Asmara Restaurant

I've been back a few times and have decided Asmara is the best Ethiopian spot in Oakland! I've been to a few other well-regarded spots, but the flavors, quality, portions, and service are better at Asmara. You must get the catfish- it's so good!!

3 of us killed 4 dishes. But we eat a lot...

The streak of great food and service continues. This is our go to place for Ethiopian in the Oakland Berkeley area. You can tell it's authentic and delicious because most of the customers were Ethiopian.

This time around we ordered:

- two plates of doro wot -- amazing and deep flavors each of which comes with two drumsticks and an egg.

- cat fish -- simply outstanding and not typical of many Ethiopian restaurants.

- Yebeg Aliciha -- mild curried lamb. Very mild but delicious nonetheless.

- Veggie combo with an extra misirwet (red lentils). All of the veggies were excellent.

- lega tibs, beef tibs with jalapeños and onions. It was very mild, but still quite tasty.

- gored gored (almost raw beef). It was very soft and tender and extremely tasty.

I have been a long time Asmara fan and have eaten there many times. I haven't been in the area for awhile and decided to order delivery tonight.

Unfortunately, the lamb was dry and unseasoned. Not a spice to be tasted. The veggie combo is different than it used to be, and the quality has gone down significantly. Unseasoned, bland, and unappetizing. I don't know what happened, but this restaurant really took a nose dive.

Really cute restaurant with fast service and food. Tasty and authentic, this place has been around for decades and for a good reason. Of course the prices have gone up too, but that's everywhere. $70 for the vegetarian plate, lamb, and catfish. Choice of mild, spicy, or extra spicy. Everything served with plenty of injera.

Super large portions and a unique serving style. They serve unrolled injera for eating your food, which I wasn't a huge fan of but it was still usable. Service was polite if a tad slow. Ambiance was rustic, with normal sit down tables, bathrooms were clean and well maintained. They have local IPA on draft which was nice. I really enjoyed their collard greens and really loved the way they serve the dish with some yogurt and salad throughout the platter. The lamb tibs were also very good. Less amazing was the eggplant tibs, which was good but not amazing. The chickpeas were pretty bland, so I wouldn't order them again. Again, the portions were huge, definitely worth the price and overall the platter very tasty.

Scrumptious dishes, friendly welcoming service. Highly recommend fir a unique dining experience!

This restaurant is a must eat stop every time I'm in the Town!!! I get the Assa (Fish) tibs and veggie combo. Best fish tibs I have had in the USA. I have tried the food all over the country and I prefer this magnificent restaurant! Service is excellent and the ambience is excellent.

As a proud Habesha, I can confidently say that Asmara Restaurant offers the best Eritrean/Ethiopian food in Oakland! I've tried numerous spots around the area, but Asmara stands out as the ultimate choice. The food is consistently delicious and fresh, and the service is exceptional. As someone who grew up enjoying this cuisine and has even attempted to cook it at home (with mixed results!), I can confidently say that Asmara is the only place I trust to satisfy my craving for authentic flavors. Do yourself a favor and give them a try - your taste buds will thank you!

I've been dying to try all of the bay area's best Ethiopian/Eritrean spots. An Eritrean friend of ours said that we had to try Asmara because it's her favorite restaurant.

Say less. Next thing that you know, my fiancée and I are trekking to Oakland to get the goods from Asmara. Eager, excited, and starving.

Wow. What a phenomenal meal.

We ordered the Doro Tibsy, Lega Tibs, and Tikil Gomen. My taste buds lit up and started jiving with every bite. The array of authentic, diverse, bold and succulent flavors made me completely forget where I was. The only thing that mattered in that moment was the next satisfying bite that I was ready to take.

I'm pretty sure that my fiancée and I said nothing to one another until our plate was decimated. I guess that's the power of an Asmara meal.

And as an added bonus, the service was so quick! Im pretty impatient and irritable when I'm hungry (hangry), so I was so happy be served quickly.

So to tie a bow around this review, I ABSOLUTELY recommend Asmara. 5/5 stars.

Great Ethiopian food!!!! We got the vegetarian combo and the lamb curry - sooooo good. Came with lots of extra injera and potatoes. Flavors were on point and I couldn't stop eating. Honey wine was also really good and a fun treat! Beautiful interior and really friendly service. Will definitely be back!