Great food, atmosphere, and friendly staff. Our new go-to spot for Ethiopian in the area.

Solid combo meals, with tasty and fresh eats, but a bit pricey for quantity of food. It's filling, but the most recent go around, portions weren't as robust. At $20, it's a bit steep for small scoops of veggies on the veggie combo. The injera is gluten free and well made, but that's what you're filling up on. The space is large and has ambiance. Service is solid and friendly. Overall, a solid Ethiopian experience with some parking in the front. read more

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Lemat is such a staple. We ordered a beef sambusa as a starter (3 pieces) and shared a meat combo between two people. They are always ready to refresh your injera supply (no extra charge!) and the flavors are lovely. read more

Lemat Ethiopian Restaurant - Injera, Meat Combination - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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If you're looking to branch into your first try at Ethiopian food, Lemat is the place -- excellent ingredients and helpful staff make this a great place to go for East African cuisine in Berkeley. Cocktail list is extensive and lots of options for vegetarian and meat-based preferences. Our group of four opted for the veggie and meat samplers and we weren't able to finish all the food -- plenty to go around for all. Nothing was too spicy or intensely flavored, though be prepared to eat with your hands (in the traditional Ethiopian style). The waitress was friendly and helped us choose the best samplers for a first time visit. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice, though when we arrived it was quite smoky -- as though something in the back had badly burned. It took awhile to clear the smoke and smell from the dining area, but otherwise it was a great visit. read more

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I came here with my little family and it was so yummy! We had the beef samosas and it was good AF. My kids even ate it. Then we did the veggie combo and added lamb and chicken. My kids ate up all the lamb. I found the chicken to be more tasty but everything was so good! Must try. The service wasn't the best. The guy was on the phone and wasn't really playing attention. The place is huge and two big tvs. read more

Lemat Ethiopian Restaurant - Veggie combo with chicken and lamb - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

I always love my experience at Lemat. Great food, great drinks, and great ambiance within the restaurant. They are also great for large groups; I recently celebrated my birthday here with a party of 15 and the staff handled everything for us very well. read more

Was in town recently for an industry event and looking for a good meal to share with my team and friends after a busy week. My group walked in shortly after they opened, and we were greeted by the kind host. Once seated we were asked to move, twice? It seemed odd but we accommodated our hosts requests each time. The interior is wood toned with beautiful artworks on the walls and there are several seating areas that were reserved the night of our visit. Food 4.5 stars Service 2 stars More to the point our server was so unorganized and so slow it became painful to endure, simple requests like hot water for my tea took 20 minutes to get after my tea bag arrived? My friends flax seed juice took half an hour to make it to the table, after three requests for it after ordering? We all ordered drinks almost immmediately and had to ask for them multiple times? When our food did arrive, 2 of our table were sent out then none others coming out at all, literally fifteen minutes between entrees on our table, my one friend was done with his meal before my other friend even got hers? It was obvious our server had no clue what she was doing when it came to serving the table? We were all relaxed and took it with stride until the bill came. That is when I got irritated at the whole situation, realizing she thought her efforts warranted a 20% gratutity without saying a word. Our inept server added a 20% gratutuity without saying anything when presenting the bill ( this was a $50 plus add on) which I did not see, and I'm a generous tipper so I tipped her $50 bucks without looking closely at the bill(a $100+ tip!) taking the bill to almost $400 dollars. Fortunately my tablemates said something and looked at the bill and realized she had already tipped herself? But I has already signed and released it back to her by then. Needless too say now I returned to speak to the owner directly, told him of the poor to terrible service and had my tip refunded, since she took it upon herself to add one? I am so done with assumed tipping culture in businesses. This was a new all time low cheap shot by a server and it really affected the end experience and as such this review reflects the terrible customer service and actual serving of anything in a timely and or professional manner. 2.5 Stars - rounded up to be fair to the kitchen staff but it does not warrant the terrible customer experience my table received. Might come back but then again might not... 00937 read more

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The service was good. The waitress was nice and funny, but the food was gross. I'm sorry, but it was very bland and flavorless. This was definitely not authentic Ethiopian food. There was no sour flavor to the injera at all. The cabbage dish had no flavor, and overall all of the food lacked spice and depth. We love Ethiopian food, and we left feeling sad and disappointed. We didn't take our leftovers and only ate what we could stomach. The fish was also extremely fishy. Overall, it was a bad experience. I felt nauseous like I needed to throw up after sadly. My sister has the same feeling and experience that I did. We will not come back here. read more

Lemat Ethiopian Restaurant - Veggie combo and fish - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Our server was very nice and the ambiance was fun but I had the doro tibs and my chicken was so dry, despite being in a tomato sauce, that I could not bring myself to finish it and I ended up feeling sick after. Also I was shocked by the individual $5.99 "delivery fee" on both mine and my friend's check as we dined in...? read more

It hurts to write this because I honestly love Ethiopian food and was really excited to try a new place. The restaurant has ample seating, table service, a bar, an area with beautiful wood chairs and low table settings, clean and well lit. Lots of pretty baskets on the walls. Light music playing. A friend and I stopped in before a concert. I have tried Ethiopian food at many restaurants and often so I was really looking forward to it. I ordered the Beyaynuto, We requested a meat sampler, Espresso based cocktail and another cocktail, I forgot the name but it was based on one of the more popular seasonings. The espresso based cocktail was amazing, really worth ordering, mine was reminiscent of a savory and sweet margarita. The meal itself though was a little small in portion and sole of the dishes tasty very similar to each other. I know Ethiopian cuisine because I truly is a favorite. Yes a lot flavors tend to be similar but not identical, particularly the meat dishes. They have a beautiful bar, drinks came out quickly but service overall was slow and they rarely checked in. In fact we had to find a person quite a few times. Price point is similar the other Ethiopian cuisine even with the portions being smaller. With the service and flavor lacking I give it a 3. Hoping to revist one day and hopefully give if a better score. read more

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This review is more about their service and less about their food quality. Being in downtown Berkeley, parking is a little rough. We got lucky that someone was leaving and ended up with princess parking. We had a reservation for a table of four and there was only 2 other tables inside on a Wednesday night. We started off with decaf coffee and a rum punch. It took about 20 minutes to get our drinks and they gave us chamomile tea instead. Very opposite from what we originally ordered. However, we took it as a sign to not have coffee and since tea was cheaper, didn't say much about it. The rum punch was very sweet with no hint of alcohol. If my friend hadn't seen the bartender pour rum in it, I would have been convinced there was none. We finally got a chance to order appetizers and our meal: Samosas (usually comes in 3s but they were nice enough to give us 4 since there were 4 of us), veggie platter, meat combo and beef tibs. The food took an hour to come out but once they finally did, I will say it was DELICIOUS, but I had to question whether it was or if I was just hungry at this point because the food was like warm at best. It only seemed like not much time had passed because I was with great company. So we had the patience to give them benefit of the doubt, maybe they're super short staffed? Maybe it's just one person working in the back like it seemed like there was only one person working in the front? I will say there are other places that give bigger portions and cost a little less, but the food really was amazing despite it being like warm and taking and hour to come out. If you have the time to spare, stop by and give it a try yourself. read more

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Quickly became a new favorite. The platters are as delicious as they are colorful. The drinks transported me to vacation. The mixologist was so friendly & accomodating. Can't wait to visit again! read more

Lemat Ethiopian Restaurant - Veggie combo & beef tibs - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great food. Great service. Great portions with the meats, less so with the legumes, but I don't know why. Highly recommend. No gluten reactions. Please come here and enjoy read more

Lemat Ethiopian Restaurant - Kitfo and Vegetarian Combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

I came here with my boyfriend yesterday, the service was great and as someone who has never had Ethiopian food, the server recommended the Beef Tibs which was amazing! My boyfriend got the Meat Combo and everything was delicious! I also really enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant, very nice decor and design. Will definitely come back! read more

Lemat Ethiopian Restaurant - Meat Combo and Beef Tibs - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

It has a nice big open setting. Service was good. The spicy beef tibs (ye siga wat) was excellent and the lentils were delicious. I liked the light dressing on the salad that was included. It was a generous portion with different complex flavors, and the injera was nice texture and flavor. The food was delicious and price reasonable. read more

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Me and my gf have been exploring all the Ethiopians spots around Berkeley and Oakland. This has been our least favorite place. The food was not as flavorful and the portions were smaller, although still having a similar if not more expensive menu. We order the meat combination and felt like there was not very much meat. We also ordered the vegan combo and didn't like the collard greens much, but both the lentils were good. The bread was also bland and didn't taste as fresh. There was one man working and he seemed like he was doing as much as he can but he didn't check in on us. Overall we were disappointed and would give it a rating of 5/10. read more

Came to Lemat to try Ethiopian food for the very first time. Was not disappointed. The restaurant itself is beautiful and clean. Ample amount of seating and a breathtaking bar. The food was great, I had the beef samosas, that were crispy and delicious. Got both the veggie and meat sampler and everything was great! Will definitely be coming back very soon. read more

I need to get over to this Ethiopian restaurant sometime because I get the impression it's quite atmospheric. The term 'lemat' refers to the type of handwoven basket they use as a table base in Ethiopia, and I heard that's part of the restaurant decor. Alas, I had their food delivered since that was the most convenient option at the time. Their full menu looked authentic and quite robust, and I ended up ordering the $16.95 Veggie Combo Beyaynetu (photo: https://bit.ly/3wfGmpq). The dish combined three of their vegetarian specialties - Misir Kik (lentils cooked in their house sauce) delicious; Gomen (warmed collard greens mixed with onion, garlic and cardamom); and Alcha Kik (cracked peas cooked with onion and turmeric). A house salad completed the mix-n-match fixings, and and they were quite generous with the injera. Not only did it line the tray but there were four rolls of it for liberal scooping (photo: https://bit.ly/3XEx3em). Really hearty stuff considering the lack of meat. FOOD - 4 stars...hearty and flavorful veggie specialties and a whole lotta injera AMBIANCE - n/a...hopefully I'll find out on a visit SERVICE - 3.5 stars...well packed and no spillage TOTAL - 4 stars...healthy Ethiopian food is always a treat RELATED - Hungry for Ethiopian food? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2JBDHib read more

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I definitely was not expecting Lemat to have such an elevated setting. They appeared to have a nice bar area, set up for live music, and very well thought-of and cared-for table settings. Finding the place, however; was a frustrating experience, at no fault of the restaurant. It's locked right after the convergence of MLK Jr. Way and Adeline Street into Adeline, between Fairview Street, but you would need to turn right into the parking area to find it. With the one-ways and my unfamiliarity with Berkeley, I might have broken several traffic rules in order to get here (and get away from here). I ended up ordering the Veggie Combo (Beyaynetu). There were four different type of vegetarian dishes, including two off the combination - beet spears and a hummus. Not sure if hummus is correct, but this was what another Ethiopian chef had described it as. It was delicious and complimented each other well, but a little more bland than I was used to. The injera was a combination of teff flour and wheat flour, based on the taste, texture, and color, and did not have as sour of a taste that I was expected. Ultimately, it was a good experience and I was happy that I tried it. read more

Lemat Ethiopian Restaurant - Bar - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I just ate here for the first time in a few years and it's actually better than I remember it being. It's always been great but even more so now. Great ambiance, excellent food, overall wonderful place. read more

Me likey, me likey a lot. As an avid Ethiopian food eater, I can confidently say that Lemat does the cuisine justice. Great flavors and spices with a beautiful ambience and cordial service to boot. I'd definitely add Lemat as a great option for Ethiopian food in the Berkeley area. I was running a few errands in Berkeley and decided to stop at Lemat for dinner. I've been to several Ethiopian restaurants within Oakland and Berkeley, but had never made it to Lemat up until now. I can't believe that it has taken me this long to get here. But lemme tell you; I really enjoyed my experience. Lemat is located off of busy Adeline street with limited parking. A few sketch characters were hanging out in front of the building when I arrived, but nothing too crazy. I walked in and was greeted at the door and sat immediately. The first thing that I noticed was how beautiful their interior space is. From the unique light fixtures to the traditional Ethiopian dining setup near the entrance, the decor is super chic and festive. Their bar area is lovely as well. They had just reopened for indoor dining again, so they didn't have some of that drinks and wines listed on the menu at the time. When I'm trying an Ethiopian restaurant for the first time, I generally stick to trying out their vegetarian combo first. I feel like this gives me a pretty good idea of what to expect from other dishes on a future visit. Plus, it's just a really nice showing of everything (veggie based of course). I ordered their vegetarian combo and a glass of honey wine. One thing to note here is that they don't serve a salad with this combo which is unusual. I did see in the pictures that they have served it at one point, but maybe that's changed. The salad is usually simple, but it adds a refreshing element amongst all of the various lentils. Despite this, I found their vegetarian combo to be very tasty. In place of the salad, they serve two scoops of different dips; one is white and creamy and the other is jalapeño based. Honestly couldn't tell you what the names of them are, but both were really good. This was my first time trying something like that before. Still missed the salad, but I would happily take the dips as a replacement. The misir kik and alicha kik (red and yellow lentils) were both fantastic and well spiced, and the gomen (collard greens) was also delicious. At first glance, the portions appeared to be smaller than what I'm used to, but I left completely full. I'm sure the injera helped with that, but it was still very satisfying. Their injera was nice and spongy too. Service was good for the most part. It got busier after I came in but not crazy busy. This seems like a local favorite for sure. I'm happy that I was able to finally try this place and I would definitely come back again to try something different next time. read more

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A really authentic experience with a great vibe. The food was flavorful and filling. Can't wait to go back and bring other people to enjoy as well! read more

My wife and I just finished seeing a matinee at the Berkeley Repertory and I had the craving for some Ethiopian food. Lemat really delivers on the experience. We loved the food! We ordered the Vegetable Combo and the Sautéed Fish and they were delicious. I should have asked for the fish to be on a separate dish as my wife doesn't like seafood. I didn't expect everything to be on the same injera. The decor was amazing from the artwork to the furniture. They seemed a bit short handed with two servers on the floor but we understand hiring post COVID for essential workers in restaurants can be challenging. The food is well worth it :) read more

Have been here before a few years back before the pandemic. Happy to be back after 4 years... Place hasn't changed much. Very clean and neat. Service is warm and friendly. Food takes bit of time to be prepared so order quickly. They were very sweet to bring quickly a small injeera and one of their plain lentil preparations on top for our 4 years old since our food would have taken some time - very very thoughtful :) We shared the veg family size combo, the chickpea special dish (very spicy) and the lovely beef samosas in their special sauce. My 4 year old really loved the samosas! As always yummy and filling. read more

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Had a great dinner with my wife, we ordered the veggie and meat combo both were really good!! We also ordered cocktails which were also really good. Worth going!! read more

YUM! Had such a great meal at Lemat. The dining room is large and spacious, our waiter was attentive and the food was excellent. Can't wait to go back! read more

Lemat Ethiopian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Overall 10/10- I'd highly recommend anyone trying Lemat for a rare Ethiopian experience around East Bay. My first ever Ethiopian food experience in a traditionally decored ambiance, and WOW! I haven't stopped thinking about it ever since. I ordered the Beyaynetu (Veggie Combo) platter, which consisted of yellow split peas, lentils, collard greens, some sort of potato salad, beet, and pickled veggies, all served on a piece of injera (Ethiopian sour pancake?). You can opt to eat with fork and knife, but I just used my hand to rip apart some injera and use scoop up the veggies. We were also given additional injeras in a basket (which was way more than we could actually finish!) All the different components had their distinctive flavor and spices. The dish as a whole provided a nice textural combination of soft injera, warm stews, and crunchy pickled vegetables- all and all like a homemade meal full of love. Even though it's vegan, this dish was HUGE and hearty- definitely got me leaving very full. I also got their flax seed juice, which to me tasted like a thick rice milk drink. Pretty good, not too sweet, but filled me up pretty fast. All and all a very fulfilling meal, would come back next time to perhaps try out their meat dish. read more

Lemat Ethiopian Restaurant - Beyaynetu (Veggie Combo) | ig: @omfgary - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

A hidden treasure! Excellent service and high quality food. It meets my preference for vegetarian cuisine. The decor and ambiance are outstanding and reinforce the joy of eating here. You'll see for yourself. Enjoy! read more

There are so many amazing Ethiopian restaurants in Berkeley, and this is another one to add to the list. The vegetarian combo comes with a variety of cabbages, potatoes, beans, lentils, and lots of injera bread. The staff is very friendly and gave many great recommendations. If it's your first time trying Ethiopian food, I'd highly recommend getting the meat and vegetarian combination platters. There is a lot of metered street parking outside of the restaurant. read more

Lemat Ethiopian Restaurant - Ethiopian Pot Coffee - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Since there is a special Berkeley Restaurant Week happening this May 15-24 in order to support local restaurants and some nonprofits, I decided to try out Lemat's prix fixe menu, as they were offering the option of a vegetarian combo with lentil samosas for $20. I ordered via phone and they told me it would be ready in 30-35 mins, which it was. The food came in aluminum containers inside of what looked like a plastic bag but had some logo indicating it was eco-friendly. The decor looked nice and the restaurant seems pretty spacious, so I'm sure it would be enjoyable to dine in there whenever they can open for that again. I'm terrible at identifying dishes so I pulled the names of the individual items off of Lemat's website menu. Lentil samosas: These were yummy! I'm not even a fan of samosas normally. I'm not really a pesto fan, but I think the green sauce was heavily pesto. Misir kik: I believe that's the red lentil dish. I thought it was good and flavorful, it is a little spicy so that gives it a kick (note I'm speaking from the perspective of someone with very little ability to handle spicy food) Alcha kik: I believe this is the yellow dish, containing cracked peas, onion, and turmeric. I liked this a lot too, it's savory. Gomen: Collard greens with onion, garlic, and cardamoms. I am (unfortunately) sensitive to bitter tastes so I wish the bitterness of the collard greens was more neutralized. Salad: I think it was mostly cabbage. Also felt it was a bit bitter. Overall it was pretty good, and there was plenty of injera (I alway have more than enough of it since some of the dishes already come with injera on the bottom). As is often the case when I've been to Ethiopian restaurants, you get plenty of food for the money so I definitely was able to make the food last for more than two portions. read more

Lemat Ethiopian Restaurant - Vegetarian combination with lentil samosa and a bag full of injera - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING! When you walk in you immediately feel like you are being transported to Ethiopia. From the decor to the warmth of the owner & wait staff ... They even have a super cool Ethiopian coffee station in the back that you can apparently rent out if you call ahead if you want to experience a real Ethiopian coffee ceremony complete with a roasting station & everything. My wife & I came here on a date last night as we heard about this place featured on SF Eater here: https://sf.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-berkeley We were absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the flavors here. EVERYTHING - & I mean EVERYTHING - is a flavor bomb & so unlike anything I've had before. Everything as simple as lentils, collard greens, & cabbage in the much recommended Veggie Combo is a party in your mouth. My favorite part of the combo was this amazing dollop of chickpea... I don't know exactly what it was... But it was like butter & SO TASTY! The star of our night was the highly recommended Kitfo: super finely minced raw beef (you can get it cooked if you want... But why would you lol) minced so fine that it's like melt-in-your-mouth butter marinated in such a unique to Ethiopia blend of spices guaranteed to blow your taste buds away...a totally memorable dish! The injera was super soft & not too sour... Perfect. To boot the owner & waitress was so friendly... I really felt like I was dining in someone's house. Great value too! Our total was $41 before tip & we left stuffed because of all that injera lol. I'll recommend this place to all my friends & to anyone reading this. read more

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Incredibly delicious, rich and earthy. Lots of variety, with a great atmosphere and service read more

Lemat Ethiopian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Berkeley, California

Ethiopian food is one of those cuisines that I don't usually go to, but when I do, I enjoy it. We celebrated my bf's birthday here and they did a good job hosting our party of 11. The interior was really beautiful- I felt like I was in Ethiopia. The hanging ceiling woven baskets, paintings, tables and chairs added to the experience. I ordered the honey mead, which was a little too sweet for me. My BF and I shared the veggie combo, our families got a mixture of meat and veggie combo, samosas, tofu tibs. The food was yummy and prepared well, the service was pleasant-- The young lady who helped us was very helpful and explained the concept of the dishes and the serving style, and gave her recommendations. I would highly recommend this place to Ethiopian food lovers and big groups who want to have an event here. read more

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Excellent Ethiopian cuisine served by very friendly people. The space is very large: the ambience is fine, but with all that space it could really use some more art or other decorative touches to make it feel more homey. Anyway, the food is excellent, which is the most important thing. read more

We had a great dinner at Lemat. We got both a veggie and meat platter, so we could try the various dishes. They were wonderful! The service was friendly and the ambience was nice (they have hanging handmade baskets that lent an exotic flavor). Also, I found out that the injera is gluten-free, and the restaurant can accommodate people with celiac disease (they have separate spaces for food prep). read more

Delicious food and the absolute sweetest and most talented mixologist in town! Delicious!!

Convenient location for BART station and Shotgun Players. Food was all right, though under-seasoned (I enjoy a little heat with Ethiopian cuisine). Our fish main course tasted like the fryer oil needed refreshing. Service was prompt. Excellent decor, though it was hard to find a seat without a TV staring at you. read more

Just discovered this beautiful Ethiopian spot in Berkeley that is delicious, delicious, delicious! The food is outstanding and the ambience is really lovely. I'll be going back to try more of their food this week! read more

This is my adult daughter's and my "go-to" place when we go out for Ethiopian food. We usually get a plate of meat and another plate of vegetarian combo, which we eat by hand with delicious injera bread. We've never been disappointed with the meal, and feel nourished and full but not stuffed when we leave. The ambiance is very pleasant, with high ceilings, plenty of space between the tables, pleasantly dark lighting (but not too dark), and a very friendly staff. The vibe is relaxed and peaceful. It's a special and enjoyable restaurant. read more

Went here last Monday evening for dinner with my girlfriend. We ordered the mushroom tibs and the Kitfo. The mushroom tibs was amazing. The mushrooms were cooked with an assortment of seasoning and spices and had a very nice texture. Eating it by itself or with the injera bread was a pleasant experience. The Kitfo was a meat dish that usually was eaten like a steak tartare, but I opted for it to be cooked medium rare and with mild spice level. The dish also came with a mixed vegetable salad, chickpeas, and collared greens on top of a huge injera bread. We were also provided with more injera in a separate plate. The injera was soft and had a very sour taste, similar to eating a very strong sourdough. The bread nearly reminded me of eating a thin piece of pancake. The mixed vegetable salad was good. It had a nice vinaigrette and a nice assortment of different vegetables. The chickpeas were quite tasty with a nice flavor and creamy texture. I loved the collared greens. They were cooked wonderfully and had an excellent acidity and texture. The mixture of the collared greens and injera had a good balance in texture. Nice combination of flavors. The Kitfo was pretty good. I was glad to have the mild option. The meat was cooked to a medium rare. The seasoning and spices were well balanced. There was a little bit of sour, savory, and spicy. The injera helped soak up the flavors of the Kitfo. We enjoyed a cup of Ethiopian tea to end our evening. The tea was refreshing and very tasty. The service was excellent. The staff made sure our visit was a pleasant one. Loved the decor and ambiance of the place. Nice seeing the restaurant represent their history and culture on the walls and dining room floor. Many thanks for a lovely dining experience here at Lemat. read more

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