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    Mesob Cafe

    4.5 (228 reviews)
    ModerateEthiopian, Vegan, Cafes
    Closed Closed

    Order Mesob Cafe Takeout or Delivery

    Mesob Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    MESOB CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Mesob Cafe

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    Reviews With Photos

    Toni A.

    If you haven't tried Ethiopian, then you must! Be prepared to eat with your hands! The food is so flavorful and savory. Pairing the delicious meats with the injera is so delicious. The injera is spongy, which absorbs the sauces of the meat creating a beautiful explosion of flavor in your mouth. The veggies also paired well with the meats, giving a more subtle flavor. The plating is also very pretty, with all the different colors placed on top of injera. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. This is an awesome local business owned by a family. It gives homey vibes. There are not a lot of Ethiopian places in the area, so I truly appreciate them being here serving such good food! The service was fast, and everyone was very kind. I most definitely recommend this place!!

    Ethiopian coffee and shai tea
    Yoonie L.

    When I lived in Montreal, I had Ethiopian food often, and coincidentally, the restaurant I used to frequent was similarly named Mesob D'or. I haven't had Ethiopian food since leaving home, and I've had my eye on Mesob Cafe since moving back to the area. When we were stationed here the first time, Mesob Cafe had just opened, but I never had the chance to try it before moving away. Well, today was that day! - Parking - Center lot. - Vibe - Mesob Cafe is tucked away in a small strip in the same center as the Food Lion, diagonally across the way from it on South Parliament Drive. It's a small and quaint restaurant with minimal decoration. Portraits and native artwork adorn the walls and a few tables for dining in. My dining companion and I were the only diners in the restaurant during our visit. The owner was by herself, so she took our order at the counter, but brought our food to the table and checked on us often. - TLC - The owner was a soft spoken woman, and very nice and kind. She told us that the original owner of the restaurant had had it for 2-ish years before she took over. - Noms - Ye fesig beyaynatu (mahberawi) - this is a combination of chicken mesob special tibs (#2 on the menu) and beef siga wot (#1 on the menu). You also get a choice of 2 vegetables, we opted for kik alecha (yellow split peas) and cabbage & carrots. We wanted to err on the side of caution and ordered this platter to share to start and decided to order more if needed. This decision paid off, because this is a sizeable platter with quite a bit of food for the two of us. I mean, you can't beat the price for the portions, especially in these times! I am used to Ethiopian food being served on a very large platter, but she has modified this to her food being served on an oversized dinner plate, cut the injera in half and placed all the food on it and rolled the other half into mini rolls. The beef had a slight kick and super flavorful. The chicken was great too and the veggies were both mild and great to balance the spice! The injera was cooked perfectly and perfect texture to pick up all the food! We also got the Ethiopian coffee and the Ethiopian shai tea. The coffee is strong, but smooth. Comes in a traditional coffee pot and served with a small tea cup. The shai tea had some spices in it and also served plain. Note, they don't traditionally drink their coffee or tea with any dairy and they don't seem to have any dairy in the restaurant at all. I know, because I asked! haha I asked why she didn't serve it the traditional way as I noticed the traditional mini-tables in the form of a short table basket, that is at the front of the service counter. She said that most customers don't like to share their food, so she has adapted to serving it in this way. This is quite unfortunate, as Ethiopian cuisine is communal and really takes away from the whole experience! I remember eating the traditional way my first time and it was so intriguing and memorable! Oh well, on a positive note, she said that if she has extra staff, she can move tables around so that she can serve it with the traditional style, so just ask! If she can, she will do so. So happy that we have an Ethiopian restaurant as an option in the area and really the best value I have seen in awhile. For all the food we got and a speciality coffee and tea, it was around $30! You really can't beat that! I've bought a latte recently for almost $10, can you relate?! Enjoy, Friends and never stop exploring!

    Christian E.

    Amazing. Truly a traditional ethiopian restaurant. Hard to see due to the shops and all but this hidden gem is definitely worth scouring for. Injera is always amazing and their spicy level is the right amount. Expect no utensils and the stares if you do ask for one lmao, yall gotta eat with your hands and thats the beauty of it.

    #5 and Shrimp with 4 veggies
    Erene H.

    First time to eat Ethiopian food and it did not disappoint. The platter was family style where you eat with your hands and pickup your food with Injera: A fluffy tortilla-pancake-crepe like texture. It was unexpectedly good despite the color and looks. The platter was HUGE and very filling. My favorite is the Injera and the tenderloin beef. The best part of course is the Ethiopian coffee: Bunna - Siga Wot: Chunks of Beef tenderloin cooked in Ethiopian butter, onions and red pepper sauce. - Mesob Special Tibs: Beef or lamb cubed, sautéed with onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, and rosemary. - Shrimp With sautéed onions, tomato, spinach, garlic, and Ethiopian butter. - Injera Veggies: - Mesir Wot: Spicy lentil stew with berbere and garlic. - Kik Alicha: Yellow split peas with garlic, and onions. - Cabbage and Carrots. - House Salad - Bunna: Ethiopian - Lemon cake

    Shrimp curry - surprise buried in a generous pile of injera!
    Mary-Ann L.

    Every time I crave for Ethiopian food, there is literally only one place to go - Mesob Cafe! Not that it's the only one that serves authentic Ethiopian food but the staff is always so friendly and welcoming. And every time I go there to pick up my order, I always wish it's that day that they have staff to serve do I can enjoy the food in relaxing sit-down mode! Food is always good, hearty and always comes in generous serving overflowing in a take-out box. I always order their combo with sides and the shrimp. Both come with generous serving of injera! You're in for super delicious Ethiopian food, come visit Mesob Cafe!

    Siga wot
    Chanel T.

    This is my 2nd time here and I got the siga wot. It is beef tenderloin in a spicy red pepper sauce, it was amazing as I love spicy food. The dish also came with two sides; one was a little salad with a light dressing and the other was a cabbage and carrot side that had nice flavor and plenty of injera bread. I also got the Ethiopian coffee. It tasted bitter like instant coffee - I wasn't a fan of it but everything else tasted great.

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    7 months ago

    Great food. Tiny but mighty. Great family business with a lot of heart. Recommend without reservations.

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    23 days ago

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    3 months ago

    Food very good wait time over 30 min not good don't go there real hungry service slow ambiance nice small clean. V/r etc

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    5 months ago

    Great food that is always delicious. My family loves eating here every once in a while and the staff is always accommodating.

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    7 months ago

    What an excellent meal loved the veggies lamb and steak sauces we on point and bread was outstanding great for lunch or diner or takeaway!

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Mesob Cafe

    Will they ever reopen? Such an awesome restaurant but they are take out only.

    Not sure if they will have in person or not. I went in a month ago and it was to go only.

    Have they reopened for indoor dining?

    Yes!

    Do they offer a good amount of vegetarian options?

    Yes. East African cuisine always has lots of vegetarian options. Mesob offers so many traditional Ethiopian foods that are vegetarian friendly. You can create a whole vegetarian meal here.

    I saw the review of the day and thought I'd never been here. Did the name change?

    It was previously called A & N cafe...

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Ethiopian 196 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    The Green Cat - Gluten free avocado toast , strawberry crisp toast,Açaí smoothie bowl

    The Green Cat

    (326 reviews)

    $$

    Was on a mad hunt for local smoothie joints and The Green Cat did not disappoint! Whole food…read moreingredients are super important in the lifestyle I have. The smoothies were fresh, delicious, and packed with healthy benefits. POST WORKOUT blueberry, banana, vanilla protein, peanut butter, almond milk, agave THE GOLDEN BUDDHA mango, pineapple, banana, cold pressed ginger & carrot juice, coconut water Both of these smoothies were great, but the latter packs a little punch (which I personally love) from the ginger. If you're looking for a more traditional berry smoothie, the Post Workout is a must-try. In my opinion, the pricing matches the quality and it's definitely worth it. The shop was super cute and they had a little shop in the front section. Quick counter service. Some seating inside and a small private parking lot! So glad we finally tried out The Green Cat and I can't wait to go back to try some other menu items soon!

    While in VA Beach for business we were looking for a healthy and green dining experience. After…read morechecking previous reviews, we stumbled upon this charming place that exudes warmth and hospitality. We opted for the window counter, captivated by the cool green and white rattan high chairs. The staff was incredibly friendly and patient, accommodating our lack of menu knowledge. We ordered the green goddess soup and green goddess toasts, accompanied by a warm apple cider. The flavors were simply remarkable, a blend of savory and clean, allowing the freshness of the ingredients to really shine through. They also didn't skimp on ingredients, but no a one overpowered the overall flavor. As we enjoyed our meals, the restaurant gradually filled with people, confirming its popularity. The food here is not only healthy but also incredibly delicious. We will be back!

    Love Song - Littleneck Clams

    Love Song

    (73 reviews)

    I have walked and driven by 100's of times and never stopped. It's not the kind of place that you…read moreare going to walk off the beach in bathing suits and get food. It's a nicer vibe. Bigger than I thought and a cool vibe inside....however....very dark! Use your flashlight on your phone to read the menu and bring your readers. Very small menu but done well. This place is not for everyone....I wouldn't bring my dive bar loving, basic burger kind of guy husband here. We started with a few apps so I got to try the smoked fish dip, cheese with baguette and apple butter. Both were delicious, especially the fish dip. Those house pickles were delicious. I could have eaten just a bowl of those. I didn't try anything else but everyone that did was raving about how good the food was. Service was good. Sometimes a little difficult to get water. I think they even have HH in the back bar. Open kitchen. Friendly staff. Foodies would enjoy this place. Worth the check out.

    Came here for date nite with friends and thought it was super cute. Love the vibe inside. We were…read morein time for the tail end of happy hour so we got some drinks and apps on the HH menu. We also ordered dinner and desserts too. The food was good from the salad, fish, duck. We loved it all. The olive oil cake we ordered for dessert was delicious too. The staff was super friendly and checked back on us often. We had suck a good time we closed the place down. Love this spot and can't wait to go back !

    Yendidi Virginia Beach - The Afro Meat Pie was delicious. A must try.  Follow @LaVida_757 for video

    Yendidi Virginia Beach

    (69 reviews)

    Yendidi has been on my Yelp radar for years, but never found time to try them out. Their flagship…read morelocation is in Norfolk where they even have a grocery market. A few years ago, they opened this location which has a bar and dine-in service. Sophia and I joined a friend of ours for lunch on Saturday. Let's see how the event turned out. I happened to place a reservation for our table the previous night, but since there weren't many people present, it wasn't necessary. The staff greeted us when we walked inside and got seated immediately. The decor inside was really nice. There's artwork abound, a bar and even a foosball table. Simply put, you should not be bored at a place like this. After looking at the menu, we were all ready to order. I selected their cabbage stew with chicken as the protein with plain jasmine rice and sweet plantains. Overall, the food was good. The stew was presented with medium spice so it definitely had my lips burning (a great thing) and the rice was well cooked. The plantains had flavor, but I felt it was overcooked. It has been a minute since I've eaten plantains but they were always a bit soft. The stew did have plenty of chicken but it could've been cut to slightly smaller pieces. Still, the meal had yours truly full and I did takeout. So did Sophia and our friend. All in all, I had a really nice time. The hospitality was really nice (the owner actually came to our table to check on us) and the food was plentiful. Oh yeah, we even had a robot bring our food to us. How cool is that??!! Anyways, till next time :)

    absolutely delicious cuisine! beautiful taste of Ghanaian food. i ordered the goat stew with brown…read moresauce and original fufu, my friend ordered oxtail stew with brown sauce and plantain fufu. while eating with our hands wasn't new to us, not having to chew the fufu was very different. naturally we want to chew, but when you dip the fufu into the sauce it sorta just goes down easy. very flavorful with a nice like spicy kick. the original fufu is comparable to a thicker mashed potato, but the stew was the star. the food was delivered super hot and it did take some time for it to make it to our table, but it was quickly demolish because of hot food it tasted. also on the side was a bowl full of plantain. hands down best i had. restaurant overall was great. noise level was moderate, we arrived around 6pm and it was beginning to pickup.

    Civil Libation - Shrimp Palermo

    Civil Libation

    (300 reviews)

    $$

    Was recommended by a couple local people who recommended this place…read more Welcoming environment, reserved a table, wasn't as busy on a Thursday, which was really nice and we got our table really quick. We came here for our pre-Valentine's Day dinner. Our waiter was really nice. He was prompt and he paid attention and was an attentive listener, which was really nice as a server. I got an appetizer or a starter. That was the grilled rustic bread along with the seafood pasta, and my boyfriend got the Civil burger. I forgot the name of the drink, but it was an espresso martini. Everything was delicious and tasted really good and the meal was cooked perfectly! Wish their menu was a bit bigger with a lot more variety. Overall a 5 star place!

    My husband and I ended up coming here for brunch before a snow storm hit! The service was 10 out of…read more10 and they had many recommendations for drink options. I would recommend sitting in a booth far away from the door during winter because the breeze can be quite cold. The booths are also super comfortable and very well padded. My husband ended up getting the chorizo scramble which he liked a lot. I ended up ordering the steak and eggs. The compound butter that comes with the steak and eggs is amazing on toast or steak. I got a blood orange drink that was OK, but I wouldn't get it again. The second drink I got was with Rose and lavender and I would definitely get that again. We love this place. This is our second time going and we will be back!

    Esoteric Craft Beer and Curated Provisions - Beet salad

    Esoteric Craft Beer and Curated Provisions

    (393 reviews)

    $$

    [Late review. Visited September 2025]…read more We visited Virginia Beach and found Esoteric due to its good reviews online. We reserved for an early dinner and we somehow were able to order items from the happy hour menu. We ordered wings from the Happy Hour menu along with cocktails. From the regular menu, we had poutine, black garlic caesar salad, and duck tacos. The food was delicious! The duck tacos were really amazing that I wish I had more space in my stomach to eat more. The poutine was amazing along with the wings. The cocktails were not as great as we hoped. The ambiance was great - quite modern and perfect for a laid back dinner. The service was okay. I think the staff was a little distracted that day.

    Eso is easily my favorite restaurant. But my last visit left me with preferring to come back on a…read morespecials night. Chill vibes, hipster/cool ambiance, delicious if not a bit pricy food, hit or miss service. Came here most recently to celebrate a combination of the end of the shutdown & date night on a Friday night round 8pm or so. Maybe should've gotten a table instead of sat at the bar. Service other times have been great during Last Meeting of the Day (their HH), specials nights (went during Wing & Whiskey Wednesday), & an after shifty cocktail but spending $100 between two people left a bit more to be desired hospitality wise. Like I said, hit or miss... sometimes you feel like you're bothering someone for a check other times they're pretty friendly. Food was tasty. $35 catch of the day was rockfish; cooked perfectly, on a bed of wild rice pilaf (?) & sautéed squash & apple. Licked that plate clean. Extra dirty gin martini, though I'd recommend ordering from their fun seasonal cocktail menu. My partner got the $19 chicken sammie with truffle fries with the house root beer. Rootbeer was flat so was taken off the check but had nothing but good things to say about the sando. Either way.. great for a chill but kinda fancy, IYKYK kind of experience.

    Flippin’ Hangry - Neptune Festival 2023

    Flippin’ Hangry

    (17 reviews)

    I recently had a last minute large family and friends gathering for a special occasion.We wanted…read moresomething unique and different.We ordered from Flippin'Hangry and could not have been more pleased!We had a pretty good budget so we asked Melanie and Ronnie to prepare a variety of their delicious menu.We had (4) different varieties of Lumpia which were cooked perfectly and they were very good with catering to our vegetarian friend making sure to keep them separate a which made our veggie friends happy!The filling for all were very flavorful and fresh!We had Pancit which was also a big hit so good!Empanadas had very tasty filling and perfectly cooked.The chicken adobo was one of the best I have ever had!They also made a tray of wonderful dessert items,So delicious,Ube cheesecake was unique and a Hit! Peach mango hand pies( scratch made and so flavorful!)Several dessert lumpia that disappeared almost instantly!We were so happy with FlippinHangry making our event perfect! Big Thank you and we look forward to going to the Norfolk Tides game and getting their food !If you haven't tried the food definitely recommend this small blended family business very professional,hard workers,super friendly and Awesome Food!!!!

    Last weekend, I went to a Norfolk Tides game with my dad. If you're a local or visiting Norfolk, VA…read moreand you're a baseball fan you should definitely catch a Tides game at Harbor Park. While we were there, my dad and I were looking for something to eat and came across Flippin Hangry. The employees were friendly, and the service was quick we didn't have to wait long for our food at all. With the sound of the bat cracking against the ball and the crowd cheering in the background, Flippin Hangry had a great atmosphere. I ordered the chicken adobo empanadas, and they were absolutely delicious. Next time I go to the park, I'm looking forward to trying some of the other items on their menu. If you love Filipino food or if you're curious to try it for the first time and you are at the ball park or near one pop up shop you should give it a try.

    The Pink Dinghy - Brussels sprouts

    The Pink Dinghy

    (179 reviews)

    $$

    Great fun little brunch spot. Stumbled in here right after attending the Virginia Beach farmers…read moremarket on a Saturday. Loved sitting in their back patio on a warm spring day. It is fully shaded which was nice considering we had some young kids with us. Service staff was very attentive and knowledgeable. I'd encourage them to be more targeted when describing some recommendations on the menu, she simply listed about the entire menu she asked "what are some of your favorites". Drinks were delivered very fast by the bartender. 2nd rounds were offered prior to the drinks being empty which shows good serving habits. The serving portions were very plentiful and played very well on the brunch theme! Burger was cooked medium well but still very juicy with a delicious mayo based sauce. The chicken and biscuit was juicy and the biscuit was flaky and delicious. It would have served the dish well TJ have a little more syrup. I also loved the unique hash tots. I was simply visiting from out of state so I won't return, but I'd encourage you to! They are also included on Resy so be sure to book there or use a Resy credit if you have it!

    The pink dinghy was great! Service was very friendly and quick to get us seats for Sunday brunch…read more They were accommodating for finding a spot to put our baby in his carrier too. Food came out very quick and they easily added things to my order. The biscuits and gravy were delicious! Personally I definitely recommend adding an extra egg, jalapeños and cheese. The pancakes were solid too, albeit a bit pricy. The restaurant had great vibes and intentional design. Indoor does have limited seated but there is plenty of outdoor in the front and back. Well worth a visit!

    Mesob Cafe - ethiopian - Updated May 2026

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