Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant

One of my favourite places to dine and take out - with legendary hospitality from all!

Vegetarian options: Great vegetarian platter with lots of different proteins and vegetables!

Dietary restrictions: Has gluten free injera and vegetarian options with protein. Kids options too

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tomato Salad, Veggie Platter, Kitfo, Ethiopian Injera

Parking: The main street is busy, but side streets had plenty of parking when I was here.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Cha Cha TIBS, Wazema Meat Combo, Veggie Platter

Wazema is one of my favorite places for Ethipian food on the Danforth. Great service. I always go for the Wazema platter- my partner and I got ambitious ordering a plate ‘for 3’ (we could have definitely just done ‘for 2’) but it was delicious nontheless. We went on a weekday evening but it’s also a fun spot to hangout come night time, it has a club-type vibe with live music on some nights. The reason I gave 4/5 for atmosphere is the restaurant is quite dim, and when I was there, there was some sort of smoke in the air, as though there was heavy incense burning (it eventually dissipated). This didn’t take away from the overall experience.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Doro Wot? More Like Doro What in the World Happened Here?
I just ordered the classic Doro Wot on UberEats. Or at least, that’s what they claimed it was. What arrived at my house, however, was so confused about its identity that I had to double-check whether I’d ordered from an Ethiopian restaurant or some experimental kitchen playing dice with recipes.

Let’s start with the Kulet. More like Chopped Onion Chronicles. It was a chunky, chaotic mess of half-cooked onions that seemed to be in open rebellion against caramelization. And the chicken? Oh, the chicken. Someone clearly thought, “Bones? Authenticity? Nah, who needs those?” The result was a scattering of boneless chicken fragments that felt more like a sad garnish than the centerpiece of the dish. For a brief, confusing moment, I wondered if I’d accidentally ordered Tibs. But honestly, even Tibs would’ve staged a walkout over being compared to this.

This dish felt like it started as a beef stew, had a midlife crisis, and then decided, “Eh, let’s throw in some chicken and really confuse everyone!” If chickens could talk, they would’ve unionized, boycotted this restaurant, and sued for emotional damages by now.

So here’s my advice: DO NOT try the Doro Wot from this place unless you’re actively seeking disappointment. This isn’t just bad Ethiopian food, it’s an insult to chickens everywhere and a betrayal of cultural pride.

– Only because I wasn’t able to give 0.

The food here is fantastic! The beef wat stew tasted so good and was so flavourful! Big portion was given to us when we visited.

The atmosphere was so cozy. I was vibing with the jazz pop music that was playing here.

The servers here were so nice especially Eden, she was very helpful!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Vegan + gluten free options

The food is outstanding!
If you go on a Friday night there will be live music which really adds to the entire experience!
I highly recommend coming here, you won’t be disappointed :)

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: TIBS, Veggie Delight, Injera, Kitfo

Our favourite place for Ethiopian! The food and service are always amazing!

Food: 5

Service: 5

People there where amazing good food love it will go back

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The service is fine at this place, the diner is so dark that you can’t see very well the food and even reading the menu was tough but the waitress was so nice to explain the food
I orders the lamb meat plater and it was presented in a sizzling hot pan and I kind of loved the taste of it
They have a small platform for entertainment mostly at night, we visited this restaurant around noon
Price is not bad but they add the bread price to your bill and that was not made clear in the menu, May be we missed it because of the darkness
Overall the food is ok and the service was great and they offer alcoholic beverages
No free parking close by but if you are willing to walk to side streets for a one hour free parking you may get lucky

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Cha Cha TIBS, Chicken Cha Cha, Wazema Platter

People there where amazing good food love it will go back

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great food, ambience and service

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amazing Restaurant! This is my go to spot for Ethiopian food in the city. Went there for my sisters birthday and the staff took amazing care of us. We came with a few people who have never visited Wazema before and they loved everything! Great food, great service and great aesthetic. If you’re looking for a good Ethiopian restaurant wazema is the place to go

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place is so cool! They do live music on certain days, staff was very warm and food was great! Will go again!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Wazema Platter with Chicken Cha Cha and Doro Wat, Wazema Platter

For me, Habesha (Ethiopian, Eritrean) food is comfort food (par excellence). It never fails to bring joy in happiness or consolation in sadness. Such was the case with Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant. From the first moment, I was greeted with joy by the waitress Kal. She took the time to review the menu together and take the initiative to make a few adjustments to the Wazema Platter to accommodate my tastes in meat and vegetables. Seeing my interest in Ethiopian art & music, Kal explained the meaning behind the various works of art on the walls (especially the stunning stained glass-like works of Afewerk Tekle - አፈወርቅ ተክሌ). The food itself was prepared to perfection. The meat was well-seasoned, tender, wonderful texture; the vegetables were subtle and delicate. The injera, itself, struck a wonderful balance - neither too sour, nor bland - just right. At the end of the meal, Kal further spoke about the beauty of Ethiopia: Axum, Lalibela, Gondar, Ras Dashen.

My 2 hours at Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant were a taste of paradise. May God grant that I return, and that everyone may go to discover this treasure.
Thank you Kal, thank you wait staff, thank you chefs - አመሰግናለሁ

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Injera, Wazema Platter