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First time I had Eritrean Grub and this place was good. The injera was nice with its tangy flavor and we had the meat combo with some
sambusas and kitfo. Its strange that ethiopian food is quite similar to
Indian food. I've had samosas and they're a lot like sambusas. I'm
curious so I'll be researching into the history of this cuisine. Must have sailed into Ethipoia sometime back. Anyways, food is a bit expensive and I might just head over to a different place for ethiopian, although the honey wine they served was OK.
I'm surprised that this place has pulled 3 and 1/2 stars, because it is yuck.
About twice a year, I am lured inside by good smells. I go in hoping that it somehow tastes as good as it smells. I am always disappointed.
It could be that I'm just not a fan of Ethiopian cuisine, I don't know because I haven't tried other Ethiopian to compare it to. I find the food here to be bland, and stomach-upsetting both at the same time.
The only time I see people eating in here is when it's the owner's family.
Chill place on Haight with smiley, friendly service, decent food, and is just a tad overpriced. After a long day running a volunteer event at work and chasing kids around, I was beyond exhausted and too tired to think of cooking or doing grocery shopping. We were en route home from the Bayview and were on Haight when we made the impromptu decision to just drive down Haight until we found a parking spot, and would then just eat at the closest restaurant to the parking spot.
We headed into Massawa. The staff there is very kind and friendly. We had a meat sambusa and a veggie sambusa. Both were fine, a wee bit on the greasy side, but totally fine.
We split the veggie combo, which was nice, quite spicy, and the meat combo, which was alright. Of course there was plenty of spongy, sour injer to grab the bits up with. My honey wine was nice, and my husband had an Eritrean beer.
Much chiller than Assab but I think the food at Assab is a bit better.
Filling Ethiopian home cooked food. Just wish it were more spicy. Wouldn't mind if there was more injera. Friendly service. You can't go wrong with the veggie combo.
This was my first ethiopian food experience and it was alright. Eating with my hands was kind of difficult because it was kind of saucy. The food was good, tasted really different
but not enough because i like to eat rawrr!
Tasty, good service, quiet atmosphere.
We had a late Thursday night dinner at Massawa this week, and man was it quiet. The up side to being the only patrons was certainly that we had the undivided attention of the staff. I always like to see restaurants I like getting more business, though.
Since it was our first time at this location we opted to try the vegetarian combo and the Kitfo. We opted for well-done this time, but I think that we will go for rare or raw next time so that the consistency is as it should be. Regardless, the food was extremely tasty (I love the tang of injira bread!).
My only other experience with Ethiopian food is Zeni in San Jose (which I also highly recommend), so I can't comment on authenticity or give much grounds for comparison. However, I can say this: Ethiopian food is a fun experience, and it is even more enjoyable when the service and seasonings are spot on. My feeling is that Massawa has all of those qualities.
Just note that it's cash only for tabs under $50, but they have an ATM in house.
It would be impossible for me to not compare Massawa to Cafe Ethiopia - the restaurant down the street that I visit about once a week - and to be frank, the comparison isn't a favorable one for Massawa.
Because I am very loyal to Cafe Ethiopia and because everything on Massawa's menu is 3-4 dollars more expensive than Ethiopian food should be, I might never have tried this place if not for a series of strange circumstances. In any case, while the food was not bad, I wouldn't recommend it given other options in SF. The injera is too thick and relatively bland, lacking that signature tangy flavor. As a party of four, we got to try several dishes and, though some were totally solid in a pretty standard way, nothing blew us away in the least. The one thing I hadn't seen at the few other Ethiopian places I've been to was a garbanzo bean dish that ended up being disappointing - turned out to be just another nondescript puree.
Most disappointing, though, is the inflated prices especially on Massawa's surprisingly large selection of bottled beers. This is not a fine dining restaurant; you should be able to get a bottled beer for less than $5.50. At Cafe Ethiopia, for example, you'll get a nice draft beer for $3.75.
So, to recap: you're in the Haight, you really want Ethiopian food and nothing else will satisfy you. First thing you'll want to do is go to the south side of the street and find a 33-line eastbound bus stop; look for one between GG park and Ashbury. Now the 33 is notoriously elusive, so buy some crackers for your wait if you need to. When the 33 finally comes, take it to 18th & Valencia, then walk a block and a half south to Cafe Ethiopia. Even with the increased MUNI fare, you will save money and eat better Ethiopian food than if you settle for Massawa.
I have never really seen this place full up. Usually that's a sign that you shouldn't eat there. But i gave this restaurant the benefit of the doubt since i was hankering for ethiopian foodiness.
The service was pleasant and have no complaints. Really, that was my entire experience there - no complaints, but no compliments for the services, the food, the atmosphere.
So yeah, there's not much else to say.
2 stars!
i love coming here....their food in general in VERY flavorful..and just the right amount of "spicy". The service is always friendly, and you can always get a seat in there. I love the chicken dishes with the injeria bread.,,everything is so fillling!
coming back soon.
(See pics)
After shopping at SFO for some snowboarding gear, I was so very hungry and wanted some real homemade food and not just a quick bite (pizza, burrito, bar food, or Hookah), I saw this place. I have only eaten African food a couple times before so can't comment on the authenticity. But the food was very very delicious!!
I had the meat combo sampler (#3-zigni, #4tsebhi-derho, and #6-alicha-beggee.) The drumstick was tender and soft on the palette. The beef was subtly spicy (my like) and the lamb had more of a quiet acquaintance.
The best part was the Injera (bread)!!! It's so soft, warm and steamy and gives you the fussy feeling in your mouth. I can eat just that!! Such a fantastic compliment that brings out the flavour of the dish.
Also had the guava juice but guess it is canned.
Service was excellent, very very friendly. And I love the bamboo screens / dividers-- they give you privacy of your table yet not feeling isolated.
The only complaint I have is they need better ventilation. My clothes and hair were infused with the kitchen smell after sitting there for only half an hour.
I would love to go back and try out their breakfast.
Only Ethiopian lunch in town!
Excellent service, got the Kotfi raw (traditional style): quite tasty!
This Erithean spot in Haight is located in a quite surprising area. As you're doing your shopping on Haight, it's dangerous to pass this restaurant. Its extremely savoring flavor and smell will envelop your nose and tongue and you'll start to salivate badly. OMG the scent is to die for.
The restaurant is pretty big, and you'll see giant pots of simmering sauces.
We got the combo meat and ground beef special. I loved the chicken and ground beef. Quite frankly, the scent to me was more flavorful than the flavor of the food itself, but the taste was still enjoyable. Their injera was lighter than usual and lesser tart. Grab a glass of the honey and it would seal the deal for your meal and dessert. Delicious food, big portion which is right for the price, great friendly service. Caution: YOU'RE CLOTHES WILL SMELL AFTER EATING HERE. If you want to take the scent with you, then you'll score.
Let me just say that eating with your hands is SEXY! It makes the experience so much enjoyable!! And, that is exactly what you will encounter here. The food is placed on a spongy bread which is yummy. The samosa was delightful, a little greasy but it is fried so you can't be too picky.
Also, the vegetarian platter is scrumptious and very fulfilling.
On the downside the ambiance is bland, but you actually feel like you could be somewhere in Africa, but it ads to the experience.
This is a must try if you like ethnic food and eating with your hands. (fyi, they do have silverware for you p#ssys).
It is located in the height so parking might be tricky, though.
This is the only Ethiopian place I've been to that has relatively fast service. Unfortunately, that is the only commendable thing about Massawa.
The injera was tart, but thin, cold, dry, and generally unappealing. We ordered the kitfo, which had decent flavor, but the quality of the meat was not very good. Kitfo should not be tough, chewy, or tendon-y. I tried some of the lentil/veggie dish that a friend ordered, and it was ok, but not particularly good. In general, the food just didn't look very freshly prepared either... which might have something to do with the relative quickness of service.
I will stick with Assab instead, and gladly wait longer for much better food.
First the required stuff:
Price: 3 Stars. I'm just saying average because, although it was a little pricey, all Ethiopian places I've ever been to are about the same with respect to price. Why is it that food from poor countries is always expensive?
Food: 5 stars. Damn tasty. No complaints about the food...some complaints about the ordering.
Ambiance: 4 Stars. Very not sheik. Which is pretty cool. White faux-tile flooring and wheeled bamboo partitions. Clean/sanitary, just not fancy
Service: 4 Stars. A little slow, but friendly, helpful and highly competent.
So, I've only had Ethiopian food three times and twice were at this place (the other time was at the Blue Nile in Berkeley), so take this review with a grain of salt. I've enjoyed what I've had, but the family-style eating is always a bummer. Why? Because some member of your party will insist on getting the collard greens, or something equally...not exciting. This wouldn't be a problem if the offending orderer would just stick to eating their freaking hippie garbage. However, invariably they almost instantaneously declare "Wow, the [insert good tasting item here] is way better than the [insert crappy tasting item here], and proceed to gobble it all up. For reference purposes the Kitfo and some chicken thing were the "good" things. Don't get me wrong, I am 100% certain that there are people out there that think the raw meat stuff tastes like crap and the collard greens are the biz-omb. Unfortunately, those people are never in my dining party. Instead, I'm always with the people who wish they preferred the healty stuff, but who actually like the spiced meat served with ghee...mmm...ghee.
The end result is that I'm usually pretty miserable when I go family style.
I LOVE the eating with the hands part. That's how I'd eat everything, all the time, if I could. Raw meat eaten by hand...THAT's a meal.
Remember when that wonderful person in your life introduced you to sushi? From then on, you took it upon yourself to show others the way, exclaiming "I can't believe you've never tried sushi before!" Well, this afternoon my friend and I felt a bit adventurous with our palates and decided to try some Ethiopian fare at Massawa. Neither of us had every had this type of food, and now I am asking myself how I'd never tried it before?!?
Massawa serves traditional Ethiopian dishes (I researched on wikipedia before going so I wasn't a total dits) in a super casual, yet perfectly eclectic Haight atmosphere. The menu is easy to follow with appetizers, meat dishes, veggie dishes and beverages.
My friend had the lamb cubes with potatoes and carrots and I (being a vegetarian) ordered the Hamli, which is sauteed collared greens with tomato paste and spices. Your food comes to your table on a single large platter. You eat with your hands and the spongy bread will help you out. The portions are hearty and entrees are around $8-10. Service can be a little slow, but the friendliness totally makes up for the lack of hustle.
I was told to try the Ethiopian honey wine, so I did. It was very interesting...sweet but not a strong wine flavor that I could taste. Nice to try once, but not for me. If you want something diff...start at Massawa and I don't think you will stop.
Ethiopian food just climbed to the top of my fave cuisine list.
every time I go, friendly, fresh, just a good experience!!!
THANK YOU
I hadnt tried eritrean food before, This is a good place to have it. The service is friendly and the… Read more »
A student group that I advise decided to have a dinner tonight at Massawa. I was excited as I've never tried Ethiopian food. I was not let down with Massawa.
As I don't eat meat, I ate most of the veggie combo. The injera was good and it was fun to eat with my fingers. My meat-eating students really enjoyed the chicken, beef, and lamb dishes.
Our service was also excellent- our food came out quickly, was piping hot, and our drinks were never empty. They also gave us a great deal- everyone in my party ate for less than $10 each!
Great job Massawa- I am impressed!
This is the best eritrean cusine in the city!! the ambiance needs a little enthusiasm, but don't be fooled. this palce is truly tasty and delicious. highly recomended. i have tried all there dishes. not dissapointed in a single one. all veggie and meat were great. the sponge bread and yougurt are amazing.
watch out how much bread you eat beacsue it tend to expand in your tummy.
I have always had great meals at Massawa. I had not been here for awhile, but the food was just as good as always.
As long as you have at least 2 people you can't go wrong with ordering the meat combination and the vege combination. All the items are great and I'm a big fan of okra too.
We ordered the honey wine which was very good and not too sweet.
I went with some visiting Italian friends because one had lived in Eritrea as a teacher. I did not know that Eritrea had once been an Italian colony so most people speak Italian there including our Massawa Eritrean waitress.
Massawa is one of the best restaurants to eat at on Haight Street. I love it.
This is the only Ethopian food place I have been to. I saw that it was Zagat rated, so I said what the heck? $14 later I had a different perspective. The food was not for me. Overly greasy, full of ghee. My hands were a mess. And I didn't feel satisfied when I was done. I actually felt a bit nauseous. It was something different. And I love trying new things. I'll stick with Indian food next time.
Choice #2 after leaving from Assab because they told us to wait for a table to clear up even tho I had a reservation.
We got there late on a Friday night, around 9:30. The restaurant was almost empty, the waitress was very friendly, and the food was OK. My girlfriend and I got 2 entrees and a bottle of the honey wine. The bill was about $53.
Massawa was highly regarded by our family from their last visit to San Francisco. They remembered the inexpensive, tasty and family-style dishes along with great service. Naturally, they insisted for us to give it a try.
We started with the Vegetable Sambusa and Meat Sambusa. The vegetable reminded me of an indian samosa without the potato (very good). The Meat was a finely ground beef with an ok flavor.
For our dishes, we selected the Kantisha (vegetarian) and the Meat Combination. The veggie dish was mushroom, onion & tomatoes. The Meat combination included chicken , lamb and beef each w/ onions & tomatoes. All this was served on the same large platter. A large circle of Injera bread (flat bread) is broken down to enjoy the servings on the platter. Good thing we were family as the platter is to be shared with the table (read: no separate plates and utensils).
When you see something that looks good on another plate, don't you wish you could try it? Here you can. This was my first time trying Eritrean food and it was good at Massawa.
I wasn't prepared to have to eat the food that's really saucy, with my hands, but the food was really good. It was my first time eating Eritrean food. Located right at the corner of Haight & Ashbury.
The vegetable combination plate that I always get here is tasty and filling. I also like the sambusas. The service is good and quick. It's never so crowded that you can't get a table straight away.
Get extra injera bread if you're worried about making a mess. Wash your hands before eating if you're worried about getting food poisoning. And if you're drunk, put a piece of injera on your face with eye holes poked in it and pretend to be Hannibal Lecter.
Would have never guessed to be an ethiopian food fan..
but I seriously enjoyed eating here! It was my first ethiopian experience and loved it. I think it's awesome that they have all the tables separated by high dividers, so it kinda feels like you're sitting in a booth. We weren't sure if the waiter had just forgotten to bring us forks, so we watched the other tables eat with their hands and followed suit.
The waiter was really attentive and kept checking up on us and making sure we were ok and had everything we needed (2 napkins lol). The food was absolutely DELICIOUS.. and the meat was really tender. The sauces were very distinctive for each type of meat, and I liked all of them.
Eating with 3 fingers might be a bit messy.. but as long as you use a napkin once in a while and go to the bathroom to wash your hands right after, it's really not that big of a deal.. people make it seem like you're bathing in curry or something.. which is really NOT the case. :P
PS: they also have a breakfast menu... which I can't wait to go back and try.
Yum! I went here yesterday with a few friends from school. They're the only Ethiopian restaurant that we know of that is open for lunch and semi-close to us. We called ahead an ordered two dishes, and picked them up for lunch. The food was delicious and there was SO much. We send $30 for the three of us and when we brought the food back to school, a bunch of people wanted to try it. We let them take as much as they wanted, and we still had a bunch of left overs. I am definitely going back!
This is the best Ethiopian food I've had in San Francisco. Seriously.
I have lived in the neighborhood for over a year and only just now discovered this little gem- folks, I feel like an idiot. Don't make my mistake.
I ordered the vegetarian combo- SO much food, fantastically spiced, great texture, perfect bread. The food ranks high for me on taste, spice balance, quantity, freshness, and presence of good vegetables.
The folks who took my order and cash (yeh, no cards unless $50 or more) were very friendly and professional.
I'll be going back more than I'd like to publicly confess. ;)
Dinner was years ago, and it was good, but what as even better was breakfast this morning. My friend and I had never had an ethiopian breakfast before, and it was simply fantastic. I went with the fretata, an excellent mixture of eggs, bell peppers and tomatoes with a side of french bread. Egg whites were not an option, but they had no problem making it sans oil. And my friend was not disappointed with his fata, this delicious dish of bread chunks basking in a tomato based sauce. I think he had the better dish.
Prices were rock bottom, service a little slow, but I think that is only because they are taking their time serving up incredible food.
Friend Z was visiting from out of town. Before heading over to Hobson's Choice for some rummy goodness, we decided to cushion our empty stomachs with food first. Rummy in the tummy is yummy, but probably not a good idea without a bit of food. Enter Massawa.
We ordered both the meat and vegetarian combos, so that we could try a little bit of everything. The menu is not particularly large, but offers enough selections for a range of taste buds. The food was good, a little bit spicy. Our glasses of water were always refilled quickly. We didn't try it, but they have ginger beer here!
The injera was not too sour, and actually entertaining! With the size of Massawa, it was nice to have our own sectioned-off space - quite private. [Read: The injera was fun to play with - especially when ripped into various shapes and placed over various parts of each other's face. Unfortunately/fortunately, noone could see us - hooray for private space!]
Example: http://flickr.com/phot...
See, injera is fun.
Here's to being useful, funny and cool:
Fuck this place.
I came in here last fall for dinner. I was a little sketched out for a few reasons. A). It was my maiden voyage into Ethiopian food. B). It was dinner rush time and there was about three people (all hipsters) dining. C). I could smell it from the street.
Let's be clear, I'm an adventurous eater. Now that I'm done justifying myself I can tell you that eating at this place is what it must be like to eat in a hut in Africa (except for the gigantic portions). You eat with your hands and the meats are either bland or scortching. I can't remember what I had but suffice to say it was swimming in an ominous brown goo. Delicious.
I didn't feel very full and I had to shoot my waitress in the leg with a homing dart just to get her to give me some attention. Plus, though there was plenty of seating our waitress sat us at a two top right next to the kitchen door, so every now and then I was interrupted in my blocking the whole experience out by someones ass. It was so expensive for what I got and I was really disappointed.
And to top it all off, even after you leave you smell just like a Turkish prison. Bah to this cultural foray of shit.
Not always do I take a chance on a food culture I know nothing about-- but when I went in and got the nerve I went in and was totally pumped that I did.
I've been going back for breakfast ever since. I can't remember what I always order, but its near the bottom of the breakfast menu (8am-3pm) and it begins with an A.
It's a cold dish/salad made of lettuce, onion, tomato, potato and olive oil... so damn good. $6, as well. Pretty sweet.
I can't really compare their food to other ethiopian/eritrian food like phil j. over here, but I can give them 5 stars for what i've tasted... and 5 more stars for being able to maintain an unique business on Haight.
I really love this place. The prices are reasonable, the food is delicious, and the staff is very nice. It looks sort of like a hole in the wall, the decor isn't the swankiest, but what counts is the food, and it's GREAT!
Like other Yelpers have mentioned, this restaurant doesn't have much atmosphere to speak of...That said, it's huge and spacious with clean bathrooms but it's funny cause for some reason every time I go in or walk by, it never seems crowded? I often wonder how they make rent every month..
The dishes here are hit and miss. I really like the boned chicken cooked in onions and tomatoes -- very, very tender , flavorful, and saucy. I also like the lamb dish cooked with bell peppers, carrots, and potatoes. Beef dish? Not a fan. Okra dish? Pretty vinegar-y. My friends ordered the mushroom dish and it was really spicy so beware. (If you haven't figured it out, I can't remember nor do I know how to pronounce the authentic name of any of the main dishes) Also, I'm not a fan of Injera bread (yes I asked for a fork). It's sour and kind of bland. However, I've only tried it here so maybe I'll like it somewhere else.
Anyways, a decent neighborhod spot and good for groups since there's so much space. Plus, they offer a lot of combination platters, and the dishes are served family style.
This is my favorite Ethiopian restaurant. The food is amazing. The waiter is very sweet, and happy to make substitutions in the combos. Also once I left a bag there and a week later he still had it. My only real problem with the place is the pricing; it can vary by as much as $10 from one visit to the next, despite the fact that we order pretty much the same thing every time. The prices seem to bear surprisingly little relation to the amount of food we get or to the number of people we bring with us. The ambiance is also not very good, although the booths are comfortable and fairly private.
Oh, get the mushrooms. They are to die for.
I'm going to write this review in Nama - the African clicking language.
Click, click, click. Click Click Click.
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Click, Click, click.
This is the only Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant where I usually order the Meat dish. They get their meat fresh everyday. The Kelewa (beef) w/ spices and tomato is excellent. The injera is on the thick side which is more common in Eritrean restaurants but not my favorite.
Overall service is quicker than most other Eritrean or Ethiopian restaurants in the city and the price is cheap.
I became addicted to Ethiopian food and the finger-food culture when I frequented Adams Morgan near Washington DC during the college years (the unofficial home of Ethiopian cuisine). This place is actually Eritrean, but the flavors were pleasantly nostalgic of the past. The servings were large, the injera succulent, and fun was had by all while licking our salty, smoky, exotically-spiced fingers. After dinner, we had a great time roaming around the neighborhood to walk off the bulk. It was a great experience! Be warned, you will probably overeat, and injera expands to an uncomfortable fill after a few glasses of water.
I like this place so much. The ambiance needs some adjustment but the food is really excellent.
The Kantisha is awesome. Also love the Sambusa's. I took my Mom here a few years ago and she has remained obsessed with the place ever since.
I like the family style dining. Its fun to eat with your fingers and a bunch of friends.
Injira was sooooo good!
We had family style with spicy mushrooms and the meat trio. Red lentils were delicious and perfectly cooked. The beef and chicken dishes were excellent, the lamb was just OK.
Service was friendly and the food came out super hot.
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
Category: Ethiopian
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