I stopped by for an early dinner a few weeks ago and loved it. My friend and I shared the Ultimate Platter for two. Everything was delicious and so flavorful. It was plenty of food, so we took home leftovers after. It's so homey inside and the service was great. Parts of the dining experience were self-serve, like getting water, but I didn't mind. I'll definitely be back! I found street parking right out front on State. read more

I got the vegetarian platter for one, and it was extremely filling and delicious! The lentil dish was my favorite of all of them. My friends got the try three or whatever it was called, and they felt the same. read more

Oromian Restaurant - Vegetarian platter for one - Ethiopian Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Cute place hidden away on a sketchy part of State St, which makes it even more of a hidden gem. The interior is really cool with all the reclaimed wood. Food is tasty - definitely try the ultimate platter to share. read more

Incredibly delicious Ethiopian food that feels very classic and authentic! You should absolutely consider supporting this local family owned restaurant. Our waitress was so sweet and was happy to share about her own culture and customs. She was so kind and we loved chatting with her. The food was delicious as well. We got the ultimate platter for two, which came with two lentils, greens, cabbage, beets, doro wat, a boiled beef, and cheese. The injera was delicious as well. My husband is a fan of mildly-funky injera so this was perfect for him. Myself, I can take a very fermented flavor in my bread, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. Veggie sambusas were crispy and delicious. read more

Oromian Restaurant - Ultimate platter for 2 - Ethiopian Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

This was an incredible experience! The food was absolutely phenomenal. We ordered the meat platter, which offered a beautifully arranged variety of meats, vegetables, lentils, and flavorful sauces. Every single item was delicious. There wasn't a thing I didn't enjoy. On top of the outstanding food, the ambiance was warm and inviting. Our server was so kind, absolutely wonderful service, a truly memorable meal! read more

Oromian Restaurant - Meat plater - Ethiopian Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Cockroach's trying to make friends with me and my date. i will NEVER bring anyone back to this restaurant, i am so embarrassed!!! i wanted to show this new guy about amazing ethiopian food but as soon as we walked in we weren't greeted and the employees looked super annoyed. horrible service. i walked up to them and asked for a table for two, they wordlessly walked us up to our table and slapped the menus down hard and walked away as if we weren't welcome.. never had that before. the food was good but not good enough for all THAT. before the meal showed up, our cockroach showed up. a little child that belonged to an employee was running around between the tables screaming & having a good time. why wasn't the kid being taken care of? again, bad environment for a date. so embarrassing!! i'm disappointed. i'll be going to the ethiopian place across the street instead. read more

food quality: 5/5 service: 5/5 cleanliness: 4.5/5 value: 5/5 This is your sign to break out of the mold and try Ethiopian food! We headed over to Oromian Restaurant and it was a such a fun experience! We ordered the Ultimate Platter that had small portions of beef, chicken, cabbage and onions, beets and potatoes, collard greens, and lentils all cooked with Ethiopian spices to perfection! The platter came Budenaa, which is a spongy flatbread that you use as a utensil to pick up the other food. We also ordered a few Sambusa which is very much like a Samosa - fried dough triangles with meat! Would love to come back and try other items! My only complaint was that when we used the salt and cayenne shakers, they did not look or feel very clean. There was definitely a layer of oil caked with dust/old food from when others have used it. Other than that, everything else was fine. read more

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Amazing food and atmosphere. Everything we tried was flavorful and delicious. Try the combo plate.

Rating (maximum points = 5) Value for money: 5 Cleanliness: 5 Food Quality: 4 Customer Service: 4 Look and Feel (Ambiance): 5 Thank you, Come Again?: 4 Address: 1522 S State Street SLC, UT Yes! I've been excited to try more unique dishes in SLC. Oromian specifically offers East African cuisine. Right when you walk into the restaurant, the unique decor fills the room and pays homage to the beautiful country. Be prepared to eat with your hands. Forutnately there is a hand washing station that's easily accessible towards the back of the restaurant. Vegetarian Sambusa: $1.55 - flaky fried pastry that's stuffed with lentils, jalapeño peppers, onions, African spices. This is tasty but I wish there was some sort of sauce to dip. The filling was slightly on the dry side. Ultimate Platter for 4 servings: $44.99: For large groups, the platter is a must. The dish is served family style and allows you to try multiple flavors at the same time. The Budenaa (sponge-like flatbread, made from fermented barley, wheat, and rice flour) acts as a vehicle to carry individual scoops of meat and vegetarian entree selections. Protein options included spiced beef and goat. Vegetable options included collard greens, beets, cabbage, and others. The Budenaa has a slight sour taste but compliments each dish well. The service was unfortunatley slow due to only having two staff members onsite for a busy Friday night service. Overall, I would be interested in bringing friends and family to Oromian if they have never tried East African food before. The food is affordable, has great flavor, and is a fantastic conversational meal. Would you go? Let me know. Follow me for all the Salt City sips and trips. read more

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Outstanding food, portions, service, ambiance, and location. If you're new to Ethopian food, this is a great place to get started: the food isn't too spicy for the uninitiated but it is also balanced well enough to provide a legitimate experience. The injera bread is exquisite - soft and subtly moist, with that sourdough quality you begin to crave after a couple of experiences with Ethiopian food. They serve an ample amount of bread, in addition to the bread bed all the food is served on. It's easy to order individual plates - though it is more traditional to have a served plate it's easier to experience this with your own set of servings. The Kochee Misira, is particularly great: red lentils in pepper, garlic, and ginger, they set the standard for all the other choices you can add to your plate. Most of the dishes here are divided between the vegetables / legumes and the meats - and some people order a fully vegetarian dish as an option. The vegetables are cooked with such rich flavor that you wouldn't miss the meat, if you were cutting, back for any reason. But a blend of both vegetables and meats takes the prize. The waaddii (beef) is especially great - tender, flavorful, and mildly seasoned so it pairs up nicely with the spicier vegetable servings. The kikkii alicha and alichaa misira (peas and lentils, respectively), are really great - they really capture that unique Ethiopian taste and are not as spicy, for those who struggle with that. The samosas were outstanding, flavorful. Definitely worth the visit. read more

We love this place! Everything from the beautiful furniture, to the food, to the service is amazing! My husband convinced me to try Ethiopian food and I'm sure glad we ventured out. It was super fun to eat without utensils and I love the fermented flat bread they serve with the platters to scoop up their delicious dishes. We've been twice, (once the two of us and the second time to share it with the kids). Both times have been wonderful experiences. We've gotten both the meat and the vegetarian platters and there is not one dish on those platters that I did not love, even though I'm not sure what they all were. This one will be a regular for us. read more

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I felt like i was in someone's home in the best way possible. First time having African food and it was amazing! Had the ultimate platter and would highly recommend. Service was top notch. You could see the passion that our server had for the food they serve read more

They have authenticity for being an african cuisine, we waited for 40mins, the food is not even ready. Someone needs to be there managing this restaurant. It has potential but for the moment its meh. They dont know how to handle when theyre busy. read more

Oromian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Stepping into this restaurant definitely takes you out of Utah. On the night I stopped in, the service was a little slow due to people calling off work, but otherwise my experience was great. The Ethiopian cuisine was flavorful and cooked really well. I tried the ultimate platter, and enjoyed everything that it came with. I think it's a great introduction to the cuisine as a whole. The menu wasn't extremely clear regarding the platter, but with a little clarification we were able to understand it. The atmosphere was fantastic, clean, and beautifully decorated. I was also really impressed with the food to cost ratio, and think it was a great deal and a fun experience. read more

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Beautiful resturaunt friendly staff big portions good prices and some of the best wthiopian food Ive had state side. And Ive lived in Ethiopia! Highly recomend this place. read more

A fantastic experience. The food was amazing and the employees were so excited to share their food and traditions with me! I got the Individual size (enough for two!) of the Ultimate Platter. So tasty and colorful! Served on a huge, spongy pancake called budenna (AKA injera), with an extra serving of budenna, was (clockwise from left): -Raafuu (collard greens) -Kochee Misira (lentils) -Ashaakiltii (cabbage and potatoes) -Kochee Handaanqoo (hard boiled egg with brown sauce and Quimamii, a house-made, cheese-like "butter") -Kikkii Alicha (yellow split peas) -Dimaa (beets) Middle and far right: two beef dishes, one of which is Waaddi It took quite a while from when I was sat to when my order was taken, but since the food was so good and they seem to be a small, family-run business, I gave them some slack. Possibly a culture difference as well. I did not find it at all spicy! read more

Oromian Restaurant - Ultimate Platter - Individual Size - Ethiopian Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

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Amazing! This was a fun, new experience for us. We're used to eating with silverware, but when in Rome, right? You use your hands and it's part of the fun experience. I was a little nervous about trying Ethiopian food because I'm not familiar with the spices or the ingredients. We ordered the samosas, both the beef and the veggie. Both were amazing. Then we all shared the platter for 4. It was so good. The food is beyond delicious. And it was fun. I would caution you about the Berze Honey. My son, who makes kombucha, ordered it, and it was like a really strange, strong vinegar. Not my thing. Or his. But the Kemem Shai and the regular Shai teas were both really good. Go give them your business!!! You'll love it!!! read more

The owner, Esthe, has a real ego problem. My family and I went in this restaurant and we were seated by the owner (Her picture and name is on the back of menu) and omg!, talk about an ego trip, coming from the owner herself. She took her sweet time to get our order. We been waiting for someone to take our order for a good 10 minutes and the restaurant was empty. There was only 1 other table with 2 guys, THATS IT! Meanwhile we were waiting, she was happily talking to her 2 lady employees. We already washed our hands and we're ready. Finally when the owner came over, we started ordering and she said they didn't have kitfo. Like how the heck, you don't have kitfo! It's a normal staple of Ethiopians. That did it for me. We still ordered with her but I searched immediately after she left with our order for another Ethiopian restaurant. There was another Ethiopan restaurant literally 1 block away from this one, called Mahider Ethiopian restaurant, next to an Afghan restaurant. We got up and I told her ego to cancel the order and took my family to the to Mahider Ethiopian restaurant. I'm no beginner when it comes to Ethiopian food. At Mahider restaurant, we have received the best, speedy service, we ever had for an Ethiopian restaurant. They have a great, friendly, and warm atmosphere. The best, hands down. A big to miss Esthe ( owner of Oromian restaurant) Garbage service and atmosphere! It's no wonder this restaurant is empty while Mahider is busy. read more

I am plant-based and shared a platter with my meat-eating husband. It had something for both of us! I loved the spices and varied flavors! I ate too much of the bread, though. I felt overfilled. Next time I go, I'll order the food without the bread. read more

We love this place! Ethiopian food is so delicious and is very special to eat together with friends and family. The tea is also delicious read more

Oromian Restaurant - Meat platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

I love Ethiopian food, but the quality of the food there was terrible! The meat tasted stale, and the whole restaurant and the food smelled musty! Not comparable to the place across the street! The design of the restaurant was pretty though! read more

Service was lovely and food was delicious! My daughter is still raving about the lamb. This restaurant is a local gem!!

If you're looking to immerse in food culturally, this is the place! Oromian makes a really good platter of meats and veggie. The injera is usually dark brown but this one makes them a lot lighter, and they're still good! You only eat with your hands and the injera serves as a spoon or fork to pick up whatever on the plate. My faves are the cabbage and yellow lentils. Been here a couple times and would love to visit again when I'm up for a really good, homey vegetarian meal! read more

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Great Ethiopia food - authentically served with a nice ambiance. Amazing value - we got the vegetarian platter for 4 people, plus one chicken dish and had to get an extra order of the collard greens because they were so good!! read more

With Ethiopian fare occupying a relatively small place in any cities proverbial corner of international cuisine, Oromian stands out at the top of SLC's two offerings for unique and flavorful food from the Horn of Africa. ATMOSPHERE -------------------- You'll find the interior of Oromian to be pleasantly themed when you enter through the rustic, wooden door. Small statues, some furniture, wall art/paintings, and other decorative adornments intentionally make the structure decently congruent with the cusine. There is a very natural, comfortable feeling in the place with a lot of wood being used, one of the best examples being highly-lacquered wooden tables which come from larges slices of tree trunks which were beautiful. I always appreciate and score a restaurant a bit higher when they're able to show this type of deliberate decorating, as it allows the patron to participate a bit more in the experience of the culture surrounding the plate in front of them. Most of the lighting appeared to come from the wall of windows on the entrance wall facing State Street and was sufficient to create a comfortable view. Sound piped into the room was from a local radio station with laid back, alternative music. I would've preferred cultural-specific sound or quiet to this but it didn't detract horribly from the ambience. A decently-sized TV is mounted on one of the walls which I think the place could've done without. In any event, it only showed the Roku screensaver on it while I was there. Meh. A single restroom is available and was well-cleaned. Seating here is for approximately 50 with mostly small tables allowing for 3 people to sit together or a couple of larger, very long tables which seat possibly up to 15. SERVICE -------------------- This owner-operated establishment appears to be run by only a few people. I believe one of the daughters acted as both cashier and waitress. When I asked a simple question about one of the dishes, I was surprised at her lack of enthusiasm and knowledge about the food. She left, bringing back the wife from the kitchen who, with a smile and accommodating posture, answered my questions. The food did come out very timely although I was the only patron here on a Friday, late afternoon. When at a restaurant, my personal preference is to be checked on no more than twice. During my visit, the place was devoid of any interaction but for the wife again, who came out once more to ask how the food was, which I appreciated. FOOD -------------------- For the uninitiated, Ethiopian food is largely vegetarian but meat offerings do exist. I ordered an appetizer of Sambusa (similar to an Indian samosa); one vegetarian ($1.55) and the other meat ($1.99) but was told they were out of the vegetarian one. I adjusted to only have one meat sambusa and felt it a nice gesture that the owner brought 2 meat sambusas out to compensate. These are simple things with a flaky, fried (but not oily) dough exterior encapsulating (in this case) spiced, ground beef. I found them to be a bit lacking in flavor but were certainly passable. 3/5 I ordered the "ultimate platter" for one ($12.99) and was not disappointed. As it came to the table, I immediately detected the wonderful and unique aromatics which Ethiopian food is notable for. To be certain, this "individual" sized portion is enough for 2 people and for anyone who overeats as I sometimes do, I can certify that you'll feel satiated for the next 12-15 hours. The ultimate platter comes with everything the vegetarian platter does but with 2 meat-based offerings. I was surprised to find that these were both beef. My experience with Ethiopian food is that lamb is a common feature. With no such luck, I proceeded anyway and while one of the cubed beef portions was average, the other was amazingly flavorful and just spicy enough to bring a smile to my face. I make it a point to drink water quite exclusively but especially at restaurants as I don't want anything to cloud my palate from the main attraction. That said, you will find Ethiopian coffee and tea offerings here for those interested. RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE OWNER -------------------- The food receives a solid 4.5/5. I would recommend a more attendant waitress to check on the patrons once or twice. Additionally, a lovely addition to the aesthetic of the restaurant would be region-specific music. OTHER -------------------- Parking is very limited. Try your luck at the curb or 5 spots on the side of the building; otherwise, you may need to walk a little. Find their website and menu at https://oromianrestaurant.com/ SUMMARY -------------------- If you want a great Ethiopian food, you must visit! If you're new to African food, and feel a little adventurous (you'll be eating without utensils, after all, using only injera to scoop food up), I strongly feel that Oromian will give you a very good sense of the positively unique flavor profile this food has to offer. "Smaaklike eet!" read more

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Very nice find while visiting Salt Lake City on a work trip. Never having tried Ethiopian, decided to give it a go. Great choices for vegetarian diets, as well as some beef & chicken dishes. I just went with the vegetarian platter to try a little of everything, but started out with some of the vegetarian bambusa. Kind of like a puff pastry filled with a vegetable mix...and I thought they were delicious. Main platter had 7 small portions of different dishes, and one large portion of the lentils. Lentils were nice and spicy, and I enjoyed some of the others as well, with the Raafuu collard greens probably a fave. And no utensils so all eaten by scooping bites with the budenna bread. A very enjoyable dinner. Could definitely see this being more fun experienced with a group! read more

On a busy road with interesting characters lingering outside of a Dreadlock specific hair Solon, we encountered the most enchanting Ethiopian restaurant. It's a beautiful, high ceiling and authenticity decorated environment. We were greeted by the chef-owner, a gorgeous Ethiopian goddess. Having experienced this type of food just a few times over the years, she assured us that the Ultimate platter was the way to go, especially since we don't have to make any decisions on what to order. The food is amazing. You can tell the chef takes great pride in her cuisine and her culture. All of the items on the plate were artfully placed and every bite was perfect. When I finish my Tef pancakes, I used the one that was under the food soaking up the sauces. Omg - so good! We're on a road trip passing thru the city. This my only dining experience while here and will be my fond memory of Salt Lake City. I'll be back for sure during ski season. read more

Oromian Restaurant - The Ultimate plate for 2. - Ethiopian Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Food is outstanding! Service was ok, our waitress whispered to us and it was so very challenging to hear her. Ambiance is wonderful! Great food! Highly recommend read more

Loved this place! This place is beautiful on the inside, and the staff are so friendly and nice. Did not know what to order and went with the combo meat/veggie platter for 2. Omg so delicious! Loved everything on this platter. The veggie samosas with lentils were amazing. read more

Got the sample platter and it tasted really good! We were hoping to order more but I think there was a slight misunderstanding. Oh well! I'd come back for the food! They had a hallway sink which made it convenient to use but it definitely needs a cleaning. Overall: - food: 5 of 5 - aesthetics: 10 of 5 - service: 4 of 5 - cleanliness: 4 of 5 read more

I cannot recommend this place enough!! The food is incredible!! Every time we eat here we feel like we've just eaten in someone's home. The love and soul put into the food is indescribable. Service is friendly and the prices cannot be beat! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! read more

Oromian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

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Great food. Great customer service. Clean and warm environment.i had a great date night there.

This place is so good! Everything from the dining room, the service and the food is phenomenal. It is also fun to eat with your hands if you have never given it a try. read more

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Phenomenal. I have eaten at several Ethiopian restaurants in California and Nevada, and this one is excellent. It is also the best value BY FAR. I am used to paying 2-3x the price. Bonus points for being able to order gluten free injera a day in advance. Gorgeous inside and perfect for dates. They have both vegetarian and vegan options for veggie dishes. Lovely family owned and operated business. Highly recommend the ultimate platter. read more

I went to Oromian on Thursday night and ended getting horrible food poisoning and almost had to go to the hospital for severe dehydration. I think the woman/owner was simultaneously preparing food and doing server/hostess duties, which introduces risk of contamination from touching various surfaces. I've had food poisoning before, but whatever it was that I was exposed to there was the most virulent of all. Aside from that - I think the food was mediocre at best. The meat was tough and not flavorful (I think it was the meat that was contaminated). I was also disappointed that there were no appetizers available. I understand running a restaurant is hard but there was absolutely zero staff to help the only person there, and therefore this perhaps added to the negativity of the environment. I'll never go back there but hope this restaurant can enhance its food safely procedures so no one else gets as violently sick I did. read more

My mom was in town so I took her here in preparation for her Africa trip next year. We were the only patrons there (we purposefully went as soon as they opened). The food was fresh, tasted authentic and full of flavor. We shares the combo dish and there was plenty of food. Loved the experience, decor, and flavors! read more

Great authentic food , reasonable prices. I'm sorry but I docked a star because the parking is awful (scratched my car entering parking lot so small) and the service is a little slow. Overall though, the food and prices are awesome, so still it's certainly worth trying. Especially if you've not had Ethiopian before, they have a great menu selection too, if you're a little shy of unfamiliar food. read more

It makes me sad to have to give such a low rating. I had high hopes for this place but when i entered the it took a while before i was helped. Maybe 10 minutes? Then it took a long time for them to bring my food out and then forgot half of my order. I had the 3 entree plate but the serving size was very small. Overall i would not recommend this place and will not be coming back. read more

Best Ethiopian in Utah. Strong flavors, spongy bread, and fresh ingredients. Going back next time I'm in SLC! read more

Incredible! We thoroughly enjoyed everything. Highlights were the waddii hadaanqo (chicken in rosemary) and raafuu (collard greens).