This place is incredible. My first experience with Ethiopian and I've been back a gazillion times since. It is clean, comfortable, the service is always wonderful. The food is not to be believed. I for one love the honey wine made in house and the potato salads. But everything is good. The last time I went the owner (the one featured in the picture who will probably also be the one to serve you) suggested some sort of combination thing for me and my hubby. It worked out great and dinner cost us about $35. It's a great, great, great place. I used to drive 4 hours from upstate New York just to eat at this restaurant. No I'm not kidding. It's just that good. read more

A Word Of Warning. If you go on a weeknight much bigger portions and if you go on a weekend night tiny portions. They obviously try to stretch the food on busier nights rather than making more food in preparation for the busier weekend nights. read more

This has long been one of my favorite restaurants. I ventured out tonight in a pouring rain storm to feast on their fare. I arrived at 10:20 PM looking to be seated and was told that the restaurant was closed. I pointed out that the website advertised a closing time of 11:30 PM, and the hostess informed me that the restaurant was open until 11:30, but that the kitchen was closed. Makes absolutely no sense to me that the restaurant would be open for an hour and 10 minutes (or more) past the kitchen's closing time. This is the second time something like this has happened to me here. Not a happy camper, and definitely not good for customer relations. As is the case with so many enterprises today during this dismal period of late capitalist decline, the motto of doing business seems to be morphing into "The customer is always wrong". What a shame - the food here is excellent. Unfortunately I couldn't award it, or the service, any stars tonight because I didn't get to enjoy it. Oh well, time to shlep over to The Cheesecake Factory. Grumble, grumble. read more

I think other Ethiopian restaurants I have been to are better. In this place I didn't love the injera and also the meat dishes. The desserts are not very good (they seem more artificial or without high quality ingredients...). read more

Delicious food, great atmosphere. I enjoy the Ethiopian videos they play too, very interesting. The food is super delicious, and eating with your hands is definitely fun and unique. The service here is always great, I have been here about 5 times and always am met with the most friendly staff. It's no surprise this place has high ratings. I am always looking to bring more friends here to amuse them, always a hit. read more

This place serves reheated food. I know. My family is Ethiopian. The service is slow, it being one server for the entire restaurant. She was quite rude when I asked her about if they serve doro wet, a type of chicken. I had indigestion from the old food. I would not recommend. And the prices are tricky. It has 17.95 next to an item, but they multiply it by the number of people at the table. read more

Not only was I upset at the length of the wait for the food (for this I blame DiningIn, I suppose... I didn't order...), but I was even more upset by the taste of the food when it came. Can we talk price for a second too? I spent over twenty dollars, or about twenty dollars, whatever, alot of money for food that was SO unbelievably sour it made my stomach upset. The injera (sp?) was very sour and not sticky, but damp... very damp. All in all, it was disgusting. I daren't eat from here again. read more

After walking by Asmara for months I was excited to give it a try but I left pretty disappointed. The prices were high and the food was quite bland. When we got our bill we noticed that each entree was $2 more than stated on the menu. We pointed this out to the waitress (owner?) and she refused to believe it. She tried to convince us that we had read the menu wrong and to prove her point brought different menus for us to look at than the ones we had ordered from. It turns out she had mistakenly given us lunch menus instead of dinner menus. When she realized her mistake she still refused to let us pay the prices on the menus we'd ordered from. The interaction was unpleasant and left a bitter taste in our mouths. I won't be going back to Asmara. read more

One of my favorite places to go when I'm in Cambridge. If you don't know what to get, I recommend the combo meat or vegetarian dinners... You get a little bit of everything. I'm always so full and happy when I leave. read more

The food is amazing, the atmosphere is great and the owners are very accommodating and personable! Love Asmara!

This is "JV" Ethiopian food. Probably good for an introduction, but decidedly less rich than other options in the area

This was a fantastic introduction to Ethiopian food. It was extremely busy that night and the waitress really took the time to explain everything and make suggestions for a newcomer. I appreciated the guidance as it was my first exposure. It was really delicious.. Especially the honey wine! read more

Food is nothing great! and the service is bad as there was only one person serving and taking the bills for the entire restaurant! Have had Ethiopian food before, and this was not as good! read more

When we walked in, there were no waitresses and no one to seat us. We stood there awkwardly for like five minutes. Service is also spotty. Never once did the server come to our table; we always had to go get her from the kitchen. While it's understandable that we went on a random like... Tuesday... aka few customers, that doesn't mean you should ignore the diners who ARE there. Food here is also very expensive for the amount that you get. The taste is also not as good as Addis, especially the spicy red sauce dishes. And what is even more infuriating is that each additional piece of the bread stuff costs $1.50 - it's free at Addis. Conclusion: go to Addis. read more

I live in NYC and I am not a big fan of Ethiopian choices in NYC. Every time I visit Boston area, I like to eat Ethiopian here. Try lamb spicy dish! read more

Amazing! My wife and I stopped by for lunch and had a great meal with wonderful service. There were awards on one wall.... to which I commented: "I see how they earned every one!" read more

If you are up for something different than Asmara is the place to go. I am open to all different types of cuisine and Asmara definitely took care of that. The food here was very tasty and our waitress was very nice. She offered a few tips for first timers like myself. My family ended up ordering three different dishes. We ordered the boneless chicken in tomato sauce, atkilt Begeeh (lamb), and asmara Tibsy. The dishes were all very tasty, but my favorite was the chicken. The chicken was spicier and had a very rich taste. Although the dishes were very good, I would not recommend this place if you don't have an adventurous palette. Even though I enjoy strange dishes like ducks feet, cow tongue, etc. this just did not hit me in the right spot. Don't get me wrong, the food at Asmara was authentic and very tasty, just not right for me. When in doubt, give it a try. I certainly enjoyed the experience. read more

Asmara Restaurant - A glass of Mes (honey wine) - Ethiopian Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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The service alone might have netted a 5-star rating, but you know? The food was great, too. Tried the honey wine; didn't quite care for it. Everything else was tops, though! read more

The price is OK, the food is decent. But why the recent focus on insufficient ordering? It has happened to me and to my other friends on separate occasions that the server will keep emphasising: "you have only ordered food for n people", when we have n+2 people. The point is that it's enough food! We were so full. That also applies to coffee. My friends wanted to try their Ethiopian coffee but shared amongst them. Again, they didn't seem pleased. But at least they didnt say no. But to my other friends on a separate occasion, they were outright asked to order more....Its not quite right. If they want to impose a minimum spend (definitely unpopular), they should do it explicitly. read more

Consistently good food, friendly service - especially by Saba - and a great atmosphere. Good choice for both casual dining and for classy dinners. Staff remembers us and our order even though we've only been here a handful of times. Best of all, you can eat with your hands! read more

This place is horrible, way over priced for the crappy food they serve. As an Ethiopian, I'll say the food is nowhere close to authentic. The dirty glasses and the room temperature drinks they serve and what they charge for it is outrageous. Shitty place!! read more

We got the meat combo. Food was good, though a bit pricey. The HORRIBLE thing: as a party of 6, we were told that they dont accept more than 2 credit cards. and then told (in a not so polite manner) that you can walk for 2 blocks to the ATM and get cash in the freezing cold weather. When expressed our dissatisfaction, we were told that this has been their policy for 22 years (as if that makes it totally ok). Not the best way to doing business. If that is your policy, and you are super-rigid about it, tell your customers about it right after they have arrived. read more

Went here for dinner on a weeknight with three friends. We were sat promptly and the waitress brought us water and took our drink order quickly, which was nice. We decided to order two of the combination platters to share, which was really not much food and left everyone still hungry. The food also left something to be desired; having lived with a woman from Ethiopia and eating her cooking, this was not nearly as flavorful. We left having spent around $80 only to have to go elsewhere to get more food rather than spend more at Asmara! Would not come back. read more

We love Asmara! Yes its pricey but if you ever look at how Ethiopian food is made, you'll realize its a labor of love. We always order the vegetarian plate and we share. Every single item on that plate is enjoyable. I prefer this to Addis red sea on Tremont St. The wait there is insane. read more

I wish I could write about the food, but Asmara gave our reservation away to another party even though we were on time and waiting for about 20 minutes. read more

I've been here several times, and really enjoyed the food. However, I went again on Friday, and was somewhat disappointed. We ordered the kitfo and a lamb dish, which were both delicious (the kitfo seemed to have too much butter, but I don't know how it is traditionally made). However, there was only one type of injera, whereas in the past there were two types. Also, only a paltry amount of injera was served. We asked for more, and two pieces were brought out. When we needed more again, we were only then informed that it would be $1 per piece! I don't recall having this charge before, and it was only explained after the second time we asked for more injera, so we were left with several extra dollars on our bill that we hadn't anticipated. The kicker is that the extra charge was for "beef, 1 @ $$," instead of something like "extra injera, # @ $1" This really makes me think that the extra charge is not standard, especially because I don't see any mention of it on their menu online. read more

When you think of lunch, it's hard to picture a basket full of every type of meat and flavor you could imagine. I normally eat this type of cuisine at dinner time- but lunch is so underestimated! The combo options are phenomenal- you get a bite of every flavor and texture. The lady who runs the show treats you like you are part of her family- and the atmosphere and constant drumming in the light background music let's you escape from the work day and just enjoy genuinely delicious food. I highly suggest you splurge and order yourself a glass of juice. read more

Great spot for Ethiopian/Eritrean cuisine. I would highly recommend his place for vegans/vegetarians as they have a lot of yummy options!

Worst Ethiopian/Eritrean food I've ever had in my entire life. I really mean ever. The service and personality of the employees are one of the best. Unfortunately the food was horrible. I couldn't taste the difference between the yellow split peas and spinach. I swear it tasted just like water and thats saying it had no flavor. I ordered yellow split peas sauce and the cabbage gomen dish. I received 2 of the same horrible yellow spilt peas and no cabbage. I did not see this until I arrived home, hungry and ready to eat what I assumed was decent Ethiopian food due to all the raving review's on Yelp. Never again will I go to Asmara. 1 star because I cant give 0 stars. I'm ethiopian so I know how bad the food really is. read more

Great Ethiopian food. If you've never dined at an Ethiopian restaurant, give it a try. The whole eating-with-your-hands bit is a lot of fun if you're open minded about it. Maybe not a great first date exercise, but probably not that bad either. Service was brutally slow, although this may be a cultural thing. Every time I've visited countries that are constantly immersed in sweltering heat, the people tend to move slower. I think its evolution... Anyhow, be prepared to wait to sit, for your drinks, for your food, for the check, etc. Waiting happens at every step here. read more

The food tasted bad. Really bad. The bread especially was way too sour.

The food was pretty good. Service was good. But this was pricey for what it was. It made me really miss Philadelphia and the fantastic food, service and prices at the Germantown Ave Dahlak. read more

This is my favorite restaurant in Cambridge. Having had Ethiopian food in several cities (NYC, SF), I can honestly say that none come close to Asmara. The food is simply outstanding and I love taking people here who have not sampled this delicious food and friendly style of communal eating before. The family who runs the place are the loveliest people and always make us feel very welcome. I can't recommend Asmara highly enough! read more

yum, i love ethiopian food, and when life alive was too busy during the weekend, my boyfriend and i opted to come to asmara. i love that they offer you either traditional or western tables - we got seated at a traditional table, and our food was plated in a wooden basked. i ordered the vegetarian combo, while my bf ordered the meat. though the food was tasty, i didn't like that the meat and the vegetarian things were plated literally right next to each other on the injera so that they were touching. next time, i'll try to convince my bf to order the vegetarian combo too, so that i won't have to worry about cross-contamination :) their injera was also wonderful in that they had two types. the type that you use to eat with was much less tart than the injera on the plate, which my boyfriend much preferred. and hey, any time that i'm offered to eat with my hands i'll take it, especially since the servers offer you a wet-nap at the end of your meal. pro tip: don't go during the weekends. service was excruciatingly slow, since you could tell that this was a family-owned and run restaurant. read more

I wish I could give Asmara more stars simply for existing - more Ethiopian restaurants around Boston is a good thing. But the bummer is that it's just so mediocre - both the food and the ambiance. Now that Addis Red Sea has a Cambridge outpost, you know where to find me. read more

alright so - decor, check - tasty raw spicy beef cubes with delicious injera spongy bread, check - great kenyan/african beer, check - many vegetarian and non options, check Being used to other ethiopian restaurants here in boston, I was happy to stumble upon this place before catching a show in Central square. Somehow it had completely not occurred to me that Asmara was indeed Ethiopian/Eritrean rather than something else. The space is smaller than say Addis Red Sea in the South End but it is still quite charming and comfortable. They don't go all out in decorating the place and it is quasi refreshing for a ethnic restaurant to do so. I am definitely going to have to come out to central to try some more of the 30+ dishes they have on the menu but what I had (tender raw cubes of beef in a spiced butter sauce and pepper) was absolutely tasty and spicy! read more

I had a delicious dinner here on a Monday night - it wasn't crowded but there were a few other customers around. I've never sat at a traditional table, which was fun and easy (even with two kids!). We ordered the veggie and meat combo options, and everything was very tasty, although it could have been spicier - and the injera was a different texture than what I'm used to. I think these meals gave us a taste of a lot of the menu, and I think I'd order it again because I liked everything! I found the prices to be quite reasonable as well. read more

This is the first time I have ever had Ethiopian food, so I don't have anything to compare it to. I thought the food was fantastic, and the server was extremely helpful and nice. By the time we left there was a line out the door. Delicious fruit juices, too. A bit pricey perhaps, but worth it. read more

I'll just throw in my two cents here. I know this place serves REAL Eritrean food, not americanized at all. But honestly, I'd prefer americanized. The whole point of eritrean/ethiopian food is the vast majority of your meal is the bread/pancake/crepe you use to pick up your 'stew'. And Asmara's bread is SO sour it makes me nauseous. The people there are really nice. The stew's themselves are very good, but if the centerpiece is inedible, then what's the point? Personally I prefer Addis Red Sea. They leave out the sour mix in their bread, though my friend insists it isn't as authentic. Who cares? It tastes a lot better. If only they delivered. You can get Asmara through Dining In, and it is my partner's favorite restaurant, so I guess I am stuck being sick to my stomach for as long as I am with him. :) read more

Can I say yum? My friend took me here one day and we left very happy. Enough said. Not many people inside when we went in, but the service was still great. read more