UPDATE: 2/3/26 Right now Nahne's is only open WEDNESDAY's at the downtown Farmer's Market, right by the Downtown Library. This food is so Delicious, Healthy & Made w/ LOVE! Something not so easy to find these days. Even the Okra, is yummy here! In fact it's the Best! I get the 3 choice Veggie Wrap/ "Tsege" (Tseh*Gay)...full Name: "Tsegeneda") the Owner has such a warm heart. It's like the Sun comes out whenever I talk with her! She has a "Gift" with people and really cares about her Customers and her Food! Don't miss this yummy experience in the little free-standing kiosk near the Bookstore...or Wednesdays at the Farmer's Market. Hopefully, She'll find a new location, because she is such a Gift to the Community and I LOVE her Food! Yum...Here comes another Wednesday and Tsege's delicious Healthy, Eritrian Food with homemade Injera and many delicious Vegetarian and other options as well!!! read more

We'd been wanting to try this Eritrean stand for years now, really glad we did! The owner was very friendly and kind. We got an assortment of items - our favorites were actually the drinks like the Mango Lassi and the ginger drink. The food was quite solid, but needed a bit of a flavor kick to really excel. Happy with the experience! read more

Wow, what a fantastic little spot for something vastly different from what is normally offered here in Santa Cruz. NahNa is an East African boutique that sits right next to the bookstore. Careful - you might miss this little Eritrean spot if you aren't looking closely while roaming on Pacific Ave. They're only open from Friday - Sundays from 12:00 - 18:00, so it may be tricky to actually catch them. On Wednesdays, they head to the SC Farmer's Market. Fortunately, the perfect time and date would be a weekend lunch spent people watching. They offer a variety of vegan friendly plant-based dishes along with meats including lamb and chicken. Combos are served on top of their take on injera bread, which here is actually gluten-free! My $12 combo of lentils, okra, and mushrooms with a heaping pile of mixed greens for a salad was great. Mushrooms were an absolute must with the different Eritrean spices that they use in the cooking process. Portion sizes here weren't big unfortunately which is why I asked for more salad myself. They happily obliged. If you are vegan, avoid the sumbusas unfortunately as their batter uses egg. Oh well, it's healthier to focus on the greens anyway. There are small tables available right next to the kiosk to enjoy your food and the liveliness of downtown. read more

NAHNA - Eritrean Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I love to visit Nahna at the downtown farmer's market on Wednesdays. Their food stands out in Santa Cruz and is definitely worth a try! I almost always get the chicken leg combo with greens and lentils and ask for both sauces on top. The chicken falls of the bone and is packed with flavor. All the sides I've had have been amazing as well! Their sauces and their sour taita is what reaaally sets it off! Only thing that isn't spectacular are the portions, but it's nothing to complain about. It's just so delicious I could eat so much of it hahaha read more

NAHNA - chicken leg combo with lentils, greens. topped with salad mix and both sauces. delish!!! - Eritrean Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

What a treasure we found in Santa Cruz. Being Ethiopian and Eritrean, I naturally love the food so much and eat it whenever I can. I came to Nahna and it was such a gem. The owner is Tsigereda was so sweet. I actually just had lunch when I passed by this spot. It's located in downtown Santa Cruz with an outdoor walk up restaurant. There was some outdoor patio seating with bistro tables and chairs set. My husband and I had the raspberry limeade and she was nice enough to offer if we wanted to sample it first. They also had shai (hot tea), lemonade, honey ginger kombucha as well as sambusas (similar to samosas) . Which the sambusa was so good! It was a pastry crust filled with veggies like lentils, cabbage and potatoes with some great seasoning. She also had meal options with injera (ethiopian and injera main bread to eat with meals) which were so affordable everything was $10-12 for the meal. You could have it served with veggies or different meat options I was so impressed and so happy to find this. I will definitely be back to have some injera and try the main entrees. read more

See all

Incredible! A must-visit in the center of downtown Santa Cruz. Had the sambusa and lamb combo, both filled my tummy and heart with joy. Owner was so sweet and I can tell that she really cares about her customers. read more

NAHNA - Lamb, cauliflower, & lentil combo plate. - Eritrean Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Dream come true: I've long wished that an Ethiopian or Eritrean restaurant would open in Santa Cruz. We have West African style restaurant called "Veg on the Edge", next to the museum, but there's not been representation from the eastern side of the African continent. Rejoice! We now have Eritrean! Berber spice, and "Taita" (an item similar to ethiopian injera) and wat (African stew) have arrived! The owner, Tsegereda Embaye, has the kiosk open Thursday through Tuesday. She has a booth weekly at downtown Farmers Market and is therefore closed on Wednesday. What to get? Any if the African stews, served with injera bread. Note: NAHNA's "taita" bread is 100% teff which means it is gluten free. Many Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurants mix buckwheat or millet into their injera which adds gluten. That makes it fluffy but doesn't really change the flavor. I really hope this location stays around for a while because they're so damn unique. I'm also appreciative of restaurants who state which items are vegetarian & vegan right on the menu. The knowledgable staff here help further fine tune what you might order if you are the enlightened type who trys to avoid consuming animal products. WHAT TO ORDER?: Get the okra, lentil and cauliflower sides on top of taita. The mushroom dish has an odd spice i couldn't identify. you might want to request a sample first. This makes and amazing Vegetarian combo‼ Vegans should avoid the sambusa: it has egg yolk in it. I think vegetarians and vegans are going to love this place. It is a welcome addition to our culinary lineup in Santa Cruz. I'm going back soon with the Vegan Meetup Group of Santa Cruz. read more

The food here is delicious but the servings are SMALL. I'm not a big eater and still felt hungry after I ate here. I had the lamb, mushrooms (which is a dollar extra but not extra food!) and the vegetables. The vegetables side was really cabbage, last time I came the veggies were different so the vegetables served will likely vary. Also, last time I came we didn't get salad and this time we did, which was not good because then we got even LESS food than before. The food itself like I said is flavorful, the lamb was tender and the sauces delicious and well seasoned. The teff flatbread was excellent. We also had the pomegranate limeade w kombucha and it was really good. read more

NAHNA - the front of the restaurant - Eritrean Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

A friend took me here knowing how much I love and crave Eritrean food. We specifically went to the farmer's market location since the kiosk location wasn't open yet. The line was long but I figured it would be with the great reviews. He got the vegetarian combo with extra lentils and I got the meat combo with lamb, mixed veggies and lentils. I also ordered the ginger lemonade drink on the side. Everything was so good! Living in Seattle, I'm spoiled with lots of amazing Ethiopian and Eritrean places. I was really glad to see a solid spot in Santa Cruz, at long last! It's a bit pricier than what I'm used to for the portion, but everything was so fresh and the meat was so tender! I would definitely come again. read more

NAHNA - Lamb combo with mixed veggies and lentils - Eritrean Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Food is so so delicious and soul healing!!! The sweetest woman on earth owns it. It's my favorite restaurant in Santa Cruz county. An absolute MUST if you're eating downtown. I am always recommending this place every chance I get! read more

Sweetest people. Filled us in, when asked about Eritrean whereabouts historically. I'm a fan of this diet. Nutritional. That being said- I chose the lamb and was very disappointed that it was just all fat . My Bible instructs next not to eat the fat of animal's. Fat stores and isn't the meat, so I felt very ripped off. 13$ is not nothing and it's gone with me wondering what I did to deserve , as a first time customer, being served like 8 small bites of seasoned fat, on a flat bread of some type that's dark, with some yummy sauce , and veggies nobody could complain about ( I hope ) I also just sorta wondered if perhaps because she's so very nice , she gets great reviews based upon her lovingly contented personality? I am still an Eritrean fan - but not gonna ever fall for handing over aLOT of money for what any kitchen calls cheating on ingredients. There was not one single piece of lamb meat. It was eight pieces of tan fat with a coating over it. I'm not paranoid. It wasn't deliberate. So that means EVERYONE gets fat, not meat, for 13 dollars. Served by really nice people. Confusing read more

NAHNA - Me - after eating her food from the booth in Santa Cruz Farmer Market. - Eritrean Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Nahna's Eritrean dishes are delicious, and the owner and her daughter make us feel like we're family! If you enjoy Ethiopian and/or African cuisine, Nahna will not disappoint. If you never had Eritrean food, you're missing out on a real experience. Easy access to the kiosk and parking nearby are added perks. Thanks for being SO AWESOME, Nahna! -Attorney Michel R. Huff read more

I recently got take out from NahNa downtown, and I was so impressed. Everything was soooo delicious. I especially loved the sambusa and chimichurri sauce. It was also my first time trying injera, it was unique and so tasty. I really loved talking with the owner, she took the time to tell us about the dishes and helped us make our decisions. She was so kind! It's such an important time for extra sanitation precautions and I noticed that she was constantly washing her hands, and also offered us hand sanitizer. I can't wait to go back and try more menu items. read more

The food is amazing and they have great customer service. I also appreciate that even with a mask on they recognized that we had visited them at the farmers market a few days before we went to their regular location. This is very quickly becoming a go to spot and a recommendation I give to others! read more

Hidden gem in the heart of downtown. Similar to ethiopian food. Great for everyone including meat eaters, vegetarians, gluten free and vegans. Made with love. Deliciously seasoned. Chock full of veggies and a great price! read more

See all

We tried Nahna for the first time this afternoon. So delicious! An excellent choice for vegetarians. We tried the kombucha, sambusa, and wraps with lentils, greens, and mushrooms. Loved every bite. read more

This is by far the best food in Santa Cruz. I cannot begin To say how stoked I am that I found this place.

What an amazing place! Food made with love and kindness, that will nourish your soul! It's so delicious! You should eat here!

I have been coming to Nahna (in its farmers market incarnation) for 6 years and always wished I could go more than just Wednesday's! Now this amazing and unique food is available every day and I couldn't be happier! By far the best food in Santa Cruz. Great choice for vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters alike. And most everything is gluten free!!! The cauliflower, okra, and lentils are to die for. The lamb is tender and juicy and everything is well seasoned. My 5 year old daughter and I often drive over the hill for Ethiopian food (which is similar but more spicy) but I feel like this is more like home cooked comfort food that nourishes both body and soul and my daughter adores it! It also has different and distinct flavor profiles. The owner is a culinary magician, sharing her unique recipes and skill to bring these flavors to the area. She is also one of the sweetest people, especially restaurant owners, I've ever met in Santa Cruz. We are lucky to have her and her delicious food here. Seriously worth every penny. Try it once, you'll be back! read more