The 8 Best Ethiopian Restaurants In Oakland

Updated: August 7, 2022

Hearty stews and veg platters with tangy injera are a few of the Ethiopian staples found at these Oakland spots. We analyzed the top blogs, restaurant review sites, and food blogs to find the best Ethiopian spots in town. Wash down an Insta worthy Mahaberawi platter with Ethiopian beer at one of these great Oakland restaurants.

Find the perfect Ethiopian restaurant

The 5 best Ethiopian spots in Oakland, ranked
Hoodline, 2018
The Plate • Fresh ingredients, carefully prepared: a good meal (2019)
Michelin Guide

Where to Eat and Drink in Temescal
Eater

How was this list created?

We know how time consuming it can be to find the best Ethiopian restaurants in Oakland. We used our boam magic powers to analyze 3104661 local restaurant reviews, Google and Yelp ratings for 28808 restaurants, and 1901 lists and articles from top sources like Eater, Michelin Guide and Hoodline. These top contenders have appeared in Eater - Where to Eat and Drink in Temescal, Michelin Guide - The Plate • Fresh ingredients, carefully prepared: a good meal (2019) and Hoodline - The 5 best Ethiopian spots in Oakland, ranked. We automatically update restaurants’ availability and services, so you can find a great meal no matter what. This content is not sponsored by any restaurant or party, the restaurants shown are the real deal. Don’t sleep on the restaurants in this list.

Recurring questions

Alem's Coffee, Cafe Romanat, and Abesha Ethiopian Cuisine are some of the highest-rated late-night Ethiopian spots in Oakland.

Cafe Romanat, Abesha Ethiopian Cuisine, and Mela Bistro are vegetarian-friendly Ethiopian restaurants in Oakland.

Cafe Romanat, Abesha Ethiopian Cuisine, and Mela Bistro are the highest-rated Ethiopian restaurants that are good for groups in Oakland.

Alem's Coffee, Cafe Romanat, and Abesha Ethiopian Cuisine are the highest-rated Ethiopian restaurants that serve breakfast in Oakland.

Alem's Coffee, Cafe Romanat, and Abesha Ethiopian Cuisine are the highest-rated Ethiopian restaurants for a quick lunch in Oakland.

Drink pairing tips

Chenin Blanc with your kifto
Experts suggest pairing kifto with a glass of crisp Chenin Blanc, a white wine that cuts the wine's tartness while the wine makes the stew taste spicier.
Pair Syrah with yebeg llicha
When considering how to best enjoy your yebeg llicha, we would highlight how well a glass of Syrah complements the dish as it marries the richness of the dish.
The perfect match for waze tibs
Experts often pair waze tibs with a glass of Cune Rioja, a popular red wine.

Interesting facts

A classic dish
wat is one of the most popular dishes in Ethiopia, often prepared with stewed lamb or goat.

Parking information

Oaklandis notorious for tricky parking. To make the hunt for parking easier, we’ve partnered with a cutting-edge digital parking reservation system, Spothero, that enables you to book a spot in advance before you visit your chosen Ethiopian spot.