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Thu-Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"Messob never fails to satisfy me. Especially in the hard economic times we are in. The Vegetarian Messob will run you about $10 bucks and…" read more »
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i have to admit, i've only been to 2 other ethiopian places in the bay area, but this place is the best. you also get the impression that this place truly is authentic without being overly in your face about it.
their bread tastes just great, not sour, and they don't make you feel dumb for asking for a fork. the waitress was also very willing to cater to our extensive questions of what's what and asking for recommendations of what's better to try. even offered to bring out some stuff for us to sample before we decided to order
Driving in Oakland confuses me, but I would return to meet friends at Ensarro. It has a homey, cozy atmosphere. The proprietor treats patrons as if they are guests in his home for dinner. We had a big group with a reservation. We straggled in from 6:30-6:50, took our time ordering, and sat talking after dinner. There was a steady stream of people coming in all evening, but no one rushed us to order or finish up.
There are almost as many vegetarian options as non-vegetarian, and the food is on par among the Ethiopian places I've been to.
LOVE this place, when it comes to Ethiopian this gets 5 stars for sure.
Very friendly staff. And I mean very friendly, it looks like they are always smiling and actually enjoy working there.
That adds so much to the experience of eating at Enssaro.
Get a full bottle of honey wine it just makes everything twice as good.
The injera is perfect, the lamb, the cubed beef, lentils, everything tastes good and spicy!
Not for those with a weak palate.
If you have not tried Ethiopian food yet this is the place to start.
I've been on a mission to find the best Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant in the Bay Area and after trying Cafe Eritrea D'Afrique, Cafe Colucci, Addis and, now, Enssaro, I can confidently say that Addis and Enssaro are tied for first place. I love both of these restaurants so much and will continue to go to both as much as possible depending on what my cravings are. I think the vegetarian combination is better at Enssaro (plus, they have amazing sambussas) but I'm completely obsessed with the shiro wot and fassolia at Addis.
Every moment of my dining experience at Enssaro was so positive, from the cute "Happy Sunday" greeting to the legit hugs that my boyfriend and I received as we left.
I've honestly never encountered such a genuinely warm waitstaff in my life. Our main waiter was very friendly and extremely helpful, asking me if it's okay for my vegetarian combination to have some items cooked with butter. I've NEVER had a waiter who was conscientious enough to warn anyone who orders vegetarian food that it isn't all vegan unless we specifically want it to be. The woman who brought our food was also so sweet and enthusiastic about their cuisine. It really feels like everyone who walks into Enssaro is family (the fact that the owner hugs everyone on their way out is just the icing on the cake).
On to the food, my boyfriend and I started out with some vegetable sambussas, which were fresh, crispy, perfectly cooked, and accompanied by a delicious spicy dipping sauce and some lettuce. These were easily the best sambussas I've ever had.
For our main courses I had the vegetarian combination and my boyfriend ordered their ye doro wot. Both dishes were excellent. My BF really appreciated that, unlike at most other Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurants, his meat dish came with a side of potatoes and carrots (in addition to the salad). I also loved that they added in some shiro wot to my veggie combo with no extra charge. The highlights for me were definitely the spicy red lentils and the salad (seriously, is there crack in that dressing?! amazing). The shiro wot (called acham yelesh shiro there) was also good but Addis' is way better. My boyfriend loved his dish and definitely had to stop himself from overeating (a recurring problem with Ethiopian food!!)
Seriously, if I could give Enssaro 6 stars, I would! Everything from the decorations and music playing to the absolutely delicious food was perfect.
I love Ethiopian. It's one of my favorite cuisines, and I've eaten my fair share of Bay Area Ethopian. But it wasn't until I tried the food at Enssaro that it occurred to me that "subtle play of flavors" might be used to describe it. Enssaro is consistently fresh and flavorful. I can't bring myself to eat at any other Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurants in the area because, well, there's Enssaro. We always get the meat combo and the veggie combo (family style, of course!). Definitely on my "best of" list.
Out of all the Ethiopian restaurants in Oakland this is my favorite. The food is great, the staff is attentive and friendly and they always remember me even if I haven't been there in months.
I've been here twice now, and no complaints! The food is WONDERFUL. So flavorful and satisfying. The honey wine is fun too.
One more thing...the service is wonderful! Everyone is so accommodating and friendly.
I know this is short, but what else can I say? Go and enjoy!
This is definitely one of my favorite local Oakland restaurants. I'm a vegetarian, so I do always get the veggie combo, but really since it's absolutely delicious and has a variety of tasty flavors, textures, and stick to your ribs goodness, there's nothing to complain about.
The waitstaff is always super friendly too. I really do love coming here.
After quirt a while I returned to Enssaro. I've been wanting to take my sweetie forever, but just never got around to it. Now that we don't have a home to cook in, we're always going out. Had a craving for ethiopian and thought, let's go.
What an overall great experience. Although there were "minor glitches" if one is really picky, bottom line this place is fabulous.
We came in around 5 pm. Two tables were occupied, one with a young American couple eating and one with an ex-pat having a beverage. No staff was near. The ex-pat called out several times,but no one came. We just sat at an empty table. After 2 or 3 minutes, I got us menus which were plainly visible on the counter. The overall decor and ambiance was very nice, nicer than at my favorite, Messob on Piedmont. After a short time a very nice younger Ethiopian gentleman came out and greeted us. We got water. He later came back and took our order. We ordered Kitfo, raw with the emphasis on totally raw, with lots of mitmita, the vegie combo (now on the menu), and the beg wot. I also wanted to get the doro tibs since it's Jack's favorite, but that would have been way too much for the two of us. And some Harar to wash it all down. We had a special discussion with the server about kitfo. He was telling us how he likes to make sure to see the redness of the meat. Therefore, he prefers the regular kitfo over the "special" one which has the eyeb (cheese) already mixed in.
When we got our food brought out by a sweet young woman, we were very pleased although I thought the kitfo looked funny. We tried all the food. Everyting was truly superb with the exception of the kitfo. It was lightly cooked which for ground beef means totally different texture and a certain dryness.
Now with any other dish I would just have put up with it and perhaps not gone back or not ordered that dish before. That could be too dry doro tibs or not so flavorful shiro or kik alicha. But I'm a kitfo fanatic. So I let the waitress know. She immediately tried to determine what I meant. She kept repeating really rare and I kept repaeating, "no.Raw! Totally uncooked. Warm from the niter kibbeh was ok, but not cooked at all."
Well, we kept really enjoying our food. Then the new kitfo came. It was perfect. Totally different in texture with a great flavor. Service continued to be excellent. everyone was not only friendly but also quite striking.
Later the main waiter talked to me about nutrition and eating habits. We got hugs as we left. He didn't even mind Jack knocking down an empty glass when he got up and pulled his Jacket from the chairback over the table while answering a call from our realtor. (It's ADD!)
We will definitely go back. I think it even trumps Messob and had been one of our best if not the best Ethiopian experience. Too bad we'll be moving overseas soon.
Being the Ethiopian food fanatic that I am, I just had to try this place given all the great… Read more »
My review is a drop in the bucket, but this place gets 5 stars overall. I've had better tasting food in SF, but no one beats the customer service at this family-owned establishment.
Mesfin, one of the servers, is awesome. He went through the entire menu thoroughly and quickly, describing each dish. This helped me figure out what I wanted. And everything was delicious.
Go here and you won't be disappointed.
Best dinner I've had in the east bay, hands down.
I would have to have to do a serious taste test between this and Sawa Eritrean to say if its the best ethiopian / eritrean food I have had, but this could be it.
My first introduction to Ethiopian food and everything from the food to service was excellent. Now I crave Ethiopian food all the time.
Try the TIMATIM FIT FIT appetizer .. it is really good!
Enssaro. Really, really, really, really, really good food. The food is comforting, smooth, amazingly flavorful.
Everything else is icing.
Yet still:
Plenty (unlimited) spongy injera. Warm and efficient service. Wonderful, cozy, relaxed ambiance. Excellent location: a Lake Merritt neighborhood spot that's still easily accessed by out-of-town folks via BART and otherwise. A humble outside opens to another world altogether.
Go now, go often, share with new friends and loved ones. And enjoy.
I LOVE the food and service at Enssaro. It's difficult to find that perfect combination of familial hospitality and restaurant quality cuisine.
We usually order the veggie combo and one of the meat dishes. I could eat their injera all day and all night and wash it down with some honey wine.
There are many positive things to say about this establishment...
1) Atmosphere - There are many…
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I miss Enssaro. I moved from Oakland to Sacramento, and there's an Ethiopian restaurant here, but it's not the same. The staff isn't as friendly. The food isn't as good. The decor isn't as lovely.
The injera is perfect, the veggie combo is to die for. And order the honey wine at least once. And sometimes if you get the combo, the staff will throw in a little something extra, like a dish you didn't know about, or something on the side of the plate from the vegetarian options that you hadn't ordered, but is SO good. And they do it just to be nice.
If you don't know what to order and you've never had Ethiopian food, but you don't feel like shelling out the extra buck or two for a combo, then close your eyes and point to something randomly. That will be what you order. And it will be delicious. And you will eat until you food coma.
Every time I eat Ethiopian food I can't help but remark to myself how ironic it is that a country with such wonderful cuisine can be home to such a persistent malnourishment epidemic. It's sad and weird to think that probably a third of the population there will likely never be able to even try some of the wonderful dishes we're able to eat ten thousand miles away...
That aside, this is very possibly my favorite restaurant in the East Bay. It's best to go with a friend and order the meat combo and the veggie combo, as others have noted. Each comes with a sample of three dishes (there's easily enough food for three, especially with the enjera), and together make for a meal that is delicious, substantial, and surprisingly balanced and healthy (I'd previously never found the latter two to apply to Ethiopian cuisine).
Unlike some other reviewers here, I haven't found the enjera here to be any more sour (sourer?) than that at either Colucci or Red Sea.
Finally, it would be an injustice to review this place without mentioning the fabulous staff. You definitely feel as though you're eating amongst family in this cozy place.
The food is great, and the service is also great (if a little slow). We had the vegetarian combination, and the lentils were really damn spicy (too much for me, but my husband liked it), but everything else was great (flavorful and not hot). Bonus points for large water glasses (with a carafe with extra water).
Minus points for hugging. Seriously, I understand it's out of kindness and genuine niceness. But I have a thing about personal space when it comes to strangers, and it made me a little uncomfortable.
The food and service was really great. The location wasn't bad (we got decent street parking at 8:30pm). The decor is nice. The place is small but we got the last available table (and were told it was unusual to be this busy). But because of the hugging thing, I'm not sure I'll make this place a regular dinner spot. It was hard to enjoy relaxing with our (delicious) tea at the end of dinner when I was stressing over whether we were going to get hugged.
So if you're less socially awkward than I am, you should check this place out. :)
This was truly excellent Ethiopian food! I've eaten Ethiopian in New York, Boulder, Minneapolis, and now Oakland. This might be the best meal of all of those experiences.
My friend and I ordered the vegetarian combo. We also had two Ethiopian beers, which was a rich and sweet stout. Incredible! The veggie combo was gorgeously prepared and smelled amazing. They provided plenty of enjera. The food was so flavorful and just an absolute joy to eat. These people really care about what they are doing.
Food aside, the prices are totally reasonable (veggie combo was only around $11), the restaurant is cute and comfortable and the staff is friendly. I felt welcome there.
I would highly recommend this restaurant! If you like Ethiopian or wish to try it, you will not be disappointed.
This place would be great to bring a date. Cool little spot, the staff is really talkative and friendly. Ive had both the meat and veggie combos and they were sooo delicious.
It's also fun to eat with your hands.
Ive been to this place yesterday. The meal was nice but not overwhelming, I would give it a 3 star rating, but just because of the waitresses I can't. They have been so helpfully and friendly, smiling all the time and it wasn't the fake smile that you usually get! It was also interesting because of the special way they serve the food, I would just like if the bread wouldn't have as strong taste as it has. Tried vegetable and meet combo, some interesting Ethiopian honey wine and dark beer. Nice atmosphere, cool place and delightful staff!!!
I'm so not a hugger. But I can't help but feel warm and fuzzy when the owner of this restaurant gives me one or two or three. He's just a really friendly touchy-feely sort of person who seems to genuinely care about the people around him.
There's a female server who's just so nice. Always smiles and welcomes you as if she's happy to see you.
Now about the food. Ooh, so addictive. My favorite dish is the doro wat. The spicey, stewy goodness is perfect with their tangy injera. I haven't been disappointed with a dish yet.
My only complaint is that they're just too close to my apartment. It's so hard to walk by when all I really want to do is run into that little cocoon of a restaurant and indulge in all that they have to offer.
I haven't tried many Ethiopian places in the area yet, so I can't say if Enssaro's the best in the Bay. But it is up there with great Ethiopian I've had in other cities.
Friendly staff, intimate atmosphere, quick service.
Excellent collard greens and very good yeg tibs (lamb cubes).
Delish food, good service, romantic atmosphere without being uncomfortably intimate or too quiet. Just right for a mini-date with my lady.
my first time having ethiopian food and this place has me hooked. we got the meat and vegetarian combo to try a variety of dishes, and it was a treat for my taste buds. My favorite was the slow cooked potato and cabbage in the veggie combo. Not overcooked and extremely savory. Also they have the best-tasting collard greens here - garlicy and aromatic, better than some southern diners'. The meat dishes were moist and tender, each with its own unique spices and flavors. You'll like the injera if you like sourdough as well. The glass of Tej was honey-licious and complemented the spiciness of the food really well.
Service was very attentive and welcoming. You can tell that everyone is having a great time here, whether it's enjoying a homey meal with family or trying out good eats with friends. This wonderful dinning experience didn't cost us an arm and a leg, which made it more of a reason to come back again.
Fabulous meal at a great price. Wife and shared the Yetsome Beyaynetu (veggie combo) and Vegetarian Banatu. Definitely coming back again.
A very good dining experience each time we've gone to Enssaro. It's the best of the Oakland Ethiopian restaurants we've been to. The food is the best around, and service has been friendly and attentive.
the food was amazing, honey wine was to die for and the ambiance was very romantic. i went with a friend that at first was not down to eat at an Ethiopian joint but quickly feel in love with the food.
we were very put off by the service tho. Our male waiter answered his phone while in the middle of taking our order.... crazy right???? when our food came out wrong a female waitress explained to us it was a mistake and that our meat combo was coming out next. the next time we heard from our male server was when he came up to us and asked if there was a problem, not if everything was all right and if we were now happy with our meal but if there was a problem. very rude.
after we had finished all we could handle, and let me tell you it was a lot of yummy food, we decided to take a smoke break and informed the female waitress that we wanted to box up the left overs and also take a bottle of the honey wine to go. as we walked out and grabed our smokes from the car parked right in front the male waiter ran after us, and asked again if we had a problem,.....???? i dunno maybe he was having a bad night but his behavior was my problem of the evening.
even tho the service was a little off i will be returning to this adorable spot. maybe next time our waiter wont have a stick up his butt!
There's stiff competition for the title of "East Bay's Best Ethiopian", and just about everyone I've yelped narrows it down to Enssaro and Cafe Colucci.
A is for Ambiance: a tiki hut bangs a half Croatian discoteque, half Moroccan tent and births the decor. Entertaining? Certainly. Odd and incongruous? Surely. But hey, the service is sweet and the price is right.
B is for Bread: also known as injera, this spongey, sourish pancake is the staple of Ethiopian cuisine. It's wonderful for sopping up the robust curries. We scarfed up the veggie and meat combos, with a smattering of the popular hits, and though delightfully flavorful, none really stood out as exceptional.
C is for Cafe Colucci: I'll give this joint another go at the urging of Matt R, but for now - http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Such a nice little place! Near perfect service, sparkly clean, and authentic Ethiopian food! I see some people noting the sourness of the enjera, and I admit that is one of the (minor) downsides of Enssaro. Super cheap and fun for everyone!
Food: A-
Service: A-
Atmosphere: A
After reading John's ROTD ( congrats!) review I realized that I forgot to update my review of Enssaro.
We ate here a couple of weeks ago and loved it. This was only our 2nd visit but it definitely won't be our last!
Yes! They now have veggie sambusas! We gobbled them up.
We shared a veggie combo and shurro order. Everything was perfect.
It is a little spicier than Cafe Colucci. My hubby and son loved the dishes but it was a little too spicy for bland me. But I did of course managed to wolf down my share. 8)
The ambiance is very comfy and homey.
The staff is so sweet and welcoming. We had an early dinner on a chilly afternoon and our kind host moved their space heater closer to us so we would be warm.
Can't wait to go back!
Thanks fellow Yelpers-you are right, Ensarro is wonderful! Four of us ate there last night and… Read more »
Never had Ethiopian food before, but always wanted to try...and it was fantastic! Total nom nom nomish, and I mean that in the best possible way. Tried the meat sampler and the vegitarian sampler, which was a perfect introduction to the different items on the menu.
The attention from the waitstaff was amazing, going in detail over everything on the menu, and pointing it out on the plate. The waiter brought out different spices that they used in cooking so we could try them, and it also allowed me to make my food a bit spicier, something I always enjoy. :)
The honey wine was only $15 for a bottle, or $5 a glass. It tasted superior to ones I have had from BevMo for $30+. Light, sparkling, and not too sweet. If I hadn't been driving, I would have had more than one glass...
In short, this is happy, play with your food, foodie type place. The atmosphere was great, the food was yum, the waiter was amazing, and I have absolutly nothing to complain about. Five stars from me!
The food is delicious, but the service really makes it one of my neighborhood spots. On my second visit, my friend and I were greeted at the door with an embrace from a male server (owner?)--and usually, I would been put off, but he made me feel welcome and at ease.
I asked the server what spicy vegetarian dishes he recommended and he created a "special" platter for us to share. My friend and I shared the special vegetarian combo and ate every bite.
Very very good on this cold night and after a long day in the office. I needed something flavorful and fun! Enssaro delivered! All dishes were very very good. The only reason I did not give five stars. Service was slower than slow....we were there 45 min before we had food on our table...slow to wait and slow to make the food, but when we got it, well it was great!!!
Improve the service a bit, and things will be perfect!!
I've always liked, but never really loved, Ethiopian food. I had many a wonderful Sunday brunch at Cafe Eritrea d'Afrique back in the days after first arriving in Oakland. I've had a few decent meals at Colucci, usually as an alternative to Smokehouse. I've had drinks and snacks at Waziema. But I never really sought out the cuisine. Most interpretations are one-note deals, with meats and non-meats defining texture and one or two spice blends defining flavor. Hearty, but not exciting.
But this place is different. Sitting outside on the sidewalk (on a warm day in...January) with a veggie combo and a meat combo on the table in front of me, I got to try nine unique dishes, each with a distinctive flavor, color, and texture. And they were all good, each in their own way. Cooked greens were al dente and mild. Potatoes were firm and mild. Bean dishes were light and fresh, or rich and spicy. The meat stews were rich, richer, and richest, and a wonderful chicken wing added some boney and sinewy substance to the mix. A special add-on dish (damn, I forget the name) was one of the tastiest things presented. Damn, this is good.
Service was warm and friendly, feeling like both a neighborhood hangout and a family gathering. I'll be eating more Ethiopian. They even do take-out.
I came here with a friend the other night before checking out a movie at the Parkway Theater. My friend had never eaten Ethiopian food before (!), so it was kind of cool and pressure packed to recommend something she would hopefully like.
As far as Ethiopian restaurants go, Enssaro's food is better than most. I had my typical vegetarian sampler, and I was impressed by the freshness of the food and the size of the portions. My friend liked her beef (or lamb?) dish, which also had hearty portions.
It's not the fanciest restaurant, but the service is excellent. I try not to be too demanding, but I usually blow through injera pretty fast at Ethiopian restaurants. Enssaro gives you plenty to start with, and the servers all pitch in to make sure you don't run out.
The prices are also reasonable. The chairs could be more comfortable, and the drop ceiling makes the place look kind of temporary, but all I really care about is food and especially injera, so this place gets four and maybe eventually five stars.
Fabulous food and very polite service. Restaurant is a bit small and the service is quite slow but the wait is well worth it! The food here blows all the other places away!
I love this place. The cooks make the most enticing, beautiful food I've ever eaten at a restaurant, and the staff is welcoming and attentive. Also, in terms of both seating and atmosphere, it's one of the only truly comfortable restaurants in which I've ever been.
Most impressively, there's a substantial and varied vegetarian menu, and everything on it can easily be made vegan.
This was my first time having Ethiopian food, I want more. I was not feeling to well when I visited Enssaro, I had stomach issues. But I promised I would go to this spot with some one, and I had to eat. I ordered the veggie platter that was more than enough for two to share. The spices were unexpected but surprisingly good. The injera that they make was perfect to soak up all the flavors, I also had the harar beer, which tasted like honey. The staff was really nice and helpful and the place had a nice romantic atmosphere.
By this time though I literally thought I was going to die. I mean I was breaking into a sweat. And although I broke one of the seven sins,gluttony. I think that god will understand being that Enssaro was really good.
Enssaro is by far the best Ethiopian restaurant in the Bay Area that I have tried. My friend, who is Eritrean, introduced me to Mesfin and the tasty food here. When I go now, I usually get the vegetarian combo, but my friend also had my try the Kitfo, which is a buttery, finely ground raw beef dish that is intensely spiced with homemade cheese. So tasty!
The staff are really friendly and funny. I'll keep coming back after a hard day at work or with guests from out of town.
Oakland, CA
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: Rockridge
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: Temescal
Category: Ethiopian
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