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    Mudai Ethiopian Restaurant

    4.1 (613 reviews)
    Open 10:30 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

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    MUDAI ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Classy
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Mudai Ethiopian Restaurant

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    Meat and veggie combo platter, with additional beef derek tibs in the SE section of the plate
    Veronica C.

    While I may not be the best judge of ethiopian food, wow! This place was delicious! Parking was easy to find on a Saturday late lunch. We ordered a meat combo, a veggie combo, and an additional beef derek tibs, all served in a large platter, and a bottle of the Tej. The four of us easily demolished the plate, and ordered an extra plate of injera to sop up all the remaining sauces and flavors. My favorite was probably the derek tibs and the curried potato/cabbage, but every dish had excellent flavor. The atmosphere was nice and homely. I'd say the loudest thing was when they were making coffee/steaming the milk. With a sleeping baby, I was a little wary, but we survived with minimal tears. Service was pleasant, and it seemed there may have only been one server. While they did check in on us twice, we did have to flag them down for the check. Although, it was also nice they didn't want to rush us.

    Veggie V10. Vegetarian Combo, L3. Lamb Wot, beef tibs
    Aswad K.

    After going to bigger more famous places, we discovered this gem! If you want to avoid waiting, tight spaces at those bigger joints I highly recommend this place! It's on the other side of the highway amongst car shops. Highly recommend the traditional seating on the left as you enter. Will be returning for traditional coffee sometime during the day. Now lets talk food- We got vegetarian combo with beef key tibs and lamb wot. This lets you have whole experience of complete meal with veggies and meats. This would be enough for ~3-4 adults. Order extra injera. Veggies were well flavored- cabbage (Alicha Atkilt) was simple but delicious, mild chickpeas were delicious too. Miser was the best!- well flavored spicy, garlicky and has good amount of spiced butter. Gomen (collard greens) were perfect juicy,buttery and just enough spiced. Now the meat- lamb and beef were both well cooked, tender, juicy and well spiced. Loved it! One minor complaint- the injera had lots of wheat. I completely understand that teff is expensive but please offer teff only (major ingredient) injera may be at a higher price. I am sure people will be glad to pay extra for teff injera ( definitely gluten-free enthusiasts). But definitely will be back here! Extremely welcoming, they have a full bar.

    Lovely combination dish
    Fran L.

    Excellent Ethiopia Foods served hot, spicy and perfectly delicious with reasonably priced and fast service next to the best, new Marriott Town Place. It's a great way to get introduced to the authentic Ethiopian cuisine. It's rare to find a clean, inviting and delicious ethnic food in a new town. We really enjoyed this small restaurant with a new type of food that we have never tried before. For $15 -$22 the food was exceptional and savory. We recommend spicy beef. The gluten cake was something new and strange but with meat on it, was palatable. We enjoyed it very much.

    V10. Vegetarian Combo
    Fran V.

    We were going to try Gojo but it was closed so Mudai was close by. The dining area was unfussy and clean. The seating was all regular tables and a small bar except one area where you can sit on small stools and low table. The young lady who served us was quiet but polite. We shared a vegetarian combo and a sambussa each and even tried the honey wine. All part of the experience! I'm not well versed on this cuisine but I enjoyed the lentil dish and the injera. Not a big fan of the collard greens but I don't really care for them to begin with. If I was craving Ethiopian I would probably go back.

    Front
    Phong T.

    Mudai was a recommendation, and it did not disappoint! The restaurant is located off San Carlos, near downtown San Jose. It's in a more quaint part of town. The service was welcoming and attentive. There was only one server but it wasn't too busy considering it was a Saturday evening. There was only one other party dining when we arrived. However, we were there for the food! The food was delicious! We were so happy that everything was well-seasoned and the portions were abundant. We ordered the Veggie Platter and Beef Kay Tibs, both of which came with injera. The red sauce that accompanied the beef tibs was incredibly tasty--it's the best red sauce we've found in the South Bay!

    Malathy A.

    My friend and I had been meaning to try this Ethiopian spot after driving past it once but not being able to stop since there wasn't a parking spot available. We'd ordered in from here before and really enjoyed it, so we finally decided to check it out in person and we were not disappointed! The flavors were incredibly authentic, and the meat was so tender. We tried both the chicken and beef dishes, along with our all-time favorite: the lentils. Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious, honestly, the whole menu looked very tempting. The place is a bit tucked away from downtown, which we actually liked. It's spacious with plenty of seating, and they even have a bar. While there was a bit of a wait for the food, it was totally worth it. The service was friendly and attentive, we asked for rice, that they didn't have and were very polite and apologetic about it. The injera was soft and perfectly tangy, so good, we ordered an extra round just to soak up all those rich, flavorful curries. We left full and super satisfied. So glad we made here, it was the nice Ethiopian dinner experience!

    Interior
    Angela G.

    We drove to San Jose from Fairfield as we had a baby shower to attend. We pre-planned to eat here after looking at the reviews of other ethiopian restaurants...and we were specifically looking for a place that served gored gored. The location is not far from downtown. There is no parking directly in front. But we found a spot not too far away. There was a parking lot behind the building but it said "no parking" so I assumed that we could not park there. The interior of the restaurant is large and open. There is a space to the left thst could hold a larger party. They also have a bar area. Everyone who we made eye contact with, greeted us warmly. There were no other patrons in the restaurant other than my daughter and I. The other people there appeared to be friends and or family as they all sat in the larger area with the owner, watching the football game. We ordered gored gored and the veggie combo!!! Absolutely delicious. We also got the berebere and a hit sauce on the side. It was so good with the perfect amount of heat. The owner said it was too spicy for him, but it was perfect for us. We like spicy. I would definitely come next time I am in the area

    Kathleen W.

    We got the party platter where you could get 2 veggies and 2 meats. As a group of 4, we picked out the shrimp and lamb. The food was delicious and fresh. Another friend got the veggie sandwich and sambussa and thoroughly enjoyed it. We all raved about the freshness and quality of the food.

    Chicken and vegetables! Yum!
    John C.

    Went to Mudai last Saturday night with my two teenagers who never had Ethiopian food before. The server was very nice and the ambiance was very welcoming. Many of the regulars can tell this was our first time and gave us all a smile. Fairly busy with only one server, the food took a little while but once it came out, it looked and tasted delicious. We had a lot of fun eating with no utensils. Although the water was cold, it would be nice to have it served with ice. Overall, a great experience. We will definitely return! Looking forward to trying the sambussas and lamb next time!

    Elisa T.

    Such a great place to try some Ethiopian food for the first time. The people here helped me picked out what to get since i've never had it, they helped me even show me how to eat it properly. Amazing place with great scenery heavily recommended. Go try something new and local!!!

    Inside
    Daisy S.

    Mudai is located in midtown on San Carlos St. It's easy to miss when driving down the street. They have a dirt parking lot in the back. Street parking is very limited in the area plus there was construction when I visited. The staff were friendly and very attentive. They have the classic Ethiopian food offerings. The price point is competitive to the other local Ethiopian restaurants in the area. We ordered the vegetarian combo platter which comes with 4 dishes, their traditional salad, and of course lots of delicious injera. Their injera is probably one of my top favorites! It tasted super fresh and was soft and bouncy. Unfortunately, the food wasn't warm :/. It almost felt like some of the food was just taken out of the refrigerator. The spice level is more on the mild side, which I didn't mind but my boyfriend didn't get the spicy kick he was craving. Overall, good tasting food and I would return.

    Meat Combo and Alicha Atkilt
    Evelyn T.

    Mudai is such an underrated Ethiopian restaurant! Tucked in an unassuming part of Downtown with its surrounding of construction and residential areas, it's very easy to miss. However, the portions are incredible, more than other Ethiopian places I've been to, while retaining its rich spices. My platter of beef combo ($21.50) and side of alicha atkilt ($8.99) were absolutely delicious, you could demolish this plate amongst 3 people. The injera is sooo sour and soft! More sour than other places I've been to, AKA more fermented. To me, that shines brighter given the cooks put effort to make the dish as authentic as it is in their country. It's a fluffy flatbread with sourness that compliments the intensity of the meats. The doro wot and lamb wot are iconic in Ethiopian cuisines. Meats were tender and not too spicy. The stew is comforting and is fantastic wrapped around some tasty injera. The lamb alicha is flavorful with tinges of ginger and turmeric, definitely worth venturing off to if you enjoy lamb wot. As for kitfo, I personally am not a fan of raw meat, so this is definitely an acquired taste given it's chewier. However, it'd be absolutely delicious if you like the texture and a little bit of creaminess from the cottage cheese. The alicha alkilt were mellow flavors of potato, cabbage, carrot, and onions which provided a neutral balance with all of the meats you're inhaling. Service also amazing! They brought out the dishes in 10 minutes, especially when I was on a time crunch during lunch. I believe it was the owner, who had welcomed us with a smile and answered all of my questions.

    Inside before 4pm sunday
    Paulie S.

    Everything went well. The staff-very welcoming, the meal was differently wonderful. We had a Sambussa -Thin dough shells stuffed with lentils, onions, hot green peppers and herbs. Thismeatless dish is lightly fried in vegetable oil to golden perfection. Lamb Wot - Hot and spicy lamb stew made of lean lamb and simmered slowly in berbere and kibbe (purified and seasoned in butter) Beef Kay Tibs - Spicy beef stew simmered in hot red sauce, seasoned in butter, and our exotic spices. Everything was outstanding. Will be returning. Are you here yet?

    V10. Vegetarian Combo

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    1 year ago

    If you have been a patron there in the last 7-10 years just know they are under new management and the food tastes complete different.

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    Page 1 of 16

    Ask the Community - Mudai Ethiopian Restaurant

    Hi, saw a question with a reply noting new owners, when did this go into effect?

    A year and half back

    Hello All, I got a groupon coupon dinner for two people.Did anyone got the same and Can someone tell me what options we can choose or what options will be provided?Thanks in advance. I appreciate your response !!

    We used a groupon not too long ago. The entire menu was available to choose from.

    How come mudai restaurant website is not a website, but a for sale offer for the website? I'm not familar with item names so it would help if mudai would update or not even offer info on www, groupon, living social or Yelp.

    Mudai has a new owner. You can Wikipedia or Google most of the dishes.

    View All 7 Questions

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    Walia Ethiopian Cuisine - Vegetable combo platter with beef

    Walia Ethiopian Cuisine

    4.3(1.8k reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    The food is solid, first time having Ethiopian food. Personally really enjoyed the greens and the…read morebeef / lamb parts of the dish. Service is great too, they were super friendly and the place was lively when I was there. I know you're supposed to eat with your hands but we did ask for spoons 3 times that never came for some people in our group . ALSO THE FOOD Portions was massive it said 3-4 people and we order more food. We over ordered. The family dish was definitely more like 5-6 people.

    I've had this place bookmarked for a while but haven't been able to make it to this side of town…read more Finally stopped in for a quick lunch date. Upon walking in, you're met with a calm yet inviting ambiance. I'll guess that the music playing from the speakers are of Ethiopian musicians, and the paintings for decor represent Ethiopian culture and history. Love when a restaurant proudly represents and showcases the heritage and culture around the cuisine. We ordered the Meat and Veggie Sampler which is described on the menu as "a combination of our veggie sampler with stewed lamb, beef, and chicken accompanied by 8 rolls of injera." I've tried Ethiopian cuisine in San Diego, Sacramento, Texas, and Michigan in the last year -- and I would argue that Walia probably makes it to the top for taste, quality, presentation, authenticity, and cultural experience via the ambiance. I'm looking forward to our next visit to try other menu options. Will definitely recommend this restaurant as family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues look for their go-to Ethiopian restaurant in the South Bay.

    Photos
    Walia Ethiopian Cuisine - Counter

    Counter

    Walia Ethiopian Cuisine - Chicken juicy tibs with Grilled chicken combo

    Chicken juicy tibs with Grilled chicken combo

    Walia Ethiopian Cuisine - Outside

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    Outside

    Sambusas - Try our spinach, mozzarella, and mushroom sambusa. www,sambusatreats.com

    Sambusas

    4.0(1 review)
    3.4 miNorth Valley

    I like bread. And I like bread even more when they're stuffed with other stuff. Did this place meet…read moremy standards? Hmmm somewhat. LOCATION: So the store is part of a shared kitchen located in a commercial park. I saw a drug deal go down right in front of me. And by drug deal, I actually mean a Door Dasher picking up his precious cargo. But who knows...there might be drugs hidden in his Door Dash bag instead of food. ORDERING: It is online only. So order before you get there. Or be like me and wait 10-15 minutes for your food at the spot. At least they have comfortable chairs. 10/10. Would smash again. There are 3 different meat-filled sambusas on the menu and I ordered 1 of each type. Oh yeah, the lady running the store gave me an extra sambusa for me having to wait. Very nice of her. Great service. BEEF (Wannabeef): There's seasoned ground beef and bean in the filling. HOWEVER!...the beans almost completely overpowers the taste of the beef. Overall, I liked this, but I would prefer a stronger beef flavor. CHICKEN (Flustercluck, but I call it clusterfuck): There's roasted chicken, corn, and red peppers in the filling. I like the texture of the chicken, but the filling flavor was kinda bland. SHRIMP (Aquatarian): Cot' damn. For only $4.25, this thing packed full of shrimp. By itself, the shrimp has a slightly sweet, caramelized taste, but is way too salty. The acid from the califa or kandake sauce complements this sambusa by balancing out the saltiness. BREAD: I like bread so much that I dedicated a section just for it. The outside was fried and the inside was soft, slightly chewy, and moist. It was very thin. THE 3 SAUCES: (Btw, they're 50 cents a piece. I postponed laundry day so I could use my quarters to pay for the sauces.) CALIFA SAUCE - Similar to Asian sweet and sour sauce, but more watery and more acidic. Has some heat to it. Califa is Arabic for "religious leader" or maybe "king". (That's right...you also get random knowledge in this food review. You're welcome.) KANDAKE SAUCE - I think Kandake means "queen". And just like most women, this sauce is hard to describe and understand. Just kidding #feminism. This is a watery, orange-colored sauce that vinegary and salty. There's some herbs in here. I want to guess dried parsley/oregano, dried peppers, and sumac. ISIS SAUCE - Just by writing about this sauce, I risk getting wire-tapped by the Feds. But I'm doing it for the Yelpers (...and the ratchets). I got ch'yall. This is similar to Greek Tzatziki sauce. It's a white sauce with tart yogurt as the base. I'm gonna guess that Isis means "princess" just to keep with the theme here. Or maybe it's a reference to Egyptian Goddess Isis.

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    Sambusas - Check out our menu online to view our delicious side! www.sambusatreats.com

    Check out our menu online to view our delicious side! www.sambusatreats.com

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    Kategna Ethiopian Restaurant - Special Kitfo

    Kategna Ethiopian Restaurant

    4.3(376 reviews)
    1.2 miRose Garden
    $$
    Family-owned & operated
    Locally owned & operated

    stopped by for dinner on thursday night. ordered the meat combo, veggie combo, and a glass of the…read morehouse wine. the veggie combo comes with yesimer wot (split red lentils), kik alitcha (split chickpeas), gomen wot (collard greens) and atakilt wot (cabbage/potato/corn). the cabbage mix was the least spicy so it was a good palette cleanser while the the lentils and chickpeas were my favorite. the meat combo comes with doro wot (chicken drumstrick), key wot (prime beef), alicha wot (beef stew), ayib (cheese) and salad. the key wot was very buttery. my favorite from this combo was the alicha wot. the combo is a good choice if you would like a little bit of everything. everything was so saucy, flavorful and fragrant. i enjoyed every bite! the food was good, the service was great and the ambiance was nice. i would recommend and even come back again.

    Restaurant It is…read moreinside a non descript strip mall. I traveled here from Fairfield. There are 8 booths and 10 sets of tables and 3 areas where it appears you would experience the authentic ethiopion coffee service. They were in the back preparing an order when we arrived so we waited short of 5 minutes for them to know we were there. When the waiter arrives she warmly greeted us and instructed us to sit anywhere. She quickly returned and provided us menus. Shortly thereafter our order was placed and we were provided water. We ordered our favorite no matter what ethiopian restaurant we go to and that is Gored gored Veggie platter Sambusas, the lentils inside were a bit hard and there wasn't much seasoning. I also ordered a cup of tea as I still had a cough from a cold Food The cabbage and greens were luke warm. The lentils were somewhat hot. The salad was fine and the gored gored was delicious. I wish their injera had more of a sour taste too it but overall food was good, service was good. I give them a 4 star review. Minus 1 point for the lukewarm food.

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    Kategna Ethiopian Restaurant
    Kategna Ethiopian Restaurant - Sambussa

    Sambussa

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    Inside

    Haleluya Ethiopian Gourmet - Injera (bread used to pick up food)

    Haleluya Ethiopian Gourmet

    4.6(330 reviews)
    15.8 mi
    $$

    ORDER Meat Combo Platter (2 persons)…read moreVeggie Combo Platter (2 persons) Lamb Tibs Fish Goulash STARS (stand out qualities) -Food (5/5 stars) - everything was tasty and I especially liked the fish goulash dish; most veggies were not spicy some meat or spicy; fish was sweet and sour and lamb tibs juicy -Service (4/5 stars) - very friendly and attentive service, even when they are busy and understaffed -Ambiance (4/5 stars) - small, very warm and clean restaurant; the bathroom was super clean and smelled good (above average compared to other restaurants) STAIRS (areas of growth) -Add napkin dispensers at each table -ideally get napkins that are a little thicker; I felt like I was wasting the thin napkins TIPS -the bigger tables can fit about 4-5 people and smaller tables can fit about 2 to 3 people -there are about 2-3 big tables and about 3-4 smaller tables -pay at the counter -call ahead to order. if you want to save time

    Very disappointed and confused about the raving reviews. I am not new to Ethiopian/Eritrean…read morecuisine, so as far as the food and flavors go, it was satisfactory at best. I ordered the meat combo. The injera doesn't have the sour flavor I was expecting, so I suspect it's blended and not made with all teff. The best part for me is to finish the left over stew-soaked injera at the end, but this experience was robbed from me when I discovered that they rinsed my plate and placed the injera on the plate while it was still wet, leaving it extra soggy and cold from the water. The service was good as the owner was attentive & made sure I was good. He gave me extra injera to remedy my complaint about my food being served on a cold, wet plate. I've never had a bad experience with Ethiopian food before, but this was what honestly killed it for me and literally left a bad taste in my mouth. Ambiance is good, the place was clean, it was quiet & peaceful when I came in on a Friday evening right before sunset. I probably would not visit again due to me having much better food & experience at other locations.

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    Haleluya Ethiopian Gourmet - Very clean inside

    Very clean inside

    Haleluya Ethiopian Gourmet - Veggie Combo Platter

    Veggie Combo Platter

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    Beef tibs, Doro Wot

    Mudai Ethiopian Restaurant - ethiopian - Updated May 2026

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