Excellent food and service. A real gem in Tucson.
The food is outstanding and the staff friendly without being overly personable. I was shocked at how empty the place was when I went because the food was phenomenal. The scent of the spices perfumed the air while traditional African music played in the background. I was able to get a sampling of a few dishes both meat and vegan (it is absolutely vegan friendly) and everything I tried was fantastic and well-priced.
I've never had Ethiopian food before but Pete, one of 3 of us was a big fan of the Cafe Desta and he suggested "The Works", a tray with 15-16 different entrees.Pete was right. Each entree was very fresh, interesting and delicious. The tray served 4 and we could not finish. As much as we tried. The soft, moist flat bread, I think called something like"Irgoro" was delicious too. I've never had anything like it.Service was friendly, and helpful. Very inexpensive too. They don't serve alcohol but gladly furnished us wine glasses at on charge without our asking ad Pete had brought a bottle of a good test which was the perfect choice. 4-5 of the entrees were meat. Several were grains based sauces, each quite different. Several more were cooked vegetables such chard and spinach. 2 we're fresh, uncooked vegetables.I really liked this place. It's a hike from where we live but we will be coming often anyway.
Came here for the lunch special on a Sunday. Very casual environment and relaxing. The food was outstanding and the staff were very friendly. I would highly recommend trying this place as it was some of the best Ethiopian food I've had.
Richly flavorful Ethiopian food, ready in a jiff and at extremely affordable prices! $12 got us helpings of three different succulent vegan dishes, plus a pile of warm injera. This was a wholesome, nourishing lunch for two. The cabbage/potato/carrot dish was my favorite, with its rich turmeric taste, but it was all excellent!
this is one of my boyfriend and i’s favorite place to eat in tucson. everything we’ve ever ordered from here has been delicious, staff is very sweet, and prices are amazing. pictured is the vegan platter but lately we’ve been getting the $10 lunch specials with 3 entree choices + injera or rice. and i always have enough leftovers for us to share for another meal. we love cafe desta <3
Great place for real Ethiopian food and different types of coffee. They have order in or take out, and the food is spectacular. We had the veg/meat combo which let's you choose 5 meat or veggie items for two people at about 30$, but it easily fed us three. Good option for excellent grub.
We eat here 2 - 3 times every year when we're in town for the crystal show and it gets better every year. The vegan sampler platter is incredible and feels medicinal for days after. So many great spices and herbs. The owners are amazing!
...An open and friendly dining room. The locals that were there were very encouraging and helpful. The owner can be very proud of his offering. Everything we had...combo for two... was fresh and tasty. Spices were just right. I don't know if they were authenticate or adjusted for a western customer but we were very satisfied.
We went here last month for dinner, on a whim, and am so happy we ended up here! It’s a small place so get there early (I don’t know if they accept reservations). We got the vegan 8-meal sampler and it was plenty for the three of us. We even had enough to bring home. It’s a fun experience using the pancake-like bread as scoopers to eat with. The plate was the size of a large silver pizza tray!