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ABESHA Ethiopian Cuisine
Category: Restaurants Ethiopian Ethiopian [Edit]
4929 Shattuck Ave(between 49th St & 51st St)
Oakland, CA 94609
Neighborhoods: Temescal, Rockridge, North Oakland
(510) 653-8383
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
33 reviews for ABESHA Ethiopian Cuisine
Review Highlights
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"...dish is still the cabbage and potatoes, and my mom's is..." In 2 reviews -
"...of the lentil, collard greens, chickpeas, mushrooms, was..." In 5 reviews -
"our main focus is injera quality at a restaurant, usually." In 8 reviews
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33 reviews in English
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Review from Leeroy J.
San Francisco, CA
3/22/2012
I had never had Ethiopian food before, and since, I have tried others.
they just don't compare to Abesha!
I love their yebeg tibs, the lamb dish with onions! I have an issue with chili peppers, and when I order it without chilis, they NEVER have made ANYTHING spicy for me!
it is amazing!
also, I love their simmered split pea dish. simply amazing! and their injera is delicious! so good!
recommend this place to anyone who likes Ethiopian... and for those who don't, too! -
Review from Penguin S.
Pacifica, CA
2/16/2012
I haven't eaten Ethiopian food in about 5 years, so I've forgotten what it was all about. I remember not being impressed the first time, at another restaurant.
The food arrived and I was all like, um, plates...flatware? But my friends dug right in with the sour crepe from hell and I remembered. Tear a bit of crepe and dig in.
They ordered 2 meat combos and 1 veg combo. We also some wonderful honey wine and it came with a salad. We spent $19 each for the 4 of us. Great meal.
Loved the beef and chicken. The mushroom dish was fantastic, as were the lentles. The fish was a little fishy and slightly overcooked. They were out of lamb.
Ours came with 2 veg dishes we didn't order. The waitress was prompt in apologising and offered to bring out what we ordered free of charge.
Great atmosphere, tastefully done. It could easily front for a nice Italian place. -
Review from Devora Z.
Oakland, CA
2/2/2012
What an awesome find! Abesha Ethiopian is a true gem.
I had never had Ethiopian food before, and was dragged here by some friends on a Saturday. We went for lunch and were so full by the time we left. I went again a few days later on my own and had another great meal.
The veggie platter for lunch is a great deal. Get that, the kitfo (raw beef but seriously amazing and unless you have a very sensitive stomach, no digestive problems here), and some spiced tea. My favorite vegetarian dish was the yellow lentils, but the folks I'm with liked the mushrooms, the red lentils, the collards, and the cabbage as well. The injera is dense, not too sour, and perfect. Yum.
Decent service, definitely not crowded either time I've been, and really wholesome and delicious food. I will be back!Listed in: Under $15
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Review from Nick W.
Oakland, CA
4/20/2012
I've only ever had their Vegetarian Lunch Special, but I have gone back for it at least 5 times now! You get to choose 5 out of 10 delicious options to make up your platter, as well, so you only get what you want!
Excellent service, so friendly & beautiful -
Review from Chloe B.
Oakland, CA
4/4/2012
I'm just writing in response to my lunchtime veggie combo today. You get to pick the 5 items you want, which is great because I sometimes don't like what comes in veggie combos elsewhere. Everything was delicious. And they gave me the salad in a separate container, which I appreciated, because if I have leftovers, I don't want it getting soggy and mixed with food I'll reheat. They were also super friendly. And the lunch veggie combo was discounted. A good experience all around.
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Review from Jay A.
San Francisco, CA
9/16/2011
As an ethiopiophile, I have some exacting standards for cuisine from the Horn of Africa. I pride myself in having tried just about every such restaurant in the central Bay Area...and with plenty of places to compare this to I say it's not really worth going to.
To start with, the injera was not at all fresh --- it had dry flakes all around the edges of the rolls --- and wasn't as dark and flavorful as it should be.
Their rendition of Alicha hadn't nearly enough turmeric; the yemmesir was decent with the tang of berbere in lentils that were not cooked completely beyond recognition. What really did the place in was the bland Shuro, which had almost no berbere as far as I can tell and was lacking any defining flavor (other than the background of chickpea powder).
If you want good Ethiopian, jog over to Telegraph and go a few blocks further down to Addis, don't waste your palette on Abesha. -
Review from Andrea D.
Oakland, CA
10/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Nice, quiet place to grab Ethiopian food in Temescal. It is far better than Asmara across the way, and I believe the prices are more reasonable. The decor isn't amazing, but it was very clean.
I get Messir Wot at every Ethiopian place I go to, and this was pretty darn delicious. I was a little disappointed with the Shiro, but in all honesty I usually am. I didn't experience any issues with the Injera other than there wasn't enough, but the server was happy to bring us more when we asked.
I like this little hidden gem of an Ethiopian restaurant. I will likely return again!Listed in: Ethiopi-fun
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Review from Nik N.
1/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
abesha is seriously delicious ethiopian.
the atmosphere doesn't offer much - but it truly doesn't need to.
the friendly service and the deeeeeelicious eats will have your full attention.
mmmmmm... -
Review from tuttle h.
Oakland, CA
1/25/2012
Believe the hype. My mouth is watering as I write this. Yum. I've been in the Temescal neighborhood since 1997 and Abesha is my favorite Ethiopian in the hood.
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Review from Jenny D.
Oakland, CA
9/12/2011
This place is amazing. My boyfriend and I have never had Ethiopian food before and were incredibly thrilled by this establishment. It was awesome to be able to eat with our hands. The staff was great, the waitress was super excited to teach us about Ethiopian culture and customs. Absolutely breath taking experience. Reasonable prices with good portions. I got the veggie combo and was full of eating half. I highly recommend the garbonzo beans. I would come back here and happily give them my money, hands down!
Also, very clean place. I sneaked a peek into the kitchen and was stoked to see such a beautiful and well kept kitchen. -
Review from Cynthia C.
Alameda, CA
4/21/2011 1 photo
I was roaming around the Temescal area looking for a late lunch. Nothing was open.
Parked in the Walgreens lot, almost got run over by a guy who ran a stop sign at the Salami Co., so I decided it was a sign, no sando for me today.
I passed Round Table and Peet's, finally ambling my way over to Abesha, discouraged and frantic for a meal.
I was welcomed into a friendly sanctuary. Seriously, it's calming and clean. I even got work done after my meal.
The veggie combo was delicious and priced at $10 for 5 items of my choice. I love when I can customize my meal. Gives me a sense of ownership. The only item I didn't like out of the lentil, collard greens, chickpeas, mushrooms, was the cold tomato/injera.
I packed half to go and it's a mini meal for later.Listed in: The Biggity, biggity O!!!
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Review from Daniel S.
San Francisco, CA
11/27/2011
Best Ethiopian Cuisine in the area, hands down. This is one of my go-to "wow" spots that I take people when they come visit from out of town, from across town, or with my neighbors. Quiet place, respectful staff, delicious food.
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Review from Cary B.
Oakland, CA
1/2/2011
Simply amazing.
Firstly, my partner has been turned off to Ethiopian food because of the sour taste of the bread, which is why it was amazing that he decided to give this place a chance on the spur of the moment.
Secondly, it was early for dinner, but even so, there was virtually nobody in the restaurant, except one East African family.
In spite of that, the place was extremely clean, and the prices on the menu were perfectly reasonable, so we decided to stay and try them out.
The food was amazing. We ordered two servings of the the vegetarian combo, which included a lentil dish, cabbage and potatoes, a chick-pea dish, collards, and a mushroom dish. Everything tasted phenomenal. The chickpea dish was very spicy and the mushrooms were moderately spicy.
And there was no sour taste to the bread whatsoever, which really cinched it for us.
The hostess mentioned to us, when we were offering our compliments, it's entirely family owned and run, and they like to make sure everything is absolutely clean.
There are a ton of Ethiopian restaurants in Oakland, but this is by far the best in my book. -
Review from Cal C.
Oakland, CA
9/6/2010 1 Check-in Here
Like Claudius, we stumbled into Abesha on our way to Asmara when we were looking for parking in Temescal.
It looked clean and new, if somewhat stark. We had trepidations that there was only one other party in there but it was only 7 pm on the Sunday before Labor Day so we sat down. (By the time we left, about seven other tables had been seated.)
I've tried quite a few different kinds of food, but Ethiopian/Eritrean is one I haven't. So comparison shoppers, take note; I mean this review for other E/E newbies. Our friend John is pretty familiar so he took the lead in ordering. Likewise, spicehunters won't be helped much here - we ordered medium spicey. I prefer tasting ingredients to extreme heat.
We ordered three entrees and began ordering three veggie sides. The waitperson suggested that we get the five-veggie combo as we'd try more variety at a lower price. She earned a first star for the place just for that. We also ordered a bottle of honey wine to cool the heat some.
We didn't wait very long before she returned with a platter with a huge disc of injera with generous dollops of red lentils, collard greens, shiro (ground peas with a berbere sauce), mushroom wot (stew is the closest definition I could give), and timatim fitfit. (I'll admit here I first wanted to order it because it sounded like a Star Wars character's name. It reminded me of a Tuscan bread-tomato salad called panzanella or panmolle, depending on the region.)
She ladled on gored gored (barely seared beef with onions) and yebeg tibs (lamb strips, also with onion), but ran out of room before she could serve the doro wot, another stew with a fall-off-the-bone chicken thigh and hard-boiled egg. Yeah, three people ordered a LOT of food.
All three entrees were outstanding to my unrefined tongue. We cook collards pretty often, and I thought these were rather pedestrian. However, I enjoyed the other sides a lot. Everything was yummy, so kudos to the kitchen. And to the secret ingredient. Butter.
Butter was used in many, if not most, of the sauces because, why else, it's delicious. But if you're not used to that much butter in your diet, you will love the cuisine but not necessarily the night that follows. I'll be back but I'll be popping a pre-antacid first.
One more note to the neat freaks. You probably are already aware that you don't use utensils with Ethiopian food. You use the injera (including the big one on the platter soaking up all the buttery goodness) to pick up your food. For those of you who suffer from containment issues in the kitchen and at the table like I do, choose not to be embarrassed by having the most stains in front of you. That's why they use butcher paper.
A second star for good and friendly service, a third for the food, a fourth star for butter. I'll be trying other Ethiopian restaurants, but I'll go back to Abesha. -
Review from Trevor H.
San Francisco, CA
5/31/2011
This place is great. The shirow (garbanzo beans) was incredible, the best I've had. Kitfo also really good, not too spicy (though they give you extra spices to add if you like it hot).
Service was wonderful. -
Review from Kimberly B.
Alameda, CA
2/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
My friends and I have been craving Ethiopian food for the longest time and I have to say that Abesha is amazing!
Let me start by saying they are open late so that is definitely a plus in my book then even though we had to park on the street of course at 8:30pm there is really no one. Then when we went inside there was barely anyone there so that is another plus because I hate waiting for a table.
The Veggie platter was incredible since we got to pick 5 different types for our veggie platter and two meat platter, but oh man I for the name of them all I remember is that there was beef in both of them, but still SUPER GOOD!!!
Even the waitress was really sweet the whole time, she even recommend some food for our veggie platter and those were great choices and when we were out of bread she came back and gave us more, she is so nice. I wish we got her name. They give us so much food we should have had two other people come with us, it just makes you that full, any who I am a fan of Abesha and can't wait to go back for a late night meal... -
Review from annonymous l.
San Leandro, CA
1/12/2011
Good things-- it's beautiful and clean. New floors, paint, nice tables, etc. The people are so very nice!
Unfortunately, I felt the food wasn't what I had hoped it would be. I ordered a salad. I got chopped lettuce and a few pieces of tomato and that was it. I had to request the cheese and it was clumpier than what I am used to from other Ethiopian places. The injura seemed different too. Thicker maybe? Saltier? I'm not sure what it was, but I just didn't like it.
I think parking is going to be an issue for these folks too.
They are such nice people. I feel bad for getting on here and telling the truth. But honestly, we were the only people there for dinner. That's not good. -
Review from Claudius R.
Emeryville, CA
7/9/2010
I fell into Abesha on my quest for the East Bay's best Shiro.
Shiro, shero, shurro, or shouro, to the uninitiated, is one of the best things you might ever consider putting in your mouth. And so I was headed for lunch at Asmara. Parking was gnarly, and I ended up on Shattuck where I noticed a neon OPEN sign in the window of a store front that said Abesha Ethiopian Cuisine.
Well, if I ate there I'd only have to cross the street instead of walking all the way across the parking lot at 51st & Shattuck and then walking across Telegraph and then up a block. Which is how I ended up at Abesha. Sometimes laziness has its rewards.
I poked my head in and asked if they had shiro on their menu. The waitress assured me they did, so in I waltzed and plonked down at a brand new table. Without even looking at the menu, I ordered the shiro and some of that blessedly delicious spiced black tea. Without much of a wait at all I had: a basket of injera, an earthen crock of golden shiro stew, and a platter with a half moon of injera on which was mounded not just the typical salad of lettuce, tomato, and onion lightly dressed with lemon juice and oil, but also a small side portion of collard greens.
Unfortunately, Abesha will not be winning my award for best Shiro. It was salty, but otherwise underspiced, and it had a bitter aspect to the flavor that just didn't appeal to me. It did however, come with a side of greens. Those collards were revelatory. I don't like greens much, and I have little love lost on collards, but these were great. Not watery, not slimy. Perfectly spiced. I learned to love life a little more eating those greens.
Seeing as how they've only been open about a week, and it was the middle of the afternoon, they weren't particularly busy. Yet I didn't any of the long mysterious waits that often accompany a visit to other Ethiopian restaurants. Wonder of wonders, the waitress also offered to bring more water for the hot tea. That was another first, and a nice one too.
The interior of the restaurant lacks much of the folk-arty knick-knacks that are used for decor in other places. That's okay. There are pictures on the walls, fresh flowers on the tables, and everything is clean clean clean.
In the interest of celiacs everywhere, I asked about the bread dough. No wheat flour, but alas, they mix the teff with barley. Sorry Celies.
I'll definitely be back. Prices are equal or better than other places, parking is less of a hassle, and I want to try the other split pea dish and some of the meaty dishes.
Until then, the quest for the East Bay's best shiro will continue... -
Review from Alan S.
Sacramento, CA
8/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Nice service and good food. Something of a hidden gem. The mushrooms were great, as were the lentils. It was really slow when when stopped in so we got good service; could probably get good service other times though too. Worth going back.
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Review from Monique F.
Oakland, CA
3/3/2011
Small place, but the food is really great. The menu is simple enough that you can order quickly.
The price is pretty reasonable. I usually get the veggie combo. My favorite is the mushroom and the red lentil. Okay actually everything is my favorite on the veggie menu except the carrots and cabbage, which is good but not my fav. The Enjera here is very fluffy and good, not to sour. Perfect
I really have no complaints. I would definitely recommend. I come here at least once a week! -
Review from jane k.
Emeryville, CA
8/4/2011
so so good !!! i highly recommend abesha if you like ethiopian food.
i go there at least once a week for the veggie combo .
i love it here more than asmara. a real hidden gem. -
Review from Unleasha Z.
Oakland, CA
10/21/2010
Very reasonable, you can get a good portion of food with a side for around 10 bucks - a little more with tip etc. The people working are very nice and the place is SO clean that it makes me very comfortable about the quality of their food.
Their Berbere sauce is excellent as are their lentils. I've gotten CHicken and it is always cooked perfectly. -
Review from Jerry Y.
Oakland, CA
1/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
The first time I came here was a couple months ago with a friend who's been to Ethiopia and is a part time food critic.
The first couple bites off our meat and veggie combo dishes and he said that it was as authentic as he's found it in this area. The party of four all enjoyed the food.
I would recommend getting the cabbage potatoes, collard greens, split peas, mushroom or chicken wot. We are meat eaters too so everything meat on the menu has been really good. I think there is only one dish we haven't tried here in the past five times we've been here.
We love the prices and the amount of food that they give. Usually there's an inverse relationship between those two, but this is one of those rare places that bucks the trend.
The decor is clean and has a dimly lit ambiance at night. It's off the Telegraph strip so a little hidden, but I'm sure it won't be long before more and more people discover this place. -
Review from Claire H.
San Francisco, CA
10/19/2011
I've eaten a lot of ethiopian food in my time - including in addis ababa- and Abesha is top notch. Not fancy, but immaculately clean and inexpensive. The shirro and the greens were both excellent. We had meet, but I bet the veggie platter is stellar, based on our two veg dishes.
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Review from Ben R.
Concord, CA
7/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
Let me just tell you real quick, how much I love Ethiopian food... A Whole lot. I walked by this place several times before it occured to me to actually stop by and eat here, and I'm SO glad I finally did. The food has so much flavor, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I want more. NOW!!!
The waitress (and probably owner) was extremely sweet and patient with us as we asked her to explain the items on the menu. We ended up just picking a bunch of stuff at random. Aparently, they have plumb wine too... Yes. I got some. It was pretty damn good. Exactly what I needed after a long day at work.
When the food arrived, she laid down a plate of some sort of squishy Ethiopian "bread", and poured the entres on top of it. After a while, the "bread" (What?? I'm white!) soaked up the sauces and flavors, and added to all the awesomeness. Did I mention you eat with your hands?? I guess they don't have forks in Ethiopia, so that was pretty cool too. I'm sure that saves time doing the dishes.
Anyway, the bill came, and it felt good. Especially because there was so much food left over for my lunch the next day! By the way, that "bread" marinating overnight in Ethiopian sauce is a damn good idea!
Long story short: I'll be back. -
Review from Joseph D.
Los Angeles, CA
5/13/2011
The food and service were outstanding for a simple, inexpensive restaurant. I'll be back, for sure.
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Review from Anjuli M.
Oakland, CA
9/1/2011
This place is wonderful-- always great, friendly service and most importantly delicious food. Get the veggie combo.
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Review from angela l.
10/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
a hidden gem!
this place just opened in june, so not too many people know about it yet. my ethiopian coworker recommended it, so i went with my homie..... moms. haha. since it's brand new, the restaurant is very clean and the interior is simple and clean. there are pictures on the wall and nice lighting, and they played some instrumental music in the background.
we wanted to try a little bit of everything, so we ordered the meat combination and the veggie combination. the meat comes with lamb, ye doro wot, and a spicy beef. for our veggie plate we opted for the mushroom wot, cabbage and potatoes, collard greens, garbanzo beans, and split peas.
everything was delicious. the meat is tender and the veggies are bursting with flavor. the lamb had enough spice and flavor to take away the game-y flavor, but it wasn't overpowered either. my favorite dish is still the cabbage and potatoes, and my mom's is still the collard greens haha. the garbanzo beans were also really yummy.
we were so stuffed we couldn't even touch the injera on the bottom of all the food, and our meal + a beer came out to roughly $30. not shabby at all. if you feel like being adventurous, or if you just want some good food, head over there soon! -
Review from andrew w.
Oakland, CA
9/11/2011
I thought the food was OK. I do not think this place is as good as the other two top ethiopian restaurants on yelp in oakland. In particular, the bread tastes a little off to me, perhaps not fresh? I would eat here again as the service is friendly and the place is clean.
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Review from Kiya B.
Oakland, CA
7/25/2010
We were at peets coffee and saw this new ethio restaurant. 3 of us split one beyaynetu (veggie combo) and we were extremely pleased. Its clean, the people are friendly, and the food is delicious. My husband is ethiopian and I lived in ethiopia for a year.. our main focus is injera quality at a restaurant, usually. We left this new place feeling satisfied!
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Review from Saamra M.
San Francisco, CA
7/31/2011
I have eaten at a large sample of Oakland/Berkeley Ethiopian restaurants and Abesha blows them all out of the water. I'm of Ethiopian descent, and have also spent significant time eating Ethiopian food at home, both in Ethiopia and in the US. The food I had tonight at Abesha rivals the best food my family has ever cooked (don't tell them!). You should run, not walk, to this restaurant if you are an Ethiopian food fan!
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Review from Paul B.
Emeryville, CA
7/10/2011
I've lived in Ethiopia and eaten many an Ethiopian meal and Abesha is very good! I haven't had better Ethiopian food in Oakland. Shiro was excellent and beef tebs also very good. I'm surprised there weren't more people in the restaurant -- only 3 other tables (all Ethiopians). Good portions, reasonable prices, very nice people. Definitely will be coming back to Abesha.
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Review from SJ l.
Oakland, CA
5/2/2011
I lived in Adams Morgan in DC in the 80's which was the Golden Age of Ethiopian Food in America. Thanks to our cheering on the Eritrean Civil War there was a HUGE flood of refugees opening restaurants in DC. I have eaten Ethiopian in NY, LA & Bay Area but Abesha is the first place that recalls those halcyon days in Adams Morgan. The menu is limited but got the basics covered & the spicing is deft & sure... eaten there 3 times now... pretty much sampled everything they serve & not a false note in the bunch. The injera has firm but delicate texture and nothing is too soupy so everything plays well together. Really, really good.
