Sheba Piano Lounge

On a last second whim, we were invited down to this piano lounge that's "located in the live music district of SF" or so I've read. It's really quite an intimate little nook. Great, and I mean great jazz music and cocktails. It is on Fillmore Street, after all.The servers are friendly, knowledgeable and incredibly tolerant of long winded old men. But mostly, they stop and attend to you. Thanks to the staff, this was also a learning experience for us.The ambiance was dark and moody. Incredibly romantic. This was a Sunday evening and the jazz/blues ensemble didn't drive us out of the house; instead it was the easy, sophisticated music that really set the scene.Even better? They serve several Ethiopian dishes like Gomen, Rosemary Sea Bass, Kitfo, Tibs, Sambusas and even a sautéed chicken.I ate one of the greatest beef dishes ever, called Tibs Wat. It came with a spongy flatbread called injera that was very sour but interesting. It's a bit pricey but I promise it's worth every dime. Someone at your table must order the Tej or Honey Wine. Everyone at our table loved it.

Sheba was poppin on a Saturday night, so it's kinda tough to get a table, but the wait at the bar was so worth it! Jazz starts around 7:30-8pm so stop by for dinner or a drink to enjoy the music. The vibe is warm, loud, and energetic. We got seated at a community table, the outer "couch" was comfy and there was enough table space for our own food. We ordered the sirloin sambussa which came with a spicy sauce. It was crunchy and the meat was incredibly flavorful! I could eat a whole bowl. For the main to share we ordered the vegetarian sampler which came with this amazing cabbage cooked with veggies, mesir wat lentils, yellow split peas, and collard greens. These veggies were all very flavorful with the injera. In the middle of the platter we also ordered the braised lamb with the Ethiopian herb sauce which was incredible, and the lamb melts in your mouth! The server also gave us some more injera which helped us finish the whole platter. Service was great and friendly! Overall, I had such a positive experience and I'm excited to go back with friends!!

Overview: dark and cosy speakeasy with a full bar and good sound system.  Perfect for an intimate gathering.Meal/Time: Dinner Sunday 541 PM/ Party of 3Seated: 541 PMOrdered:548 PMFirst ordered item arrived: 604 Decor/Atmosphere:  Really comfortable seatings.  The atmosphere feels warm. Staff is friendly.  The only downside is the lighting is a bit on the dim side... hard to read the menu.  Parking is a bit hard.  Took us a bit of time.   The neighborhood is bit on the rough side.Service/ Front of the House:  Felt welcome and greeted as we walked in.  Service/Serving Staff: wait staff is friendly and personable.  She gave us a big smile when she came up to the table, she came back a couple of times refilling water and making sure we had enough Injera.   Per the receipt her name is Yewibensh.Food:  if you order from the "Out of Africa" menu, it's more of a family style so large shareable portions.  You get a plate of Injera, like a spongy flat bread that you tear into small pieces to pickup  the food.  No real flavor to add or to interfere with the entree.Beg Alecha ($28) Tender pieces of lamb braised slowly in green pepper, with yellow onions, Ethiopian herb sauce, ginger, rosemary, turmeric and jalapeno pepper. A little bit spicy.  The sauce is just pure awesome...  If I had a bowl of white rice that sauce is going right on top of it.  Really goes well with the slight gaminess of lamb.  Vegetarian Sampler ($29) sample of the 4 vegetarian entrees on the menu.GOMEN - Fresh collard greens & spinach w/ green onions, garlic, oregano, ginger & tomatoes.  Really good, my actual favorite item.  I just love collard greens.  The greens were tender, it will go well with the lamb.KIK ALICHA - Yellow split peas cooked & flavored w/ turmeric, onion & Ethiopian herbs.  Not really a big pea fan, but I could not tell it was peas.  But not as bland and the English mushy peas.MESIR WAT - Lentils cooked w/ chopped onions, garlic, olive & mild Berbere sauce.  Really good flavor, could not taste any olives for those that might be adverse to olives.ATAKILT KILIKIL - Fresh cabbage, carrots, green peppers & onions sautéed w/ garlic, ginger, turmeric and tomatoes.  This was actually the most boring item I had tonight.  The cabbage was the star and all the other veggies played supporting roles.  Yasa Tibs ($28) Sautéed catfish marinated in white wine and cooked with garlic, onions, bell peppers, scallions and tomatoes.  Large chunks of catfish, juicy and tender.  Seasoning hid that "catfish" flavor, it could have been any other type of firm white fish.  Excellent dish. Tibs Wat ($28) Sautéed prime beef simmered in Berbere sauce, a touch of Nit'ir Kibe (Ethiopian purified butter) & cardamom.  The beef is really shredded.  This makes it easy to pickup with the Injera.  Really flavorful, not a bit spicy at all.Value:  At about $28 a plate, the value for the quality of the food is good.  For those who want to venture into Ethiopian cuisine, this is a good entry point.Restroom: single Men's Room at the back of the dining area, to the right of the bar  Clean, well stocked and very roomy.Will I come back?:  Yes I would come back... I would like to try the sea bass on the "regular" menu.

Walked into a jazz ensemble! Killing time and found this place. The food looks good! But since we had dinner already we opted for a cheese platter and tiramisu with our drinks this evening. Good to know that there is a live jazz band that plays here every Sunday. Lots of people and the host was very nice. I'm glad we came!

Came here on my birthday! Such good Ethiopian food and amazing jazz, which apparently plays almost every night. Prices are very reasonable and the drinks menu is great. It wasn't too busy on a Thursday night so definitely recommend for dates or if you want to chat with friends.

A wonderful location to host a happy hour! My alumni group rented out a portion of the lounge for an appreciation happy hour and it was spectacular. Netsanet and her sister are absolutely amazing humans who have really given SF a taste of Ethiopian food and culture. Our menu items were small bites with an Ethiopian flair, including meatballs, sambusa, misir, kik, and a charcuterie spread. I cant wait to come back to enjoy some jazz and a full meal.

Only came for drinks and live music after dining at State Bird and so happy we did. Ppl are lovely, the space is nice, and drinks are very reasonably priced. Didn't know they served food but it smelled so nice will definitely return to try the food too.

This is a delayed review from a dining experience I had in April, but an absolutely five star dinner that has to be shared! We were in town for a work conference so it was a small group of my coworkers and I. Super glad my boss took the executive decision to set us up here because everything was so fantastic and the service was impeccable. The vibe here is also so cozy and inviting! We were served a TON of food, shared family-style of course. There was not one thing that I tried that I didn't like. Everything was fantastic. Standouts for me were the gomen and the atakilt kilikil, along with ALL of the tibs. The flavors in everything we tried were impeccable and the quality stood out.After dinner we go to experience a traditional coffee ceremony which was awesome. I want a candle made up of the smell from that roasted coffee for my house! And of course, the depth of flavor in the coffee was amazing.All in all this was a great way to spend a team dinner and I would love to come back the next time I'm in SF!

An Ethiopian restaurant and jazz lounge? Yes and it's a beautiful combo and an experience everyone really should have in their lifetime! Sheba has been delighting diners in the Fillmore for almost two decades, and this family run business has the food, hospitality, ambiance, and entertainment in spades! Sheba's Ethiopian cuisine is loaded with love and authentic flavor, and when you layer in their genuine regard for their guests, you have a fabulous dining experience that won't soon be forgotten. We sat in a warm, lowly lit u-shaped banquette facing a fireplace with a large table at the center. If it sounds like a living room, you'd be right, and it felt like we had been invited into the owner's home for dinner! We had many of the classics like crispy sambusas, atakilt kilkil (cabbage and carrots in turmeric), wat (lentils), and tibs (sauteed meats from chicken to lamb) all served with injera, the spongy flatbread that serves as your utensil. But the stars of the show had to be the simmered sea bass, an insanely complex dish with layers of flavor, and a braised green, similar to gomen in texture, but totally new to me! The cocktails were no slouch here either. They all sounded interesting and obviously had a lot of thought put into showcasing the Ethiopian flavors. I opted for the Selassie, a riff on I think a Godfather, made with Abyssinian spiced bitters and pernod for an extra anise kick, but the Bikila, which sounded like a wild combo on paper, turned out to be the surprising star of the show and best be described as a spicy Ethiopian margarita. This is a five star experience. Get in and get some for yourself. Bring friends, lots of them, because it's one that needs to be shared!

Sheba had great vibes and good drinks! The place felt a bit crowded, like there were too many people and things for the space available. As a result the music is too loud in most of the area and it's hard to hear people. Didn't get a chance to try the food as I felt claustrophobic but it looked amazing!