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Aunt Yvette’s Kitchen

4.8 (394 reviews)
Closed • 5:00 pm - 9:00 PM
Updated a few days ago

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Rachel Ann C.

This might be one of my favorite places in all of Northeast LA. Aunt Yvette's Kitchen and Ethiopian cuisine is made with so much love and care into their food -- the preparation, the service, the staff, to the entire ambiance of the place oozed with passion and soul. From beginning with a rose water hand wash, to fruit-infused water, to their incredible vegetarian-friendly spread (the sponge-like bread they serve in is SO delicious!)... Their foods are packed with flavor and good-for-you vegetables. Our waiter was extremely nice and explained all of the dishes and specialties to us well. We came in a lazy weekend afternoon and loved our intimate experience. I got an Ethiopian coffee which was basically a lovingly strong espresso topped with cacao and chocolate to cut through the bitterness, perfectly. We added an eggplant dish and a mushroom tibs vegetarian special to their veggie combo. It was delicious! To top it off, their music playlist was amazing - felt straight off my Spotify playlist of feel-good old school hip-hop and R&B to soft pop ballads (love my Tribe Called Quest)! Would 10000% come back here. Would recommend this to friends in the neighborhood to try or bring others along. It is a rather small spot so having smaller parties or groups are better (they may be able to accommodate more with a reservation?). For the two of us, we had leftovers to take home, and it was delicious! 10/10 all around!

vegan combo with dereq tibs // ig: @nigirigirlsforever
Isabella D.

A meal with intention, respect to tradition, warmth and refinement and nothing unnecessary or extraneous!!! I am in love with this restaurant and I can't wait to go back. S/O and I shared the vegan combo and dereq tibs, a pitcher of their infused water, an Ethiopian cream coffee, and a glass of palm tree (their arnold palmer). The food was fantastic. I loved every bite we had, especially the gomen (braised greens), cabbage and carrot, and the kik alicha. The dereq tibs, though? That was AMAZING. Tender beef, sweet stewed onion, the perfect amount of spice from the serranos. I loved that the dish is accompanied by senafich (a spicy, horseradish-y mustard) and mitmita (a DELICIOUS chili powder that I want to put on everything lol). The beverages were delicious, I love an arnold palmer and this one is probably the best i've ever had with their spiced tea. Their coffee was decadent and strong and perfectly balanced. And the banana split! I am not usually one for dessert but I knew I needed to try this and I'm SO glad I did. A symphony of textures and complex flavors. We may or may not have used our fingers to get the last bits from the dish. The place itself is like a little oasis from the hustle and bustle of the strip mall outside. Vibey music, beautiful furniture and decor, and all attention paid to the little details. Can't wait for them to reopen so we can come back!! Parking - strip mall was crowded, but street parking wasn't too bad to find.

Adriana O.

The food was delicious our waiter gave us recommendations on the food and we took the advice. Service was excellent they are attractive and polite. The ambience is mellow with cute decor, felt intimate and comfortable. I would definitely recommend to try.

Emily T.

My first time having Ethiopian food, and it was fantastic! We ordered the vegan combo, doro wat, and beef awaze tibs. The vegan combo came with a bunch of flavorful things like stewed red lentils, stewed yellow split peas, Ethiopian salad, et cetera. I'm not vegan, but I would have been more than satisfied with just the vegan combo as it was delicious and filling. The doro wat - spicy braised chicken with a hard-boiled egg - was tender and tasty. I thought the beef dish was even better. The beef pieces practically melted in my mouth. And everything went great with the injera, which had a spongy texture that I found absolutely pleasing. The service was also wonderful. Before our meal, our server performed a hand-washing ceremony with rose water. And after we finished eating, we were presented with wet towels to clean our hands. Throughout lunch, our server kept our glasses of water filled. This place is a small intimate spot with very few tables, so reservations are strongly recommended.

Vegan Platter with Beef Tibs
William H.

My first experience with Ethiopian cuisine, and easily one of the best meals I've had in 2026 so far. We ordered the vegan platter with beef tibs, which was a fantastic introduction to the cuisine. The flavors were vibrant, comforting, and unlike anything I've had before. The staff was incredibly knowledgeable and took the time to explain each dish and how it was prepared. Combined with the beautiful ambiance, it made for a memorable dining experience. I'll definitely be back.

Emese S.

Don't let the strip mall parking lot and unassuming exterior fool you. Aunt Yvette's is really nice inside. This is not like any of the other restaurants I've visited in Berkeley or even LaBrea's Little Ethiopia. It's focused on a more luxurious experience with genuinely authentic touches. ** ELEGANTLY ETHIOPIAN ** Warm, welcoming, and elegant, the staff is highly attentive, from the ceremonial hand washing to refilling glasses, and detailed explanation of menu items & Ethiopian culture. Also, the staff gives you your space, much like you'd enjoy your meal and time in Europe. Or as a nice meal is probably honored in Ethiopia. There seems to be a lot of care put into how to enjoy a feast with proper rituals in place. Speaking of honoring, Aunt Yvette's seems to also reserve a high regard for coffee as I sneaked a peek at a Coffee Ceremony on the menu. I will have to come back and try that next time. ** THE FEAST ** When at Ethiopian, it's always about sharing a platter. So after some deliberation, me and my lunch date settled on the Vegan Combo. It has all the fun vegetable options like the Berbere Red Lentils, Cabbage & Carrots, Yellow Split Pea, and Ethiopian Potatoes. We added Chicken Tibs as our protein. However, I really wanted the Cornish Game Hen, but lost in the negotiation part so I will need to return another time to try it (along with the coffee ceremony). As you may know, there are no utensils since you eat with the Injera spongy bread and use your hands. That's why the hand washing with rose water was a nice start to our lovely brunch. We also ordered a shot each of Tej, an authentic Ethiopian honey wine. It was fizzy and had a hint of apple cider vinegar taste, but paired well with the earthy spices of our meal. To fluff up the water sitch, there was an anise, ginger, and citrus water that's like a healthy, African aqua fresca for $5. After we mopped up all the spices sauces and exotic flavors with the ever-refilled injera (spongy, Ethiopian bread) we were stuffed. It was plenty food for the two of us. ** TURN UP THE HEAT ** For fire breathing ghost chili fans and spice freaks who love testing the Scoville scale on their tongues, I highly recommend any item that has MITMITA in it. I asked for extra since I'm one of those spice junkie nut jobs who needs her capsaicin fix with certain foods. Mitmita's flavor notes don't overpower and I was able to sprinkle my meal generously with heat. **NOTE: Mitmita in the ingredients list doesn't mean it's too spicy, but if you ask for extra spicy, it'll give you a good kick in the mouth ;) Good thing there's a list of craft cocktails to squelch the heat.

Vegan platter with Dora Wat and mushroom tibs
Mike P.

It's a ceremony eating at Yvette's, it's not just dinner. Starting with the rose water hand washing, the fruit and spice infused drinking water, the magic hand towels, they've got it all. Music softly plays over the speakers, although I wished they played something Ethiopian to give us a more exotic experience. Food was fantastic and wonderfully explained by our server. It's a great place to eat with friends and enjoy good conversation. Only eight tables and you will need a reservation on the Resy app. Limited parking in front of the strip mall.

Yvonne B.

Every time I come to Aunt Yvette's with my friends, they claim that their lives have been changed for the better. Aunt Yvette's a truly a hole in the wall gem with delicious shareable platters of fresh injera. I've tried Ethiopian food before but this spot has tons of vegan options in addition to their fish and meat options. Pro tip: save room for dessert because it's worth it. The banana split with so decadent and delicious. And don't get me started on the ambiance, it was elevated, groovy, and decorated in such charm. Highly recommend reserving your spot ahead of time. I'm excited for them to reopen in August!!!

Hibiscus Iced Tea
Alice Y.

Summary: 4.5 stars for food and 5 for service. We ordered one meat dish and majority vegetable dishes (vegan). Everything was good; I just have a personal preference for the taste of butter. *** I visited a couple of years ago and haven't had a chance to return due to distance. Our party of 3 walked in on a Sunday upon opening (12pm), and we were seated immediately. We were first asked if we had a reservation, so I'm guessing you can call in. The small restaurant had a handful of tables for parties of 2-3 and lounge seating with low tables for parties of 4. There was one small table seating 2 outside without shade. Parking was easy in the small strip mall, though I can see it being busy during the week when other businesses are open. INTERIOR Upon entering, I was wowed by the beautiful decor and nature vibes. I noticed the green plants, glass ceiling lights shaped like rocks, and a dark cork wall in the back. I loved the gold cups and bamboo shaped water pitcher. The fans overhead kept us cool on a day that was supposed to be 90F. SERVICE The owner was super sweet and warned us (as first time visitors) about the seats rocking backwards. She proactively explained the menu including specials and made recommendations. Our server was prompt and equally courteous. He draped the napkins for us and sprinkled rosewater onto our hands as sanitizer. He offered well-timed refills for injera during our meal and provided scented hot towels at the end. DRINK/FOOD ORDERED - Hibiscus Iced Tea ($18 pitcher / $10 glass). We ordered a pitcher of Palm Tree tea to share, but I'm pretty sure we got hibiscus since it was dark red and tasted like hibiscus. It arrived in an adorable gold teapot. The tea was lightly sweet and tangy. - Beef Awaze Tibs ($27). This was our add-on to the vegan combo. I enjoyed the flavorful, fall-apart tender chunks of beef in a spicy sauce with onions. However, the stew was extremely oily for me. - Vegan Combo ($37). The combo by itself would have fed the 3 of us comfortably. While I enjoyed the overall taste and lightness of the vegan stews, I personally have a preference for the taste of butter. Misir wat (berbere stewed red lentil): It was good and had a more pronounced earthy flavor leaning towards bitter. Kik Alicha (turmeric stewed yellow split pea): I enjoyed the texture of the peas with some halves left in tact. Gomen (braised kale): I didn't taste much of the onion and garlic, but more of a tang than anything else. Kale salad: the kale leaves were tender and lightly dressed with a creamy dressing. It included beets that were surprisingly mild in flavor. Cabbage & carrot: I enjoyed the warm spice profile. Ethiopian style potato (rotating offering): the coconut curry potato we had on this day was excellent - sweet, savory, and flavorful. Seasonal split pea stew topped with with EVOO: this tasted similar to the Kik Alicha. It was good, but I preferred the Kik Alicha. The combo plate also included two condiments: Timatim (Ethiopian tomato salad) and sunflower milk, a dipping sauce made from sunflower seeds. The sunflower milk was so good! For injera, we received 2 rolls per person to start. After 3 pieces, I started eating the one on the plate that soaked up the stews. The injera was good, thick and spongy with a bouncy chew. However, the sharp sourness of the bread was a little unbalanced with the vegan stews. It was served cold, but I prefer warm or room temp.

Veggie Combo
Kurt T.

The vibes inside are great. There is a parking lot, and while I can see it filling up when it gets busy, I was able to find a spot easily. I highly recommend making a reservation on Resy. The place is small, and on a Friday they were not taking walk ins because they were fully booked with reservations. Be ready to use your hands, especially with the vegan combo. That is part of the experience. They do have forks if you want them, but I recommend embracing the culture. They start the meal with a hand washing ceremony, and they give you towels at the end to clean your hands. I ordered the vegan combo with the kitfo ayib and everything was amazing. The flavors were incredible. My favorite part was the Ethiopian style potato in the vegan combo. I honestly did not even know exactly what I was eating, but once everything comes together it tastes so good. I also had the banana split at the end and it was great. The torched sugar on the banana was a really nice touch. I would definitely come back.

Vegan platter and lamb special
Jessica M.

Hole in the wall with delicious food!! We walked in on a Saturday night and were able to seat immediately outside although they were fully booked for the night. The lamb special was tender and flavorful, highly recommend. Ordered the vegan platter to share and everything was seasoned and bursting with flavor, we fully cleaned the plate out lol. Wait staff was sweet and brought us as many refills of injera as requested!! Fab spot

Exterior
Ves S.

Great Ethiopian experience! We had Ethiopian before so was prepared for the concept. It's a small place so we had reservations. Upon arrival we were seated and the server explained how to eat and gave us rose water to rinse our hands. We got the vegan combo platter and added doro wat and special eggplant. The selection was a little spicy but enjoyable! The chicken was succulent and the salads and other sides gave a variety of flavors to take in.

Andreas K.

Time and again a stunning gourmet experience. This time with out of continent guests who equally indulged into the feast. Only criticism on that day (10-12-2025) was that the male waiter's charm and attentiveness was rather missing. Asking 3 times for additional injera seemed to just be the dot on the i. PREVIOUS REVIEW An absolutely stunning experience! From the start when we arrived for our reservation and were told to be brought in when the table was ready. Very cute and appeasing interior - almost ready to meditate. Yvette herself and her staff all charming, knowledgeable and a pleasure to chat with. Okay that in itself was wonderful, but the food including the starter tea and the dessert ice cream were simply virtuoso!!! So glad to have Auntie Y in our neighborhood, definitely asks for coming back ...

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Yvette P.

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Yvette P.

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Yvette P.

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Yvette P.

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4 months ago

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Yvette P.

Emily. Thank you so much for joining us! See you soon:)

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4 months ago

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William. So happy you enjoyed! Come on back soon

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6 months ago

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7 months ago

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9 months ago

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12 days ago

Great service by Taj. He was so kind and attentive to our whole group, it really made our whole experience. We will most definitely return!

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Yvette P.

Shanti ! Thank you so much! See you soon

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4 months ago

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Jessica. So happy we were able to accommodate. See you again soon!

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10 months ago

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Thank you so much Ves! See you soon

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9 months ago

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Wild night ! Thank you Stacey. Sending love.

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Han. Great to have you come in and try us out ! Come back soon

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1 year ago

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Sam ! Thank you for coming in …see you soon:)

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Fingy…cool video! Thanks so much for sharing your experience.

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Aunt Yvette’s Kitchen Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Aunt Yvette’s Kitchen

It appears you can't make a reservation for just 1 person. Will you get charged if you make a reservation for 2 but only 1 shows up?

You’re always welcomed as a solo diner. Just notate on your reservation that you are for 1. See you soon!

On toasttab for delivery, what is the difference between the veggie combo and the ethio to-go platter, are they both vegan?

Hi ! Yes both vegan. Both the same items. One is in a to go box and the ethio to go is on a platter more suited for “presentation “. Just 2 options for the same item.

Vegetarians-theres 4 of us how much does $37 plate feed?

A double for $72 would be perfect for 4

May I bring a bottle of wine? Is there a corkage fee?

Yes absolutely. There is a $35 fee. However we have a well curated list.

How can I make reservations?

You can make them on Resy (https://resy.com/cities/los-angeles-ca/venues/aunt-yvettes-kitchen).

Can you get food to take out here?

Yes absolutely!

How many people will a veggie combo serve?

2 unless you're light eaters or unless you've ordered other dishes

I got the veggie combo and every single item was incredibly spicy! I like spicy food but I was really surprised and how hot it was. Is it possible to request veggie options that are mild or non spicy or is it all pre-made? Ethiopian is my favorite.

We’re surprised to hear this. The cabbage, kik alicha, gomen, green beans, brown lentils, yam/potato are all cooked without chilis or spice at all. The misir wat and tomato stew are really the only ones that have a real kick. Perhaps we can leave… 

Are there dishes especially the chicken and meat items that are not spicy? I can't handle spice.

Gloria. Yes, although all of our dishes are full flavored the spice levels vary. The Asa tibs(fish) and chicken tibs are on the lower end of spice level.

Do they take reservations?

We easily made reservations for two online with Resy.

What should I order if I've never tried Ethiopian before? I'm not aversive to many things, except super spicy dishes....

Definitely try their veggie combo - it's a sampler plate that ranges from cooling (not spicy at all) to moderately spicy (think jalapeño heat). If you eat meat, then also add either chicken (Doro Wat) or beef (Awaze Tibs). Everything is eaten with… 

Are all the vegetarian options vegan?

Yes! The vegetarian stews are great.

On the "veg" menu does "All items above are V" mean vegan or vegetarian?

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Buna Ethiopian Restaurant & Market - Doro Wot , Kitfo & YEBEG DERIKI TIBESE

Buna Ethiopian Restaurant & Market

4.7(557 reviews)
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Buna is a small restaurant and market in the heart of Little Ethiopia with only 6-7 tables. The…read morewalls are an immersive display of vibrant and colorful Ethiopian art, and it is clear the owners are proud to share their culture with customers. We ordered the trout served with six kinds of vegetable platter (#36 - Fish) and lamb fried with spices (#12 - Yebeg Awaze Tibese), both served with injera. The injera soaked up spices from the lamb and was infused with an incredible depth of flavor. The portion sizes were also large, with plenty of leftovers between the two of us. Overall, I would recommend Buna if you are hoping to try delicious Ethiopian food. There is street parking only, with several spots open when we went late on a week night. Pro tip: the bathroom is through the kitchen, on the left hand side with a sign that says "employees only."

This was so good!! Highly recommend…read more Service: the servers/ employees were friendly and direct, no fluff which was nice Ambiance: it's really cool that it's in the back of a store, it gives you something to look at and shop while waiting for your food. I bought a couple of nice things food: OMG, best food i've had during my trip. i was a bit worried about the fish because i don't usually get a full fish like that but it was so good and my favorite out of everything. very easy to eat and separate from the bone. I got a Vanilla Iced coffee and after being disappointed by LA's coffee i was very pleasantly surprised, it was the best iced coffee i had on my trip, it tasted like it had something with powder but in a good way. the lamb was my second favorite, perfect amount of gamey-ness without being too off putting. overall i would highly recommend and come back.

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Merkato Ethiopian Restaurant & Market - #3. Awaze Tibbs

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4.0(876 reviews)
10.7 mi•Mid-Wilshire
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Ever ordered a fish & veggie combo and have a buncha veggies and injera leftover?? Me neither! I…read moreusually have to order an extra veggie combo for this to ever happen. A lot of places have me wondering why they'd include so little veggies for the size of this trout. (...I suppose a good tactic for making you order another entree). Well, this experience at Merkato was exceptional. Especially for the price. An enormous amount of food for two hungry people to share. Great flavors. More than adequate amount of pillowy delicious injera. We thoroughly enjoyed leftovers the next day. Would happily order again and recommend to others.

We have been going to Merkato for years and generally had only great experiences, but our latest…read morevisit this past weekend revealed that a lot has changed for the worse. We arrived around 6:45 on Saturday and didn't get our food until nearly 8:30 and had to manage a hungry four-year-old during this time. The restaurant was busy but there was only one server (more are definitely needed!) and most infuriating is that tables of Ethiopian diners would receive their food first despite arriving and ordering significantly after non-Ethiopian diners. If Merkato wants to discriminate against the non-Ethiopian diners who make up a core of their clientele, they should know we will gladly take our business to other restaurants on the block. Although the food was quite good when it finally did arrive, the service and the overall shabby condition that restaurant has deteriorated into over the years makes it unappealing to return to.

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Merkato Ethiopian Restaurant & Market
Merkato Ethiopian Restaurant & Market - Fresh & Tasty

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Rosalind's - The emperor special: a little bit of everything!

Rosalind's

4.1(805 reviews)
10.7 mi•Mid-Wilshire
•$$
Full bar
Grab-and-go

Friend and I were in the area for the Gintama Art Exhibit, which just happened to be in Little…read moreEthiopia, and we knew we had to get lunch here since it was both our first times there and not just driving through. After perusing what was opened, Rosalind's was highly rated and had dishes that were shareable but were not too huge (though it was still quite a generous portion). Based on the pictures, there's 2 sides to this restaurant. We were in the area where there's a set up for a DJ, where the restrooms are down the way, and there's a small wine bar area. It's very fancy and feels like I was in a banquet hall. Service was welcoming and helpful, not super talkative, which is great for introverts. For our lunch, we got the: 1) Beef Sambusa: -It's around $4 for one and it's a single piece, but you can cut this in half and split it. -It's a puff pastry shell filled with ground beef and onion, seasoned with jalapenos and herbs. Very well seasoned and has a good kick to it. Filled to the brim with meat. -Comes out piping hot and the puff pastry has a delicate crisp to it too. Good stuff, I can probably eat a bunch of these. 2) Vegan Goodness: -One of their specials on the front page of the menu. -This comes with 6 of their vegan side dishes: -Gomen (collard greens with carrot) -Shiro Wot (creamy stewed chickpeas - one of my favs) -Kik (stew made from split peas and turmeric) -Missir (spiced red lentils) -Tikil gomen (cabbage, potatoes, and carrots) -Fessolia (stir fried stew of green beans, carrots, onions, and aromatic spices) -And it's all served on dish sized serving of injera and there's a separate dish of injera too. It says it pairs best with one of the combos or entrees, or it acts as a meal for 1 person, but it's more than enough as an entree between 2 people. Very generous and very filling with the injera (sour fermented pancake flat bread). -Lots of slightly spicy, sour and tangy, savory flavors with each of the vegan side dishes on the injera. The injera does get a bit soggy, so be aware of how you would pack this to go if you choose to do so, but its super good and I'd recommend it if you want to try a little bit of everything and have someone to share it with. 3) Plantains: -It's an appetizer, but since it's sweet, it can double as a dessert, but to be honest, it worked really good in between bites of our vegan goodness as the sweet taste would be a palate refresher, helping us finish everything. Super affordable appetizer as well. We got SUPER full from this. Almost debated taking some of the food to go before we powered through, but definitely could feed up to 3 people if need be. Solid choice for Ethiopian food.

For 5 people we got the Emperor and 3 meat sampler and the food was plentiful! The miss who does…read morethe dinner shift was handling the whole restaurant on her own effortlessly. She made sure we always had our bread plate filled and waters. They play soft music while you eat so it's a great place to have a chatty dinner with friends without it being too loud. Parking a little difficult in the neighborhood but they make up in that there's plenty of seating to get to your meal as soon as possible.

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Rosalind's - The works!

The works!

Rosalind's - Vegan combo

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Rosalind's - Introducing the Sheba Bowl!

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Introducing the Sheba Bowl!

Aunt Yvette’s Kitchen - ethiopian - Updated October 2026

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