Saturday around 7pm and there were 3 other parties but overall not too busy which was great because…read morethe food came out so quickly. We ordered the Ethiopian Feast that comes with six vegan dishes of our choosing. We chose the: - Shiro (chickpeas) - Atkilt (cabbage, carrots, potatoes) - Sigo (berbere and tomato sauce) - Misir Wot (red lentil) - Key Sir (beets) - Difin Misir (brown lentils) Everything was delicious but the stand outs for me were the Sigo and Key sir. The Sigo was so spicy but so rich and the beets were sweet, earthy and savory. I also really enjoyed the injera, it wasn't as sour as other places.

Amazing experience at Walia, which is a cozy Ethiopian place! Kindness goes a long way in service…read moreand the staff were some of the kindest I've ever met. We went as a group of 6 and the staff were incredibly accommodating, including adjusting portion sizing for appetizers and giving us extra injera. The lentil sambussa was very tasty, crispy and surprisingly very savory. We got the Larry Page + Zuckerburg combo and it was more than enough to fill our stomachs. The lamb is FIRE. Everything was well spiced. We ended the night with their tiramisu, which was perfection. Kudos to the chef and this place is definitely a must try. There were a couple things on the menu that they were out of by the time we got there, but that just means we'll have to make another visit!

The food and injera at Zeni Ethiopian are absolutely DELICIOUS! Highly recommend this place, the…read morefood is so tasty, the atmosphere is cute and cozy and the staff are some of the nicest people. I especially loved the ground beef and the lentils from our veggie and meat order. Everything was flavorful and the injera was heavenly. My friend and I were so caught up eating and chatting that we didn't realize they had actually been closed for almost half an hour! The staff were incredibly kind and courteous, they just continued cleaning around us without making us feel rushed or asking us to leave. That level of hospitality really stood out to me. I'll definitely be coming back.

First time trying Ethiopian food and everything was packed with flavor, and I loved eating with…read moreinjera, it made the whole experience feel so authentic. Every bite was delicious, and the portions were great for sharing. I also tried Ethiopian coffee for the first time, and wow... it was so good! Rich, smooth, and definitely worth ordering if you've never had it before, ended it with their delicious pastry. Great food, friendly service, and such a unique dining experience. I'll definitely be back!

Sentayhu Is very sweet and caring to her customers! Food is amazing and will try again. her other…read moreemployees are very sweet as well!

we had the doro wot and meat combo the water tasted great…read moreand was in a aesthetic jug prefrozen and thawed a bit best Ethiopian restaurant in the city

Modern vibes with traditional touches characterize this cozy restaurant. First time experiencing…read moreEthiopian cuisine, so our party of 2 put ourselves in the capable hands of our friendly server Liya! She did *not* steer us wrong in suggesting the Ethiopian Spiced Tea (unsweetened black tea leaves brewed with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, served hot or iced) and the following combination platters-- Two Meat Stew Items: Doro (chicken drumstick) Key Wot Stew (mildly spiced, slow-cooked in red sauce with caramelized onions, garlic, ginger, cardamom, and berbere--spiced chili powder) Asa (white fish) Alicha Stew (non-spicy, slow-cooked mild sauce base with caramelized onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, jalapeño peppers, basil, and cumin) Four Vegetarian Sampler: Atakilt (cabbage, carrots, and potatoes sautéed with onions, turmeric, tomatoes, garlic, & ginger) Miser (red lentils) Key Wot Shiro (roasted chickpea flower simmered with basil and jalapeños) Key Wot Kik (split peas) Alicha

Came shortly after evening opening time on a Wednesday night. No wait and not crowded. Ambiance is…read morebeautiful. Interior is decorated well and the vibes are immaculate with soft, soothing music. Service was 5/5. Liya was helpful with recommendations and super friendly! We shared the Ethiopian spiced tea, sambusa (spiced chicken), and LeYou Special. Ethiopian spiced tea was good and piping hot, it also came with honey and sugar which I appreciated. Sambusas were fantastic - the spiced chicken was flavorful, and puff pastry had a light fluffy crispy texture. LeYou Special was pretty good. My favorites were the fish, chicken, cabbage, and lentils. I do wish it were a bit hotter in temperature as many of them were lukewarm, especially the fish. For dessert we shared the brownie sundae and baklava. Both were pretty small. Not mindblowing but tasty sweet treats to satisfy the sweet tooth if you don't want to go elsewhere for dessert. Glad I got to try LeYou!

Loved the food, and the prices were from 10 years ago... $5.50 for a glass of red wine! wow. I had…read morea mild lamb dish and gomen wat - both were delicious! The spice was mild, as I had requested, but still very flavorful. generous portions, and lots of injera to accompany. The family was very friendly and the owner checked on us a few times. We are definitely going back to this lovely, family owned restaurant!

Very friendly service, tasty food, and generous portions. I've been to many of the other East…read moreAfrican restaurants in San Jose, and many have declined in quality, become much more expensive, or just closed. I'm happy to have found the Lunch Box!

I was keen to try Mudai because they open a little earlier than other Ethiopian restaurants, and…read moreserve North African breakfast items like ful and scrambled eggs. I mean, what sounds better than Ethiopian breakfast? It's a little out of the way, in an industrial corner of downtown San Jose, but it's a sweet spot, worth seeking out. The place is charming. I like the open layout and the excellent service. There's a hangout kinda vibe. Soft, jazzy music makes it a relaxing space. I paired tomatoey scrambled eggs with a velvety, rich shiro hotpot, and brown injera, for a divine breakfast. On another occasion, I tried the veggie combo. The food is hot, wholesome, homey, fresh, tasty. Misir wot and shiro were my favorite dishes. Portions are ample. Food was served fast, which I appreciate.

3.5 stars. Delicious Ethiopian platter. This was shared between our party of 4. It also came with…read moreadditional injera (we also dug into the sauce soaked injera under the food, yum!). I think it would have been plenty even if we had one more adult. The restaurant space is clean, plenty of seating, and street parking was not too hard to find. Service could be a little more attentive, but I would say still worth the visit.

tldr: flavorful and filling eats, friendly staff, homey ambiance. great for sharing with friends!…read more I've been to Kategna a handful of times, and it is consistently spectacular! San Jose has a lot of solid Ethiopian restaurants, but Kategna is the best in my opinion. It's tucked into a quiet strip mall with plenty of parking. Once you step inside, you're immediately welcomed by a colorful, cozy space. The staff is super friendly and gives great recommendations. This is definitely a sharing spot. If you're a party of 4, I'd recommend picking 3-4 mains to split. They offer injera refills, but don't underestimate how filling it is. You can't go wrong with any of the tibs dishes. They're solid and well-seasoned, with that rich, savory spice blend that makes every bite so satisfying. My personal favorite dish is the shiro wat, a flavorful chickpea dish that's comforting, creamy, and packed with flavor. I also recommend the doro wat (chicken stew). The stew is deeply spiced and rich. It has a nice level of heat, but not one that it wholly overwhelming. Reservations don't seem to be necessary, unless you're coming with a party of 6+. They tend to have plenty of tables open, even on weekend nights. The food is also very vegan-friendly!

Restaurant It is…read moreinside a non descript strip mall. I traveled here from Fairfield. There are 8 booths and 10 sets of tables and 3 areas where it appears you would experience the authentic ethiopion coffee service. They were in the back preparing an order when we arrived so we waited short of 5 minutes for them to know we were there. When the waiter arrives she warmly greeted us and instructed us to sit anywhere. She quickly returned and provided us menus. Shortly thereafter our order was placed and we were provided water. We ordered our favorite no matter what ethiopian restaurant we go to and that is Gored gored Veggie platter Sambusas, the lentils inside were a bit hard and there wasn't much seasoning. I also ordered a cup of tea as I still had a cough from a cold Food The cabbage and greens were luke warm. The lentils were somewhat hot. The salad was fine and the gored gored was delicious. I wish their injera had more of a sour taste too it but overall food was good, service was good. I give them a 4 star review. Minus 1 point for the lukewarm food.

Here is my two cents on the quality quantity and price of my order... it was delivered by GrubHub…read morein a timely matter. what I don't like about GrubHub is you cannot just add a tip you have to talk to customer service.. which is a stupid and ridiculous. hoop. You have to jump through to give the driver extra money... Unto the lunchbox food If you never had Ethiopian food, it's not meant or utensils .. they give you their soft bread and you dip it in sauce and you add the items of what you're going to eat. It is more of a communal situation .. I found the food to be quite good though not as big of a portion as I would like.. I did ask for it to be extra hot and spicy And while it was the most spiciest and hottest hot sauce, I have ever tasted almost in my life . It was good, but you had to drink a beer or milk to cool your mouth off. If you're looking for something spicy, this is the place beware .

I was craving Ethiopian food and was looking for a place that was open during COVID-19. Usually I…read morestick with Zeni, but I wasn't close to the area. Found this place and was excited to order their Meat Combo which was $18 and came with Doro Wot, Ye Begin Wot, and Kitfo (beef), and a veggie entrée of choice along with some Injera bread. I ordered the Kitfo to be raw and spicy with my choice of vegetarian entree to be lentils. The total came out to about $25 with tax and everything. When I took the food out of the package. I got a tiny portion of one of their stews in two small sections in the to-go box which honestly both tasted the same despite them listing two different wots/stews, and the Kitfo seemed to be in the main part of my box and it WAS FULLY COOKED and DRENCHED IN SALT AND OIL. Even though I ordered the kitfo to not be cooked, which is an option, they still managed to cook it by dumping a gallon of hot oil over it (see picture). 70% of the dish was old oil rather than food. I got no vegetarian entrée as promised and the Kitfo was WAY oversalted and not edible. The two stews were okay, but besides this I felt cheated. I would not recommend anyone order pickup or delivery from this place. You have many other options around you as Ethiopian restaurants have increased in the area. The one review that comes before mine was not factored into the review of this place and is obviously the owner or one of the employees writing the review. There is only one review from that person ever in their Yelp history, and it is obviously promoting this business. Don't be fooled. Pictures are worth a thousand words.

My family's first time eating Ethiopian food and we were not dissapointed! It was great. We had the…read morevegeterian combo for two, lamb stew and a side of rice. Great tasting spices and really enjoyed the injera. Worth trying out if ever in Fremont area. Also shout out to the server who was really patient with us and my daughter. Very friendly guy

Very disappointed and confused about the raving reviews. I am not new to Ethiopian/Eritrean…read morecuisine, so as far as the food and flavors go, it was satisfactory at best. I ordered the meat combo. The injera doesn't have the sour flavor I was expecting, so I suspect it's blended and not made with all teff. The best part for me is to finish the left over stew-soaked injera at the end, but this experience was robbed from me when I discovered that they rinsed my plate and placed the injera on the plate while it was still wet, leaving it extra soggy and cold from the water. The service was good as the owner was attentive & made sure I was good. He gave me extra injera to remedy my complaint about my food being served on a cold, wet plate. I've never had a bad experience with Ethiopian food before, but this was what honestly killed it for me and literally left a bad taste in my mouth. Ambiance is good, the place was clean, it was quiet & peaceful when I came in on a Friday evening right before sunset. I probably would not visit again due to me having much better food & experience at other locations.