Extremely friendly staff, they gave us extra complimentary options to try. Good food, definitely try their sambusas, absolutely delicious. The entree was a bit a mild on the flavor, but definitely a 4/5. Make a reservation prior to visiting, it's a small cute place, fills up fast.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Hopi W
Muzita was such an enjoyable experience for all our senses. It was our first time experiencing Abyssinian food and it won’t be the last. Abel cheerfully greeted us upon entry and helped us with our order. What a great ambassador for his cuisine. We decided on 3 vegetarian lunch specials. We thoroughly enjoyed each one of them. You taste the multi layers of flavors and spices and we didn’t even miss eating meat, it was so satisfying. Abel was attentive, gracious and we loved how happy he was to share his culture with us
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Meau Vedrun
This place is pretty special, you can't get good Ethiopian food just anywhere. It's fun to eat the injera bread with the entree of your chosing. For anyone who's never tried it, it reminds me of Indian food but with spongy bread instead of rice. They offer beers from Ethiopia and surrounding nations (I recommend the Walia). It's a unique experience and definitely worth checking out. I hope they open up a restaurant in northern San Diego some day.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lisa Leung
Absolutely delightful. Came here a few times, food was great every time. And the novelty (i.e. you have to eat with your hands) was fun for my friends’ first time experience. I love the spices and the flavor of the food! I don’t know much about their food culture but I got a briefing every single time by the waiter. He is very friendly and humorous! Would definitely still go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ryan Smith (Imagesmiths)
Fantastic food from Ethiopia. The owner has been at it for 17 years and his food is truly home cooked food from his family for generations. Great atmosphere and amazing service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
siri gowtham
This is my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in San Diego as a vegetarian/vegan. The quality is always top notch. The servings are the right size and the staff is friendly. I’ve tried a lot of heir dishes. This time we had Kantisha Kikwa and the Mama’s fool and they were both delicious. The Timitimo red lentil side is so tasty but my favorite is the lettuce salad, it’s soooo delicious. They are always short staffed so service can be a little slow, even to get a host to seat us at a table. It would be wonderful if they could hire more staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Sami Weisband
i came here for the first time a few weeks ago and came back specifically because of the hospitality and love that Abel and his team radiate so generously. the food is outstanding, authentic and delicious, but i come back for the atmosphere. i will be back again and again. one of the best dining experiences i’ve ever had. thank you Muzita team for being such a comfort in every way.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alana Moore
I have allergies and called beforehand to see if they could accommodate. They said they could. They then served us a dish that had one of my allergens throughout it. They replaced it, but the allergen dish stayed on the same plate as the rest of the good so it limited what I could actually eat. The replacement came ready to-go because it took so long to cook. Both meat dishes were tough. Trying to make a meat stew in 40 minutes that needs hours to cook thoughtfully proved unsuccessful. Was not easy to eat. Service was not even bare minimum. Absent drinks, then wrong drinks, then warm water only. We were there for about 2 hours. We went most of the meal lacking what we ordered because the server did not check in it remember things we asked for. I definitely would not go back or recommend.
The collard greens were good... If you order a dish, order that to-go.
They do have gluten free injera, but only sometimes so call ahead to make sure it's available that day.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Marisa Elliott
We love the food and experience here. It's our favorite spot to take adventurous eaters and one of the only places that we look forward to the veggies!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Odell Hobson
This is not the first time that we've been here this is a place that we frequent the food is amazing and the cultural experience is great I highly recommend this place
I normally would have emailed management directly, but since there is no contact email listed on Muzita Abyssinian Bistro’s website, I’m leaving this review instead. Our experience on August 30 around 12:30 p.m. was extremely disappointing. It took nearly 15 minutes before the server, who was also bartending, even brought water or took our order. On a hot day, the waters had no ice, and I eventually had to get up multiple times to refill them myself. When I asked to leave a pitcher at our table, I was told they only pour drinks for guests, which set the tone for the rest of the visit.
Service remained inattentive throughout. We waited over 45 minutes for our food, had to ask multiple times for plates and utensils (and were only given four for a party of six), and even waited far too long for berbere sauce we requested early on. Someone in our group ordered a Coke that was flat, and when we mentioned it, the server argued it was fine. In my experience, restaurants usually don’t change CO₂ tanks proactively, only after customers complain, and serving a flat soda simply reinforced how little care was given.
When the food arrived, it was wrong and poorly prepared. We had specifically asked for no mushrooms due to a severe allergy, but mushrooms were in the Zigni Siga (see photo). This is a serious food safety concern. We also asked for the dish to be mild so children could eat it, but it came out extremely spicy and the beef was very tough. On top of that, $6 for about two tablespoons of rice and $5 for the same amount of cucumber yogurt felt unreasonable.
Finally, when we raised these issues, the server’s response came across as dismissive and condescending. We even asked early on for the automatic gratuity for six people to be removed, yet it was still charged. Between the poor service, food safety mistakes, dismissive attitude, and unreasonable pricing, this was one of the worst dining experiences we’ve had in San Diego. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and improves training, because guests deserve far better.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ely Sanchez
A great place for Ethiopian food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lan Thomas
Always delicious! We have been here so many times over the years and are never disappointed.
First time here and it was delicious! Very busy spot, our waiter was the only waiter in the entire restaurant and he was on top of things! Took awhile to get our food but he was very accommodating. I will definitely be coming back!
Extremely friendly staff, they gave us extra complimentary options to try. Good food, definitely try their sambusas, absolutely delicious. The entree was a bit a mild on the flavor, but definitely a 4/5. Make a reservation prior to visiting, it's a small cute place, fills up fast.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Muzita was such an enjoyable experience for all our senses. It was our first time experiencing Abyssinian food and it won’t be the last. Abel cheerfully greeted us upon entry and helped us with our order. What a great ambassador for his cuisine. We decided on 3 vegetarian lunch specials. We thoroughly enjoyed each one of them. You taste the multi layers of flavors and spices and we didn’t even miss eating meat, it was so satisfying. Abel was attentive, gracious and we loved how happy he was to share his culture with us
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is pretty special, you can't get good Ethiopian food just anywhere. It's fun to eat the injera bread with the entree of your chosing. For anyone who's never tried it, it reminds me of Indian food but with spongy bread instead of rice. They offer beers from Ethiopia and surrounding nations (I recommend the Walia). It's a unique experience and definitely worth checking out. I hope they open up a restaurant in northern San Diego some day.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely delightful. Came here a few times, food was great every time. And the novelty (i.e. you have to eat with your hands) was fun for my friends’ first time experience. I love the spices and the flavor of the food! I don’t know much about their food culture but I got a briefing every single time by the waiter. He is very friendly and humorous! Would definitely still go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic food from Ethiopia. The owner has been at it for 17 years and his food is truly home cooked food from his family for generations. Great atmosphere and amazing service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in San Diego as a vegetarian/vegan. The quality is always top notch. The servings are the right size and the staff is friendly. I’ve tried a lot of heir dishes. This time we had Kantisha Kikwa and the Mama’s fool and they were both delicious. The Timitimo red lentil side is so tasty but my favorite is the lettuce salad, it’s soooo delicious.
They are always short staffed so service can be a little slow, even to get a host to seat us at a table. It would be wonderful if they could hire more staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
i came here for the first time a few weeks ago and came back specifically because of the hospitality and love that Abel and his team radiate so generously. the food is outstanding, authentic and delicious, but i come back for the atmosphere. i will be back again and again. one of the best dining experiences i’ve ever had. thank you Muzita team for being such a comfort in every way.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have allergies and called beforehand to see if they could accommodate. They said they could. They then served us a dish that had one of my allergens throughout it. They replaced it, but the allergen dish stayed on the same plate as the rest of the good so it limited what I could actually eat. The replacement came ready to-go because it took so long to cook. Both meat dishes were tough. Trying to make a meat stew in 40 minutes that needs hours to cook thoughtfully proved unsuccessful. Was not easy to eat. Service was not even bare minimum. Absent drinks, then wrong drinks, then warm water only. We were there for about 2 hours. We went most of the meal lacking what we ordered because the server did not check in it remember things we asked for. I definitely would not go back or recommend.
The collard greens were good... If you order a dish, order that to-go.
They do have gluten free injera, but only sometimes so call ahead to make sure it's available that day.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
We love the food and experience here. It's our favorite spot to take adventurous eaters and one of the only places that we look forward to the veggies!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is not the first time that we've been here this is a place that we frequent the food is amazing and the cultural experience is great I highly recommend this place
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
One of the best Ethiopian restaurant in San Diego
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
I normally would have emailed management directly, but since there is no contact email listed on Muzita Abyssinian Bistro’s website, I’m leaving this review instead. Our experience on August 30 around 12:30 p.m. was extremely disappointing. It took nearly 15 minutes before the server, who was also bartending, even brought water or took our order. On a hot day, the waters had no ice, and I eventually had to get up multiple times to refill them myself. When I asked to leave a pitcher at our table, I was told they only pour drinks for guests, which set the tone for the rest of the visit.
Service remained inattentive throughout. We waited over 45 minutes for our food, had to ask multiple times for plates and utensils (and were only given four for a party of six), and even waited far too long for berbere sauce we requested early on. Someone in our group ordered a Coke that was flat, and when we mentioned it, the server argued it was fine. In my experience, restaurants usually don’t change CO₂ tanks proactively, only after customers complain, and serving a flat soda simply reinforced how little care was given.
When the food arrived, it was wrong and poorly prepared. We had specifically asked for no mushrooms due to a severe allergy, but mushrooms were in the Zigni Siga (see photo). This is a serious food safety concern. We also asked for the dish to be mild so children could eat it, but it came out extremely spicy and the beef was very tough. On top of that, $6 for about two tablespoons of rice and $5 for the same amount of cucumber yogurt felt unreasonable.
Finally, when we raised these issues, the server’s response came across as dismissive and condescending. We even asked early on for the automatic gratuity for six people to be removed, yet it was still charged. Between the poor service, food safety mistakes, dismissive attitude, and unreasonable pricing, this was one of the worst dining experiences we’ve had in San Diego. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and improves training, because guests deserve far better.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
A great place for Ethiopian food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Always delicious! We have been here so many times over the years and are never disappointed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Zigini Siga, Mushroom Appetizer, Shiro Siga, Beggie Kilwa
First time here and it was delicious! Very busy spot, our waiter was the only waiter in the entire restaurant and he was on top of things! Took awhile to get our food but he was very accommodating. I will definitely be coming back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
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