This was my second time trying Ethiopian food and I'm glad I tried it again while dining here! My first time eating Ethiopian food wasn't a good experience; the food we got was greasy and the injera was way too sour. My experience at Mela was totally different though. The food wasn't heavy at all and the injera was not very sour, which I prefer. I got the vegetarian platter and it was delicious!! The staff was very friendly and gave us recommendations when we were ordering. No complaints about the service! I love how they mark stuff that's vegan. And the items under the vegetarian/vegan section are all vegan! This was a good spot for our party of 8 people, since there were options for everybody. read more

Mela Bistro - Mela's Vegetarian Platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Mela Bistro is opening where Anfilo was. niche is modern Ethiopian cuisine. ambience upgraded to cream shaded walls with pics and artifacts randomly spaced on walls. no flatscreen. music may be playing. didn't pay attention. Mela adds another delicious platter to the area. offerings: meats, vegeterian, salads, soups, ocean breath, dinner, starters, sides, etc.. eats: veggie tibs: (14) with ingera bread. tumeric rice, couscous, or pita bread can be substituted. choice of mild or spicy. got mild. - mix of "sauteed portabello mushrooms, tomatos, red & green bell peppers, onions, jalepenos, ginger, garlic, and mitmita." -big l6"? size aluminum pan filled with ingera bread on the bottom with entree on top. ingera bread is gluten-free..... -can break off parts of ingera bread to scoop up some of the entree. traditionally eaten with use of right hand. random jalepeno slices adds unexpected hotness. -deliz anytime, more approximate in cooler weather. everything fresh tasting. take outs: -quick service, 10 small tables for dining in. -not all entrees were available as today was the lst day. -credit card only as change didn't arrive on time. -no combos seen, just single entrees. read more

Exceptional traditional food experience!! Food AND drinks were amazing and the staff are so friendly! The flavors, portions, and freshness of the food is what always brings me back to Mela Bistro, you can taste the quality in each bite! I'm already looking forward to my next outing here! read more

Mela Bistro - Gluten free Tiramisu! - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

We are big fans of Ethiopian food and Mela Bistro is definitely the best we have had in the Bay Area! They have a large selection of vegetarian dishes and everything is delicious. The gingered cabbage is particularly spectacular. We have been twice and can't wait to go back! read more

Mela Bistro - Amazing vegetarian dishes! - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

So good I forgot I was Vegan. I want to start off by asking have you ever had Tef chocolate Cake before? Mela's Chocolate cake is delicious and completely vegan. It's often hard for vegans to enjoy much outside of the traditional veggie combo but this place had mushroom tibs, beets, veggie kitfo, and desserts for everyone. The food was amazing plus adding a few nontraditional specialty drinks and the nice and welcoming staff, not much I could ask for. I'll be back! read more

See all

We stopped by for dinner and the place was not packed. This place is near by Lake Merritt with street parking. We got the vegetarian platter, Ada kitfo (tuna), sambusa, and beet and almond cake to share between 2 people. We had so much left over for another meal! Everything was great and tasty. read more

See all

The food is authentic and tasty. The Fish kitfo was my favorite. Loved the ambience and decor. read more

See all

This place is amazing! First off, I want to just mention how the staff here is so nice and helpful! My friend made the mistake of putting an entire bird's eye chili in her mouth. Her mouth was burning up, and the staff quickly went to see if they could get something to help her. The chef then whipped up a vanilla cream for her, and we are so grateful for this nice gesture! Besides the amazing service, the food is so good! Vegetarian platter: This is such a beautiful, flavorful dish. There were 5 cooked veggies and some salad on injera. The spices were perfect. It wasn't too spicy (unless you decide to put an entire chili pepper in your mouth), and it was very filling. Absolutely delicious. Chicken and mushrooms: Chicken was cooked perfectly and seasoned so well. Like the vegetarian platter, I thought it was just the right amount of spice. Comes with some injera on the side. Sambusa: Good appetizer to get started with. Skin was crisp, and there was plenty of filling. The sauce that comes with this was light and fresh. read more

Mela Bistro - Mela's Vegetarian Platter with Chicken and Mushrooms - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

Ambience A++, Food so tasty and friendly staff. So excited to have found this gem in the neighborhood. The new Ethiopian restaurant Mela Bistro is a must try! read more

This place is the best. So clean, delicious food, friendly people. Ask for gluten free, plant based veggie combo:) read more

Mela Bistro - Veggie Combination. Plant based, gluten free:):) So clean, delicious, and beautiful people. - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

We ordered the veggie platter and shrimp tib to share between 2 adults and a small taste for a toddler. Everything was delicious delicious, even my toddler tried everything I fed him! The ambience is simple, clean, and calming. Plus, it's woman-owned and the servers and owner were welcoming. read more

Definitely a really fresh and delicious Ethiopian restaurant. The restaurant staff are warm and so welcoming. The food was really delicious, flavorful and had a bit of a good spicy kick. Definitely a great recommendation to try out some time. We had the vegetarian platter and tibs along with plenty of injera. read more

Mela Bistro - Mela's Vegetarian Platter and Veggie Tibs - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Delicious delicious delicious takeout. I had the misir wat and husband had the lamb tibs. Also had an order of sambusa which were the best I've ever had. Thrilled this spot is around the corner from us and will dine here regularly I predict. read more

Had a wonderful spicy chicken tibs and a side of carrots and green beans. I'll be back!

A fantastic, warm, and delicious new addition to downtown. The staff are fantastic and lovely, and the food is delicious and rich. I can't wait to see this place take off and prosper. The veg platter was delicious, made me pause and not do work on my lunch hour! I'll be coming back for coffee, dinner, happy hour and more. read more

Terrific find. Mela Bistro is Refined Etheopian food in a clean and pleasant ambiance. The service and attention to detail is outstanding and the meal was excellent. We love Etheopian food, but often find it too greasy and heavy. This wasn't but still had beautiful and plenty of traditional flavor. We had the Mela vegitarian platter, Asa Kifto (ahi tartar) and chicken with mushroom. All excellent though the fish a bit subtle alongside the others. My recommendation. Drive, train, bike or walk. Just go and go now. read more

Mela Bistro - Veggie plater with ahi tartar - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

So glad we stopped in here for some excellent Ethiopian food. We had to get to a show so only had a limited amount of time to eat. We ordered the chicken wings and samosas to start. The samosas were fantastic and petite in size. I had the chicken tibs and my husband had the lamb. We opted to have it come out on one platter. Everything came out very quickly and tasted fabulous! I asked for mild spice and it was perfect. Both dishes had an incredible depth of flavor! The Injira was perfect and the service was attentive. read more

Food was amazing! Lots of flavors and variety! My wife and I shared the Vegetarian platter and Veggie Kitfo - two dishes was more than enough food, although it was so tasty that we basically ate it all. read more

Soooo unbelievably delicious!! The vegetarian platter is every flavor you can ever want. I can't wait to come back and try more of the menu. Highly recommend this place! read more

Mela Bistro - Mela's Vegetarian Platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

The food is amazing, the service is perfect, and it has a perfect vibe. I can't stop coming here!

We happened to run across this restaurant after the one we set out for was too crowded. So glad we did because this was great food! The owner went around to each table to chat. It was 80% full and there was a nice buzz of chatter. Go there! read more

Top Notch Bistro!!! I cannot say enough good things about this quaint lovely place. The ambiance is pleasant and inviting with plants and artwork on the walls. The service is excellent. And the food....wowza!...ahhhmazing!...fresh, well seasoned, wholesome, healthy, great quality. If you like Ethiopian food this place does not disappoint. It exceeded my expectations! read more

I already love Mela Bistro... but I went for brunch and it was chef's kiss! I didn't know brunch could be elevated with so much flavor. And the mimosas with the Ethiopian taj flavor was next level. I can't wait to make a reservation for the next one! (I stay up to date on when brunch is hosted by checking their IG page) read more

Went to Mela Bistro yesterday with 4 other people. 5 stars is not enough! Beautiful setting, excellent service, delicious food. Clean. Great music. Highly recommend the shrimp sauce! The teff cake impressive The citrus cake to die for! We shall be back soon and again, again and again...... read more

The injera was super musty tasting, the veg combo was all undercooked and flavorless. The meats were ok but not good enough to make up for the injera & veg read more

Dropped in later in the evening, and were warmly welcomed by Adiam. Ordered Mela's vegetarian platter and beef tibs. The platter arrived and was bursting with color and a variety of wonderful tastes - fresh salad with a lemony dressing, bright red beets and potatoes, carrots and green beans, gomen, gingered cabbage, yellowed split peas, and misir (red lentils). She checked in with us throughout our meal and when we asked for the gluten- and dairy-free Tef Chocolate Cake, they were out so she made us a fresh one! At the end of our meal, she surprised us with a few pieces of almond cake to go. Highly recommend for food, service, and ambiance! read more

Update: still so yummy! I need to come back to try different dishes, but took a friend here for a little date and it was perfect. We split two dishes--the Lamb Tibs and the Misor Wot (vegetarian lentils) and it was so yummy. Hummus is always great. We got Spiced Tea (no caffeine!) and the Ginger Honey Ice Tea and both were super refreshing. Such a cute place with a great staff. Love it! Super yummy with a super friendly staff! Mela served Ethiopian food, something I'm not very experienced with. The menu mostly is options of meat, seafood, or vegetarian options that are served on injera which is a brown super light bread/ crepe like food. I got the Asa Wot fish which was delicious!! White fish that was cooked in a great sauce. You can choose to get your meal served individually or family style, we did family style which was a really fun experience. I was able to try my friends' lamb and vegetarian options that were also delicious. All of the mains come with the beet and potato salad which is very yummy, but you can also add more sides to enjoy on your injera for extra cost. You can also sub the injera for pita or rice. We also got the hummus to start that was very tasty! I would probably try something else next time because although it was good it was pretty standard and there wasn't a lot of bread to dip in. I wish I took pictures of the interior, they did a great job with it as the space feels open but also warm. Next time I will want to go in the day so I can try some Ethiopian coffee that has caffeine in it! Will be coming back to try more goodies! read more

See all

Had one of the best meals at Mela Bistro a few weeks ago. We shared the vegetarian platter and veggie tibs and both were excellent. Large portions but so delicious we almost finished all of it between two people. Also had chocolate teff cake with vegan whipped cream for dessert and it was one of the beat vegan desserts I've ever had. The staff were so friendly and helpful too! I cannot say enough good things about Mela Bistro. Definitely worth a visit when in Oakland. read more

Mela Bistro - Mela's vegetarian platter with veggie tibs - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Love this place! The owner is incredibly sweet and thoughtful, the vibe is exactly what you want on a Friday night in Oakland. Food is spectacular. All around great place. read more

This place is amazing!! Great service, great food, great atmosphere, they have it all! Will definitely be coming back very soon and telling everyone I know about this place. I ordered the yellow split peas and veggie tibs. Both were great as were the gimlet and fruit punch cocktails! read more

Mela Bistro - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

A great addition to Oakland's downtown, this cozy Ethiopian restaurant has excellent injera and pita to go with its hummus and all-important stewed things to eat with injera! The spice tea was a little bland, so next time I'll try the coffee to see how it holds up to what they serve in Addis Ababa. But on that score the berbere and other spice bases are very good - and that's really what it's about! read more

Sadly, this is Americanized Ethiopian food, not authentic Ethiopian food :( I have my go to authentic Ethiopian restaurants that I go to but I wanted to give this one a try because of the reviews but it disappointed. The injera was old and crumbled at the touch, not fresh at all. Another thing that I hadn't seen in the Ethiopian cuisine was beets and purple cabbage but I gave it a try. I've been all over Ethiopia and not once did I see beets and purple cabbage in the veggie combo. Which is why I say this place is more Americanized than authentic. The ladies there were very nice but service was slow. It wasn't that busy and still the service was slow. But again, the ladies there were nice :) Will not be going back to this place again. I will go to the more authentic Ethiopian food places I regularly go to. read more

The spicy chicken and mushroom tibs, YUM! One of my favorite places. The ladies are so sweet and the food and ambiance is always a delight!

If I could give this place more than 5 stars, I would. I have tried a lot of Ethiopian restaurants in Oakland but this one really takes it to the next level. I loved the vegetarian plate and the shiro. The addition of beets and gingered cabbage makes the food feel less heavy. The portion sizes are not overly huge, which is I really appreciate so I'm not overstuffing myself, but still get to experience all the delicious items. I got my dessert to go (which was an amazing teff chocolate cake parfait) and they gave it to me in a mason jar, which was a beautiful touch. It's bright and clean and modern. And so gluten-free friendly! The owner's son is gluten-free so they really understand the concept, have so many options, and I felt safe from cross contamination. The staff was extremely welcoming and friendly. My only suggestion is to add a high table or changing table to the bathroom as I will definitely be back again with my baby! read more

My wife and I had a really lovely time here the other night and we highly recommend it. We started with the black lentil sambussas which had just the right amount of crisp so that they crunched when we ate them but still had a lot of structural integrity. The black lentil filling was everything a lentil fan would want. We then got the veggie (might have been vegan) sampler which was super flavorful and had some delightful and unusual additions to the normal assortment. The shiro was especially good and very creamy. We also sampled the salmon tartar which we're certainly going to order again (it had a great cardamon seasoning), and got a teff chocolate cake for desert which was perfect for two. Definitely try the cake if you have any fondness for chocolate. Oh, I should mention that the injera was entirely teff (not a wheat/teff mix), which gave it a really nice texture and flavor. It's new, the people who run it are really nice, you should give it a try! read more

Extremely attentive and friendly staff. Food was very tasty and fresh. I ordered the veggie sampler and spiced tea. It came with more than just five items (more like 8) which was unexpected. I was given extra injera and the red spice sauce that I absolutely love. The vibe was different than some of the other more traditional spots in town. It was still very warm and welcoming. I appreciate the seafood section which I plan to work my way thru in the future. read more

Mela Bistro - Veggie sampler, Injera, spiced tea - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

My new favorite!!! Delicious and Heathy... Mela is light on grease and the menu adds interesting twists for the better. The tuna kitfo and veggie sampler were amazing! 5 stars full circle: from the elegant set up to the service to great food!!! read more

Mela Bistro - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Everything from the ambiance, staff, surrounding area and most importantly the food was outstanding. Ask for the honey wine to have with your meal. Great place for a group to share a meal family style. read more

Mela Bistro - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

This place is awesome. The food is delicious, the waitstaff are great, the drinks are tasty, and the ambiance is chill. Sambusas - highly recommend. They were able to modify the dishes to reduce the spiciness level so our kids could enjoy the dishes. They even gave me one of their fancy desserts since it was my birthday! We will be back. read more

Just had a peaceful lunch here. Unlike most Ethiopian restaurants this one has a modern ambiance and fast service. The veggie platter was well presented and quite good in flavor too. Liked the beet salad. We also got fish goulash and it was fresh and well made. read more