Zeni Ethiopian Restaurant

So much food and all wonderful.

Great tasting food in a neat semi traditional place.

Cosy goto place for Ethiopian food. Going there for more than a decade and never disappointed.Veggie combo, red lentil, and split Peas are fav dishes

It is a must-go place for an authentic Ethiopian experience. The food is sumptuous. Every item on the menu has a distinct taste. My personal fav are the injera( Ethiopian flat bread) the veggies platter and yedoro kilafe (shredded chicken spiced up with herbs and buttery sauce). Dessert lovers must taste the baklava, they serve it warm and crunchy with a sugary syrup.

I celebrated my birthday earlier this evening in this great place. happy to tell that we enjoyed a pleasant evening and the restaurant was evidently the reason for the successful meeting. The waiters participated in a graceful way, the cuisine was yummy and my friends were extremely joyful. We shall no dout come back again for more celebrations. Thank you very much.

As much as I love this place I have to add a warning about the service and most importantly how long it takes to get the food. It is always 30 minutes waiting, minimum. But it's still worth it.

Great food, service and atmosphere !

Place to go for Ethiopian food! I like their veg combo meal. Restaurant has a good seating area.. bigger/better than other similar in the Bay Area.

This is one of my favorite Ethiopian place. The food, and service is extraordinary. Servers are humble and very friendly. In addition, this place is perfect for both vegetarians and omnivores. Lastly, don't forget to order The (honey wine).

The food was good. We had to wait for almost 30-35 mins to get a table so plan accordingly. The waitress who served us was very serious and looked like she was in hurry all the time but there were other staff who were smiling and friendly. Ambience is all nice and Ethiopian.

Good food, exceptional Ethiopian coffee and very nice setup. The service is abrupt and language issues are predominant, one would hope by this time serving staff is used to Indian accent :-). Loved the food, sufficient quantity, good quality, nice setup, little crowded for a group of more than 4 but its OK. We are expected to eat in communal way when in Ethiopian restaurant. I will try again next.

Oh wow, I am so in love with Zeni! First of all, there WILL be a line, so get used to it. When you arrive, head to the bar to sign in on the tablet. People don't usually linger and tables turn over relatively quickly. And it's *worth the wait*. Did you know the thick pancake used to pick up the food is naturally gluten free?! The name of the pancake is injera, and it's made of teff flour.

So far the best Ethiopian Food I have had in the US. Opt for their traditional seating.

Excellent food and service. Lovely decor.

Good Ethiopian food and lots of it. I had the Kitfo rare. I almost always do when I go to Zeni's. My husband had the vegetarian sampler. He always does when we go there. The food is always good. The service is good. There are always people in line ahead of us to be seated. Go around 3:30 on if you don't want to have to wait. Authentic decor too.

I eat in this spot a lot since I work close by. I have to say their customer service is always fantastic and they keep the spot well kept at all times. Prices are convenient and they serve generous portions.

The food was wonderful, but the service is strange. We waited in the entrance to be seated for 5 min and finally asked and only then got the attention. Feels like the waitress was not really keen to help or serve.

I absolutely love this place. Their veggie and meat combo are amazing ! Clean and friendly ! Highly recommended !

Small nice restaurant. Good price. Lots of parking space.Doro tibs sizzling was little dry. Injera is better as it's less sour.

Great for Ethiopian food. But always has a big line. You need to go and place your name in the list. Make sure to go in advance.

Ingeria is very tasty, as all ingeria. Entree is good as well. However, entree does not come with a side salad and your meal might feel very heavy... Their service is also on the slow side. It's hard to find Ethiopian food around here, and if you haven't tried it, I would definitely recommend.

We went to celebrate my mother's birthday during the week. This place was amazing. The food was hot and delicious and would definitely recommend anyone looking for some good food!

Good food! Great place to visit with colleagues and family. And the quantity of food is a lot!

Zeni is a small gem. The food is sooo very good! The people are so nice. The only thing you could say was a negative, is the business is small. So if you go there after 6:00pm you might have to way. Love that place.

The place is so perfect for celebrations. Stopped in for dinner. Food was very good and reasonably priced.

I tried this spot once with a friend and I am addicted since then. I love the fantastic atmosphere and fresh food and drinks. Fantastic work.

This was the first time my boyfriend and I had Ethiopian food and it did not disappoint. There was no seating on the floor, everything was at a table, just everyone knows. (I honestly was hoping to sit on the floor).But the staff was friendly and helpful if you hadn't had the food before. The portions are also quite large and delicious. The chicken was my favorite and the salads they add in the middle are perfect.

Zeni has been a personal favorite when looking for Ethiopian soul food.The food options are terrific, portion size large for sharing in traditional local ways, everything... especially the salads are fresh and crisp.Ambience is warm and inviting, and service is always friendly with genuine hospitality. What more could you ask for...?

Delicious food!! Great environment. Fun eating experience

Zeni is one of our favorites. We always leave really full and satisfied. We tend to go with the vegetarian combination. Pair it with the spiced Ethiopian tea.

Very good ethopian food. The only downside is the wait. It can be from half m hour to one hour

From the outside did not look great but once inside the music changed. Nice and simple restaurant with good and attentive service. Now the best part: the food is just super tasty. I ordered the meat combo with a simple salad and each and every bite was mind blowing. Reasonable price. Definitely recommended 👍

I visit this place whenever I'm in the south bay and craving Ethiopian food. I almost always order the vegetarian combo. The combo is good for two people but sometimes we order a side dish too.The only problem with this place is that service is a bit on the slower side. However, the staff is polite and the food is good.I like everything on the vegetarian combo but my favorite is the yellow lentil curry!

Amazing experience. Wonderful food and yummy honey wine.

Best Ethiopian food there ever was. Period. I’ve been coming back to this place for over 5 years and the taste has remained consistent, delicious and high quality. Ambience is meh, but I couldn’t care less given the awesome food. Top it up with either a glass of honey wine or spiced tea and you are sure to come out smiling and full.

Five stars for delicious food and a unique dining experience! Not only did they capture the family style way of eating, but they even have a themed box that the bill comes in. Usually getting the bill is my least favorite part of eating out, but with this little box, it felt like I was in an archeological adventure with my buddy, Indiana!

Food is tasty and the portion size is decent. One combo would easily serve two. Less number of servers, so wait time to even place order could be high when busy.

Food was really good. The lamb was perfectly cooked and the vegetable platter was good too. The place is crowded most of the time so expect a waiting time. For a group of 6 , they have a mandatory rule to order 4 entree which is the drawback. Overall experience was good .

Nice people, good food. I recommend all the vegetarian options.

Really cool atmosphere! The food is very different then anything I have ever eaten! It tates great! You have to go there to touch the bread stuff! It will be one of the coolest things you have ever felt! The coffee is also amazing! Overall, great place but the service is not the best.

Authentic Ethiopian place, right from the ambience to the experience it provides and the native food! The portion size is large and one plate is more than enough for 2 people. Would definitely try it again when I crave for this cuisine.

I visit this place whenever I'm in the south bay and craving Ethiopian food. I almost always order the vegetarian combo. The combo is good for two people but sometimes we order a side dish too. The only problem with this place is that service is a bit on the slower side. However, the staff is polite and the food is good.

My first time trying Ethiopian cuisine. Amazing! I asked our server to bring us what she would have for dinner. She suggested something traditional. Oh my, what a treat. The flavors and textures were fantastic. Up for something new that isn't extreme, try Zeni.

Food is excellent, portion decent. Service pace slow, it's one of my local favorite.

We had the veggie & meat combo. Followed it up with the Tej - Ethiopian Honey Wine. Food was decent. The meat combo was good. The wine was decent too. I loved the Ethiopian coffee even more!

Our fav place for Ethiopian food . Have a beautiful vibe

Like everything else, the traditional eating is an experience, however ethiopian food isn't for everyone. The restaurant is also understaffed. There is a long wait time for food as well.

Lovely food, great experience of community style dining, nice service. Suits my palate rather nicely. Helpful staff.

Good food, unique seating arrangements, and not very congested (in the next room) place, that sums up Zeni! Better to waitlist in Yelp or stand for hours to get a seat. Once seated the service is quick and the food is delicious. Be prepared to use your fingers to eat food as that is the tradition. The dishes with gravy are well prepared that the base bread is not destroyed. However, the lamb meat we were served was not soft. Rest aside, a very nice Ethiopian restaurant in greater San Jose area.