Club Waziema
Ethiopian restaurant · North Panhandle
543 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Highlights
Ethiopian fare, live music, pool tables, and a historic bar scene
Ethiopian fare, live music, pool tables, and a historic bar scene
"The Ethiopian restaurant-bar-dance-floor on Divisadero known as Club Waziema is the spot to both chat someone up and dance the night away. Grab a drink or two at the very red, very wooden bar, and then head back to the small, but mighty dance floor or the pool tables for a break. The events calendar is packed, featuring DJs from all the hottest collectives in town, and sets from your new favorite techno, R&B, and Bay Area rap DJs." - ricky rodriguez
"Sure, you can sit and order the Ethiopian dishes that are served at all hours of the day, but expect some sideways glances as the night wears on because, for decades, this has been known as the go-to spot on Divisadero for strong, yet cheap drinks, stellar wallpaper choices, shooting pool, and sitting in dimly lit corners to cackle — without having to muscle your way through a crowd of sweaty 20-somethings. Plus, recently dubbed a San Francisco historical landmark, this neighborhood dive in NOPA is (thankfully) here to stay." - Lena Park
"This restaurant, bar, and venue has been around since 1997, and before that was known as Club Morocco in the 1960s, a venue for artists including Marvin Gaye and Billie Holliday. Owners Giday Beshue and Nebiat Tesfazgi put powerful injera on the menu, a big hit with the locals, in addition to collard greens, beef stew in Berbere sauce, and, thankfully, a full bar." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Club Waziema is an enigma of a bar on Divisadero that is supposedly also an Ethiopian restaurant, but we’ve never seen any food. Instead, this is a dive bar that’s perfect for meandering between the chatting stage, the dancing stage, and vice versa. Through some magic of acoustic design, the music from the front never bleeds into the back, making it truly feel like two spots in one. The energy is different, too. Everyone tends to get down in the back, while those up front truly can’t be bothered to look past the eyes of their new situationship. Club Waziema covers almost all of your needs, now, if only we could get some food. " - ricky rodriguez, julia chen 1
"Preston has been coming to this historic bar and restaurant just across the street for decades. Club Waziema opened in 1997, and before that was known as Club Morocco in the 1960s, a venue for artists including Marvin Gaye and Billie Holliday. The venue lay dormant and worked as a pseudo-private hangout for a few years before owners Giday Beshue and Nebiat Tesfazgi took over. Then, it took three years of hearings to get all the certifications approved by the city, a process both owners say Preston was instrumental in supporting. Much of the space, from the stage in the back to the bar in front, is held over from the original club. In addition to the powerful drinks and vibey music, Waziema is in fact a worthwhile restaurant all on its own. The owners know Preston’s order and fire it up once he walks in, preparing an extra order of the vegetarian combo for him to take home for his daughter. While we pile into the well-spiced, potato-centric medley — all lovingly wrapped in fermented injera — two locals ask Preston his thoughts on the Dolores Hill Bomb arrests, and what he thinks the police should’ve done. The three of them chat as the evening’s eaters and drinkers flock to the sidewalk outside, no doom loops in sight. 'Just come visit and find out for yourself,' Preston says of San Francisco in 2023. 'Enjoy the city.'" - Paolo Bicchieri
