Ethiopian Love Restaurant

First time for Ethiopian and all I can say say is WoW! YUMMY.
We had a chicken and beef dish, lots of flavor. Yummy bread you use to scoop up the meat, lentils and beans. No silver ware so remember to wash your hands before you come. Lots of spices and my favorite, cardamom it everything.

I had lunch with 2 co-​workers on 2.19.16. We shared the sambussas (fried pastry filled with lentils) which were very tasty & not spicy. I’ve had Ethiopian food at a restaurant when I lived in San Francisco & everything was really spicy (too hot for my palate). My co workers ordered Doro Wat (stewed chicken) & Lamb Tibs (sautéed lamb) which is a Friday special item and I ordered the Bege Wot, turmeric braised lamb stew. I had bites of their dishes, which were flavorful but I really enjoyed my lamb stew. The entrée includes red lentils, brown lentils and a diced tomato salad & ingera (rolled spongy bread). You use the bread to pick up the food. The lamb stew was rich with flavor but was not heavy. We were kinda full from eating the sambussas earlier so I wasn’t able to finish my entrée so we packed up the leftovers.
I had an iced tea, which was flavored with cinnamon & cardamom & wasn’t sweet but they can adjust the sweetness to your preference.
We were given a «surprise» as a dessert, which was a hot, peanut tea. It was creamy (without dairy), fragrant & flavorful without being too sweet.
Service is very friendly. Décor features Ethiopian art on a backdrop of exposed brick.
Some people state that prices are high but I think they are average for the area. Additionally, some ingredients come from Ethiopia, which is 18,000 miles away from Honolulu.
Generally, utensils are not provided so wash your hands thoroughly before you eat. The bathroom is outside in the back, which is shared with another restaurant.
Outdoor seating is available too, but we can inside.

Totally amazed and the simplicity of each dish and how much flavor in each bite. This is a great date night idea with a group especially because of BYOB. I highly suggest outside seating because it can get noisy inside.

This is definitely not a meal for strangers or anyone with germ related phobias. You spend most of the meal eating with your bare hands and the only thing that kept running through my head was: «Did everyone wash their hands?!»
I dined here with my two friends and their other two friends who we happened to run into on the street. We all decided to eat together as a group and I was excited for my first experience eating at Ethiopian Love. It’s a small restaurant and I believe there is the option of eating outside, but on this particular night it was raining so we stayed indoors. Everything is shared plates and we got a few of the samplers. As I mentioned before you eat everything with your hands and use the wot (Ethiopian sponge bread) to pick up your food and sauces. It gets pretty messy but the food was satisfying and it’s certainly an experience. We ended up ordering extra wot bread because we needed more to eat our dishes. Another great perk about this restaurant is that it’s BYOB!
I don’t think this is a meal everyone is going to enjoy but if you’re looking for a food adventure then this is worth a go because of its uniqueness. It’s a bit pricey but this is definitely something you’re not going to make at home on your own.

Had a warm welcoming and was seated outside which was very nice up until in started to rain. Disappointed that the staff and manager did NOTHING to compensate for the lack of planning. No discount (mind you this place is pricey for the amount of food you get to get with your hands), no added appetizers, no comp anything. This was disappointing because we paid 53.00 for a set menu on Valentine’s Day. Luckily, the food was good but not that good if you combine it with the price, the amount you get, and the lack of customer service when it starts to rain and no covering can be provided.
The food was still good and didn’t have any leftovers. Red velvet cake was bleh and the sambusas was very good. only received one each so NOT WORTH THE PRICE!!!

Never tried Ethiopian good before. It was a good experience but there were some downsides to this place.
The good: the people were very nice and welcoming. There was live music when we arrived there for a Friday night dinner. There’s indoor and outdoor seating to choose from. we picked outdoor. The food was pretty flavorful, but also spicy.
Things that may need improvement: price. it was pretty pricy for the amount of food you get. It’s served family style and in traditional Ethiopian style (eat with your hands). We didn’t mind eating with our hands but wished we had more food to share. The amount of ET bread was minimal so we ended up having to just pick up the remaining pieces and eating that without the bread. The service was quite slow. It took a long time for our appetizers and entrees to be served. And we were pretty hungry too. They try to have you order their iced tea. If you enjoy spiced teas, it’s right up your alley. But if not. it’s pretty strong. For me I’m used to rooibos and subtle tea flavors so it was quite strong for me. There’s cardamom, cinnamon and one more ingredient in there. The cinnamon stood out a lot.
Overall it was a good experience. For the entrée We had a beef dish, lamb dish, veggie platter and the sampler for apps. It wasn’t too bad flavor wise. A lot of different spices. But it just didn’t wow me to the point where I would come back again.
It’s a good place to at least try once in your life.

Tasty, spicy, and savory! We had the sambussa, awaze tibs (beef), spicy lamb, romi, and peanut tea for four and it was filling. We were all impressed with the food, service, and ambience. We will definitely return !
The outside lanai looked very inviting but we elected to eat indoors. Very clean inside. Appreciated that the owner came and checked on us and chatted.

My first experience trying Ethiopian food. To put it simply, I can describe their food as easily as the name of their restaurant-​it was pure Ethiopian love.
I was very curious to know what exactly Ethiopian food tasted like. A Lebanese co-​worker of mine described the food as starchy, and that assumption was pretty accurate to what I had the evening I came here with a friend for dinner. It was both our first time trying this place out. Immediately as we walked in we were greeted with smiles and chose seating in the outside courtyard area. As we followed our host towards the back of the restaurant, I noticed something being roasted on a small table near the ground, they were roasting Ethiopian coffee! I got a great treat as one of the restaurant workers began giving me a little intro course on how Ethiopian coffee is made; their process of harvesting, roasting and how they traditionally served their coffee. Once seated we glanced over the menu and given that it was my both our first time trying this type of food, we opted to give the Ethiopian Love Veggie Sampler a try – a great way of sampling a variety of their 6 vegetarian dishes. We also ordered the Sambussa appetizer and for meat my friend ordered the special of the day– Spicy Lamb. My friend was very adamant about ordering right away, however the waiters here seem very eager to give you a short intro course on Ethiopian food and probably what to expect if you really have no idea what you want to order.
It takes a while for the food to come out but it’s worth the wait I think. We received our appetizer Sambussa’s first (soooo yummy!). One bite in and its obvious they make all their food to-​order and with love. The sambussa stuffing was a soft delicate blend of herbs and lentils and paired with the house spicy sauce, it further enhances the flavor (a must for all you spicy food lovers). The Ethiopian Love Veggie Sampler came out after. The 6 veggies were all placed on a large oval plate lined with thin bread with equal portions of the veggies placed neatly around. Our waitress kindly described exactly what each veggie was and left us to eat. They do not give you utensils unless you request them. Traditionally, you are supposed to eat with your hands and they do place a basket of folded napkins on your table prior to you getting your food. I’ll be honest, I did find it a tad bit difficult to use my hands with the Injera scooping up the veggies. My apologies for being so american, but I found it so weird eating cooked spinach with my fingers lol. Aside from my odd dexterity adjustments, I enjoyed tasting each of the veggies and found them all to be very very good! Our spicy lamb was the last to come out to us and that too was cooked very well and reminded me of goat meat in similiarity of texture. It was accompanied by sprinkle of fluffy white cheese that was excellent as well.
Winding down from our meal, dessert-​wise I was eager to try their Ethiopian coffee while my friend opted for their Peanut Tea. Unfortunately, one of the workers came out and told me that the preparation process of the coffee was not done correctly and the coffee itself did not come out so good and didn’t meet their standards of serving. I appreciate that he came out to tell me rather than just have served me a watered-​down version that may have not tasted good at all. It really shows how much pride they take in the food they make for their customers and how much appreciation goes into it. The Peanut Tea on the other hand was AMAZING. Definitely recommend the Peanut Tea as an after-​meal dessert drink. It tastes like a peanut milk shake! Yum!
I had such a nice pleasant experience trying Ethiopian food for the first time. The food was amazing, the service here is far better than what you would normally get at most places, and I left feeling like a valued customer. Looking forward to the next time I come back with more friends who want to try this place out with me!

Just had lunch there because Lucky Belly was too long of a wait. Sambussas to start which were very good. Ginger tea and Cardamom tea, both great. We tried vegetarian sampler, chicken and lamb special. All very good. I especially liked the red lentils which was one each dish. The bread was interesting and not bad. Wished they had naan bread and/​or rice option for sides. My girlfriend tried to ask for silverware but she said «place settings» and so he brought napkins. It wasn’t until we saw another table with forks that we realized that they even had any but by then it was too late and we were already done. I think it would’ve been good if the waiter had said something like, «traditionally, we eat with our hands, but if you prefer, we also have forks.» It was messy and hard to get used to.
Neat experience overall. Food was tasty and super filling! Atmosphere was relaxing although might get too hot during the summer months. I would recommend it but being so close to Lucky Belly… it would be hard if there hadn’t been a line, it would also have been half the price.

Came here on a Saturday night with the BF to have dinner with one of my close girlfriends who was visiting the Island. She wanted to try this place out and since I am open to trying different foods I figure why not. The restaurant is located across the street from Lucky Belly which is another restaurant I enjoy.
We planned dinner for 7 pm and was told it would be a 20 – 25 minutes wait which wasn’t too bad. It was pretty busy the night we went, the restaurant is small inside and there is an outside dining area which I think is very romantic. It’s was very noisy so it was hard to talk and catch up with my girlfriend over everyone else. I’d rather prefer to sit outside.
Drinks: My girlfriend tried the Ginger Tea and I opted for the Cardamom tea (sorry can’t remember the name) but it is a cold tea with cardamom, clove and cinnamon. If you like chai tea or cinnamon, you will like this drink! I would definitely recommend it if you happen to eat here.
Food: My BF got the Azawe Tibs (beef dish), I got the Doro Wot (chicken dish) and my friend ordered the Veggie Sampler since she is Vegan. We were informed by the waiter that we eat this with the Injera which is like a soft sourdough risen flatbread with a spongy texture to it. It does taste a little sour but is okay when eaten with your dish. We had to wait maybe 45 minutes for our food. The waiter apologized and mentioned how there was a large party outside. Our order was put together on one dish, I was worried the meat dishes were next to my friend’s Veggies dishes. The Azawe tibs were good, the spices give it a kick. I mixed a little of the beef with the cabbage and split pea that was part of my friend’s veggies sampler, that made it even better. The Doro Wot was my favorite, you can’t go wrong with chicken. It reminded me of Chicken in Tikka Masala for some reason. We ran out of injera since we were hungry so they gave us another order of it. HEADS UP, its $ 2 for extra injera.
Overall, ⁵⁄₅ for food. If you are particular about taste and smell, then give it some thought. ³⁄₅ setting since it was noisy. Outdoor setting looks beautiful though.

I loved the whole experience!!! Great place to take visitors and overall great food. A little pricy and I think they should serve some kind of whole grain with there dishes weather it be quinoa or brown rice or couscous. Worth every penny tho. They accommodated us with rice and quinoa but they only had a cup of each for personal use. The food was amazing. We had the vegan love sampler, tebere tibs
Awaze tibs. love shiro and 2 orders of the red lentils. We wanted to try the kitfo (raw meat) but they were out. Everything was delicious. We ate all of it!!! I will definitely go back the food was excellent. They have a lot of new people so the service not so great yet. But we were lucky to have the experienced waitress she explained everything to us and made suggestions and was very pleasant. They have an assortment of traditional drinks and u are welcomed to BYOB. Atmosphere is cool with some traditional art work. They have music and an outside garden area where u can eat. What can I say I loved loved loved this place. And it was healthy as well as great tasting. Injera bread is their main staple it is made with teff flour which is a complete protein. It has all 9 essential amino acids plus it’s high in calcium and fiber, who could ask for more.
Taste is sour like sourdough. I had the ginger tea it was great not overwhelming just a hint of ginger. I don’t think they offered dessert I can’t remember but that would have been nice. We went elsewhere for desert. This place is small and quaint. Street parking and paid parking available. Great for all types of people and casual attire. Shorts and slippers are fine to. On Friday night it gets a little interesting if u sit in the court yard. There is a French restaurant playing live music and the other half playing music from the Ethiopian side. They share the courtyard Best to make reservations

One of the best in CHinatown, good food, good service and a good dining experience.
More napkins please:-)

This place really turns your meal into a mini pizza-​ish party.
Everything is family style and served on a bread like roll. The bread is very light, moist and fun to eat. All of your meats and veggies are resting on top of it.
So they do their best to put all of your orders onto one huge dish and you get to pick and choose or mix and match anything you want to go together.
So this is a place that you have to eat with your hands and it can get a little messy at first. But once you are hands into your meal (the chicken and lamb taste great by the way) you won’t remember why you would ever eat with utensils.
Oh and the spicy things are really spicy.

Perfect blending of spices and herbs.
Delicious. Peanut tea so savory. Vegan, vegetarian,& even some yummy entrees for carnivorous friends. A new favorite eatery for us. Fish on Wednesdays, can’t wait to try it.

Having never tried Ethiopian Food, wasn’t sure what to expect. Well, I certainly was not disappointed. The food is really flavorful — not bland. To me, its a cross between Moroccan and Indian foods. You eat the food with your bread, there are no utensils. I would have killed for a spoon so that I could scrape my plate for every tasty bit (I did control the urge to pick up the plate and just lick it already!)
I tried the Ethiopian Coffee (tastes interesting, almost burnt like taste) and the peanut tea (which I preferred over the coffee).
I’ll be back to try the other dishes soon!

Knowing nothing about Ethiopean cuisine or how eat it I was kind of intimidated going in. The fact that it was dimly lit and in a sketchy part of downtown intimidated me even more. This all faded the moment I tasted their spongy injera bread with the spicy beef.
The manager was friendly and informative of the dishes and spent a lot of time explaining the menu to us.
Although the food and service was great, the portions could be improved on. We ended up having to order a second serving of the bread.
Also probably important to mention that their lunch menu is much much cheaper than their dinner menu.

I never really thought about Ethiopian food until my friends came back from their NY/​DC Trip and spoke about having some Ethiopian food that is popular in DC. I really had to Unilocal it prior to coming here as I didn’t know what to expect. Even after looking at the menus and pictures I wasn’t quite fond or sure how I’d like this culture food experience. But I’m always down to try new things.
There were 6 of us who went on to try Ethiopian food as half of us were newbies and the rest just came back from experiencing it in DC. We were seated promptly as it wasn’t busy coming after work on a weekday. The restaurant is a dim yet intimate feel as you walk in possibly resembling how what it may be like in Ethiopia as posters of life there surrounds the walls of this cozy dark place.
I believed we were served by what seemed to be the owner of this place as he offered us waters all around. We asked for recommendations but pretty much depends on what you like and if you’re a vegan or meat eater and such. I’m not a big fan of red meat so I always go for the chicken, luckily they offer that here. Lots of veggie choices for vegan/​vegetarians.
We started off with appetizers since we were kind of persuaded to start off with the sambussas as insisted by the owner to try. It came out pipping hot but it was actually quite good. I don’t know how to describe what’s in there by taste but as described on the menu to be homemade stuffed pastries with brown lentil, green onion and herbs. It kind of reminded me like a deep friend empanada. It was crispy with a flaky topping and soft inside. It came with a red sauce that was strong in flavor. I didn’t care for it. $ 6.50 for two, a little pricey for small pieces.
Our food over half an our to come out. It finally came out on big round platter that had everyone’s order together. Two of my friends who ordered the extra veggie platter had their orders together and the four of us had ours on one. We had a mixture of beef and chicken. I only had the chicken and that was pretty good and everyone else enjoyed the food flavoring. Something different but good it its own way. Oh and utensils are not provided here as the experience of Ethiopian food is to eat with your hands like Kamayan style for all you Filipinos who know what I mean.
The stewed meats were served on top of a sour, spongy injera bread and we use the rolls of bread to grab the meat like a little burrito. I didn’t care for the bread as it wasn’t up to par in my taste buds. Maybe if it was like a tortilla taste then I could possibly enjoyed it more. But that beats the sense of having authentic Ethiopian food. I personally like less sour bread.
Service is quite slow here as it seems to be a one man crew to cater to all tables taking orders. The owner was quite pushy in my opinion to add more to our tab by insisting to get more items but refused to just stick to what we set our mind to. Our check took foreverrrrrrr. Like an additional 30 minutes of waiting around until we asked the other lady working to provide us with the check. Our bill came out to almost $ 200 for 6 people. We then wondered what the heck did we order?! But when you realized that the prices are quite steep for a small portioned meal per person, then you’ll know how things can add up so quickly.
It was an interesting experience but something that was good for only for the first time. I possibly won’t be back as it’s not my preference of cuisines. Some people may appreciate it more than others but at least I didn’t knock it til I tried it. I recommend trying it once for the unique experience of eating with your hands and the gesture of eating off of a platter shared among a group of people.

Refreshingly good!
I haven’t had Ethiopian in a really long time. It’s not something I crave, but I do like it.
The wifey and I saw that this place opened and decided to give it a try. We walked in and it’s a fairly small restaurant. What we didn’t realize is they have a nice patio seating area in the back… we will have to sit out there next time.
Our service was good… not exceptional, but good by local standards. We looked at the menus and the waitress was kind enough to guide us through so we wouldn’t order anything too spicy.
We ended up with the sambussa appetizer, lamb alicha, and the veggie sampler.
Our sambussa came and they were piping hot! Awesome… ever get luke warm appetizers… yeah not cool. These were hot and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. We both enjoyed them.
The lamb and veggies came on a large plate with the ‘bread’ underneath. They also had the bread on the side (as a utensil) as there is no tableware. Make sure you take someone with clean hands! Everything tasted really good. The veggies were very good, but the lamb was especially tasty. The depth of flavor was amazing and it kept you wanting more.
The waitstaff came by to offer more bread, which I thought was a nice touch… I could see how some people would want a little more… especially if you were sharing with more people.
My only criticism would maybe be to offer wet-​naps at the end of the meal. They give you a basket of napkins which is great, but wet-​naps would have been perfect.
We will definitely be back to eat here again. Such a refreshing contrast to the other restaurants in Chinatown!

I have never tried Ethiopian food, that is what led me to this place. When I hear Ethiopia, I honestly can’t think of any type of cuisine. Well, me being the curious little girl l am just happened to be Unilocaling and had to try it.
So the place is located in Chinatown. Which means parking will be a problem. We ended up in Chinatown’s Municipal Parking. The walk over was on 5 min away. Yay! Calories burned!
When we got to the restaurant, it looked dim and full of Ethiopian pictures. We were welcomed right away. It looked busy for dinner, but they seated us right away and offered us water and Ethiopian tea. The only thing about eating at a new restaurant is finding what is good on the menu. It’s such a challenge to know what to get with a totally new cuisine! My plus 1 and I decided on a spicy beef and a lamb dish. We also asked our waiter what a popular appetizer was, and she suggested the sambosas. YOLO. We totally tried it. The staff was really happy to help suggest and explain the food. They were excited that we came and never tried Ethiopian food.
The food came in a big platter. There was a spongy bread and different lentils, beets and cabbage that came with it. To my surprise, we only got napkins! Say what?! A place where a Filipina girl can eat with her hands in public!!? I’m loving it! Both beef and lamb was simmered with aromatic and spicy seasonings. l decided it was a good idea to try the meat with the sides. The flavor was so different. My favorite side was the lentils. This was not pork and beans ok. Not even hamhock and munggo beans. These lentils had some serious flavor all on its own. Unfortunately l was not able to share any with my partner in crime. l ate those lentils like a boss. Doh!!! I totally forgot to mention the sambossas. The appetizer was so delicious! It was like an empanada deep fried with a flaky layer. The sauce to dip it in was spicy! It went well together.
Overall the dining experience was fantastic. I didn’t see anything wrong with their customer service. They were really nice and helpful. They also gave us extra injera bread (I don’t know what it’s called. but it’s the spongy bread that came with the meal) on the house. The food came out pretty quick and our drinks were refreshing. (Then again I love unsweetened tea. If you don’t mind no sugar you will like their Ethiopian tea) The food was a new experience for my taste buds and I loved every bite.
Would I come back?! Heck ya! It was great and something different from adobo or ramen. (I like those too, but it’s nice to find a new cuisine to try!) If you are looking for some spice in your life, this is the place for you!

3.5 stars.
Objectively the food and service are very good, and having tried this cuisine I personally could not count it has a returnable favorite. Please check it out if you’re an adventurous eater!
We ordered the spicy red lentils and lamb tibs. The orders came on a huge communal plate for sharing. Not only is family style de rigor here, so is eating with your fingers. Based on our experience in India, playing with our food was familiar territory. We dug right in. Good stuff! The lamb didn’t seem extra special to me because it was just a stir fry with rosemary and garlic. I really liked the spicy red lentils, which were, surprise surprise, actually spicy. I asked the waitress to make sure it was extra spicy. I didn’t want some dialed down crap. Bring it on! The injera bread, spongey and on the sour side, was very filling. Overall enjoyable meal.

The food here was pretty good. We ordered the lamb tips and the veggie sampler which came with 3 veggie dishes. Potato and carrot. Spicy red lentils. And mashed peas.
We also ordered the appetizer, sambussas which were good.
We enjoyed the food but it is difficult to recommend to everyone because compared to other Ethiopian restaurants that we have been to, here the portions are small and the prices are more expensive than you would expect for Hawaii.
I would say that if you have had Ethiopian food before, come here at your own risk because you might be disappointed by the bill. To give one example the sambussas were $ 6.50 for two pieces and they are pretty small.
If you have never tried Ethiopian food before, this place is easier to recommend in that it is a unique food, culture, and experience that is worth trying.
While we enjoyed the flavors, we will probably not go back.

Ok, early August tried this place out with my workmate for lunch.
Food: I orderded the Awaze Tibs (Beef with onions, tomato, bell pepper, & berbere), workmate got the Doro Wot (chicken, stewed tomato, onion, tumeric, kebe). We also ordered sambussas to start. The beef was very tasty, with a slight hint of heat. I just wish that I got maybe two more slices of the injera bread to sop up the stew like beef. I noticed that some reviews didn’t like the bread. I thought it went well with what I was eating. It was tastes like sourdough bread but it’s texture is very spongy. My workmate liked her chicken dish. The sambussas, were filled with lentils and I like lentils so, it tasted yums to me. We also ordered the coffee which was very robust.
Service: So, our lunch hour almost turned into two because we were waiting for a bit… maybe a lot. It was really strange because when we got there we were the second customers there. We got the Sambussas after we ate our entrée, which we were going to cancel because our lunch hour had ended, but the Aunty remembered and apologized and brought it out. We also ordered coffee and to Aunty’s delight because she was the queen of coffee. We wanted to do take out for that but she said that they didn’t have take out cups. Since, we were already running late, we decided to stay and taste the coffee. Aunty’s speed was on slow because it took another 10 – 15 minutes to get the coffee out. She knew were on our lunch break, so at the end she comped our coffee. Don’t get me wrong, she was super nice, just wish the service was a little faster.
Overall, if you wanna try something new and exotic and want eat with your hands (make sure you wash then before you eat). Try this place out, just make sure that you’re not on any time constraints.

It used to be you had to get on a plane for Ethiopian. Now you can escape to Ethiopian Love to get your fill of ingera, spiced lentils and stewed beef. The space is relaxing, the servers are kind hosts, and the food is a flavor ride.
We ordered the Veggie Sampler which features Miser Wot (red split lentils), Kik Alicha Wot (yellow split peas), Atakilt Wot (cabbage with turmeric and carrots); the Lamb Tibs, and Awaze Tibs (beef). Ethiopian food is served on a platter with Ingera, a spongy crepes-​like pancake that has a tangy, fermented quality. You scoop up bites with your hands using the Ingera.
The split lentils and beef had the same spicy flavor profile and both were cooked down until they were falling apart and saucy. The split peas and cabbage were also cooked down, but mild in flavor. The Lamb Tibs, was chunks of stir-​fried lamb, with a familiar garlic and rosemary flavor. We were also given as extras on our platter a tossed salad of lettuce and tomatoes, Azifa (brown lentils) and Berbere (a kind of hot sauce).
After dinner we lounged sipping on handmade Ethiopian coffee. Served black table-​side, the coffee is viscous with the natural oils from the coffee beans and had a roasted brown rice flavor. I also had a cup of Kememe Shai, a fragrant cardamom, clove and cinnamon tea.
Ethiopian food is meant to be eaten as a community, go here with friends and family to relax and enjoy.

Don’t believe the hype, this place is highly over-​rated. If you don’t mind puny portions (look at the picture, this is for 3 orders) for close to $ 20 per entrée, this is the place for you. Another note, we had tons of bread left, because we ran out of things to dip into and the bread is inedible as it’s too sour.
We ordered the Veggie Sampler ($ 15) and one of the choices included a generic house salad (really?). Another part the veggie sampler included lentils and pickled veggies. At least increase the portion of the lentils, unless there is a massive lentil shortage that I don’t know of.
The lamb tibs ($ 19) is a decent choice but unfortunately you could only eat about 3 mouthfuls.
The love shiro ($ 22) is the largest portion, we actually got a regular sized bowl poured into our plate.
My wife says that when they were at the Kapalulu location, they were generous in their portions and ran out of bread to use. Don’t know what happened and other pics showing generous and full plates no longer apply.

Part of me wants to keep this place a secret hidden gem, but the bigger part of my cold foodie grinchy little heart says to share the love and tell it like it is. This place is awesome!
The best thing was the staff. They were so nice and friendly and fun– they really made the experience great. Our server patiently answered questions on the menu, gave accurate descriptions on what to expect, and was on the ball as far as checking back in. My water was constantly filled. More than 1 server came around to check on customers. The food came out fast. All the good things had the check box checked.
We were seated under the bamboo tree outside and at ~6:45pm were were warned to move the table bc a pack of birds descends upon the tree at that time nightly, and they didn’t want nature to interfere with out food. Ie. The lamb dish is not served with little chocolate chips if you catch my drift! So the staff moved our table out from under the tree and all was good in the world.
The food was really uniquely flavored and delicious. Nothing was spicy, but you can order a raw jalapeño on the side to add some heat. I had the Love Shiro dish which had bite sized pieces of lamb in a savory gravy of tomato, garlic and chickpeas. The spongy bread is really yummy but beware– it’s filling! The vinegary savory flavor combo is very different than the flavor palates that most Honolulu restaurants have. Yay for flavor diversity!
A few other tips– it’s BYOB. Hooray!
The portions are small. Well, you get tons of filling bread, but the actual meat or veg serving on top is tiny. All entrees are served with spongy Ethiopian bread but you can get quinoa instead.
I could have eaten/​expected a bigger portion of lamb for $ 22, but if my only complaint was the yummy food wasn’t a big enough portion, then I guess it’s more of a compliment than a complaint!

Beautiful night time ambiance. Friendly staff — the owner Abe is really friendly and came to our table to chat with us a bit.
No utensils — all hands. Please use the restroom in the back to make sharing food with you more bearable. Definite double, triple, quadruple and finger-​dipping going on here!
For first-​timers like me to Ethiopian food, you wrap your food in injera, a bread-​like tortilla-​ish delicious substance. Ethiopian Love has both meat and veggie plates. Fun place to share a meal with a date or a couple of friends.
We ordered the lamb and veggie samplers — and like most other reviews say, you’ll be wiping your dish clean with the injera trying not to waste a drop. Servings are fairly light with lots of injera to scoop up the stragglers.
BYOW — need red wine!
Docked a star for price — it makes me feel like it should be a special occasion or the day after I get paid in order to eat here. Chinatown parking… Meh, you know how that goes. Definitely need to try this place though!

«Welcome inspired diners» is found in small print on the back of the menu. They call it «dining with presence». I love that and I love Ethiopian Love. True foodies eat slow and savor their food. Some may even make faint moaning or humming sounds as they eat, audibly expressing their pleasure during their esculent experience. I admit, I’m one of these people and have been given odd glances from on lookers at tables next to me. That’s part of what I think «dining with presence» is and I think that you’ll see what I mean if you eat here… that is if you like depth of flavors and foods covered in hearty sauces.
Gursha! This is the other thing you’ll learn about if you read the back of the menu (or my added photo for this review) at Ethiopian Love. It’s a different dining experience. First of all, you eat with your hands adding another sensory way of eating your foods through touch with something other than your mouth. That way, you can experience the textures of the foods not only with your tongue and teeth, but with your fingers as well. The restaurant is somewhat open air, as they leave the front and back entrances wide open. It’s BYOB. They do offer different teas. The one I had was spiced with cardamom and cinnamon and did not need anything else added to it since it was full of flavor. (I usually enjoy tea with milk and sugar.)
The menu will add to your cultural food vocabulary if you can remember the names of the entrees! I can’t, so I can tell you the descriptions of the foods. I do remember «injera», the unleavened flat bread that has a crêpe like texture that the main entrees are served with. You use injera as a means of scooping up the food. Our platter came with tender chunks of beef in a fragrant sauce as well as lentils and cheese crumbles. I also remember the sambusas, a light and crispy pastry like appetizer comparable to a Greek spinakopita.
Service is friendly and our server made excellent recommendations. Their bathrooms are clean and again, since it’s located in Chinatown, good luck with street parking or if you’re willing to shell out $ 15 for two hours of parking, there are paid lots close by. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to «dine with presence!»

Time to kill one evening, decided to check out this new Ethiopian restaurant in downtown. We’ve never actually had Ethiopian but the food was flavorful and unique.
Food: Ordered the Ethiopian Love Veggie Sampler for two. My fav were the lentils and the chick peas. The dough that we used to scoop up the food were spongy and fun. Next time we’re going to try some of Beef or Lamb dishes. No alcohol but there’s a cheap $ 2 corkage fee.
Service: Great staff, courteous, helped guide us through the menu as we were novices in this cuisine.
Atmosphere: New, modern, clean. The outdoor seating wasn’t available when we arrived but it looked like a cool place to hang out.
Value: A bit on the pricey side but portions were generous and ingredients were fresh and prepared expertly.
Great addition to the downtown scene.