The Yummiest Ethiopian in Oakland

Addis Ethiopian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.2 (729) • $$

"My friend and I visited Addis Ethiopian Restaurant on Friday, 2/9/24, for an early dinner. We decided to order the Kategna as the appetizer. It was crispy and delicious. For the main course, we got the Meat Combination Platter for Two. It came with 3 Ethiopian meat specialties such as the Doro Wot, Sega Wot, and Sega Alicha along with Injera, Ayib, Boiled Eggs, and a mini Salad. All of the meats were beyond flavorful and bold in taste. My friend and I finished the entire platter feeling full and satisfied. For the drink, I had a glass of Ethiopian Honey Wine. It was sweet and I enjoyed it very much. Everyone inside the restaurant was pleasant. The customer service was attentive and lovely. The indoor ambiance was decorated nicely with flowers and candles at each table. Overall, Addis Ethiopian Restaurant is a great spot to satisfy Ethiopian food cravings. I recommend coming here."

Cafe Romanat

★★★★★ 4.5 (460) • $$

"Very visible as you enter the freeway. But, the mystery has been for years is how do you get to this restaurant. Today was the day to figure that out. Instead of getting on the freeway you turn right after the restaurant and park on the side street or drive around the block like we did and park in front. Parking and getting here is very tricky. If you are stumped park on Grand Ave and walk up the street. There is no private lot so it's all street parking with meters. We ent after 6pm so the meters weren't charging and there was a single spot in front waiting for us.There are 2 Ethiopian restaurants down the street from each other and we choose this one as it had more stars. Let me start with, I've had Ethiopian food before, so I know I like this type of food. I'm familiar with the food, but not that familiar with it that i know what to order on its own. I usually just order the standard/classic meat and veggie platter. A little bit of everything. It was delicious we licked the platter. My favorite dish was the lamb ribs. It really stood out from everything else. I also liked the collard greens. Those were my two favorites. I'd come back and order the lamb tibs as a dish of its own and the veggie platter for two and split it."

Ethiopia Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (581) • $$

"Food was delicious!! The meat combo was more than enough for two people. We ordered extra injera and they gave us more than enough."

Shewhat

★★★★★ 4.9 (311) • $$

"It's hard to have bad experiences at Ethiopian restaurants. The food is usually shared, the fluffy starch reminiscent of sourdough - S tier bread, plenty of veggie options, beans (lentils) that don't offend anyone, meat is usually a comforting stew, and it smells like chromakopia.Also yes this place is very good, it's not the best injera I've ever had but once it's mixed with anything it's fantastic. I don't love the sweet honey wine - but nice to try"

Haleluya Ethiopian Gourmet

★★★★★ 4.6 (294) • $$

"Small mom and pop restaurant serving some solid takes on classic Ethiopian food.Stop by here for dinner earlier this week on Thursday with my girlfriend. We arrived around 7:30 PM and the restaurant was empty. Most people seem to be coming in for takeout restaurant is quaint and has a few tables that seat up to four people in the vibe in general is very cozy. For our meal, we ordered the meat and veggie combo, which came with two meat, entrées and three veggie entrées all served on Injera with extra Injera on the side.The food came out very quickly, and overall was very solid. For our meats we got the chicken and lamb snd as for the veggies we had the potatoes, yellow lentils, and split red lentils (Misir Wot)Both meat dishes were cooked to perfection - the lamb and chicken were both very tender in the gravy with some of the best I've had in a long time. As for the veggies, the misir wot was by far the best. The potatos were solid and the yellow lentils while good felt a little undercooked.Service wise this place was great. Its run by a very small team , but with that said they are very attentive and very niceOverall, Haleluya gave us a very solid meal and I'd definitely Swing by here again when I'm in the mood for some Ethiopian food in FremontFood : 4.5/5Service : 5/5Total score : 4.75/5"

Lemat

★★★★★ 4.5 (264) • $$

"Great food.Great service.Great portions with the meats, less so with the legumes, but I don't know why.Highly recommend.No gluten reactions.Please come here and enjoy"

Blackberry Bistro

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (482) • $$

"Tried out this spot for the first time, experienced a bit of a wait (party of 6) but nothing a mimosa can't fix! Food was very tasty, all dishes came out from the kitchen at the same time. The jam (blackberry I believe? ) took the gold medal for me it was delish on a piece of toast."

Messob Ethiopian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4 (306) • $$

"Small family restaurant, fresh food, fast service, and delicious. We ordered 3 items and the Zambia's appetizer and finished it all with a second serving of injera. They also have a few tables outside for outdoor eating."

Cafe Eritrea D'Afrique

★★★★☆ 4.2 (263) • $$

"Food: 5/5 Service: 4/5Ambiance: 4/5 Fresh made to order food. I knew I wanted to order to go and placed my order then went next door to Ancient Ways to get a few items from there. Timed this perfectly. The wait time is usually about twenty minutes. The server was nice and allowed me to substitute extra greens or anything else in the vegetarian platter for the potatoes without an up charge. It was warm this day so I asked for a cup of ice and was provided one in a to go cup of regular size. That was nice. Many places give you a smaller/smallest cup for ice. I find their artwork to be unique and vibrant in color. There is a bar and they promote their own honey wine. One day I will dine in and give their libations menu a try. Especially the honey wine. Sounds yummy. I loved every bit of my food. The vegetation platter has regular lentils, spicy lentils, mixed veggies, hummus, collard greens (special name I can't remember) and a red spicy paste I can't recall the name of. You get plenty of enjera which is a doughy like bread used to eat your food with. Similar to sourdough but mildly wet. If you enjoy trying new foods and restaurants or love Eritrean food give this one a try."

Red Sea Restaurant and Bar

★★★★☆ 3.8 (281) • $$

"Seemed like a good idea because it had so many food options but it was fair. Prices were decent but it didn't have the real Ethiopian flavor that I'm used to. They didn't even put the beef awaze on top of the injera in the box?!?The injera also was lacking something but not sure what since I don't make it. Overall, it was decent but I don't think I would try it again. The chicken sambusca had a great crisp but also lacking on flavor. My friend had the fried green tomatoes with crabmeat but said it had an odd "too crabby" taste."

Blue Nile Ethiopian

★★★★☆ 4.4 (184) • $$

"Solid Ethiopian food in walking distance from Bart! It was so delicious and packed full of flavor. You can't go wrong with any of the choices here! I loved eating up every last bit with the injera. Now I know a great go-to near Lake Merritt whenever I'm craving Ethiopian food in the area!"

Alem's Coffee

★★★★★ 4.5 (150) • $

"Service was great (2 very friendly ladies). We ordered a house blend coffee (very good) and a chai (omg ) for drinks and the tibsy for food. She said 10 minutes for the food to be ready so we sat out front basking in the sun (she offered to put up the umbrella) and then brought it out to us once it was ready. Plenty of injera and the meat was spicy and very tasty. We also got a side of veggie/salad with it (ordered to go)."

Mela Bistro

★★★★★ 4.7 (132) • $$

"Mela Bistro is a great neighborhood spot! Not only is the food delicious, it's nutritious and doesn't make you feel bloated and weighed down after you gobble it up. Ambiance is casual, cute and service was good!"

MLK Café

★★★★☆ 4.1 (110) • $

"I was visiting from Texas and happened to get a hotel down the street from MLK Cafe. They were the only place open relatively late (Yelp says they close at 10:00 on weekdays, but I think I went in there around 10:15 or 10:30??), so I decided to walk down there and get some food.I was a little confused as to where to order upon first walking in, as there were people hanging out all around the bar and restaurant but no one behind the counter. Eventually I figured it out - they have menus at one of the counters and as I was looking one over, a man came up and asked what I would like. I decided to keep it simple and just ordered a small cheese pizza to go. It wasn't anything mindblowing, but it definitely hit the spot (and for a good price too).The next night I find myself in the same late-ish night predicament, so I walked back over there and decided I'd try one of their Ethiopian dishes. I had only eaten Ethiopian once before and I thought it was great, but nothing to write home about. I ordered beef kelwa and boyyyyyy was it fucking good! It blew my first Ethiopian experience out of the water.Atmosphere is super laid back. Second night I was in there everyone was watching the Warriors game, cheering, and what not. The guys cooking your food and taking your orders are very friendly. Highly recommended spot. I will definitely be back next time I'm in Oakland!"

Admas

★★★★★ 4.5 (66)

"Admas is the Ethiopian-Eritrean spot we've been wanting and craving. I definitely feel like Admas is going to be a lovely addition to our greater Grand Lake neighborhood.I ordered the veggie platter as one does for takeout. I wish they didn't use styrofoam for packaging, but it did keep everything warm. AND y'all, the portions are fab, the veggie dishes are DIVINE and colorful, and injera so fluffy and delish. They also gave a complimentary vinagrette salad and one dry AF samosa. The samosa didn't hit for me, but I chowed down that salad so fast. Complimentary sides are something from pre-COVID times that I am so glad Admas is bringing back. My fave part was the injera bread and their stews: red lentil side (misir wat) took my breath AWAY, and their yellow split pea side was divine (kik alicha). I never had that bright pink/magenta beet side and I had to google it. The key sir alicha beet AND potato dish was SO unique, I could taste the ginger and ya girl was pleasantly intrigued. Collard greens was yummy as well. I loved ALL of their dishes in the veggie platter, and will def be coming back for that specific item.I loved that there were a few two-person parties inside the store. Seems like a nice, intimate spot for date night...it is on the quieter side though. But I like that there's the main area and a side room if you're looking for more privacy. It has the feel of stepping into a family friend's home. No outdoor seating though and limited street parking. Hospitable folks and small biz!"

Jebena Cafe

★★★★★ 5 (38)

"What a quaint little restaurant and cafe! Our small lattes were huge and perfectly crafted. The vegetarian combo lunch was delicious, filling, and healthy! We enjoyed the Ethiopian food while experiencing coffee roasting tradition for another customer. The lady was very kind and helpful. We enjoyed our meal and will be back!"

Lula

★★★★☆ 4.3 (38) • $$

"Great service and the best gluten free injera! Highly recommended.I liked the combo veggie plate. Only suggestion is to carry honey wine ;)"

Selam Restaurant

★★★★★ 4.9 (20)

"Totally delicious, clean, home cooked-tasting food. The people working were super nice and I'd love to go back again when I'm in the area. Speaking of the area...it looks a little rough but don't let that deter you. They deserve our business!"

Zara Restaurant

★★★★★ 4.6 (12)

"I was very pleased with my experience here.I ordered the tibsi beef, and the food was very flavorful with generous portions. It comes with injera and a side salad.The ambiance in the restaurant is great too. It's dimly lit with soft music playing. It's a newer restaurant on the block, and still under the radar. I'd highly recommend checking them out"

Cafe Colucci

★★★★☆ 4.2 • $$

"This is one of my favorite finds in East Bay so far -- I love the family style of eating, delicious food, and unique cocktails!We tried the Kitfo Special ($21), Sega Tibs ($21), and Doro Wot ($20). All were delicious and had such unique flavor. The amount of injera included was also perfect.I can't remember the exact cocktail that I got, but I had really enjoyed it. Definitely coming back here with more friends in the future!"

Enssaro Ethiopian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.2 • $$

"I think it's decent but needs improvement on the flavor and less oil.For $75 for 3 people it's pricey and we left hungry. I think they need ro increase the portions because honestly the lentils were skimpy and there was like one small piece of chicken with a huge bone in it for one of the dishes.Also, the white meat chicken with the sautéed onions had a lot of spice with the jalapeño. I wish they would allow an option for no hot spices jalapeños because that wasn't the experience I wanted for Ethiopian food.The salad needed dressing, and was very dry.The injera was super sour and kind of stale tasting.I really like Ethiopian food, but this one was a miss for me."