Palm Grove Ethiopian Restaurant

This place was excellent! Didn’t feel like going to Fairfax today and fighting the parking, so I was really happy to find this place. The waiter was really helpful with our order, and everything came out so fresh and delicious. It was so cheap too. $ 20 for two people. We got the veggie combo with one meat, and the waiter told us that we would only need a half order of the meat, and it was just the right amount of food for us. In fact, we had to take the rest home with us. The wait was a little bit long, but it was well worth it. Just don’t come to the restaurant starving.
Easy parking. Friendly service. Delicious food. Right price. Ya can’t beat that.

Finally, an Ethiopian place, closer to home without having to take a trip to Little Ethiopia!
I was at my pad doing chores all day, then to run some errands, one of which was going to my local autozone, in a bit of a rough spot of town, when my nose caught wind from a shop a few doors down… it called to my senses like a siren from the shore. I was pleasantly surprised to find this gem, a small, but clean Ethiopian spot that has eluded me this whole time.
When you walk in, you get hit by those nice herbal and spice fragrances that you find in typical Ethiopian cuisine… pungent but an aroma that triggers pavlovian mouth watering. The exotic hip sounds of Ethiopian Jazz, from a time before the communists, carrying through the café, that to me, isn’t only just something you hear, but something you can actually taste in the food. Speaking of which, the food!
I got the vegetarian combo: various uses of lentils of all colors, along with collard greens and a bit of a chunkier spicy pico de gallo, all sitting on an edible plate of injera. The injera here is top notch, nice and spongey, had that perfect sourdough flavor… injera always reminds me of when i was a kid and my mom would buy a loaf of san fran sourdough and i would tear out the soft guts of it and leave the hard shell crust. well that texture and flavor but flattened. I also got a half order of beef tibs, the flavor of the sauce was just so perfectly rich and deep, i was eating just that alone with a spoon, i swear the food is like crack, except you know… healthier for you, but quite possibly as addicting.
The staff is real friendly too… probably some of the friendliest i’ve experienced. Very courteous and cordial, kept a smile going, helped me out on deciding, even talked to me a little about some of the products they had for sale, like the green coffee beans, he taught me how to roast them… even SHOWED me how, as he used some to make me a cup of coffee. Also a wheaty barley snack i was eyeing, he opened a bag of and shared some with me. I couldn’t have asked for better service.
Overall, everything here was excellent from beginning to end, the prices are reasonable, the food is high quality, and the staff is A+, Palm Grove, you have made a happy customer out of me, I shall return.

This place is such a hidden gem. It’s located in at the Auto Zone plaza and it’s really unassuming.
They sell green coffee beans here that you can roast yourself. If you want it roasted, just call ahead.
I usually get the veggie combo or platter. It’s WAYYYYY too much food for one person, but I love having a little bit of everything. The food names are really hard to pronounce. I’ve tried about 60% of the menu and EVERYTHING– I mean EVERYTHING– I ordered was delicious. The food is flavorful, unique and so so good.
The bread that comes with the food takes a little bit of getting used to, but I didn’t mind it at all.
Be adventurous and check this place out!

People Made it sound like it was really in a super ghetto area. I’ve been in worse. But I enter the restaurant and I am greeted by a very friendly man. He was so nice. First impressions were everything. I’ve had Ethiopian food before and it was ok. The injera was too sour for me. But I ordered the veggie combo and my food was brought to me in 5 minutes. Just enough for one person. I began eating and I actually really like everything that I ate it all and 4 of the rolls of injera that came with it. He was attentive to me and asked if I wanted more injera. This will now be my go to spot for Ethiopian food and I didn’t even have to go to fair fax. I ate everything within 10 minutes. I was hungry and this hit the spot. I was greeted out so kindly. Maybe he thought I was cute but either way, very friendly service

Love love LOVE this place– it has a super authentic vibe and DELICIOUS food. As soon as you walk in it just smells incredible and there’s really nice African/​ehtipian art on the walls. Sometimes they even have the ehtipian news channel playing softly in the background which just ads to the experience.
Highly recommend I go here whenever I get the chance!!!

You can’t beat the price for the quality of food (and a full plate I might add)! The salad and greens were a little plain but everything else was simply delicious! This place is a great escape from the junk food in the area. I was pleased and will most certainly return.
Pros: Authentic, healthy items
Food is yummy
Friendly staff
Fast service
Large portions
Clean restroom
Cons: no straw, but I didn’t ask for one.
In a very busy part of town

I can’t get enough of this place! I wish it was closer to me…
Each time I’ve come here the menu has changed slightly but the quality had always been amazing especially for the price.
I usually get the Vegetarian special because it offers many different flavors which are all delicious. It is definitely big enough to share with 2 – 3 people. The last time I went I got a bottle of their honey wine which was sooo good and only for 7 dollars?! I should of gotten 2 (jk).
The injera to eat the beans and lentils and Veges etc with is also very nice and fluffy.
As for the service, the waitress is there by herself so it may take awhile but she is very helpful and nice.
I highly recommend the honey wine.

I was doing a guest speaking engagement at USC, and I didn’t want to fight the traffic all the way home, so I figured, given how much I enjoy Ethiopian food, that I’d try this place, which seemed like a highly rated hole in the wall. I love places like that, so in I went.
While it may not be fancy, the place is cute – not much different than some of the cozier places on Fairfax.
I opted for the vegetarian special (which comes with a few more items than the vegetarian combo). Seemed like a good way to sample as much as I could. I asked for some water and went off to the bathroom. Returned from the bathroom – still no water. My food arrived, and I asked the waitress again if I could get some water. Never mind that I was thirsty, I needed to take some medication. In any case, not a huge deal; she brought the water and I began to eat. The food was generally tasty – there were various types of lentils (some of which packed some heat), beets, collards, a salad and an item or two I didn’t recognize. And then, while scooping up some beets and another veggie item, I came upon a long strand of what seemed like a hair. I showed the waitress, who conferred with another woman (who was apparently doing the cooking). She then returned. No, it wasn’t a hair, she told me, but rather a strand of silk – from the cook’s blouse. And that seemed, as far as I could tell, to make things all right in her eyes. It sure looked like a hair, but even if it’s part of someone’s clothing (how does a strand of silk come off while you’re cooking?), that’s not supposed to end up in my food either.
I was more finished than not, and given that there was no offer even to replace the parts of the combo that were affected, I did my best to eat around what was left (I was still hungry, after all), paid and left. I get that things can happen, but how a restaurant responds to its mistakes tells you a lot. And they choked. Given the rarity with which I’m in this part of town, I think it’s highly unlikely I’ll be back.

Pros:
–The service is nice and quick
–The food is good!
–They bring you lots of nice warm injera with your meal.
Cons:
–It’s in a strip mall, and the ambiance is meh
–No lamb :(

The food is great came out pretty quickly. Second time we were there it tasted a lot better. The waitress was very nice and the prices are pretty much the same like the other restaurants.
Would definitely go back.

My first check in as an official angelino. Just finished setting up my apartment and decided i would scope out what grub I have around my spot. Found this joint on Unilocal and decided today was the day to give it a try. This is my first time trying Ethiopian food so I have nothing to compare it to. I tried the beef. Comes on a huge piece of ingeri (Ethiopian bread) and Served with a side salad and more bread on the side. Rules that that you use the bread you are served first to scoop the meat then you use the bread it is served on to finish the job. The food was very tasty. The ingeri is a spongy porous bread with a hint of bitterness to it. Dip that bad boy in the stewed beef sauce and wham!!! The wait was a little long but this place will become one of my go to spots. Next time I’m going for the veggie platter !!!

Good food. Not the best Ethiopian I’ve had, but fine nonetheless.
A bit hard to find as its located inconspicuously in a strip mall and the signage doesn’t say the full name on it.
When we first walked in, we didn’t really know where to go or what to do and we couldn’t find anyone to help us. Turns out the waitress was in the back, but once she noticed us standing there, she was extremely nice and friendly in helping us decide what to order.
Overall, I had a good experience, but the food itself was pretty lackluster. I’ve been to a lot of Ethiopian restaurants and this was nowhere near the top of the pack. The food was pretty bland and none of the items were real standouts. It’s too bad because I really really wanted to love it.

My friends and I love gathering here to share a meal. My favorite is the veggie special. The food is plentiful and full of flavor. Hot tea here is delicious! It takes a while to prepare – so call in advance if you’re in a rush. Definitely worth the wait. Also, sometimes their credit card machine isn’t working, so make sure you bring cash!
Love love LOVe this spot.

I love this place! So yummy and super reasonably priced. The service is excellent and the people who own it and work there are really nice. The Veggie platter and the special are super good and a lot of food. I’ve been there 2x and had a great experience both times. Can’t wait to go again!

I have NEVER experienced such terrible service in my life. The woman didn’t even greet us and was only kind to select customers. I asked for a spoon to eat my vegetarian platter and she rolled her eyes at me. She brought it out and proceeded to grab the injera, tear it, stick it on top of the lentils, and say «You eat it like this! Like a tortilla!». I did not want her sticking her hands in my food and I never asked for her input. I only had a bit of food left and she rolled her eyes when I didn’t want a box.
She was incredibly rude and condescending. I wish I could give this place zero stars. It’s shocking that the ratings are so high.

Another great mom and pop Ethiopian place in LA (Outside of Little Ethiopia in the busy street of Fairfax). for all the ethiopian places I’ve been in LA, this is so far the best one I want to recommend my Unilocal friends to dine there one day whenever you guys are craving for ethiopian foods. Great thing about this place is that the owner/​chef named ALAM (?) prepares random veggie items you won’t find in other ethiopian places in fairfax such as the beet with carrots and tofu dips (?), and she randomly changes veggie items each time I dine there. So, you won’t know which veggie items they have whenever you order veggie combo. Another item I forgot to mention is fish tibbs which is also unique items in this place unlike ethiopian places in the fairfax. Fish tibbs are also great because it seasoned with spiced Ethiopian ghee (clarified butter) with bell peppers and onions. Fish tibbs also melts in my mouth just after one spoon of eating that one.
Although this place is located in shady areas, but flavors of foods and great services are the reasons that I occasionally dine there.
Minus one star for charging one dollars when I make credit card payment.

Finally! I don’t have to drive all the way to Fairfax for some good Ethiopian food! Palm Grove is not only closer to me but the food is on par or a bit better than the restaurants I’ve tried in Fairfax.
Located in a bit of a sketchy strip mall, this tiny hole-​in-​the-​wall is quite easy to miss as I was in the parking lot and still had trouble finding it lol. Anyways, as mentioned earlier, the food definitely did not disappoint. I had the veggie combo (a must have) and their awaze tibs. The veggie combo is huge and a good deal for only $ 11. It has some of everything with lots of variety. The awaze tibs were PERFECT. It had some good savory heat to it but not unbearably spicy like I’ve had at other places. Their injera was delicious and plentiful and they even gave us extra with our to-​go box. Prices are good and I’ll definitely be back.
P. S. If you’ve never tried Ethiopian food here’s a tip: DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT come here with only mere acquaintances. You really gotta know and love the people you’re coming with as you’ll all be eating with your hands, licking the delicous food from your fingers and repeatedly dunk your nasty dripping hands back into the communal food plate. Now there’s a true test of intimacy ;) Cheers!

Eating injera is like re-​experiencing your first kiss — soft, soggy and a little weird because you don’t know whether you like it or not.
I am no Ethiopian food connoisseur but my taste buds like to be adventurous and I was in the area on a Sunday around noon and in the mood for something new. Palm Grove is situated in a random plaza in East LA and easy to miss. I’m sure I’ve driven past it before and didn’t give it a second glance. I’m glad my dining companions and I decided to give it try though, because it certainly was a fun and exciting experience!
The first thing you should do when you get into the restaurant is WASH YOUR HANDS. Ethiopian food is meant to be shared and eaten with your hands so it is also in your best interest to force your dining mates to wash their hands as well. Enforce a thorough washing policy all around!
We were the only ones in the restaurant at 1pm on a Sunday afternoon. The hostess was extremely welcoming and recommended some great dishes. I loved that she was honest and didn’t try to push us to order more than we needed. She genuinely seemed to care about whether or not we liked the food and checked in on us frequently.
Four of us split a vegetarian combination platter ($ 9.99) which was a big piece of injera bread with red lentils, split peas, collard greens and shiro and azifa on it. This was so much fun to eat and share. I’m not really a huge fan of lentils or split peas but I enjoyed tasting the different flavors and touching my food with my hands. The injera bread is a little sour and comes rolled up on a plate. It resembles a brown hot towel or maybe a porous sponge? Doesn’t sound appetizing, I know, but it was a unique taste and went well with the food it came with.
We also ordered the yawaze tibs ($ 10.99) which is a beef dish sauteed with onions, garlic and spiced butter in this delicious meaty sauce. In contrast to the vegetarian platter, this was full of zest and flavor. The meaty sauce spread all over the injera bread? Heavenly.
Although we only ordered two items, this was the perfect amount of food for the four of us. AFFORDABLE. The waiter even offered us more bread in case we were hungry. Only sad part was that they were out of baklava for the day so no dessert for us.
There is something magical about physically breaking bread with your friends and sharing a meal. It was a unique experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I can’t say if Palm Grove is the best due to my lack of experience in trying Ethiopian places but I can say that if you have never had this type of cuisine before, go out on a limb, pay Palm Grove a visit and experience your first injera kiss.

A disappointed birthday dinner. came here with first-​timers of Ethiopian food, but this place wasn’t up to par as my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in DC.
Negative point #1: It’s tucked in a very much deserted «strip mall», if you could say, in a shady area in downtown LA. Definitely would not come on this side of the city if I wasn’t coming here to eat.
Negative point #2: Upon walking in, I was first disappointed by the emptiness of the restaurant. We were the only customers on a Saturday evening 6pm.
Negative point #3: The place reeked of bleach /​hydrogen peroxide /​rubbing alcohol… It was so strong and weird because it was mixed in with the smell of the food.
Negative point #4: The waitress barely spoke English and ended up charging us an extra dish that we didn’t order… too much food.
—-On a brighter note — –
Positive point #1: Well, it’s still Ethiopian food. Even though it wasn’t quite up to par, I still enjoyed wrapping the various sauces + mashed up beans with injira and eating with my hands.
I’m not giving up though. there’s a few more Ethiopian restaurants in LA that I have yet to try… hopefully the next one will be better.

I’ve been craving Ethiopian ²⁴⁄₇ recently. So when my BF and I couldn’t figure out what we wanted for lunch we decided to try this place that I had bookmarked.
The place is a little hard to find since the sign is written in super small font in a plaza full of big bright signs. It’s in the plaza on the southwest corner of Washington and Western if anyone has trouble finding it.
We were the only ones in the restaurant since we didn’t get there until 2pm. We decided to order the vegetarian special and the awase tibs.
We were given a basket of dried injera with an amazing cilantro based sauce. The sauce was really spicy but also had a sweetness to it that we loved.
Our food only took about 15 minutes to come. Our server was so friendly and chatty and told us about how she was just a volunteer helping out her friend the chef.
There was no talking once we started eating because it was SO GOOD. The injera here was the best I’ve ever had. It was so soft and springy. The server recommended we eat the green sauce with some of the items and it made it that much better.
It’s now 5 hours after we finished our lunch and I am still stuffed. I also have a huge to go box full of food for the next two meals.
This place is right next to the pizza place I go to when I don’t feel like cooking and now I can come here for a fresh delicious meal instead!!!