Melkam Ethiopian Restaurant

Very good food
Quiet cozy place
I came here randomly with my wife, looking for a new experience.
The place is very quaint. The owner who I presume is also the cool, waiter, dishwasher and everything else, is very nice.
The menu is small but they have a few vegetarian and meat offerings. Anyway a good sampling of Ethiopian food.
Come here if you want a cozy atmosphere and decent Ethiopian food.

Sometimes its just nice to have a nice, simple, clean place that is away from other similar restaurants to order good food. This is what Melkam restaurant is all about. Lots of Injera to buy… since there is a large Eritrean/​Ethiopian enclave right down the street. Not fancy like «Food by Genet» or large like LE rest. or Nyala or any other Ethiopian rest. on Faifax Blvd. The older lady (who does not speak much Eng.) is very friendly and accommodating. Will definitely take friends to eat there.

This is definitely a hole in the wall! The food was very good, but there was only one woman working and it is CASH ONLY. The menu did not offer many options, but I have found with Ethiopian food, it always tastes delicious.
Very good food, but expect a wait and limited options.

Ring the bell if no one’s out front… they’re probably doing stuff in the back.
Or, grab a menu from the counter, decide what you want, and then ring the bell.
The older lady doesn’t speak much English, but there’s a younger woman who does, so just keep it simple. I only saw Ethiopian people come/​go.
They’re a small shop/​restaurant but they had a consistent trickle of people coming just to buy bags of fresh injera.
There’s no ambiance, there’s a tv running, there’s a few small tables with 2 chairs each… really low key.
One combo is probably plenty for 2 people. It’d be cool if they had half/​smaller portions.
I got the beef bits combo, which was cubed bits of beef, a side of salad, and plenty of injera (spongy thin-​pancake-​like bread thing).
I was advised by a couple of (really nice) ethiopian guys eating there not to get the spicy version, but rather get the regular version with the spicy stuff on the side… good advice.
I’m guessing injera+stuff is what Ethiopian people eat day in, day out.
It was really good, really simple food. Everything was fresh.
You eat everything with your hands (youtube it)
I’m looking forward to coming back and trying their other options.
Looks like a great place if you’re vegetarian.

What happens when you have a holiday, spend the morning working out, and the afternoon in the spa? You drive to find a great hearty meal. Buy then your car breaks down on the freeway, and then you have to get towed to your mechanic, and then you have to walk 2 miles to your bus, and you are so hungry you could eat a truck. We were luckier than that, and found a small storefront on Pico that said, «Ethiopian Food.»
Four small tables in a brightly painted, fluorescent-​lit room, an inviting counter, and the delirious smell of curries, spices, and yummy stuff wafting from the kitchen. The menu is limited to the basics, and we ordered the Vegetarian Combo. Granted, we were hungry, but it was the best Ethiopian food we’ve had a while. We could hear the food sauteeing after we ordered it The greens were perfectly cooked and fresh. The cabbage was buttery. The yellow lentils were a little peanutty tasting — and well flavored. The red lentil curry was absolutely perfect and spicy. One combo fed two hungry women, with two bottled waters, we left paying only $ 12 and tip.
Seems to be the neighborhood spot to pick up large bags of fresh injera to take home to dinner as well. A one-​woman show while we were there — and she was a wonderful chef and host. Thank you!