My first experience with Ethiopian cuisine, and easily one of the best meals I've had in 2026 so…read morefar. We ordered the vegan platter with beef tibs, which was a fantastic introduction to the cuisine. The flavors were vibrant, comforting, and unlike anything I've had before. The staff was incredibly knowledgeable and took the time to explain each dish and how it was prepared. Combined with the beautiful ambiance, it made for a memorable dining experience. I'll definitely be back.

Don't let the strip mall parking lot and unassuming exterior fool you. Aunt Yvette's is really nice…read moreinside. This is not like any of the other restaurants I've visited in Berkeley or even LaBrea's Little Ethiopia. It's focused on a more luxurious experience with genuinely authentic touches. ** ELEGANTLY ETHIOPIAN ** Warm, welcoming, and elegant, the staff is highly attentive, from the ceremonial hand washing to refilling glasses, and detailed explanation of menu items & Ethiopian culture. Also, the staff gives you your space, much like you'd enjoy your meal and time in Europe. Or as a nice meal is probably honored in Ethiopia. There seems to be a lot of care put into how to enjoy a feast with proper rituals in place. Speaking of honoring, Aunt Yvette's seems to also reserve a high regard for coffee as I sneaked a peek at a Coffee Ceremony on the menu. I will have to come back and try that next time. ** THE FEAST ** When at Ethiopian, it's always about sharing a platter. So after some deliberation, me and my lunch date settled on the Vegan Combo. It has all the fun vegetable options like the Berbere Red Lentils, Cabbage & Carrots, Yellow Split Pea, and Ethiopian Potatoes. We added Chicken Tibs as our protein. However, I really wanted the Cornish Game Hen, but lost in the negotiation part so I will need to return another time to try it (along with the coffee ceremony). As you may know, there are no utensils since you eat with the Injera spongy bread and use your hands. That's why the hand washing with rose water was a nice start to our lovely brunch. We also ordered a shot each of Tej, an authentic Ethiopian honey wine. It was fizzy and had a hint of apple cider vinegar taste, but paired well with the earthy spices of our meal. To fluff up the water sitch, there was an anise, ginger, and citrus water that's like a healthy, African aqua fresca for $5. After we mopped up all the spices sauces and exotic flavors with the ever-refilled injera (spongy, Ethiopian bread) we were stuffed. It was plenty food for the two of us. ** TURN UP THE HEAT ** For fire breathing ghost chili fans and spice freaks who love testing the Scoville scale on their tongues, I highly recommend any item that has MITMITA in it. I asked for extra since I'm one of those spice junkie nut jobs who needs her capsaicin fix with certain foods. Mitmita's flavor notes don't overpower and I was able to sprinkle my meal generously with heat. **NOTE: Mitmita in the ingredients list doesn't mean it's too spicy, but if you ask for extra spicy, it'll give you a good kick in the mouth ;) Good thing there's a list of craft cocktails to squelch the heat.

We had a wonderful birthday dinner celebrating my wife at Ethio Kitchen. We are huge fans of…read moreEthiopian food. And the flavors here ar fresh, homey, and delicious. You can tell that every meal is made with love and intention. My personal favorite dish on our platter was the goat (shown in the middle of our plate). It was succulent, stewed to perfection, and so satisfying. A big and special shoutout to Tabi, the owner. She showed us so much love and hospitality. You can tell she cares deeply about providing an excellent meal, and making her customers feel loved and at home. Tabi is a gem. The spot itself is also charming and inviting. Bring your friends and family, and don't think twice about stopping to eat at Ethio Kitchen & Coffee!

My office is down the block from Ethio and my staff and I have been utterly delighted to have this…read moregreat new restaurant as a neighbor. The food is so fresh and flavorful, and has a quality of authenticity and integrity that is wonderful to discover outside of LA's classic Ethiopian dining neighborhood on Fairfax. The owners and staff are gracious and clearly excited to be sharing their superb hospitality and cuisine with us all. The atmosphere at Ethio is pleasant and unassuming - clean and comfortable, and without the darkly decorative quality that some more time-tested LA Ethiopians might feature. Overally, I highly recommend this new and most welcome WLA treasure! Ethio deserves your visit and your support - you will be delighted.

Love this place- we had not been here since pre-pandemic…read more The dining room recently reopened and we don't mind the trek to the west side. Great service and willing to assist, as all items appear to be out of regular dining options. Trust their recommendations! We had the vegetarian platter, a great way to sample all the side-mixing and matching. Our go/to is the dorowaht , similar to Mexican mole with a delicious taste profile. Tried the ribeye beef but it all honesty, the stars are the veggies.

I took my daughter here to celebrate a new job. We ordered two vegetarian sampler plates at $27…read moreeach. The waiter asked if we wanted tofu with that, and we said yes. When we got the bill, I was shocked to see that he had charged us for four (4) entrees !!!-- an extra $54 to add tofu to our plates! When we brought this up to the waiter, he didn't apologize or act as if anything was wrong, so I spoke to the owner, Genet -- and she was equally unapologetic! Her solution was for us to throw away one of the two containers of leftovers. I felt as if the waiter had been intentionally deceitful -- and when Genet backed him up, it seemed as if she was in on it, too.. (Apart from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?) The food was good and the atmosphere was good -- Just be careful if they ask if you want to add tofu to your plate.

Super good, we got the 11 veggie plate and a beef entree for a group of 4 and it was amazing. Very…read morenice environment and very delicious food!

Outstanding dining experience. Great fun, relaxed and cheerful setting, with wonderful food. On…read morethe times that I've eaten in Little Ethiopia, I've always enjoyed myself. Lalibela elevates things to another level, in my opinion. If you're coming from the north on Fairfax, it's the first restaurant on the West side of the road. I had never seen Lalibela before, and then after a brief search saw all the praise and love. It certainly looked nice. So, early evening on a Saturday, with Lalibela gradually filling up, we were seated. After perusing and strategizing (along with the help of our friendly Lalibela person), we ordered three things: Sambusa -- like a samosa but way more interesting. So, instead of the potatoes and peas, the sambusa had more seasonings and meat filling. One per order, and delicious. Veggie Utopia and Doro Wot -- The Veggie Utopia is one of the signature dishes, and will certainly look familiar to anyone who's ever had Ethiopian food. Several individual portions set on the perimeter of the giant platter sitting atop the injera (the flat spongey 'bread' that's both plate and utensil). Inside that sat the Doro Wot -- a chicken leg and potato in inside a 'stew' or 'wot'. The wot was dark and almost chocolatey, reminiscent of a good mole. The salad that comes with the Doro Wot was placed in the big circle. Two people (or more) could feast well on all this. They also serve beer and wine at Lalibela. Great experience. Awesome food. Lovely service.

Went to this place for the first time with a buddy of mine last week per his recommendation and he…read morewas right food is amazing. Well worth the price they give you a lot . Food is seasoned well and delicious. I can see why this place is ranked high in Ethiopian cuisine. Went back for a 2nd time this week and I feel this will be a regular a spot I will come to

Been wanting to try Ethiopian cuisine since I saw the Simpson's show…read more Parking lot: Shared with a plaza, still plenty of space to park. Not too busy. There is a male and female restroom to wash your hands. Place is more hands on eating. You can request gloves and extra plates to share. We ordered #14 and #21 and it was a lot of food. We couldn't finish it with a group of 7 people. 14. GS special: We asked our waiter and he said that this combo plate was 95% of the menu. All of the veggie platter was really good especially the red beets, chick pea, cabbage. The "Ethiopian tortilla" injera was surprising to me. It was a tangy flavor that paired well with the soft savory or sweet veggie side dishes. The plate also comes with a side of chicken and seasoning and boy it was better than #20. 20. Awaze Tibis: This or #19 made up the other 5% of the menu. Grilled beef was okay but not as good as the veggie dish surprisingly. Majority of the stronger flavors were presented in the veggie dish and injera wrap.

Fantastic food. Excellent service. We'll worth coming here to enjoy the cuisine. Good ambiance.read more

Messob eth cuisine res one of the best in La city and my favorite restaurant…read more I recommend who ever wants to try a modern spice preparation and comfort food

Wow! It was my first time having Ethiopian food today with a friend who wanted to show us and it…read morewas such a wonderful experience! The owner is such a wonderful human being and really cares about his culture and food! He did a wonderful job telling us about the menu and then suggesting the party platter to split between the four of us. It was wonderful eating everything here and my experience was great! Everything was so fresh and I think one of my favorite things was the doro wat! The entire plate was a wonderful rainbow of flavors. I also got some Ethiopian tea post-meal and it was sooo lovely and spiced, they traditionally drink this after a meal and it was such a wonderful way to finish the food off. Highly recommend! Thank you for a lovely meal!

So excited to finally find Ethiopian cuisine in OC!…read more We came for a casual lunch. The staff was kind and welcoming. We ordered the Veggie Combo with Awaze Tibs - both packed with bold, delicious flavors. I do wish portions of veggies and legumes were a bit bigger. That said, still a great spot to switch things up and explore something different!

This intimate, unexpectedly excellent spot is an escapee from Fairfax where well known Ethiopian…read morefood rocks. Just East on Normandy on Washington's, Lucy's serves an important variety of traditional meet and vegetable dishes. All authentic and damn fun to eat. If you're not a veteran of this cuisine, you're in for an amazing finger food experience. We loved the variety plate for two (or even 3) for $45. It has a bit of everything, sumptuous meats in different sauces and gravies, sautéed vegetables and wonderfully prepared lentil dishes. The environs are a bit ruddy, traditional not shinny and polished, and you're eating in back of the kitchen. But it gives you the actual experience of the hands that make your meal. I'm such a fan.

Me and my friend came here for lunch. I ordered my usual that I get when getting Ethiopian. The…read morelamb was to die for. The flavor on everything was so good. This spot is a gem and I wished I lived closer I would be a regular. The service was top notch. The guy who helped us was above and beyond kind and helpful. The restaurant is quant and cute. Very cozy. If I'm in the area again I will definitely be by.

The best Ethiopian and Eritrean food I have had in a long time. Dare I say, ever! I have eaten at…read morenumerous Ethiopian restaurants in Los Angeles (some gems known only within the local Ethiopian community), as well as multiple venues in the San Francisco Bay area. This restaurant surpasses them all. We came to celebrate my friend's birthday (she eats here all the time, has lived in Africa for years, and knows the owner and his family) and ordered the vegetarian combo, okra, Awaze Tibs (beef), hot bubbling Tegabino shiro, and a fried sambusa (lentil filling) appetizer to share. The flavors and seasonings used in the veggie dishes and beef had a nice balance and went exceptionally well together. The injera bread was fluffy and had a good mouthfeel, with enough bounce and texture to pick up and hold the delicious food and sauces together into the perfect bite-sized morsels. Injera bread was so good that I would eat this plain. As a sourdough flatbread, their injera was not overly sour nor dry. We also finished 2 bottles of Ethiopian honey wine, which was less sweet than I expected and closer in profile to a light Chardonnay, than a sweet wine. Wine was a perfect pairing for the food. As far as beverages go, they have a small selection of beer and wine in the menu, along with Ethiopian coffee/tea which is freshly brewed to order. They also have a nice traditional coffee/tea setting in one corner of the restaurant and I was told they provide a special freshly brewed coffee service on weekends. Definitely a top recommendation from me, for authentic Ethiopian and Eritrean food. My friend informed me that this restaurant is a labor of love/care from the owner, who had a very successful engineering career before he opened this restaurant, which was a dream of his to share the foods he grew up with to the local Ethiopian and Eritrean community. Even more reason to love and support this restaurant! We went on a weeknight for early dinner and it wasn't crowded. Plenty of parking as they're located in a small shopping plaza.

Absolutely loved this place! Ethiopian food is quite the dining experience, as well as a GREAT…read moreoption for date night! So in short, if you never had Ethiopian food and need a spot for date night, come here... hungry! Oh.... And you'll be eating/enjoying this meal with your hands which would be the traditional way to eat an Ethiopian meal, but of course, you can always ask for utensils! We ordered the Traditional Combo and you're given this huge platter of Injera (think of a spongy crepe like sourdough tasting bread!) topped with different kinds of Ethiopian Dishes. I used my hand as a reference to show you how big this platter really is! The flavor profiles that I believe would best describe the food would be bold, earthy, tangy with a bit of sourness, spicy, zesty, and VERY aromatic, so if this up your alley, this is a sign to go!

A lot of Greats and a few opportunities for improvement…read more Great Polite and personable table service -great suggestions on lunch specials Fried chicken - moist and flavorful - great tasty coating Mashed potatoes and gravy had the taste of homemade Tasty salad and soup came with lunch specials Fried chicken. Soup - homemade chicken noodle was a great start to lunch special meal. Easy parking in strip center The vegetables that came with meal made me flashback to junior high cafeteria- mushy and no taste

An old school diner experience. It felt like I traveled back in time as they have an interior of a…read moreclassic diner. There were most Seniors dining here when we went on a Saturday morning. The prices are pretty good for what they have. I got 2 eggs, 2 pancakes and 2 bacon for $11, which is a pretty good deal nowadays. They are not the best quality but they are good for what it is. If I have the craving for classic diner breakfast, I will come here again. The service was fast and friendly and they always refill your coffee! Parking is easy as it is in a strip mall.