Since living on the west coast I have had few home cooked meals, so E'Njoni Cafe is a breath of fresh air. E'Njoni Cafe is my comfort spot. I am a pretty strict vegetarian, so I don't have many restaurants that I approve of. I go here when I need a beautiful home cooked meal or am homesick. I love Ethiopian food as well. Their food tastes fresh, and the service is very hospitable. I take all my friend to E'Njoni when they are in town. read more

Glacially slow service. Be prepared ahead of time and bring War and Peace so you can knock it out before your meal.

Wait for food was way too long. Came at opening and the wait time exceeds an hour and a half. Food was not worth the time waiting

I love this place. The space is comfortable, bathrooms clean, staff very friendly, food delicious and they have a big menu.

So upset with this restaurant. I usually order a veggie plate and enjoy the five different dishes. Although they are small amounts it still tastes amazing. I don't like that they put the bread on the bottom of the food for it to get soggy! After the veggie platter I tried two dishes by themselves. I was shocked when the portion size was the same for the veggie platter! You'd think if you spend more money you'd get more food to eat but no. This restaurant is cheap and likes to skimp customers out of money. I was not offered anything to resolve this. In fact I called the restaurant and the lady said she would refund me but never reached back out. I'm not overweight, I'm not obese. I work out and live a healthy vegan lifestyle so I like to enjoy food vegan food from time to time. I will never order from this restaurant again. If you use Uber eats, go to door dash instead! This looks like 1 potato cut up and barely a half a cup of yams. For 15 dollars? I can create a whole feast with that. This restaurant is a JOKE. read more

E'Njoni Cafe - Yams and potatoes with carrots. Kid size. - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

You can get delivery via GrubHub which is a plus, but when I ordered the Kitfo and made a note to keep it "raw", my order showed up with fully-cooked Kitfo. If that's the policy for delivery, they should at least make a note on the ordering page so I know to order something else instead. The okra veggie plate was great, and the fish was good also, though we would have preferred more sauce to make better use of the extra injera we ordered. read more

Really good, authentic Ethiopian food. Everything we had was great. Perfect for vegetarians, and the kids really enjoyed eating with their hands. The teff bread got soggy really quick, but I think that's the nature of teff bread. They used good Covid safety measures and were really sweet and friendly. read more

We asked if they could do gluten-free and they assured us that they could. However, when we got home with the food everything was wrapoed up in the wheaty injera. So, I was left without a Valentine's Day dinner. I am not sure why they didn't put the injera in one case and the entrees in the other. Instead, we were given rice on the side and yet more injera! It would be awesome if they made a gluten-free injera or did not wrap everything up in the injera when we specifically stated that one of us is gluten-free. In addition the actual vegan feast was disappointing. Basically, it was mainly injera and beets. The good spinach and lentils were given in tablespoon proptions while they dumped a truckload of beets on the injera. The beets were not good. Worst Valentine's food ever! I like the Sengetra much better even with the uncomfortable music there. Won't be back! 33.00 is far too much to pay for beets and bread! read more

I ordered a catered lunch for my office from E'Njoni Cafe and it was a HUGE HIT! Sonya was such a joy to work with and created the perfect menu, meeting all our dietary limitations while helping us stay within budget as well. Everyone has been raving about the food and we will definitely, definitely be ordering again. :) Thank you Sonya for an incredible lunch!!! read more

If you've never had the pleasure of having ethiopian food you are missing out. I can't praise E'Njoni Cafe enough, it's so good. We went out of a protest of sorts, FB post from a ignorant bozo asking "what do they even eat in Ethiopia? rocks and dirt?" First of all, Ew. don't say things like this, its abhorrent, and just stupid. It shows really how poorly educated you are, and that you have zero understanding of the world outside of your little puffy vest psl life. Secondly, Ethiopian food is so, so, good. Albeit my experience is limited to a handful of times and only 4 restaurants it's always a dance on my pallet. Don't be scurred, it's fantastic, but if you are, here's some tips: It's family style, however you want to interpret that is fine, but it come on one big dish of injera ( a fermented -*don't be scared*- teff flat bread that's gluten free!) and all the delicious veggies and meats are on top of it. go in a big group of people who like to share, like someone else said, get the veggie combo and a couple of meat dishes. you eat with your hand using the Injera. The bread on it's own tastes really sour, but the magic combo of the different items wrapped in injera are what make the flavors work awesomely together. you can use the extra pieces they bring you until you eat up a sizeable portion of the things on the plate, then you get to eat the plate injera that's soaked up all the delicious spices. I'm not sure if that's correct, I think maybe you can just eat the plate injera but that's how we did it. We had a wide variety and everything was so flavorful, with awesome textures and mouth feels. The must haves - kerker - hibiscus tea with pineapple so good it was like a dessert plantains - beautifully caramelized w/a cold lentil (azifa) salad amazing fish tibs - flaky tilapia in a rich spicy brown sauce beets - chopped beets yummm TimTimo - red lentils Gel Tibs - really flavorful, i'm not sure how spicy it normally is because we had to get it mild. Beg Tibs - spicy!! and tender and delicious We got many items but those were the stand outs for me. Even though I just ate here, i'm dreaming of the flavors as i'm writing this. so go forth baby foodies! expand your palettes! This place is a treasure! read more

Such an awesome experience here. The lady boss runs the whole place on a Sunday afternoon. Excellent South African wine selection. Food was tasty but not overpowering. Warm and attentive service... feels like home;) read more

E'Njoni is a great little spot for some Ethiopian food. It's good for smaller groups as well. I appreciate the quaint environment it provides. I have had both the vegan platter here and the buffet and both were good. It's definitely one of my favorite Ethiopian spots. read more

E'Njoni Cafe - vegan sampler for one with 5 different dishes. so good! - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

My husband and I have loved this place for years! Great people run it and work there. The food is fantastic and the prices are a deal!

I had never tried Ethiopian food before. Yes, I managed to make it to the ripe old age of *cough* before ever tasting the wonders of Ethiopian cuisine. Why did I wait this long?! My dude decided it was time to break this terrible record. He has been to Ethiopia, and he informed me of 3 very important things: 1) Warm fuzzies. Most Ethiopian places have wait staff that are so incredibly warm and inviting, you will feel like you're a guest in their own home. 2) The injera must be good. When it's bad, it's bad. It can taste like soapy water, and that's not how it's supposed to taste at all. 3) Eat the eyeb at the end of the meal. We walked into this place and were promptly greetd by the owner. I must have looked quite perplexed at the menu, because he asked if we had ever had Ethiopian food. I admitted that I had not, and my dude confessed that he had been to Ethiopia and he was a big fan of the cuisine. I ordered the gel tibs, and in complete newb fashion, I pronounced them "jel" like Jello when in fact the G is more like "gale". Oops. The owner kindly didn't correct me on my blunder. He offered to bring out a bunch of the veggie sides so we could try everything. Excellent! Once the food arrived, I have to say I was skeptical. But, being an adventurous eater, I decided to give it a fair shot. From that moment forward, ladies and gentlemen, I was HOOKED. Everything on that entire plate was delicious! I tried combinations of things, we added some of the spice on the side, and I thoroughly enjoyed that food! We ordered some eyeb for the last part of the meal. Since I sometimes have stomach issues, this was a wise, wise choice. The eyeb calmed my everything down after introducing such foreign flavors to my unsuspecting stomach. All in all, this was a fan-TASTIC meal! The owner was engaging, and you can tell he is truly dedicated to his restaurant. I highly recommend this place. The only reason we haven't been back is because we moved out of state. read more

I'm no expert on Ethiopian/Eriterean/African cuisine. But I can certainly tell when: ) The potatoes are served hard. ) The okra is tough and fibrous. ) The lentils are semi-boiled. ) The menu did indicate the berbere sauce to be medium spicy. But it was really watered down which was very disappointing. The beets and cabbage were only A-okay, nothing notable. In short, the 5 veggie combo was a major fail. The service was friendly. Their special spicy sauce was very nice. But unless they pull up their socks and serve tastier food, I don't see myself returning here when a craving for Ethiopian food hits. read more

Everyone who works here is extremely friendly. Food is so delicious. I've ordered the veggie feast and the 5 veggie combo a couple of times. Veggie feast fed my friend and I until we were comfortable full, with some left overs. The 5 veggie combo with the lentil (aziki) salad on the side makes out to be 2 full meals for me, and for about 20 bucks it's totally reasonable. Their teas are great too. Overall one of my favorite restaurants in the area. Never disappoints. read more

I *LOVE* Ethiopian food... I mean I really love it. I love that Injera made with Teff is gluten-free. I love the spices. I love the eating with your hands. I love the wonderfully complex flavors you can get out of a relatively simple dish like Doro Wat. I experienced these things from many great restaurants in Washington DC for five years... so I'm no novice here. My problems with the E'Njoni Cafe were threefold: 1) My food was served lukewarm... and we're talking about meat dishes that I *know* are served warm. I mean, it's sitting on Injera, cooling down the bread -- it was just wholly unappetizing. Pretty sure Gordon Ramsay would have said 'simply awful'. What kind of chef sends his hot food out when it's cold? 2) The food was pretty unfortunately bland. I know I live in Portland now, land of relative whiteness (sorry, but it's not NYC, DC, Chicago, or Boston in terms of diversity by a LONG shot) -- but for crying out loud, that doesn't mean I'm lacking in tastebuds. Not to say that the food wasn't flavorful at all -- just not spicy in the least. I've had spicier Italian food. 3) The service is set up like all you're going to do there is use the buffet (if you're following me here, this means that it felt like self-service). I had to ask for more water multiple times as waitstaff passed me by -- seeming absorbed in something completely not related to customers. I think this is one of the few times I haven't tipped at least 20% in years. There's better Ethiopian food in this city folks -- food that will treat you like a real adult and not some fussy toddler deserving of bland, lukewarm food. Try the food carts downtown. The woman who owns Emame's actually makes both gluten-free (Teff-only) Injera in the traditional style and "regular" Injera with wheat in it by hand -- you can watch her do it. The food was warmer, tastier, and the service was better -- AT A FOOD CART! Sorry E'Njoni, I see no reason to come back. read more

First time eating Ethiopian food absolutely fell in love with it. The food was fantastic and I will definitely be a repeat customer. Thanks for the great food it brightened my day. read more

I LOVE E'Njoni Cafe. And I know Ethiopian food. While it's not quite the experience of eating individually and lovingly prepared doro wat in your friend's kitchen, it's the closest thing I've found in Portland. The veggie combos are to die for. The greens, the lentils, the split peas, the potatoes, the beets ... everything is top notch. Homey, satisfying, drool-worthy. Well-spiced, but not too spicy. For people who are new to Ethiopian food, a tip: Please eat the injera that's been soaking up all the delicious juices of the dishes you've enjoyed. That's the best part of the meal--dirty, sticky hands down. I think I've just worked up an appetite, thinking about E'Njoni. Go there. Go there now. read more

Oh, hallelujah. Although lots of people want to frame DC as the most terrible of cities in the U.S., it has one thing going for it - terrific Ethiopian food. I've been happy with the prevalence of Ethiopian restaurants in Portland but had been wary about trying any of them. Finally, after a few failed attempts to eat at E'Njoni, three of my friends and I made it there on Saturday. From start to finish, the entire experience was wonderful. We were seated by the owner (I believe) and were thrilled to find so many vegan options on the menu. All of their soups are vegan (!) as are all of their vegetarian dishes. We started with tea. Two sampled the roobios and I had the shahi, both of which I can highly recommend. The shahi was delicately spiced and perfect for the bitterly cold day. Three of us wanted the same thing - the vegetarian combo platter. So we asked for it to be served family style. It arrived on a huge plate with a layer of injera on the bottom and generous helpings of a chickpea and vegetable stew, beet salad, cooked greens in garlic and spices, lentils, and a cabbage curry of sorts. Everything was absolutely wonderful. The lentils were flavorful, the beet salad mildly sweet and refreshing, and everything was hot and filling. We were given more injera when we ran out (which happened quite frequently!) The highlight for me, though, was the cup of peanut/yam soup that I ordered. Thick, rich, creamy, and absolutely delicious. The owner described it as her comfort food and I'm in complete agreement. It was reasonably priced and we walked away with a full box of leftovers. I can even overlook the fact that the owner made fun of us for not being able to scoop up large amounts of the food with small pieces of injera. Clearly we fail at Ethiopian food consumption, short of the quantity we were able to pack away. And the owner called me "dear!" Humor fails me on this review. It's just a lovely place and staffed by kind, friendly people. I will be back again and again. read more

If it possible to give 0 star I would give them 0 star worst customer service. Food is very small The clerk said the food is small because he thought we are not from Ethiopia but honesty it good food. read more

Great value, and grindage served up fit for a Nubian King.... or Queen! This place has been open for.....let's see, about 5 years now, just a stone's throw from PCC's ghetto-fabulous Cascade campus (I throw no stones, btw, I took many a class there. Fonky is as Fonky-Fonky does, so might as well be bold with it). Lunch buffets are available Fri and Sat for a very reasonable $10, and again ALL-DAY Sunday for $14. None of this info can be found on their website... that's why I'm here to articulate that which oughta be articulated. You know, for the greater good of the community, 'n sh*t. Good Lord though--- the food at those buffets! Beef and Chicken and Fish (mainly Tilapia) and Lamb and curries and sauteed smorgasborgs of spicy veggies. You will definitely not leave their buffet hungry, though you'll probably see fit to drop a little more coin for some adult beverages (they have wine and hard liquor to anesthetise your sweet agony from that wicked spicy food! So go ahead and have a libation or two-- you are Royalty now, after all, remember???) The sign out front states clearly that the restaurant is African and "Mediterranean" cuisine, and try not to let the geographics confuse you. Just 'cos Ethiopia isn't directly adjacent to the Mediterranean these days, doesn't mean they were not influenced by empires of old. Ancient Ethiopia was of course significant larger than modern political boundaries, but was nonetheless under colonial rule for centuries by various powers, ancient and modern-times. The cuisine is still reflective of those long-standing, far-reaching empirialist days, from the falafel wraps and hummus plates, to the french baguettes they cheerfully provide on request. I found their falafel wrap a delicious bargain at $5, and accompanied by a small cup of their spicy peanut-yam soup, my eternal quest for satiation was thusly over.... .....for a couple of hours, any ways! But don't take my word for it--- check out that big bad buffet---see if it don't make you famous! The friendly staff will truly treat you like royalty, or better yet, like you're part of the family. Stay thirsty, my friend... read more

100+ reviews and 4.5 stars on yelp led us to trying this place a second time in three years. Sadly, our second time at E'Njoni cafe went worse than the first. The first time three years ago was slow, and mediocre compared to the Ethiopian we had been spoiled by on the East coast --- enough that we wrote the place off. The second time last Friday was ..... well, here's the story, make of it what you will: We waited 45+ minutes for food that never arrived. So I don't know if the food has gotten better. We were denied the chance to find out. We had made apparently the cardinal error of ordering "the lamb" with our veggie combo. Thing is - for whatever reason, if it is going to take that long, I think the customers could easily be made aware of the unusual wait in advance. But what made it worse was that during the inexplicable, seemingly interminable wait - as most people who had arrived after us were being served their food - we didn't get any attention from the two servers working the floor that night. Not until we got up to leave that is, at which point we were offered take-outs. The place still appears to be family run even though it was much busier this time. One suggestion for the owner(s) cuz I am a good Samaritan: consider hiring extra help or at least one good one, for the high volume nights. So folks: if you are thinking of ordering the lamb, please bring snacks/drinks to tide you over through the wait. read more

Healthy, vegan/vegetarian friendly, and the tea pots are awesome! The service was warming and relaxed. My fiancé and I stayed for about 2 hours just to talk. The atmosphere is chill for sure. I would definitely recommend this place for a quick lunch buffet or a nice intimate dinner. Thanks guys! read more

E'Njoni Cafe - The lunch buffet was perfect! Injera bread for days, okra, lentils, stews, all of it is worth seconds and maybe thirds :). - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Love this place. The vibes, the people, the food - everything perfect :-) ps: great for vegans!! read more

So so soooo good. I came across their name on an msn article for the best buffets in Oregon and was not disappointed. The food was awesome read more

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Any restaurant where I can eat amazing food with my hands and share a great time with friends is off to a running start. When you factor in the tasteful decor and ultra-friendly owners, I'm sold. Hands-in-the-platter, this is the best Ethiopian food I've ever eaten. The vegetarian platter alone was fabulous, but throw in some lamb and chicken curry and...well...sometimes sharing isn't ALL good. read more

The reason for my low rating is the service/wait and the cleanliness. The food was decent, good as any other place on that strip. But going to the bathroom made me feel like I was in a 3rd world country or a totally nasty ghetto restaurant. So dirty! The hallway with the bathroom had missing and broken ceiling tiles that were stained with water damage, mold, and you could see rusty corroded pipes above them. There was trash, empty boxes, mop bucket all dirty, burnt out lights, just a mess of nastyness in the hall way to observe while waiting for my turn in the absolutely discusting restroom. I felt like I needed a tetnus shot when I was done. I was quite worried about eating there after that. But I was with a group and didn't want to be rude so I made a mental note to take some pennicillin when I got home. We also had to wait about 40 minutes for food to come out. So needless to say, I would never go back! read more

Best taste of East Africa in Portland please visit y'all the veggie plates are the way to go if you want to be a healthy vegan!

Felt like absolute royalty dining at E'Njoni on a stormy Sunday afternoon. My girlfriend and I had inadvertently found ourselves listening to more Mulatu Astatqe than usual recentl. We're deadly obsessed with Ethiopian food at the best of times, but we just had to go out in search of Ethiopian in our neighborhood. So glad we found E'Njoni! Even the ice water dunking we received when we stepped out our front door was not enough to dampen our spirits. Within five minutes of sitting down, we were blissfully steaming - one with a glass of House Red, one with a pot of sweet Chahi. Had the place to ourselves for a moment, due to the insane weather. Had a chance to chit-chat with the wonderful hostess, who gave us the lowdown on some of the dishes, and the history of the restaurant. H. settled on Sira Zigni and I went for Alitcha Dorho, all of which is served on one family-style platter. If you haven't had the pleasure, Ethiopian food is traditionally served on a pillowy flatbread, called Injera. The food is eaten with your hands, using rolls of Injera on the side, which you use to scoop up the meats and salads. The Injera was the perfect texture, and we had just enough for our meal. While it was all perfect, I died a little when we tucked into the Injera the meats had been served in. My eyes are crossing, 24 hours later, thinking of pillowy flatbread, like the most heavenly savory hotcakes you didn't realize your life was missing, basted in tangy, rich, hearty Zigni sauce. Everything was absolutely perfect for our first visit at E'Njoni! We'd been having a little bit of a rough morning - turned it around 100%. We felt like Kings and Queens as we ran the rest of our errands, and felt super loving and creative for the rest of the day. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION! read more

You are sure to get great service and very flavorful foods here. I love E'Njoni. It's Ethiopian with a Mediterranean influence. The aromas, the spices, the colors... Ah... Ethiopian food is definitely a glorious experience for your senses. I don't believe there is anything I don't like here. I often order an array of dishes for our company meetings, so we're a little spoiled. I really enjoy ordering Ethiopian because I'm able to cover my meat eaters as well as my vegetarians without having to put much thought into it. I usually pick a Beef Entree, Chicken Entree, Lamb Entree, and about 3 veggie options (Lentils, Split Peas, Potatoes, etc), and then make that order for about 50 people. Sonya is great to work with and can easily offer some recommendations for you. This is usually the conversation I have with most of our employees the day before our monthly meeting: Employee: "What's for lunch tomorrow?" Me: "Ethiopian." Employee: "Where from?" Me: "E'Njoni." Employee: "Oooo. I like that place." I usually do that song and dance about 45-50 times. I'd actually like to make it over there for their Coffee Ceremony. It's on my list of things to do :-). read more

I feel kind of bad giving this place 3 stars, having only dined here once, and seeing so many 5 stars. But I must stick to my guns. I went on a Sunday to try out the buffet. $15 a person is a little spendy for Ethiopian food, but, hey, it's a buffet, and I was expecting more interesting, perhaps higher quality, than other Ethiopian food in the city. It was a pretty busy night, and we took seats at tables right on the path to the buffet, so things were hectic. The lighting was much brighter than I would prefer at any restaurant, and am I really accustomed to a more serene environment for Ethiopian. The owners/workers were extremely sweet, but despite that fact that pretty much everyone was eating the buffet, I had to aggressively seek out a water refill. But I have previously defended slow service, and that wasn't the issue for me. At least a star and a half were lost when I found that the buffet was to be on paper plates. I mean, the more rigid ones, not the floppy kind, but still. I don't know if that is the norm for them or if they were having some dishwasher crisis, but eating off chinette kind of gets me disappointed from the start. The inerja was stone cold, laid out with some saran wrap over it. The buffet selections were all tasty enough, but nothing that wowed me or seemed particularly different, and very, very, very bland all around. This is an establishment I really wish the best for. Unfortunately my dining experience left me satiated but unimpressed. I may try it again, but it's likely I'll just go back to my standby, Dalo's. read more

As a recent transplant from Los Angeles, I have been to the restaurants in Little Ethiopia many times and can tell you that this place is just as good if not better than many of those places. The Mediterranean flare makes their selection a little bit different from your standard Ethiopian place, and while I love Ethiopian dishes I appreciated the variety. The beet salad, particularly, is divine. I just looks like minced beets but normally I don't like beets and I don't know what they did to them but they were so good, especially with injera (bread). We got the veggie platter which had some of the standard veggie dishes as well as the beet salad and a cold lentil salad. We also got an additional dish with mushrooms and onions which was nice and spicy (we asked for medium level spice). They have three different mushroom-based veggie dishes that I've never seen in other Ethiopian places. I can't wait to go back and try the others, I love mushrooms! Ethiopian uses no egg or dairy so it's also vegan friendly, however they do use honey as sweetener so make sure to ask if you're getting something sweet such as the flax shake or a bakery item. If you like honey, they have honey wine (mead) even though it's not on the wine list, and it's a lovely way to finish off a meal. The staff were friendly and accommodating, and I loved the informal but attractive atmosphere of the place. Five stars!! read more

Hmm.. I guess this food might pass for ok if I was of a different cultural background and not familiar with how good real Ethiopian dishes are, as opposed to "Ethiopian" food being prepared by Mexicans. The Ethiopian owners need to stay true to real Ethiopian cooking instead of preying on the ignorance of anglo-american adventurers by serving sub-par food. In summary: DRY unmarinated chicken, HARD undercooked yellow split peas and lentils, food was not seasoned very well; the menu is questionable eg why would you only serve Doro Wot on special holidays??? It's a typical Ethiopian dish very simple to make!). No gomen? I would give a zero star if allowed. The fish was not too bad. Totally disappointing though. PS.. It wasn't just us. When I mentioned this place to my ethi friends they chastized me for going here..It's pretty well-known that this is NOT the spot for real good ethi food (look around when you're in there and see if you see any). read more

I love Ethiopian food and remember when this place first opened a few years back. I went in there with my son and had a pretty good time. The food isn't the best Ethiopian I've had and the atmosphere isn't the warmest. Don't get me wrong, it's comfortable but I don't feel 'swept away' which I kinda like to feel @ ethnic joints. What keeps me coming back, though, is the owner. From day one, she's remembered my son and always walks over to say hello. Big points in my book. The Ethiopian beer is tasty and the beet salad is amazing. read more

I love Ethiopian food! This cafe was good but not great.. their portion size was pretty small but delicious.. I just wanted there to be a little bit more on the platter.. we like it saucy! Also it was freezing in here.. it's cold outside and when you dine out you wanna be comfortable and feel cozy.. not keep your coat on the whole time.. So, turn up the heat and pour on the sauce to make this a 5 star experience for me. read more

Remember the first time you had Ethiopian food? I know I always will. Not only because my first experience was last week, but it really set the standard ridiculously high. After a week of eating Caribbean food on my vacation (My fave! And we have almost none in Hawaii!), my friend Jen T. demanded that I try something other than Caribbean. So I headed on Yelp and looked through the catagories. "Hmmm. Ethiopian?" I click on E'Njoni's website (is two apostrophes correct?) and we see this adorably cheesy video from some new station doing a little review on E'Njoni. We ordered the 5 veggies plate and the 3 veggie plate to cover all grounds on trying the different veggie options. We ordered the raw beef dish, Kitfo, which concerned the owner who was taking our order. He really wanted to know what we were getting ourselves into. But c'mon! We're from Hawaii! HAWAII, LAND OF RAW FISH. I also ordered the tea that was featured in that video on the website. The injera was an amazing canvas to paint my food onto. Everything I ate was a master work. But the most amazing was the Kitfo beef. That was like the fucking Mona Lisa of food. Spicy, tender, melt-in-your mouth, can't-get-enough RAW BEEF. Like Jen T. said, this is a dish I DARE NOT PREPARE AT HOME. The service was insanely friendly, we had some nice long ongoing conversations with the owner and his wife. She comped us on a Napoleone dessert because Jen T. and Lyle M. knew their son. WOOT! Hook ups! Now whenever I go off-island, I'm totally gonna look for two things. Caribbean food and Ethiopian food. read more

I was first introduced to ethiopian/eretrian food in San Francisco and i loved the spices and the care in which it was cooked. When I moved to Portland we went to the brew fest or the "Taste of Portland" and I got a combo plate from "horn of Africa" and have (very sadly) never been to another Ethiopian place in Portland... Shame on me... I am a horrible person and I deserve to be punished! The food at E'Njoni is fantastic! At least as good as HOA, if not better. We went for lunch and chose the buffet. We tried everything... Saffron Rice (super yum!) the pea soup, lentils, curried veggies, non-curried veggies, the chicken and beans and then the coup de gras... the freaking Beef Stew!!!!! Everything was spiced perfectly and warm and cozy and delicious! My friend did NOT like the spongy injera bread, because it was a tad on the tart/vinegar-laden side and i have to agree... but I like the taste to neutralize some of the more spicy dishes and make. To make the ambiance very becoming, there are nice pictures and artifacts and remnants here from Ethiopia... Spoke with the owner and she (Sonya) was fantastic! There was even a professor from Tanzania speaking to a fairly good sized group at a large table about his childhood and life in Saharan Africa... older gentleman with peppered gray hair and kangol hat and his quasi British/African/Dutch accent that MADE this one of the most memorable eating experiences I have had in Portland! Like I always say (when the food is good)... Get your ass in here! read more

Horrible. I am no Ethiopian Food expert, I have been to 6 different Ethiopian Restaurants between San Francisco and Los Angeles and this if by far the WORST Ethiopian food I have ever experienced :(. My wife and I came here for lunch since we were in town and completely missing Ethiopian food since moving to Bend OR. We tried the buffet since there was more variety than the entree's. We were also hoping they would put some good stuff out in the buffet trying to entice patrons to come back for dinner. We were wrong. Nothing was good. The beef and the chicken alike seemed to come from a can. The injera was cut too short to unroll and throw over the food. The veggies were horrible. While living in the Bay Area and family & friends visited, we took them to Ethiopian food because it was a treat. E'Njoni, is not a treat. It would have been a train wreck had we introduced it to someone else. read more

A small ethiopian restaurant with a nice atmosphere. Located on N. Killingsworth just east of I-5. I was looking for a good ethiopian restaurant to eat at recently around lunch time. This one was on yelp so i decided to check it out. The staff were all nice, but the service was a little slow. I had the vegetarian selection that has about 5 dishes and i also has the chicken dish with the garlic, ginger and barbere sauce. I liked the chicken dish the best and the veggie dishes were good also. The enjira bread seemed a little stale for the first couple of ones and then more fresher ones were brought out later. They do have a lunch buffet during the week and on sunday. Might be worth checking out since your able to sample a lot of different dishes. The price is around 8.99 during the week and around 12.99 on sunday. I will want to check them out again before giving them a 4 star rating to see if the service is better and the enjira is fresh all the time. read more