The restaurant excels in its food and offerings but is terribly slow in service. We had to wait 50 minutes for our appetizer, and the service was minimal, to the point where we weren't even provided with silverware or plates. The business owners don't seem to care about the waiting time and don't set any expectations.While I appreciate small businesses, the service here was abysmal. Also, don't take your kids - they'll be starved waiting for the food to arrive.The ambiance and cocktails are great. This place is worth visiting if you have about three hours to spare for a meal.
I had the best red lentils I've ever tasted here. The vegetable wot is especially good. Service with a smile. And we even found parking right in front of the restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beyaynetu Veggie Combo, Shiro Wot in Back Chicken Wot Beef Wot and Chicken TIBS, Lemat Meat Combo, Beef Tartar a K a Kitfo, Ye Doro Wot, Samosa Lentil, Veggie Combo
Bandana Garg
Decent food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Murali Yarida
Excellent food and
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mansu K.
The food didn't have much flavor per our taste but may be that's the standard. It was well presented. The inside was decent. The server didn't have much knowledge about menu items but she was polite about that.
Maria Omega
Food was delicious ?Must try the honey wine!!!I want to come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Samosa Lentil
Dominic V.
This review is more about their service and less about their food quality. Being in downtown Berkeley, parking is a little rough. We got lucky that someone was leaving and ended up with princess parking. We had a reservation for a table of four and there was only 2 other tables inside on a Wednesday night. We started off with decaf coffee and a rum punch. It took about 20 minutes to get our drinks and they gave us chamomile tea instead. Very opposite from what we originally ordered. However, we took it as a sign to not have coffee and since tea was cheaper, didn't say much about it. The rum punch was very sweet with no hint of alcohol. If my friend hadn't seen the bartender pour rum in it, I would have been convinced there was none. We finally got a chance to order appetizers and our meal: Samosas (usually comes in 3s but they were nice enough to give us 4 since there were 4 of us), veggie platter, meat combo and beef tibs. The food took an hour to come out but once they finally did, I will say it was DELICIOUS, but I had to question whether it was or if I was just hungry at this point because the food was like warm at best. It only seemed like not much time had passed because I was with great company. So we had the patience to give them benefit of the doubt, maybe they're super short staffed? Maybe it's just one person working in the back like it seemed like there was only one person working in the front? I will say there are other places that give bigger portions and cost a little less, but the food really was amazing despite it being like warm and taking and hour to come out. If you have the time to spare, stop by and give it a try yourself.
Quinn
It took 45 minutes for our food to arrive and an hour to get the check after we finished eating, we had to flag down the waiter twice. The food itself arrived lukewarm. There was a black bean (?) in the lemonade. Atmosphere was mediocre. Will not be coming again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
Matthew Daniel
The Timatim Fitfit was plenty good, and they have quite a good vegetarian section of the menu. It arrives on Ethiopian time, so don't be in a hurry, but that's on par with all the other ones I've tried.Take my service stars with a grain of salt since it was a weekday and there was only one waiter for the 6 or so tables that were there. Maybe it was bad timing or maybe one will have better luck on the weekend. I personally absolutely hated the music videos they were playing, so that's why I didn't like the atmosphere, but maybe other people enjoy that as part of their experienceParking: There's a cutout from the street in front of the restaurant but it's shared with all the other stores and thus almost always full. You can go around the corner and find some street parking
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Veggie Combo
Ray F.
Was in town recently for an industry event and looking for a good meal to share with my team and friends after a busy week. My group walked in shortly after they opened, and we were greeted by the kind host. Once seated we were asked to move, twice? It seemed odd but we accommodated our hosts requests each time. The interior is wood toned with beautiful artworks on the walls and there are several seating areas that were reserved the night of our visit. Food 4.5 stars Service 2 stars More to the point our server was so unorganized and so slow it became painful to endure, simple requests like hot water for my tea took 20 minutes to get after my tea bag arrived? My friends flax seed juice took half an hour to make it to the table, after three requests for it after ordering? We all ordered drinks almost immmediately and had to ask for them multiple times? When our food did arrive, 2 of our table were sent out then none others coming out at all, literally fifteen minutes between entrees on our table, my one friend was done with his meal before my other friend even got hers? It was obvious our server had no clue what she was doing when it came to serving the table? We were all relaxed and took it with stride until the bill came. That is when I got irritated at the whole situation, realizing she thought her efforts warranted a 20% gratutity without saying a word. Our inept server added a 20% gratutuity without saying anything when presenting the bill ( this was a $50 plus add on) which I did not see, and I'm a generous tipper so I tipped her $50 bucks without looking closely at the bill(a $100+ tip!) taking the bill to almost $400 dollars. Fortunately my tablemates said something and looked at the bill and realized she had already tipped herself? But I has already signed and released it back to her by then. Needless too say now I returned to speak to the owner directly, told him of the poor to terrible service and had my tip refunded, since she took it upon herself to add one? I am so done with assumed tipping culture in businesses. This was a new all time low cheap shot by a server and it really affected the end experience and as such this review reflects the terrible customer service and actual serving of anything in a timely and or professional manner. 2.5 Stars - rounded up to be fair to the kitchen staff but it does not warrant the terrible customer experience my table received. Might come back but then again might not... 00937
Some of the best Ethiopian food I've had. Every single thing on the vegetarian platter was delicious, I couldn't pick a favorite. The "Ethiopian hummus" was really unique and I loved the addition of beets. Overall so good and filling but didn't weigh me down.
Hemby Whitten
My boy zz
Rosemary Sallee
Delicious! The veggie combo is heaven.
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Extra Injera, Veggie Combo
yy l.
Great experience. Want to come back soon. If you want a light refreshing drink with your food, try the Ethiopian beer.Vegetarian options: Beans, spinach, excellent beets.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Beyaynetu Veggie Combo, Beef Tartar a K a Kitfo, TIBS
Thomas E.
I went on a Wednesday evening and we were almost the only people there - which was great because we had attentive and quick service. The atmosphere was great - big wood panels on the walls, authentic Ethiopian coffee tables, and beautifully carved wooden chairs. If you enjoy the smell of spices (not spicy, but spices), you'll enjoy just walking in! I got the beef tibs (excellent) and people in my group got a variety of vegetarian and other dishes. The injera wasn't too sour and, if you want, they can serve your dishes sharing-style, which involves a very large injera (maybe 3 ft in diameter) with everyone's orders on top. Then everyone gets a basket of smaller injeras for dipping/trying everything. We had a lot of fun this way. Overall, we had a great time and I recommend this place.
The restaurant excels in its food and offerings but is terribly slow in service. We had to wait 50 minutes for our appetizer, and the service was minimal, to the point where we weren't even provided with silverware or plates. The business owners don't seem to care about the waiting time and don't set any expectations.While I appreciate small businesses, the service here was abysmal. Also, don't take your kids - they'll be starved waiting for the food to arrive.The ambiance and cocktails are great. This place is worth visiting if you have about three hours to spare for a meal.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Beyaynetu Veggie Combo, Samosa Lentil
I had the best red lentils I've ever tasted here. The vegetable wot is especially good. Service with a smile. And we even found parking right in front of the restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beyaynetu Veggie Combo, Shiro Wot in Back Chicken Wot Beef Wot and Chicken TIBS, Lemat Meat Combo, Beef Tartar a K a Kitfo, Ye Doro Wot, Samosa Lentil, Veggie Combo
Decent food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Excellent food and
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food didn't have much flavor per our taste but may be that's the standard. It was well presented. The inside was decent. The server didn't have much knowledge about menu items but she was polite about that.
Food was delicious ?Must try the honey wine!!!I want to come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Samosa Lentil
This review is more about their service and less about their food quality. Being in downtown Berkeley, parking is a little rough. We got lucky that someone was leaving and ended up with princess parking. We had a reservation for a table of four and there was only 2 other tables inside on a Wednesday night. We started off with decaf coffee and a rum punch. It took about 20 minutes to get our drinks and they gave us chamomile tea instead. Very opposite from what we originally ordered. However, we took it as a sign to not have coffee and since tea was cheaper, didn't say much about it. The rum punch was very sweet with no hint of alcohol. If my friend hadn't seen the bartender pour rum in it, I would have been convinced there was none. We finally got a chance to order appetizers and our meal: Samosas (usually comes in 3s but they were nice enough to give us 4 since there were 4 of us), veggie platter, meat combo and beef tibs. The food took an hour to come out but once they finally did, I will say it was DELICIOUS, but I had to question whether it was or if I was just hungry at this point because the food was like warm at best. It only seemed like not much time had passed because I was with great company. So we had the patience to give them benefit of the doubt, maybe they're super short staffed? Maybe it's just one person working in the back like it seemed like there was only one person working in the front? I will say there are other places that give bigger portions and cost a little less, but the food really was amazing despite it being like warm and taking and hour to come out. If you have the time to spare, stop by and give it a try yourself.
It took 45 minutes for our food to arrive and an hour to get the check after we finished eating, we had to flag down the waiter twice. The food itself arrived lukewarm. There was a black bean (?) in the lemonade. Atmosphere was mediocre. Will not be coming again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
The Timatim Fitfit was plenty good, and they have quite a good vegetarian section of the menu. It arrives on Ethiopian time, so don't be in a hurry, but that's on par with all the other ones I've tried.Take my service stars with a grain of salt since it was a weekday and there was only one waiter for the 6 or so tables that were there. Maybe it was bad timing or maybe one will have better luck on the weekend. I personally absolutely hated the music videos they were playing, so that's why I didn't like the atmosphere, but maybe other people enjoy that as part of their experienceParking: There's a cutout from the street in front of the restaurant but it's shared with all the other stores and thus almost always full. You can go around the corner and find some street parking
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Veggie Combo
Was in town recently for an industry event and looking for a good meal to share with my team and friends after a busy week. My group walked in shortly after they opened, and we were greeted by the kind host. Once seated we were asked to move, twice? It seemed odd but we accommodated our hosts requests each time. The interior is wood toned with beautiful artworks on the walls and there are several seating areas that were reserved the night of our visit. Food 4.5 stars Service 2 stars More to the point our server was so unorganized and so slow it became painful to endure, simple requests like hot water for my tea took 20 minutes to get after my tea bag arrived? My friends flax seed juice took half an hour to make it to the table, after three requests for it after ordering? We all ordered drinks almost immmediately and had to ask for them multiple times? When our food did arrive, 2 of our table were sent out then none others coming out at all, literally fifteen minutes between entrees on our table, my one friend was done with his meal before my other friend even got hers? It was obvious our server had no clue what she was doing when it came to serving the table? We were all relaxed and took it with stride until the bill came. That is when I got irritated at the whole situation, realizing she thought her efforts warranted a 20% gratutity without saying a word. Our inept server added a 20% gratutuity without saying anything when presenting the bill ( this was a $50 plus add on) which I did not see, and I'm a generous tipper so I tipped her $50 bucks without looking closely at the bill(a $100+ tip!) taking the bill to almost $400 dollars. Fortunately my tablemates said something and looked at the bill and realized she had already tipped herself? But I has already signed and released it back to her by then. Needless too say now I returned to speak to the owner directly, told him of the poor to terrible service and had my tip refunded, since she took it upon herself to add one? I am so done with assumed tipping culture in businesses. This was a new all time low cheap shot by a server and it really affected the end experience and as such this review reflects the terrible customer service and actual serving of anything in a timely and or professional manner. 2.5 Stars - rounded up to be fair to the kitchen staff but it does not warrant the terrible customer experience my table received. Might come back but then again might not... 00937
Restaurantji Recommends
Some of the best Ethiopian food I've had. Every single thing on the vegetarian platter was delicious, I couldn't pick a favorite. The "Ethiopian hummus" was really unique and I loved the addition of beets. Overall so good and filling but didn't weigh me down.
My boy zz
Delicious! The veggie combo is heaven.
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Extra Injera, Veggie Combo
Great experience. Want to come back soon. If you want a light refreshing drink with your food, try the Ethiopian beer.Vegetarian options: Beans, spinach, excellent beets.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Beyaynetu Veggie Combo, Beef Tartar a K a Kitfo, TIBS
I went on a Wednesday evening and we were almost the only people there - which was great because we had attentive and quick service. The atmosphere was great - big wood panels on the walls, authentic Ethiopian coffee tables, and beautifully carved wooden chairs. If you enjoy the smell of spices (not spicy, but spices), you'll enjoy just walking in! I got the beef tibs (excellent) and people in my group got a variety of vegetarian and other dishes. The injera wasn't too sour and, if you want, they can serve your dishes sharing-style, which involves a very large injera (maybe 3 ft in diameter) with everyone's orders on top. Then everyone gets a basket of smaller injeras for dipping/trying everything. We had a lot of fun this way. Overall, we had a great time and I recommend this place.