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Demera

4.6 (98 reviews)
ModerateEthiopian, Bars
Open • 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Demera Photos

DEMERA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Demera

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Reviews With Photos

Ethiopian Beer
Shamir W.

Cute little neighborhood Ethiopian place on University Avenue. Has a small attached parking lot which was kind of full. The restaurant has that neighborhood feel and the people there are there because they know each other. Like a family that gets together. It wasn't very busy and we were sat right away. Ordered a couple of drink. A beer and a Moscato. The drinks were fine but not very cold. Which was disappointing. They had a few Ethiopian beers on the menu but only had one available that day. We ordered the meat combination that had a bunch of different items. The food took a long time to come out. Almost 45 mins. Once we got the food, it was pretty delicious. Not the best I have had in the cities but good. The injera on the platter was a little dry so I would not recommend having that. But the injera that came with was moist and fresh. Overall it was a tasty meal and hit the spot for my Ethiopian food craving but the wait was a definite disadvantage. Also the one server was spread thin between the tables and the bar. If you are in the neighborhood, not a bad option as long as you are ready to wait.

S K.

I ordered the vegetarian sampler and it was so delicious. It was seven small piles from the menu. I regret I do not live in st Paul in order to eat here on a regular basis. 6:30pm on a Monday was quiet. Service was efficient. A football game was on a flat screen tv. Paying cash gets a discount.

Veggie combination plate (Take out)
Elizabeth W.

I am working my way through the Ethiopian restaurants of Saint Paul and Demera is well with a stop. I picked up a veggie combo for lunch, which included several lentil/pulse dishes along with collard greens, carrots and beans and a side salad. I was really pleased with the spice level- just a hint of heat. The serving of Injera was generous and the whole meal was big enough for another lunch Tomorrow. The restaurant itself is well appointed inside and I hope to dine there in person when I can get a few friends out.

Vegetarian Combo - I *LOVED* the green beans on the left and the collards - all so flavorful!!
Cat P.

I came for a weekday lunch and happened to be the only person, so I might be biased when I say that my service was exceptional! The owners are both there, sat down, talk to me for a while and we got to chat about what brought us to the city, etc. Ambiance was spacious enough, with some nice instrumental background music, and ample seating space. It's not modern by any means, but you can certainly tell that it is a family run and local business. :-) I got the vegetarian combo, which included a slew of things included in the picture. This lasted me two whole meals and I was pretty ravenous and ate probably half to 2/3 of it. The stand outs on the plate included the green beans, the collard greens, and the dish on the far right that is red. I have no idea what the name of anything is or was, but I do know that it was all flavorful, hot, and fresh. I would recommend this restaurant for anyone in St Paul who's looking for a hearty, delicious, and authentic meal!

Outside of the building, view looking northwest.
Maxx M.

Demera is a cornucopia of incredible Ethiopian flavors - 5 stars! I was in the area and craving Ethiopian food. My old standby, Fasika, is permanently closed so I went with the Yelp reviews and I pointed my car towards Demera. Since I'm eating zero carb Carnivore style, the Meat Combination platter was an obvious choice. As expected, every bite of my food was wonderful. I won't pretend to remember the names of all the selections so I'll simply post the photos and promise to you - they all taste great. I haven't eaten any bread or plant products for almost 1 year so I was a bit concerned about the Injera Bread...which I love...but it's still a grain product. On the other hand, it's a fermented bread, which is waaay "less bad" than most breads. I loaded up on this stuff since we didn't use any utensils to eat. It tasted great (of course) but I didn't feel so great for 2 or 3 hours after dinner. I survived the bread overload. But next time, I'll suck up my pride, ask for a fork n' spoon, skip the bread, and go directly to the animal protein. The service was excellent. Our server was wonderful. The owner happened to be hanging out at the neighboring table with some of his buddies. He stopped by and said "hi" too. Nice guy. The ambiance is mellow, low key, not fancy, cozy, unpretentious. It's all about the food and the company. Thumbs up! -Maxx

Vegetable Platter
Stephanie S.

We really enjoyed our visit to Demera. The food was delicious and the prices were great for the quantity of food. The injera was fluffy and flavorful. Our favorite was the lamb tibs with awaze. There was only one server and almost every table was full, but our drinks were always full and the food came quickly. This was one of the best Ethiopian restaurants I have eaten at. I will definitely return!

Bennett S.

So delicious, I went with two friends and we got the wet tibs, veggie combo and doro wat. Chowed down and finished everything but the injera. I think we ordered too much for three people but man was it good.

Combination vegetarian platter
Anita S.

First time trying Ethiopian food so I have nothing to compare this to. Having said that the lentils were delicious and the vegetables were perfectly cooked. The injera is unique and absorbs the sauce well. The service was friendly and efficient.

Joselyne R.

Oh wow the food here is really good. The customer service was great too. It was a good time, and I plan on eating here again since it's so close. I had no idea this gem was here. I had to get something that wasn't so spicy and he recommended the perfect dish. I cannot remember what it is called, but here's the pic.

Vegetable combination platter
Meky W.

Been to Fasika too, tastes about the same to me. Just much spicier. My thoughts in bullets: -Order the meat combination and vegetable combination platters -Usually slow but friendlier service compare to Fasika -They have a parking lot, small but they have one -Not as crazy busy compare to Fasika which is nice, usually seat yourself and get in right away -I just love Ethiopian food

The meat combination platter was tasty and had a lot of variety.

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10 years ago

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7 years ago

Fantastic food. Spicy! Nice atmosphere. I recommend the meat platter so you can sample many things. Ok service. Reasonable prices.

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10 years ago

Wow. The food was really good! I highly recommend the combination platter. Our server was very nice and courteous.

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9 years ago

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Local Rumor - Well designed interior

Local Rumor

4.4(47 reviews)
2.1 mi•Merriam Park

The interior of this place is incredible, such a cute spot with moody lighting, intimate seating,…read moreand vibey music. It's a great place for drinks and appetizers. The drinks were good, and they also have a solid selection of beer on tap. The food portion are a bit small imo but I will say the Mac and cheese was pretty darn tasty!

I'd seen rave reviews about this place, so we decided to go here to celebrate a personal…read moreaccomplishment last weekend! It's a really cozy moody interior, with *no big lights* aka great low lighting and comfy seating options. When we went, there were just a few other parties there so pretty quiet. I liked that we had a whole corner to ourselves with a sectional couch of sorts and some chairs. They close at 10pm on a Friday night, which felt absurdly early for a cocktail bar. But, we were able to order and drink one drink during the ~45 minutes we had. They closed up shop promptly at 10pm. They had a classics and a "rumors" section of the menu. I didn't think the signature drinks were overly unique, with classics like Paper Plane making that menu side. I had a pomegranate mojito which was good! Consensus was that the cocktails were good not exceptional, especially for the $16-17 price point. We ordered churros for the table which were a table favorite! I wouldn't go out of my way to come here again, but we enjoyed our time and could see this being a good option if you lived in the neighborhood and don't mind the early close hours.

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Local Rumor - Elevated mocktail program

Elevated mocktail program

Local Rumor
Local Rumor

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The White Squirrel Bar - 2.5 CBD Delta-8 Classic Squirrel Lemonade

The White Squirrel Bar

4.4(31 reviews)
2.0 mi•West Seventh

The White Squirrel Bar was just okay to me. There was live music going on, which was a nice touch…read moreand probably the highlight of the visit. The inside of the bar is pretty small and felt a bit cramped, especially with how busy it was on a Sunday. They do have a back patio that is fairly large, which I appreciated, but during the day it did not feel very inviting. Without lighting or much going on, it came off a bit plain. As for drinks, I tried a non alcoholic half and half with lemonade and iced tea, which I actually really liked. I also had a mojito style cocktail that was not my favorite and tasted a bit too strong for me. The overall vibe just was not really my thing, but I could see it being more fun at night or with a bigger group.

Cute bar! Feels like a fun, slightly elevated dive bar. Definitely a local place, lots of friend…read moregroups and people hanging out in the booths/ at the bar, I went on a Monday during the holidays and they had live music, a comedy show, and a lively crowd until I left around midnight. Fun cocktail options, and a good beer selection as well. The bartenders were great, it was busy but they were helpful and quick to get drinks, water etc. The bartender was also willing to keep my drinks behind the bar when I used the restroom (I was alone and unwilling to leave my drink unattended) which was extremely nice. Check this place out if you're looking for a fun, bright dive bar vibe!

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The White Squirrel Bar - Bar area

Bar area

The White Squirrel Bar - Booths are comfortable and fairly private.

Booths are comfortable and fairly private.

The White Squirrel Bar - White Squirrel

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Selby Ave Bar - Specials all day long

Selby Ave Bar

4.3(4 reviews)
1.7 mi•Merriam Park

HEADS UP: Restaurant is closed. Serves beer and wine but kitchen closed during COVID…read moreToo bad, we really enjoyed bringing the family here especially for breakfast.

First of all: this is inside the Whole Foods, but has a space set apart so definitely feels like…read moreit's own place. So, if you are from out of town, I'd find a local spot to hang out instead because I have made that mistake before when I go to a new spot, and usually when I travel I'd like to find something local instead of a bar in the WF! However, if you are local, and need a chill neighborhood place to hang out, I think you'd be surprised how lovely the Selby bar is. Also, it's just nice to hang out somewhere that is not too dark like a usual bar might be. First, the specials! They are amazing. They always have really, ridiculously good beer and/or wine specials. See pic. Then, in addition, there are happy hour specials 4-6 pm that offer additional deals. But the daily specials are really good so even if you are getting there before or after HH don't feel like you will miss out! They have a great selection of MN beers - usually a few surly selections, lift bridge, and others. They usually have a good variety of beer styles and sometimes a cider on draft. Then, the food: they have a menu that has burgers, including the Beyond Vegan burger, for $10 with fries. They also have some apps and different veggie bowls you can add protein to. If you were already thinking of eating at Whole Foods then you probably won't spend much more eating here but that all depends on what you like and what deals are around. I have often gotten the vegan burger and I always love it. You can also bring in some food from the Whole Foods deli but be courteous and clean up if you leave a big mess of food they didn't serve you! Finally, the staff. The bartenders are really chill. Be nice to them and tip as you would at a bar! The bar takes credit cards or cash but no Whole Foods gift cards. Be nice to the Whole Foods employees in general! Also - this WF doesn't sell beer or wine to go because of MN liquor laws, so if you want beer or wine you need to have it here!

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Selby Ave Bar - Mexican poutine (closest), bacon brunch bowl

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Mexican poutine (closest), bacon brunch bowl

Estelle - SHRIMP AL AJILLO

Estelle

4.7(253 reviews)
2.5 mi•Mac-Groveland
•$$$

Incredible experience at Estelle. We sat at the chef's counter, which was such a fun way to…read moreexperience the meal. Watching the kitchen in action added so much to the night. The service was impeccable from start to finish. Everything felt really intentional and well timed. The food was outstanding. The rigatoni was a standout with an incredible sausage that was honestly to die for. We also had the soles de pollo, a chicken ravioli with fresh vegetables in the sauce, and the flavors were amazing. For tapas, we ordered the patatas bravas and rissoles, both were delicious. Such a thoughtful touch when they brought out churro bites at the end as a thank you. Amazing food, top tier service, and a really fun but romantic atmosphere. Definitely a spot worth going out of your way for

Estelle is a cozy spot, with candlelights and flower on each table. It is a perfect spot for a date…read morenight or celebrating a special occasion, and is also just a lovely dinner spot with really good food! It is in the Mac-Groveland neighborhood so there is ample street parking nearby if you turn on any of the side streets. The restaurant does get busy at dinner, so I recommend making a reservation ahead of time. They have many unique options for cocktails and mocktails. I opted for the Slaychel which is a non-alcoholic beverage that I think of as an elevated mimosa. It is fruity, slightly tart, and delicious! The service was great! Our water was frequently refilled and never got empty, and our server asked about any allergies and dietary restrictions before we ordered. They were able to modify menu items to fit the different dietary restrictions! Two people in our party (including myself) are vegetarians and one member is gluten-free and also doesn't consume much dairy or eggs. They were able to serve the patatas bravas with the egg on the side and the grilled asparagus with the egg and cheese on the side so we were able to all share the starters. The patatas bravas were wonderful! The potatoes are perfectly crispy but still fluffy. The tomato sauce was slightly smokey and had a very slight kick (think Minnesota spice) and it balanced out well with the creamy tomato. If you're only going to try one appetizer, this is the one to try! The asparagus was also nice. The salsa verde had a slight kick (a bit more than the tomato sauce from the patatas bravas, but not super spicy. Still Minnesota level of spice). The shallots also added a nice crispy texture to the dish! The egg really stood out in this dish, with its runny yolk and batter coating. There were a lot of nice elements and textures. As for pastas, I split the Spaghetti and Radiatore with a friend. The Radiatore was nutty and tangy, and the serving size was generous. I enjoyed it, but I would order the Spaghetti over it any day! I don't even know how to describe the Spaghetti and do it justice. It was creamy, cheesy, delicious. Our server said it was a staff favorite, and I understand why. If you're looking for a vegetarian option, go with this one!! Even if you aren't a vegetarian, give it a try. It's so classic, and it's done so well. For dessert: they give free churros when you're dining in! They are served warm with a chocolate drizzle. We also ordered the Honey Cake which we enjoyed a lot! The cake itself was light, like a mousse. There was some crunch from the hazelnut praline and honeycomb toffee pieces. It was nutty and sweet but not overly sweet. It was a perfect way to finish off the meal! Estelle was delicious and the service was great! I can't wait to come back!

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Estelle - Our view from seating

Our view from seating

Estelle - Good For Yah cocktail + beet salad

Good For Yah cocktail + beet salad

Estelle - It's Good For Yah cocktail

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It's Good For Yah cocktail

Demera - ethiopian - Updated May 2026

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