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Tue-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Great place to go in a small group for dinner.
Food is served family-style, as a few of the photos show. Most dishes have a curry consistency, although some are served in chunks. Although you can ask for a fork, the traditional way to eat is to pick it up using Injera, which is a spongy flat bread that has a slight sour taste and looks kinda like a crumpet on top. The injera here was not nearly as sour as some other places I have been, which was a big plus, as it doesn't dominate the flavor of some of the milder dishes.
Highlights include the Ye-Beg Tibs (Sauteed lamb with peppers and onions), which I ordered sizzling. Outstanding flavor, and they come with a spicy sauce to add to your liking. Also had both the meat and vegetarian combinations, which both had a good variety, but were a little hit-and-miss. The Kitfo (essentially Steak Tartar, but quite spicy) was very good, as was the Yemisir Wot (spicy red lentil dish). The cheese that came with the meat combination was also different, but quite tasty. However, some of the milder dishes were lacking a little. If it is your first time here, I would recommend it, as you get a little of everything to try, but I think I would choose favorites from now on.
For drink, Hakim Stout, as mentioned by a few others, is very good. Probably the lightest stout I've ever had, almost has an amber ale color, but the flavor is very good; I would definitely have it again.
Service was fine; we did need to ask for water or Injera to be refilled, but all requests made were filled in short order.
Price was also quite reasonable. 3 of us each ordering a main course, plus a beer, came out around $45, and we all left absolutely stuffed. With all the injera, food coma is a very legitimate threat.
All in all, really enjoyed the food. It isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I would certainly recommend it if you want to try something a little different.
**Alicha Wot (spicy beef stew) and Tej (Honey wine)**
Food is served on top of Injera (flat unleavened bread that is spongy and a bit sour), which is laid out on a big platter the size of the table's diameter. Forget the utensils- here, you use your hands to eat by taking a piece of injera and using it to scoop up the food.
Everything is shared and you'll be eating off the same platter as others in your party so make sure you wash your hands real good and only grab a small amount of food with your injera so as not to have food falling from your hands back to the tray.
This is a great restaurant and I'm grateful that my Ethiopian coworker introduced me to their cuisine. I really enjoyed the food as well as the ambiance. Decor is nice: straw tables, animal skin rugs and stools, woven trays and traditional curtains.
Wonderful staff!!
I can't wait to go back here.
This place absolutely wins first place for value.
The food is excellent. I've had almost everything on the menu, and I have to say that my favorites are kitfo (cooked), ye beg tibs, ye doro tibs, and anything vegetarian but especially the atakilt wot and the gomen wot. Injera is perfectly flavored and textured. Honey wine is delicious.
The decor is interesting. Half the restaurant is done in a traditional style, with animal-skin rugs and mesobs (straw tables), and the other side is done in a Western style, with tables and chairs. I like sitting in the traditional side, but if you're with elderly folks or kids who can't sit still, the Western side might be better.
The price? So inexpensive! You can usually get out for under $10/person, including a drink.
The one issue I have with this place is service, and honestly, I think it's more my issue than the servers' issue. They're all very pleasant and lovely and accommodating, but they're super slow. It took me a while to realize that this is just the Ethiopian way of eating. A leisurely, relaxed meal with friends and family that can stretch on for hours.
You will enjoy this place. Just leave plenty of time for dinner!
Easily one of my favorite bay area restaurants. I probably go here at least once a month. If you're in a group, getting a five-dishes-of-your-choosing "Gebeta" is usually the best deal.
FOOD SUGGESTIONS:
Ye Doro Tibs (fried, not juicy) (chicken)
Ye Beg Tibs (fried, not juicy) (lamb)
Kitfo (served "leb-leb." This is almost-raw beef, so if that doesn't appeal then I wouldn't recommend this, or I would recommend getting it more cooked than "leb-leb")
Gomen Kitfo (best collard greens I've had)
Yemisir Wot (tasty red lentils)
Misir Kitfo (another delicious lentil dish)
Honey wine to wash it all down.
We always have the same thing: veggie combo and meat combo, and spiced tea. This means a huge platter of injera with large dollops of about seven different entrees, including a large pile of kitfo, which we order raw. This is really solid Ethiopian food. It's pretty inexpensive, especially given the quantity of food, which we can never finish.
You know the kind of friend who is always searching for some interesting stories to bring back home? Yeah, I was with that person.
Thank the powers that be for Yelp, saving the day again with a hot little restaurant recommendation called Zeni.
Zeni is a medium sized place, fitting about 65 people or so, but still successfully giving that air of coziness. The restaurant is split into two main seating sections, the main section, closer to the entrance and in front of the bar, is regular four seater tables seating 36 or 40 in all, and then off the the right (rear) is a cordoned off section with a more Ethiopian feel (I assume). There are 7 of these round thatched tables (with glass inlay) at knee height, three or four beautifully decorated low and simple dark painted wood leather-cushioned chairs per table, with two smaller square end tables to handle overflow. Those end tables are necessary, because the food comes out in a huge thatched bowl roughly the same diameter as the main table, leaving no room for drinks, napkins, or spices.
What a treat! All the food was served in the single large thatched bowl mentioned above. The food was spread out in small islands over an inlaid injera.
The food in depth:
YE BEG TIBS (lamb) $12.50
- 4.5 stars
- Succulent pieces of fresh lamb sauteed in butter seasoned with onions, green pepper, tomato, Served juicy or sizzling. WOW! This has elements of a fajita, with the slightly oil-glazed cooked veggies, the great suateed onions, and the chunks of lamb served over a fajita cast iron plate, and dropped into the thatched bowl. The meat was nicely tender, requiring a good bite to cut through, but not so tough to be tiring to chew. Tasty with spices, but not hot. Yum!
MEAT COMBINATION: $13.99
- Ye-beg Alitcha Wot (Lamb)
- 3.5 stars: like a mild earthy light brown curry. Almost like a stew. Very tasty, and definitely would want to eat it again. The lamb is very soft and begins to breaks apart even before biting into it. Some familiar but unrecognizable spices...maybe guaram masala.
- Doro Wot (Chicken)
- 3.5 stars: a much darker almost dry "forkable" curry that tasted great. Heavier and a touch spicy, but again, not hot. The heaviness of flavor is perfect on a cold rainy night like today. It's not too heavy to fill you up, but feels substantial...for lack of a better word.
- Kitfo (Raw beeerf)
- 2.5 stars: This is basically a minced raw beef and veggie tartare....Only the ground is so much finer, you can't tell the raw beef and veggies apart. There's also a spice in here that is vaguely familiar. All in all, the spice made it okay, and it's worth experiencing, but I'll stick with horse tartare from France.
- Cottage Cheese
VEGETARIAN COMBINATION: $12.50
- Ye-Miser Wot (Lentil)
- 4 stars: A dark thick creamy texture, much like Mexican re-fried beans, only spicier (berbere style). By far the spiciest of the dishes today, but not spicy by a long shot. Even the most mild of eaters won't have a problem with this dish.
- Ye-Kik Alitcha (Split Peas)
- 3 stars: similar in texture to the Lentil, but much milder pea soup flavor. Very good and feels perfect to relax the stomach and warm it up on a cold day.
- Atakelt Wot (Vegetables)
- 3.5 stars: oooohhh, Me likey. Think stewed cabbage, carrots, onions, etc., in a basic veggie stew and then having most of the water drained wile keeping the veggies moist. That's pretty much what this was like. Slightly salty flavor would make this a fine stand-alone on a diet day.
- Ye-Gomen Wot (Collard Greens)
- 2.5 stars: I have nothing against collard greens, and this finely cut well cooked collard green dish tasted just fine. Compared to everything else, it was just...meh.
- Ye Timatim Fitfit (veggies w/ injera)
- 2 stars: This is probably the only dish I didn't particularly like. It had Tomato, lime juice, jalapenos, chili and injera. Injera?!...It's like using cut up bits of bread as a spread for bread....double meh.
INJERA
- 3 stars
- Injera is, and again I'm guessing, an Ethiopian bread. Very large, maybe 16" in diameter or more, about a cm thick at the center, and extremely spongy. Has a slightly sour taste, much like sour dough bread. you get A TON of it with your food, each one tightly rolled up, then cut in half. Maybe 10 halves in all.
ETHIOPIAN TEA
- 4 stars
- Basically a mild tea in cinnamon dissolved hot water. Add sugar and you have a kind of Tchai without milk. Much better than I expected, and would drink this at home if the whole thing came in a bag.
HAKIM STOUT: Ethiopian Beer
- 3.5 stars
-The easiest way to describe this is to say it's a lighter tasting, lighter textured Guinness. Really, that's about all I can say about it. Kinda liked it
All that's left to say is,
Yay! I'm a fan!
PS. Thanks Loza, for putting up with the picture taking guys asking so many questions
PPS. Loved the box the check was served in, and the napkin holders
For never tasting Ethiopian food before, Zeni was definitely a good place to start. Having read good reviews, my boyfriend and I decided to drop in last night for his birthday dinner. I had read that Zeni can sometimes be crowded, but around 5:45 on a Sunday night the restaurant was able to seat us promptly. They have 2 different dining sections and we chose the more traditional way of dining as opposed to a regular table. The atmosphere is welcoming and the service is pleasant. & they gave us a complimentary desert for my boyfriend's birthday, so that was pretty cool.
We ordered Ye-Beg tibs, a lamb dish and also Alicha Wot a beef dish. We ordered both dishes mild, fearing the spice. We thought these dishes were very flavorful, and for 2 people, 2 orders is just right considering you can get pretty full off the injera which we have decided reminds us of sourdough bread, but with a spongy texture.
I've eaten Ethiopian food before, so I knew what to expect whereas my friends did not know anything other than we were going to "eat with our hands" and not utensils. The injera bread used to pick up the entrées we ordered was soft and fluffy. We ordered several entrées that consisted of chicken, lamb, raw beef, and several vegetables.
The servers were nice, the service was really good, the food seemed well-cooked (other than the raw beef), and the Ethopian theme of eating food with your hands was unique compared to the other restaurants in the area. However, there was no "wow" factor that made the experience "above the rest" for me, plus my friends claimed the food was something we could have made ourselves.
Overall, I would come here again for lunch or dinner if I lived in the area.
Ok, had to go back again, but this time it was just me and my hubby and we arrived at the restaurant at about 5:30pm. Not crowded at all.
Food was good again. I tried the Honey Wine and it was pretty good. It tasted like a medium beer with honey mixed in.
Because it was not crowded, service was much quicker than last time.
My in-laws invited my hubby and I to this restuarant that they had previously ate at because the… Read more »
A friend of mine suggested that I try out Zeni about 8 years ago, we decided to try it out.
I could not have been more pleased.
I have been going there regularly ever since.
Excellent food, reasonable prices, parking is not a problem, great portions. Good choices for vegetarians, while at the same time providing having an array of non vegetarian options available as well.
It can get very crowded on weekends.
Good flavors and variety.
Recomended dishes:
Meat Combination: B+, has a variety of different meats. Enough for 3 people.
Yemisir Wot: A+, excellent flavorful lentil based dish.
Shuro Wot: A+ chick peas in a wonderfully done buttery gravy.
I popped in on a Friday evening with a few buddies because we were down the street and all curious about Ethiopian food. None of us had ever tried it before. I have driven by this restaurant hundreds of times, but never really thought to stop in. Let me tell you...my mistake. I was pleasantly suprised by the food, the service and the ambiance of Zeni and will definitely be back.
We had no idea what to order so we asked the server for recommendations. She showed us the most popular beef, chicken, pork and vegetable entrees and we decided that we would try them all.
To our surprise, they don't use silverware at Ethiopian restaurants. A basket of unleavened bread was served with dinner and that was used to scoop up the entrees. We all loved to meat entrees but could have done without the veggie entree.
All in all, the dinner was delicious. We all became fans very quickly. I look forward to my next experience at Zeni...
Great experience and as authentic as you can get in the bay area.
Large group of us ordered the meat and veggie combo. Nothing stood out as a future craving. So, I don't think I'll be back anytime soon.
Extra star for the passionate owner who gave us a free glass of honey wine to taste and shared fascinating tidbits of Ethiopian culture with us.
Side note: You'll have to signal the waitress for your check. I think it's a cultural thing...
went here twice. first time, the people i went with knew what to order. i can't remember what it was, but it was yummy. picking up your food with that spongy bread, was fun! definitely a cool experience.
the second time i went, had no idea what i had the time before, so i tried to order what sounded closest to it. not the same thing. i got some ground meat and tasteless boneless chicken.
know what to order before and don't eat all day, save room in your stomach for that spongy bread.
Great food, we go there often. A little crowded on weekends, go either early or a little late to avoid waiting.
Two things you must know off the bat:
1- This place is popular Friday Sat nights so if you're more than 4 people make a reservation. Either way, be prepared to wait a good 15 mins or more.
2- The food is SHARED on a huge dish and everyone uses bread to eat their food (the bread is actually called injera and is similar to a crepe) and utensils are discouraged from being used- but they offer 'em don't worry ;)
Ok.. so I found this place on Yelp and as usual Yelp did not let me down. The service was friendly, laid back, yet still very attentive. The place is named after the owner Zeni.. whom obviously thought was the guy walking around talking to everyone. To my AMAZEMENT the owner was the woman. I forgot how women rule Africa. LOL
This was such an educational experience! I inquired about the bread, injera, and the owner's husband brought us a bag of teff and showed us all the ingredients on the label and told us how it was made.
Try their ethopian tea! The coffee is good too but it's in a VERY small cup.. looks basically like an espresso shot.
Don't forget to tip the live musician Fri/Sat nights! He's really good.. kinda caribbean. The atmosphere and music was soo chill I didn't even have any alcohol and I was completely relaxed and enjoying my night immensely!!!!!!
We were 2 and shared the veggie platter and the meat platter. There was enough leftover for 1 more person so the portions are huge! Especially if you're eating that injera :)
Excellent experience! Thank you Zeni !!!!!
So effing good. Try the shuro wot and ye doro tibs - good spiciness and delicious. You will not regret it. And they do take out!
The service here is 5 stars but the food brought the star count down to 3. The staff was extremely friendly and laidback, and I could tell they loved sharing what they knew about the different dishes and sauces, but the food just wasn't that inspiring.
We each ordered a sambussa (Thin dough shells stuffed with lentils, onion, hot green & herbs. This meatless dish is lightly deep fried in vegetable oil). I'm not a big fan of lentils, but the cripsy dough and savory dipping sauce made up a little bit for the somewhat tasteless filling.
The four of us then ordered the veggie combo plate, the ye doro tibs (boneless, skinless cubed chicken sauteed in a special blend of spices and braised in onions tomato, green pepper and purified butter. Served hot or mild), and the ye-beg tibs (Succulent pieces of fresh lamb sauteed in butter seasoned with onions, green pepper, tomato and rosemary. Served juicy or fried). The lamb was definitely the best dish out of everything we ordered. Everything else was kind of just blah-tasting but took up plenty of space in our bellies.
I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to try out any of the raw beef dishes (one of my friends was very squeamish). I guess I'll save it for next time....on the off-chance that i ever come back again....
Conclusion: Interesting for people who have never tried Ethiopian food before. Although, you know you're probably not going to come back again when you start making squishy balls and other fun shapes with the leftover injera (bread) because the food just wasn't that exciting to eat. I don't foresee any cravings in the future.
This is the only Ethiopian food I've ever had to date, but my guess is it's gotta be the best in the area.
Food:
Amazing and delicious. I would recommend going with a big group when eating here because you can try a lot more items on the menu when you go family-style. Some people don't like the bread - it's like a spongey dough that you pick the food up with, so you're eating with your hands a little bit. I like the bread but it fills you up pretty fast if you eat too much of it. I don't like the raw beef entree but everything else I've had has been fantastic. The spicy chicken (can't remember the name), lentils and collared greens are favorites.
Seating:
If you sit in the back, there are short stools. I find it cozy and fun since lots of people can crowd around the tables, but my boyfriend usually says the seats are uncomfortable.
Service:
On the slow side but the meal is definitely worth waiting for. Definitely recommend reservations since there is generally a wait. Been here a handful of times with reservations and was always seated promptly.
This place is great. I don't know much about Ethiopian food, but after coming to this place, I find myself craving it frequently, indicating that this place is pretty good.
Everyone should give themselves the chance to experience Ethiopian food.
I went with a group of friends and everyone's favorite dish was the chicken (forget specifically what it's called), but I loved the beef kitfo as well.
Worth the wait. Surprisingly filling portions. Very friendly and good service. Great experience overall.
As a newbie to Ethiopian food, I was happy to see that one of the best places in the Bay Area is within walking distance to my home! Zeni is an amazing place with delicious food, great coffee, and yummy Ethiopian wines and beers.
If you are going there as a first timer, I would suggest trying both the meat and vegetarian combination plates on the menu. It will definitely give you a good sample of what they have to offer. And remember to try the salad they place in the middle of the serving dishes; it's not just a garnish and I swear their homemade dressing has some addictive narcotic in it because I never can get enough.
This place does get super packed in the later dinner hours so try and go around 5 or 6-ish so you don't have to wait. You can't make reservations Fri-Sun. There is also takeout and they are open pretty late.
The bread they serve everything with is amazing. However, the live music is like something out of Jabba the Hut's palace. All and all everything we ordered was fantastic.
I had a positive experience here. It was nothing really worth raving about, but none-the-less an interesting experience.
Let me start off by saying it was my first time trying Ethiopian food. The food is very vegetarian friendly and if you like strong spices and tastes you'll probably really enjoy Ethiopian food.
I don't think that I will openly crave or come back on my own accord unless someone wanted to come here... It didn't really hit home with me, but I can't say that I didn't enjoy any of the dishes.
If you don't know what to order, go in and order the vegetable combo and their meat combo. 4+ people should be able to share the food. If you've got a heftier appetite, order more.
FYI, Ethiopian food is NOT cheap.
Make sure you come here with people you don't mind sharing food with! Everything you order comes on one huge plate and everyone digs in with their hands. Food was good but the dining experience really makes this place.
I really love Ethiopian food but with my pregnancy induced phobia of garlic the only thing I can order these days is the fava bean dish. Still, it's really good and I come back here for it. I just love the slightly sour injera bread. They give you a lot of it so I always take some home. Wish I could have some honey wine but this isn't the 70's and fetuses and alcohol just don't mix! The girls are very sweet here and the service is really good. It's a pleasant place to have lunch.
Went for the second time. I can't quite recollect the names of what we ordered but it was basically a spicy beef dish with homemade cheese, lamb, and split pea dish. All of it was quite good, and the service was a bit better this time. It still wasn't what I'd call attentive (we ran out of water 3 times, and had to request more each time), but it was ok.
Zeni Ethiopian Restaurant is my all time favorite Ethiopian restaurant. My close friend introduced me to Ethiopian cuisine and the style of serving/eating food back in DC.
Back in the Bay Area my search for good Ethiopian food ended with Zeni. A distant second was another restaurant (Red Sea) on 1st street in downtown San Jose, which is no longer in business.
Aside from the fine food, part of the pleasure of eating here is the ambience of the restaurant. There is a palm-thatched bar indoors that serves surprisingly potable Ethiopian wine as well as beer and cocktails. Tej Be Berelee or Ethiopian Honey wine served in a traditional individual carafe is my favorite drink.
The dining room is divided in two. On one side is the typical, Western-style table-and-chair setup. Then there is the exotically furnished room that makes the other side look bland in comparison. Here, you sit on low stools or fur-covered chairs around a colorful, straw basket table.
There are quite a few commonalities between typical Indian cooking & dishes and Ethiopian cooking & dishes. For example, there is Sambusa on the appetizers list (Samosa as its referred to in Indian restaurants) and of course Yemisir Wot (referred to as daal) which is pureed split red lentil. Also, the variety of spices used as well as the sauces in the gravy remind me of Indian cooking. Yet, the food is unique in taste and fun to eat. The star of the show, viz injera (thick, spongy pancake and has a slightly fermented taste) has a cousin in the Indian dosa :-)
Those days when I am a vegetarian, I go for the vegetarian combo (combination of YE-MISER WOT ,YE-KIK ALITCHA, ATAKELT WOT, & YE-GOMEN WOT)
They are served with all-you-can-eat injera. For the most part, the refills are provided relatively quickly, but on occasion (esp. when the restaurant is crowded) needs
a gentle reminder.
Their home made cheese is just too good!!! Another favorite is the meat combination (combination of Alitcha Fitfit, Doro Wot, or Key Wot and Beef Kitfo, Home made cheese)
One of my pleasant discoveries was injera with Ye Timatim Fitfit, which has pieces of Injera tossed in blended fresh tomato, onions, green pepper mixed with Zeni's own home made dressing. This salad is awesome in taste and very addictive.
Only on 2 occasions have I ordered separate items from the menu & both the times it was Ye Doro Tibs (boneless, skinless cubed chicken sautéed in a special blend of spices and braised in onions tomato, green pepper and purified butter).
The portions are generous and sufficient enough that I look forward to lunch next day, from the leftovers. Looking forward to my next visit already!!
Bon Appetit!
I love a juicy steak as much as the next guy, but I gotta say the vegetarian dishes are my go-to at Zeni. Lentils, cabbage, eggplant, and all the other good stuff in delicious curry and wrapped in the spongy Ethiopian bread - awesome! The meat dishes are just fine - you can even order raw beef just to say you did. Ethiopian beer is pretty tasty, too!
The seats to the group area on the right when you enter is just ridiculous. I felt like I was about to fall off my chair the whole time. On top of that it was not comfortable. So my friends like the 'real' ethiopian experience of eating with your hand. I am not a big fan of that at all. So maybe Ethiopian hand eating isn't for me. The food isn't that bad if you like spicy ass food. I hate spicy food which is why i'm giving the 2 stars.
On top of that, the man who I think is the owner or manager recommended the most expensive thing on the menu the $55 ( 5) dish combo. When we decided against it he did not attempt to hide his contempt and the fact that he was upset. We ended up ordering the vegetarian and meat combo. The majority of the thing was just spicy as hell. We also ordered the spinach dish with spicy cheese and when I had one tiny bite I had to down a whole glass of water to neutralize the foul spiciness. I am very upset with the fact that I felt like falling half the time, had no table next to me and had to have my friend pass me my cup of water the whole time and the spicy food.
Certain incidents spoiled our experience. The food was delicious and we had a good time eating freshly prepared curries. However, two reasons for the three negative stars for:
1) Not being able to serve us coke and giving lame reasons.
2) Two negative stars for serving us four dishes when we ordered five dishes and later charging us for five. We did not pay much attention at the bill thinking the server must have recorded only four dishes. I guess it was partially my mistake for not reminding the server to record the number of dishes properly. But the way the manager reacted when I told him that we were charged incorrectly really spoiled our experience. The owner told meon the phone "I do not care if you had a bad experience, I have people waiting for half an hour". Thank you Mr. Popular.
Fun and delicious way to eat your dinner with a group of friends! Hands only fare, but so tasty that even our germ-a-phobic friend enjoyed herself. Use the Injera (their unleavened bread which looks like a paper towel roll) as the tool to scoop up the morsels of ground meats and you'll be set!
We ordered a bottle of their special honey wine, which has a slight syrupy taste. Don't be fooled by its sweetness; this drink is not your typical light dessert wine!
The entrees for the evening:
SHURO WOT - the roasted and spiced chick peas
YEDORO KITFO - the ground chicken with herbs and a hint of spiciness
KIKILE KITFO - ground steak tartar with herbed butter sauce and some soft home made cheese cubes
Everything tasted delicious, flavorful - complemented by the fresh house salad and slightly tangy soft bread. Don't forget to pick at the bread beneath the meats; that's where all of the yummy juices soaked up!
Decor is very festive with Ethiopian cultured paintings and sculptures. A mini hut is set up as their bar area, as well as live Ethiopian music on the electric keyboard! It gets crowded here, so come early to nab the seat near the pianist!
I still go, it's still great and I have taken even more people.
Newest find:
ATAKILT WOT
Boiled chopped cabbage, sliced carrots, and potato chunks, simmered with onions, garlic, ginger, and vegetable oil
SPECIAL KITFO
Beef Kitfo, mixed with home made cheese.
I get this cooked and it's so delicious!
Have been with a party from 2-7 and always left happy and satisfied. Get there early if you plan on doing dinner on a Friday or Saturday night. They get busy pretty quick. I've resorted to going for weekend lunch or early dinner.
UPDATE: Still in love with this place and still get the list of dishes below. If you have never… Read more »
I had no cue what to expect as far as flavor and beyond but I wanted to celebrate my b-day with something new...
A group of 4 split the veggie combo and the meat combo, which all came on one really big pate. The flavors are new...sour and spicy. The lamb dish stood out to the carnivores in the group and the other stuff reminded me of Indian food a bit in the consistency. Its all eaten with your hands holding a spongy sour bread. I liked that there was a variety of things to choose from, I am not sure if I can be sensitized to the same bite repeatedly in this cuisine genre.
The price was right...about $15 per person and that is incuding buying my b-day portion. We didn't get drinks or dessert though.
The restaurant has many personal and traditional touches. The service was good except for having to wait for a water refill (with mouth burning) but the owner? let us taste the delish honey wine and told us about travels and how it is made...love this detail.
You might have to ask for the bill....probably a cultural difference.
My heart is breaking writing this review. Zeni is by far my FAVORITE place to eat...I LOVE the food here. If I had to choose my last meal on earth, it would be Zeni's....
BUT....I can no longer accept and pretend that the service here is acceptable. I am sick and tired of coming here regularly only to be ignored, brushed off , etc. It gets insane here when it's busy but the service is still super slow even when it is quiet. I do not mind waiting....it sort of makes it charming that way but their wait list system is a joke . You have to hunt someone down to even get your name on a list. And on several occasions I have noticed preferential treatment and quicker seating when Ethiopian folks come in here to dine. I am sure it happens with any culture but I am tired of waiting and waiting and then being told that the family that came in 10 mins after us, were here first. WRONG! It happened tonight and I got fed up and left after waiting 25 minutes.
Definitely great food and definitely a great value for what you get but I will not be coming back anytime soon. The service is lacking. I guess I will search more and more for another Ethiopian place to eat at regularly...can't say that I haven't tried. The food at Zeni is superior to other places but I need some good service too.
We LOVE this place!! The service can be slow at times and so can the food but its totally worth the… Read more »
I'd never had Ethiopian food before, but I was thrilled at all of the vegetarian options. The food was really tasty and I loved eating with my hands. The spongy bread was interesting and new to me, but it was light and had a sourdough taste to it.
We shared a vegetarian sampler and their samosa appetizer - the samosa was SO good. The sampler was a great introduction to the cuisine and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Our waitress was really sweet and I enjoyed the earthy/islander ambiance, with chill music and neat tapestries on the walls.
This place is good!! Went there for the second time a couple of days ago and ordered take out. I wasn't sure if they could actually do take out with the injera but it was no big deal. We got the vegetarian combo, the sambussas, ye doro tibs and gomen kitfo. I could have done without the sambussas - there was too much outside flaky pastry and not enough inside lentil stuff and the piece I had seemed a little burned. Everything else was super tasty though - I especially liked the gomen kitfo and I think the yemisir wot. I noticed as we were waiting for the food to be done that they have a surprisingly stocked bar - I wasn't expecting that. I saw about five different colored Johnny's...Black, Green, Gold and a couple others. Also saw Glen Livet. Overall this place is great if you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary and, well, it's just fun to eat with your hands!! Oh and btw...they give you a TON of injera on the take out orders...does anyone know what to do with leftover injera? I seriously have like ten pounds left......
My favorite Ethiopian place in bay area. I have tried this place many times and I was never disappointed. I usually try their combination dishes - vegetarian and meat. These two dishes gives you a very good over view of all the Ethiopian vegetarian and meat dishes.
Don't forget to try Harar Ethiopian beer. It is a light beer and tastes good. This place get very crowded on the weekend. Get there early.
Ethiopian tea was awesome. It goes well with the spicy food.
Another tip which I recommend for a good dinning experience is not to eat too much of the Injera bread which they offer with the food. The bread makes you feel very filling.
The service was good. They also have an Ethiopian musician performing during the weekend
Not my cup of tea! For one, this place smells like sweaty armpits. Two, it's way too exotic even for me! Three, it was a little pricy!
Now, I'm just not a fan of the taste and the musky funk that slaps you in the face, but I have to admit, this place was packed! I guess that's a good thing if you like this sort of stuff, but I'll pass.
I went, I saw, I conquered, but will never invade another Ethiopian Restaurant i'm afraid.
I don't know what's all the hype about this place. There was a line when we got there, on an early Friday night. And we saw our friends who happened to be there too. They were excited about the place. When we asked what we should order, they said, "Everything tastes good!"
We had 7 people, so we ordered pretty much about half the menu. Yet I didn't find anything I liked. Maybe the meat. But I could've cooked the meat at home. I didn't like the rest of the dishes on the table. I didn't like the spongy bread thing (sorry I forgot what it's called) that came with it. The portions were really small, so I was hoping that the bread would fill me up, but it had a sour under-taste that I was not used to.
Maybe I need to try it a couple more times before I can get used to the cuisine and really appreciate it. But because of the small portions, I don't plan on returning anytime soon.
First Ethiopian cuisine I ever tried, it was all together a nice experience. I like the concept, little strange but bounding. Any entree you order comes in a huge plate with Injera bread (its an fermented bread, similar to Indian Dosa). Can share this common plate to have your food, which is romantic ;)
We ordered "Ye Doro Tips" (Its a chicken Item), nice & aromatic, Sambussa as appetizer, nicely baked, I guess it was stuffed with lentils & onions was good too. And Vegetarian Combo 2/4 were good rest was OK.
To try out a complete new cuisine this is a nice place ;)
The food here is great...we always order the veggy combo and it is absolutely yummmy. We try and get there between 5-6pm and never have a problem with the wait. We get right in...
We go with a group of 4-6 and we always order 2-3 combos and we have NEVER been told that we needed to order more food. We also don't drink soda or alcohol and it has not been a problem.
WE LOVE IT HERE.
San Jose, CA
Category: Ethiopian
San Jose, CA
Category: Ethiopian
San Jose, CA
Category: Ethiopian
San Jose, CA
Category: Ethiopian
Campbell, CA
Category: Ethiopian
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