Finfine Ethiopian Restaurant

4 ½ stars for sure! The food is super fresh and the paired wine perfect! Reasonable $ as well! We were a party of 5 last Monday night, and shared 2 veg dishes and the lamb and tuna. The presentation was dynamite, service very professional and friendly, and best of all, it impressed friends who were experiencing Ethiopian food for the 1^st time… Enough to want to come back again soon. Once the Ethiopian etiquette and culture was explained prior to service, we enjoyed the intimate experience tremendously. Brings meaning to «sharing a plate» and «breaking bread» with your loved ones. Thumbs up !

Just ate here for dinner tonight and as my first experience with Ethiopian food it did not disappoint!
The staff was incredibly welcoming and kind and their genuine love for what they do comes through in the food.
The portions are generous and we left very full and happy. We ordered a carrot and green been dish, sea bass, and a lamb dish and a beef dish.
amazing! I will be back soon.

Some of the best Ethiopian food I ever had, and the host greets us like family friends even though I have only been there once before. A warm, welcoming experience and a great value for the money. My husband is not a greattfan of Ethiopian food, generally, but he keeps wanting to go back!

I ate here with two more of my friends. The score should be 3.333 repeating.
My score: 3
Friend #1 score: 3
Friend #2 score: 4
We enjoyed the friendly, and warm service from staff.
The food portions were generous.
The tastes were flavorful, though not as hearty as I’ve tried at previous Ethiopian restaurants.
We tried the honey wine. ²⁄₃ of guests enjoyed it.

Just okay. The staff are super friendly, but it’s a little expensive for the price and quantity.

I came here with my girlfriend before seeing Beirut at the Berkeley Theater. We didn’t have a reservation, but you definitely do not need one as they have ample space.
The location is tucked away in a cove-​like wooden area off the side street where several other restaurants are also located. We were immediately greeted by an older gentleman that was kind and hospitable.
We already knew what we wanted to order. Vegetarian combination platter and the sea bass entrée. And of course, a bottle of Hakim Stout.
It was awesome! Very authentic flavors and amazing customer service. Perfect for a quiet date night. I highly recommend for vegetarians and carnivores alike looking to get good grub before a show.

Came here tonight with a group of 6; was able to make a reservation a few hours beforehand (Saturday night), which was great. Delicious Ethiopian food, and beautifully presented! We ordered family style, and shared the vegetarian combo platter, and a platter of meat dishes including a beef tartar, salmon, chicken, and lamb stew — in addition to plenty of yummy injera, of course, and washed down with a bottle of honey wine.
We ate every last bite — everything was great. My favorites were the lamb stew (SO GOOD), the beef tartar (very light and fresh), and the vegetarian lentils.
The staff were all very nice, and worked quickly but didn’t rush us. Reasonable prices. I also liked the little courtyard-​type place in which the restaurant is located — very cute. If I’m ever in the area again and hungry for some delicious finger food, I’d definitely go back.

The food is good, BUT the portions are an appalling rip off. I ordered 2 entrees and one of them literally had one, small, inch length piece of meat on a bone. The entire plate was just covered in sauce. It’s insulting that they think this goes unnoticed.

The food was excellent, the staff is super friendly.
Will definitely come back.

Another great Ethiopian food find in Berkeley! Coming inside, the restaurant was super packed for a Friday night. The servers and the host were friendly and polite and they made feel extremely welcomed inside. We were seated promptly and the menu was well designed since it decided Ethiopian words for us and they gave us some fun facts about the food.
My friend and I ordered the lamb agawe and another dish of beef traditionally served for holidays or special occasions.
We asked for both dishes to be spicy.
The lamb dish was well seasoned, juicy, and full of flavour. The beef dish was also good, but I didn’t like that it was ground beef– it would have been better if it was cubed like the lamb. However, both dishes were moist and well seasoned and I couldn’t help but relish each bite.
Service was a bit slow, however since the restaurant was packed, I could see why. They were prompt in refilling the water though. Overall, a great Ethiopian experience and I can’t wait to go back.

Mr & I found Finfine totally by mistake. We’d arrived early for a show at the Greek & thought it was a perfect opportunity to grab a bite to eat.
Our regular haunts were already booked so we took a random Unilocal search & found a Peruvian place that looked decent — only come to find out it was not veggie-​friendly
Lucky for us!
Finfine was in the same courtyard & they had a whole menu for veggies so we happily walked on in… Vegetarian Combo for 2 & Ethiopian Stouts to wash it all down
The staff was so incredibly nice! Asked if this was our 1^st time eating Ethiopian (very far from it) & let us know everything was organic… checking in often, to make sure we liked all our dishes — we felt well looked after!
The colors in our dishes were amazing & the taste was equally as incredible! A feast for the eyes & the tummy! Green beans, cabbage, humus, 2 kinds of lentils, kale, potatoes & a ton of injera to scoop it all up.
We were stuffed to the gills & ecstatic to have found this delightful spot — immediately added to our pre-​Greek /​pre-​Berkeley Rep rotation for sure!!!

Fairly decent Ethiopian restaurant tucked away in a sort of warehouse of restaurants. The place looks pretty dated and the whole building is on quite a slant.
Pros:
Nice staff
Big portions
Cons:
Not flavorful as could be

Great injera and chicken, beef, lamb tibs.

I come here every time I visit Berkeley. It’s just past the main crazy thoroughfare part of telegraph, in a confusing little shopping mall. I also get something different each time, and it’s always tasty. Definitely get the vegetarian combination plate no matter how many people you’re with. This was my first time with kitfo (delicious spiced raw beef mixed with Ethiopian everything) and it was SO GOOD. We also got the awaze beg tibs (this is a mildly spicy lamb that infuses the injeera beneath it with greasy spicy deliciousness) and a chicken dish (doro tibs, I think).
There were four of us this time and we split a bottle of the «medium-​sweet» honey wine, which is sort of like a medium dry white port. Perfect with the food. Our bill came out to $ 80, so $ 23 each for a fantastic super filling meal with wine. Highly recommend.
GLUTEN FREE INJERA AVAILABLE– my friend called ahead to make sure of this. Then they *called her back* to see how many gluten free people were coming, so that there’d be enough. Talk about above and beyond. You do have to remind them to refill your water glass, but they do so very happily (and hey, we’re in a drought here).

Wonderful hidden gem in Berkeley, tucked away inside a red building on the corner of Blake and Telegraph. Every time I’m here, the servers are incredibly attentive, and the food gets to me so quickly. Everything is delicious. Injera is always delightful with its slight sourness (like sourdough bread) and softness, and I ALWAYS order Kitfo. I can’t have Ethiopian food without Kitfo and Injera!
Also, Ethiopian food is incredibly filling. I always leave with a full stomach.

The restaurant was small and cozy. The waiters were friendly and the food came out promptly (~10 min), which was impressive considering that everything was cooked to order.
My boyfriend and I ordered 3 dishes to share — it ended up being a little too much. The entrees themselves weren’t too large, however. One tip I’d give to people trying Ethiopian food for the first time is to not eat too much injera (the complimentary rolled up flatbread), since I later didn’t have enough room for the delicious sauce-​soaked injera that the entrees were served on.
We ordered the shiro wet (chickpea stew), awazé beg tibs (spicy lamb), and salmon asa kitfo (minced salmon). All three entrees were delicious and came with house salad (lemon-​flavored lettuce and tomatoes), collard greens, and potatoes. My favorite dish was the lamb — it was juicy, flavorful, and paired well with injera.
I also want to note that Finfine could be a great place for vegetarians as well. The shiro wet, collard greens, and potatoes were delicious. Last time I visited Finfine I ordered the vegetarian combo, which was amazing.
I’d give Finfine 5 stars, but even though there weren’t many parties in the restaurant they didn’t refill our water, which surprised me considering the food was very salty. They promptly gave us more injera after seeing our empty bowl and asked us how the food was, though, which was nice.
All in all, I’d say the food at Finfine was delicious, nutritious, and very filling. Given that the meal was slightly expensive (~$ 40 before tax for 2 people), I’d go here primarily for special occasions. I will definitely be coming back here again in the near future, though. The food was just too good!

First time here on Saturday ~ Very friendly place and genuinely concerned about how your experience is going. Clean and inviting, low lighting, soft music, great food!
My hubs and I shared the Kitfo, Lamb and veggie combo. Everything was so good! I had asked for the Kitfo be spicy but even though very flavorful, not enough spice for us! The veggies and lamb were all seasoned perfectly and so tasty. I love the spices they use in their foods. The Injera bread is Sourdough! It pairs perfectly with all of the yummy foods! We also had an Ethopian beer and a glass or two of Pinot Noir. The Restroom was clean and sanitary :) Our bill with drinks was $ 63 bucks; not a bad price for grass fed meats and organically grown veggies.
I can’t wait to come back!

Everything is great! The service, food, and the place. The lamb is excellent.
–1 for over oily food

Get the vegetarian combo with a meat and you get a bit of everything. My bf didn’t have a great experience the last time he went to an Ethiopian restaurant (which wasn’t here) and when I found out about this place I made him go with me. I always enjoyed Ethiopian food and I was glad this place met my expectations. He as surprised to like it this time around. The bread is slightly sour and filled us up. Everything was perfectly seasoned and satisfying.
The space is intimate with cozy décor, but it is also large enough to bring a group of friends to share this experience. Remember to wash your hands before you start eating because that will be your utensil.

IN LOVE WITH THIS PLACE! It’s a hidden gem on Blake, right next to Arriba Peru and Fred’s Fondue.
Service: ⁵⁄₅
We were greeted by a man at the door and he was so friendly! He created such a warm and inviting atmosphere, I felt like family! Since it was my first time, he recommended several dishes (which we ordered) and he tried to cater to what we were used to.
Food: ⁴⁄₅
The food was a little bit salty for my liking but it was still delicious! I never had anything like injera before. I actually liked the tangy-​ness it had. My friend and I also ordered gored-​gored which is beef with spices. It was delicious. We also got the vegetable combo and a lot of the food reminded me of Indian cooking.
All in all, this place is awesome! I loved it here and would definitely go back :)