Absolutely amazing this is the best food I've had in my life, we have been coming to this restaurant for the last year. The food is amazing and very authentic. The service is awesome. Staff is very nice., the ambience is absolutely beautiful as they have live music. Highly recommended this is the best restaurants in San Francisco read more

I came here on a Saturday evening with my family as a party of 6. My sister wanted to check out some live jazz music while she was visiting the city and Sheba definitely delivered on both the music and vibes! It was however VERY loud even though we were sitting towards the back, so it was a little difficult to have conversations over dinner. For food, we ordered two vegetarian samplers along with the Doro Wat and Tibs Wat to share. Everything was pretty good, but my favorite was actually the stewed cabbage from the vegetarian sampler! Overall, I think this is a really fun spot if you're looking for live music and Ethiopian food. read more

Friendly service and good music. The sampler is always a lovely choice. It doesn't look like there is enough food but it is quite filling with a good mix of vegetarian and meat choices. The lentils are always a winner, as is the lamb! read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - Samusas - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Located a block from THE Filmore on Filmore St. this casual dining restaurant has live entertainment 7 nights/week! It's a wonderful atmosphere and a cozy place to have date night with a live jazz band. They serve delicious Ethiopian dishes. The vegetarian platter comes on a large platter with smaller servings of their vegetarian dishes presented on spongy injera flatbread. We ordered a side of YASA-TIBS which is a catfish dish marinated in white wine and cooked with garlic, onions, bell peppers, scallions and tomatoes which is not too spicy. This is definitely one of their stand out dishes. The fish was soft and flaky and cooked just right. Overall the dishes are flavorful, savory and tasty. The owner stopped by our table to check on us and ensure our experience was enjoyable. Definitely coming back for the food and entertainment. read more

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Loved it here, grabbed a quick drink while waiting for reservations, music was great and drinks were great read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

My friend and I came here on a weekday evening to enjoy some live music alongside some cocktails after we had finished dinner. The Bikila cocktail was definitely a bold choice and was a bit too strong and spicy for my taste. The peppers were clear in this cocktail and made for more of a savory taste. On the other hand, the Hakim was much more approachable, which was bright and balanced due to its more floral ingredients of pineapple, hibiscus, lemon, and rosemary. Great spot for adventerous cocktails, and an even better place for live music! The performers of the night were very talented and provided good entertainment for the night. read more

A cozy upscale restaurant. Impeccably decorated. The ambiance makes this restaurant perfect for date night. Very romantic with the live music as well as the perfect background music if you arrive earlier in the evening. The food presentation is a solid "10" and comes quickly. Everything we ate was incredible. The owner and staff check on you just enough to make you feel like you are family. We will definitely eat here again and highly recommend to everyone we know, family and friend, or anyone looking for a splendid meal that you would not prepare at home. read more

I had such a good time here with some friends! Loved the food and their drinks. Staff is very knowledgeable. The good/recs: - I enjoyed their apple cider drink and the drink that had lavender in it!!! At $13 and $15 a piece wow! - their stewed cabbage is the best I've had! But be careful because it's quite spicy. - we had a really knowledgeable waiter who was very precise with his language! - lots of seating and vibes when the piano band came to play around 7:) - I believe the owner came out to ask us how things are as well-/ that was a treat. Can't wait to come back to Sheba! The meh: Nothing! read more

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My favorite place in the city. The atmosphere is lively, but not crowded. The jazz is warm and exciting, Wednesday - Sundays after 8. The service is friendly and there when you need it, but not overbearing. Feels like you've walked into a family. The drinks and the food; creative and delicious. I've had pretty much all of them, there's no going wrong with any of the drinks. Some are harsher than others and bitter and spicy, so make sure you state your preferences in case you're picky. The beef stew is my favorite. Rich in flavor and tender meat covered in a flavorful sauce that gets absorbed by the injera. Delicious. Leftovers hold over well, but you'll probably eat it all there. Make sure you bring cash to tip the musicians after the night ends. I'd love to further gatekeep this place, but they deserve the crowd. read more

Music every Wednesday through Sunday. The last Wednesday of the month, Dennis Palmieri plays and he is spectacular. The food is flavorful and the service is friendly and fun. The veggie sampler is a perfect plate of food. Add a protein for the center. Pro tip: get bottles of wine. read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - Dennis Sings - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Sheba was poppin on a Saturday night, so it's kinda tough to get a table, but the wait at the bar was so worth it! Jazz starts around 7:30-8pm so stop by for dinner or a drink to enjoy the music. The vibe is warm, loud, and energetic. We got seated at a community table, the outer "couch" was comfy and there was enough table space for our own food. We ordered the sirloin sambussa which came with a spicy sauce. It was crunchy and the meat was incredibly flavorful! I could eat a whole bowl. For the main to share we ordered the vegetarian sampler which came with this amazing cabbage cooked with veggies, mesir wat lentils, yellow split peas, and collard greens. These veggies were all very flavorful with the injera. In the middle of the platter we also ordered the braised lamb with the Ethiopian herb sauce which was incredible, and the lamb melts in your mouth! The server also gave us some more injera which helped us finish the whole platter. Service was great and friendly! Overall, I had such a positive experience and I'm excited to go back with friends!! read more

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Such a cute restaurant with such good food and vibes! Came here for dinner with friends and loved that they had vegan options lol. I got the lentil and injira and it was sooo good! a little spicier then anticipated but still so yum and filling! Also loved that they had jazz playing through the night (can't really see them though because of the layout). Also waited like 40 min from when we ordered to when we got out food which was a bit of a letdown but other than that no complaints! read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - lentils injora - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Came to Sheba Piano Lounge on a Friday evening for dinner and live jazz. We had a great time and loved the food! We've tried to come before on a weekend and it was too busy so we were happy to get a table this time. The food and drink service was quick. We got the veggie sampler to split and it was very good. I liked getting to try all the different veggie dishes and the flavors were spicy and delicious. The injera was really good too and there was an adequate amount that came with the platter. We definitely want to return to try more of their food!! read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - Vegetarian sampler - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

On a last second whim, we were invited down to this piano lounge that's "located in the live music district of SF" or so I've read. It's really quite an intimate little nook. Great, and I mean great jazz music and cocktails. It is on Fillmore Street, after all. The servers are friendly, knowledgeable and incredibly tolerant of long winded old men. But mostly, they stop and attend to you. Thanks to the staff, this was also a learning experience for us. The ambiance was dark and moody. Incredibly romantic. This was a Sunday evening and the jazz/blues ensemble didn't drive us out of the house; instead it was the easy, sophisticated music that really set the scene. Even better? They serve several Ethiopian dishes like Gomen, Rosemary Sea Bass, Kitfo, Tibs, Sambusas and even a sautéed chicken. I ate one of the greatest beef dishes ever, called Tibs Wat. It came with a spongy flatbread called injera that was very sour but interesting. It's a bit pricey but I promise it's worth every dime. Someone at your table must order the Tej or Honey Wine. Everyone at our table loved it. read more

Overview: dark and cosy speakeasy with a full bar and good sound system.  Perfect for an intimate gathering. Meal/Time: Dinner Sunday 541 PM/ Party of 3 Seated: 541 PM Ordered:548 PM First ordered item arrived: 604 Decor/Atmosphere:  Really comfortable seatings.  The atmosphere feels warm. Staff is friendly.  The only downside is the lighting is a bit on the dim side... hard to read the menu.   Parking is a bit hard.  Took us a bit of time.   The neighborhood is bit on the rough side. Service/ Front of the House:  Felt welcome and greeted as we walked in.   Service/Serving Staff: wait staff is friendly and personable.  She gave us a big smile when she came up to the table, she came back a couple of times refilling water and making sure we had enough Injera.   Per the receipt her name is Yewibensh. Food:  if you order from the "Out of Africa" menu, it's more of a family style so large shareable portions.  You get a plate of Injera, like a spongy flat bread that you tear into small pieces to pickup  the food.  No real flavor to add or to interfere with the entree. Beg Alecha ($28) Tender pieces of lamb braised slowly in green pepper, with yellow onions, Ethiopian herb sauce, ginger, rosemary, turmeric and jalapeno pepper. A little bit spicy.  The sauce is just pure awesome...  If I had a bowl of white rice that sauce is going right on top of it.  Really goes well with the slight gaminess of lamb.    Vegetarian Sampler ($29) sample of the 4 vegetarian entrees on the menu. GOMEN - Fresh collard greens & spinach w/ green onions, garlic, oregano, ginger & tomatoes.  Really good, my actual favorite item.  I just love collard greens.  The greens were tender, it will go well with the lamb. KIK ALICHA - Yellow split peas cooked & flavored w/ turmeric, onion & Ethiopian herbs.  Not really a big pea fan, but I could not tell it was peas.  But not as bland and the English mushy peas. MESIR WAT - Lentils cooked w/ chopped onions, garlic, olive & mild Berbere sauce.  Really good flavor, could not taste any olives for those that might be adverse to olives. ATAKILT KILIKIL - Fresh cabbage, carrots, green peppers & onions sautéed w/ garlic, ginger, turmeric and tomatoes.  This was actually the most boring item I had tonight.  The cabbage was the star and all the other veggies played supporting roles.   Yasa Tibs ($28) Sautéed catfish marinated in white wine and cooked with garlic, onions, bell peppers, scallions and tomatoes.  Large chunks of catfish, juicy and tender.  Seasoning hid that "catfish" flavor, it could have been any other type of firm white fish.  Excellent dish.  Tibs Wat ($28) Sautéed prime beef simmered in Berbere sauce, a touch of Nit'ir Kibe (Ethiopian purified butter) & cardamom.  The beef is really shredded.  This makes it easy to pickup with the Injera.  Really flavorful, not a bit spicy at all. Value:  At about $28 a plate, the value for the quality of the food is good.  For those who want to venture into Ethiopian cuisine, this is a good entry point. Restroom: single Men's Room at the back of the dining area, to the right of the bar  Clean, well stocked and very roomy. Will I come back?:  Yes I would come back... I would like to try the sea bass on the "regular" menu. read more

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my first time trying ethiopian food and i'm floored. if youve had it before you know what im talking about, if you haven't, then this is the place to go. the flavor is both familiar and new the way all good art and food should be. amazing food, beautiful lighting, live jazz, and good service. the experience of eating here is - dare i say - sexy. the only evil part is the parking but worth the walk. read more

Nice cozy spot, lovely live music , great lighting and ambiance. It's small but roomy, we only had drinks before concert at the Fillmore, very convenient location to Fillmore center and parking garage also, food smelled and looked good! Bartender was very friendly. read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I loved the music and the food was good. It's just such a small place for any music so it was really hard to have a conversation with friends at the table without having to yell the entire time. read more

This is such a lovely date night spot with amazing food, delicious cocktails, lovely jazz music, and servers who feed like family - warm and a little stern but endearing. I like that the food is a little spicy but not too spicy. Love their lentil sambusa and the veg combination platter. We have been here several times and have never been disappointed. read more

My favorite place for romantic dinner. Delicious food, beautiful place with nice music and atmosphere.

A wonderful location to host a happy hour! My alumni group rented out a portion of the lounge for an appreciation happy hour and it was spectacular. Netsanet and her sister are absolutely amazing humans who have really given SF a taste of Ethiopian food and culture. Our menu items were small bites with an Ethiopian flair, including meatballs, sambusa, misir, kik, and a charcuterie spread. I cant wait to come back to enjoy some jazz and a full meal. read more

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Walked into a jazz ensemble! Killing time and found this place. The food looks good! But since we had dinner already we opted for a cheese platter and tiramisu with our drinks this evening. Good to know that there is a live jazz band that plays here every Sunday. Lots of people and the host was very nice. I'm glad we came! read more

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Came back less than a week after our previous visit because it's just that good. They were able to tweak the Sea Bass recipe to accommodate one of our party with onion/garlic allergies, and it may have been even better than the standard version. One of the best meals she's ever had!!! Oh, and the live jazz was on-point as always read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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had such a wonderful experience at Sheba Piano Lounge! From the moment I walked in, everything felt welcoming and thoughtfully done. The owners were incredibly kind and made the atmosphere feel so warm and inviting. A special shoutout to our server Raghad who was so friendly, attentive and genuinely made us feel taken care of throughout the whole visit. The bartender was also fantastic very attentive and added to the great overall vibe. The food was absolutely delicious! I had the sliders and fries they were perfectly cooked and full of flavor. A big thank you to the amazing kitchen team the people behind the scenes who prepared such a great meal your work truly made the experience special The music was excellent and really elevated the whole experience it created such a great ambiance and made the night even more enjoyable Overall, everything was just perfect from the service to the ambiance to the food I will definitely be coming back and highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a great dining experience! read more

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Food is outstanding Everyone is kind pleant personable Best Ethiopian food I've tasted plus hamburger rainbow trout sauteed chicken and variety of appetizers are so good. read more

Great space, friendly service , live music. The vegetarian sampler and the spicy lentil sambusa was amazing.

Sheba had great vibes and good drinks! The place felt a bit crowded, like there were too many people and things for the space available. As a result the music is too loud in most of the area and it's hard to hear people. Didn't get a chance to try the food as I felt claustrophobic but it looked amazing! read more

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Say goodbye to Sunday Scaries! This place will heal all parts of you! The Sunday Crew, in particular, is an amazing group. A PhD bassist, a coding technical fashion designer saxophonist who has composed 90 original scores (some of which featured in MIT Music Lab(?)), a fantastic trumpeter who's from Ohio and has incredible tone and rhythm, and a drummer whose facial expressions and talent will light up your day. Revive the Fillmore Jazz scene you will really enjoy your time here. read more

This is a delayed review from a dining experience I had in April, but an absolutely five star dinner that has to be shared! We were in town for a work conference so it was a small group of my coworkers and I. Super glad my boss took the executive decision to set us up here because everything was so fantastic and the service was impeccable. The vibe here is also so cozy and inviting! We were served a TON of food, shared family-style of course. There was not one thing that I tried that I didn't like. Everything was fantastic. Standouts for me were the gomen and the atakilt kilikil, along with ALL of the tibs. The flavors in everything we tried were impeccable and the quality stood out. After dinner we go to experience a traditional coffee ceremony which was awesome. I want a candle made up of the smell from that roasted coffee for my house! And of course, the depth of flavor in the coffee was amazing. All in all this was a great way to spend a team dinner and I would love to come back the next time I'm in SF! read more

An Ethiopian restaurant and jazz lounge? Yes and it's a beautiful combo and an experience everyone really should have in their lifetime! Sheba has been delighting diners in the Fillmore for almost two decades, and this family run business has the food, hospitality, ambiance, and entertainment in spades! Sheba's Ethiopian cuisine is loaded with love and authentic flavor, and when you layer in their genuine regard for their guests, you have a fabulous dining experience that won't soon be forgotten. We sat in a warm, lowly lit u-shaped banquette facing a fireplace with a large table at the center. If it sounds like a living room, you'd be right, and it felt like we had been invited into the owner's home for dinner! We had many of the classics like crispy sambusas, atakilt kilkil (cabbage and carrots in turmeric), wat (lentils), and tibs (sauteed meats from chicken to lamb) all served with injera, the spongy flatbread that serves as your utensil. But the stars of the show had to be the simmered sea bass, an insanely complex dish with layers of flavor, and a braised green, similar to gomen in texture, but totally new to me! The cocktails were no slouch here either. They all sounded interesting and obviously had a lot of thought put into showcasing the Ethiopian flavors. I opted for the Selassie, a riff on I think a Godfather, made with Abyssinian spiced bitters and pernod for an extra anise kick, but the Bikila, which sounded like a wild combo on paper, turned out to be the surprising star of the show and best be described as a spicy Ethiopian margarita. This is a five star experience. Get in and get some for yourself. Bring friends, lots of them, because it's one that needs to be shared! read more

Organized a dinner here for my team. We ended up sitting by the fireplace (nine of us) in a community-loungy style atmosphere and really enjoyed the entire experience. We had enough space where it felt private, but also learned so much about this family run business and they even demo'd an Ethiopian coffee ceremony for us at the end. If you're looking for a unique experience for your teams, Netu will work with you to create something memorable and truly special. We feasted on fish, tibs, collard greens, lentils, salads, and rounded it off with a delicious dessert. The dishes were all very flavorful and delightful and the service was great. I didn't personally drink any of the cocktails, but it seemed like most people liked them. The live music was also a really nice touch that wasn't too overbearing. If you want a great little jazz-y evening with Ethiopian food, look no further than Sheba's Piano Lounge! read more

Woah. Sheba Piano Lounge is THE spot for stellar, authentic Ethiopian cuisine. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this meal, it was absolutely incredible! I feel like I'm always explaining to people that Ethiopian food is some of the most flavorful cuisine you'll ever have. When my manager suggested Sheba for a team dinner, I was immediately sold. Ethiopian food and jazz? LFG!!! We had a group of nine of us who sat by the fireplace in a U-shaped booth. Now I wasn't expecting the cocktails to be great at a place like this, but trust me they were! I stuck with their version of a sazerac and it was the perfect sipper by the fire. They have more adventures offerings too! Onto the food. THE FOOD. My god. What a delight. We were treated to an assortment of appetizers, entrées, sides, and even dessert. We started with three variations of sambussas and these were without a doubt the best Ethiopian sambussas I've ever had. They were so crispy and loaded with filling. They were accompanied with a spicy and herbacious sauce. 5 stars alone just for these! Then the staples came out and never ended. Multiple types of tibs, gomen, misir wat, kik alicha, atakilt kilikil, and all the fluffy injera your mind can imagine. I was in heaven. One dish I never had before was their rendition of sea bass and oh my god, this was exceptional. I almost didn't want to share it with my coworkers because it was so flavorful. We ended with a traditional coffee ceremony and the aroma alone was intoxicating. The coffee was exactly what I needed after a big meal. Owned by two sisters with a great story and incredible passion, Sheba Piano Lounge was a memorable meal in SF. I would LOVE to come back here next time I'm in town! read more

Live jazz from local talented artists The Sunday Crew. By FAR my favorite way to dine! Kick ass, top notch food & musicians. We'll be back! read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Everything was so good, the food and music and ambiance. There were people on dates and families. My daughter and I sat by the piano and had tibs and listened to live jazz for 420. We love it there, she loves Ethiopian food now. read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - tibs and salad and lentils - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Loved the live music and food. The vegetarian platter, and the mushroom samosa were yummy! These items are vegan, the rest you'll have to check. Absolutely loved the service too! read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - Mushroom samosa - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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My mother-in-law was craving Ethiopian food so we made a last minute visit to Sheba Piano Lounge. The restaurant was quite busy but they were able to seat our party of 7 with no wait, but I definitely would try to make a reservation if you have a larger party on a Friday or Saturday night. The ambiance is dark and moody, so if you have older people in your party that wouldn't enjoy that or have a hard time reading the menu just a note. Unfortunately, they didn't have gluten-free injera after some reviewers claimed they did. But the server was super helpful in immediately suggesting rice as an alternative for my mother-in-law. We ordered 2 veggie samplers and 3 entrees. It ended up being a good amount of food for 7 people but if you come hungry you could add a dish or two to make sure everyone gets a good portion. Ok and on to the food. It was *exceptional*. Sooooo much depth of flavor and delicious. Everything we had from the cabbage to the catfish was so flavorful and complex in flavor! An err of caution to those spice sensitive as everything had a bit of a kick. It wasn't unbearable but think of everything being a base mild/medium spice level. The big hits of the night were the catfish, chicken, lentils, and cabbage. The live music on a saturday nights as also delightful. Some soft rock and jazz played at just the right volume to still enjoy dinner and some chatter at the table. Would definitely visit again for the amazingly delicious food! read more

Sheba is a very good restaurant and piano lounge. The staff are very attentive and friendly, the food is delicious! My only complaint/wish is that they had a more sampler options. A meat sampler and meat/vegetable combo would be great. It's common at other Ethiopian around the Bay and they are always popular with diners. Other than that Sheba is a fun and lively restaurant that I recommend. read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - Tiramisu - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Update closure. Twice Ive brought friends from out of town here. Both times closed. Nothing updated on sites. Manager said it was mentioned on Facebook... Not the best form of communication for those using multiple methods to find places in SF.. I've informed others and have spread the unfortunate news... read more

On the hunt for good Ethiopian food in the City and came across Sheba "Jazz" Lounge. Walked in and and immediately was welcomed by the delicious smell of food and incense, live jazz music, and smiling locals. Although I didn't find my Ethiopian favorites - fava beans and mushrooms tibs - on the menu, I was still happy to see classic red lentil, yellow lentil, collard greens, and potato/cabbage. I also ordered the mushroom sambussa but didn't get to try it (I think they forgot it, oops!). The red and yellow lentils were good, but not amazing and the injera soft, but not sour. Although this wouldn't be my top pick in the City - it would be a honorable choice for good food, casual ambience, and friendly people. This isn't the place to expect fast, stellar service but rather a chill time. read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - Missir Wot - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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If you're a fan of jazz music and want to try out some authentic Ethiopian food, then this is the perfect place for you! Immediately when I entered this place I saw the jazz band playing up front, with a trumpet, drums, piano, and bass. I was meeting a friend here at around 7 pm on a Sunday, and it wasn't crowded so we were able to find a table pretty easily. You can get a pretty good view of the band (which has been performing here since 2009) at certain tables, and fortunately it doesn't get too loud. For the food, we decided to get the Mushroom Sambussa for an appetizer, the Yasa Tibs and the Kitfo. The Sambussa is a pastry that's filled with mushrooms, green onion, garlic, and ginger with a crispy exterior along with a dipping sauce they bring. It was my first time having it, and I enjoyed the crispy texture along with the unique Ethiopian flavors it had! The Yasa Tibs is sauteed catfish, while the Kitfo is Ethiopian steak tartar. While I enjoyed the steak tartar and the combination of spices they used was good, I really liked the flavors of the sauteed catfish! While it's not overly spicy, it does have a bit of a kick so it's good to keep that in mind if you're sensitive to spice. These both are served with Injera, which is a spongy flatbread that goes well with the meats that are served. Overall, this place is a hidden Jazz gem and I'm surprised I haven't been here before! I usually don't have Ethiopian food, so this was a unique experience in more ways than one for me and I definitely want to come back to try this place out again. read more

Sheba Piano Lounge - Mushroom Sambussa - Ethiopian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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