Zuma Grocery

It appears that the business has been shuttered. Not sure if they moved, but they no longer exist at this location.

Finally stopped in here after passing by countless times. I had the Yemiser Watt, a spicy lentil dish with salad and a pancake like bread. Everything was fantastic. The lentils were cooked perfectly and the seasonings were just right. The bread was something I haven’t seen before. It was a dark purple, a complex grain flavor, and pleasantly sour. Even the salad which had a western-​style herbed vinaigrette was executed well. I will be back soon!

I’m so glad this place is still in business. Still a storefront, it’s even sparer than before with plenty of room for several formica-​top tables, and very clean. This time we had the full combination, with a generous serving of each of the cook’s favorite dishes. Only one [the chicken] was too hot for Rosy; the rest were gently spiced and as well-​balanced as we remembered from last time. Special standout: the spinach!

So good and so affordable. I would stick with the vegetarian options – they’re all good, but the red lentils are to die for. The portions are really big and the lady who works here is super nice! I’m looking forward to my next visit.

We took my mother in law there after it reopened (they were closed for renovations). It’s an adorable hole-​in-​the wall with a tiny grocery and new lime-​and-​orange color scheme. The space is cuter, the menu is simpler, and the food was delicious. We were there on a random Tuesday night and there were three customers besides us who came in for take-​out. The restroom is very clean and bright. We got the veggie combo and the shiro wot, more than enough for 3 people with leftovers to take home. Perfectly spiced. The injera was yummy, they said they use 90% teff and 10% barley. I didn’t try the coffee as I’m currently preggers, but I will! Go eat there now, before everyone discovers it!

The veggie combo is totally delicious and beautiful! you’ve gotta get it especially if you haven’t gotten one here for a long time. It has enough food for 2 – 3 servings. I’ll be back soon for sure!

Zuma is very hole-​in-​the-​wall and sparse besides, but within hides HUGE portions at a very affordable price — and pretty tasty to boot.
I always get the vegetarian sampler which is what feels like two pounds of food consisting of four dishes — yellow lentils, red lentils, carrots and cabbage, and greens, along with three injera. Did I mention the portions are huge? It’s huge. And it costs just $ 12.
The food itself is not the very best tasting Ethiopian that I’ve had, especially the greens. It’s a little more bland than I like. But considering the value, it’s more than edible and I go here quite a bit for take-​out.

This is by far the best Ethiopian food that I have had in Seattle. The injera is great, fluffy and made by real teff flour. Lentils are well cooked and not too oily.
The interior could need remodeling, but for this quality of food we really didn’t mind.
Beware that you will have to park across the street at Fred Meyer.

The owner of Zuma is as sweet as she can be. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that the greens on my combo were bland. I’m sure she would have spiced them up, had I asked her to, yet I smiled and said everything was great. That’s how much I liked her.
The injera, too, seemed to have more wheat and less teff — a much less interesting, and much less traditional — taste. I was hoping to have found a source of injera closer than Little Ethiopia (Cherry St. and — Union?), but I’ll go back to Little Ethiopia, thanks!

Good food, no frills. Yum.

I have been on a serious Ethiopian food odyssey lately and I’ve been driving all over creation to try different places. I had no idea this was right around my neighborhood. I know I have driven by it many, many times.
Now, one of the first things to note is that there is no actual parking lot and street parking is at least 1 block away. But, I cheated and parked in the vacant lot. Actually, I don’t know if that is cheating. I’m just not sure if that is the actual parking and I was risking getting towed, I’m sure. But heck, when you are hungry for something specific, you don’t think rationally.
It is literally a «hole –in-​the– wall» place that is a café/​restaurant/​grocery goods. You can buy spices, flour and nitteh butter here, as well as, order food to eat in or to go.
I had heard you get a good deal for a veggie combo so that is what I ordered. For $ 11, you do get a nice amount of food. It was two lunches for me. There was enough injera bread for the next meal. But, I do find that Ethiopian food is best when it is fresh. And it is definitely fresh as she took my order and then I could hear here cooking in the kitchen in the back. It is not much of an atmosphere to eat. There are two tables with seating for 4 at each and some counter eating areas by the window with a view of 85^th St. But, it was not a busy time and I was the only one there. A few people wandered in to chat with the owner who is the nicest lady. So, it seems like it is a place with regulars.
I hope for my sake they stay open and it’s there for me for when I craving Ethiopian food. I want to try the lamb dish next time. She didn’t have it today so it gives me a good reason to go back again.

I’ve never had an Ethiopian meal I disliked, and my meal from Zuma was no exception. If this place were in Bismarck, it’d likely be my favorite restaurant in the Saskatchewan-​to-​South Dakota corridor.
In Ethiopian-​rich Seattle, it’s worth a visit if you’re nearby, but there are better to-​go options.
It took a little while to find Zuma, probably the result of a GPS malfunction. I parked in a lot nearby; it wasn’t clear whether the lot is for Zuma customers. There’s no street parking. When you enter the restaurant, be sure to tug hard on the screen door’s makeshift handle. I didn’t, and I looked a little foolish as a result.
As other reviewers point out, this place is a market that sells groceries and has some dine-​in tables; the ambiance is as no-​frills as you’d expect. I was pleased at the weight of the bag handed to me, and I dug in for a few bites as soon as I’d returned to my car.
I liked what I tasted, especially the injera. But the food was more greasy than I’m used to, and the selection of four veggies is less varied than what’s available elsewhere. Two of those veggies, spinach and cabbage, aren’t among my favorites. The cabbage in particular felt like filler.
I’d eat here again under the right circumstances, but I wouldn’t seek it out. A three-​star rating on Unilocal means «A-​OK,» and that’s exactly how I feel about Zuma.

We love Zuma Grocery! I have no idea how this little place stays open, but I’m glad that it does. The woman who owns this place is so nice, you just want to keep coming back to her shop again and again. And the food is made to order. So good! And you get a ton of food for your money.
This is one of the real pearls of the Greenwood neighborhood.

If you dream of eating Zuma’s food again, it must be good. This is one of my Ethiopian faves in Seattle (along with Café Selam in the CD and Enat at Northgate). The veggie combo and lamb dishes were so flavorful and had enough injera for two people to share.
Please support this restaurant. Zuma’s business has declined since the construction along 85^th St. I hate to see such a gem go away.

While eating overpriced Ethiopian food in D.C., I realized I never had written a Unilocal review for the fabulous an inexpensive Zuma!
Zuma is run by a very nice person, and she makes very delicious food.
There are four vegetable options available. The lentils are spicier than I like, but so delicious I get them every time anyway. The yellow peas are standard, which translates to wonderful. The Cabbage OH MY GOD. So rich with whatever oil it’s cooked with. So so satisfying. The spinach I once thought was bland, but every time after that I was into it. The injera is perfect.
I was so lucky to live near this place!

I’ve never eaten here, just walked in and out to buy some berbere spice. Go here if you want to buy super cheap bags of spices. Huge bags of turmeric, berbere, and other spices for cheaper than you’d pay for a little 1 oz. container from your local grocery. Can’t wait to make some awaze sauce.

This place is seriously a hole in the wall and looks sketchy from the outside. Inside it looks like a third world grocery store. There is shelving along one small wall with some spices, legumes and hot sauces. My pantry’s got more stuff in there! However, I wasn’t there for groceries, I was there for their veggie combo to go. Oh. My. Lord. So tasty and the box was really heavy like the other Unilocalers noted. So much so that when I got home, I put the box on my food scale (super nerdy, I know) and it came out to be 3.3 pounds!!! The box had 3 pieces of injera and 4 different kinds of veggies. It was $ 10.95 and definitely feeds two. I can’t speak for the meat combo but back when I ate meat I always found Ethiopian meat dishes to be sort of gristly and chewy anyway. The injera was less sour than those I’ve had elsewhere but I think I like that better.
If you must eat right there, there are a few stools over a counter that look onto busy 85^th Street. I called my order in. If you’re a fan of Ethiopian food I highly recommend picking up from here!

4.5 stars
Wow — to be honest I had been a little hesitant to go since I was skeptical this place would live up to the «hype» it’s had on Unilocal,and didn’t want to be disappointed. But the good reviews are definitely spot on. It is a cute little bare bones café with some sodas available in the fridge and spices in zip lock baggies. Two kids with their grandma doing homework when I went for carry out.
The smell of the spices hits you immediately as you walk in. A lady peeked out of a window from the back kitchen area and got my order. I kind of assumed they have it all in the back in food warmers or something, but it was a 15 or 20 minute wait and I heard pots and pans going, sizzling on the stove. Cooked to order, and the smells wafting out from the kitchen definitely made me hungry & built up the anticipation.
When she came out with my food, the carry out box was HEAVY. Maybe like 2 lbs. Filled to the top, and Ethiopian is dense. They do take credit, but their receipt doesn’t have a tip line! I asked the lady if I could just write in a tip but she said they weren’t able to process that, but are trying to get a tip option for the future.
The food. Maybe it was the anticipation, but the food was SO good! The injera is perfectly fluffy and tangy, a great complement to the flavorful veggie and meat. I got lamb tibs, which were actually better than at a couple restaurant l’ve tried (tend to be grisly/​overcooked). This was tender and delicious. Veggies also spiced perfectly.
There are two MINOR gripes I have, but I’m just being nit-​picky :)
–They serve spinach rather than a more substantial green (like collard, which I think is more typical, and which I prefer), but the spinach is tasty, can’t complain too much.
–And, the lady asked me if I wanted my lamb spicy or not and I said yes, but it could have used a little more kick in my opinion.
Again, both pretty nitpicky since I’m not ready to give out a true 5 star review yet.
Lessons learned:
1. Call ahead if you’re in a hurry, since they do make it from scratch and can take 15 – 20 minutes. The number is 206−781−8600
2. Bring cash if you want to leave a tip! They don’t have a tip line if you use your card.
In conclusion… Even with raving reviews, this place lived up to high expectations. Great food, lovely little family business. I will be back soon!

Hell yeah. This place is really unassuming, and I went there based on location from me in Ballard, rather than make the trip to the CD.
Don’t get thrown off (like me) when you walk in and see that everything being sold at this «grocery» store is hand packaged in ziploc-​baggies. It is a store! It’s also a place you can procure delicious food!
I got the veggie platter and it was legit, and amazingly good tasting. You get hooked up in terms of portion here. However, definitely only a take out place. Tip if you visit: there isn’t really street parking near there, so if you’re headed East on 85^th, park at the office building before it (if you can catch it) or across the street at the Greenwood Market.

I’m sitting here with a bitch pile of yummy Ethiopian food.
2 pounds 6 ounces to be exact.
I’ve been kicking myself every time I walk by Zuma for not supporting them.
I got the veggie platter. I agree with Dean, you could split this food with 2 or 3 others. I got 3 pieces of Injera with my takeout. The street value of Injera alone makes it a done deal.
I am definitely going back and we are going to learn to cook Ethiopian, so I can shop her when Greenwood market goes down for the count.
Rating note: I’m dropping 5 stars on these guys. If they were a full on restaurant, maybe 3 or 4 stars. As a small local grocer and provider of Ethiopian culture, they get the 5 star bump