If you haven't tried Ethiopian food, this is the place to go! It's always such a cool experience eating the food with "bread" instead of silverware. I got the combo for two with first five listed vegan options. They were all so flavorful and I would order all of them again. We waited about ten minutes in the lobby for anyone to even realize we came through the door but when we were seated, the service was excellent-never had an empty cup and they are so so friendly. read more

Cafe Desta - Combo for two. Top five vegan options - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Wow! Amazing food. Makes zeemam's look like 7-11. Ok Zeemam's is still pretty decent, but really this place is delicious. The service is excellent. Finally an awesome place in the armory park/barrio neighborhood. Excellent prices, delicious food! read more

Cafe Desta - Mmmm - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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I have been into many different Ethiopean restaurants before, but never like this one. Everything was perfect especially the vegan food. Their service was excellent and people there were friendly. I am planning to go there more often, and you should try it too. read more

Cafe Desta - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Delicious home style food. Lots of vegetarian and gluten-free options. Friendly staff. Cultural experience. Highly recommended

Good...a little more ambience that Zemam, but not quite as tasty. I'll stick to good, old reliable Zemam! read more

It was an experience. I can say the soup was delicious. Entrees are tasty. I would recommend the chef to warm the bread. read more

Cafe Desta - Combo. Must try. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

This restaurant is excellent. Highly recommended for vegetarians and vegans. I'm generally not a fan of cabbage, but their Tikil-Gomen is amazing. read more

Best eats in Tucson, hands down. Every time my family considers trying a new lunch spot, we think, "Well, yeah, OR we could just go back to Cafe Desta!" Big smiles. I love everything on the menu but usually go back to the Tikil-Gomen, Alicha Doro, and Gomen most often. Atmosphere is bright, clean, and pleasant. Service impeccable. (They're always super nice to my 2-year-old daughter!) Mochas are excellent, too, although they're practically a meal themselves! read more

If you haven't seen other reviews yet just know the food is delicious. Absolutely amazing hands down. The only problem I always have with this resturant is that the lack of quality service is pretty disheartening. From now on I take my food to go because that's how bad the service is. And I go on a regular basis, so every time I go here the service is very crappy. read more

Sometimes after only a few minutes in a place you know it's going to be excellent. That was my experience with Cage Desta. The ambience was cozy yet elegant, the staff were friendly, the tea was delicious, and as soon as I laid eyes on the food, I knew it was going to be delicious. There are tons of options both for vegans and meat eaters and everything is pretty reasonably priced. The mint tea was good but the Earl Grey was absolutely out of this world. The mesir and ayeb were probably my favorite parts of my meal and the injera perfectly complimented everything on my plate. I will definitely be coming back! read more

It was my first time trying Ethiopian food. This is an interesting place to visit! You eat with your hands! The food is delicious, my favorite was the spicy chicken (I forget what it's called). It's new, it's out of your norm, and fun to try. It was pretty busy when we went in but great atmosphere and great service. If you're up for trying Ethiopian food you should come here. read more

I LOOOOOOVE THIS PLACE! I really go out to eat, but when I do, I only come here! The food is always delicious and comes out pretty fast. Don't forget about the tasty mango juice read more

Nice foods and good experience for me. I love the chicken and fish curry. And hot Cocoa.

There are only two reasons why you should be eating at Cafe Desta. One is if you have never heard of Zemam's, the other is if you live right next to Cafe Desta and don't feel like driving to get real Ethiopian food. The quality of everything is inferior to Zemam's, from the injera to the lentils. Don't bother with Cafe Desta. The flavors just aren't there. Go to Zemam's on Broadway if you want good Ethiopian food. read more

I love this place! my favorite Ethiopian restaurant I have frequented. so yummy and great gluten free options. please visit if you are in Tucson! read more

Nice little restaurant ...very personal..Beth made some really good recommendation on our food selection and we're be able tried quite a few different dishes but some of them kind reminded me Indian curry...pleasant dinner experience after all. Since I have never had Ethiopian food before..its good..but.. are they authentic? Anyone? read more

The service is absolutely great, they are very welcoming and helpful. The server answered any question we had about the food and even suggested some dishes. The food is unbelievably flavorful. I recommend all of the vegetarian dishes and the bread is to die for. I love the fact that you can bring your own alcohol (they dont serve alcoholic beverages there) and the water here is THE BEST WATER i have ever had. zesty! I really love the art throughout the place, especially the one on the walls. The whole feel of the place is very awesome, family friendly, good place for a date, great for special dinners. THE BATHROOM: The bathroom is very artsy: when you first walk up there is a very comfy couch and some nice contemporary art on the wall. Inside there is a huge, one-person-only bathroom that is very cheerfully painted. love it! read more

*update* Telly the owner is amazing! Here is the thing, this café eatery is a Tucson gem. My husband and I go here a lot and im so happy to see more Tucson people calling in love with this place. You see, the aura and ambiance is cool and collected even when there is a packed house. Enjoy injera with lemon water and try some yekemem Shai. My friend and I just are there for two on $30.00 with tip! This is my favorite full service Ethiopian Cafe. I appreciate that they are so close to us and downtown. So our first experience with Cafe Desta was a date-night that my husband and I try to do weekly. He had just gotten off work around 9:30 - 10pm. We arrived at 10pm and a gentleman was walking up, disappointed at seeing they closed at 10pm we began to turn and walk away however, the gentleman encouraged us to go on in as he followed. Later we learned it was Telly, the owner and one of the nicest men my husband and I have met. We had their specialty tea Yekemem Shai - Iced or Hot it is amazing with Agave nectar. We ordered the combo for two (which we still do to this day). Everything was amazing. the flavors were so bold and the food arrived promptly. Our first visit the owner sat with us and talked to us - not closing up until after 11pm. Our subsequent visits have been just as pleseant. You can feel the love in the place. Everything on the menu is absolutely amazing and I strongly recommend this place. read more

This place is a pei wei for Ethiopian food!!! PROS: Great decor Service was very friendly A value for a lunch special Desserts are okay Place was very clean CONS: The most BLAND Ethiopian food I have ever had!!! Overpriced for certain items and for what it's worth Limited menu Items Tea has no flavor and tastes watery Injera was thin, dry, spongy and stale The food is very BLAND!!! Absolutely no flavor, and we tried 7 different dishes! I have eaten Ethiopian food most of my life and have eaten at several restaurants in Atlanta, Houston, and OKC. So I know what to expect from a good Ethiopian restaurant, that's why this place was such a disappointment! Especially considering how it has high reviews and recommendations, which are apparently misleading. Please reconsider and lower your expectations if you are determined to visit Cafe Desta, however, understand this place is a terrible misrepresentation of Ethiopian cuisine, please do not let you or someone else have this experience be your first impression of Ethiopian food. Please try it somewhere else, possibly in another city. read more

Clean, hearty food with excellent veg options and delicious meat dishes. Their injira is excellent; fluffy and moist, perfectly spongy.

Very good. I've tried over a dozen Ethiopian restaurants in Atlanta, Orlando, Denver, Tucson, Phoenix, and California. Cafe Desta ranks a solid second place among them. My food was delivered in less than three minutes of ordering. Portions were huge and flavorful. I appreciate the availability of a fish dish, which exceeded expectations. Zemam's, I love you but you'll have to up your game if you hope to stay competitive. read more

I was torn between Desta and another restaurant and am so glad I picked this one. It was only me, but I had to try all the veggie dishes so that I could compare to 5-6 restaurants I've tried in Dallas. This might be better than all of Dallas. If you want all-Teff injera, it'll cost extra, but it's gluten-free, and it's the traditional grain of Ethiopia. This place is BYOB, which is really nice too. The green lentil dish had a different flavor than I'm used to, but the veggie dishes that stood out were the collard greens, spinach, red lentils, cabbage, and green beans. All fantastic. read more

Cafe Desta - Sampler of all vegan dishes. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

A year and a half ago, my boyfriend and I stayed in Tucson for a week, in an Air B&B down the street from Cafe Desta. We ventured all over the city and tried a lot of restaurants, but ended up eating at Cafe Desta three times because it was just amazing. I'm a vegetarian and my boyfriend is a carnivore and each meal we each tried 2-3 things from the menu, so we pretty much tried everything and didn't have a single thing we didn't love. We're now back home in the Denver / Boulder area and we miss Cafe Desta all the time! read more

Being vegan can make eating out a challenge. Cafe Desta solves that problem. My girlfriend and I usually eat here at least once a month. Super friendly service, fair prices, and awesome selection of vegan options. One of my favorite restaurants in Tucson! read more

Desta's food tastes really fresh, the injera is perfect, and the ambiance is pleasant. Plus, eating in Desta's made me feel as if I'm living in a college town---the crowd was interesting and diverse. Not your tan, blond, greek-letter wearing, Zona Zoo, backward baseball cap crowd, which, I guess, is the college crowd in this town. It's nice to have a refuge from those yay-hoos. read more

The food here is amazing! Authentic, traditional Ethiopian in a cool, relaxed space. My mom and I each ordered the vegan lunch special and tasted six different dishes. The minced spinach and yellow lentils are my favorite! The garbanzo beans were spicy and went well paired with the other dishes. I highly recommend Cafe Desta! They can also accommodate larger parties in the secret side room with reservation. read more

Amazing, welcoming atmosphere. The food and teas are natural and delicious; vegan, vegetarian and meat options. I drive from out of town just to eat here. I feel I'm in another country when I'm here. The staff is friendly. read more

Good food although a little on the salty side. I had a lamb dish with injeera and green beans, which were cooked much more than suits my taste. read more

I've been to Desta three times now, and it's become my favorite restaurant in Tucson. The fish is, by far, my favorite dish (though, as a pescatarian, I can't speak to the meat dishes). The red and yellow lentils are also excellent. I will say that the collard greens are just so-so. The owner is above and beyond in his service. He's friendly, personable, and seems to genuinely care about your dining experience. I've noticed a few people complain about the service, which baffles me (admittedly, it's never been packed when I've gone). The woman who works there is a bit more reserved, but equally nice. The food always comes faster than expected. read more

This was my first time trying this kind of food and I have to say, it wasn't half bad. Good experience! read more

Cafe Desta - The combination for 2 of Alicha Doro, Kaye Beg, Fosolia, Gomen, and Kik. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I have been coming here for three years now. I have ordered almost everything on the menu so far and I really enjoy all of it. I love the Teff Injura, it's more traditional and so delicious. The portions are great. It is fun to share with others and the spot is nice. It is very clean, the staff is friendly and helpful. If it's your first Ethiopian food experience or you have been to Ethiopia. This place will not disappoint. I have come in at all different hours and I have never had to wait to seat as they have put outdoor space and 5 points is armory at night so they use that space too. I love it, and I am very hard to please. Enjoy. read more

I moved to SE Arizona two years ago from the Pacific Northwest, and one of the things I miss most about Seattle is that there are so many Ethiopian restaurants there. I have been to Zeenams about 3 times and while I feel it's decent, I am not a fan of their injera. After hearing them mentioned on a local radio station, I made a beeline for Cafe Desta a week later when I was back in town. Cafe Desta's injera is -wonderful-, amongst the best I've had. I plan to go back and try more dishes, but I had the mild Lamb T'ibs and one of my favorite vegetable dishes, a cabbage/potato/carrot stew seasoned with ginger and tumeric called Ye'Atakilt Alich'a: it was perfect and simply flavorful like it should be. First I was hoping to try the Kitfo, a rather unusual 'meat tartare' sort of dish unique to this region's cooking, but I was told that the person who makes the best Kitfo was not cooking today so instead I should try the T'ibs. I was a bit hesitant to try them spicy, and will next time. They were tender and perfectly cooked, but pretty much straight lamb and onions to my palate...very good lamb though! Reading the other reviews, I must add that all my dishes were fresh and hot. I also had a guava juice and was surprised to see it was definitely not a tiny little glass, again nice to be getting reasonable portions for the cost. In Seattle, many Ethiopian restaurants are much less expensive (perhaps competitively since there are a lot) than Cafe Desta but the quality here I felt was very high, the food quite authentic, and the portions are not lacking. I wouldn't mind seeing a few more vegetarian dishes such as okra or sweet potato stews on the menu, but the essentials were here. However, I plan to return in particular for more of that -great-injera and to try the other vegetarian dishes such as the Gomen, Misir Alich'a and Fosolia, ------------ Okay here's a quick update to this review, went back for the lunch special today of three entrees of my choice, plus a side order of Ayeb (a dry cottage cheese that is a good counterpoint to spicy meats). This time I had the Kaye Asa (berbere Tilapia stew), the Fosolia and the Kik (yellow split peas). My favorites so far...the Tikil-Gomen (aka Ye'Atakilt Alich'a, sorry, I know it by another name!), the Kik and the Kaye Asa, in that order. But the Fosolia was good, just the other three are better! Oh, well of course the delicious Injera, which I needed to order an additional piece of! Another great meal, pleasant service and fresh food. And with a steamed milk, still barely $10., great deal for lunch. read more

This is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Tucson. The food is delicious and always consistent. I'm vegan and never have a hard time finding something to eat. The atmosphere is relaxing, comfortable and cozy. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. The prices are very reasonable and the portion sizes are huge! I would definitely recommend!! read more

I love the vegan options they have! One of my favorite places to eat in Tucson. The staff is always friendly too!

Great place for local food. I was glad to find a good selection of vegetarian options. The food was delicious and the service was great. Oddly enough, I was impressed by the high ceiling and skylight in the ladies room. Definitely a new go to. read more

On my way out the door the first and only time I've been, I already couldn't wait to go back. This place is beautiful, delicious, and extremely well-priced! I hate to compare it to Zemam's because it's a longstanding Tucson favorite that I've enjoyed for years, but to be honest I might have to pass it up next time for Cafe Desta. The prices here relative to the food you get is more realistic and plentiful. I ordered the combo for two with my boyfriend and the most striking thing was the fact that every dish stood out to me--- I've gone to Zemam's several times and I still can never remember what I've had before. Great location and ambiance... the restaurant reflects the quality and service in that its comfortable, bright, and inviting. The Shai is fantastic... very delicate but very soothing. The Ethio Latte was a big hit at our table--- straight up, one of the best coffee drinks I've ever had. Rich, sweet, full-bodied... I would go everyday if only to get that latte in the morning!!! I've only heard great things about Cafe Desta and now that's all I can say about it... will most definitely become a Tucson staple! read more

This really is an excellent restaurant. They have many options for vegetarians as well as for meat eaters. They have no liquor license so you can bring your own liquor with you. They Have no corkage fee if you bring your own liquor. Food is served communal style. You take pieces of flatbread and eat off of a community plate. I really recommend this restaurant. read more

Cafe Desta - Combo for two. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Wow. My niece Dallas Rose Sherwood gave me and my partner a gift certificate. What a tasty, healthy, fun experience. As a native of Tucson I am proud they are now a part of Tucson's hot spots. Del Sutton read more

I just loved our lunch at Cafe Desta! It was a lovely atmosphere and the people working were extremely friendly. You've got to try their lunch combinations - wonderful taste sensations and I recommend choosing the Injera (bread made of mostly Teff flour) instead of the rice so you can eat your meal as if you were in Ethiopia! I will definitely be back. read more

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Cafe Desta. We always order the combo plate for two and can never decide on what to get because everything is so good! Honestly, my man I are little gluttonous, I'm surprised we've never ordered "The Works" just for us. There are plenty of options for vegetarians, non-veg and gluten-free folks, alike. I adore the entire place- the service is always super friendly and welcoming, the food is delicious and those with a sweet tooth are in luck, because they make awesome desserts (cake/pie) in house. Dining here is easy on the walley and BYOB! Go there on a date or with a group of friends- it's always an enjoyable time. On our last visit, we showed up like 15 minutes before they closed and we were graciously seated. That says EVERYTHING. I feel like many restaurants in Tucson do the opposite. They make it clear that the kitchen is "closing in 15 minutes" and it sets an awkward tone. Not here folks! This is for sure on my top 10 favorites in town. read more