Me and my girlfriend came because of a groupon deal- appetizer, 2 entree's, dessert, 2 wines. Menu was very limited, and out of the choice of lentil soup or other (honestly can't remember the name, but it came in threes), we got the "other" item. I ordered the meat combo, and the girlfriend got braised beef. Lets break down the whole experience- non-food related: restaurant was completely dead at 1pm on a saturday afternoon. not a good sign. No visible staff anywhere. Someone shows up, we sit. Waitress disappears for 15 minutes. When she comes back, her English seems so limited, as she couldn't explain what any of the food items are, and just stares at us lost (we don't normally eat ethiopian food you know). Whatever, we ordered. Food came, I asked "what is this bandage looking thing?" Still a gruntled murmur, and she awkwardly smiles and walks away. Don't see her again other than the time she brought us our food. service? Lackluster food review: god awful The braised beef was so hard it was like chewing on rocks. All my girlfriend ate was the salad, and 2-3 small cubes of beef. My meat combo was so dry it actually got stuck in my throat, causing me to physically throw up in the bathroom. During the time I was in the bathroom, the waitress came back, and when my girlfriend told her I was heaving in there, she literally said "oh" and walked away. The yellowish sweet pea thing? It was spoiled. Tasted like the sour of food thats gone bad. The best tasting thing was the appetizer, which is essentially a triangular egg roll. By the time dessert came, all my girlfriend could say was "well, at least this looks store bought" Best thing on the menu, was our honey wine. Tasted exactly like honey, and wine. Would never go back to this place again- there is a reason why its so empty. I'm a hardcore foodie, but this place is officially X'd read more

This place is great for vegans and has solid performance on most of its items. At times, there is some variation in taste and quality of the food but I think that is mostly due to the fact that there are likely different cooks on various days. The only downside to Ethiopia is the temperature control and the restrooms. If it is remotely cold outside, bring something to bundle up in because it will be COLD inside. And, the bathrooms are generally ramshackle in feeling and the last time I went to the restroom, I blew my nose, put the toilet paper in the toilet, flushed, and it overflowed. If they put some money into cleaning up the bathrooms and a heater, this place would be 5 stars for sure! read more

This was my first time trying an Ethiopian restaurant, so my review is based on taste only. I bought the Groupon Dinner for Two: 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, 2 desserts, and 2 glasses of wine. My husband called and made a reservation for 6:30 (based on the Groupon instructions). We arrived at 6:15. We were greeted and seated right away (place was empty). The young lady was very nice. My husband ordered a glass of red wine (Cab) and I substituted mine for mango juice. The juice wasn't too sweet (just the way I like it). We had the Lentil Saboussa appetizer. It was delicious! For our meal, we ordered the " meat combo" and "veggie combo." We had it served family style. The food was okay. Most of the entree items were a bit on the sour side. I don't know if they are supposed to be sour. Our Groupon deal said 2 desserts but we only got one (cheese cake); which was fine, because we were stuffed! The cheese cake tasted fine. They only billed us for one dessert so no complaints on dessert. I would recommend giving the restaurant a try. We enjoyed our experience. Our server was friendly and attentive. We were out of there in just a little an hour. I gave them 3 stars based on what I liked and didn't like. The restaurant was full by 7:00. read more

Ethiopia Restaurant - Meat & Begetable Combo served family style. - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The food is good here and they have a lunch buffet that is vegetarian friendly and very convenient. Their menu is vegetarian friendly in general. Almost all Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurants have a good selection of vegetarian food but this one has more than average. Also they have a nice outdoor back patio. Nothing fancy, just some plastic chairs on a cement patio, but it is nice to sit outside. read more

This place seemed really sketchy from the outside and I was at first reluctant to try it...but it wasn't bad at all! I had a good time during the lunch buffet : ) . Although I had no idea what I was eating, I had fun trying to guess. The food is is pretty good! Err...the crepe things were a little intimidating however, so I didn't really like that. Glad I went! read more

Went this afternoon for the lunch buffet--truly the meal format of champions--and was pleasantly surprised. After surveying the buffet, all of which looked a lot like lentil mush (which as a veg, I don't mind, but it's a bit overwhelming to see 1202938 different incarnations of the stuff)--we dove in and and were all pleasantly surprised. They have some torn ice berg, 1 cold vinegary-lentil dish, a mashed potato type dish, 1 spicy red lentils (best thing), 1 mushroom "gravy" type deal, yellow lentils, orange lentils, collard greens, carrot/zucchini w/ turmeric, and a cabbage salad-ish item. Injera is plentiful and appropriately sour. Nice and doughy as well. As you might expect, service was not a big component of our meal, but she seemed perfectly friendly. Don't be put off by the hear empty restaurant, it's really not a bad spot for a cheap, easy lunch, coming to abt $12/person with tax and tip. read more

You had such good reviews! I had such high hopes. First off. They need to update their menu on their website because it doesn't match what they have in the restaurant. Items and prices are different. Engudai We't I thought this would be like a kantisha but it wasn't. Mushrooms were cooked to complete mush and too salty. Doro We't: Chicken was tender, egg overcooked. But they always are when I order this from any where else. Sauce was delicious. Overall my favorite dish. T'ibs We't: On the salty side, meat was dry. Yebeg Alicha: Accidentally got this because it was in the meat combination. Smelled really game-y. Bf said it was ok. I don't eat lamb cause they're cute. Yeah. I said cause they're cute! Their injera was NOT good. Consistency and flavor were off. It was almost bread-y in texture when it should have been sponge-y. It turned to mush when it should have been durable enough to scoop the food with. It also had NO tang at all. Definitely needs to be more sour. read more

If I were a vegetable, this is how I would want to be eaten. This food is so good it makes my toes curl. Mind, I get the lunch buffet and don't know the names to any of the dishes. But the whole lunch buffet is vegan and every item is out of this galaxy delicious. The carrot and zucchini stuff has the most perfectly cooked carrots. They are soft and sweet and practically melt in your mouth. And they taste the way the dirt and the sun intended them. I mean...THIS is how food is meant to be eaten. Everything tastes so fresh and natural. Plus they have Quinoa!!! Plus they have cooked greens!!! It's almost like vegan southern comfort food that my Appalachian grandparents used to make. How random of a connection is that? I overextend myself every time I come here. But in a good way. I can feel the vitamins and minerals pumping through my system as I get rolled out the door by the staff. (Who are very friendly and helpful.) It makes me think of moving to the east bay, just to close the gap between Ethiopia Restaurant and I. Go for lunch. Get the buffet. Eat outside. Don't wear tight pants. read more

For what we paid I am not entirely impressed. The food didn't pack the punch that I was looking for and the bread was on a little bit of the soft side. I'm not sure that I would ever come again... read more

A fun experience to try with adventurous friends: very friendly service, so-so food (just lots of it!), definitely try the honey wine. Came with three friends, none of us really knew what to order. The waitress was extremely friendly about recommending dishes, answering our noob questions about how to pronounce them, and telling us how to drink the wine out of funny-shaped traditional glasses, In order of what I liked most, we ordered the - honey wine (one bottle, $25): very delicious! - Vegetarian combination: - Meat combination: lamb/beef/chicken samplers - Gored Gored, spicy meat (waitress cautioned it'd be "spicy," but none of us thought ti was) The meat was okay, I agree with previous reviews: "didn't pack a punch" Each person paid about $20 and we were absolutely stuffed by the end of the meal. The rest of the restaurant was a bit empty but the atmosphere was still nice. read more

We'd been wanting to get cultured and experience Ethiopian cuisine for some time so I came into Ethiopia Restaurant, a tiny and unassuming building, with much anticipation. Amazing decor: the place is dimly lit, has candles, wooden screens between tables, African art covering the walls, and interesting circular basket weavings attached to the ceiling. We professed to our server (it seemed like a two middle-aged women and one younger waitress ran the entire place) that we had no experience with the food and she gladly suggested to give us a little bit of everything, so we quickly discarded the menus and let them give us a taste of Ethiopia! The meal for four came on a ginormous plate. The veggie dishes were already on the injera on the plate, but the meat dishes were scooped on in front of us from sizzling platters, which made the food seem extra fresh and scrumptious. The whole eating-with-hands deal was difficult to get the hang of; I think at some point I essentially just started clumsily grabbing chunks of foods with my hand and feeding myself. The injera is indeed quite sour, and I'm sad to say that I felt like a failure/noob when we succumbed and asked for utensils so we could eat the entrees alone. If I come again I will ask for rice as an accompaniment. The entrees were delicious and really thoroughly flavored, especially the meats. My favorites were a chicken/onion stir-fry and a sweet veggie dish, which looking back at their online menu I think was the zucchini and carrots. Takeaway: definitely try the meats. Total was ~$50 for four servings. Worthwhile experience, definitely recommend it. Pros: ambiance, chicken, zucchini and carrots possibly read more

Veggie combo yum. servers here were very nice. nice ambiance with fireplace. They offered to use separate bowls for the meat dishes which turned out to be a good idea in the end :-) pretty large portions, yummy leafy greens. the lunch buffet they were advertising also looked like a great deal... ah to live in Berkeley... read more

Ethiopia Restaurant - Booths and tables - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I lost my credit card here but the owner kept it for me until I realised it was lost and called them. She's so nice and the food here is amazing!! My friend and I went for her bday! We'll definitely come back soon! read more

The staff is lovely and the food is great. I absolutely love the vegetarian combo here.

Friendly staff, and the most authentic Ethiopian food I've had in the Bay Area. Got the veggie combo (#2) and the meat combo (#16). With the bread, it was more than enough food for two people! We both ate up the lentils and mild lamb stew very quickly. I wish we could actually eat out of mesobs (like my favorite place in Boston, "Addis Red Sea"). Would definitely go back again! read more

Tasty food, but what I really remember from my experience with this place is that the service is SO SO SO SO SLOW, and I've been a few times. We ran out of Injera and still had mounds of food left....... took FOREVER to get some more. I like Addis Ethiopia better :) read more

Good atmosphere, not so good food. I had heard amazing things about 'the Ethiopian restaurant' on Telegraph, but turns out my friends were talking about the OTHER Ethiopian restaurant on Telegraph--I can't help but wonder if some of these other review are too. The woman who served us was super friendly and helpful. The vegetarian combo was good to try several different things...none of which were all that great. We also had a chicken dish that was pretty good. Bountiful amounts of bread, and they served it family style on another huge piece of bread...so that was kinda cool. Affordable prices and good atmosphere made for a fun dinner experience, but otherwise pass. read more

This place is amazing and so homely! I never had this type of food and it was awesome! The food was great and the service was even better! I would totally recommend this place. Tip: Make sure you wash your hands and get your own plate if your sick or a germ-a-phobe...... The lamb was not "gamey" at all...the other meats and dipping sauces were so good. Looking at the food i was thinking I WILL NOT get full off this...at the end of the night, I WAS STUFFED! read more

Let me preface this review by saying that I have only tried Eritrean food prior to coming here. I had an assumption in my head that the food would be similar and I guess that is probably why I am only giving this place 3 stars because it did not match my expectations. My sister and I ordered the vegetarian combination and one of the spicy chicken stew options, which were good. We were expecting it to be on the spicy side so we were a little disappointed when we tasted it and it was super tamed down. The injera is bottomless, which is always a plus, except I think I would have preferred it to be more spongy. Again, the only place I could compare this to is Assab Eritrean Restaurant in San Francisco off of Geary (which is my favorite restaurant in the city, you should go!). I think I would try the other Ethiopian restaurants nearby before coming back to this place. There was nothing bad about the experience but nothing that great to report either. read more

I am not a huge, nutty germaphobe, but this place left a lot to be desired in terms of cleanliness. Dirty napkins were on the table we were seated at. This would not be a problem if they were my dirty napkins. Someone else's dirty napkins makes it kinda gross. It still wasn't so nasty that I wouldn't eat there. Just gotta pray for the best when you see things like that. I got a Groupon so I can't complain too much, but I will complain a little. The service was slow. That one girl in there needs a helper or something. She is the waitress, hostess, busser, and whatever else they had her doing in the back. The place was not that busy but it took a while for water to even make it my way. If you are hungry and want to eat swiftly, this just may not be the place for you. read more

Overall: I like Ethiopian food, so compared to the other places I've been I'd say....meh nothing special. Pros - yedoro tibs (chicken) were flavorful - beans are good - wine is decent, get the Chardonnay and cab Cons - slow service and there was only 2 tables when we were there - samboussa has little filling, sauce is good - entire platter where you get your food is way larger than the 2 entrees ordered, it looks like you didn't order anything and could possibly be hungry - they don't give very much salad - server dropped our shrimp tips and by the time they replaced the order, we were already finished eating Sidenote - wrap your food in the injera and get a little bit of everything -Yes, you eat with your hands, it's fun! - You get wet naps after your meal read more

This Ethiopian restaurant is awesomely good! I bought a groupon deal for me and my best friend, so we can check it out what Ethiopian cuisine is? It was our first time and we enjoyed the food so much that we left the restaurant full enough to spend another hours shopping so we can burn out the calories we have eaten. If you are going to get the groupon deal. I highly recommend to bring four more friends with you cause it's a lot of FOOD! We ordered the vegetables and meat combinations. The food is full of flavorful spices that goes very well with the Ethiopian bread. The only thing I don't like about this place is the parking. It's located not far from Berkeley university. But also not far from the Bart station. I highly recommend this place. read more

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I very rarely come here for dinner as the quality of the food has a tendency to be inconsistent. The weekday all-you-can eat lunch buffet is completely vegan and if you're looking to fill up for under $10 it's one of the best deals in town. read more

My first time eating Ethiopian Food, was very good. I liked the garden patio in the back. Food was very reasonably priced, and service was good. They really cater to the vegetarians here, there are many options. I posted a picture of what my plate looks like after choosing 5 of the 12 options they listed. There is also a full vegetarian buffet there! Will go again. read more

Ethiopia Restaurant - Vegetarian Platter (5 choices out of 12) - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

The word I would use to describe my experience would be "Disappointed". After reading the reviews, I was excited about finally getting some good Ethiopian food here in the Bay Area. While I found the food to be OK, I was really disappointed by the atmosphere of the restaurant. The front of the house, upon quick glance, looks very nice. We chose to sit out back on the patio and this was a mistake. The vinyl tablecloths were filthy. All of the scrubbing in the world would not have made them look white again. There were also random things and piles of old "stuff" laying about. There was a big pile of old dirty chairs in one corner, a broken halogen floor lamp laying on its side in another and the chairs that we sat in were no longer white. It is obvious that they do not pull in the furniture or protect it in any way during the winter rainy season. I couldn't tell what the middle section of the restaurant was used for. it looked like part office, part storage room, part buffet service, etc. We also passed by the manager/owner taking a nap at a table as we made our way out to the patio. It was just very odd. Not at all professional. Upon closer look at the front of the house, the tablecloths were stained and there were random things that are no longer usable and generally seemed to be inoperable laying about behind a counter, but in plain view as you had to pass all of this stuff on your way to the bathroom. The service was also spotty. While our server was friendly, she was somewhat inattentive. At one point, my wife looked into the restaurant from the back patio to see where the server was. When my wife caught the eye of our server, the server turned her back to us and continued her conversation with another employee. My wife had to get up and walk over to the server to get her attention. In the end, if I had gone here for carry-out, I may have had a better impression of the food. But the cluttered, messy, and dirty atmosphere ruined the overall experience for me and left me feeling very disappointed when I left. read more

Went there with my daughter and 10 of her closest friends. It was a fun place and style of food to eat. The waitress and staff were attentive and friendly. After awhile, you get a little tired of eating that rolled bread, injera. It good for a change and tasted OK but not fantastic. read more

My friend and I visited cuz I had a two-dinners-for-the-price-of-one entertainment.com coupon. Pluses: * The sauces were well put together, smooth, full of flavor, just like you would want * The injira was bouncy and tasted great * The chicken was smooooth and tender * The young waitresses (actual East Africans) were super sweet and attentive Negatives * Lentils were inexplicably crunchy (undersoaked?) * Lamb was a little dry/chewy * Space was on the dirty side, also with ramshackle mix-n-match decorations (a ceiling dotted with retired Ethiopian food basket/platters isn't *bad* - it's just, I would say, weird) read more

My friends and I have been coming to this place for a couple years now, having stumbled upon it back in 2008, while working summer camp in Berkeley. The ambience of the restaurant, could be a little more cozy, but I do like the fact that they play African music, and have African artwork scattered around the dining room. I have yet to try any of the other Ethiopian restaurants in the Berkeley, Oakland area, so my tastes and experiences may be a little biased, however, compared to other Ethiopian restaurants I've enjoyed, this place has always stayed a favorite on this side of the bay bridge. The Injera bread is not only tasty, but endless ( to a point I'm sure), their lamb and beef dishes are just amazing, perfectly spiced, and generously portioned. The simosa's, both meat and vegetable are equally as delicious. This is one of those places where you tell yourself you're going to finally branch our and order something else, and you just end up getting the usual, which in this case, is not a bad thing. Don't let outward appearances fool you, even the smallest closed off hole in the walls, can produce some of the best food you've ever experienced. read more

Tasty and cheap vegetarian lunch buffet, like everyone here has already raved about (unlimited injera FTW!) I predict I'll soon become a regular, as my office is now just down the street. I've had better Ethiopian at Cafe Colucci further down Telegraph, or Enssaro in Oakland, but for the price and proximity, I can't complain. read more

Wow. Just wow. The groupon we got here was amazing. It was a meal for two with drinks and a dessert. The food was amazing and their prices were great, even without a groupon! You have to try this place its really really good :) read more

We sat as a table of 4 and had the most delicious meal that contained fresh vegetables and meat. Spices came directly from Ethiopia. Our service was genuine and very gracious! Our tip reflected the high quality of a lovely meal! Bravo! I'm so excited to be able to learn while eating with friends. read more

I have been to this restaurant 3 times now. The first time was a 4 star experiance. The second time, the restaurant was understaffed and the server was literally running from table to table. I felt bad and decided to try it again before I left a bad review on yelp. On Friday the service was great, but the injura was not. It was dry and almost a bit hard. The flavor was nice, less sour than usual, but the texture really was off. Having well made injura is so important to an Ethiopian dining experience, because you experiance it in every bite. It can, and did influence the opinion of the food for an entire table. I thought several dishes in the vegetarian combo were more bland than usual. Unfortunately I decided to go with Alicha Fitfit, lamb stew mixed with injura. usually I like firfir, as I love the taste of injura, but it just was not tasty. The Tej they serve here is great. It is taste more refined than honey wine served in a Tej house in Lalibella, and I might say it is my favorite. Overall: 1. The servers are always nice, although on some nights are overextended or inattentive. 2. The food is usually great. They actually make some dishes quite spicey. 3. You can get discounts at restaurant.com and possibly the entertainment book. 4. Splitting the bill is easy when all of this dishes cost $11 +/- $1. On prior visits I had decided that the food here was superior to FinFine. It was not on my last visit. I would call this place inconsistent in both food and service. read more

First of all, I LOVE Ethiopian food and have been to many Ethiopian restaurants in the East Bay as well as other places. I really like this Ethiopian restaurant because it allows you to make your own veggie combo (unlike others that usually have a set veggie combo). I should mention that the red lentils are spicier than in other places. The meat dishes are great too! And they bring them out sizzling on a grill before they put them on your plate. The restaurant has a cozy atmosphere and it's not usually very crowded. read more

This review is based on the experience of a person who had never had Ethiopian food before. Upon entering the restaurant, a very sweet and pretty woman greeted us and directed us towards a table. She was very attentive and gave us some great recommendations. She was also very honest when giving us advice on what food to order. My friend started with a Ethiopian beer (Harar Lager). As a person who does not drink beer, this beer was pretty good and went down very smoothly. I started with the Tej, an Ethiopian wine (honey wine). While this wine was a tad sweet, it was still very enjoyable. The waitress recommended the Samboussa as an appetizer. We ordered 2 lentils and 1 meat (it came with 3). Samboussa's are very similar to samosa and are very flavorful, particularly the meat ones. She also recommended the Nene'wee (your choice of 5 vegetarian items). We had: 1. Yemisir We't (red lentil): highly recommended! 2. Atkilt We't (zucchini and carrots): this was my favorite of the vegetarian items. There was so much flavor in this dish and it was very distinct from the other vegetarian items on our plate. 3. Teemateem Fitfit : pieces of the flatbread mixed with tomatoes, onions, and green pepper. Compared to everything else on the plate, this dish failed to impress. This may have tasted good on its own, but compared to the bold flavors of the other vegetarian dishes, this dish was pretty boring. 4. Shiro We't (garbanzo beans): Also pretty good. 5. Kinche (bulgur): not very flavorful, but has a very interesting texture. We also ordered at Kitfo: Small cubes of lean beef blended with ghee and hot pepper, served rare, or mildly cooked with house cottage cheese on request. This was a dish my friend ordered and i was slightly surprised to see a plate a raw beef in the center of our plate. Being the adventurous eater i am, i jumped right in. The Kitfo was very good and had great flavor. It tasted especially delicious with a sprinkle of the spicy powder. Our waitress had warned us when we ordered the Kitfo that this was a heavy dish with a lot of flavor, which was perfectly fine with us. Actually, it was exactly what we were looking for. Overall, a very cute restaurant, great service, and good food. A great place to try Ethiopian food for the first time. read more

My BF and I had a Groupon for this place which included a shared appetizer, 2 entrees, 2 glasses of honey wine and a dessert to share. The samboussa (lentil) appetizer was delicious, as was the full-flavored spicy chicken stew. The chicken with onions and peppers was pretty bland, and neither one of us cared for it. The honey wine is very sweet and took a minute for me to get the taste for, but once I did, we ordered a second glass. The ambience and staff were lovely. They also had a sign outside advertising an 'all-you-can-eat' lunch special, Mon. - Fri., for $6.99. Wow! The only complaint I have is we were there for TWO HOURS, and not by choice. They were swamped with people and clearly were having a difficult time handling that. However, it was a Friday night, so I would suggest going during the week instead. Perhaps it wouldn't be so busy. All in all, I enjoyed it and would definitely go back again...just not on a Friday night! read more

mmm, every time I come I get the vegarian combo, but probably not the exact same combo- you pick 5 of 12 I think options. Shiro is the best and the mushroom is super good and a little spicy. Injira is the tastiest bread- it's like a thick sourdough tortilla! The service can be slow, but they're nice enough to deal with splitting the check between 3 credit cards read more

I went here tonight with a Groupon and a friend. I wasn't really in the mood to try Ethiopian food...We got here and tried to order a few different items but they were out of chicken, the fish tibs and the shrimp tibs. We ended up getting the Lentil Samboussa, they were pretty tasty. We also ordered the . Vegetarian Combination which consisted of these items Yemisir We't (red lentil) Yekik Alicha (split peas), Ye'abesha Gomen (collard greens) Tekil Gomen (cabbage and potato), Atkilt We't (zucchini and carrots) I liked half of them. The red lentils were really spicy, well at least to Me anyways. The Injera bread was really good and real filling as well. My friend ordered the lamb, he seemed to like it. Actually he ate most of everything. lol. The Tiramisu dessert was pretty tasty. read more

A friend and I were extremely pleased! Our waitress was very pleasant! The food and house wine was great! We used a 2 for $20 Groupon. read more

Ethiopia Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Let me be totally honest, as it turns out, I'm not a fan of Ethiopian food, it's just not my "thing" nothing against the food or culture, I just wasn't a huge fan of the main dishes. My rating was based in my experience since its not their fault my taste buds were not ready for this particular type of cuisine. We had a groupon which ended up being a very good value, we explained that we never had Ethiopian and were eager to try. We had the samosas appetizers (I liked) but the main dishes I was not a fan of. The waitress was very kind and the ambiance was nice as well. The baklava dessert however was fantastic. My wife has traveled to many counties and she said the baklava was better than she had in Greece and Turkey. The experience was nice, and my favorite part was apps and dessert! Sorry I just couldn't get past the crepe/pancake/bread thing that was a large part of the main dish read more

Meat combo (spicy - which I like) has amazing flavor, add a veggie combo and some honey wine. I could eat this once a week for the rest of my life. read more