Jano Ethiopian Restaurant

Very interesting experience. The restaurant is the back of an upstairs hookah lounge - don't freak out; you're in the right place! We just walked straight back and someone seated us. The dining area is essentially an upstairs lounge with cushioned benches and coffee tables.The menu is pretty extensive and describes the food well for those unfamiliar with Ethiopian cuisine. While I only saw shooters and cocktails listed as drinks, our waitress happily brought me a glass of Tej, Ethiopian honey wine, which I think is okay by itself but pairs nicely with the food. Speaking of food...The food was delicious! My wife and I eat got a sampler and split the two. I got a sample of beef and lamb tibs, which have this amazing berbere spice on them and vegetables mixed in. My wife's vegetarian sampler was pretty good. The cabbage and potatoes were solid, but the LENTILS - oh, the lentils! - so delicious! I need to learn what spices they put in those because I could eat that every day. Both of our meals came with a small salad, which is a little difficult to pick up with injera bread, but we managed just fine.It's a tad awkward eating quietly in this small room while there is loud club music pouring in from the rest of the space, but it's totally worth the top-notch service and high quality food. Definitely recommended.

Be aware this place is no longer in existence it is closed down.When I looked on Yelp they said that they were there, but the restaurant certainly looks shut down and desolate.

This is a very interesting Lounge... It could have been because the night that I went on, which was a Thursday, wasn't a good night to go, but the fact that there is no parking and the DJ was terrible, has me not wanting to go back. I've actually never tasted the food from the downstairs restaurant, so I hope that this review isn't directed towards them. This review is strictly for the upstairs Lounge / Club area.All lounges/clubs downtown need to be excellent because is the fact that there is nowhere to park. I feel like, if I travel to the city for a night out and have to pay for parking, I should at least have fun at the place I decide to go. Here isn't it. I guess Saturdays are better. Go at your own risk.

Went here after the Raven's game on Sunday and was pleasantly surprised. Incredible food full of wonderful flavors. The chef came out and spoke to us while we were eating and explained all of the different items on our sampler platter. Loved that she came out to speak to us.The food is very very filling, and priced very low, which was great. For $21 we had a glass of wine, a beer, and a huge sampler platter that kept me full for a solid 12 hours.

So walking up the stairs, my husband and I totally thought we were in the wrong place. Looks like a straight up night club/hooka lounge! But then the staff beckoned us in and we took seats near the bar and brought us the menu that was definitely Ethiopian food! We ordered a nice variety of dishes which we enjoyed (food was flavorful) and the bread was nice and chewy. We were stuffed leaving and left just as the music was getting louder and the night club guests were arriving. Not your typical Ethiopian restaurant, but food and service was good (unlike the other review) - we got plenty of napkins and refills of our drinks and the server was very helpful with helping us pick out our dishes and pointing out his favorites. Perhaps go here if you want to eat before starting the night out!

I hate to leave a 1 star review when I have not even eaten here, but when your hours are incorrect, and no one answers the phone on a weekday at 6:45 pm..... You waste my time.

I had the most delicious Ethiopian meal of my life here--and I have eaten many fantastic meals in Ababa itself. The family who runs this restaurant is a gem.

An unexpected treasure. The shiro transported me back to my years working and living in Addis Ababa. The shiro was enough to make Ethiopian food to position number 1 of my favorite food. I am looking forward to returning. Great food, amazing energy and as a world traveler enough to capture my heart.

I don't know why people have said this place has incorrect hours (it's probably because of how old the reviews were). When I went they were open and I loved the food. I was startled by the scenery at first but once I settled down it was an enjoyable experience. 9/10

If you're looking for Ethiopian food around downtown Baltimore, skip this place and go to Tabor, which is a few blocks up. I walked in the door and was immediately told by a booming voice at the back of the room, "Go upstairs!" with no explanation. Curious, because the dining room seemed to be on the first floor. So I went upstairs as told, but I didn't see any tables or a host. I wandered around until I found the bar, which is where I ended up sitting. There was loud pop music, circa 2008, booming through the speakers, and the bar was run by two scantily clad girls who, to their credit, were very nice. I nearly walked out at this point, but I decided to sit down, against my better judgment. I ordered the doro wot, one of my favorites. It came on a bed of injera and consisted of ONE small chicken leg, a tiny pat of sauce, and two additional rolls of injera. Bafflingly, the server presented me with a plastic fork and spoon--not a knife, the only utensil in this situation that would have proven useful. It was the first time I had been given eating utensils at an Ethiopian restaurant. The doro wot itself is the only thing saving this from being a 1-star review. The meat was tender, and the sauce--what little there was--was spicy and flavorful. The injera, however, was dry around the edges and unpleasant to choke down. I was given no napkins. When I asked for a napkin, I was given two or three tiny squares of cocktail napkins. I paid my bill and left. On the way out I stopped by the restroom, only to find a large trash bag covering the toilet. I guess that's a fitting an end as any to this experience. Ever left an Ethiopian restaurant hungry? Me neither. At least not until this place. If you're looking for a loud bar attended by women who leave little to the imagination, that just happens to serve Ethiopian food, then this is your place. If you want an Ethiopian restaurant, go elsewhere.