Loved the food, and the prices were from 10 years ago... $5.50 for a glass of red wine! wow. I had a mild lamb dish and gomen wat - both were delicious! The spice was mild, as I had requested, but still very flavorful. generous portions, and lots of injera to accompany. The family was very friendly and the owner checked on us a few times. We are definitely going back to this lovely, family owned restaurant! read more

Very friendly service, tasty food, and generous portions. I've been to many of the other East African restaurants in San Jose, and many have declined in quality, become much more expensive, or just closed. I'm happy to have found the Lunch Box! read more

Yummy Ethiopian food! We had a few of the meat dishes and veggies during our late night dinner. They were out of the drink we wanted to try and a few of the other selections, and we faced a bit of a language barrier when ordering. Food came out a bit slow. Wash your hands before enjoying food with friends! Beware the jalapeños and spice ! read more

It's a quiet spot hole in the wall location. Parking is pretty tough in this area, but the food and service make up for it. Seemed like it was family owned since the gentleman and young lady that took our order also went to cook and serve as well. The food was delicious. We got the meat combo and veggie combo per the recommendation. Wayyy too much fooled for three people but that's always a good thing! read more

This is a hole in the wall with good authentic Ethiopian food. There was only one man there who waited on us and cooked the food. He was super nice, we had a bit of a language challenge communicating with each other but his graciousness translated well. I got an Ethiopian beer which was refreshing on a hot day and the non-veg combo with injira bread was delicious. read more

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The place itself is an extremely casual, hole-in-the-wall, mom&pop kind of place, so expect a very simple decor and homey meal. I phoned in an order for take-out and had their Kitfo "special" (with fresh jalapenos, recommended to me instead of the regular Kitfo) at medium-rare and lamb tibs at a mild spiciness. Communication was slightly rough but eventually got through and the pickup was smooth. The menu is relatively small, but focused on a core set of dishes. Noteworthy is that this place has the most traditional injera I've found in the area so far, as their injera has considerably more teff than wheat (and a notably more sour taste and less volume to it). I can't tell you if it's 100% teff, but it has that distinctive sourness and coloration to say that it's high. It's expensive to import teff flour so most spots will charge a premium for it if it's even offered at all, let alone serve it by default (absolute pro for this place in my mind, but folks may prefer the more common wheat injera). The fact they offer variable spicy level is a departure from most Ethiopian spots I know, but the flavor for the lamb tibs came up a bit short on taste so I can't help but feel this contributed. I will attempt to convince my brother to brave higher heats, but keep this in mind if you modify the heat down. The Kitfo was delicious, but notably quite spicy. They don't hold back when it comes to spiciness level! Each entree had a good portion size and got a good amount of injera to boot. Overall, I happily recommend it as a casual eatery for those looking for traditional injera in their ethiopian meals. Contrary to their name, it'd appear that they're open quite late too. read more

Lunch Box - Lamb tibs - Ethiopian Near Me - San Jose, California

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Gluten free Injera!!! The rest was delicious too but this made my whole day. The decor is a little odd but I find it charming. The service was very friendly. Absolutely loved it. read more

love how this place is open up late. and surprisingly so good i got the meat and veggie combo and the injera all so good

We were here on Sunday and ordered Kitfo and Yebeg Tibs to go. Pro: Both dishes were outstanding, both flavorful and delicious. Highly recommend Kitfo (they can be rare, medium-rare, or well done, we got medium-rare) If you can't handle spicy, remember to get non-spicy when they ask. I didn't think Ethiopian food was known for its spicy level, so it took me by surprise how spicy it was (I can handle spicy food BTW). Con: The phone order process was a challenge. I asked for the Goden Tibs (Lunchbox Special), and they said they didn't have it. I then tried to order Kitfo, since I couldn't pronounce it, so I spelled it out for her, but it took a while to get the message crossed. If you are looking for their menu, go to Google and use their menu pics. Overall, although the phone order was a hassle, but overall, loved their food and especially the Kitfo (I would love to try the rare version next time). read more

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My new favorite Ethiopian food in San Jose! Exactly how I hope Ethiopian dishes to be prepared and taste. The chicken doro wat and the lamb tibs firfir were my favorite. Vegetarian sampler was right on point. The beef was ok. None of us liked the tej, though. Feels unpretentious (no frills) and also authentic and loved by people who know Ethiopian food. read more

Recently discovered this place and it does not disappoint! The restaurant has a small but homey atmosphere and offers a couple unique dishes here that I do not see at other Ethiopian style restaurants as well and different variations of some of my favorite dishes such as the kitfo. The customer service here is great as well as the owner is always present and constantly will check up to see if the food is great. This is my second visit here and the quality and service here has been consistent so far so I hope this establishment will see growth. read more

Lunch Box - Ethiopian Near Me - San Jose, California

Landed in San Jose around 10pm and I wanted to grab a bite before heading over the mountain to Santa Cruz. I noticed this place was on the way and open late, so I stopped off to try it out. When I first arrived, the owner greeted me with a smile and a handshake. I called in my order in advance, so nearly as soon as I sat down his wife brought me my food - also with a friendly smile on her face. This was my first experience with Ethiopian food so the presentation alone was somewhat of a spectacle. There was a big round dish (somewhat like a pizza pan) covered with Ethiopian flat bread, called Injera. Injera is made of the highly nutritious and gluten-free tef grain, which is unique to Ethiopia. On the side of the circular plate of Injera was what I would describe as a creamy Ethiopian curry - mine was vegetarian - made of puréed chickpeas, an assortment of veggies, and some delicious spices. To eat, you scoop the curry onto the flatbread and then eat it. Overall an absolutely delicious experience! The friendly, welcoming owners made my day. read more

First time at Lunch Box . My family and I were gladly surprised with the Food and the hours too ! Sometimes we have dinner late and is very hard to find good food after regular hours . I enjoyed my vegetarian combo and our daughter has been craving the lamb tibs fir fir for long time since she moved out of town ! Great service and yummy food . Thanks !! read more

Lunch Box - Vegetarian Combo for me , Lamb tibs Fir Fir for our daughter with their delicious tea !! - Ethiopian Near Me - San Jose, California

I got served rotten food. Veggies were slimy, smelly, and smelled bad. I've never ever had rotten food served. This is so disappointing.

This was a last minute stop for food for the night and oh my goodness was it so delicious. There are other Ethiopian restaurants that taste like it's from a restaurant and than there is Lunch Box. It tastes like home cooked food. Literally. I'm not sure how but it's pure comfort food. Please please try the kitfo and beef tibbs. It came to the table piping hot and super tender. The injera was slightly thick but soft and moist. Great flavor and super fresh. The wonderful service was by the new owner who happened to be the cook. He checked in made sure everything was great and had amazing guest service. It wasn't crowded or bustling but a very sweet place for a quiet and delicious dinner. Also price wise is great and well worth your patronage. Please visit this lovely little LunchBox :) read more

The Lunch Box won't attract every casual passerby. Its unadorned exterior sits almost invisible in a transitional neighborhood on busy San Carlos Street, a few blocks south of Bascom. The furnishings have recently received an update, but it's still a casual spot. Most of the customers here speak Ethiopian, and a familiar community vibe pervades the air. I felt welcome in this funky convivial atmosphere.The food here sometimes takes a while to prepare, so I don't come when in a hurry. I keep returning, because the food is addictive. The Lunch Box menu lacks chicken dishes, like the ubiquitous doro wat found in most Ethiopian restaurants. Nor does it feature fish. Aside from one excellent lamb dish (Lamb Tibs at $8.31), beef is the meat of choice at the Lunch Box. Gored Gored ($7.62) employs beef with berber spices, and you can order it either raw or cooked. I have tried it both ways, and it's excellent. The sweet clarity of the raw steak told me that the Lunchbox uses top quality beef, impeccably fresh. Quanta Fitfit ($7.39) employs slivers of spiced beef jerky cooked in a red pepper stew, then blended with strips of injera. The bread soaks up sauce and adds soft textures to the chewey crumbs of earthy aged meat. Among my favorite of Lunch Box's vegetarian dishes, Gomen ($6.47) offers deep smokey fragrances that permeate soft collard greens, with minced garlic, onions, and sweet peppers. Other veggie dishes (most for $6.47) involve delicious variations on chickpeas, lentils, and mixed vegetables. Foul ($5.08, pronounced "fool") provides a variation in the pattern of sauce on injera. This fresh tasting fava bean dip arrives separately in a large bowl with two crisp warm French bread rolls. Chopped raw tomatoes, onions and jalapeos augment the beans, with a dollop of sour cream and the fragrant spiced butter. If you mention that you like hot spices, these dishes will come mixed with raw slices of feisty jalapeno peppers. Those fresh green jalapenos pop up on many platters. To augment the exquisite burn, I learned to request a squirt bottle of the flavorful house pepper sauce. Thick and intense, this dark red sauce can bring sweat to the brow, but somehow doesn't overpower the food. This place is a favorite of mine. It's funky but absolutely delicious. (Longer version of this review at www.flavornotes.com) read more

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My family and I were feeling adventurous, so we decided to try Ethiopian for the first time. We chose Lunch Box because of its raving reviews and less expensive prices (we didn't want to spend too much on food we weren't sure we'd like.) When we arrived, we stood in front of the door, a little confused. Was the restaurant open? The windows were covered with sheets and doors were closed. There was no sign that there was life inside. We tried the door to find a very dark, empty, small room. So dark that we could barely read the menu. Even the owner couldn't read it. Behind the counter was a very tiny kitchen with an almost empty fridge. We felt like we had just intruded into someone's run-down home. It took all of our will power to not get up and leave. The food was okay. I wasn't fond of the sour injera, but if I had a spoon and some rice--maybe some naan, I would've really enjoyed the meal. We ordered two meat dishes and a vegetarian dish. The owner better be grateful that I'm not vegetarian because when it came out, there was meat in it. Only we couldn't tell that there was meat until the bill came out and the owner had explained why the dish was now $9.00 instead of $6ish, as the menu stated. The other two dishes weren't $9.00, either. When we asked about the discrepancy, he explained that the menu prices were outdated and that he had added tax to each of the dishes. Mr. Owner, you can't add tax like that and then round up! And if the menu prices are outdated, please invest in some white-out or a Sharpie. read more

First time ever trying Ethiopian food and it was fantastic. I had the Kitfo and it was unlike anything I've ever had, they really know their spices and the injera was a very interesting first experience. They also had the Warriors v Celtics game on and the energy in the room was contagious. I can't wait to try other dishes, I'm so excited to go down this rabbit hole. read more

The nice gentleman who served and cooked was so kind and Gracious! There were only men at the night bar as I went after 10:30pm when this was the only place open. Loud music was an interesting cozy atmosphere and I felt safe despite being the only women there. Everyone was nice...food was great! read more

Looks like reviews vary greatly on this place between 1 and 5. My guess is it has to do a lot with what people's expectations of a restaurant are. This is a mom and pop restaurant. There is no money put into presentation and service is low key. I happen to really like the low key, simpleness of it. Food is great. But note, if you are looking for an upscale, full service place, this isn't for you. The atmosphere here can appear intimidating. It feels like a deserted sports bar. Red walls. Pale blue ceiling. TV with sports on. 85% of the light bulbs are out. The service is as I said, mellow. One person there to take orders and cooked. He took our order, made our food and then went back to watching the basketball game on tv. He didn't really ask if we needed anything or check in at all, but he was present and we could get his attention if we needed to. I actually like not having a server hover of me. Nice change. We got a veggie combo and a order of shuro for 2 people. Plenty of food. The combo would have been plenty, but just in case we got two. I wish I had taken a picture of the menu because I'm not sure exactly we ended up getting. I think we ended up with Atakilt, Gomen and Misir. I think.. =D Injera - nice texture. sourdough texture to is was spot on. Good elastic pull to it. Nice taste. Atakilt was good. Light sauce. Peppers in it packed a punch. Carrots, potato and onion were great. Gomen - good texture and flavor to collard greens. Shuro was interesting. I think its an acquired taste because the texture is sort of grainy and there is a lot of garlic and dried onion in it. Misir - I think this is what we got.. I'm honestly not sure. It was red like lentils but pretty thick. Whatever it was, it was my favorite for texture and flavor. Plain and simple. Also was chopped peppers in the center.. I think jalepeno.. they packed a punch. The only thing I didn't like was that the veggie combo was suppose to have 4 sides, and I think it only got 3 (unless the peppers counted).. without the menu.. I'm not sure =P Overall, I would recommend.. if you are looking for a super casual place for some good Ethiopian food. read more

Great injera ! The bread was sooooo good , sour and moist ! I came at an off time , there were no other customers . But the (I think) owner could not have been more hospitable. Very warm welcome but let me savor my meal without being intrusive. I got the vegetarian combo . The price was very low for such a huge portion of food ! Such a nice variety of flavors . The greens were maybe the best I've ever had . They were sublime, seasoned but not soggy , fresh but not raw , just delicious. And the lentil dishes were also savory yet "classic" . A cold ginger beer proved the perfect accompaniment. read more

Great food and excellent service! Started with a delicious cup of coffee that was very strong. Got the family platter which was enough to feed 4-5 people. Food was delicious! Will be coming back here regularly. read more

Pros: open late. Cons: they're out of everything after 9pm. No kitfo. No veggie combo. No foul (pronounced "fool"). Customer service needs work. The waitress tried to talk us out of ordering gored gored saying "it's too much spice" for us, just because we are Asian and white (one each, not both at the same time). Kept trying to sell us tibs instead. The gentleman watching this from the bar over his smartphone and beer (one of the owners?) intervened and told her it was okay. We ended up getting gored gored (raw) and shiro. After all that, the gored gored was not even all that spicy! It had a kick, to be sure, but it was far from the spiciest I've had this. It doesn't even come close to the heat of the gored gored at Palm Grove (our favorite Ethiopian restaurant in LA), where sometimes I do have trouble having more than a few pieces. Also, we asked for this raw but it was more like medium or medium well. Not even medium rare. The flavor was delicious but we were both super disappointed that the meat wasn't raw; that's the whole point of Ethiopian food for us (kitfo and gored gored are traditionally served warmed but still raw). The shiro was delicious, some of the best shiro I've had in recent memory. Creamy, with a great tomato-y flavor. And it arrived piping hot. Loved. It. The injera was really great here, too. Very sour, just the way I like it. Also, it did not taste very wheat flour-y, so between the taste and the dark grey color, I would guess that they put a good amount of teff flour in their dough. (Teff is a gluten-free grain used traditionally in Ethiopia; it's very expensive and hard to get in the US so most places here cut it with a lot of wheat flour. Some places have or can make 100% teff injera, which you can order if you're celiac, though you usually have to pay extra for it and in some places it has to be ordered ahead of time.) As an American I admit to liking it a little more wheat-y personally, but I was impressed they did not skimp on this costly and authentic ingredient. (It definitely did not taste as teff-y as the 100% teff injera I've had, though, in case you're a purist or a severe celiac allergist.) I'm very sad that we were unable to get most of the items we usually get. I didn't feel like we fully got our Ethiopian on. I especially missed having gomen (collards) and atakilt wot (cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and chili peppers), the latter which isn't even on their menu at all. We normally over-order and have days of leftovers; this time all that was left was a couple bits of injera (which we took home to tear up and put into a simple lettuce and tomato salad with chili peppers and non-creamy Italian dressing -- yum). Parking was easy at 9pm on a Sunday night, but who knows how it is during normal business hours. Also they're apparently not always open for the entire duration of their supposed hours (opening after 10am and closing before 2am), which is a disappointment as the fact that they say they're open until 2am was one of our deciding factors in trying this place, wanting to scope out a potential haunt for late-night eats. 3.5 for food (5 for the shiro, 4.5 for the injera, 2.5 for the gored gored not being raw -- otherwise the gored gored would have been a 4 or 4.5), 2 for service (though the gentleman at the bar's help saved it), 5 for being open late, 2 for availability of items. I'm between a 3 and a 4 for this place, and I will bump them to a 4 due to their late hours, but I'm not sure how useful it is to be open late if they're out of nearly everything by then. I would maybe come back but earlier in the day when hopefully they're not out of everything. Though earlier in the day there are a lot more choices and I might just go to Walia or Zeni. Yet another place with cold injera, though, so to that person who says she's used to getting warm injera most places in the Bay area, where are you going to get all that warm injera?!? read more

Not sure if the other reviews are real, we had a super bad experience here. Ordered 2 of the Vegetarian Combos. Came with Injeera that was so over fermented that it was completely sour. Left all of us feeling really sick. The Veggies included a dish with huge boiled potatoes and one With under cooked greens and 2 other dishes that were really bad. we threw away all of it. Never going back here again. read more

It's a small homey restaurant that feels like you're eating at an aunt's house. Our waitress,Fanny, was very sweet and gave some great recommendations. We had the Godden Tibs. It came on a giant piece of injera and a side salad with more injera on the side. The food was fresh from the stove and tasted great. One entree was enough to feed 2 people. This is one of those mom&pop shops I want to see succeed and I will definitely be back to try more dishes. read more

I came here the day after Thanksgiving with two of my closest friends. It was freezing outside and walking in the little restaurant felt like entering someone's living room. The smell of fresh bread and tasty food from the kitchen filled the warm restaurant and the manager promptly came over to greet us and shake our hands. The vegetarian sampler was outstanding, as always, and they brought us a plate of complimentary "homemade" bread during our meal. I couldn't have asked for a better day after Thanksgiving meal! read more

My first time having Ethiopian food. The manager took our order and was super friendly and happy to explain my various options for my first introduction to Ethiopian cuisine. The food was delicious and the taste was bold and felt authentic and homemade. The price was also very low for the amount of food we got. The place feels very cozy. I rarely give five stars, I'll be coming back here. read more

This is place is amazing! Serendipitously found it because my friend and I were grabbing a bite to eat but the owner is so so friendly, so kind, and offered us tea/coffee on the house because it was cold outside. The food is beyond amazing and for such a reasonable price too! The serving sizes are impressive too. Beef was juicy and spiced to perfection. Absolutely recommend coming here (: read more

Lunch Box - Beef tibs and injera - Ethiopian Near Me - San Jose, California

A bit hard to find at night, but glad we did. Quite possibly the best Ethiopian food I've had! Flavorful but not greasy. I felt a bit intrusive at first. Partner said it felt like we'd walked into someone's home, as they sat around watching Ethiopian music videos on YouTube. They were welcoming, though, which helped the ease. Offered the food to be vegan if we wanted, even. We always order the veggie combo so I'm bad about the names of dishes, but the greens dish tasted the freshest and most flavorful I've ever had. The foule was fresh and delicious, and the bread with it was definitely freshly baked. Yes, 10:30 pm on a Sunday night, fresh food. Awesome! Always on the lookout for somewhere to eat at night after most places close, not only have we found that here, very pleased with the quality of the food. We'll definitely be back, and I'll be telling my friends about this one! read more

I absolutely love the lunch box! My dad introduced me to this restaurant while I was visiting from college and I couldn't wait to get back home to come here! The food is the best ethiopian I've ever had, even better than my ethiopian friend cooks himself. I've tried a few other ethiopian restaurants in san Jose, but none compare. It's a hole in the wall, but I'll take taste over decor any day. I love the kitfo, lamb stew, and lentils. My dad loves the collard greens, as well. I wanted to write this review to encourage others to come here. The owner is such a sweet man and always makes me feel so welcome. I'm sure the decor and location deter some from coming here, but if you are looking for an amazing meal, I urge you to give it a try. Lastly, the prices can't be beat. Three people can share a filling meal for under $30! Try it out! You won't be disappointed! read more

Since moving to the Bay are, I've really come to love Ethiopian food. This is the closest Ethiopian restaurant near me, and while not my favorite one, it's good. My friend A. and I always order the same thing, no matter which Ethiopian restaurant we go to, so we got Lamb Tibs (lamb stew), Alicha Atkilt (a mixture of carrots, cabbage and potatoes), kitfo (a spicy steak tartar) and collard greens, all served with injera (a sour, moist flatbread). These are very delicious here, but I cannot eat very much because it is just a bit too spicy for me, even ordered with mild spices. One thing I do love, though, is that the spices are more prevalent in the dishes here, over other places, and I love strong flavors. As for the dcor, it is pretty bare, but this is more of a locals hangout, but the owner is very welcoming. read more

OK so we decided to try this place out for lunch because of all the good reviews. I'm giving one extra star because the food was good. I wasn't expecting the place to be grand inside but it was not quite what I was expecting. The place is small with small tables and the place just felt old and dirty to me. When we arrived just after noon there weren't any other customers inside. The lady who worked there just told us to sit anywhere. I'm sorry but I was quite disgusted by how dirty the place was. The tables and chairs were not clean and looking around the walls and floor were pretty filthy as well. I tried to overcome this because of the good reveiws on the food. The menu was old looking and very dirty so i tried to not touch it that much. The prices of the food were cheap. Once we ordered the food took a long time to come out. I think the lady that greeted us was the same lady making our food in the back. The food was quite good with good flavors but the injera was a bit old because the edges were crusty. We did not finish our food so we asked the lady for a to go box. She came back to our table and started using her bare hands to put our food into our to go box which was a huge turn off. The other thing I noticed was that each of our meals was $10 and the lady only charged us $20 total for the whole meal so we weren't charged tax. I'm surprised being a restaurant that they would not charge us tax. In conclusion, the food was pretty good but I will not be returning due to the lack of hygeine and uncleanliness of this place. I'm not sure why the health department have not forced them to clean this place up. read more

Solid food and you can't beat the price. Tom E told me about this place, and I was expecting a tiny little hole-in-the-wall, but really, the place looks more like a donut shop or something like that (without the donuts). The place is fairly spacious, with plain tables and chairs. The grey formica bar with an espresso machine and some beers behind it dominate the room. The location is interesting: surrounded by antique stores and barber shops, and next door to a Lebanese restaurant. For five of us, we ordered two veggie combos and an order of foul. With one glass of tej, our total was $26. And we stuffed ourselves. They were out of a few of the veggie options, but they had the chickpea thing, the red lentil thing, the collard greens, and the carrot/potato/cabbage thing. (As you can see, i don't know the real names of these dishes yet!) So we had all of those with an order of foul. They were all really tasty, except the red lentils weren't too exciting and the foul was a bit oily. it was all nicely spicy too. I missed the salad in the middle that you normally get, and didn't find too much use for the green spicy stuff they put in the middle instead. read more

Delicious, fresh-tasting, not-too-heavy, flavorful dishes delivered quickly and politely. If you like spicy, be sure to ask for it "extra spicy." They'll put a dollop of some green paste, what I can only assume is minced fresh chilies, to dip the injera in and eat with your wots and such. It's incredibly refreshing and adds a fantastic spicy note to what is already delicious food. For your friends who aren't big on injera, order the foul (fava beans), as it's served with small, toasted baguettes instead of the sour, spongy flatbread. If you have any vegans, be sure to ask for it without butter. The place is short on atmosphere, but who cares? For the price (a vegetarian combo is $8, the foul is $5) and the taste, I'm happy to be surrounded by secondhand diner booths and a TV blaring whatever soccer match is on that night. Update 16/03/06: I don't know if they lost their regular chef or what, but the last few times we've gotten food there, the quality was dramatically reduced, plus they didn't have the green chilis. Sadness. read more

An unassuming place at the end of the block, it has been in the same location for 10 years. That in and of itself speaks volumes. Authentic Ethiopian dishes prepared by Lulu the Chef who is also the Owner. She is a tiny little old Ethiopian woman built like a fireplug who reminds me of every grandmother in the world. The food is comforting and deeply satisfying, and cheap too! We had the Kitfo, Veggie Combo and Gored Gored (I think). All of it was great. The Gored Gored was especially tender and tasty. Lulu got a real kick out of my request for extra, extra spicy Kitfo and peeked out to see if I would eat it (I did) and we could hear her giggling every time I took a bite and wiped my brow, which was wonderful. I guess she doesn't have a whole lot of big white boys asking for the super duper. All told we had 3 big dishes, beer and soda all around, endless Injera and a great time for under $40. read more

The food is fresh and delicious! And the owner is a great guy who chats regularly with customers. I recommend to anyone who wants to try Ethiopian food read more

One of the best Ethiopian places around, very much because of their insider atmosphere and great food and drink. The food is excellent, we had many different dishes, vegetarian and meat, all were great. Don't leave without trying a few beers. Looks like the place is a restaurant / hangout / everything else. We were a party of 7 and took up about 1/4 of the place, and were almost the only ones eating. Everyone else was socializing, and the service was excellent and very welcoming. I'm sure to go back many times. One tip: they gave us so much food that I got to take a bunch home. A friend told me to dump everything from the box, bread and all, into a frying pan, add some peppers, and fry it up for a bit until it heats up and unifies into a bread/food mash. mmm so good! was perfect for lunch for about a week after. read more

The name is much cuter than the actual place. If you love Ethiopian food you can usually get past the decor of most Ethiopian places. We had the beef tibs and vegetarian combo. We asked for spicy on the beef tibs and were not disappointed. This was our favorite dish. The stewed greens in the vegetarian combo tasted like BBQ Collard Greens (YUCK). BBQ sauce isn't something you expect or want in your ethiopian food. We pretty much left it untouched. The day we went it was FREEZING - I'm convinced it was colder inside than outside! BTW - Kudos to Robert R. for posting the photos. The owners were working the day we were there and were tickled pink when I said they were famous on Yelp! read more

I don't give 5 stars too often, but this place definitely deserves one. I've frequented a few Ethiopian restaurants up and down the peninsula and you really get your bang for your buck at The Lunch Box. The seating/ambience takes a bit getting used to, but the servers were all really polite and attentive. My friends and I were there when there was a wedding/bachelor party going on and the staff kindly asked them to turn down their music. The portions are huge! We ordered a #15 which was one of their specials and the vegetarian sampler. I read some other reviews... and I do have to agree that the area is a little shady and the restaurant looks closed from the outside. Thankfully, there' s a bright neon OPEN sign and I called ahead to find out they closed at 9pm on a Sunday night. I will definitely come here again! read more

Average Ethiopian food. I've eaten at about 15 different Ethiopian restaurants, and this place was not close to being worst or best. Three of us ordered the kitfo, lamb tibs, and the veggie combo. The kitfo (ordered raw, de riguer) was the big disappointment -- I usually love kitfo but this was pretty bland. The lamb was a lot more flavorful. For the veggie combo, we got: collared greens (best rendition I've had), red lentils (good but a bit too salty), chickpeas (good), and the potatoes (fine, but as usual I found this dish boring). Prices were very reasonable. Service was friendly and prompt (we were the only customers). If you care about that sort of thing, the place has no atmosphere. read more