Asmara Restaurant
5020 Telegraph Avenue [Map]
Oakland, CA 94609
Ph: (510) 547-5100
Hours: Tue-Sun 11:30am-11pm
Facebook: Asmara Restaurant
Price Range: $$ Entrees ($11-$17)

The meat and vegetable combination plates served on one platter. — Barcote's meat and vegetable combination plates served on one platter. (Kim Westerman)

Barcote, located directly across the street from the more popular, but less inviting Café Colucci, is a personal favorite of mine because it operates in an almost timeless zone that is whimsical and sometimes even ad hoc. There are four dining spaces: a few tables on the street, two small dining rooms on either side of the kitchen and a wonderful patio out back that I never knew existed until recently. Service is exceedingly slow, but utterly delightful, and each dish is prepared thoughtfully and lovingly, not by rote. The spice profiles are vibrant, in primary colors, not muted in an attempt to satisfy more sensitive or “refined” palates. All the food was excellent, and in the home-style “comfort” category. Standouts include atakilt wat, stewed cabbage with potatoes and doro tibs, boneless chicken with garlic, onions and jalapeños.

Barcote Ethiopian Restaurant
6430 Telegraph Avenue [Map]
Berkeley, CA 94609
Ph: (510) 923-6181
Hours: Daily 11am-10pm
Price Range: $$ Entrees ($11-$17)

The meat and vegetable combination plates served on one platter. — Bole's meat and vegetable combination plates served on one platter. (Kim Westerman)

Bole is where I tried Enat, my favorite honey wine. It's a widely available brand but served properly here (cold and in a wine stem). There are two choices: dry and sweet. The sweet version is downright syrupy, what regular wine drinkers in the U.S. would consider a dessert wine. The “dry” wine has residual sugar, too, but goes well as a table wine with the food, especially the spicier dishes, which Bole excels at. Order the quanta firfir, a staple in the Eritrean tradition: dried beef stewed in a spicy tomato sauce. Mitten shiro, chickpeas stewed with onions and herbs, is a great veggie option. Servers are welcoming, but there’s only one cook in the kitchen. Their dishes -- while carefully prepared and presented -- can arrive slowly.

Bole Ethiopian Restaurant
2805 Telegraph Avenue [Map]
Oakland, CA 94609
Ph: (510) 645-1111
Hours: Wed-Fri and Mon 11am-3pm and 5-10pm; Sat 12-10pm; Sun 12-9pm; Closed Tue
Price Range: $$ Entrees ($11-$17)

The meat and vegetable combination plates served on one platter. — Café Colucci's meat and vegetable combination plates served on one platter. (Kim Westerman)

While Café Colucci is arguably the most popular Ethiopian restaurant in the East Bay, and the food it serves is solid, the service is often slapdash, especially a peak times. Still, it’s worth a visit for the house-ground spice blends and careful cooking. Destination dishes include ayeb, homemade buttermilk cheese; awaze, beef with Ethiopian mustard in a mild berbere sauce; and eggplant tibs with onions and turmeric. This is also a great place to try a flax-seed smoothie, a nutty, fiber-laden drink that pairs well with all the food. Just be forewarned that you might have to get up to track your server down.

Café Colucci
6427 Telegraph Avenue [Map]
Berkeley, CA 94609
Ph: (510) 601-7999
Hours: Daily 8am-10pm
Facebook: Café Colucci
Twitter: @EthiopianSpices
Price Range: $$ Entrees ($11-$17)

The meat and vegetable combination plates served on one platter. — Red Sea's meat and vegetable combination plates served on one platter. (Kim Westerman)

Red Sea is among the oldest spots on this list, and it remains a contender for its presentation of classic dishes. The best among them are bamiya, stewed okra and potatoes, and gored, cubed beef sautéed in spiced butter and lemon juice and cooked to medium. Servers are knowledgeable and accommodating and the kitchen turns out food fairly quickly. The injera here is particularly light and spongy, really nice for soaking up the juicier sauces.

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Bay Area Bites Guide to 7 Favorite Ethiopian Restaurants in Berkeley and Oakland