Wazema is a highly-rated, family-run restaurant on the Danforth known for serving authentic, richly spiced Ethiopian cuisine, particularly famous for its generous platters and late-night atmosphere. Highlights: The Food: The menu is extensive, offering excellent options for both meat-eaters and vegans/vegetarians. Dishes are served on large sheets of injera (sourdough flatbread) for communal, hand-fed dining. Must-Try Dishes: The Wazema Platter (combining various meats and veggies) and the Veggie Delight (which features flavorful stews like misir wot and gomen wot) are the most popular choices for sharing. The Kitfo (finely chopped raw or lightly cooked beef) is also highly praised. The Vibe: The restaurant often transitions into a more "club-like" atmosphere in the evening, sometimes featuring live music or dancing, making it a great spot for a vibrant and social dining experience. Tip: If you prefer a quieter meal, visiting earlier in the day is recommended. They are also well-known for their delicious Ethiopian coffee ceremony on certain evenings. read more

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The portions are huge! I think it was reasonably priced at 56$ for 2 people. We got the platter for one and a meat. We didn't even eat half and were full. Restaurant packed and many people made reservations but we were able to get a table for 2 even on a busy Saturday night. Customer service was very excellent and the waitress was so nice and gave us recommendations on what to order as it was our first time trying Ethiopian food. Highly recommend this restaurant and would definitely come back. read more

Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Wazema a very popular family-run restaurant especially known for authentic and flavourful, Injera Platters (meat & veggies) which include both meat and veggie options. It also offers an amazing variety of vegetarian dishes and classic Ethiopian favourites like Doro Wot and Zil Zil Tibs and Shiro Wot. It was our first time trying Ethiopian food and found the dishes to be flavourful and paired perfectly with the freshly made Injera bread. We had the Wazema Platter for 2, Doro Wot, Zil Zil Tibs & Shiro Wot. The restaurant has a welcoming ambience and their staff is very friendly and helpful. read more

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WOW. It was my first time eating Ethiopian and my life is change. I got the veggies platter takeout and it was fantastic. So much flavour in everything. The waitress was beautiful and super helpful. I got what she recommended and loved it. read more

Went here lunch today with the family. First Ethiopian restaurant we have gone too. We ordered Chicken Cha Cha, Lentils and Beef Kofte. All delicious, highly recommend this place. Great first experience! read more

Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant - Chicken Cha Cha, lentils and beef kofte. All delicious! - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This was our first time here and our waitress was amazing. I'm sorry I don't get your name but we came back in kinda later and it was our first time and you suggested that plate that had different meats on it. Thank you so much I enjoyed my experience and I loved the food especially for my first time trying Ethiopian food. We will be back. read more

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This was my first time trying Ethiopian food and I am blown away. Everything was perfectly seasoned, there were no funky textures, nothing was greasy or oily, and was altogether delicious!!!!! The Wazema platter had Kitfo, Tibs, split peas, lentil, mild split peas, cabbage, and a salad dish. The photo is the Wazema platter for one which was $16 but it can easily be a two person meal as my girlfriend and I shared it and felt full afterwards. As soon as I finished I knew I had to look up Ethiopian food in Mississauga but was sad to find out there was none. I will be coming back here with the rest of my family at some point in the future as it is a long ways from my house but it is well worth it! Highly recommend!!!! read more

Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant - Wazema platter for one - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Wonderful food, amazing service!!! Beautiful patio and DJ on the weekend, you'll want to come back again and again!!! What an absolute gem on the Danforth!! read more

Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant - a plate of food on a table - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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This is probably the fourth Ethiopian restaurant I've tried and this ranks at the top for quality and quantity! The atmosphere of this place is more like a bar/lounge and apparently there is live music in the evening at 10pm, but we simply came here for the food. Service was decent, but can be more attentive considering it wasn't that busy there. No need for reservations on a Saturday for dinner unless you're planning to be there for the live music. If you're unsure what to get and there are at least two of you, get the Wazema platter for two, three or four! You get a mix of flavourful meat and veggie dishes plus a salad in the middle. They give you plenty of injera as well. read more

Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant - Wazema Platter for Two - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Wazema has a lovely, dimly-lit, more upscale interior than other Ethiopian restaurants I've been too. We had the vegetarian platter (for 3 of us) with timatim fitfit, which is this spicy and refreshing dish with tomatoes, chilies, and injera. Food was delicious, but serving portions were a little small for three people (see photo), and considering the portions, a little bit pricey. If you're looking for a nicer Ethiopian place to go to, this sits on par with Pero for me. But for your more casual fare, there are other places to get better bang for your buck. read more

Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant - Vegetarian platter for 3 with timatim fitfit - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Loved the vegetarian platter that was wholesome and extremely light at the same time. The injera was delicious and not too sour. Everything was cooked to perfection! read more

Delicious Ethiopian food! Not too oily and the flavours were just right. We had the Bozena Shiro, Cha Cha Tibs, quanta firfir and Vegetarian for 2, for around 5 people to share. We got a mix of pure Teff injera and mixed flour Injera. It was an enjoyable evening and the service was friendly. Will definitely make this a regular go to spot for my Ethiopian food craving! read more

Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant - Mix of different dishes we ordered for 5 people to share! - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This is my favourite Ethiopian restaurant in all of Toronto. I have tried the majority of the top rated ones that are much closer to me, yet I always find myself coming back to Wazema. They have the best spicing and service out of all of the Ethiopian restaurants I have been to in Toronto. Whenever I have anyone visit me in Toronto Wazema is a must try restaurant that I take them on my Toronto food tour. I highly recommend getting the Wazema platter. It has a little bit of everything. The portions are generous. read more

I loveeee Ethiopian food! Specifically, I love the Wazema platter for 2! It has the veggies basics and 2 meats- tibs which is cubes of beef sautéed in spices; and kefto which is ground beef cooked with spices. We ordered our kefto medium. The platter came with salad in the middle and various vegetables all wonderfully spiced and soooo tasty! The price and and size of the platter for 2 was just perfect for the 2 of us. I ordered a mango juice too to compliment one of the spicier veggie dishes. Don't get it twisted though, the platter is not spicy. It just has a wonderful mix of spices that always makes me feel like there's a party in my mouth with each bite! My fiancé always reminds me of how much I love this food when he hears me making groaning noises when eating. He says it sounds like I'm having foodgasms! Lol I'm finally  writing this review after regularly coming to this place probably every 3 months! If you're adventurous and want to experience what a foodgasm is then try this joint our for sure! read more

Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant - Wazema platter for 2 - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I went to Wazema with some friends to try Ethiopian food and we were surprised to learn that some things were delicious and others a little bit different. They serve you a type of bread called Injera. The good news is Injera is gluten free. The bad news is, it is a bit on the sour side. I found I could only eat so much of it. The good news is, it tasted less sour when you place all of the dips and meats onto the Injera. After eating at the restaurant, my friends and I concluded it would have been a better idea to order a big platter so we could all try everything. We all shared our food but we leaned towards some dishes. I ordered the Wazema Platter for one and really enjoyed the Kitfo, split peas, lentil, and mild split peas. It was really good and I would recommend getting the dish again. The weird thing is, we asked to have Ethiopian coffee and our waitress told us you can only have it on a Friday and not on a Saturday as Their kitchen is too small to provide this service. That seemed pretty odd to us because typically Fridays are just as busy as Saturdays. Anywho, it was a good experience and I think I could eat Ethiopian again. read more

Wazema has great food; I have ordered from them many times. A couple of items were left off my order last night; I called them, we sorted it out, and they sent over the missing items with their apologies. Great food and respectful customer service - Wazema is a great local restaurant :) read more

Wonderful service. We had macchiato on the first day and came back for two consecutive days to have lunch because we were amazed by the excellent service. We even got a free full coffee ceremony for becoming a loyal customer. I do recommend this place. read more

Great spot for dinner! Food is fresh, flavours are on point, music is feelgood, vibe is chill. Service was solid on a Wednesday late evening. Wazema Platter for $30 was a delight. Would come and order again for sure. Mostly veg but varied and interesting, so healthy for a meal out too! Love the injera (an amazing Ethiopian sponge bread), be sure to order some. read more

Welcome to the world of unbelievable inconsistency in dining experiences. my first visit was on a very busy Friday evening and it was fantastic, last night on a not-as-busy weeknight, our experience was very different. On the Friday, the owner was there, last night she was not, I can only assume this was the difference. I came with a couple old friends for dinner. I was raving about how amazing it was. The food retained the tastiness, but the service was really really bad. My SO asked for water twice and never got it. When they did bring water, she put a glass in front of everyone BUT him. His food was served well done when he asked for rare, the meal took 45 min to come out, and other tables that arrived after us were served their food before us over and over and over again. The servers never came to us unless we flagged them down. Really disappointing, and I felt bad for my friends that trekked so far out there. I don't know what else to say, I'm a little disheartened. Ethiopian families kept wandering in the entire 2.5 hours we were there, so I guess they don't need Yelp to generate business, I'm just super disappointed. read more

Excellent!!! I mean Absolutely Excellent service, there were two young girls who serve us in the restaurant at the time of our visit, they were so focused, polite, kind, friendly, energetic and beyond all Professionals. I would like to say thank you for WAZEMA RESTAURANT owner for hiring such a great servers and made our day much enjoyable and better. My friend and I visited this restaurant on March 18, 2022 in the evening hours around 5:00PM to 6:00PM and ordered Kikil and Kornis with Quanta with Ethiopian Injera, it was delicious yam yam yam yam yam.. We enjoy each and every bit of the tasty food but the servers makes us to feel so special to them. I 100% recommend this restaurant to those who really wants to taste true Ethiopian traditional food. I can't wait to go back with my family and friends. Please keep it this way. read more

Food was ok. Service was horrible. People working there were friendly but that is no excuse for horrid service. Even the bill took over 20 minutes. Just couldn't wait to get out of there and even that took long. read more

The food was good and the chicken tibs was quite tasty, but seemed overpriced for what it was compared to other Ethiopian restaurants. Unfortunately, service was very slow considering the restaurant was only half full and servers did not seem very coordinated. read more

Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant - Chicken Tibs in the centre of the vegetarian platter for one, served on top of Ethiopian bread - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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My fav Ethiopian restaurant on the Danforth! Excellent service. Excellent cultural dance shows. Excellent food. Excellent delivery. No complaints about this place! Try it!! The platter for two is our go to staple. read more

I'm trying to understand why so many Ethiopian Restaurants are so red? It's really unexplainable to me - the predominant choice of this particular colour... So yes - Wazema's interior is extremely...red. Food wise, it's a decent spot. The food is quite nice, around a 3.5. The drink list is priced well in terms of value, but they don't actually carry Ethopian beer as the menu states. read more

Amazing food and great service. My friend got the spaghetti which seemed odd but he was extremely happy with it !

We had actually one of the worst experience I ever had. A couple of weeks ago, we went with 10 friends to Wazima for dinner. We were taking out a friend who came from over seas, The hosts were salivating to have us there. We have ordered our food and were waiting to be served. We didn't order any alcoholic drinks. The manager sent the waitress to leave the spot for others if we are not ordering a drink. We refused to move and had our dinner but they killed the mood. The food was greasy I have had a better food in other Ethiopian restaurants. The chaha was overcooked and tastes like charcoal. The injera was sour. a couple of us got sick for two days after having that food. The place was dark. read more

They are very generous with the portions, always enough for the next day. Amazing food quality, and friendly service.

My mom discovered this place by chance and couldn't wait to take others to taste the goodies. It's an unpretentious food and drinks place for the neighbourhood, very relaxing atmosphere. The menu is nearly all traditional Ethiopian. If you are vegetarian there's a lot to eat. The beef dishes are fabulous. Each one uniquely spiced but not overwhelmingly hot. Didn't get to try the lamb this time. We ordered the Wazema platter which is a sampler of meats and Veg's and a kind of cottage cheese made from buttermilk, all served on injera. There was more injera on the side, both the brown and the white. And it's gluten free. And the fermented flavour is so good. So much food we had to take the rest home. The two young ladies serving were so gracious and accommodating. It's all made fresh so you have to wait once you've ordered, so we drank some of their spiced tea. I'd go back for sure. read more

Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant - Wazema platter for two... We substituted spinach for the lentils that are normally included. Everything was delicious. - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Hadn't had Ethiopian food for 20 years until last weekend. Went on a first date and shared the platter for 2 - It was delicious! I'm hooked! Woke up the next day craving Ethiopian. Thanks for the kind service and yummy food! read more

Very very poor service. Restaurant is too dark inside. They do not believe in lighting or at least they don't want to bring attention to the dirty dated dining area. We waited 20 mins before the lousy waitress even took our order. At which point she made us feel like we were bothering her. We even saw another patron go behind the bar and serve herself. There were only 3 other tables of customers. We waited nearly an hour for our food that was awful. The shiro was watery and the doro wat was burnt. Being East African we are very familiar with the food and know what to expect. They took advantage of my young family thinking we didn't know better. To top it all of the waitress was rude, inattentive and quite frankly really miserable. NEVER GOING BACK! read more

We have tried quite a few Ethiopian restraints on this strip.... Lalibala (4/10 And very inconsistent), Randevouz (7/10) and I can't remember the rest of the names. We had been here before but my last trip there was after awhile and I just say both my husband I and were shocked that we didn't back sooner. They were super busy but the food arrived in perfect time and the service was 10/10 and everything was so fresh ! The dulat was the best!! I will never go bak to lalibala again especially the queen st w location ( that's another story!). But wazema is a must!! read more

This is a neighborhood favorite of ours. The food is simply delicious and the staff are friendly. I love that it is always full of people who are from Ethiopia - a sign of authentic food - and they come in large groups and famiies. The staff love when you ask questions about the spicing and cooking and on Saturdays they usually have a more authentic injera (flat bread) that is imported so make sure you ask the server! I always tell newbies that if you love Indian food, give Ethiopian a try. It's not the same but has the same rich, flavorful, spicy cooking that takes hours to develop flavor. Perfect for vegetarians since there are several lentil, potato and greens based dishes. read more

I ordered take out and they only had half my order when I got there. I then had to wait another 20 mins for the other dish to be made. To pass the time I ordered a beer and watched TV. I went up to pay before my food arrived and one of the waitress poured half my beer out. When I got home to eat my veggie meat combo was just a nasty mess of beef with no veggies. It was also really greasy and my wife's veggie platter wasn't much better. I will never go back. Rude servers with poor servers and sub par food. I would walk 5 mins down the road any try another place out. read more

Best ethiopian food I have ever had (I used to live in DC and New York -- this tops them both)! My husband and I shared the veggie platter and an order of kitfo. Everything was flavorful and perfectly seasoned. Service was friendly, although communication was limited (I got the sense that not all the wait stuff fully spoke/understood English). On the night we were there, they also had a beautiful cultural performance that showcased dances and music from all over Ethiopia. The place also had great ambiance -- a good date night spot for adventurous eaters. Would definitely go again. read more

Came for dinner as a group pf four and had the most delicious dinner-veggie platter for four plus an order of shiro. We ordered gluten free injera as one person in our party is gf. Food was outstanding and service was great. To add to an already perfect night there were four dancers: two male and two female, who performed many excellent dances complete with costume changes. The music was fantastic and the dancers incredible. They brought patrons up onto the stage to dance with them and it was just wonderful. As we were leaving (very reluctantly, but we had an event to attend) we were greeted by a man who I assume was the owner who asked how our dinner and our night was. It was a nice touch and a great ending to a perfect dining experience. We have been here a number of times but this is our first time since the renovation and we are eager to return! read more