the byonet. A big part of the fun of Ethiopian food is the eventual combination of all the foods together and it was a weak showing to my partner who had never had Ethiopian food or coffee (still hasn't) or even the fir-fir in the morning with the left over ingera (there was none); for what I paid it was more than annoying. I also can't help but be annoyed that she kept interrupting our dinner to teach us out to eat it and walk us through trying the spices and how to dip the meat into the spices. I get that most people may not know how but I was trying to have a intimate dinner with my partner and share that experience and a little bit of what it was like to eat this food everyday *with my partner* but she would talk over while I was explaining it and clearly holding the ingeria just fine just to tell us the same things I was literally saying to him. I didn't take off stars for trying to be helpful part just the overcharging, the broccoli instead of gomen, and lack of coffee and the little portion of ingeria (compared to places say in Bosie Spokane and Seattle) read more

Honestly don't understand why this isn't the most popular restaurant in NE. The food is absolutely phenomenal the music and music videos are so wonderful and interesting and not at all imposing, the owner/staff are the warmest friendliest people, the beer is tasty and not like you're used to (get the st. George) and its vey affordable. 10/10 read more