I had the most delicious Ethiopian meal of my life here--and I have eaten many fantastic meals in Ababa itself. The family who runs this restaurant is a gem. read more

Very interesting experience. The restaurant is the back of an upstairs hookah lounge - don't freak out; you're in the right place! We just walked straight back and someone seated us. The dining area is essentially an upstairs lounge with cushioned benches and coffee tables. The menu is pretty extensive and describes the food well for those unfamiliar with Ethiopian cuisine. While I only saw shooters and cocktails listed as drinks, our waitress happily brought me a glass of Tej, Ethiopian honey wine, which I think is okay by itself but pairs nicely with the food. Speaking of food... The food was delicious! My wife and I eat got a sampler and split the two. I got a sample of beef and lamb tibs, which have this amazing berbere spice on them and vegetables mixed in. My wife's vegetarian sampler was pretty good. The cabbage and potatoes were solid, but the LENTILS - oh, the lentils! - so delicious! I need to learn what spices they put in those because I could eat that every day. Both of our meals came with a small salad, which is a little difficult to pick up with injera bread, but we managed just fine. It's a tad awkward eating quietly in this small room while there is loud club music pouring in from the rest of the space, but it's totally worth the top-notch service and high quality food. Definitely recommended. read more

See all

An unexpected treasure. The shiro transported me back to my years working and living in Addis Ababa. The shiro was enough to make Ethiopian food to position number 1 of my favorite food. I am looking forward to returning. Great food, amazing energy and as a world traveler enough to capture my heart. read more

I don't know why people have said this place has incorrect hours (it's probably because of how old the reviews were). When I went they were open and I loved the food. I was startled by the scenery at first but once I settled down it was an enjoyable experience. 9/10 read more

Be aware this place is no longer in existence it is closed down. When I looked on Yelp they said that they were there, but the restaurant certainly looks shut down and desolate. read more

Went here after the Raven's game on Sunday and was pleasantly surprised. Incredible food full of wonderful flavors. The chef came out and spoke to us while we were eating and explained all of the different items on our sampler platter. Loved that she came out to speak to us. The food is very very filling, and priced very low, which was great. For $21 we had a glass of wine, a beer, and a huge sampler platter that kept me full for a solid 12 hours. read more

Jano Ethiopian Restaurant - Sampler platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

This is a very interesting Lounge... It could have been because the night that I went on, which was a Thursday, wasn't a good night to go, but the fact that there is no parking and the DJ was terrible, has me not wanting to go back. I've actually never tasted the food from the downstairs restaurant, so I hope that this review isn't directed towards them. This review is strictly for the upstairs Lounge / Club area. All lounges/clubs downtown need to be excellent because is the fact that there is nowhere to park. I feel like, if I travel to the city for a night out and have to pay for parking, I should at least have fun at the place I decide to go. Here isn't it. I guess Saturdays are better. Go at your own risk. read more

So walking up the stairs, my husband and I totally thought we were in the wrong place. Looks like a straight up night club/hooka lounge! But then the staff beckoned us in and we took seats near the bar and brought us the menu that was definitely Ethiopian food! We ordered a nice variety of dishes which we enjoyed (food was flavorful) and the bread was nice and chewy. We were stuffed leaving and left just as the music was getting louder and the night club guests were arriving. Not your typical Ethiopian restaurant, but food and service was good (unlike the other review) - we got plenty of napkins and refills of our drinks and the server was very helpful with helping us pick out our dishes and pointing out his favorites. Perhaps go here if you want to eat before starting the night out! read more

I hate to leave a 1 star review when I have not even eaten here, but when your hours are incorrect, and no one answers the phone on a weekday at 6:45 pm..... You waste my time. read more

If you're looking for Ethiopian food around downtown Baltimore, skip this place and go to Tabor, which is a few blocks up. I walked in the door and was immediately told by a booming voice at the back of the room, "Go upstairs!" with no explanation. Curious, because the dining room seemed to be on the first floor. So I went upstairs as told, but I didn't see any tables or a host. I wandered around until I found the bar, which is where I ended up sitting. There was loud pop music, circa 2008, booming through the speakers, and the bar was run by two scantily clad girls who, to their credit, were very nice. I nearly walked out at this point, but I decided to sit down, against my better judgment. I ordered the doro wot, one of my favorites. It came on a bed of injera and consisted of ONE small chicken leg, a tiny pat of sauce, and two additional rolls of injera. Bafflingly, the server presented me with a plastic fork and spoon--not a knife, the only utensil in this situation that would have proven useful. It was the first time I had been given eating utensils at an Ethiopian restaurant. The doro wot itself is the only thing saving this from being a 1-star review. The meat was tender, and the sauce--what little there was--was spicy and flavorful. The injera, however, was dry around the edges and unpleasant to choke down. I was given no napkins. When I asked for a napkin, I was given two or three tiny squares of cocktail napkins. I paid my bill and left. On the way out I stopped by the restroom, only to find a large trash bag covering the toilet. I guess that's a fitting an end as any to this experience. Ever left an Ethiopian restaurant hungry? Me neither. At least not until this place. If you're looking for a loud bar attended by women who leave little to the imagination, that just happens to serve Ethiopian food, then this is your place. If you want an Ethiopian restaurant, go elsewhere. read more

This is great Ethiopian food, and I did not realize how much I like Ethiopian food until I had eaten here when it opened up a few years ago (I had eaten Ethiopian food before in Atlanta and had been underwhelmed). The staff is lovely and the meals are high quality. The restaurant itself definitely caters to more of the "night-life" lifestyle and I hope at some point they will decide to incorporate daytime hours to those of us who are no longer able to partake in late nights out. I have been to many Ethiopian restaurants after Jano and I still consider Jano the best Ethiopian food. Maybe they will eventually incorporate daytime hours so the rest of the non-partying world can also enjoy their food. read more

Forget them. It's Tuesday 11:10pm and they want a cover charge and they want to Pat me down before entering. Nope! You know how many places I go with out either of these on the same street... Nope! Skip this place. read more

I ordered the doro wot (drumstick cooked with sauce and a hard boiled egg) to go. The order came with two large injera folded up, a single small drumstick, half a to-go box worth of sauce and a large serving of feta-like cheese. The egg was missing. The sauce was mild and fairly flavorless. The chicken was very tender though, and fell off the bone. read more

Refer to Grant's review below. I had the pleasure of the exact same experience, except that the "waitress" got us the menu and never to be seen again after about 15 minutes of waiting. Table cloths were filthy and the restaurant section seems more appropriate to smoke hookah. Never going back, not sure why the review here is 4.5 stars at the time of my review. Im guessing majority of customers are intoxciated from the bar next door or from the gentlemens club down below. read more

The food was amazing. Very chill vibe. Friendly service. We loved it! Also great beer.

The food here is amazing! Great flavors and textures and very filling. My companion and I shared an entrée that included three meats and three vegetables. Everything on the plate was delicious and fresh. I had never tried Ethiopian food, but the menu offers a good explanation of each dish and the waitress was very willing to answer our questions. The owner came out during our meal and spoke to us. He was very friendly and also took the time to explain some of the food and preparation. The act of eating without utensils, using the injera (pancake like bread) to scoop the food was fun and animalistic. It truly makes for a unique experience. We went later in the evening and the place is more bar/hookah lounge at that time. There was very loud rap and hip hop music playing, which did not make conversation easy, and it was too dark to truly enjoy the beautiful colors on our plate. I would definitely go back, multiple times, if I lived closer, but I would go earlier in the day when I'm sure the atmosphere would be more restaurant-like. read more

Jano needs work. Simple order took four hours and they forgot large portions of my order (carry out).

Great food in a unique restaurant. Very friendly staff. Went there for lunch, we got 4 entrees which was more than enough for 6 of us. They were nice enough to tone the spice way down for the wusses in the group. This would be a great place to take a date, especially with the custom of "gursa". read more

Slow night but the bartender was very informative. I had never had this type of food before and she asked me questions to determine what I would like. She did great. Everything was better than I expected. I had the house special tibs. More than I could ever eat. read more

Located across the street from Marriott Harbor Inn, tried Jano during a business trip, husband and wife owners. Awesome people, GREAT food and price is unbeatable. read more

This place was amazing. The service was great and the portions were very good. The quality of the food was phenomenal. As a first time trying Ethiopian food this place delivered 101% satisfaction. read more

Lamb tibs was very flavorful and tender, well spiced as well. I threw in some hot pepper powder to give it some extra flavor. The server was very polite and knowledgeable. They serve big portions at a reasonable price. read more

Just had the weirdest experience with this place. Walking up to the door, lot of people hanging around outside- not sure why. I try to open the door to the restaurant, only to find that there is no door handle. The place looks closed (for good). I ask one of the people standing there if it's closed and they say no, but you have to enter through the strip club on the corner. What?! I passed on the experience and ate at my hotel. read more

Just happened to find this place when looking for a meal late at night and couldn't find anything open - Turns out it was the best Ethiopian food I've ever had. The owner mentioned that his wife is the chef - she is great! The food was similar to other Ethiopian food I've had, but just somehow more flavorful. I'll definitely be back. read more