I have NEVER been to an Ethiopian restaurant that I didn't like. This was the first one.
Ethiopian food is one of my favorite foods and even when I'm traveling internationally, I always crave it and find one.
I just moved to this area and decided to check this one out and ordered the beef tibs as I normally do.
All I could taste was cumin. It was too strong and overpowering. The beef was also not marinated properly as it was flavorless in the middle. It was also very chewy and hard to swallow.
On top of that, out of the 50 or so different Ethiopian restaurants I've been to in the last few years, I have never seen one that doesn't offer a salad with it.
This dish was $25 + tax + tip.
There are quite a lot of Ethiopian restaurants nearby so I will be checking them out instead.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Kelly Anderson
I had a disappointing experience with the customer service at Zeni. The tall waitress appeared visibly unhappy and unapproachable, as if she didn’t want to be there. While I understand that everyone can have an off day, consistent poor service (as reflected in other reviews as well) seems to be an ongoing issue here. I won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Vikram K
Tried this place for the first time. The food was good—especially the kitfo. But the service was kind of off. The waitress gave off a weird vibe. Not sure if she was having a bad day or if that’s just how she is, but it made us feel like we weren’t really welcome. She didn’t have a name tag or introduce herself, so I don’t know her name. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’d come back, even though the food was okay. The way I see it if they don’t welcome customers then why go?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Vikram A
I really really hope the owner of this restaurant takes action regarding the customer service. I’ve never encountered such consistently poor treatment from staff at a restaurant. When we dined in, the waitress approached our table without making eye contact or offering a smile. She practically dropped the menus on the table and asked after few minutes if we were ready to order in a very unfriendly tone. By the time she walked away, we were all left wondering if we had somehow offended her. Her attitude made the entire experience uncomfortable. Despite this, I decided to give the restaurant another chance by ordering takeout, as I genuinely enjoy the food. Unfortunately, the service was just as disappointing. The woman who answered the phone spoke so quietly that I couldn’t understand her. When I politely asked her to repeat herself, she became annoyed and rude. When I arrived to pick up the food, I was tempted to walk out—it was that unpleasant. No matter how good the food is, I won’t be returning. It’s shocking to feel like you're an inconvenience just for being a customer. I even spoke to some coworkers about it, and they shared similar experiences. There’s clearly a pattern here, and it’s unfortunate because the food deserves better service to match.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
G Ratnam
I have been going to Zeni for atleast 18 years but 2as so disappointed by my last visit. The quantity in a serving had dropped, the food is not worth the cost and so many of the favorites are no longer on the combo. The service used to be laid back now it is disinterested and painfully slow. The two orders each of the veg and non veg combos arrived at different time and was not worth the $60+ each was. I used to love this place and judged every other Ethiopian restaurant against this one because of how good their food was now it is my least favorite of the options out there.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Kurians Paul
Amazing food, but the service could be improved. The injera, yedoro kitfo is a spiritual experience that everyone must embark on. Every time I visit San Jose, I make it a point to come here at least twice. Two thumbs up.
The culture is beautiful! Have to be hungry to get used to the food but at least only 1 of the dishes was too spicy. We had the vegan platter.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Pavan kumar
If I could I would give 0 stars for service
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mitch Galli
This is the best Ethiopian food in the Bay Area. Hands down. The food is next level and the staff is so friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ren Heiss
Food is good, sometimes. The beef plate i had was delicious, the lamb one was tough and bland in comparison and half the size despite being $4 more. Also they put wheat in their injera without saying so. Stomach felt awful. At least I'm only intolerant and not celiac/allergic...
I’ve been here several times. The food is always great. Unfortunately, the service isn’t. The waitresses seem awkward and unwelcoming, which makes the atmosphere uncomfortable. As a regular customer, I’d expect a bit more warmth. The staff often seem uninterested and unwelcoming. After several visits with the same experience, I’ve decided to try other places where the atmosphere feels more inviting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Venu
In an extraordinary turnaround, a restaurant widely known as the Best Ethiopian food in the Bay Area has become a greasy, unappetizing place in the past two years while the prices have doubled.
Quite a sad turn of events. What was once a bustling place packed all the time is now empty every time we’ve visited even during peak hours.
Maybe it’s under new ownership. Either way, a sad ending. Please do not ever visit this place.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Lieon Haile
As the owner of an Ethiopian restaurant in Oakland, I take pride in serving great Kitfo—but I have to say, the Kitfo I had at Zeni Restaurant in San Jose truly stood out. It was different in the best way possible—rich, flavorful, and incredibly authentic. It reminded me of the original taste back home in Ethiopia. Simply the best Kitfo I’ve ever had in the U.S. Highly recommended
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
alka puri
The food is always flavorful and the service is always amazing.
april
My first experience eating Ethiopian food. Good service, the food was flavorful. I couldn't rate it 5 stars because I don't have anything to compare it to. Nice cozy spot. The appetizer was delicious and flaky. The food was hot and fresh we had some sort of ground beef and a chopped beef along with some chicken all were good. We also had greens which were just ok to me. . I'll come back. Many more options i want to try.
I have NEVER been to an Ethiopian restaurant that I didn't like. This was the first one.
Ethiopian food is one of my favorite foods and even when I'm traveling internationally, I always crave it and find one.
I just moved to this area and decided to check this one out and ordered the beef tibs as I normally do.
All I could taste was cumin. It was too strong and overpowering. The beef was also not marinated properly as it was flavorless in the middle. It was also very chewy and hard to swallow.
On top of that, out of the 50 or so different Ethiopian restaurants I've been to in the last few years, I have never seen one that doesn't offer a salad with it.
This dish was $25 + tax + tip.
There are quite a lot of Ethiopian restaurants nearby so I will be checking them out instead.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
I had a disappointing experience with the customer service at Zeni. The tall waitress appeared visibly unhappy and unapproachable, as if she didn’t want to be there. While I understand that everyone can have an off day, consistent poor service (as reflected in other reviews as well) seems to be an ongoing issue here. I won’t be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Tried this place for the first time. The food was good—especially the kitfo. But the service was kind of off.
The waitress gave off a weird vibe. Not sure if she was having a bad day or if that’s just how she is, but it made us feel like we weren’t really welcome. She didn’t have a name tag or introduce herself, so I don’t know her name.
Honestly, I’m not sure if I’d come back, even though the food was okay. The way I see it if they don’t welcome customers then why go?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
I really really hope the owner of this restaurant takes action regarding the customer service. I’ve never encountered such consistently poor treatment from staff at a restaurant.
When we dined in, the waitress approached our table without making eye contact or offering a smile. She practically dropped the menus on the table and asked after few minutes if we were ready to order in a very unfriendly tone. By the time she walked away, we were all left wondering if we had somehow offended her. Her attitude made the entire experience uncomfortable.
Despite this, I decided to give the restaurant another chance by ordering takeout, as I genuinely enjoy the food. Unfortunately, the service was just as disappointing. The woman who answered the phone spoke so quietly that I couldn’t understand her. When I politely asked her to repeat herself, she became annoyed and rude. When I arrived to pick up the food, I was tempted to walk out—it was that unpleasant.
No matter how good the food is, I won’t be returning. It’s shocking to feel like you're an inconvenience just for being a customer. I even spoke to some coworkers about it, and they shared similar experiences.
There’s clearly a pattern here, and it’s unfortunate because the food deserves better service to match.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
I have been going to Zeni for atleast 18 years but 2as so disappointed by my last visit. The quantity in a serving had dropped, the food is not worth the cost and so many of the favorites are no longer on the combo. The service used to be laid back now it is disinterested and painfully slow. The two orders each of the veg and non veg combos arrived at different time and was not worth the $60+ each was. I used to love this place and judged every other Ethiopian restaurant against this one because of how good their food was now it is my least favorite of the options out there.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Amazing food, but the service could be improved. The injera, yedoro kitfo is a spiritual experience that everyone must embark on. Every time I visit San Jose, I make it a point to come here at least twice. Two thumbs up.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Vegetarian Combo, Injera, Kitfo, Meat Combo
The culture is beautiful! Have to be hungry to get used to the food but at least only 1 of the dishes was too spicy. We had the vegan platter.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
If I could I would give 0 stars for service
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
This is the best Ethiopian food in the Bay Area. Hands down. The food is next level and the staff is so friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food is good, sometimes. The beef plate i had was delicious, the lamb one was tough and bland in comparison and half the size despite being $4 more. Also they put wheat in their injera without saying so. Stomach felt awful. At least I'm only intolerant and not celiac/allergic...
Restaurantji Recommends
I’ve been here several times. The food is always great. Unfortunately, the service isn’t. The waitresses seem awkward and unwelcoming, which makes the atmosphere uncomfortable. As a regular customer, I’d expect a bit more warmth. The staff often seem uninterested and unwelcoming. After several visits with the same experience, I’ve decided to try other places where the atmosphere feels more inviting.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
In an extraordinary turnaround, a restaurant widely known as the Best Ethiopian food in the Bay Area has become a greasy, unappetizing place in the past two years while the prices have doubled.
Quite a sad turn of events. What was once a bustling place packed all the time is now empty every time we’ve visited even during peak hours.
Maybe it’s under new ownership. Either way, a sad ending. Please do not ever visit this place.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
As the owner of an Ethiopian restaurant in Oakland, I take pride in serving great Kitfo—but I have to say, the Kitfo I had at Zeni Restaurant in San Jose truly stood out. It was different in the best way possible—rich, flavorful, and incredibly authentic. It reminded me of the original taste back home in Ethiopia. Simply the best Kitfo I’ve ever had in the U.S. Highly recommended
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is always flavorful and the service is always amazing.
My first experience eating Ethiopian food. Good service, the food was flavorful. I couldn't rate it 5 stars because I don't have anything to compare it to. Nice cozy spot. The appetizer was delicious and flaky. The food was hot and fresh we had some sort of ground beef and a chopped beef along with some chicken all were good. We also had greens which were just ok to me. . I'll come back. Many more options i want to try.
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