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Zema Bar & Restaurant

4.6 (24 reviews)
Closed • 10:30 am - 2:00 pm

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Zema Bar & Restaurant Photos

Business Info

ZEMA BAR & RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
DJ
Live music
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Zema Bar & Restaurant

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The special with beef!
Mel B.

This place is a gem! It's a little hard to find, it's off the alley! But it's def worth it! The customer service was tip notch and the atmosphere is wonderful. Very attentive. Staff! The food was the best Ethiopian I've had in a long time! I'll def be back! Taking left overs home to the hubs!

Mariana L.

Food was not the greatest. The beef was extremely chewy and rubbery but the flavor was good I guess. The lamb was not that great. They supposedly have "fresh pressed juice" and when I ordered one I got a can of pineapple juice service was also not the greatest, took forever to get our check to us and come pick up payment when there was like only two other tables there. Maybe I just got a bad night, I did go on a random Tuesday but overall would not recommend /:

Fish dulet
Sumaya A.

This place is truly a hidden gem! Let's start with the restaurant itself. It doubles as a club/bar late at night but before that, it's a restaurant. The place is super clean and bathrooms are spotless. The ambiance was really nice with classical music playing. Service was nothing short of great. We were checked on multiple times and the chef even asked our opinion on the food. We met the owner and he's a great guy. He, along with his staff, were very hospitable and it almost felt like being at a friend's house more than a restaurant. The food was spectacular. The injera was very authentic which you can tell just by the color that they use all teff. They were very generous with the amount of injera they gave us with the food. We got the fish dulet and the Tibse firfir. I've never had fish at an Ethiopian restaurant before so I wasn't sure how it would taste but it was delicious. The tibse firfir was really good. I would definitely order both again. We also got the coffee and popcorn. The coffee is served in an Ethiopian ceremonial kind of way. It came with incense and smelled amazing. The coffee itself was also really good but the whole experience was nice as I've never had Ethiopian coffee like this before. We got popcorn with it too and let me just say, I thought all popcorn tasted the same until now lol. They make it themselves and it's very salty and buttery and just perfect. I stumbled upon this place by accident. It didn't have any reviews or info but I still decided to try it and I'm glad I did. I'll definitely be back for more!

It's all gone. Because it was good
Fenyx R.

My goodness, the food has so much flavor it's insane. We had the lamb and injera bread. The manager there was very hospitable and recommended a lot of great food. They played some really great blues music which fit the ambiance very well. We'll be back and recommend others to this amazing hidden gem.

Shiro on a teff pancake.

Healthy food with nice spices and flavors. Gluten free Recipes suitable for diets. Friendly services, simple decoration and clean restrooms.

Veggie platter

Great food and service. A pretty quiet atmosphere. Super authentic. The owner is very friendly and helpful. Awesome experience

Traditional coffee !!! Very good

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5 months ago

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

Business owner information

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Zema S.

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

Highly recommended! We had the combo with honey and wine and everything was delicious. The service was wonderful. Love the vibes too!

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

Henoch, the bartender, waiter and host was personable and patient. Food was so good, drinks were good, atmosphere is peaceful and clean.

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6 months ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

Fantastic food, great service. Very clean. It's off the beaten path, but definitely worth it

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3 years ago

Everything was good from the food to people. Definitely would recommend going to this spot.

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3 years ago

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Zema S.

Thank you, Joan! Please come back and we will show you more!

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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Zema S.

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3 years ago

Really loud music and $25 for a gin and tonic. Would not recommend. Service also was subpar.

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Cafe Selam - Meat combo and veggie combo (both orders on the same plate)

Cafe Selam

4.4(401 reviews)
1.7 mi•Central District
•$$

Hats off to the chef. The food here has the flavors I like. Appropriate portions for the price. Not…read moregonna lie, the injera was extra pickled/sour flavored, and I loved it. Its not everyday I run across places with such sour injera, but it just mixes so well with all the juices it soaks up. I would show you my food, but we devoured it too fast. Be ware of parking, its just bad with only 1 or 2 spots out front. Which means your gonna have to walk about 1 to 2 blocks. When you get there you might walk right past it and end uo snooping around the club next door like it did. When you do find it, you feel like Harry Potter did when he found that hidden alley. The fenced off entrance take you through their outdoor dining space before you make your way into the storefront. The exterior decor is set up in a way that shields the customers from the madness on the street. I almost felt like I left seattle for a bit while I was in their domain. I also wish I took photos but, its too small and there were too many customers. I didnt want to invade anyone's intimate dinning privacy. Unfortunately for me I ordered my food ahead of time. I absolutely would like to come back soon while the weather is nice, especially to enjoy some amazing food in their hip outdoor dining area. Feel free to use this info when choosing your next location to dine out.

Excellent Ethiopian food. The vegetarian combo was delicious! Make sure to get a glass of their…read morehouse-made spiced tea, too. Great for vegans, and there's plenty of outdoor seating with umbrellas.

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Meskel Ethiopian Restaurant - BBQ Special, $28.50 - 4.5 Stars

Meskel Ethiopian Restaurant

4.1(218 reviews)
1.6 mi•Central District
•$$

My girlfriend and I had a fantastic experience here today. It was her first time trying Ethiopian…read moreand my second time, first time in years. The food was fantastic. It's such a unique eating experience both with the flavors and physically eating with your hands. The owner does it all here, from waiting to cooking to serving. And she is a gem of a person. So kind and attentive and her cooking of course is top-notch. We had a long conversation with her after our meal about the state of the world. She mentioned she is looking to sell the building soon, so Meskel may not be around for much longer. What a shame that would be. If you've been on the fence about trying it, let this be your sign to go and support this phenomenal business.

Was craving some Ethiopian food in Seattle, and Meskel popped up as an interesting place to try -…read morerecommended by the local community as the restaurant has been around for a long time, like 30+ years long. We went on a Saturday around 7pm and were able to get a table quickly. The parking situation is a bit tricky as from our visit, we were only able to find neighborhood streetside parking on a narrow street that made maneuvering difficult. As for the restaurant, it wasn't too busy when we went - maybe about 2 other parties at the time. The restaurant itself felt very cozy and homey, as you could see from the other interior photos. Service is alright - we seated ourselves and called for the auntie who owned the restaurant to get our order in. We got our food in about 10 minutes, pretty fast considering it was basically only people manning the restaurant. We got the vegetable platter with Yegee Tibs in the middle, which came to about $50. This platter is generous in terms of food, with excellent variety, which I love about Ethiopian food. This was more than enough food to fill us up with leftovers for about one more meal. As for the ingredients on the platter, I thought the injera was delicious - yeasty and robust enough to hold any of the entrees. All of the vegetables on the platter were soft, but had good integrity - it wasn't mushy and was seasoned nicely. The Yegee Tibs was scrumptious, nicely seasoned lamb with a savory aftertaste. This, combined with the vegetable sides was divine. Unfortunately, we wanted to order the Quanta Firfir, but they were out when we went - we definitely will pay Meskel another visit to give that dish a try! (4.5 stars)

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Agelgil Ethiopian Restaurant Seattle - Meat Agelgil Special - rolled up

Agelgil Ethiopian Restaurant Seattle

4.4(109 reviews)
1.7 mi•Madrona
•$$

As soon as we walked in, I knew the food was going to be extraordinary. The smell of the spices was…read morepotent, even over the incense and coffee. My husband and I had never had Ethiopian food before, which we were upfront about, and our server was very polite about giving us etiquette tips! They didn't rush us at all, even though we were there close to closing.

My Cousins friend recommended this Ethiopian Restaurant so we decided to give it a try…read more Parking is not so good, very small lot right in front of the Restaurant. You can park along Cherry street. The Waitress asked us to seat ourselves. After seating ourselves we waited about 10 minutes before she made eye contact with my Cousin and brought is Water and or Menus. The Waitress seemed to be involved with the Customers who were seated in the Bar Area. Right when we were getting ready to leave the Owner and Chef Daniel came and greeted us and took our orders. I ordered the Chiken Stew/ Doro Wot 10/10 My Cousin ordered the Cubed Chicken with Spinach 10/10 I asked Daniel if my meal was Spicy and he stated it wasn't. It was to me and he actually came back to check on me and asked if it were Spicy to me and when I said yes he offered to bring me something to cut the Spice. He brought me a plate of mashed Chickpeas with Cubes Chicken and Spinach and to my surprise it helped and it was Delicious. It comes with the Teff Injera Daniel was very Gracious and took over where the Waitress failed. The Restaurant is very inviting and I believe they play live music there was a small stage. I will Definitely return to this Diamond in the Ruff

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Zema Bar & Restaurant - bars - Updated October 2026

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