Little Ethiopia restaurant and catering

Short and maybe not so sweet - food was good, we both got their lamb dishes, one spicy and one mild, the yellow one pictured is the mild one and was tender, the spicy one was not tender at all. Was recommended to try their sparkling water Ambo later found out that it was $5 per bottle! Italian ones were cheaper... Bill came out to $40 for 3 items, cutthroat prices if you ask me for the amount of food (real stingy on salad), place was completely dead - that should have been a good indicator

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS RESTAURANT. Nice staff, like super nice, you get welcomed with a polite smile and greeting. Food worth 10 star, literally. Food portions are OK. The venue and decoration is very simple, cosy, and homie. Service is quick and food is delicious. You will need to use your all 10 fingers for having the Ethiopian food, so don’t expect it to be a fit for fork and knife. Prices are affordable and the menu is simple. They have a great Ethiopian white wine. Totally recommend.

I had better, but Ethiopian food is always good. We came in late so service was kinda slow even though we were the only ones here. Prices are at normal range for this type of food. I played it safe and ordered the Alicha Wot which was delicious. Portions combining with a the Injera are more than decent.

This is my favorite spot to go to. They have very attentive waiters and the food is really good for the cheap price. I always go here because they used to have the $7 vegetarian lunch special and I believe a $9 dinner special. But when I went here a couple days ago, they had a new menu. The vegetarian dinner for two is now $15. The meat items are just okay like every other place in fairfax. If you're a meat eater like me, I recommend "Zula Eritrean restaurant" in Inglewood. Wow the meat flavors are on point! I reviewed that place and gave it a 5 star.

The nicest people with the most questionable business practices. I went here using Groupons 1 day before they expired. I made the mistake of saying I had a Groupon when we ordered. As a party of 4 we ordered 2 separate dishes to feed us all (left photo) I came back the next day to use my other Groupon and didn't mention it until the bill came (right photo). The size of the platter was identical but the difference in portions between 2 to 4 people is appalling. I also bought a $7 beer that was nothing special. The food was good-ish but all the other stuff far outweighed the entire experience. Probably won't go back...#Disappointed

I ordered the little Ethiopian special and the food was fabulous! Service was good. Cute little spot. I would go back.

Our go to Ethiopian spot! Delicious, we always get a platter for two to share for 3 people. Large portions! We like to end with a tea. Their customer service is delightful. This picture is from a dinning during covid-19 experience.

Excellent food, okay service. Only bad thing it was very difficult to find parking.

There must be some politics involved in the ratings of the restaurants in Little Ethiopia! I've visited all but one of them and BAR NONE, this is the absolute most authentic & flavorful of them all. The only negative that I could ascertain is the lackadaisical service. Otherwise, Little Ethiopia should be packed everyday. True story: I gave another restaurant a go that was located on the other side of the block. The food was horrifically Blickity Blick Blick Bland!!!! After consuming 1/8, I kindly asked them to pack it up, I put it the car (so I could doctor it later and not waste money) and went across to Little Ethiopia to order some real Ethiopian food! I'd strongly recommend that Little Ethiopia focus more on their hospitality program. Maybe then they will get the glowing reviews they deserve! FOOD NOTES: - the food isn't dumbed down for the American palette. This is authentic, well prepared and well seasoned cuisine! - my fish was cooked perfectly (Across the street was superbly over cooked) - the kitfo is good and spicy - the collard greens are the absolute best on the block! - AUTHENTIC AUTHENTIC AUTHENTIC ps I've been in the restaurant industry for many years. It pains me to see culture specific restaurants dumb down to appease America eaters. How do we authentically get to know each other through food if it's not the real food you grew up eating?!! Thanks for keeping it real, Little Ethiopia!

Doesn't look much when you walK in. It's a little hole in the restaurant. My boyfriend got the kitfo and hE says it was really excellent. He says it was better than most of the kitfo. I tried it for tHe first time and I'm not a fan. I got the vegetarian plate and I thought most of wHat I got was pretty good. I wasn't a fan of the yellow beans and cheese but I loved everything else. The breadd is not as sour as most Ethiopian breads, which I prefer. If they amped up their decor I'd give them 4 stars.

Some of the best sambusas I've ever tried! The outside crust was flaky and the filling steaming hot with a savory flavor that hit my taste buds and made them dance! They sometime have a Groupon so if you're not sure you want to adventure into the landing of Ethiopia (although I suggest you do), that's a way to try without hitting your wallet too hard. If you need someone to experience it with, then hit me up. I'm always down for a free meal :)

We were on our way to the Comedy Store, and decided to stop in for a quick dinner in Little Ethiopia, as there was a sign outside offering dinner for as low as $7. This is a small, family owned place that pays tribute to cultural heritage. The menu has combination platters, many of which were vegetarian, where they place several scoops of curries on top of a giant injera, which is like an unleavened, spongey flatbread. Although you can request forks, it's best to eat in the traditional manner which is to break a piece of bread off, then with your hands, scoop curry with your injera. They also have lots of "wot," or Ethiopian-spiced meat stews. I want to try these next time but that night we went we were looking for vegetarian options, so we got an all-veg curry combo platter. We also ordered a plate of 3 lentil samosas ($8) which were absolutely delicious and very fresh. They also gave us a plate of extra injera for our meal. They do indeed have a combo for as low as $7, but we bought a larger one for the two of us to share at $13 but was still a very good value. We were totally stuffed and even brought home a bit of leftovers. The combination had Misir Wot, Gomen, Dinich Wot, Keke Aletcha, and Tikile Gomen, the last one being spicy with red lentils, collard greens, split peas, cabbage, green beans. They also have Ethiopian mead(!) and wines for very inexpensive prices.

Ordered the lamb tibs and it was stewed perfectly! My friend isn't normally veggie person and the vegetables were seasoned and cooked perfectly that she can't believe she was eating veggies - might be a great gateway food for kids. However, the service was extremely slow here. It took almost an hour to get our dish! We didn't even get a water refill unless we asked and even that took a long time.

My body is at least 20% injera so I love visiting Ethiopian restaurants trying to find the best vegetarian platters. Unfortunately I was disappointed with Little Ethiopia Restaurant. On a street with so many great options it seemed like this restaurant just phoned it in. The lentils in the platter and the sambusas were undercooked and lacked flavor. The restaurant was almost completely empty on a Friday night which was a clear indicator. With several great options at a similar price point next door you're better off choosing somewhere else.

Let me preface this by saying I really don't like to post negative reviews, especially for mom n pops'. I'm also not finicky, picky, nor snobby about food. I LOVE Ethiopian food. Even mediocre versions are still pretty good. I can even safely say I've never had "bad" Ethiopian cuisine. The spectrum, in my experience, has only ranged from "pretty decent" to "ridonculously delicious." I ate at Fresh Ethiopian (Inglewood) once and it was spicy as hellllll, even though we have a very high heat tolerance. It was almost inedibly spicy, but we just took it slow and still enjoyed it. Because it had bold flavors, actual spice, and it was still bomb as fuck. Just sayin! I do not complain about Ethiopian food. So when the craving hit, I did some research for delivery options, and weighed them on Yelp. It came down to Buna (which we've had before and loved) and this place. Despite the 3.5 stars, especially compared to Buna's 4.5, we still decided to give them a shot. You know why? Because we like to root for the underdogs. The ones that may unfairly have bad reviews due to disgruntled customers, awkward politics, or just an unapologetic way of serving authentic-unwatered-down flavors that are true to their roots (flavors that may offend some Americans or just non-Ethiopians). This is obviously what we were hoping for-- as there were a couple reviewers that speak on this and tout how "authentic" this place is. So, me and my dude always get a whole trout and veggie platter of some kind whenever we order Ethiopian. It's our go-to. Their menu online shows they have a whole fish entree ($15), a fish & veggie platter combo ($22), and a veggie platter ($16). We could've gone with the fish/veggie combo but figured it'd be more food getting both entrees: the fish entree and a separate veggie platter. I mean, duh, right? It's a 9 dollar difference, of course it must be more food, right? NOPE! It looked exactly like what a fish&veggie combo would look like. No extra veggies whatsoever. I even called before ordering to see exactly what the fish entree came with, and the lady said it was the fish with some veggies (as it should be for $15, and as it is at every other Ethiopian spot). I call back wondering if they had forgotten the extra veggies, but now she's claiming the trout ONLY comes with just that, a trout and nothing else, and "Sorry, i forgot your extra injera." So basically, I got exactly what I would get by ordering a fish&veggie combo...for 9 extra dollars. She ADMITTED this, too, when I brought it up, but refused to be helpful in any way. After much debate, she begrudgingly refunds me $5. Hence, the 2-stars. This all happened before even tasting the food. This is a whole other issue. Actually, the main issue. Honestly, had the food actually been remotely decent, I wouldn't even be writing this review. Never have I been served such a DRY-ASS-BURNT-ASS-INEDIBLE-ASS fried trout in my whole damn life. Really seemed like they had fried it hours prior and kept it under a warmer overnight. Tasted like trout jerky, not the usual juicy-tender-flaky fried goodness that we're used to being served everywhere else. The veggies?? Lentils were horribly undercooked hard bits. The collard greens, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, green beans ALL flavorless sludge severely lacking any kind of texture or spice. Again, did not think this was possible. Oh, and the cherry on top: the coffee is literally 3 oz. for 3 bucks. Straight robbery. Yeah yeah, it's "special Ethiopian coffee" or whatever. Yes, It was supposed to be, but really just tasted like bitter/burnt coffee water. I'm sure it's worth it for the ceremony, but definitely not delivery. Anyway, Never again. Too many bomb Ethiopian spots to settle for this garbage. Try Ibex, Fresh, Buna, Awash, Rosalind's, Rahel, I could go on and on. Anywhere but here, and thank me later.

This place is the best! Not sure why the 3.5 stars - the food is great. We had the vegetarian platter and the lamb. Everything was soooo good! The injera was really delicious too, kind of like sourdough pancake/crepe. All the food was good. The lamb was sizzling hot. I don't know how else to describe it other than they are so so so good. I didn't even know about the Groupon. Only found out just now from yelp reviews below. Will definitely take advantage of it next time!

Best Ethiopian Food Ever!!!! Was able to get it to go but would suggest they keep their injera separate so it doesn't get too soggy. That's the only thing. But the food is great, the customer is also excellent.

When it comes to Ethiopian standards/quality of taste - I can't really speak much on it since this would have been my first experience trying out Ethiopian food. But for all those adventurous people looking for something new to try, new flavors, new style of eating, Please check this place out or any of the nearby restaurants! It's definitely a fun experience to eat different from what we are used to, I was able to get a gift certificate from Restaurant.com of a $20 voucher for only $10 and getting a Veggie combo meal with chicken (Doro Wot) satisfies that purchase. The day my fiance and I went in to try this place out, there was only one young waitress providing service at the restaurant. When we arrived, we were the only ones there so it wasn't that bad but poor her when 3 other groups of people showed up and she had to take care of the whole place by herself. She did great by our standard, gave us refill of water and the injera (flatbread) when she saw we were running low so no complaints on service. Eating with your hands like you're a kid again, you swoop and pinch what's on your big plate with your injera, the veggies were all really good especially the beans and spinach. The Doro Wot (Chicken in a semi spicy red sauce with hard boiled eggs) is pretty good, wouldn't mind trying the beef next time I go. You gather the elements and kind of roll it up into a mini taco and a fun part is that you can feed and share with loved ones or friends around the table for "Gersha". Check out this video to learn more about this amazing cuisine and how to appropriately eat it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glsHowRiL8Y Get out of your comfort zone and try out Ethiopian food!!

This was our first time trying Ethiopian cuisine, so take this review at face value. We stopped in for dinner on Saturday evening, using a Groupon. There was only one other table occupied, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The décor was authentic and the restaurant appeared clean. Our server appeared to be Ethiopian, but unlike some of the other Yelp reviews, she spoke perfect English, so there was no communication issue. She took her time explaining the menu to us and made several recommendations for the more popular dishes. Food: we ended up ordering the Beef Sambusa (3 pieces), which is an empanada type appetizer. For our main dishes, we chose the Zizil Tibs (strips of beef sautéed with jalapeno, onions, tomatoes and special spices served sizzling on a hot plate), and the Doro Tibs (chicken breast sautéed with onion, jalapenos, tomatoes and Ethiopian spices). This was served on a large platter with a "crepe/tortilla" like bread underneath, that you then tore off a small piece and used it to pick-up and eat the proteins. A small green salad also accompanied the dish. It was fresh and tossed in a very tasty, light lemon-garlic dressing. The menu also contained lamb, fish several Vegetarian dishes, and two Daily Favorites", both spaghetti dishes, one with meat sauce and one vegetarian tomato sauce and lentils. Parking on the street and surrounding neighborhood is tough, but it looked like they might have a few spaces off the alley in the back of the restaurant.

On May 7, 2020, I ordered their Veggie combo, lentil sambusa, and mango drink. I was excited about enjoying this meal considering this is COVID-19 and all, but when food was delivered and I sat down to eat it, I was disappointed because the food was horribly dry and not seasoned well. Not a good experience for a 1st time patron.

I have been eating and loving Ethiopian food for more than 35 years. When my beloved Nyala closed, I took a novice friend to Little Ethiopia for lunch. So very disappointed! Food was warm on the outside and cold inside! Tasted like they had microwaved the leftovers from the night before. The injera was cold and stale. Never again! Messob is so much better!

Really bland Ethiopian food , I've been to Ethiopia many times their food is greasy and not cooked right , try lalibela across the street much better

Food was mid Bread was weird texture and cold beef was seasoned nicely and the rice was good Kinda dirty in the back as well. Other than that nice restaurant for authentic ETHIOPAN FOOds

The owner is so nice and the food she makes is beyond amazing ! They make you feel welcomed like you are at home! We have gotten the ethiopia feast and the vegetable feast i think its called and we were barely able to finish both times between the 2 of us! My hubby amd i enjoy it sooo much we will be back !

My friend and I came here after looking at ALL the other restaurants on Fairfax wanting some yummy Ethiopian food. We wanted a place that served honey wine, but this restaurant does NOT. So the first time we came into the restaurant, we left because of this. In the end, we ended up going to that little market next door to buy our own bottle of honey wine (only $12) and brought it to the restaurant to drink. It's BYOB and no corkage fee. The lady was really nice and welcomed us back into the restaurant the 2nd time and was overall very friendly with us and the other patrons. As for food, we ordered the first combination. I can't remember all that is included, but I know we got the one with the raw beef (you can get it cooked however you want, but we wanted it raw). There was another beef portion that was cooked with injera (the thin spongy bread) and the pieces of meat were like beef jerky! Not complaining. haha The whole thing was served on top of a huge piece of injera (of course) and a basket of more injera was given to us as well (of course). There was a lot of injera! We didn't finish it all. The food was so good! The flavors were there and I can't wait to eat it again. Overall, I think this place is awesome and is worth a visit!

Vegetarian platter ($15) was very filling, Doro Wot ($14) seemed to be the favorite out of my friends' tastebuds, and Lamb Tibs ($12) were alright. Injera was provided on the side, as well! There was only one waitress/server so it was really hard to flag her down because she was either attending to another customer or was gone doing something in the kitchen. Food took quite a bit of time to make as well, I'm assuming they might have also been understaffed in the kitchen. Park on the small streets nearby; they don't have their own plaza for you to park. Overall, meh experience with okay food. May or may not come back haha.

Some of the best Ethiopian food I've tried. Everything was delicious! I only wish that their portions were a bit larger, but that may just be the greedy foodie in me. My bestie and I split the vegetarian combo with added spicy lamb tibs. So yummy . We also ordered glasses of authentic honey wine, which was a refreshing touch to the meal. The service was excellent, as our waitress was on top of checking in with us multiple times and making sure that we had plenty of warm injera to indulge in. I'll definitely be back for more the next time I'm in town!

This place sucks. I ordered from them from door dash 3 different times. They canceled my order 3 different times. The time of day does not matter. They just randomly cancel and say they are closed. They had me waiting for 2 hours before they canceled my order and said they were closed the last time. So I hope you go out of business, because you obviously don't want any money. You suck. Get it together.

When I first saw the reviews here I was a little hesitant about going here. But after dining there today. I don't think this place deserves a 3.5 stars. It is a solid 5 star place for Vegans and vegetarians. We had few good experiences with other Ethiopian restaurants. This place is just as good. The service was on point, the food was freshly made, most importantly, the tastes were great. The vegetarian and vegan options were made clear on their menu, which was greatly appreciated. The veggie lovers combo is definitely big enough for two adults to share. Quick refill for the bread too. If you are into a "A-d-d" dining style and love the exotic flavors, Ethiopian food is totally designed for you. For coffee lovers, you got to try their coffee ceremony, the incense and the coffee aroma was incredible. Never had coffee like this, rich, bold, but not bitter. Good portion to share with a small group of people. With Groupon or not, I will definitely come back here for more.

Loved everything about this restaurant. I felt like I was back home in Ethiopia. The food is immaculate, and so was the service. The owner came to check on us multiple times and made sure everything was good. I most definitely recommend this restaurant!

This little restaurant is a nice little spot. Went on a Friday night, and it was pretty empty. I, for some reason, I thought it was okay to give spaghetti in a Ethiopian restaurant. However, I wasn't disappointed, as the Ethiopian spaghetti was really flavorful! Don't judge me, I wanted to try the dish, to see why that would be on the menu. Now I see why! The drawback to the place was, although the service was friendly, it was slow for the amount of people they had in the restaurant, as well as the prices being a little bit on the higher side. They weren't bad, just a dollar or two more than I expected for that restaurant. The restaurant falls in the middle spectrum of my price+quality= value equation. I'm giving 4 stars because the spaghetti sauce was very flavorful and unexpected. Eat here and enjoy a meal, but service is on the slower side.

It was my first time actually went to an Ethiopia restaurant. My family went to an Ethiopia restaurant last year. But, I didn't go with them. However, they brought me some chicken to try. My Little Ethiopia Restaurant dining experience was good. I enjoyed it. Just be sure you don't let their $6.99 sign to fool you. As far as I know, they have only one special lunch for $7.00. Overall, their dishes are not too expensive. My two brothers and I ordered one lamb dish and one veggie dish to share. However, the lamb tasted more like beef to me! Anyway, I enjoyed my dining experience and I think it is a fun place to go if you want to try something new.

I had been wanting to get to Little Ethiopia (the neighborhood) for ages. When I moved out of Los Angeles in 1994, this didn't exist..or I didn't know about it. After enjoying Ethiopian cuisine in the bay area, I moved to central coast where there is NONE. I travel back home to Los Angeles more often and finally made it over. I really did not know which restaurant to choose from so it was a bit of eeny meeny miney mo to be honest. SO my first time here. It was late afternoon..after lunch hour and before dinner hour and I was the only patron in there until a few men came in that seemed to know the owners. I wanted a sampler plate that had both meat and veggie options so asked for a recommendation. The owner suggested the veggie plate with the beef "stew" added. It was perfect! I loved everything on the plate..the cabbage/carrots, lentil stew, beef stew..everything was deliciously scooped up with plenty of injera. I ordered a mango drink to wash it all down! Definitely would try this cozy place again!

This place deserves "ZERO" star. Right after eating very-okay-but-pricy-food on the smelly table (wiped with the dirty rag - smells like unwashed drenched workout T-shirts kept in a plastic bag for a couple days in summer) I noticed a few black/brownish stuff were crawling on the floor - COCKROACHES!!!!! AND ANOTHR ONE WAS CRAWLING ON MY SEAT NEAR MY SHOULDER and barely missed it!!!! They completely changed their attitude (first I thought they were very nice) after we complained about the roaches and they even decided to do extremely disrespectful thing in the end. I WOULD NEVER EVER GO BACK THIS PLACE AGAIN AND SO SHOULD YOU UNLESS YOU WANT TO SEE ROACHES ROAMING AROUND YOUR FOOD AND BE TREATED LIKE A $#%@

Flies are infested I had a huge fly in my water!!! Additionally I will mention they do not give you ice!!! The waitress did not say "sorry" or offer to bring me a coke, or a cup of coffee due to the FLIES at our table nothing. What a Dismissive Attitude!!! I have visited other Ethiopian Restaurants, before and NEVER EXPERIENCED such disregards for the Food Service Industry or PATRONS!!! Furthermore the amount that "Little Ethiopia Restaurant" charges for Vegetarian Platter, is RIDICULES at $25.99 is NOT WORTH THE AMOUNT, PERIOD !!!! More overly, I have payed in the past is $17.99 with great service with a smile!!! NO SMILES HERE NOR A HELLO!!! MY GIRLFRIEND WAS DISGUSTED!!!! WE WILL NEVER EVER COME TO THIS PLACE AGAIN!!!! YOUR ESTABLISHMENT SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN BY THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT!!!!!

One of my favorite Ethiopian food in Los Angeles. I love the veggie combo with fish and their options of ribs. Everything is delicious. I also love their coffee.

The food is good very flavorful, and healthy. Small intimate set up. The only eating utensils you need is your hands. The portions are small but filling. I believe it's a family owned business the Owner is super nice.

I have been to this restaurant a few times and have enjoyed the food. I have to travel over an hour for the food but it's worth it every now and then. I am part Eritrean and grew up as a kid having Ethiopian food. I purchased a groupon back which was for dine in only in March and then our stay home orders came into play and restaurants were closed so I had been unable to use it. I realized my Groupon was due to expire but July 1st and I wanted to take advantage of using it. With restaurants being closed for dine in, I was willing to drive out there and use my Groupon for a take out order so it wouldn't expire. I tried calling the phone number and it wasn't working so I emailed 2x and got no reply. I was finally able to get through today and asked if I would be able to use the Groupn for take out since we can't currently dine in and was told NO. I didn't see a reasoning as to why this couldn't be honored. I was willing to make the same purchase as I would have sitting there. Just disappointing that a business wouldn't do this considering we are in some awkward times right now. I most likely would have spent more than my groupon was for too. I will not be visiting this restaurant again and instead go to another Ethiopian restaurant in Little Ethiopia.

Had an Amazon Local deal. We pretty much had this cute little place to ourselves. Service was friendly but there was a language barrier and we weren't exactly sure of what we were ordering - and that was unfortunate because we had a lot of questions. We got the Alicha Wot (beef stew in curry sauce and "in house" seasoning) and the Bozena Shiro (ground peas cooked in berbere sauce with assorted spices, cubes of beef, tomato sauce and garlic cloves). It was a lot of food for two people. And it was OK. Not as bad as some places in the "little Ethiopia" neighborhood. Probably not the best - although frankly I've yet to find the best. Probably won't go back but if you are a real fan of Ethiopian food and see a good deal for this place, it's worth checking out.

I've been wanting to try Ethiopian food and the multiple Groupons gave me all the incentive I needed to make the drive. Food was tasty and I'd be okay going back to try some other dishes, but what made the experience was $20 off the $50 tab by using both the original Groupon coupon and their cash back feature! If you get the Groupon, opt for the Groupon for four people even if you don't have four people. Dishes average $15-25 per person, so you'll use up the Groupon with the larger discount very easily. Don't forget to try the Lentil Sambosas! Yummy!

I loved it here! Inreally felt in Ethiopia. Good, tasty food! Great ambience. Super nice seervice! The tables very clean with nice decoratiind. The walls arebbnicley decorated, too! I will come back:)

Love this place!!!!! I have been coming to this spot for about a year now. It is so clean and almost always you will find available tables. The food is delicious. I get the Lunch/Dinner special for $6.99. So good. Has cabbage, spinach, yellow lentils and red lentils with injera (sour tasting). My favorite are the red lentils, spicy and full of flavor. It's family owned and they're always very friendly. The inside of the restaurant resembles a hut. Cute little traditional restaurant. So authentic and delicious!

I usually eat at Meals by Genet across the street because that's the only Ethiopian restaurant I'm familiar with in LA. But when my friend and I had a craving for Ethiopian food in the middle of the day (Meals by Genet doesn't open until dinnertime), we decided to venture across the street and try Little Ethiopia Restaurant. The food was delicious! We ordered the Yatkelilt Wot, Tibs, and Zilzil Tibs. Oh, how I love those vegetables and beef! Service was very friendly and attentive, and the injera basket was always filled. The beef cubes in the Tibs dish were cut smaller than the Tibs at MBG, but the portion was the same, if not more, and just as delicious. What's even better is that the prices at Little Ethiopia Restaurant are noticeably lower than at MBG. It was a bit warm in the restaurant in the middle of the afternoon and no AC, but we enjoyed the food so much that we didn't think about the temperature. We also liked it so much that we ordered the same thing to-go to take home to our families. Will definitely go back again soon!

So delicious and fresh! The service was great and the owner was extremely pleasant. Cant wait to come back to California.

Ethiopian food is Indian food with half the flavor. THE FOOD My friend and I shared an order of Vegetarian Combo and Little Ethiopia Tibs, which came out in one plate. We also had a side of Injera, which is Ethiopia's answer to naan. See how I keep the comparison going? :D I found the injera to taste just like a really sour sourdough bread. Halfway through the meal, I stopped eating it because the sourness was too overwhelming. I found the vegetables to taste fine, with the chickpeas (I think) being the spiciest. The Tibs were also okay. I thought the meat was too dry, though, and the potatoes didn't soak up as much flavor. THE ATMOSPHERE I suppose the decor is meant to mimic Ethiopia, but it felt so uninspired. Well, except for the photographs of Ethiopia hanging on the walls; they were pretty interesting. I also noticed that the restroom had no toilet seat covers. What if someone needed to do the number two? THE SERVICE For the whole time we were there, there was only one waitress. The restaurant didn't need an extra one, because it was super slow, especially for a Friday night. She was really nice and attentive; I liked that she served me a glass of water before I even asked for one. I wish we'd tipped more, but I didn't bring enough small bills. FINAL GRADE B- // It seems like Little Ethiopia is a neighborhood that people like to drive through but not visit. None of the surrounding restaurants were busy, which I found to be so peculiar. Do I just not understand L.A. as well as I thought? I wish the food wowed me, because I was preparing for it. Everything had spices, but not enough. Plus, the Injera seems to be an acquired taste, and I failed to acquire it. So underwhelming.

I went here because I basically have been to every other Ethiopian restaurant in Little Ethiopia, and wanted to see if the $6.99 lunch special was anything to write home about. Although the service was standard (slow but cordial), if not a bit more friendly than some places, the food was a bit lacking in flavor. Plus, I've gotten used to the generosity of Merkato, so in comparison, the lunch special (veggie combo) here seemed a bit scarce and dry. I usually leave full even while sharing a veggie combo at Merkato (for about $10), but here I left feeling as if I had just had a big snack. Granted, $10 is more than $7, but for the flavor and size, I think I'd rather stick with Merkato. Bottom line: It's okay, but splurge a little more and indulge in the yumminess of Merkato just a few doors down.

I had a groupon for this place so I was really excited to eat here...I'm so sad that I did. There were no seats in the "regular" area so we had a choice of either the darkly lit room with plastic tables (looks like a banquet area) or a straw hut in the corner with straw pillar-looking-things that they use as tiny tables. We decide the hut looks pretty cool so we sit there. Waiting for 15-20 minutes... no service. No drink orders, no inquiries of how we were doing ... absolutely ignored. I get up and tell the waitress we're ready. She comes over and we order the chicken and lamb dish. Food takes awhile to come out but when it does...IT'S RIDICULOUS. The chicken dish was $10 and we got TWO chicken legs. Really? $5 for one chicken leg each??? And the lamb came out as 10 small pieces. The food was decent tasting but the small quantities for the price were NOWHERE near its worth. UGH. We then ask for the check trying to get out ASAP, but we end up waiting another 15 minutes. After waiting so long, I get up again and tell the guy (who looks like the manager/owner) that I have a groupon and I want my check. He says "okay, okay, I'll give it to you. One second." No...not one second. More like 43871032837489 seconds because me and my friends are waiting for another 10 minutes before I get up to tell him that we were still waiting. He looks surprised as if he's hearing this for the first time and after another 10 minutes of waiting, he comes to our hut and says "Oh, I couldn't find you in here." Really? It took you 45 minutes to find us in your 200 square foot restaurant? Thankfully we had the groupon and didn't have to pay full price for the ridiculously priced, measly dishes. I don't ever remember receiving such bad service before and I don't think there should be any excuses either because their restaurant is so small...how can they not tend to their customers better? I work as a waitress at a restaurant and have like 50 customers to take care of by myself and it really isn't difficult doing rounds around the restaurant, going to each table to see what the customers need/want. Since the portions were so tiny, my friends and I decided to go to "Tart" which is North on Fairfax (across the street from the Grove). We had a DELICIOUS and MUCH better experience there. The second dinner at "Tart" saved the night from becoming totally ruined. If you want Ethiopian food, I've been to Rosalinds and Nyala...both of which were a million times better than this restaurant and they're RIGHT next door. Food quality, quantity, and service are much better at Rosalinds and/or Nyala.

My buddy and i decided that we wanted some good food but out of our daily norm. so we took a drive to the Little Ethiopia neighborhood and had our choice of several restaurants. i had never been to an Ethiopian restaurant before, so i thought we'd give it a shot. Little Ethiopia was actually the third place we went into, because the two next door just didn't have an ambiance that was casual yet authentic feeling. I'm glad we chose this spot. the waitress was very helpful i asked for one veggie and one meat dish so she recommended the Yemser Wot and Awaze Tibs for the two of us to share. i didn't know what that meant, and was pleasantly surprised when we were served a hearty lentil and pepper side dish (Yemser Wot) with marinated SPICY beef (Awaze Tibs). My buddy and i split the dish and were each totally full and satisfied. It was just spicy enough for me (if you love spicy things, you can get something hotter) the service was slow by restaurant standards, but very sincere so i was fine with that. go here if you are not in a hurry to be somewhere else, are ok with speaking slowly to the wait staff and are with someone to share the experience. we ate with our hands, which was cool (i didn't bother asking for silverware, i literally wanted to dig into my lunch) The meal, which also had a coke for my friend and a coffee for me came out to about $18. you can't beat authentic foreign cuisine in a sit-down place at that price! i'll come back here and try other spots so that i get a wider spectrum of Ethiopian food.

The vegetarian platter is very good. Slow service and awful attitude though- why sell a Groupon if they don't want customers to be using it.

This is my favourite Ethiopian Restuarant .. the service and food is excellent . The chef is fabulous and warm. Love this restuarant, please go Little Ethiopia Restuarant and try it promise..you will love it.

A few years ago, when I lived in southern California, I used to go to this place. It was my favorite Ethiopian restaurant. Back then, this place was double in size and the food was a bit different. The parking hasn't changed at all-- still very tight in this area of town. I can only describe my experience a few weeks ago in February 2017 and not a few years ago when the restaurant was different. The menu has not changed in the few years I have been absent; nor has the speed of service or decorations. It is still a sparsely decorated place, with enough seats and tables, but some how now gives the impression of a place is now only a shell of its former self. Some times, this is good and lends to a local or hole-in-the-wall vibe; but sadly, this is not the case here. The service was still prompt and friendly, but sadly, not accurate. We made one modification to an item (leaving something out of it) and although the waitress repeated it back to us, it was brought out with the item still in it. I brought it to the waitress's attention when the food was brought out, but she looked blank and slightly scared. I honestly think it was due to a language breakdown. We didn't press the issue at all. As we ate, I found the food to be more bland than I remember-- but then again, I found most Ethiopian food in Los Angeles area to be lacking in flavor. The other thing that I took away points for is the bathroom. It smelled old and not clean; even there was soap and running warm water, there were two or three paper towels and no refills. In a place where one eats with your hands, I would make it a priority to keep these stocked. I was excited to share Ethiopian food with the couple friends I was with. However, this visit lacked the luster that I was hoping for. Whether that is because things have changed in the past years or whether or maybe my memory was rosy colored--- I can't tell. However, based on this past visit, I would probably start looking for a more well rounded Ethiopian restaurant in the area.

this place is disgusting. flies everywhere and bugs. Got the honey and it tasted like prison hooch (or what I imagine it to taste like). It was yeasty like they had try to make it themselves. Very very strange place. It's a wonder they haven't been shut down.

The service was good. The waitress was very nice. However, the food really didn't taste good at all. It was very disappointing. We ordered the veggie combo and didn't like it at all. The sambosas and dip was average. We won't be coming back.

Lovely Ethiopian experience. Went on the restaurant.com deal .... I know 'Meals by Genet' gets all the love and attention but it also gets a little high on the price. This cute and charming place is not as fancy but equally good and much much cheaper. Especially if you do the restaurant.com deal. I bought it when they were having a sale for $2 on a $10 coupon (FYI they have these all the time and it's the only way to go, just stock up when they have their restaurant.com specials). ALSO, they have no liquor but let you bring in your own without a corkage! Baller. Whole meal: -$2 restaurant.com deal ($25 discount, minimum $35) -$14 (tip included) -$5 bottle of wine= BEST ETHIOPIAN DEAL EVER. This place is not just cheap it's damn tasty too. Had the veggie plate as well as the lamb and beef.... Everything was good. Heard to stay away from the chicken so we did. STREET PARKING CAN BE TRICKY but we lucked out. THE SERVICE WAS ALSO EXTREMELY NICE AND ATTENTIVE.

Little Ethiopia restaurant is very nice the food is really good. I know that Ethiopian Food is usually shared so I went with the Vegetarian Entrees with injera it was very delicious but the portions were not as fulfilling as I imagined. My guest and I where quite satisfied with the flavor and taste but neither one of us were full we also had beef Sambusa which was three packed Sambusas but again for $8 I would expect at least 4 or five. Other than that the food was delicious

The food was so yummy! My first time trying Ethiopian food and I wasn't disappointed. I tried the Doro Fir Fir, what was chicken mixed with a red sauce on top of the injera. I also recommend trying the honey wine. It was sweet and smooth and complimented with my meal!

After reading several mixed reviews on yelp! I was extremely skeptical upon visiting Little Ethiopia Restaurant to endorse my Groupon and partake in my first Ethiopian food experience. Fellow yelpers! were correct in that service is challenged here as it really is one waitress and one cook. Cheryl T. and I visited on a Sunday evening and to our surprise the restaurant became more and more packed. On our palates: + Beef Sambusa - served piping hot, two per order, kind of like a samosa (triangle shape and in a fried wrapper) and a empanada (all beef inside) + Kik Alicha +/- Zilzil Tibs Kik Alicha added a nice texture and really brought everything together as it acted dually as a sauce and filling. The zilzil tibs were initially mouth watering, coming out on a sizzling platter and filling in the void on the platter between our two portions. However, carry over cooking from the stove to the sizzling platter to our table led the beef to be overcooked and chewy after the first bite. The Injera bread is spongy and its taste reminded me of sourdough. I had no issues eating with my hands and picking up bites of zilzil tibs and/or kik alicha as I frequently eat Vietnamese food which requires the same behavior (i.e. making spring rolls at home). Service was slow, but knowing to be patient from yelp! reviews made me feel more comfortable asking for water and politely asking for refills. Overall I had a wonderful Ethiopian experience and am now curious to try out other restaurants on the street! Fun to go with a group of five or less!