Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
Ethiopian
Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Traditional Ethiopian cuisine with vegan options for appetizers and entrees. Removed May 2023: Limited vegan options.
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357A Grand Ave, Oakland, California, USA, 94610
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- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 08 May 2023 by villain
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Added by Tigra220 on 18 May 2017
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9 Reviews
First Review by Tigra220
EagleRoy
Points +130
Good food. Good experience - Edit
Lots to choose from this Ethiopian restaurant. I love the Ethiopian spices which I can only describe as enough to enhance the flavor but not overpowering. I didn't know what to get from all the choice so I got the veggie sampler. Glad I did.
Read moreGuest
villain
Points +8583
Items with ghee and honey labeled vegan - Edit
I don't eat here anymore but it's unclear if Enssaro ever had many vegan options to begin with. On their menu, they list items containing ghee as vegan and a dessert with honey as "vegan". Multiple people in the local community have said that items labeled vegan were never actually vegan, and unfortunately, that seems to be my assessment as well after more times of trying to talk with the restaurant and get answers. If you ask staff if they have vegan options, they just made a joke about things having no flavor and won't answer clearly.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-05-08
Cons: They label ghee vegan, They label honey vegan, I have no clue if the options here are vegan
theNumberOfTheBeast
Losers. In Ethiopia there were people who are afraid of vegans because they believe that not wishing to eat meat is a communicable demonic possession!
Read morevillain
Wow! I didn't know about that. Luckily HappyCow removed this listing
Read moremissmuffcake
I went the other night, before I saw this review. I was concerned and wrote the person in charge asking about ghee in the vegan dishes, he said no, that it is dairy free. I asked about honey. He said he has the vegan honey cake and I explained to him that vegans do not eat honey and he is going to edit the menu.
Read moreHe was adamant about not using ghee. I believe him. They have a specific drink on the menu that contains oat milk labeled vegan so it would be odd about the ghee.
Guest
vnagel
Points +129
Would eat here again! - Edit
Got the veggie sambusa and veggie sampler. The sambusa and mild split peas were my favorites.
Read moreStaff was very attentive (sat me right away, replaced napkins without asking, immediately available when I asked for to-go box). With the QR code order/pay system, I never had to wait for anything except for when the food was being prepared (which took maybe 10-15 min for appetizer and 5-10 additional min for entre).
Didn't get the vegan dessert, but note that it has "honey almond granola" which makes me question if it's vegan.
Pros: Good variety of vegan items and explicitly labeled, Plenty of attentive + friendly staff, Nice vibe (indoor/outdoor seating, music)
Guest
SoyCoffeeFTW
Points +742
Delicious vegan Ethiopian food! - Edit
I love getting the vegan combo and sharing it with my partner! The vegan dessert is also amazing!
Read moreKeep in mind that Ethiopian food is made to share, so if you dine in, all of your orders will be placed on one plate. This includes the orders of those in your company who are not vegan!
The injera portions are also quite small, so I would order an extra portion for each meal.
Pros: Lots of vegan options, Affordable, Attentive and friendly servers
Guest
SophieRoberts
Points +16
Served us meat!! - Edit
Today is my birthday. We ordered veggie sambusas. They served us beef. I ate a whole one before realizing. I have been vegetarian for 11 years and vegan for 6 so it was pretty devastating. Additionally, since it’s been so long since I’ve had meat, I got a stomach ache.
Read moreThey were not particularly apologetic and even accused us of accidentally ordering the beef. (We ordered the veggie and I have the receipt to prove it). They didn’t even offer us the rest of our meal for free so we just asked for a refund and left quietly.
Updated from previous review on 2022-01-02
Cons: Served us meat
Guest
A4M5A
Points +80
Best Ethiopian Food Around - Edit
All the vegan options I’ve had are the best. Amazing flavors.
Read moreGuest
Hayjzr
Points +42
Vegan eats - Edit
Wonderful food and will return
Read morePros: Vegan sampler plate enough for 2, Choice of inside or outside seating , Delicious traditional Ethiopian food;greens, bean
Cons: Busy and no one to greet you when you arrive, Parking is difficult , Food with a little too much oil
Guest
SatShabad
Points +322
Yummy. - Edit
Their veg sampler is delicious and you can get gluten free injera. I also like their spiced tea. A popular spot to enjoy with friends.
Read moreGuest
Tigra220
Points +10712
Ethiopian Fries & Hummus! - Edit
I have vegan family in Oakland and this is their favorite restaurant. After browsing their online menu and seeing a few new-to-me menu items, I was excited to come here with them.
Read moreI ordered 3 appetizers:
DENITCH FRIES - Thin cut and deep fried potatoes, resembling potato chips in appearance, but not as crisp as a chip. A delightful snack on which to munch while awaiting your main course. Ketchup is available. Portion is large.
YE MESSER SAMBUSA - golden fried pastry puffs (similar to samosas) filled with lentils & spices. Served with a spicy sauce. Delicious! Comes with triangular 4 pieces.
BUTACHA - Homemade Ethiopian hummus. My DD is part Ethiopian and neither of us had ever heard of this being apart of Ethiopian cuisine. Comes with 4 scoops. Tip: scoop up some of the hummus together with the Messer Wot for a super-dose of deliciousness.
For my entree, I ordered the Vegetarian Sampler, aka Ye Tsome Bayaynetu. It comes with Messer Wot (somewhat spicy red lentils), Kik Alicha (yellow split peas), Ata-Kilt (cabbage & potatoes), Gomen (greens), and salad.
On my first visit, I ordered the veg sampler along with an extra order of Messer Wot. It all came out on one platter, which was nice, but it was a lot of food. On my second visit, I requested, and was allowed, to get double Messer Wot instead of the Kik Alicha (which I don't like) and it was the perfect amount of food. All of the veggies were excellent and they give plenty of injera.
If you’re a fan of Ginger Beer, they serve a pretty good one here. There have a new vegan dessert, which is banana and cream based. I’m not a big banana fan so I skipped it, but was happy to see it being advertised.
I only had a couple of dislikes. I thought service was a little lacking. It was hard to get our waitress's attention on both visits, and my hummus didn't come out until we were almost finished eating on the second visit. Also, gratuity is automatically included on tables of 4 or more. This peeves me. 4 is not a large party and it's probably why the service was sub-par.
Pros: delicious vegan options, vegan desserts
Guest
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