Mela Bar & Lounge

Mela’s provides an exceptional dining experience for anyone to enjoy authentic Ethiopian Cuisine. We had the Sambusa, Chicken and Fish Tibs with half platter of veggies and it was delicious. We were so ready to dig in that I forgot to take photos of the beautifully plated food. You won’t be disappointed.

Authentic Ethiopian food and this is a must recommendation if you are ever in the Decatur area. For sure to try Vegetarian & Vegan all of them. I am not gone go into details but check the place out. BN

Great new Ethiopian spot. The staff is very friendly. There are plenty of choices on the menu, the prices are fair and the food is very tasty. Will be going back.

Such a beautiful upscale Ethiopian restaurant that serves traditional Ethiopian food!! The Mela special is a must! This hidden gem of a restaurant is tucked away quietly in North Decatur, but definitely deserves more recognition.

Quality food at a fair price! Hilina’s service went above and beyond my expectations. Even though I have been to a couple of other Ethiopian restaurants, this is the first time I learnt the traditional way of eating the food. The ambience is also very clean and pretty. Would come back and recommend others to come.

Ordered the Mela Special and Veggie Combo and OMG! First, the food presentation was so nice. Then the taste was amazing. The Kitfo Leb Leb was very good and the Beef Tibs was on point. Veggies were cooked very well. Service was excellent. Our waitress kept coming back to our table asking how things were and made sure we always had enough injera. This place is really an experience to enjoy from the Ethiopian food, the Ethiopian artwork and even the coffee ceremony (which we’re doing next time!). Plenty of free parking available! Something I always look for.

Solidly good food with plenty of injera to go with. Would happily get food here again. We had both the vegetable platter and the beef tibs. Highly recommend the veggies.

I am currently sitting outside of Mela as I write this review. I placed a pickup order online for lunch. I check the website and google site before I place the order to be sure they were opened. I pull up to the restaurant and the restaurant is closed! Although it said open on the website and google! I was charged $48 and I have no food! I’m very upset because I left my 5month old baby home with her father to come here for convenience and because their food is good.. Now I am hungry and having to go back and forth with my bank to get my $48 back! Please change your times if you’re not going to be open! —— Reply: The website said “opened” and I wasn’t the only person that was outside of your restaurant another customer who also came because it said opened. Please refund me my phone!

Delicious! I tried the Veg Combo and Sambusa last night and both were just what I was craving. So happy to have discovered such a good Ethiopian restaurant so close. Looking forward to exploring the menu. The spices, textures and ingredients all work together for a heartwarming, wholesome, and mouthwatering experience. I called in my order and picked it up with no issues.

We were searching for an Ethiopian restaurant that balanced authentic cuisine with elevated surrounds to celebrate my vegetarian bestie's birthday; Mela fit that bill perfectly. Located in an eclectic restaurant center that is a reunion of Pangea. Mela is nestled between a community BBQ and a Chinese restaurant. Upon entry, you're greeted by wood grill aromas and a spacious interior with artwork as intricate as they are massive. If social distancing is your goal, Mela accommodates nicely. were The owner let us know he was the only one working that day and to please seat ourselves. Although he would be the only one working, including cooking and serving, the service did not suffer in the slightest. Big shout to him for being a one-man show. Starting with the Sambusa for the vegheads and the Kifto Wrap for the omnivores. I can't speak for the Sambusa, but the Kifto Wrap is out of this world. Crispy injera is a delight and the blend of salty, spicy, and greasy from the minced beef is seriously incredible. Unfortunately, the bar was set so highly from the Kifto Wrap it was going to be a hard act to follow regardless of what we ordered. That said, I believe the Beef Tibs would be disappointing regardless - overcooking a subprime cut is a dependable recipe for discontentment. However, our companions' entree of the vegetable combo was amazing - the veggies were definitely the main character of this adventure.

Very nice restaurant! Our waiter was super sweet and honestly the entire staff was. The restaurant owner came out to personally greet us and ask how our meal was and we met his wife as well (who he let us know does the cooking). It really showed how personable and humble they are which I thought was really sweet. We got sooo much food! Like the portion sizes are awesome I had plenty to take home. My friends and I got samosas to start as appetizers and then had a platter of chicken, vegetable and beef tibs with injera of course. The flavor of everything was amazing!! I went with my friend who is Ethiopian and she co-signed that this restaurant definitely serves great authentic food! The restaurant is decorated beautifully as well paying homage to the Habesha culture. The prices for everything was pretty good as well! We had Ethiopian coffee at the end which was strong and delicious lol exactly what I needed to finish up the rest of my day. Check this place out!

Went today. 95% of my reviews are positive, this one - NEGATIVE! The service was nonexistent. The drink was the worst I've had in the city in two decades. The bartender was on her phone our entire visit. We had zero level of service, interaction and no pleasantries so with no service and no check we left $20 on the bar for our one drink and a water. The staff member followed us outside claiming we didn't pay. The drink was worth $7 at best and the bottled water $5. We left $20 on the bar YET the bartender chased us outside as if we were criminals. THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN MY OVER 20 YEARS IN ATL. Don't bother with this place!!

The food was cool, but I was charged to enter with no people. Service was cool, but was asked if we had a table like it was people there. Smh

My first introduction to Ethiopian food is at Mela's. And I am so glad. The food is absolutely delicious!! My daughter loved the injera. I had fish Tibbs, my husband my kids had the vegetarian platter. I absolutely loved everything. The injera will fill you up. The fish tibbs are everything!!! It's all very delicious! The service was great! We did takeout, and will be going back for more!!!

Beat food I have eating the fish is a must try with all the veggies highly recommend.

My first visit at mela... the food was exceptionally delicious, fresh and seasoned to perfection. I ordered a Mela special pic below. The owners are kind and humble. One of the owners is also the chef & came out to greet me while I devoured my food. I definitely will be back I have been looking for a good Ethiopian spot that can consistently provide great service and food.

This has become a go to recently for Ethiopian food. While the restaurant is open for dine in, we have only been getting takeout from there. Their super veggie combo is awesome, and I love how tart their injera is! I also love their kitfo wrap starter, which is very indulgent. The reason why I gave them 4 stars instead of 5 is because each time we've been in to pick up our takeout, we've noticed that not all of the employees are wearing masks. I can't tell if the kitchen staff are wearing masks or not but the folks up front go in and out of the kitchen and not all of them are wearing masks. The other thing is that each time we've been there to pick up our order, while the food is already ready to go, it's taken at least ten minutes to pay because some of the employees don't really know how to work the POS. In terms of the food, though, would highly recommend, and I think once COVID is less of a concern I'd be comfortable going to eat there but for now their less than ideal mask adherence wigs me out.

The two of us did a to go order. Decently priced and very delicious with moderate portions. Our favorite is ordering a meat dish and veggies so we get the best of everything. All I can say is I highly recommend the amaze sauce for the meat!! Everything was fresh and overall so good.

Delicious food, wonderful service. Highly recommend trying it out. Will def return. Such a treat. We also had the coffee ceremony and it was a great experience. So many good things to say about this restaurant: fun, tasty, delightful, nourishing, service oriented, personable owner and chef. It is a happy place, serving wonderful food.

Highly recommend! Whether you enjoy Ethiopian food or have never tried it, you need to go to Mela Ethiopian Kitchen! You have to try the vegetarian combo, it is delicious. Amazing food and great service. Must try!!!

This place was really yummy! I've lived in this area for years and never tried it. So one Saturday afternoon we decided to give this place a try. The sambusa was delicious! The chicken Tibs was also delicious. I would definitely come back here!

On my recent visit to Atlanta I was introduced to this amazing Ethiopian restaurant . My first experience ever : We started with the Injera very healthy bread soft Tasty a must try , then we moved to the main dish Mela special which I posted a pic for it . The owner who happens to be the chef came out and introduced her self what an amazing personality and the husband who is at front was very gracious and respectful. Love the food Loved the people who made the food . A definitely must try .

Loved it so much! I'm Ethiopian so i will let you know first hand the food is incredible. Came with my family and they were also impressed. The kitfo, shiro, gomen and derek tibs were AMAZING!! Not to mention the owner is such a sweet couple:) they gave us this beautiful buna (coffee) platter on the house! Food was fresh, service was amazing and the restaurant is so beautiful! You won't regret it!!

Service and food is Stellar! I had the Awaze Tibs which were amazing, perfectly spicy and the portion was bigger than expected. My wife had the veggie combo and love it! The chef also happened to be out server, after speaking with her, it was a obvious she is deeply knowledgeable, loves what she does and creates amazing dishes. We'll be back soon!

Mela's is our new goto Ethiopian restaurant. It's a hike from our home in Woodstock Ga but well worth the hike. There are many delicious dishes to chose from on the menu and they are prepared beautifully. The restaurant is so fresh, clean and new. But it was the owner and staff who were so kind and inviting that has made this our favorite Ethiopian restaurant. They're so sweet and helpful and genuinely wanted us to have a good time . We'll be back before long for more delicious veggie plate :)

Great food and hip ambiance. We had the beef tibs and the veggie combo and everything was delicious! We will definitely be back.

Fantastic Ethiopian food. A bit more homestyle and less americanized than Desta (which I also adore, but it scratches a different itch.) Food is prepared with obvious care--little touches like caramelized tomatoes served with the dereke tibs are appreciated. Portion sizes are generous. Prices are a little higher than the median for Ethiopian food around the metro area; cf. spots like Embilta or Bahel, which cost a bit less for food of comparable quality. Still, Mela's atmosphere makes it worthwhile--very polished dining experience. Staff is warm and friendly, and the owner is often behind the bar--extremely nice guy, and apparently the recipes are his wife's originals. Highly recommended. Endnote: I saw another review complaining about "unusually dark injera." A darker color usually just means that the injera in question has a higher proportion of teff (as opposed to lighter injera, which tends to be 50/50 teff and wheat.) Full-teff injera tends to be a bit more sour, but this is often seen as a positive by aficionados of Ethiopian food, as it's more authentic. Desta, for instance, offers 100% teff injera at an extra charge vis-a-vis their usual injera. I don't know what blend Mela uses, but dark injera is not an indicator of bad quality, and anyone who says otherwise doesn't really know what they're talking about :). Harry Kloman's lovely book "Mesob across America" is an excellent resource for those who would like to learn more.

Food was amazing! The chef personally came and spoke to us, the waiters are so friendly! The atmosphere was so chic and well vented. I think this is the best ET Resturant in ATL, especially for dates and corporate functions!

This place is a gem of a find. Comfortable environment with great artwork. Went with some girlfriends and we ordered the mela special with half order of veggies and it fed all 3 of us. This dish is absolutely amazing. If you like Ethiopian food, you will love Mela

I highly recommend Mela! Great food and service. I definitely recommend this over Desta Ethiopia.

First, I rarely give 5 star reviews. Second, I love Ethiopian food. (I used to have Ethiopian in laws.) Third, I rarely eat Ethiopian food this good. The only suggestion I might have based on my limited experience with this place is that the to-go veggie dish I ordered was not spicy enough. (I had to amend it with my personal berbere stash.) So if you like your food Ethiopian hot you might want to emphasize that preference when ordering. Fourth, this place is clean, friendly, and had nice art work. Can't wait to do a date night here. Second trip to this place was even more satisfying. Run, don't walk, to some of the best Ethiopian food you'll probably ever have.

Went on a Sunday afternoon and had kitfo roll for appetizer and veggie combo with tibs as an entree. The food was excellent, portions are large and everything came out quickly. They have 100% teff injera (reason why it is darker in color), unlike other Ethiopian restaurants where the injera is mostly white flour. Service was also great. Loved all the beautiful art pieces in the restaurant dipicting the culture. As an Ethiopian, I'm highly critical of the Ethip food I eat outside and this one delivered in every way. Highly recommend Mela for Ethiopian food lovers!

taking time to write a review as I'm not sure why this place doesn't have thousands of reviews. This place is def a gem. The warmth of the lovely chef and other staff / owners made radiated even into their food. I come from New York where we have some great restaurants and this was on par with them. The portions are huge so come hungry! They also have a full bar FYI. Def give them a shot over the other popular local spot. I'll probably order from them at least monthly now

This place is a hidden treasure. We ordered the Sambusa, the Vegetable Combo, and the Lega Tibs. It was all absolutely divine. We ordered it for take out and the food was ready in 20 minutes. It was packaged in a perfect way that allowed us to enjoy it as it would be served in the restaurant. 10/10 would eat here again!

Great new Ethiopian with great customer service. The food quality is excellent, the portions are generous and prices are very fair. Already been twice and will be visiting again.

Authentic Ethiopian dishes spiced perfectly. The flavors are excellent. The service was impeccable! I definitely recommend this place for those with an experimental pallet!

We had the veggie combo (pretty much my standard order at an Ethiopian restaurant) and it was tasty for the most part. The bread is darker than I've seen before, but also good. The sambusas were outstanding. Service was very friendly and the food came out fast. The only drawback is that the room is quite loud.

service is great. very nice and attentive servers. they did not have the chicken tibs when i went so i ordered the veggie combo platter and sambusa. like others say, the food takes a bit long to come out. however, it was all delicious. the interior is nice and comfortable. three huge gorgeous paintings on the wall. i give this place four stars. one less star because the food took so long. give this new business a try!

Food is good, but service is painfully slow. They didn't give us enough plates even though we asked for them. The only brought us 2 pieces of bread at a time (there were 6 of us), etc.

We had the Mela Special and the Veggie Combo (half order). The food was delicious and so flavorful! The service was very friendly, although the food took a little long to come out. But it was well worth the wait! The portions were extremely generous! We will definitely be back.

My wife and I actually came over to eat at another restaurant in the complex, but they were only offering takeout. I'm so glad they did, because caused us to give this little gem a try. We asked for the house specialty, and we were blown away. We try to be adventurous eaters and love to try all types of cultural foods. This did not disappoint.

We had a great dinner at Mela! Delicious Ethiopian food - the four of us shared the full veggie platter and two meats and it was more than enough food! All of the options come with the housemate teff bread, which was soft and flavorful. Service was great and we felt so welcomed by the staff. Would highly recommend this place!

We purchased takeout through GrubHub during their hours of operation, got a confirmatory message that the order was ready, but found a locked empty restaurant.

The food here is amazing! The prices are fair and the family that owns it is extremely nice. It is a little annoying that community BBQ smoke smell wafts over into their space, but the flavors are totally worth it. If you can't take the smoky smell order to go. The Kitfo wrap is to die for!!!

Mela has very tasty food plus awesome service! Please go out and support this restaurant!

Amazing Ethiopian food! Quality injera and delicious, creative dishes (Mela Special). Love the comfortable environment and the hospitality. Looking forward to coming back!

Awful, gave me the wrong kind of sambusa,mushy greens,tibs that were all gristle, slow service, unusually dark injera....i mean what can i say.

I ate here for the first time yesterday and the food was so flavorful! It's been years since I had Ethiopian food and they did not disappoint! Everything was delicious, I'll definitely be back soon!

The food here is on point! The ambiance in the restaurant is amazing. Definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for authentic Ethiopian cuisine. I will definitely be returning!

First time ordering onine at Mela Ethiopian Restaurant. Order placed. I was billed Went to pick up order. Restaurant was closed.

I was skeptical how it would be for carry out, but they packaged everything up wonderfully. Our whole family loved it! We'll definitely be back for more.

Mela has now become my favorite place for Ethiopian food in Atlanta. The service is phenomenal! The ambience is amazing! The food is authentic and tasty in all aspects! Nothing less than exceptional! Each bite was tasteful from the appetizer to the entree! I will return with more of my friends. Meeting the owner when he came to check on how our experience was going is rear in the industry and greatly appreciated. Great job!

The service was great however I don't think the food was that great. We ordered half order of vegetarian platter and got three types of lentils. Took them forever to bringing the food which is already prepared earlier in the day. Injera was not fresh nor super soft. The dessert was dry cake. I understand this is a new business and will take suggestions to improve.

Yesterday was my second time enjoying dining at the AMAZING Mela Ethiopian kitchen. Food was outstanding(this from someone who knows how to make great ET dishes). Customer service is so inviting. I haven't experienced anything like this from any other ET spot so far. Please keep it up.

This was my first time at Mela and it was a great experience! I got the kitfo wrap appetizer (medium well), comes with ayib (Ethiopian cheese) and peppers, it was really good!! Then me and 2 friends of mine got the mela special and that was amazing as well!! They have a good wine list and beer list ( with authentic Ethiopian beers). Had a great experience at Mela and will definitely be back again!!

Delicious! Had the kategna which is an interesting twist to the injera bread. Also had the awaze tibs which were extremely flavorful. Service was very timely and wait staff were attentive and friendly. Will definitely be back!

Excellent authentic food. It is absolutely delicious. Very well price and awesome atmosphere. The staff is very attentive and friendly. I cannot recommend this place enough!!