I've been a customer of the restaurant for almost a decade now, used to frequent their telegraph location monthly. Despite there being plenty of great Ethiopian/Eritian restaurants around Telegraph, they were my favorite. From a taste perspective, I still think they are top 5, but unfortunately I have to rate them 3 stars because of my experience the last 3 times I have had their food. In the last 2 years, their prices have gone up significantly, which would've been acceptable if they kept their portions the same. But I within the last year the portions have been shrinking, to the point that I had to leave a review. My last order of vegan platter had almost 2 tablespoons of everything and my assa gored gored had almost no shiro. I am going to take pause from my monthly orders because at this point, spending $20 on a plate gets you an incomplete meal. Which is very disappointing. I'm attaching photos of portion sizes from 2 years ago vs these days. The first one is a full container, the second tries to put just enough food to avoid looking empty. read more

Cafe Colucci - Vegan platter today - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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I tried the vegetarian combo at Cafe Colucci. I thought the portion was okay for the price, and the food itself tasted decent, but some of it tasted a little bit too bland/mild or bitter and I think increased flavoring (whether through spices, sauces, etc.) would have made it better. I've tried a few other Ethiopian restaurants in the area before, and felt unfortunately this isn't the best one of the ones I've been to. I'd say my rating is more of a 3.5 than 3. It did come with a couple of small spice containers on the side though, which is nice if you prefer to have control over how much spice to add. read more

Cafe Colucci - Vegetarian combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

I drifted into an early September 2024 Oakland visit. My purpose was to celebrate the A's legendary baseball culture and mourn the end of their franchise home in Oakland. ...Enjoying one of the two best Ethiopian dinners of my life? That was pure bonus. Baseball Note: I attended two of the VERY BEST live baseball experiences anywhere, ever, with world-best A's fans in Section 120. A's owner John Fisher and his MLB crony facilitators do not/not deserve the ownership of this team. He/They do not deserve Oakland. As the bright green t-shirts say: . SELL . But this review is about stumbling into a completely unexpected late afternoon-into-evening of exquisite Ethiopian dining. Everything at Cafe Colucci on San Pablo Avenue was either beautiful, or delicious, or both. The staff was warm, kind, fun and gracious. My fellow diners seemed like a lovely neighborhood mix. Such a nice place, warm atmosphere, with every sip and bite a thorough pleasure. For me, the human highlight was an Ethiopian couple dining with their three delightful (well mannered!) young children enjoying an early, leisurely traditional family dinner. Like really good food anywhere, the dishes at Cafe Colucci invite and confirm love. The young family's good time was proof that all human + food targets were being hit. Drinks! I dined at the bar (next to the open kitchen) and was treated to a full show tour of food and beverage menu explanations and suggestions. Lucky me! I enjoyed a front row seat to beverage making as tastefully and modestly executed performance art -- beautiful, fun, aromatic. There is a solid variety of both nonalcoholic and alcoholic offerings, each one looking temptingly interesting. Close and respectful attention to Ethiopian food traditions and culture are the basis of Cafe Colucci's menu. The spices, the homemade syrups, the dozens of other careful food preparation details? Just go here. Eat. I have lived in the DC Area for 50+ years, but other than a wonderful Ethiopian dinner years ago in Djibouti, my dinner at Cafe Colucci's was by far the best Ethiopian drink and food experience of my life. Though I have long admired 1900s Oakland's bad girl runaway, Gertrude Stein? Today her famous pronouncement no longer holds true: there is LOTS of "there" here in Oakland. Two baseball games, a stay in the Jack London / Embarcadero area, and an outstanding Ethiopian dinner at Cafe Colucci later? God is good and I am blessed! Color me a HUGE Oakland fan. Yum and thank you, everyone! read more

Got unlucky with poor service at lunch. Food was fine. Pretty setting. But the service makes me prefer the more honey small mom and pop places for Ethiopian. read more

We ran across this Ethiopian cafe for a weekday dinner, and was instantly delighted by its lively and a casual cafe atmosphere. Our waiter was one of the most friendly servers we've had. He explained all the dishes to us, along with his recommendations. When our food was served on the large platter, he took time to explain each individual item in the samplers and their core ingredients. For the food, I love how they served our samplers and fish all in 1 large dish since we were a family who intended to share. It made the experience a lot more communal, and the dish just looked beautiful and scrumptious. I would advocate everyone to try the vegan sampler. The chickpea flour was one of the best dips I've had. Their collard greens are also not overly salty like many places. The Assa gored gored is a great fish dish that comes with these fried chips that just hit the spot (but note the fish is quite spicy). We also got the meat sampler, but I thought the meats didn't shine as much as the vegan options and fish. The beef dishes in the meat sampler tasted overly beefy for my liking, especially the chunkier pieces. All in all, I think Cafe Colucci is a great local gem serving Ethiopian food in Berkeley/Oakland. If you're craving Ethiopian food or in the mood to try something new, definitely stop by! read more

Cafe Colucci - Vegan sampler, meat sampler, Assa gored gored - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

God, this place is GOOD! I was afraid their new location in Oakland would be accompanied by changes in the food. The food was as magnificent as ever, with wildly generous use of high-quality spices and best raw kitfo on the planet. The vegan mix was a nice accompaniment to the raw meat. They also make an astounding Ethiopian coffee, which is basically a magically spiced espresso served in an adorable little ceramic cup. Service was friendly and quicker than when it was in its prior location. read more

Cafe Colucci - Ethiopian coffee - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Cafe Colucci is some of the best Ethiopian food in the Bay Area, and a very strong choice for vegans and vegetarians. Some favorites: * vegetarian sambusa * Ethiopian style hot tea (or iced), ask for honey * the vegetarian combo plate * Azifa, they have the best version of this I have ever had - it's a cold, lentil based "salad" * Mitten shouro * Mushroom tibs, ask for less onion During COVID-19 they are good about safety, packing up the food to-go and they gave a giant bag of injera bread. read more

Cafe Colucci - Vegetarian Sambussa (to go, during COVID-19) - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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The food is consistently delicious--shoutout Begue Tibs and Assa Gored Gored--and the team is kind! Thanks again to the owner, Daniel, for taking a moment to help jumpstart our car when the battery gave out on us one day while picking up food! read more

I really want to give them a 4.4 but feel like 5 stars is too much (and I don't give them out often). We always get the vegan combo and it's just sooooo tasty!! One thing is sometimes the red dish (misser wat I think) can very from spicy to very spice, either way I like it. The injera is well made too. I will say, recently I ordered from yelp, and the totally got the order wrong. When I called they gave me an option of working with yelp for a refund (been there done that, always a pain), or they would remake my order. They were very kind and remade it instantly and also threw in a dessert. Great service!! read more

Came here on a weekend for lunch and found plenty of tables available. We sat at the backyard (lovely place, and the inside was also very well-decorated) and ordered lamb and chicken with traditional injera. Serving size is really big (I think I only had one injera roll but still didn't finish everything). The dishes could be pretty spicy with the condiments on every table. Would be down to come here again to try some other dishes! read more

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I stop in every week after shopping at Berkeley Bowl and get a veggie combo. They know me now. The restaurant itself is modern and clean and the prices in line with other Oakland Ethiopian restaurants. I also get spices like berbere here ( although I found a less expensive bulk spice provider in San Francisco (Fillmore at Golden Gate) closer to my home. Everything is delicious read more

I have been coming to Cafe Colucci for years and loved it when it was on Telegraph. Unfortunately, the new location comes with so many changes. The service was terrible, servers make you feel like you are a nuisance for asking for anything. The food has become less flavorful and portions have become smaller. This was my last time eating here and it's a shame because this used to be my favorite restaurant. read more

First time having East African cuisine and I want more! For two people I would recommend sharing because there are so many great options. Got the veggie Sumbussa along with the meat combo. read more

Everyone here is amazingly accommodating. Went with a larger group and they allowed us to move tables without complaint (we did ask before moving). Staff helped with recommendations of how many dishes we should order and which dishes in particular. We ordered only from the vegan side and I can honestly say I didn't miss meat at all and was satisfied. I recommend everything and anything on the menu. I can't remember in particular which ones were stand out but definitely plan on coming back and trying the rest of the menu. read more

Cafe Colucci - Fat belly bessobella (non-alcoholic) - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

We came here Friday 6/16 to celebrate my birthday - we ordered the Meat Sampler/Platter, 2 bottles of St. George's beer and baklava for dessert. It was delicious, or so we thought. In the wee hours of Saturday 6/17 is when the explosions began. I sat on the porcelain throne for one full hour from around 5AM to around 6AM, and to my horror found that I produced not your garden-variety diarrhea, but sludge instead. S-L-U-D-G-E, d'ya hear me??? I didn't think it was humanly possible, but it came outta me. All in all, I went to the bathroom a total of FIVE times, and The Husband went a total of SIX times (he produced SLUDGE his first time also), the last time being 9AM this morning Sunday 6/18. Thank God I had the foresight to keep a package of Immodium on hand for emergencies like this, because it helped. My advice to you is to keep a box of Immodium on hand if you plan on dining at Cafe Colucci, as I've noticed that people in the past have experienced what we have just experienced. I checked on Yelp to see if anybody else had food poisoning around the same time as we did, and Andrea C. on 6/17 reported that she also had the Meat Platter (presumably the same night as us) and suffered terrible food poisoning. We will NEVER EVER dine at Cafe Colucci again based on our experience - it's not worth our health to have food poisoning and TO HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. I am sure that others (besides Andrea C. and us) have experienced food poisoning the same time we did, because it was a full house on Friday 6/16 and Cafe Colucci makes big pots/vats of their food ahead of time - look at their pics on yelp to see what I mean. I think the only thing that is cooked-to-order is their sambussas. Note to self: Patronize restaurants that have food that is cooked-to-order, and NOT cooked in big pots/vats ahead of time. I would give the restaurant MINUS 5 stars, but the 1 star is because our server Lauralee is the best thing there. Lastly, their business practices are shady AF, because the menu states that the Meat Sampler is $19.75 but we were charged $21.75, and the charge stated for Baklava is $4, but we were charged $5. We didn't realize we were fleeced until after we paid. Their business practice is that you pay for your food (without the luxury of looking at the charges), and THEN they'll print you a receipt/an itemized receipt, but ONLY IF YOU ASK FOR IT. My advice? Go at your own risk and CAVEAT EMPTOR. read more

They gf ave a box es place going, great service. We ordered the vegetable mixed plate and the meat mixed plate and they brought it on one plate. That felt unfair as it reduced how much food we got. We didn't mind the veg and the meat mixing but they didn't ask. But ironically for a place focused on spice this places food was a bit dull. I'm still looking for a better place. Skip the Ethiopian beer. Ick. read more

I'll give this four stars because my first visit was really great. However, when I went recently for my birthday, which we set reservations for. However, we still waited quite a while to get seated. I think they were understaffed that day. When we got seated we waited for a new server due to shift changes. So by the time our server finally arrived we tried to shove as much into our order as possible, as we were scheduled to be somewhere within the hour. Thus, when our final guest showed up, we advised them to fast track their order for fear they'd be forced to get it to go, the way things were going. Ultimately, things were fine. The food was consistently good. We recognized the server was stretched thin so refrained from throwing any shade, and she communicated well when at the table. I just hope they're able to get more staff to avoid burning out those they do have. read more

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Nice portions and great service. Whether you dine in or take out, you're treated with courtesy.

My friends and I came here after a late night study sesh and we left full and happy ! Delicious food, I think my fav were the sambusas! The drinks were incredible as well. The lighting and ambience is a nice touch. Would def come back . read more

Usually love Cafe Colucci before it moved, but incredibly disappointed with ordering here today. Ordered in person and was waiting for over 45 minutes for food as they didn't start making it until they realized we were still waiting. Once we got the food we rushed home to eat and found after opening up the stapled bags that we had injera missing (only given 3 even though we have 4 listed here on receipt). We didn't order quinoa (which costed extra) as side but that was what was put down (I accept that we probably should have asked for copy of receipt at time of ordering but didn't think it was necessary). Final insult to injury after overpaying, underdelivering, my partner pulled out a huge hair from the potato dish as we started eating. It sucks because the food tastes good but service was REALLY disappointing. read more

Cafe Colucci - Incorrect amounts in order - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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Well, I just discovered this place and I am already so addicted! i am a vegan and their hearty vegan combo plate is an amazing sampling of popular traditional dishes. and the spicing is sublime. i bought several spices from their partner shop Brundo zspices and they are like you are right there in the spice market. eagerly awaiting their cookbook.. read more

All the hype is true--Cafe Colucci really is a little better than other Ethiopian restaurants. I had spicy eggplant tibs and a draft IPA. Not only were both really good, but I don't know if I could have gotten either at any of other Oakland Ethiopian restaurant. read more

Great Service, Food, and Ambiance. The vegetarian combo has great options. This restaurant is worth the wait!!

From the service, to the vegan dish and mixed meat dish -- all so delicious. Family owned business with authentic family recipes. There many Ethiopian restaurants around Oakland and Berkeley. To me, this is one of the best. The staff are always friendly and attentive. The gentleman who runs this place, is on point with the customers. Always asking how everything is. I had the mixed meat plate. Generous servings and flavors are all on point. I asked if there was lamb on the mixed plate, he said no, but gave me some on the side to try. That lamb is so tender and flavorful. I can tell the lamb was prepared well because it didn't have that "unwashed flavor!" With good preparation, you can tell the difference. All the dishes on the mix plate was worth it. Unlike other spots, it's too salty at times. The lady got the Vegan plate. The vegan plate is refreshing and flavorful. Also very good portions. She even had to take some home. Next time, I'm going for the vegan plate with a side of the lamb. Overall, this is one of the top go-to spot when dining out for Ethiopian food. Chill ambiance with outdoors seating. Great staff and SOLit Food. read more

Cafe Colucci - Vegan plate. Yum! - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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This would be my second time eating here and I definitely felt the food tasted better this time around. We ordered two vegan combos and an order of mushroom tibs. The mushroom tibs could have been more flavorful so we preferred the combination plate best. There's extra cost for extra injera. Still satisfying and everyone was stuffed. Wanted to use a promo code that was given but unfortunately it didn't work when ordering online. read more

Cafe Colucci - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

We're lucky to have so many fine Ethiopian restaurants in the East Bay, and Cafe Colucci is the finest I've found. Today was our first meal at the new location on San Pablo at 59th in North Oakland. The place was bustling, but our group of seven had reserved a large picnic table outdoors and were served right away. We got the vegan and the meat samplers after starting with the fried potato chips. This was enough for our group, with just enough leftovers for one of us, unfortunately not me, to take home. Honestly, this was the single best Ethiopian meal I had ever had. The drinks, too, both alcoholic and not, drew praises from our group. The service was quick, friendly, and cheery. We had a festive time, and now we're hooked. read more

The best Ethiopian food in California hands down. Great vibes very nice owner and great atmosphere. Highly recommend the vegan platter read more

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I brought family members here for the first time since the relocation. Omg, this place remains fantastic and the only Ethiopian spot I will continue to patronize. Cafe Colucci is committed to providing authentic and sourced ingredients of very high quality. My cousin and I started with the "Ehiop-Tini" it was so good a spicy, coffee vodka based cocktail and not to be missed. It was different and provided a great flavor profile to compliment our food. We then had a meat samosas type appetizer, it was spicy and warm and we loved it. My Neice is a vegetarian had the vegetarian combo, my cousin had the shrimp nibs and I had the meat combo. See the photo. All I can say is Wow! I'm counting the days until we return. We had great service by the staff who were attentive without being intrusive. Our main server was a delight and I wish I had his name but I can say he has a smile that lit up the room. Everyone made us feel welcome and like we were welcome to their home. Our group loved it and I definitely recommend you try it if your considering Ethiopian and/or open to trying something new. Thank you, Cafe Culucci for a great dining experience! read more

Cafe Colucci - Veggie combo, meat combo and shrimp nibs - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Been coming to Cafe Colucci for years even when they recently relocated my family and follow them to their new location. I always get the veggie combo so delicious. read more

Cafe Colucci - Veggie I combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Great Ethiopian food. Great options frim vegan to kitfo. Plus a full gambit of spices you can buy so you can attempt it at home. Oh and you can also get your meal served with 100% teff injera! read more

Cafe Colucci - vegan and meat combo on one dish! - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

I wanted to try this place because a lot of people consider it their go-to restaurant for Ethiopian food. I think they have great customer service and a nice ambiance. However, as someone who has grown up with home cooked Ethiopian food, I don't think it compares. I think the food lacked seasoning and the serving size was incredibly small. read more

Cafe Colucci - Veggie platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

We recently dined here for the first time in over a year thanks to the pandemic. The paranoia and mass hysteria early on pretty much kept us from eating food not prepared by our own hands. When things settled down and the vaccine became available, we finally mustered the courage to get our butts back out on the town. Needless to say, we were jonesing for some authentic Ethiopian food and Cafe Colucci was our favorite. A lot has changed since our last visit. The entrance is now on the right side of the restaurant. The left side has been closed off with the kitchen area being expanded. You have to order at a register in the old entranceway to the main dining area first before taking a seat. With social distancing there's less indoor seating, but I think there might be heat lamps for the outdoors so.... The food also tastes different due to new cooks in the kitchen. All the ingredients are the same, but the flavor profiles seemed a bit off. The sambusas were a'ight, though the dipping sauce had more of a salsa roja flavor. We ordered the veggie and meat samplers as usual, and everything just wasn't proportionally seasoned to have the standard flavor of your typical Telegraph-Temescal establishment. It's basically fusion except not advertised as such. Really would've appreciated a heads up. Thanks, guys. Well at least, they didn't mess up the injera? * insert eye-roll emoji * I'm a creature of habit. Really hate having to change my routine. But we're gunna hafta find a new go-to spot in the neighborhood, because Cafe Colucci just ain't cuttin it anymore. So disappoint.... read more

Cafe Colucci - New pandemic layout. Gotta order first, then take a seat. - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Very delicious food. I always get the meat sampler and its amazing each and every time. The plate is full of flavor and its perfect with the injera. The price per plate may be a bit high but it is definitely reflected on the portion size as its enough to feed two and well. The to go sizes can be a bit smaller though so its probably best to eat there instead The place is really clean and nicely organized. It's certainly a place that I look forward to going every time read more

Nina and I had lunch here today. It was our first time at the new location. We parked down the block and walked over. They have both indoor seating and outdoor on the patio. We chose to sit indoors as it's been pretty chilly of late. We were greeted and seated by Damien, who was also our server. We looked over the menus, which are different from the original location, though there's a lot of overlap. The space is large and bright, w/ many tables, both two tops and larger. We decided to share an order of meat sambusas and a vegan combination, which Damien confirmed is like the old vegetarian combination. I hadn't realized it was vegan, but that's important for people who eat a plant-based diet to know. It's my favorite dish because of all the varied tastes and textures. We ordered the spiced Ethiopian tea, decaf for Nina and caffeinated for me, w/ sweetener, both honey and Splenda, Equal or sugar. The sambusas and tea came first. The sambusas were hot, 6 to an order, w/ a reddish sauce on the side which was spicy w/o being too hot. The combination was delicious. The tea was tasty, served in tall, slender glasses w/ handles. The vegan combination was served on a small metal platter. It was significantly smaller than it used to be and seemed to be missing some of the tastes and textures I remember, although I don't know the names of the individual dishes. What was there was very good, though, and when we were finished there wasn't enough left to take home, so we liked it and will definitely be back. read more

Went here on a Thursday night with friends and decided to evenly split the bill between 7 people for two veggie and meat samplers, some drinks, and some appetizers. The sambussa and fried potatoes were great. Everything was delicious and filling, and they brought more injera when we asked. Ethiopian spiced tea was my favorite and they gave honey and sugar on the side. Staff was also super friendly. We are all stuffed and only paid about $20 a person. Will definitely come back! read more

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I Love Cafe Colucci! They are my favorite Ethiopian restaurant . I typically order the Veggie Sampler, which is excellent. I tried something different today and it was pretty good. Each time I've eaten here I've loved the food. Their spices are the best I've ever tasted. My only complaint is their slow service. Not so much how long the food takes, the food is clearly freshly prepared and I'm okay with it taking time. It just takes too long to get the check. It can take 15-20 minutes after the meal is done to get the check, even if there's only 1 or 2 people in the restaurant. I honestly still go back because of the food. I just don't go if I have somewhere to be right after. read more

Cafe Colucci - I'm trying something new today, Gomen Besega - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Thanks to Nancy's recommendation four years ago, @CafeColucci has become our go-to spot for Ethiopian deliciousness. We've lost count of how many times we've enjoyed their incredible injera, but we always leave happy and satisfied. Even though they've moved to a new location in #oakland, the quality of their fresh ingredients and the welcoming small business vibe remain the same. It's our four-year anniversary of dining here, and we couldn't be more grateful for this gem in our community. #eatlocal #ethiopianveganplatter read more

Cafe Colucci - Vegan Combination Platter (VG) House Injera Azifa (VG) Ethiopian Spiced Tea - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Food is always amazing! The new location is really nice and well decorated. It is my go to spot every time I'm in Berkeley. read more

Not the most attentive service. And the meat to veg ratio on the platter we ordered was quite skimpy. It's passable but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again. read more

Have gotten carry out a few times, and the food is always super fresh, beautifully seasoned, and I appreciate that Cafe Colucci takes special care to offer gluten free injera & options, so I can share with people in my life who are sensitive. The staff are also very friendly, attentive & feel very warm. The ambiance inside looks gorgeous-- I'd love to be able to stay and eat there sometime! Big thanks :) read more