GIHON Ethiopian Kitchen

I'll miss y'allBest foodGood peopleThat restaurant across street I believe ran them outThey told me that they tried to buy their place they refused and than they go and be petty and rent a place across street !! Of course that creates competition. Two Ethiopian places across right from each other smh I will always support Gihon not that other place Hopefully Gihon will pop up somewhere else

Love the vegan platter. It's perfect for 2 people. The staff is always very attentive.

When I text someone asking if they want to get lunch and they come back with "Ethiopian?" it's safe to say I'm with the right person. Neither of us had ever had it and it seemed like a great idea. But where to go? There are a few different restaurants with this cuisine up on El Cajon Blvd. I went with GIHON based on some friend's reviews and that the pictures of the food here looked good. Those platters are bright and colorful, not to mention bountiful. Who doesn't want that?I walked by while they were still closed as they open at noon and I could smell the food already, the sauces simmering and the smell of the spices floating by the sidewalk. It smelled so good, I knew it was going to be a good meal. When we were ready to eat we headed inside and were met by a very lovely lady from Ethiopia whose name I missed. She was working as hostess, server, and working in the kitchen too plating up our food, after helping us decide what to order of course. We don't know what any of this stuff is! We showed her a photo off Yelp of the platter we liked and she assured us that it was too much food for us. But an order of Doro Wot, Tibs (we went with lamb) and the Vegan Platter was going to be perfect for two with some leftovers for enjoying at home. She was right! Eats:Doro Wot- so freaking good. The chicken was fall apart tender, the sauce was delicious, and I could have easily used all the injera (which I loved so much) to eat all of it.Lamb Tibs- Again I could have eaten all of this. Lamb tibs, lamb tibs over rice, lamb tibs in a burrito, lamb tibs tacos...there isn't a thing I can think of that these little cubes of lamb wouldn't be delicious in. But here, wrapped in little (or not so little) bits of injera I was totally smitten with GIHON by now.Vegan Platter- This is what we saw the little scoops of decorating the platter covered with a large injera so we knew we wanted it. Plus one needs some veggies to go with all the protein. This was a great way to sample all the majority of their side dishes. I liked all of them but the ater kik and the fasolia were my favorites. I'll definitely be ordering this vegan platter with every plate I get. It just tastes good and plus the flavors soak into the injera a bit which is my new favorite utensil. Edible spoons? Amazing.We got more injera because I kind of inhaled it. The texture you see. It was just so soft and tasty. I have a new ridiculous dream of an injera pillow. Like that Patch Adams movie with the pool of noodles but me with a bed of injera. Oh and we also enjoyed the sambusa as we tried one of each. The lentil might have even been tastier than the chicken, that's just how well they do vegetarian food here. But then again the meat was amazing too...Get both. For drinks I enjoyed my minted iced sweet green tea and Dara liked her beer. We sat in the back, the patio area, and enjoyed it. We got there early and had the place to ourselves but I can see how dinner time could fill up. If you have a large party- call ahead.GIHON is definitely going onto my list of favorite places in SD. I'll be heading back this week because when you find food this good you can't keep it to yourself. As I've said the food is delicious and the staff is so welcoming it's impossible to stay away. If you've never tried this cuisine before or you're already a big fan, you should give GIHON a try. Hopefully you fall in love with this charming place like I did.

Amazing food! I have been eating Ethiopian food all around San Diego and the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco for the past 25 or so years and I must say that the food at this restaurant is as good as it gets!I always get the vegetarian combo platter which is actually vegan. Although the terms vegetarian and vegan normally do not appeal to me everything on this platter is phenomenal! Healthy vegetables that are prepared in such a way that they are absolutely delicious. I also get an order of the chicken Doro Wat, and it is so rich and flavorful with a complexity that is beyond description I would not call it spicy but the flavors dance on your tongue. The customary way to enjoy Ethiopian food is by picking it up using pieces of injera bread which is like using a thin pancake to pick up the food. No fork needed, such a nice way to sample the food from other cultures.Try Gihon ethiopian restaurant, and see what you've been missing!

I was so excited to eat at GIHON because I love Ethiopian food and DC, where I'm from, has some of the best Ethiopian restaurants! Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed by the doro wat. It had WAY TOO MUCH SALT. The butter and berbere flavors were still there, but it was masked by all of the salt.However, the green beans and carrots were absolutely delicious. The waitress said that the recipe is her grandmother's and you can tell why it's being shared with restaurant-goers. So flavorful and perfectly balanced! I'll still come back, but I think that I'll get the vegan platter instead. It seems like their veggies are pretty great!

San Diego has some amazing Ethiopian resturants, but overall this is probably tied as my favorite. The vegan combo platter has several more veggie dishes included than most others places- it always comes with the 6 or so veggies listed on the menu (including an eggplant wot!), but the last few times we've gone we got an additional sampling of a few daily veggies (the smaller takeout box in our pic). In it, has been a magical red colored garlicy potato (?) dish and an aoili-like tasty side-theyre incredible. Shiro is my favorite Ethiopian dish, and I would say this one from Gihon is not my favorite, but it's definitely good- it's much saltier than I personally prefer. The lentil sambusas are not be missed! Also appreciate how generous they are with the injera.Covid precautions were great- 100% masks; very easy, clean, outdoor pickup and bill signing for our takeout.

Great food!! Everything was so flavorful. We had the vegan platter, lentil Sambusa and the Shekla Shiro with refills of injera. We also tried the Iced Mint Green tea (which I found to sweet) and the Ethiopian Spices tea over ice (which I loved) We will definitely be back, I did learn that they have buffet every other Friday so, that's a plus!

So yummy! This place is priced so amazing and one of the best meals we've had in a while. It tastes authentic and homey and made with so much love.I hope that we can come back when the buffet opens again one day.I am used to shiro wot that has chunkier chickpeas and isn't so spicy but it's still good. The injera and the dip and the rib eye and veggies are all so good. Grateful to find this place.

Covid take-out was seamless (called at 11:50am for a 12:20pm pick up). When I arrive, the street parking in front of the restaurant was all taken and there were a few people waiting for their orders. I parked around the block and call to let them know I was waiting there. They called me when my food was ready and brought it straight out to my car as I pulled up.I ordered the meat combo (beef, lamb, chicken with beet and collard green sides), plus shiro. Everything was extremely well packed!I love this place for their amazing clean food and friendly staff. Please support them!

Amazing Ethiopian food in the San Diego area. The place has been in business for over 20 years and recently returned to this location. It isn't that big of a place, but that adds to the intimacy. Be on the lookout when your drive up. Everything was delicious. Started off with the sambusas (which I rarely go with, but their sauce was amazing), and followed things up with the veggie platter and lamb tibs. We also got the fish, which was seasoned perfectly. For those unfamiliar with Ethiopian food... best bet is to get the veggie sampler and a meat dish you prefer. Family style and you get to eat with your hands. It's more than a meal... it's an experience. Our server was extremely friendly and conversed with us about the options. At the time we went, they didn't yet have their liquor license... but that shouldn't stop you from having a great time. Stop by and enjoy.