Unless you grew up in Ethiopia or of Ethiopian descent, it really does matter which first Ethiopian restaurant you go to first because it has definitely influenced my preference for the style of how the dishes are cooked. And while this place was delicious, their cooking style isn't what I look for from certain dishes. We got the veggie and meat combo for 4 people (there were only three of us but we were really hungry) and an order of beef tibs. I personally like the tibs a little more sizzling and the onions a bit more caramelized. Of course that's just a preference. But things were great. Their iced tea was very unique and delicious. The employees were super nice but also a little absent. On a couple of occasions, I had to search for the server to ask for more water/iced tea/napkins/etc. But each time I found them, they were super nice and apologetic. It wasn't like they were particularly busy that night. Maybe it's just the culture of their restaurant. I get that as that's pretty much how it is in France. With that said, I would be happy to come back to this place if I happen to be in the area. read more

I've been here a few times and I have no complaints. The space is beautiful, the food is delicious, I've never been to Ethiopia but I'm pretty sure it feels, smells and taste like this. Tonight it's Veggie Combo and Vegetarian Sambussa read more

Cafe Romanat - Veggie Combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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Got the veggie platter and the chicken tibs and both dishes were very flavorful. I really liked the miser on the veggie platter and the injera was slightly thinner than what I've had from other restaurants and I appreciated that. This place is on the Michelin guide and I can see why. read more

Cafe Romanat - Veggie Combo and chicken Doro Tibs - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

We had the veggie platter and Bozena Shiro. Everything was so freakin' good! The Bozena Shiro looked like little pieces of cubes steak in a gooey cheese sauce. But when I tasted it it ended up being a creamy sauce with meat in it. The food is better than 2 other restaurants I tried in the area. I will warn though that our particular customer service experience was less than good. There was a table of non ethnic people (kids actually) who were waited on hand and foot and it took several times of me waving down the server and waiting for my order to be taken. I was very very disappointed. The food is great. I might try this place one more time but being treated fairly is important to me. This is the only reason I gave them a 3 star. read more

This is literally my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area! I take every single one of my friends here! At this point, I consider them family! The Buticha is unlike anything I have ever tasted in my life! It is like if hummus and butter had a baby but it is 100% VEGAN! I love their veggie combo but when I used to eat meat, I also loved their Doro and Lega Tibs! Go here! It is a wonderful family owned restaurant with great customer service and food! read more

Very tasty dishes and friendly service! We enjoyed the veggie and meat combos which exceeded my expectations - and the injera was hearty! There were some little gnatty things that were attracted to my housemade tej. It was delicious, so I can see the attraction! Would come back to try the coffees. read more

This is the 3rd ethiopian restaurant in this area by Lake Merritt that I have tried. It was the best one of any of the others. The honey wine felt pricy ($15 for the smallest glass), but it was the best I've ever had. I'm not sure what it traditionally tastes like, but this was just so good, a taste of honey but not overwhelmingly sweet, and just a bit of fermentation. A friend and I split the Shiro Combo, which as I understand it, is the same as the Veggie + Meat Combo but with (Mitten) Shiro. The Shiro was by far the stand out of the whole thing, and it was only an extra $2. Ethiopian family style plates generally all seem to be the same, but this place was just better. The food was so good, and the service was perfect. I'm writing this in hopes of drumming up business for this place, as we got there about 1 on a Saturday and there was only one or two other people. Very reasonable priced (just beware the honey wine price :), very clean, open and not cramped like many ethiopian places, and solid service. read more

I am officially addicted to this place. I have been going about three times a month now, for the lamb tibs and goman. Give them a try, you won't regret it! read more

This was my first time using Yelp for delivery and I'm not convinced I'd do it again. I was feeling lazy and didn't want to walk three blocks. For me it took along time and the guy couldn't keep the food upright as he carried it, spilling the oil all over the bag. The food was hot and good though. I had the Mushroom tibs, all veg meal. There was plenty of injera and it was filling with a crisp fresh lettuce salad well dressed to wake up the tastebuds every few bites. read more

Came here on a Sunday afternoon. It was quiet but service was great! Food was fresh and served hot. Was absolutely impressed by how flavorful each item tasted. Would definitely recommend! read more

Cafe Romanat - Mixed Veggie Combo and Meat Combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

So grateful to be sharing this review. I've had a plenty Ethiopian restaurants in the East Bay and by far Cafe Romant is the best and actually the only one I spend money with now. I have only had their veggie combo and veggie sambusas. The combo is packed with flavor, comfort, and the right amount of spice. My mouth waters just from the thought of the warm and filling meal. The injera bread is freshly made and comes w/ all meals. The sambusas are nice and crispy on the outside packed w/ spicy lentils on the inside. Served with fresh humus and a simple yet delicious side salad. The honey wine is delicious and a great addition. The prices are STEEP Almost $35 for my veggie combo + veggie sambusas. For that reason alone I only treat myself once a month. The location can be tricky If you're not familiar w/ the area. It's right across from Grand Lake Theater on the side where the freeway begins. There are maybe five metered parking spots in front. But plenty on Grand. Their hours have changed since SIP unfortunately. They are only open for a few hours during the week and all day Sat & Sun. The decor is beautiful inside with so many amazing African paintings and baskets on display. Of course the inside is closed In these covid times but the side door is where you can pick up and place orders. *I always call ahead. They have sanitizer and the employee practices social distance. My favorite vegan meal in Oakland. read more

Delicious amazing food. We ordered the sambusas and misir wot and it was perfect. We have been coming here for years and it is always good. read more

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Delicious authentic food!! I love their salad dressing!!! Everything was delicious. I ordered Gomen beşiğan and tibs. I wish they put more injera. read more

Delicious food in a wonderful place. Enjoy the service and ambiance. I've been there several times and it has been consistently great!!!

I really enjoyed the food, service, and wine from the restaurant. It's one of my favorite spots when I visit Oakland. read more

Cafe Romanat - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

A go-to for me in Oakland! Everything *consistently* tastes super fresh and the portions are always generous. I go about every other month for dine in or take out and my regular order is the Gomen basega w/ chicken (chicken is always well seasoned and juicy) and the veggie combo. Leftovers last me 2-3 additional meals. The atmosphere is always relaxed and cozy. read more

Everybody has their favourite place, but mine was closed so I tried a new place! It was amazing food, good portions, good prices. They were also very friendly and fast:) read more

Excellent food, very friendly staff and reasonable prices. You really can't go wrong here.

So, this place is really great. Its clean, the service is awesome, the beer selection is solid AND you can have them do a coffee ceremony for you here, i'm not sure what that is but i want to have one. The food is absolutely delicious. I got the veggie combo. It's my new favorite dish in the area. I'm excited. Great food is exciting. Come here and eat this. It will make you happy. read more

Cafe Romanat - Veggie combo. Amazing. - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

This place has delicious food and great service but the best part of this wonderful establishment is that you are treated like family. We came to eat on 5/15 with my wife, kids and my 92 year old mother. They made her a special plate for mom when she said she didn't like spicy food. They explained each dish and they really made sure we had an unforgettable meal. I really recommend this place for great food and a great time. read more

A real hidden gem of a restaurant in Oakland. Be prepared to eat with your hands. No utensils! Enjoy the ethnic experience of using the bread provided to pick up the various delicacies offered you. The way to go is the meat and veggie combo (reads like a pizza special). Included are a chicken stew, a lamb stew, and a meaty collard green dish, plus a red lentil dish, a hummus offering, another bean dish, and a salad. Plenty to try and share, in portions for one, two, or four diners. Everything quite tasty and a unique dining experience, as well as insight into Ethiopian culture. No reservations needed. read more

Overcooked beef tibs, small portion. I just left, keep your food. Never again and I mean Never! $19 for that you must be out of your mind! Don't state it's medium rare when it's cooked to a tough mess. Stick to Abesha, they can cook. read more

Cafe Romanat - The measly, cheap overcooked portion, not at all good. - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

I hate going against the grain here, and not giving it a glowing review, but it's a solid option by Lake Merritt. Fresh for sure, but I found the veggie platter for 2 to be pretty basic and small as Ethiopian veggie platters go especially when charging $28. Ya fill up on the injera, but not actually a lot of veggie substance. What i really enjoyed was the Mitten Shiro which we added as an additional plate. Served in a cast iron pot, this was warm and flavorful. The space itself is actually pretty cool. A large spot, with a bar and a sort of sun tea room where you can sit on the floor and enjoy some Ethiopian tea and eats. Definitely come and check it out if you are a lover of Ethiopian. I do think there's better out there, but it's still pretty dang good! read more

Haven't ordered from this place in a long time. Was looking forward to it only to find out that they don't open Caviar delivery until 5 PM even though the restaurant is open now at 3:30 PM. She suggested I order through GrubHub but I have dash pass for a reason why would I spend $49 on $22 worth of food? Because that's how much it was after all of the fees on grubhub!!! a bit bewildered, and confused what's the purpose of delivery services if you only utilize certain ones at certain hours... not very inclusive or accommodating I will not be robbed by GrubHub just because y'all don't want to open Caviar menu for another hour and a half. That being said, the food is delicious If you've never had Ethiopian, I suggest going in person read more

My Ethiopian friend recommended Cafe Romanat, and me and my partner have been in love ever since, its one of our main go-to restaurants. I love Ethiopian food and this restaurant is by far my favorite Ethiopian food in the Bay. It is delicious, great service, fast, fresh and sooo tasty. I always get veggie combo and we were told to try the mushroom tibs. I can''t recommend this place enough!! 10/10 highly recommend :) read more

In the area, Cafe Romanat, imo, is your best bet for Ethiopian food. Do I get the same things every time? Yes. But they're delicious and the portions are extremely generous so I don't mess with what's already perfect. If I go alone I get the veggie combo and always have enough to take home and make into another meal. If I go with another person we split the veggie combo (honestly the version for 1 person is enough with a drink and appetizer), the Timatim Fitfit- which is kind of a moist, spicy, soaked injera that's sooo good, but I've heard the Buticha is really good, too, and to drink if it's cold I get a hot tea and if it's warm the seed smoothie is soooo good and filling and healthy. Service is pretty meh. From being sat to getting your order taken or even just being noticed, I've never had a banner experience but man, the food is good. Also, if you think you might need to use the restroom, don't sleep on it because there's just one restroom and people like to camp out in there. I recently saw that they're on Uber Eats and the delivery is impeccable- still warm, great take out portion, and again, the veggie combo for one got me through over 2 meals, making that hefty Uber Eats delivery charge worth considering. read more

I've been coming here for many years but now their food portions have gotten too small and their prices keep going up. I know restaurants have gone up in price but they need to keep their portions the same. read more

This place is pretty solid and a great option for vegetarians. The mushroom tibs was sooo good! Only gave 4 stars because service was really slow. read more

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Revisited Cafe Romanat and I noticed the serving sizes were back to their norm . Thank you Cafe Romanat for providing great service and quality food ! read more

Really fantastic and authentic Ethiopian food. This is now my go to spot any time I want Ethiopian in the east bay. The staff really enjoy talking about Ethiopian culture too which I appreciate read more

Cafe Romanat - We ordered several meat and veggie items that aren't on the meat veggie combo we usually get. - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

I have eaten at several ethiopian restaurants here in the east bay and i am proud to say that Cafe Romanat is proudly in my rotation and my go to for ethiopian food. The flavors provides an extreme delight to the buds of my taste. Veggie combo - yellow, red, green give it all to me! Mushroom Sega with chicken - Great flavor good heat and spice Sambusa - fried to perfection Buticha - Buticha! Nough said Kitfo special - dont sleep and get it raw, if you're lucky! True Cafe romanat fans know what i mean Every order comes with salad and buticha complimentary. Buticha is soo addictive you'll want to order extra. There is a bit of inconsistency with flavors of the dishes when you order from one day to another and may not taste EXACTLY the same as the last time you ordered but it has never been disappointing. I don't mean this as a negative at all and im no chef but you can tell they put love in the spices as a recipe. The prices are steep but you can definitely feed a family with two or three orders. read more

Went there with partner and two friends who are vegetarian. Ordered two veggie platters, one with zero spice, and one with regular spice. Both were delicious. (The "zero" spice hummus was still slightly too spicy for two of my friends.) I ordered the raw kitfo and loved it - beef was delicious with just the right amount of heat. All of the portions were very generous. We were all hungry when we arrived and even still there were some food left to take some home. (I would estimate at least 1.5lbs of beef in the Kitfo plate) I'll be back soon! read more

This spot is GOOD. It's the best Ethiopian we've had and that's saying something -- the East Bay is blessed with many great Ethiopian restaurants. It's right across the street from Grand Lake Theater, and is the perfect place to grab a meal before seeing your movie. We ordered the Shiro combo (vegetarian) and the Yebere which are tender beef tips. Both were excellent. The Shiro is a house specialty, and you shouldn't leave without ordering and giving it a try. It is a stew made primarily from chickpeas and is delicious. Everything is served family style on injera bread, which was tangy and had a nice complementary flavor. One thing to note is that their dishes tend to run on the spicier end of the spectrum, even if you say medium. We liked the kick, but if you are sensitive, make sure to tell them to scale it back. The staff is extremely friendly, ask them for some of their favorite dishes and they will gladly give you some tips to help you make your selections. It felt like you were invited over to be a guest at a family meal. My only minor nit is that the prices seemed a bit higher than what I was expecting. If the entrees were $1-2 cheaper, it'd be *perfect*. read more

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This restaurant was amazing! My husband and I had never had Ethiopian food before so we had no idea what to expect. We ordered the Atakilt, beef alicha, and chicken tibs and it was beyond delicious. The injera is my new favorite bread! The tang and softness was amazing! If we ever come back to Oakland, definitely going to revisit this place!! read more

Not sure how I've gotten away with not reviewing Cafe Romanat! An Ethiopian coworker recommended this restaurant over the countless other Ethiopian restaurants in the area, so I took her word for it 2 years ago, and haven't looked back. We love coming here, and reserve it for special occasions like Valentine's Day and good days at work. The food is super consistent and fresh. We love the veggie platter, and I love the chicken and beef tibs. The ambiance is always nice - it's intimate and quiet. Perfect for a date or a catch up with a good friend. If you haven't already had Ethiopian food before, I highly recommend coming and trying one of the combo platters - either the veggie one, or the veggie + meat combo, and giving it a whirl. Their food is high quality, high flavor, and service is on point. read more

Cafe Romanat - Two orders of veggie combo on a round injera - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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So happy they are open during COVID and have a great system set up with pickup that you don't have to go inside for! Vegetarian special is delicious and feeds 2. So affordable and quick. read more

This was my first time trying Ethiopian food and it did not disappoint! I had no expectations coming in here and the food was amazing! The portions are huge here especially if it was for one person. I couldn't even finish half of it! I got the veggie combo togo since this was during Covid-19, but even eating it an hour later after getting it was really good. The staff was really friendly and although I only walked through the restaurant to pay for about a minute, the interior is really nice and homey. I love it! Nothing bad about it :) read more

Cafe Romanat - Veggie Combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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Cute spot. Stopped in yesterday for a late lunch/early dinner and sat at the bar. I ordered Tej and the bartender was very courteous and attentive. So I went in on a meat sampler, and also a kitfo. Yup, two meals. My intentions were to pick at everything and take a meal's worth home. No dice... that shit was so good I DEVOURED all of it. The meat sampler consisted of Yebeg Wot, Gomen Besega and Doro Wot. Oddly the Doro Wot didn't come with an egg, but the Berbere was so dope and the chicken excellently prepared that I didn't care. Both the Yebeg Wot and Gomen Besega were also tight. Let's talk Kitfo... it was immense. Seriously the largest serving of Kitfo I've ever. It was seasoned very well (although I'd never argue with a little extra mitmita on the side). Did I mention they served a fucking mountain of Kitfo?!! I also really enjoyed the Tej... not as crazy sweet as some of them. Oh yeah, I finished with a coffee. Perfect. Oakland peeps, she's a winner. Go. read more

Cafe Romanat - This is happiness. #kitfo #tej #yebegWot #gomenBesega #doroWot - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

After participating in the Oakland Running Festival, my family and I were in need of filling our bellies. After all, my husband just ran half a marathon. I spotted this place out of the corner of my eye as we were headed back to the car and we decided to give it a try. What can I say as the food really did hit the spot! YUM! We ordered the meat & veggie combo, Ethiopian Style Pale Ale, Homemade Honey Wine & Ethiopian Iced Coffee to wash all the goodness down. No complaints from us. We'll definitely return again when we're in the area. read more

Cafe Romanat - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

The food was as great as ever tonight. And three of us had five of the special roasted seed drinks. My favorite is the sunflower seed. I had them put a little less honey in it. Amazing. Not sure I understood but it seems to have the honey wine in it. The shiro veg combo was amazing. read more