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Cafe Ethiopia
Category: Restaurants Ethiopian Ethiopian [Edit]
878 Valencia St(between 20th St & Cunningham Pl)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 285-2728
- Hours:
Mon-Tue 5:30 pm - 9 pm
Wed-Fri 5 pm - 9 pm
Sat 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Sun 12 pm - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- 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:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
268 reviews for Cafe Ethiopia
Review Highlights
"The tejj (honey wine) was a great accompaniment."
(in 37 reviews)
"The injera is by far the best in the bay area."
(in 52 reviews)
"I also like their vegetarian combo."
(in 13 reviews)
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268 reviews in English
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Review from georgefromsf g.
San Francisco, CA
1/22/2012
Excellent and affordable place. Have been coming here since they opened.
My first impression was not favorable since my friends and I were seated and then we waited. And waited, and left after 25 minutes.
I forgave them craving some Kitfo and we went back. The service had improved markedly. -
Review from Adrienne g.
San Francisco, CA
1/18/2012
Pretty decent venture into Ethiopian cuisine with Cafe Ethiopia.
Ordering takeout when thoughts of something we hadn't had in a while plagued us.... how about some Ethiopian?
Nice spice on the Split Lentils & the Potatoes were tasty & mild. Portions were a tad on the small side - esp for the Lentils but given we ordered 3 dishes & weren't all that hungry to begin with, we were more than stuffed & had leftovers to boot
BF said his Chicken & Mushrooms was super hot & he loved it
Injera was spongy & a bit lemonny but mopped up the goodies just as it should have & glad we had ordered extras
Would totally consider this place again for Ethiopian takeout - A-OK! -
Review from Mayra L.
San Francisco, CA
12/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
After passing by this place more times than I can count since moving to San Francisco, I finally decided to stop in with my lovely lady friend for dinner, smartly skipping Yamos and Gracias Madre.
This cafe is like others have said, no nonsense, straight to the point. It's a clean cafe with a ton of tables and little decorations. No chic silver chairs or crazy light fixtures, just down to the point.
We were immediately served drinks and given some time to browse the menu. What first attracted me to coming in was the huge plate of food I saw a couple eating in front of the window, I wanted some of my own!
We decided on the vegetarian combo, which is 10.50 per person. We chose the: Bersin (Misir Wat: Split lentil flavored with berbere sauce ) the Yatakelt Kilikil (Alecha: Potatoes, carrot and cabbage not spicy) and the Spinach: ( Chopped spinach, potatoes, sautéed and seasoned not spicy).
They all come with a side of Injera, which kind of like a fermented tortilla. After obsessively washing the MUNI germs off my hands, I decided to dig in. There is no silverware given, you have to eat with your hands, which is something I really liked about this place.
The food was ridiculously bomb, to say the east. The potatoes and carrots with the lentils and spinach made for a perfect combo of veggies with almost a curry hint. And with the injera, which is a very bland flavor, you just scoop everything up and pop it into your mouth.
The portions weren't that big, but with two drinks (Ethiopian beers) our cost came to 35$ with tip. Not bad for two people, especially for a very different eating experience.
Def. worth coming back too.
TIP: the Ethiopian honey wine is supposed to be really good too! -
Review from Richard H.
Daly City, CA
12/22/2011
A no-nonsense place for good food. No wicker stools, the decor is modern and simple. The food is really good and quite inexpensive. A single diner can have a combination plate with two (2) different meat selections and a veg, with salad.
As stated in other reviews, parking is insane around this neighborhood. Take BART and have a nice stroll. -
Review from Jen H.
12/7/2011
Ambiance: 3/5
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 2/5
I came here for dinner to meet up with my two high school buddies I haven't seen in a while.
Let me warn you, parking is SUPER unfriendly in this neighborhood. Took me close to 40 minutes to find parking!! I was about to give up and just go home, but I had already set up dinner.
Amongst the three of us (me + 2 guys), three dishes were "just enough," but not FULFILLING. The portion size was fairly small for what we were paying. Each dish was about $12-15 dollars.
1) Chicken & Mushroom: 3.5/5
2) Tibsie Shrimp: 3/5
3) Tibsie Sega 3.5/5
We also ordered a bottle of wine to share, a Cab. We were all a little shocked when the waitress came out with the bottle uncorked. Hmm, we were wondering if the bottle was already opened before hand or was it used already? Eh, who knows..
Total cost per person: $25 with tip and tax. -
Review from Patrick K.
Pacifica, CA
12/13/2011
Really Good Ethiopian Food!
I have had Ethiopian food all over the United States: Washington DC, Boston, Denver, Boulder, Phoenix and Berkeley. The food here is authentic and compares with some of the best I have had! I really enjoy the spice level of the dishes here. Some places tone down the spice level for Americans, not so at Cafe Ethiopia. The only complaint that I have, is that the service can be slow when it gets busy. -
Review from Ben C.
San Francisco, CA
11/12/2011 8 Check-ins Here
Good Ethiopian for SF. All the best places are in the East Bay, but this is our neighborhood go-to.
All the standards, fresh injera. They use a blend of teff and other grains.
The Yebeg-Tibs is getting spicier ever time we order it. Fairly large restaurant, can accomodate a crowd. Harar beers (lager & Hakim stout) available.
My favorites are the zigni, collards, and red lentils. -
Review from Emille L.
San Francisco, CA
11/5/2011
I really like Ethiopian food, and the food here makes the grade. No complaints about taste at all. The reason I give 3 stars is due to two things: the portions they serve (relative to their price and other Ethi spots) and the service.
We got the veggie combo with cabbage, carrots, and potatoes, split lentils, and one other thing that's slipping my mind. We also got the lamb. They could have been a little more generous with the helpings in the combo for sure--especially since they charge per person, the portions should reflect the number of people. They also charge for extra injera (MANY if not most places do not do this).
Secondly, they need more people working there. The food came fast, but we didn't see our server for 20 minutes after she brought our food. We were in dire need of water due to the lamb--very tasty, but spicy!
We might be heading to Oakland for our next Ethi dinner. -
Review from Mandy H.
San Francisco, CA
12/15/2011
Not bad! I'd come back.
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Review from Randy L.
Stanford, CA
8/14/2011
This was my first time trying Ethiopian food so I don't have any comparison.
We ordered two of the vegetarian combos (3 dishes each) which gave us a lot of variety. Everything on the plate was delicious.
I look forward to coming back here and trying the meat dishes.
I also tried the honey wine which was nice but a little two sweet for my taste. -
Review from Heather W.
Cambridge, MA
7/7/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I am a bit of an Ethiopian food nut. It's something about that damn injera bread/crepe-ness with its sour goodness that makes me wild. Anyway, I can say with confidence that of all the Ethiopian places I've tried, this place is my favorite.
Best dishes: If you like mushrooms you absolutely must get theirs. Seriously. I just took a group of people here tonight and everybody agreed the mushrooms were the best dish. Amazing. Also (along those lines) the chicken and mushrooms is wonderbar, too. And, for the more meat friendly, I recommend (I think) #3 or #4? It's the meat cubes one.
Spicy Factor: I ask for it "super white mild" because this place can pack some serious heat. And, even then, it's still enough spice to make my white face get rosy. (And yes, the owner woman laughs at me and my whiteness every time I come in and say "not just mild... super white mild! Just look at me. See how white I am? That kind of mild!").
Also tried their beef tartar with cottage cheese. We did it rare (someone was uncool with rare beef) and it was quite interesting too.
Dessert: Nonexistent, but who cares?? This is San Francisco! There's friggin amazing dessert elsewhere! Go down the street and get a scoop of vanilla ice cream or something.
If you are into Ethiopian food ---) this is the place for you! -
Review from Lara W.
8/3/2011
Great tasting, quality, homemade food for a good value. There is virtually no ambiance to the restaurant, but let the food speak for itself and you'll be happy dining here.
Wine list was silly--don't look. But the take home message here is that you should eat here, and be happy with your life because life is good (like Ethiopian food). -
Review from Cat L.
San Francisco, CA
7/26/2011
I love Ethiopian food, but the flavors at this place were a bit too intense (is that even possible? I love intense flavors!). Too salty, too spicy, too...something.
It's an ok choice though if you're in the neighborhood and craving Ethiopian. -
Review from Anshu A.
Urbana, IL
7/17/2011
I am a fan of Ethiopian food because it presents a good variety, is relatively cheap, and is great for groups. I passed this place on Valencia and decided to go there the night after.
The chicken selections were excellent, the vegetarian options were also good, but a bit on the spicy side for some (you may be able to ask them to tone it down though).
Although not the best Ethiopian place I've been to (best was in Chicago), this is high on the list. It is also very affordable. -
Review from Charles S.
San Francisco, CA
1/8/2012
We had the combination of two meat dishes and one vegetarian dish, all of which were perfectly prepared and seasoned. This was a most enjoyable dinner with attentive staff.
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Review from Kameron K.
San Francisco, CA
5/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Meh
Maybe I set my hopes up too high? I went in thinking this place would be amazing. I'm a pretty open-minded guy who likes to try new things. Some of my friends say Ethiopian food is awesome.
When we went in we were seated right away. Ordered a diet coke (even though it wasn't on the menu).
Looking at the menu, nothing really popped out at me as saying OMG order me! I don't like lamb so that took a couple of options off.
We ended up getting the Meat and veggie combo (Tibsie Derho - Chicken, Tibsie Sega - Beef and Spinach) and the Kifto - Steak tartar.
What was a little annoying was we were only a party of 2 and yet all the tables that sat down after us were all served before us.
The place is pretty big but there were only 2 waiters.
After the food came out (its family style if you haven't had ethiopian food) and you eat with your hands. The chicken was bland as well as the spinach. The steak tar tar was this red blob mass which wasn't very good as well. The only thing that I thought was good was the beef.
The worst part was the injera (soft sourdough bread that you eat the food with, sort of like dosa if you have had South Indian food) was really making my stomach hurt.
My boyfriend who has had Ethiopian food said he wasn't impressed as well as he's had really good Ethiopian food in Berkeley/Oakland.
I don't think we'll be coming here again. -
Review from Pearl L.
San Francisco, CA
9/15/2011
Truly A-OK. I used to live in DC where you can find truly excellent Ethiopian restaurants on U Street. Even so, I've never had a bad Ethiopian meal, and I've honestly never had one that stunned me. It's legume-based stews and wilted, vinegary greens over injera. Cafe Ethiopia does everything just the how you would expect it to be done. I will say that the portions are a bit more plentiful than I've seen at other Ethiopian restaurants, so that's a plus. We especially enjoyed the pureed lentils and the house wine, which was not great, but the acidity went perfectly with the sour injera.
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Review from Jeff M.
San Francisco, CA
10/25/2011
Man this place is good! No silverware needed!! The chicken and lamb are delicious and the greens and potatoes are awesome sides. I can't get tired of coming here!!
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Review from Phil J.
San Francisco, CA
10/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
it was fine Ethiopian food, trying some other places since Moya burned down, but really not the same. There's so much other good food in the Mission that i'd probably try something else next time.
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Review from Sharmin K.
Berkeley, CA
3/9/2011
Their lentil with bebere spices are the most delicious lentils I have ever eaten. The rest of their vegetarian selection ranges from pretty good (spinach) to unexciting (mushrooms). Service varies- it's usually not all that full, but whenever they have a peak in demand, the service becomes quite slow.
But. I cannot stress how delicious the lentils are. SO delicious. -
Review from Seth H.
San Mateo, CA
6/10/2011
One of the best Ethiopian restaurants I've found in the Bay Area. The food's delicious. The atmosphere is good. The staff is friendly. The prices are reasonable.
A great option when dining out in the Mission. -
Review from Paul W.
San Francisco, CA
5/12/2011
This was only my second time having Ethiopian food so I really have nothing to compare it to. I tried it several years ago when I first moved to the city and I think it was at this place also. We ordered a spicy minced chicken dish and the boneless lamb dish at the bottom of the menu page. The chicken had heat, but I thought it was lacking in overall flavor. The lamb dish, however was fantastic and I would definitely order that again.
I'm a big fan of eating with my hands and it was nice to have both of the entrees on one plate. The portions looked fairly small at first, but we couldn't even finish our meal so they were more than adequate. The atmosphere is nothing to speak of. I don't think I would go out of my way to eat here again, but it was an interesting experience and I could see myself returning if I lived in the neighborhood. -
Review from Frank A.
San Francisco, CA
5/18/2011
The lamb dish number 28 and the steak number 5 are tasty. But hot!!! My mouth was tingly for an hour. Once I got used to not having a fork I rolled up and grabbed a big bite with the spongy bread. Yum.
I would give a higher score but the steak was a little grisly and chewy for me.
The service came with a smile and the atmosphere was warm and inviting of conversation. -
Review from Adam C.
El Cerrito, CA
5/18/2011
One of my favorite restaurants in the world.
Portions are generous, food is fresh flavorful and pleasant, the injira is bouncy. The interior of the place is bright, and a pleasant to spend time in.
The wait staff, including the guy who has been there at least ten years (owner?) are kind of freaks. But, hey, I don't need to live with them, just enjoy their food. -
Review from bart m.
San Francisco, CA
5/3/2011
I have been to this place a number of time as it is the only ethiopian restaurant in the mission (as far as I know).
Standard ethiopian fare - well executed though. Good place to get your ethiopian fix if you're in the neighborhood.
The decor is a bit bland. I wish they made it a litte cosier, especially for evenings. -
Review from Jennie L.
San Francisco, CA
11/29/2011
A no-nonsense name. My kind of place. No frills, good food, quick staff. It doesn't hurt that Ethiopian is one of my favorite foods.
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Review from Marti L.
7/9/2010 1 photo
This was my second time having Ethiopian food, first for many of my friends that night. They said they enjoyed the experience. But personally, I thought it could've been better.
Ethiopian food is meant for sharing (family style), so we asked how big the portions are. We were told that one order is big enough for one person. Given that we had 7 girls, some who ate less than others, we decided to order 6 entrees to share.
Our server kept insisting that we order more. But his aggressive attitude made us remain firm about our 6 dishes (diced drumstick, beef cube, tender lamb, sautéed fish, pureed lentils and sautéed eggplant).
The food was good. Each person had their own favorites. However, I was very disappointed with the portions. Our platter was huge, covered in ingera. But each entrée was only a handful size serving. How is a scoop of meat and a piece of ingera a large enough portion for one person?
One thing I didn't like was how they moved us to the back of the restaurant because a larger party arrived and wanted our table. How rude. It really wasn't that bad until I thought I was going to pass out from the unbearable heat back there. -
Review from Jo A.
San Francisco, CA
6/17/2011
really nice staff, cool dinning experience. Everything is served family style on a HUGE plate, NO utensils! pretty cool. I ordered the honey wine which is basically like a dessert wine, VERY sweet and viscous, it pairs amazingly well with the rich heavy food.
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Review from Christie C.
San Francisco, CA
5/12/2011
Consider me spoiled, because I'm used to Zeni in San Jose, where the doro tibs come sizzling on a hot plate, the injera is sturdier and more flavorful, and the selection is probably twice what is offered here.
That said, solid Ethiopian food. Wasn't a huge fan of the lamb. The injera wasn't as thick or sturdy (there's a "that's what she said" somewhere in there) as I was used to, which made eating a little more difficult. -
Review from gene x.
San Francisco, CA
11/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
i went with my sister Lisa and friends Katya, Jay, Jen, Dave and had a nice big group to eat family style here - the best way to eat Ethiopian!
So Cafe Ethiopia is a great spot since it's cheap and you get a lot of food for the price. The space is pretty wide open and chill and the staff are very nice and low key. There's a great mix of vegetarian and omnivore options here so it can accommodate a variety of dietary needs.
Definitely will be back here for my local Ethiopian fix! -
Review from Laurence H.
San Francisco, CA
6/11/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Standard Ethiopian food when you are in the mood. Everyone once in awhile I get crave the more unique cuisines. I mean who can eat Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Mexican, French, Italian, Vietnamese every day?
Need to throw in African, Brazilian, Persian and Russian some times... -
Review from Hooria T.
10/12/2010
When my group decided on getting Ethiopian food I was a little hesitant, afterall, not only am I a vegetarian, I'm also picky :) Oh, and I'm also a neat freak/germaphobe so the thought of family style and all of us digging into the same dish with our hands was not that appealing to me. Nevertheless, everyone wanted to go and I wanted to to keep an open mind.
The service was fast and friendly, restaurant itself is pretty small and was crowded when we went. They will gladly accommodate large groups but it's a tight fit. I thought the food itself was simply meh to me (but a good value) but I LOVED the honey wine! I could've drank that all night long! I also appreciated that they had several vegetarian options.
Bottom line, if you're into Ethiopian food or just want to try something new and broaden your traditional palate, then Cafe Ethiopia is a good stop. -
Review from Danny C.
San Francisco, CA
5/12/2011
A decent Ethiopian restaurant ... you eat with your hands and the food is spiiiiicy. Good stuff.
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Review from Victor R.
Pacifica, CA
8/21/2011
I wish I could give this place all five stars.
We walk in on a busy Friday night mostly because every other place in the area is so full that we were going to have to wait 30+ mins for a seat. Upon entering, we see three people in green aprons flying around like madmen/women trying to serve all the guests. After a few minutes we are shown to a seat and just left there for the next 20 minutes with menus.
As we were contemplating leaving, a waiter came up and asked for our order. We went ahead and ordered since the thought of eating Ethiopian food was interesting (since no one in our group had tried this before).
Interestingly the wait for the food was much shorter, and not only was the way it was served very unique, so was the way we ate it.
To break it down:
Food: Excellent (5 stars)
Service: Poor, but I've seen worse (2 stars)
Atmosphere: Interesting decorations, not too fancy (4 stars)
Corkage fee: Astronomical (1 star)
Experience: Very Unique (5 stars)
Hence my overall of 4 stars -
Review from Nicholas R.
San Francisco, CA
8/5/2011
Nice enough to stay open in wait for us. cooked great food, excellent service. really nice.
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Review from wesh w.
Seattle, WA
10/4/2010 1 Check-in Here
Good, basic Ethiopian. If you seek authenticity better you search out an East African neighborhood and find vittles there. The fare here was missing something somehow.
+1 for any Ethiopian restaurant though, for being the best value for hungry vegetarians time after time. -
Review from Michael C.
San Francisco, CA
7/18/2011
Great experience eating Ethiopian. Had a sampler with lamb and chicken. A lot of food and nice atmosphere.
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Review from gwynnie p.
San Francisco, CA
1/2/2009
I love Ethiopian food, usually, but the best thing about Cafe Ethiopia is that it's cheap.....3 of us ate for $37, which included a glass of wine, 2 chicken dishes and one vegetable dish.
Bland and uninspired describes the food, the atmo, and the servers. -
Review from Kristine W.
Oakland, CA
2/24/2010
"Oooooh yeah...it feels so good to be back where I belong..." (a la New Edition)
I've been on a 2+ year hiatus from Ethiopian food and man, does it feel good to be back! My old roomie from college was in town and requested a delicious meal that she couldn't get back where she lives (Montana) before she left. Apparently in good ol' Montana, Taco Bell is considered high-end ethnic food--scary, right? So I wanted to give her the gift of quality and Cafe Ethiopia stepped up to the plate.
We both ordered the combos. Winners: in 1st, the beef; in 2nd, the split lentils, and in 3rd, the collard greens. Loser: the spinach (wah wah)---so bland in comparison to the other three ordered. The injera was deliciously spongy!
I had to restrain myself from taking our platter and turning it into a Ethiopian burrito with the injera acting as a tortilla. If I were eating it at home, I definitely would have, though. But I guess eating slowly has its benefits, as it made the meal last longer than the 3 minutes it would have taken me to wolf down the "burrito."
I shall see you again, my new lover...
Tip: If you have time to kill before or after, check out Dog Eared Books down the street--great selection of books at crazy good prices! -
Review from Stanley K.
San Francisco, CA
3/16/2009
Came here on a Friday night after constant search for dinner at 9pm on Valencia street. Nothing! Everything was 15-20 minute wait, tops!
OK, I only had Ethiopian food three times and every time I can't stop thinking, I have to eat with my hands. Wash your hands please!!!!
The thin beef and chicken combo was pretty good but my favorite was the fish. It was best out of all of them. I suggest ordering a few Ethiopian beers or wine to go with your meal, after all, you do want to get the full experience.
My only problem was the lack of service only one server on a Friday night and maybe an expediter. Although the ambiance was quiet normal and the food was pretty good, only three stars, the service and ambiance could use a little work.
=)
