Ordered take out from Mesob a few nights ago. Was only in the restaurant for a few minutes to pick up my order, but the smells were so amazing. You walk in the door and immediately mouth watering. The decor is also cute. Lots of fun art and images on the walls. The food itself is so good. I always love samplers at Ethiopian restaurants, so I can try a bit of a few different things. Mesob's Veggie Sampler was fantastic. 8 different veggie dishes to try and loads of injera to eat it with. My favorite was the shira (not shockingly), but all of the dishes were good and a very good mix. The sampler also lasted me about 4 meals! Very good bang for your buck! read more

I always enjoy dining at Mesob! Quick, friendly service, welcoming but not crowded space, and delicious food. The veggie platter and half-and-half tibs (derek and awaze) are my go-tos for sharing. Sambusas are also great! read more

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant - Veggie Samplers Half & Half - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Love the food, everything is so great and the injera bread is always perfect. This is one of the best restaurants I've been to since I've been in Minnesota. It hard to find good food for a good price here. read more

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

The food and coffee were both great! We got the vegetarian sampler. It is a small restaurant so I imagine coming on an off time is ideal to avoid a wait. Our server was very kind. It was a very long wait to receive our food and one of our items were forgotten, but otherwise it was a great experience and I would return. read more

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant - Coffee - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This was my husband and my first time going to Mesob because it was recommended to us by an Ethiopian friend who said the food here was authentic. The restaurant itself was no frills. There are a few parking spots outside but they were all taken so we had to park a bit further. We had a meat and veggie platter and thought the food was very tasty. However, the service was less than adequate. We waited 90 minutes for our food! Even the ginger tea that we ordered took over half an hour to be brought out (it was delicious and very gingery). Prices were reasonable, but don't think we'll be going back because of the slow service. read more

One of the best meals I've had in a while. We split a vegetarian sampler for two people. We devoured it. Everything on that platter was delicious. read more

Wow, I'm totally in love with this place. We've been here a few times and I just have to say that it hits right every time. Parking is super easy. Service is top notch, they are so kind and patient when explaining the different dishes. Inside the restaurant, there are some traditional Ethiopian items on display. The ginger tea is 100% wow. It's a potent and has real ginger in it, if you're feeling under the weather, I would definitely recommend this. We ordered the veggie sampler and it was spectacular. All the different veggies had their own distinct flavors. I love how they give a good amount of injera and being able to dip and grab the veggies with it is mouth watering. My favorites are the different lentils and potatoes. My husband has had the chicken tibs and the doro special and he loved both of them. For me, I prefer the vegetable dishes and there's nothing wrong with that. This is my to go Ethiopian restaurant whenever I go home to Minnesota. read more

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Owner is very nice and shows amazing hospitality. Ambiance is beautiful and the food is beautiful and delicious as well. read more

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant - Veggie Samplers - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Ten 4-person tables or so. Easy parking. Wonderful helpful service. But also! Super delicious Ethiopian food! 10/10

Great food, great service, beautiful ambience, I had the awazi tibs which is one of my favorite Ethiopian dishes with rice and boiled egg and injera great combo. Good price under $20 and good amount of food, I'll most definitely will be back. read more

Came here because I saw a TikTok that showed what a lovely person the owner is..... and I'm glad I did. It was just a quick stop, but I ordered some Beef Key Wot on my way to the airport. It was perfectly spiced and spicy! The service was prompt, friendly and informative. Delicious food! I don't know what they put in the simple salad dressing, but that was awesome too.... Go here! Support this family business!! read more

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We were in the mood for Ethiopian cuisine, so we decided to try this place out for lunch. Since it was a weekday, the dining area was not crowded, and we were greeted and seated right away. We ordered the Veggie Sampler Plus Full Salad and a small Beef Alicha Wot. Each dish came with plenty of Injera bread, and everything was delicious. The vegetables were well seasoned, and the beef was buttery and tender. Portion sizes were very generous and what we ordered was more than enough to feed the both of us. Service was casual and friendly. Parking is convenient since they have their own parking out front. read more

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant - Veggie Sampler Plus Full Salad - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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I've been wanting to try Ethiopian food for a while since I had only had it one time previously a long time when I was a not so adventurous eater (picky). I finally made the adventure over to Hiawatha and tried out Mesob. It is a little confusing to get to via car if you are heading south to it as you'll have loop over on a residential block next to Hiawatha to get on the right side of the road to entire the parking lot. The parking lot is also pretty small although we later found out there was additional space in the back. Once you are inside, this place is really awesome. It has a great relaxing vibe with cool interior decorations, cool light fixtures, and some nice jazzy Ethiopian music playing in the background. We were quickly handed a menu and the waitress was very kind and helped us decide between a few options we were stuck between. We decided to all share (4 people) and we ordered the Meat and Veggie Sampler along with a pot of Coffee for 3 people (I don't drink coffee). Everyone who had coffee said it was super delicious and quite strong. I never had it so all I can say is that it smelled great, and the serving cups were so cute. The meat and veggie sampler was awesome! There was about 9 different dishes about 1/2 meat, 1/2 vegetarian served atop of this lovely Injera (Ethiopian bread). Now I don't know what each thing was, but it was all great. There were a few lentil dishes, a cheese dish, a few chicken, and a red meat one. Everything I had was super delicious and that was a great dish to feed the whole crew and for not very expensive. It was nice to be able to eat with your hands and get a little bit of everything. On top of that, because I know a lot of Minnesotans are concerned, this was not a very spicy dish. I think most people could handle eating all of it without worry! Definitely recommend coming over here and I'll be back many more times! read more

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It's easy to fly by this place, which we did. The exterior does not match the interior, which is a good thing. We loved the food here. Had plenty of injera and the flavors were all wonderful. Server was sweet and patient while we ordered. Would definitely come back. read more

I have chosen to give this establishment a 5 star because the food is tasty and it attracts a lot of locals as a small business, serving Ethiopian folks within the Twin Cities, especially in South Minneapolis, at a relatively "hole in the wall" location. I do not want to use superficial criteria to rate this establishment lower, knowing that factors such as cleanliness, service, etc. can easily perpetuate elitist perspectives, especially when it comes to small POC-owned businesses. Its service to the community is what I value the most as it serves tasty food with very modest decorations and nothing flashy. Frequent Ethiopian visitors do not typically engage in reviews for this place but they visit very often. If you are not Ethiopian, you will find yourself the only non-Ethiopian (or just non-East African) in the restaurant more often than not. However, even if I have chosen to give a 5, I do have a few points to make that can serve as genuine expectations for others: 1) They seem to be very understaffed, so please expect slower to at times nonexistent service and be proactive about asking for an update on food or ordering. The times I was there, they only had one server who had to handle all of the to-go orders and serve the diners. Please do not make matters worse by exhibiting behaviors that suggest your privilege or how spoiled you can be. 2) Their cleanliness is not always the best. I have had one case where someone threw up in the woman's bathroom and because they were understaffed, they could not attend to cleaning it, subsequently deterring other female customers away from the bathroom. As a Chinese person, I don't mind it, since I have seen enough. But you may care about it because of your background, so just beware. 3) Their food amount given has decreased over the years. The lamb / beg tibs used to contain a full container of lamb with no visible liquid while in June 2023 it looks like there are more areas that one can't see lamb meat. If I want to give Mesob a 4, then that would be the primary reason. With all that said, the food is solid! It is all exactly as described on their menus, with abundant injera and free refill if one doesn't have enough. The doro special chicken is heavily seasoned with spices so having the cheese and injera will be helpful, but it is extremely tasty! The lamb tibs are slightly underseasoned and the lamb can be more tender, but I think it might be just because the lamb is not marinated. The awaze beef tibs are extremely well-seasoned and tasty as well! Both the chicken and the beef can be a bit spicy. As for the veggies, having yellow lentil, red lentil, and root veggies is perfect because they are more plain in flavor and therefore strike a great balance with the meat's potentially overpowering flavor. It's hard to go wrong with Ethiopian food because the spices are so specific, so there's going to be flavor. If there is anything that needs improvement with their food, then I thinn it will just be more consistent with the food portion given. I have been there 3 times and have been given various portions each time. Once again, taste-wise, totally all good! read more

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I stopped in for lunch on a Monday and was not disappointed! The meat and veggie sampler was delicious, a great introduction to Ethiopian food for my first time trying it. The restaurant is very cute and service was fast and friendly. Would definitely eat here again! read more

10/10!! Best Ethiopian food we've had, good service, everything was hot and tasty. Can't wait to come back next time we're in town

Loveliest women (women owned and operated!) and loveliest food around. I've been out of town and craving their food so badly! Great food, portions and service. Zero reasons not to go, there's something for everyone. And if you've never tried Ethiopian, it's time to start. Their food is legit authentic and they will warmly make suggestions according to what you like. Just go! read more

This place was amazing wanted to try a new cuisine and this was a great choice while I was in the area food was amazing it did take a while but they were making it from scratch and very cool atmosphere great location between the airport and downtown Minneapolis I will definitely come back. read more

I came in and was seated fairly quickly, but the food took a long time to come out and the waitress apologized after awhile and told me my food was ready but it still took another 10min to come out. Then, when the food was being put down at my table, my entire water was spilled all over me and the waitress didn't seem to feel that bad about it. When she checked on me when I was eating my food, I was using my fork to put my food onto my injera and eating them together, but she asked me if there was a problem with the food/if I didn't like it and asked if it was my first time eating Ethiopian food which it was not, and as I was happily eating it, which made it feel like I was doing it wrong. The food was good but the wait was long and getting water spilled all over me and feeling a bit judged for eating my food really made me feel unwelcome eating there. read more

Everything was amazing. Server, food and menu selection was excellent. I am Ethiopian so I can be picky on the food quality and I was impressed. read more

Great food. Clean pleasant restaurant and friendly service. We had special kitfo, gomen, shiro, lamb and chicken tibs. Everything was delicious. I especially liked the flavor of the lamb. read more

Very enjoyable family owned restaurant. The food was authentic and fantastic! The waitress was very friendly and helpful. Highly recommend.

This was our first time trying Ethiopian food, and we shared a platter with a variety of dishes. The meats were tasty and flavorful - we liked all of them! It was a unique experience. read more

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant - Meat and veggies - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

GET TAKEOUT!! The service: We went on a Saturday at 6:30 - probably the busiest time for them. All 7 tables were full and takeout was in full swing. If you need Larry W's review it was the same experience I had. The waitress did not seem in any rush and our dining experience took approx 2 hours for 4 people. We struggled to even get any water within the first hour. The waitress forgot our order. We saw multiple other tables ask for a beer, more water, the check, boxes and they never came. If you see 2 people working it would be a better sign that your dining experience may be quicker. Do not be in a rush if you are going to come here! The food was okay. The best was the sambusa and would highly recommend those. The siga and doro wat were spicer that I've had at other places but still good and easily the best part of the dish. The yellow peas were super bland, barely cooked and not mushed. Misir wat also very good. I live close and will do take out in the future but the dine in experience was very hard and will not return. read more

A really great restaurant - I have eaten here twice in the past 2 weeks. The owner is wonderful and his wife is the cook. Abel helps wait tables. A nice, family run place. On my first visit the restaurant was empty during lunch. I came here because my dad was dying and my appetite was non-existent. They saw my puffy face and were so nice to me. But the food was fantastic. I recommend ordering the Mesob meat combo. You receive all of the veggie sides and several meats plus lots of injara. The lamb was a favorite. For those of you new to Ethiopian food ... you break off a small piece of injara (the spongy bread) and then use it to grab a bite of food. They will give you a fork if you would like but I urge you to try the injara method. The combo will feed 2. I am posting the current menu but it will be expanding soon. On visit 2, I brought my picky husband and he gave it a try. While Ethiopian food will never be his favorite he did eat a lot and said it was pretty good. Please give them a try. I really missed good Ethiopian food. read more

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I've had this place, when I visited Minnesota, right before the pandemic and everything shut down and it was really good...and now I'm highly disappointed with the quality of food! Idk if they have a new cook, but by the looks and taste of the food...it was RUSHED! For now, I will stick with my family and California restaurants cooking. I'm so tired of these restaurants with subpar food during the pandemic! read more

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant - Beef Awaze Tibs - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Amazing food and incredibly nice owners and staff! A super fun date night spot as well since you share everything! read more

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant - Veggie samplers - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Legit and delicious. Of the 7 occupied tables when we were there, ours was one of two occupied by non-Ethiopian families. They run a catering business out of the same kitchen, and so were apologetic at moments about the pace of the food coming out when we added some sides to our orders as afterthoughts. But it was no big deal to us. (And seriously, to the ass**** in the review below complaining about restaurant staffing/timing during the pandemic: if you're in that big a hurry go to the McD's drivethrough down the street. EVERYONE will be happier with your choice.) Spicing was excellent. Also, ability to add a wide variety of side dishes for nominal $ is pretty unusual for an Ethiopian restaurant. I'll dream about this food. read more

If I could summarize this place in 2 words it would be: Go Hungry. Massive plates await you, filled with layers of intricate flavor profiles that are bound to expand your pallet. My only gripe was that it was to much food to eat. read more

Yum, yum, YUM!! I used to work in the Bay Area and would get Ethiopian food often and was craving it. I haven't explored many of the Ethiopian places nearby, and we saw that Mesob offered curbside pickup, so we thought we'd give it a try. I am so glad we did - we got the meat & veggie sampler for the two of us. We didn't realize that we ordered the larger size that could have easily fed 3-4 people, but I'm not complaining It was delicious!! We also got a few sambusas which I highly recommend. The platter had a great variety of spice levels - most were medium, with a few mild and a few extra spicy items - so it's great even if you've got a group with different spice tolerances. COVID note: we picked Mesob specifically for curbside pickup, but please note that you do need to pay and sign a receipt on site if paying by card, through your car window. You also can order pickup/delivery via GrubHub - we didn't do that option but I'm guessing that would be contactless. Thank you for a delicious dinner, Mesob!! read more

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant - Popular Meat and Veggie Sampler (Large) plus two sambusas - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Unbelievable food. Save a bit of room for the red velvet cake. And the service is excellent!

Mesob, a random spot in a stripmall in the middle of nowhere, serves pretty darn good Ethiopian food. We started with the sambussa, which is vegan by default ($4.45 for three). I enjoyed them, but they didn't blow me away. We also got the Mesob special vegetarian sampler ($12.75). Normally I hate the samplers at Ethiopian places, because they load you up with filler items (like cabbage and carrots) and skimp on the good stuff (red lentils and split peas). In this case, you can't get the red lentils or split peas as standalone items (though they randomly offer shuro wat as a standalone, a pureed chickpea dish that I normally dislike), so the sampler seemed like a better bet. Anyway, the sampler is delicious and colorful with great spices. I also loved that they offer TWO types of lentil dishes, which is a rarity. My one gripe, and it's a big one, is that the sampler came to us partially cold. When we asked them to heat it up, they made some items warmer, and others didn't change at all. I'm not sure what's going on there. While Fasika in St. Paul remains my go-to Ethiopian spot (and one of the best Ethiopian places in the country, in my opinion), Mesob is a Twin Cities contender. read more

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This is a good place for Ethiopian food, and it's definitely above average Ethiopian food. The mesir wot (lentils) and shiro (bean gravy) were both above average and each came with your choice of three sides, for a filling and delicious meal. There was a language barrier when it came to picking the sides: we just wanted whatever vegetables they had, but the server didn't seem to get it and kept asking if we wanted meat and we were like, uh, no! (At the same time, it was difficult to find out which sides were available: she wouldn't tell us or had trouble telling us, so that's why we were like "aagh, whatever!".) We sorted it out eventually and got some nice vegetables. The decor is nice enough and I'd certainly come back if I were in the area. read more

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Chicken Tibs & Sambusa's are amazing! Service was great and the prices are super reasonable. read more

Lovely, warm and welcoming people serving authentic and flavourful Ethiopian food! We tried Meat and Veggie sampler from the menu which is probably ideal for a group of 3-4 trying out the place for the first time. Everything was tasty and very unique in flavor! A must try if you are looking for a unique flavourful experience! read more

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant - Meat and Veggie sampler (Good for 3-4 people) - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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I am so enthused to welcome this new Ethiopian restaurant to the west side of the Cities since my usual spot for Ethiopian food requires a trip across the river. The decor is simple and clean with Ethiopian touches throughout, including Ethiopian music videos playing (wasn't too loud, it was pleasant). The waiter had NO wine knowledge, which was fine since this resulted in a massive pour. =) Sweetening the deal was the price: $5 bucks. The table white, one of 2 options, the other being a sweet moscato, was nice and dry but not chilled (room temp). I almost asked for ice. I did have to ask for a water. We'll call it even since I received No side-eye when I admitted I couldn't manage without utensils. For food, I ordered the veggie platter. I was pretty hungry and managed most of it on my own, but it would easily split between 2 people for lunch if maybe an app was ordered in addition. The dark lentil dish with its smoky flavor was a highlight. The main center sauce had hints of cardamom and a mystery blend of spice that hit just the right note. The edges of the platter were scattered with a variety of cooked vegetables, including beets and carrots, cabbage, and a beautifully crisp green-bean/carrot blend. The potatoes were decadently tender and buttery. There is nothing better than eating the sauce-soaked injera that sits below the various dishes when you've eaten through the plain injera by rolling up all the cleverly spiced bites. A couple of establishment notes: there is a coffee ceremony area. I asked the owner/manager about it and he said any group really can participate in it, and it's typically done on Sunday afternoons. You may want to call and ask if you're hoping to participate in this. The bathroom was clean and looked freshly painted (possibly new trim too?). I hope they keep this up as they are opened longer. I can't wait to bring my son and his girlfriend here next time they are in town. read more

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Surprisingly good for delivery/takeout! We got one of the vegetarian family-sized combinations, and they sent it in a flat, very wide metal tin (apparently recyclable) that did a perfect job of transporting the injira and the neatly arranged piles of food just the way it's supposed to be. Sambusas came in foil that was lovingly folded with a big air pocket at the top, so that they actually arrived with a nice crispy texture. I'm not connoisseur of Ethiopian food, but all the flavors were great. A delicious way to have a fun meal that feels a bit festive. We'll be ordering again! read more

This was my first time going to an actual Ethiopian restaurant. I was not sure what to expect I don't eat meats unless it's seafood. I ordered a sampler veggie plate. It came with a few options of their vegetable selection. $15 The service was pretty slow but the food was very fresh Beggars can't be choosy! They had some traffic coming in for pickup orders for meat dishes. I drank an Ethiopian beer $5 with my food. The food is really good the only thing I did not like was the spongy bread that it came on top of I would have rather had some rice however I was not aware of their Style of food so I cannot complain. I ate off of that food for about 2-3 days! read more

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Some of my family -- four adults, three young kids -- arrived at Mesob about 5:15 p.m. one Saturday afternoon, were seated fairly quickly, but had to wait about 20-25 minutes before we even got a menu, and it didn't seem that crowded. The restaurant is small, and the atmosphere is very relaxed and quiet, all of which were great. There was one waitress for the entire place, who seemed relaxed but, to be honest, likely should be in a different work where minutes are not so important as they are in customer service (being a serving person) in a restaurant. The food finally arrived, about $100 for the seven of us, and was tasty and well presented. But our family's Anglo-American eating customs made us want plates and utensils, but we were not hyper or insistent about it. After three or four separate requests to the waitress, we finally got plates to begin a delicious meal. After we finished our relaxed meal, we waited a long time, and had to make three separate requests of the waitress, for a take-home box for leftovers, which finally came. But there were one or two other small groups waiting out in the lobby waiting for a table, and our own table would have been available much earlier if we had had more attention from the waitress. So, bottom line, yes, good food (though labor-intensive back in the kitchen, which I suppose explains the moderate cost); casual, quiet, relaxed and intimate atmosphere; polite service; but expect very slow service and delivery of your food. And if you're not familiar or comfortable with eating with your hands and using small torn-off segments of injera (Ethiopian flatbread) to gather spoonfuls of food in the bread before eating it, then I suggest that you either try a different place, or -- better yet -- come on by this small restaurant and check it out. But don't be in a rush to get somewhere else, unless you see an additional waitress helping to move things along. -- Grampa in Minneapolis read more