Absolutely delicious food, friendly service, reasonable prices, easy parking. Wonderful experience! read more

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A delicious home-cooked Ethiopian feast for two! Came by on a Sunday night and it was pretty quiet. We were the only people dining in, which was honestly such a vibe. We ordered a meat and veggie combo platter for 2 + a serving of Bozena Shiro (chickpea flour simmered with beef), and an order of Selit (Sesame Seed Smoothie) to drink. It was my first time having Bozena Shiro and Selit! The Selit came out first while we were waiting for our combo platter to come out. They asked what sugar level I prefer which was nice. I went with light sugar and it was perfect! It reminded me a lot of a sesame latte, but they said there was no milk in it so I believe it was just water blended with sugar and sesame seeds. It was delicious and had a naturally savory/toasty aspect to it as well. The platter came out and wow it looked fantastic. They gave a generous amount of injera with it as well. At other locations, I always find myself ordering extra injera, but instead we had a few bites leftover! Everything was delicious, the Kik Alicha (golden split peas) are always my favorite and they definitely delivered here as well! I really need to start ordering Ethiopian food a la carte, because the Bozena Shiro was fantastic. I would've never known about it if we didn't add it to our platter! Savory, tender meat, thick consistency on the sauce/stew. The injera here is a bit too dense for my persona liking. I prefer the fluffier style injera, but the flavor was still spot on! read more

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Disappointed. I ordered the special kitfo (raw) which was cooked like bland ground beef. Covered by layers of injera that was crisp at the ends. I also ordered the doro wot combo and besides the egg everything else was tasteless and rubbery. The greens lacked flavor as well... It took me 20 mins to receive my order and 40$ out of my wallet. I'm highly disappointed because I want to support places like this but I can't with this low quality of food. Also the salad they gave me was wet like washed but not properly dried...I ended up going to another place for dinner and I left my plate at a homeless encampment with a note saying "if you need something take it" read more

Delicious food. Attentive team. Exciting eating experience. Blue Nile is authentic to the core and presents an opportunity for escape through cuisine. The food is simply heartwarming - stewed meats and vegetables, paired with tender curried potatoes and Injura. It's an unforgetable dining experience. read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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Food so yum yum in my tum tum. People so nice. Chill vibes. Good music. Yea you should come here.

The atmosphere felt warm and welcoming, just like home for Habesha people. Everything was clean, comfortable, and well organized. I really enjoyed my time here and would gladly come back again read more

First time here, service was kind and lovely. Food was absolutely delicious, we ordered the Meat and Vegan combo for 2 and it was plenty of food. The restaurant itself is cute, the bathroom was clean and neat like everything else there. Will be back! read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Meat and vegan combo for 2 - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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such a pleasant late lunch. large portions and kind staff. it's a very small, this place deserves more popularity! the ambiance is really there, from the decor to the incense. read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Ethiopian Vegetarian Combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

I ordered the Doro Tibs. I enjoyed a flavorful, comforting plate that I'm still thinking about. Server was friendly and welcoming. Perfect visit. read more

Wow - this was some of the best Ethiopian food I've had. This is a cozy spot near Lake Merritt. The service was great and the food was phenomenal. The portion sizes aren't huge - no leftovers - but the food was so good, we didn't mind. :) I'll definitely be back to try other items on the menu. read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

The restaurant was empty when we went into the restarauant. That shows something about this restaurant. Food is pretty average. We ordered one chicken and a lamb dish. The lamb was hard. read more

Being in this area by the Lake is really a city gal's dream. There are plenty of bars, coffee shops, and restaurants. I've been coming here since they opened and I remember when I was waiting for it to open. I wanted really good Ethiopian food near me, and this fit the bill. My best friend and I came here a bunch of times back in 2018, and being back in the area I had to try this with my boyfriend. He never had Ethiopian food! When I first tried Ethiopian food I was 17 in Reno. The injera was new and I loved the flavor. It was the fork and the spoon of the Meat Platter for 2, and the lamb was so delicious. As you can see from my pictures our plate was cleaned. I also love that there are many vegetarian options as well. I'm ambitious in the kitchen and like to remake foods that I like from different cultures. Injera takes between 72-96 hours to make, and the meats are traditionally marinated for about 48 hours from what I've read and have asked about at local stores that are East African owned. When I finally remake doro wat, lamb, mushrooms & beef and injera I hope it all tastes like this. Give this local business a try. read more

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A friend and I went here on a Monday morning and for some reason service took forever. Not to mention the food was not impressive at all. I would not return. read more

Blue Nile is another favorite spot of mine in the neighborhood. They have all of the classic Ethiopian dishes you would expect, in a warm and welcoming environment. I went with one friend for dinner and we split the meat and vegan combo platter. It's served on a large piece of injera with a variety of different meats (chicken, beef, lamb) and some very tasty vegetable dishes. It was perfect to split between two people and you may have some leftovers to take home. I'd also recommend trying out the Ethiopian beer! read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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Blue Nile Ethiopian has a small dining area inside. despite what's posted on website, there's no inside nor outside dining available. offerings: big menu of the usual. eats: "Vegan Mushroom Combo: Mushroom, KIk Alicha, Atalkit, Gomen w/ side salad & Buticha" (& injera bread) ($16) -split peas, collard greens, mushrooms, red lentil, organic chickpea house made huumus. -fresh, tasty, not a lot of heat (luckily) -injera tasted sour but that's from the fermenting process. it's also a low calorie carb. win-win! read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Veggie combo section - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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We are returning customers who came back here because of the golden tibs, which is their signature dish. When we showed up, we were the only customers and remained the only customers until 1 hour later. The golden tibs took 40 mins to arrive, which time it takes to cook. However, it was extremely chewy, tasteless, and seemed old. Extremely disappointing. Luckily, my friend is Ethiopian and was able to communicate the message that we shouldn't pay for the meat and the waitress agreed to not charge us for it. Unfortunately we wouldn't be returning ever again, read more

I got to grab some dinner to go here after furniture shopping. While I was shopping I came here on Yelp and ordered through the app/grub hub. The ordering process was so easy and seamless. The food was ready on time and was an easy pick up. They would meet you at the door and bring your food to the table set up by the door. I was in and out under 60 seconds. Now, when I got home and got to taste the food. I could honestly say my tummy was happy. This is definitely a solid place to get ethiopian food. I had a vegetarian combination. The food was plenty and had the right amount of each dish. Overall, I was really happy with this spot and would definitely come back again. read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Ethiopian Vegetarian Combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

I had jury duty today in Oakland and discovered Blue Nile Ethiopian. The Vegan combo platter was absolutely delicious, and I especially loved their injera - I even ordered extra to take home. The young lady working at the restaurant was incredibly kind and helpful. read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Vegan combo platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Solid Ethiopian food in walking distance from Bart! It was so delicious and packed full of flavor. You can't go wrong with any of the choices here! I loved eating up every last bit with the injera. Now I know a great go-to near Lake Merritt whenever I'm craving Ethiopian food in the area! read more

Delicious food. Tried the veggie and meat combo at Blue Nile and it was super enjoyable. Each dish had a distinct and very enjoyable flavor. I'm getting hungry just reminiscing! Service was friendly. Restaurant was mostly empty on a weeknight. I also highly recommend their homemade honey wine. It was refreshing and very tasty. Will definitely satisfy your Ethiopian food craving! read more

Best injera I ever had. The ordering is simple during COVID, even on the day ordering for Enkutatash. There were meter parking on the side of the road (free after 6pm). Be prepare to pay 20% tip during pickup as that's the first box to check as option. The injera is packaged with the combo plate, so I like that it is used to soak up the juices that we're going to flow out from the meat. That said, the injera is not as dry to eat with hands if you order it for eating at work. read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Inside view of the restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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Full disclosure - my teeth have been hurting because my ortho gave me braces (after trying Invisalign for a year+) and I needed something that was soft enough for me to eat that didn't compromise in flavor... My heart led me to Blue Nile. Ethiopian is one of my top three cuisines, but unfortunately there is none in the 707. So I made it a mission to visit here this weekend. I called to place an order and pick up was seamless. I ordered the veggie combo and awaze tibs with extra injera (I can eat this bread by itself as a meal, if needed haha.). Anyway, got home and shared some with my Mom. We both enjoyed it; the red lentils being our favorite. Bonding over food is always an enjoyable experience. The injera was a bit more thick (towards the center), which I'm not complaining because the chewiness and sourness of it was really satiating my palette! Mmmm, AND I have enough for leftovers... I also got an extra order of injera ($2) in case I decide to snack on some on the way home. Haha. See yall next time! xo read more

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I decided to come back and order takeout via the phone. Since the restaurant said that one entree would not be enough food for two people, we added a meat combo (chicken) to what was originally just going to be a shiro combo order. The food was ready on time when we got there based on their 15-20 minute pickup time estimate, but it seemed like they might've misheard over the phone and thought we ordered a veggie combo since one of the workers, when hearing us say we were here to pick up a shiro combo, went and took one of the boxes and disappeared into the kitchen for a minute or two before coming back. The food itself was pretty good; I think the ratio of injera to dishes was well estimated as I didn't end up running out of injera or having too much injera left over. I would agree that the portions are about right for one meal for one person and are not adequate to share between two or more people, unfortunately. So that is something to keep in mind since although their prices are not super expensive, the portion of food is probably somewhat smaller than some of the other Ethiopian restaurants in the area I've been to which have higher prices. read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Meat combo (chicken), shiro combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

The owner was extremely kind when we got there close to closing time. We never tried Ethiopian food and she recommended the meat and veggie mixed platter. We got it to go, came out in like 10 minutes!!! Everything tasted super fresh, very flavourful. The taste was so hard to explain but so different than anything we've tried before. A friend recommended this place to us and we're glad she did! Would go again for sure and dine in for a more comprehensive review! read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Meat Combo Platter Ethiopian Vegetarian Combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

We stopped here after going to the Oakland Museum of California with the kids and we all loved it! My son, who is a very picky eater, absolutely loved the Doro Tips (chicken) and so did we! We will definitely be back. read more

This was my first time having Ethiopian food and I liked the inejera and all the different tibs we got to eat with it! The inejera is a bit sour and not all of us liked it but personally I liked it. Pros: big platters were convenient for big groups, good spice level, lot of meat and veggie options, prices were reasonable Cons: hard to get meat off of bone and not too many drink options read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Blue Nile Special Goden Tibs, Mushroom Tibs - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

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Great food. Shared the combination plate...so delicious. Service was fantastic . Family run business. Will definitely be back.

My friend ordered me take out from this place and it was amazing. It's probably one of my favorite Ethiopian places in the Bay Area! I love the chicken one which was called the Doro Tibs and the beef dish. Both were packed with flavors. My most fav was the Vegetarian Combo, which consist of lentials, split peas, collard greens and tomato firfir. I honestly didn't wanna share this plate. They are very generous when it comes to portions and they have plenty of spices in their dishes. Hope to visit them one day in person, if not my friend will have to continue with their delivery to me. read more

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Only giving a 3 star because location is sketchy and we were the only people eating in the restaurant. Food was pretty tasty. Not the best Ethiopian we've had but it definitely satisfied our craving. If the restaurant was in a better area, we may be more inclined to go more often. read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Great food. I tried the vegetarian platter and it was delicious and had a very colorful presentation!

So, it's been a minute since I've had Ethiopian food and I've really missed it. One of my favorites was Massawa in San Francisco and the Blue NIle in Berkeley. Last night we just had to have some yummy Ethiopian and chose this Blue Nile based on the reviews. I had high hopes, but it didn't quite pan out. First off it was a Saturday night and it was nearly empty, never a good sign, and when our party of 6 sat down there were large (cigarette or cigar?) burn marks on the table, the bench I sat in had me at chest height with the table-like a child at a restaurant..LOL Anyway, the menu seemed like there were a lot of options and we forged ahead. For our appetizer we chose the buticha, which I have had a cafe Romnat (and it was DELICIOUS), but here it wasjust sour and not good. For our entrees we at family style and had: the Ethiopian vegetarian combo, the Siga beef tibs, Doro chicken tibs and the Shira vegan combo. First off let me say that the beef had a really nice flavor, but the actual chunks of beef were full of cartilidge and connective tissue-they were not chunks of beef, more like off cuts containing thick gristle that cannot be chewed and cartiledge. Again the beef had a nice flavor to the sauce, but the beef itself was gross. The vegetarian dishes really didn't distinguish themselves from one another at all, everything was kind of one note and not very flavorful. The enjera was tasteless, not that it is the supposed to be a flavorful bread, but it was just lacking and overly sour. Lastly the Doro chicken tibs were really good, everyone at the table liked it and was happy with that choice. All in all, I don't think that I would go back. The service was fine, the dining accommodations could be better, but if the food is good I can overlook that...unfortunately the food was not good enough to have to eat at a table that is at my chest and pull chunks of thick connective tissue out of my mouth when taking a bite of the beef dish...Sorry Blue Nile, I really wanted to like your spot, but it just didn't work out. read more

My first experience with Blue Nile was 2 days before their grand opening day. I was walking down 14th St in the evening as they were beginning to prep, and the exotic spice scent drew me down the sidewalk like a magnet. I spoke briefly to the owner who allowed me to peer inside and take a look at what used to be an old Subway sandwich shop. It was unrecognizable from the old space, with rich, vibrant colors popping out over more muted tiles. It made it feel like a different world from the street. I was out of town on their grand opening day, but returned as soon as possible to try the food. It surpassed my expectations and was worth the wait. So flavorful! We shared the Bozeno Shiro and the Ye'beg Tibs, and both were wonderful. I appreciated the way the food was served in small pots placed over a bed on Injera instead of being ladled directly over the Injera. This preserved the integrity of the bread while we ate. There are other popular Ethiopian restaurants in Oakland, but Blue Nile will be my new go-to from now on. read more

Great food, friendly staff. Peaceful surroundings. The courtyard is very relaxing.

Stopped by for late lunch and I absolutely love Ethiopian food!! Really liked the ambience of this place as well. Definitely recommend if ur looking to try out Ethiopian food!! read more

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Great ambience for a date night. Excellent freshly prepared food. Prompt and friendly customer service. Support your local family owned restaurants. Highly recommended! read more

Came here for my Valentines dinner date and we had a nice time! We shared two vegetarian dishes and each had a glass of honey wine. Apologies for the lack of detail in this review, I cannot remember what we ordered exactly. But both were very good. I chose this place because of their gluten free Injera. It tasted amazing and fit my dates dietary restrictions. The honey wine was more acidic than I'm used to, it wasn't bad but I've enjoyed other restaurants' more. Quick service, friendly staff! We went at 5:30 but it filled up after 6. read more

My friend and I got the combo and it was full of flavor and filling. It was my first time trying Ethiopian food and it was a great experience. The portion size was just right and the restaurant gave us extra hot sauce upon request. The beef, lamb, and chicken were lean but juicy and full of spices and flavors. The red lentils still had a bite to it and the yellow peas had a subtle level of flavor. The collar greens was a nice touch. My friend really enjoyed the potato's and carrot and didn't want to share. She's lucky that I love her or whatever :P read more

Blue Nile Ethiopian - Ethiopian Near Me - Oakland, California

Excellent quality. Really nice people. I had berber spiced eggs and some stewed chicken that was yummy.

Disappointed that this was just average. Tried their veggie and meat combo. The dishes came out rather quick but lacked flavor and spices that one would normally associate with Ethiopian food. Given all of the different options for Ethiopian restaurants in the area, it'd be difficult to justify a repeat visit. read more

I am obsessed with this place. So close to my apartment with great service and food! The ambiance is so amazing too I had my friends from Hayward come to Oakland to try it out. Thanks! read more