Tana Ethiopian Restaurant

I ordered take out. The veggie sampler is fine and the servings are substantial. Having had Ethiopian food in Fairfax, I found the food here to be mediocre. However, the cashier was pleasant and nice. The restaurant looked clean and well maintained.
If you are looking to try a new cuisine this is a good choice. I’ve been spoiled though, so I know what really good Ethiopian food tastes like.

BTW the owner (or one of the owners) name is Shawaye (SHA-​WHY-​YEE) and she is a sweetheart! This place rivals Fairfax and service is top notch! never disappoints!

Great spot. Had no idea there were Ethiopian options in buana park. Did the veg sampler plate and everything was really good. Will be back

We were first timers to Ethiopian Cuisine and we were fully satisfied. Food was delicious, loved the vegetarian plate with meat combination. Also had the lamb and truly enjoyed it as well. They have a chili powder I highly advise getting a side of and adding to the meats if you like spice. It has a nice flavor and doesn’t leave a long burn. The lady said its super spicy but on a 1 – 10 scale I’d rate it at a 3

I have been here a couple of times. Its very authentic and fresh. The honey wine, vegetarian plate, kitfo, doro wat all are awesome. Tips: get the kitfo uncooked or a little cooked, that’s more more tastier than fully cooked. Ask for the spice powder and cheese, it go very well with kitfo. Everything is fresh made, so there will be a little delay, please keep that in mind.

service was very prompt. Food was mediocre and they served tap water. Big no no !

The food always great. Vegetarian or meat.
I would highly recommend .very gentle ewner and staff. Resnebel price.

Food took awhile and they forgot at first something we ordered but everything was amazing and the staff was awesome!

The food was great. Get the vegitarian special if you’re not sure what you might like. The service is very nice and the Ethiopian Coffee is a must. Definitely coming back.

I was glad to find an Ethiopian restuarant near Whittier. Just moved from the west side and missed eating Ethiopian food at Merkato and Rosalind. I didn’t want to drive out to L.A. To Little Ethiopia in the fairfax district due to traffic. The food here was delicious. Service was good. we were greeted by a lady who was very friendly. We had the vegetarian delight, meat dish #8, and beef and lentil sambosa. I was very pleased with my first time visit here at Tana. I would definitely come back!

Food is good. Price is a bit high. The service was ok.
Just don’t go there during summer for they refuse to use AC and want you to enjoy the true experience of Ethiopia… hot as hell. Seriously, it’s 90 degree in So Cal and you walk into this hole in the wall restaurant with no AC. The ice in my water melted before even gets to my table.
I’ll upload the pictures of their new menu a little later. They raised the price (compare the other menu picture on Unilocal). Every item is about 2~3 dollars more.
All and all, it’s not a bad place. I don’t know what’s with Ethiopian restaurants, they can never keep their restaurant clean or cool.
Come here for the food and for not travel all the way to LA.

SYSTEM:
Order from the menu
SERVICE:
It took a lot longer to get things than what I was used to. I usually give a 15min wait time, anything beyond that, i start getting wary of the service. I found it weird that when id visit, id be the only one, but itd still take a while for a server to greet me. They don’t understand English very well, so it takes a bit to order.
FOOD:
The injera bread was ok. I got the veggie combo plate with spicy beef and lamb. The lamb was awesome, not so much the spicy beef. Some of the veggies tasted watery and didnt have much flavor.
AMBIENCE:
A hole in the wall kinda place. Came during the early evening hours. No music, the place felt very unclean and sticky, very dark lighting.
VERDICT:
System: Normal
Service: Not that good
Food: mediocre
Ambience: it felt so unclean and awkward
I am a bit biased. The best Ethiopian I’ve had is a restaurant in downtown Sacramento. I’ve been to many Ethiopian restaurants and none have been able to beat Sacramento Ethiopian.

I really love Tana. Have been here a few times for lunch and the service is always pretty prompt and friendly. I love the Doro Wat, and all the veggie options. Last visit, we got the meat combo and let me tell you, there were two dishes of beef that were not listed on the menu as part of the combo, and they were amazing. Just pooled in Kibbeh… yum! I wish I could remember the names. But if you get the big combo meat platter, they should be on there. I love the injera here to. I usually ask for a fork because the injera just fills me up so much. I just want to get straight to the food! But you definitely have to use it with the stews and veggies for that complex mix of yeast, chili, garlic and ginger! I only wish that they used a better quality of beef. It’s not bad, just like it more tender.

My coworkers and I embarked on a journey here for lunch on a weekday because we had an Ethiopian craving.
No joke — it was hot on the day we came and the air wasn’t working all that great which kind of added to the ambiance. It’s a modest restaurant located in an average part of town. The food was delicious and our waitress was super, super sweet.
The vegetarian platter was my favorite and the zil zil tibs followed by a close second. The food is mostly meant to be shared family style with the injera bread. If you want to try Ethiopian or you’re a fan of it, I definitely recommend this place in OC.
Expect no frills and nothing fancy, but good food that can also be good for large groups (if you have a large party coming I’d recommend calling in and giving them a heads up).

According to my Ethiopian husband, this place is the best in OC/​LA county! Our favorites are Kift, veggies, and zil zil !

Was in OC for work and it was 4:30 on a Friday afternoon, I decided to get something to eat so I didn’t have to sit on the 405 driving home. I first tried Ethiopian food in WA and fell in love. So I did a Unilocal search and found this place. When I walked in, they looked at me like I was lost or trying to sell them insurance. Maybe because I was alone and that is why they looked at me that way. So who knows.
I told them that I’m here for dinner and need a table for one. They sat me in their back room because it was nice and cool and I ordered the following:
Vegan Sambosa ($ 2.50): it was good :) :) :) Not a lot filling but tons of flavor. I thought it would need a sauce but it was fine by itself.
Then I got the Cabbage and Spinach plate ($ 9): For just two of the veggies, it’s pretty expensive since the portion were the size of a cup.
Overall, I liked but will look for another place. I should not be comparing this place to the great Ethiopian restaurant in WA.

The food was delicious, and the ambiance is pleasant. However, the waitress (Tana?) was the only one there, and she was really busy. It took kind of forever to get our waters refilled. We definitely had to flag her down.
That said, I appreciated that the «bread» (what is that again?), was not as sour as it is at other Ethiopian places I’ve tried. Yay! Thumbs up for that.

TIP: Call ahead if you want the Samusas, because they go fast. If you call ahead, they will put some on the aside for you.
Jeanaye’ Review
The restaurant is in a very small strip mall that appeared a bit questionable. Upon walking in, were not greeted, but stood there confused trying to figure out if the restaurant was open.
Buuuuuuttt, after ordering our food, I could tell the dish was going to be amazing! We order the beef combo platter because my boyfriend is a fatty ;) and it surely didn’t disappoint! This is our second time eating ethiopian food and we will be surely coming back! Each meat was deliciously cooked with exotic spices! The taste was outta this wooorld! Highly recommend!
Jeff’s Review
Definitely has a «hole in the wall» vibe. Outside of the building looks like a «happy ending» massage parlor.
The main entrance and dining room’s lights were turned off. It felt closed. Until we heard laughter in the other dinning room and we just sat ourselves.
In 5 min we were eventually greeted. The waitress was very nice. We ordered the beef plater and it was BOMB! Everything on the plater is well seasoned and marinated. I definitely order this plater again. I think I will also try their raw beef dish next time.
Overall, this local family owned establishment has some rough edges, but is absolutely on point with their food.

Had been wanting to try Ethiopian food for a while so I was excited we were in the area and the timing was right. A little hard to find the restaurant. Located in a tiny strip mall next to a Kenyan restaurant and liquor store. Looks small on the outside but a good amount of seating inside. My family was greeted by two very nice and hospitable Ethiopian ladies. We started with beef sambusa which is ground beef wrapped in a pastry like wrapper. Tasted similar to Indian samosas. You can also order vegetarian lentil filled ones. I ordered the Vegetarian Delight combo which includes a variety of thick lentil stews, salads and vegetables atop spongy injera bread. Also included a couple of beef dishes. Except for the cabbage, I really enjoyed everything else… flavorful and delicious and went well with the bread. We were stuffed! Hubby ordered the Tana Special Kitfo: chopped prime rib beef seasoned with spiced butter and mitmita (powdered spicy chili). It’s served raw or cooked but hubby requested to have his cooked and he really enjoyed it. He also had a black tea with chai spice. Our kids enjoyed their spaghetti with ground beef. Not sure if this was Ethiopian style or just on the menu for those wanting to be safe.
It was pretty busy this Saturday night with 2 waitresses catering to diners in both dining rooms so service was a little slow. It would be great to have napkins on the table, especially since Ethiopian food is usually eaten by hand.
All in all, we had a great first time experience trying Ethiopian food here. Looking forward to coming back with some vegan friends. I’d like to try the chicken tibs (with a spicy sauce, honey, wine, garlic and ginger)…sounds so good!

Tana’s food is excellent. Everything we ordered was delicious & may be some of the best tasting Ethiopian dishes we’ve ever had.
Tana gets 4 stars instead of 5 since portions are small, particularly with the veggie platter. My husband and I are used to being able to order 1 platter and sharing but we definitely needed 2 separate entrees at Tana’s.
Either way the food is yum. We will be back.