Mudai Ethiopian Restaurant

Very cute little hole in the wall. The owners were so sweet and patient with us as it has been at least a decade since we had Ethiopian food and I couldn't remember the names of things so I had to describe them to her. She brought out our food and it was WAY more food than my son and I expected. I mentioned that I liked something I saw in a picture and would try to remember to order it next time. She went back into the kitchen and brought out a small sample of it for us to try. Seriously went above and beyond. Its great that its down the street from Caio Terra BJJ Academy where I train when I'm in town. I wish them the best and hope to visit again next time I'm in the area.

Mudai is located in midtown on San Carlos St. It's easy to miss when driving down the street. They have a dirt parking lot in the back. Street parking is very limited in the area plus there was construction when I visited. The staff were friendly and very attentive. They have the classic Ethiopian food offerings. The price point is competitive to the other local Ethiopian restaurants in the area. We ordered the vegetarian combo platter which comes with 4 dishes, their traditional salad, and of course lots of delicious injera. Their injera is probably one of my top favorites! It tasted super fresh and was soft and bouncy. Unfortunately, the food wasn't warm :/. It almost felt like some of the food was just taken out of the refrigerator. The spice level is more on the mild side, which I didn't mind but my boyfriend didn't get the spicy kick he was craving. Overall, good tasting food and I would return.

Mudai is such an underrated Ethiopian restaurant! Tucked in an unassuming part of Downtown with its surrounding of construction and residential areas, it's very easy to miss. However, the portions are incredible, more than other Ethiopian places I've been to, while retaining its rich spices. My platter of beef combo ($21.50) and side of alicha atkilt ($8.99) were absolutely delicious, you could demolish this plate amongst 3 people. The injera is sooo sour and soft! More sour than other places I've been to, AKA more fermented. To me, that shines brighter given the cooks put effort to make the dish as authentic as it is in their country. It's a fluffy flatbread with sourness that compliments the intensity of the meats. The doro wot and lamb wot are iconic in Ethiopian cuisines. Meats were tender and not too spicy. The stew is comforting and is fantastic wrapped around some tasty injera. The lamb alicha is flavorful with tinges of ginger and turmeric, definitely worth venturing off to if you enjoy lamb wot. As for kitfo, I personally am not a fan of raw meat, so this is definitely an acquired taste given it's chewier. However, it'd be absolutely delicious if you like the texture and a little bit of creaminess from the cottage cheese. The alicha alkilt were mellow flavors of potato, cabbage, carrot, and onions which provided a neutral balance with all of the meats you're inhaling. Service also amazing! They brought out the dishes in 10 minutes, especially when I was on a time crunch during lunch. I believe it was the owner, who had welcomed us with a smile and answered all of my questions.

If you have been a patron there in the last 7-10 years just know they are under new management and the food tastes complete different.

Non-descript outside, but welcoming and clean inside. We shared the meat sampler and the flavors were fabulous. Service was great. Price was very reasonable. If it were closer to home, we'd be regulars!

Everything went well. The staff-very welcoming, the meal was differently wonderful. We had a Sambussa -Thin dough shells stuffed with lentils, onions, hot green peppers and herbs. Thismeatless dish is lightly fried in vegetable oil to golden perfection. Lamb Wot - Hot and spicy lamb stew made of lean lamb and simmered slowly in berbere and kibbe (purified and seasoned in butter)Beef Kay Tibs - Spicy beef stew simmered in hot red sauce, seasoned in butter, and our exotic spices. Everything was outstanding. Will be returning. Are you here yet?

Mudai's been one of our staples since we've lived in the bay. We've since left but come back every time I visit my in-laws. They remember my wife's order every time (Kay Tibs, no onions) and are so friendly to our little ones. Gets a little warm in there sometimes for my liking but they've always been super friendly and turn the fans on. Food is excellent - we don't have any Ethiopian restaurants where we live so we always make time to make it there - usually multiple times in one trip. Miss seeing you guys!

I went with a group of 7 before heading to a Sharks game. It's about a 15 min walk from the SAP Center. Not much parking around the restaurant. I did call in about 25 minutes before getting there to make a reservation, and they were very accommodating. The restroom was very clean, and they do have high chairs for the kiddos. As for the food, we ordered a variety of dishes, chicken ribs, lamb wot, a couple of veggie platters and a couple of meat platters. The injera was wonderful. The star of the show was the chicken wot. So savory and the seasoned wonderfully. They do have a mild or spicy choice with most of the dishes and we went for the mild, next time (there will be a next time!) I will go for the spicier option. We also ordered tea, which was great. The only minus on the experience was the lack of a lazy susan under the platter so it would've been easier to share the food. It smelled so good that I forgot to take photos! Price: $164 (includes a 20% tip)

On line take out order completely lost. Website generated order, collected credit card payment, sent me a "thank you" note with order # and list of dishes. Upon arrival to pick up order, restaurant staff had no record of the order Owner asked me to email order again. He could not find any record of what his restaurant website had generated.

Service and food have gone into the dumpster since new ownership ensued. Prices have increased as well for the now subpar taste of food. Service is a 1. Waitress/order taker/phone answerer made numerous mistakes to my order, and blamed me! Simply Ridiculous with a sheer lack of business acumen and customer service. This used to be my FAVORITE Ethiopian restaurant and I would refer all I knew here... no more! I will never be back-now they've lost MANY. So sad...