My boyfriend and I have been to many Ethiopian restaurants. This one was very good! We ordered steak tidbits and the veggie platter. Although we've had better steak tidbits, the portions were huge, and they have MUSHROOMS you can add, which we've never seen before! The veggie plate pea lentil spread is amazing! That is really the only spread I liked out of the veggie platter. Oh! Before I forget, please note that they do not have lamb! So be prepared for that :) read more

Moya - Steak tidbits and gursha. Delicious and big portions. - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is my first time to try Ethiopian food. The place is tidy and cozy. Food was yummy. The traidtional Ethiopian injera is awesome. I love its texture and it's pretty light. We ordered a customized veggie samplers (red lentil stew, yellow pea stew, sauteed collard greens, green salad, Shuro). Everything was tasty! Their veggie dishes are the heaven for vegan. Shuro is my favourite. read more

Moya - Traditional Ethiopian injera - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I am so happy that I found this gem of a restaurant! Casual vibe, delicious food and friendly service! Why I was here // I was craving Ethiopian food and we found this place! I feel like there aren't too many Ethiopian places in the city, so I was super excited to come and eat at this place! Service // You order at the counter and then grab a seat, where they will bring the food to you. They were all super friendly and welcoming! Food // Love the injera (teff flour flat bread) - I don't know what magic they do to make it, but it's amazing! I you want to buy a side of injera, its about $2.00! - We got the vegetarian sampler platter, which was a great choice because it comes with good variety. - We also ordered the chicken tibs, which had great flavor! Overall // Will definitely be coming back! Love the food and the injera is so addicting! read more

I love this place. Their veggies sampler is my go to, with teff injera. Great for groups with gluten/dairy/meat food restrictions.

Ate good Ethiopian food after a long time. The veggie sampler was absolutely delicious and reminded me of what Asmara in the East Bay used to taste like a few years ago. The spicy red lentil stew was just the right level of spice and the yellow lentil was just the right level of bland without losing its flavor. Not a huge fan of the green beans and cabbage stew, but fine! The collard green could have been chopped a wee bit finer but didn't lack in the taste department. This is certainly going to be my go-to for Ethiopian food in the future! read more

Moya - Remains of the veggie sampler :) - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Excellent almost fast food. Had the veg sampler and the chicken with mushrooms. Enjoyed everything.

very generous portions and reasonable prices but very bland. perhaps I am just used to a different style but this did not resemble any of the Ethiopian food I have eaten anywhere. read more

I'm pretty sure I saw the owner *smiling* while bussing tables...And when I started eating I made the mistake of thinking it wasn't going to be enough food--thankfully stuffed all that injera in my face but I had to leave some beautiful bites behind. Eat here! Such love! read more

Moya - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

I had wanted to try this place for a long time, and one day I finally got the chance to come by for lunch during the week. I've tried Ethiopian food elsewhere in the Bay Area and while I liked the dishes in principle, something about the execution was always off. I'm happy to report, though, that Moya totally nailed it! I got the Siga Tibs, and definitely recommend getting the version with collard greens and mushrooms. I thought those were going to come on the side, but to my (pleasant) surprise they were already stir-fried with the beef strips, which was awesome. This dish was so flavorful with rich spices, and the beef was tender, which is far too rare an occurrence in stir-fried dishes all over the place. I also really liked the injera bread as it wasn't as sour as other places I've tried and perfectly complemented the beef and spices. Did I mention the yellow lentils that come on the side of the Siga Tibs? They were out of this world! I could write an entire review about those alone. Next time I'll make sure to order extra ;) Definitely check out this hidden gem - it's a great option for a quick meal at a great value (very large portion sizes for the price and area). read more

I hope they add kitfo to the delivery menu on UberEats and DoorDash! I would order it all the time

You want delicious authentic Ethiopian food made by a sweet Ethiopian lady? Come here. She's the owner and she sees me every week because I cannot get enough. I've gotten to a point where I'm just eating fresh Ethiopian followed by leftovers because there is so much delicious food you won't let a drop go to waste. Literally finger licking good. read more

Great food! Just ordered the Siga Tibs, and everything is delicious! If you like beef, it's a great option! You definitely need to try the bread! Great service too! read more

Delicious as always. Boyfriend and I split the veggie sampler, which was the perfect amount of food given neither of us was very hungry. When we are hungrier, we'll order a shuro or the beef tibs. read more

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The veggie sampler is a good way to experience the food for the first time, and then after you've had a taste of them all, you can order the parts you prefer in individual portions. The misir wot is my favorite. Be sure to order the teff injera (maybe even along with the "traditional" injera) because the two injera breads are very different experiences, although I prefer the more substantial teff one. If you live nearby, it's so easy to pick up your order without paying the delivery service surcharges; she has a special window just for giving out orders, and the food is ready really, really fast! read more

I was brought to this place by my friend who's an Ethiopian food expert. He was a journalist who served as a war correspondent there and married an Ethiopian woman. So yeah, he's an expert. This is an order-at-the-counter restaurant that serves relative few dishes and they make them very well. I have the steak tips and the flavors were on point. Succulent steak and a salad with bright green dressing and tomato. I added collard greens and they were delicious. All the better to eat up with the Injera bread. He had the Kitfo, an Ethiopian steak tartare. Too bad they don't serve alcohol here. But a ginger beer washes things down just fine. I didn't really count but they're probably eight or nine tables, 4- and 2-tops. While the restaurant is clean, the atmosphere is good, not great. A basic look dressed up with some Ethiopian art. Never got crowded but it stayed busy until almost closing time when I was there on a Wednesday night. The woman at the counter was extremely friendly. Nothing to complain about and the price was right at just $14. Don't get faked out by the out-of-order sign on the bathroom door. I'm pretty sure that's to discourage the vagrants. Just ask for the bathroom key and everything is clean and in working order. read more

Over the last two years I stopped by Moya a bunch of times, only to find it closed. I feared the worst. It's been a few months since I've been in that area, but I stopped by today and thrilled to see them open. Got my usual, the vegetarian sampler (they have a meat one too, and individual entrees). This plate is magnificent. Yellow split beans, spicy red split beans, collard greens, mixed carrots/cabbage/green beans, and some jagged-leaf greens (arugula?), served with injera bread (I think you can also choose rice). A wonderful mix of flavors, excellent tastes. The best Ethiopian food I've ever had (not that I've ever had bad Ethiopian food, but this is a taste above). Fast casual, with friendly service. Clean place. On the small side, so probably not good for groups, but still enough to bring your friends. The hours need to be updated on Yelp, because they closed at 8, not 9 (but didn't kick me out, just put up the Closed sign). So go on the early side so you don't miss this delightful food. read more

My first time having Ethiopian food. I got for tibs and injera bread. The portion was large and the bread soaked up the sauce well. It was a delicious meal and bread is so soft and spongey. Would come back to try their other dishes. read more

Moya - Doro tibs and anjera - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Want a simple, quick, home-cooked, authentic Ethiopian meal? Then Moya is your place. We decided to go here after having some beers two blocks away at Cellarmaker and this fit the bill. I won't lie, I was skeptical when I walked in because I've been to a few Ethiopian restaurants and they usually try to make it a more classy, restaurant feel but this one felt like counter service cooked by a family. Sure, the lady behind the counter isn't the most welcoming but she cooks a mean meal. We ordered a siga tibs (beef) and misir wot (spicy lentils) and it was served in a nice big plate with plenty of injera to share and a fresh green salad in the center. Everything was flavorful and delicious. The food arrived quickly and tasted so good! There's water on the side but they have a few drinks you can buy too. Overall, this meal was just under $30 and made us both full and happy. Gluten intolerant folks rejoice! This is real injera bread that is totally gluten-free. Not to mention, delicious and served generously. Next time I swing by SoMa and eat at Cellarmaker, I'll definitely come back for more. read more

Excellent classic sauces! I was amazed with the sauces, as for me sauces, dips and gravies are the foundation. Must try, easy street parking, come early much better. The smell enough will entice you!!! read more

The food was some of the best vegetarian fare I've had in the city. First time trying the injera bread. It was spongey and light, served in rolls, of the flat bread. Along with lentils ands salad. The woman who served me out was prompt in her service. Check this place out for delicious Ethnic food! read more

Delicious, fun food and friendly service! Fana El helped us decide what to get (the vegetarian sampler is a great place to start, and she made us chicken of different spice levels to go with it). They make non-gluten bread, as well as their regular bread, and most of their offerings are non-gluten anyway. Highly recommended! read more

I came back to Moya for the first time in a very long time (I no longer work around the corner). The food is still amazing as it has ever been! I cannot recommend enough the Kitfo Special! On top of everything, the owners still remember me and spoke with me even though it's easily been two years since I came by. Thank you for still providing amazing food! I hope to be back sooner than later! read more

Best authentic Ethiopian food in San Francisco! If you are vegan and look for some plants based awesomeness this the spot for you If you are craving spice and a nice verity with their veggie combo! They also have a very good vegan beef tips dish! Hit them up ASAP, because you won't regret it! read more

Moya - Veggie combo, split peas, red spicy lintels, salad, green potatoes, carrots and cabbage! - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Hidden gem in Soma. Great for takeouts. Service can be a little slow sometimes but nice spot for Ethiopian food.

I work near Moya and have had it a few times and I wish I could give more than 5 stars! This is fresh, authentic, and delicious. I usually get the vegetarian platter and it is so good. The injera taste fresh and fluffy every time I order it. It's not in the best area, but don't let that deter you at all. Everyone who works there has always been so nice. It's definitely an establishment worth supporting! read more

Whenever I am craving Ethiopian food, I am so so glad that this place is nearby where I live. The owner is so kind and the food is delicious. If you have never tried Ethiopian food, please try this place! You get a good portion of classic dishes and you can't go wrong no matter what you order. read more

We are so happy Moya has returned! Great for a quick evening dinner. The food is great and the people who own it are friendly. This is one of the few gems that brings some community to this neighborhood. I would recommend it to anyone who is in the area already. read more

Moya is a coffee stop that offers Ethiopian vegeterian and meat dishfes, no sammies. eats: Misir Wot) spicy red lentils stew, 10.95) -choose injera bread, great for dipping -small, tasty. fresh spring mix salad -misor wot had some heat, filled me up quickly hungry an hour later, too busy to grab something else to eat. 3 stars quantity, 4 stars quality. take outs: -found park, but ate on the run. (spot lights) -food $4 higher than food truck for equivalent eats. .s.f. rates not cheap either. -quick service, smiple menu. next time trying another veggie stew. no meats yet. -parking found in alley....no meters. read more

I was looking for a great Ethiopian restaurant when I found Moya. When I googled mapped it, I realized it's only 5 blocks from my house, PERFECT! So this place gets 4 stars for the 100% teff injera alone! Mmmmm, it was so good. So nutty and flavorful compared to regular injera, totally worth the extra $2. The food tasted very healthy, not oily at all compared with other Ethiopian restaurants I've been to. My husband and I ordered everything vegan! Here is the review: Veggie Sampler: This did not exactly match the online menu. It came with MISIR WOT (red lentil) which was sooooooooo good, just the right spiciness level for me. And not oily at all! Hooray! It also had KIK ALI-CHA (yellow pea). I didn't like this one, it was completely bland, not even a touch of flavor. My husband liked it . But i think This one really could have used some extra kick. GOMEN (collard greens), again, not a ton of flavor. There was also a potato/carrot dish. This one is a common dish in all ethiopian restaurants. It tasted to me like it always does. There was also a nice little salad with this plate. Refreshing. Suro: This was a chickpea stew with 15 spices. It had a great flavor (right in between the lentil and pea dishes in terms of spiciness). It had a very creamy consistency though. INGUDAI TIBS: Mushrooms. The kind waitress brought this dish out for free when she saw how much we were enjoying the food. This had an excellent flavor! A good kick to it with the jalapeño. It was really good. I think they could do a bit better job on the decor. They are in a brand new building, and the whole place just felt a little too sterile and new. I wish they had an Ocra dish on the menu, but they're a small shop, so I understand that they have to draw the line somewhere. I'll be back for sure!!! I have a feeling I'm going to be a regular for the red lentil dish and 100% teff injera. read more

Moya - The interior. Nice and new - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Since finding this place a month ago, I've been four times. It's insanely good, and is a perfect business. What's your angle? Do you like small, local businesses? Well, the waitress is the daughter and granddaughter of the mother and grandmother who are cooking in the kitchen. It doesn't get much more "real people" than that. Plus, there's an ongoing Soma War. Keeping business doors open is essential to preventing the druggies and criminals from overrunning SOMA again. In 2003, SOMA was a lot like the Tenderloin. In 2010, it's civilized....As long as you stay in after 10:30 p.m. or so. Supporting local businesses is essential for the neighborhood. Social critique aside, the food is awesome. It's also affordable. Four of us ate there - tons of food (depicted in a picture I uploaded), as it was a table of big eaters. With tip, we got out of there for $80. There are gluten-free options. I prefer the taste of the teff. This Wikipedia entry is helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eragrostis_tef I've had the lamb, chicken, kitfo (you can get it cooked if you don't ' want to eat raw ground beef), and kitfo special (cheese and collard greens are mixed in with the kitfo), and lentils. Everything has been fantastic. I've ordered carry out, too. (Picture uploaded.) Huge servings. I ate it all, plus almost all of the ye doro tibs. For more on the ye dora tibs, see this SF Weekly article: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010/07/spicy_ethiopian_chicken_at_moy.php Moya is a new favorite that I'll be taking all of my friends to. read more

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Wait? There's an Ethiopian place near here? That's where we're going then! The restaurant Moya is well lit, but still slightly dusky giving them fantastic ambiance. They also have plenty of seating in their well laid out restaurant and the service is quick and personable. For my injera cravings I now head here where they boast both fabulous injera and gursha, the kik alitcha being my favrouite. The only negatives in my book, which are probably positives to some, it that their door is wheelchair accessible, thus it stays open for several minutes after automatically opening. This simply means if you sit next to the door, it'll be chilly. They also don't take cash. To me, this just means I now sit in the back and bring a billfold... or coin purse. I mean, I gotta spend those Caltrain coins somewhere's now don't I? read more

My friend and I stumbled upon this place by accident while looking for a warm place to duck in for a bit around Market St. She had never had Ethiopian food and it's one of my favorite cuisines so I figured we'd both enjoy Moya. The restaurant can be a bit confusing in terms of how you order and are seated. Despite all the people who might be sitting at tables around you, you do have to order your food up front and pay first before seating yourself. The staff will bring out the food to you, but they don't exactly wait on you like in traditional restaurants. It's very cafeteria-style. We got the Veggie Sampler (misir wot, kik alicha, gomen, atkiliti wot) and the kitfo. Everything was exceptionally tasty and well-cooked. The kitfo has a definite kick to it that builds as time goes on, so don't order this if you are sensitive to spiciness. Out of all the veggie entrees, I think the gomen was the best. The injera was one of the least "soggy"-feeling ones I've ever had but had all of that delicious sourness you expect. I was initially worried that they wouldn't provide enough injera for the two of us, but it turned out to be plenty. In fact, we had more than enough to take home for leftovers. Injera heats up so well in the microwave, because it already has a naturally soggy texture so the moisture from the heat doesn't really affect it. The space is very new and sleek 'n' chic, as I like to describe modern aesthetics. And I have to rave about the staff. Some of the nicest people I have ever encountered. They were so warm, welcoming and accommodating to us. They seemed genuinely concerned that we enjoyed the food and went out of their way to make sure everything was to our liking. Very sweet. read more

Most delicious Ethiopian food I've ever had. Place is clean, fresh, quick, and casual. We had the veggie plate and chicken doro tibs. Bread was perfectly springy and tasty. read more

I just want MOYA! We came here on the way out of the city, having not eaten since our gluttonous but unregrettable breakfast of homemade cinnamon roll pancakes (that's right, be jealous)... I was starving and couldn't wait until we got home to eat. So we ended up here, having talked about getting Ethiopian food for the past few weeks. It's owned by a friendly family. The prices are more than reasonable, the ambience is that industrial San Francisco feel that totally works in SoMA... But more than anything, we need to talk about the food. The food, habibi. It's the business. We got the veggie sampler and the tofu tibs, and while we can usually agree on one menu item in situations like these that doesn't match up to the rest-- but not here. It was all standout-delicious in its own way and totally conducive to mixing. The injera was fresh and perfect, with that characteristic sour bite. And apparently I've learned to eat Ethiopian food in a way that it doesn't expand so uncomfortably in my stomach. Such a pro! read more

I came here for lunch and got to try the vegan platter as well as the mushroom/tofu dish. Everything came on top of a large injera, with additional rolled pieces of injera on the side. It is very hard to say what I liked best because all of the dishes tasted amazing. The restaurant is very clean, and it provides a quiet space to have lunch with a friend. I would love to come back and try the other dishes. Great service too! read more

Moya, aother "find" within walking distance of my office, ethiopian is a fun alternative for lunch. Today I was joined by a fellow artist (painter), paralegal-by-day. He's also got some wild stories. WOW. Always fun. I ordered the kitfo, a beef tartare with clarified butter. You heard me correctly. This was accompanied by salad, KIK ALI-CHA (yellow pea stew) and the ingira bread. The first bites of the tartare were amazing but be warned, this is heavy stuff. They give you a lot of it and I wasn't able to finish it. It's really rich. The salad does help to cut that richness but in itself, was unremarkable. My friend had a grilled chicken with ethiopian spices and enjoyed it a lot. He too felt we got a lot of food for our buck. The menu does cater to american tastes, and is not as broad as I've found at other ethiopian restaurants. It is quick though, and perfect for a well executed, nontypical lunch. read more

Moya - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

One word: Bland Bland bland bland bland bland I'm used to Ethiopian food that bursts with flavors that leave my palate happy, my stomach probably with a hole, and my toilet -- actually let's not go there. I figured we could not go wrong with the veggie sampler but that was utterly disappointing. It felt like we were eating flavorless pasty mush. The medium spicy chicken with mushrooms (not sure what the actual name is) was not "medium spicy." It was more like mild and that item was nothing to rave about. The injera was also a disappointment. It was not really sour so I guess the taste could be compared to faintly sour wheat bread. This place seriously holds back on the spices to cater to Americanized stomachs. WHYYYYYY! Other cons: - They charge for injera - Staff is slow at clearing tables for incoming customers to sit - What's up with the bathroom... read more

Moya - Veggie sampler + doro tibs (with mushrooms) - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Everything about this little haven was wonderful! The food was especially phenomenal. We will definitely return!

Best Ethiopian food in town. Fresh ingredients, tender beef, large portions, and very kind staff!! I would eat this every day if I could!

First time having Ethiopian food and I liked it. I had no idea what to expect so I tried the chicken drumsticks and my friend got the beef. Both of our entrees were served on a huge colorful platter and my meal came with a hard boiled egg too. The dressing on the salad was good and it was served with these pillowlike rolls that had a slightly sour flavor. Kind of like sourdough and you can unroll the bread for a tortilla experience. A little pricey for the small portion you get and expect a bit of a wait because they make it fresh. read more

Moya - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California