Mela Bistro Modern Ethiopian Cuisine is an intimate restaurant in uptown Oakland where you can gather with colleagues, family and friends. Mela Bistro offers selection of vegan, vegetarian and meat dishes including signature cocktails and homemade desserts. We invite you to visit and experience our delightfully creative food and hospitality.
A cozy, bi-level neighborhood destination offering Ethiopian fare, including vegetarian items. Based on 102 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.9 stars. Price $$
✔️ Dine-in ✔️ Takeout ✔️ Delivery
Address:
35 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: (510) 844-4886
Social Profile: 
Hours
| Friday | 5–9 PM |
| Saturday | 5–9 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday
(Labor Day)
|
5–9 PM
Hours might differ
|
| Tuesday | 5–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 5–9 PM |
| Thursday | 5–9 PM |
Menu
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Menu Photos
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Reviews
Jeanne Trang
i’ve never tried Ethiopian cuisine before, and I feel like Mela bistro was a great place to start as they had an easy-to-read and understand menu. The food itself was delicious, the location was easy to find and locate. I also appreciate how patient the staff members were as we went in an hour before they were closing! they were also really generous with allowing us and a couple of patrons to sit around till we were finished with our dinner. 10/10 would recommend yall stopping by to try out their food!! my friends and i tried the beef tibs ($18) & roasted peppers and berebere hummus ($10) which was fireeeee and something i’d for sure reorder when i stop by again!
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Becca Chidester
This was the best meal of my life!! I got the spicy beef tibs with injera and the sambusa. Both were so flavorful and filling! The staff were so nice and food came out quick. I would recommend to everyone!
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Brittany Roberts
A cute atmosphere with a good variety of tables that could seat large parties. I got the vegetarian platter and was blown away by the quality and brightness of the dish. I don’t usually get dessert but the citrus cake looked too good to pass up. It was very much worth it, just as amazing as the main meal. If you ever feel like you need a healthy home cooked meal than visit Mela!
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Angel & Angelica Beautiful Brown Adventures
Named by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the Bay Area’s Top 25 Restaurants in fall 2021, Mela Bistro is a feast for the senses and is a great kid-friendly option with high chairs and delicious eats for the littles.
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Carrie Z
Stopped by for a quick lunch and had the veggie platter with chicken. Very interesting veggie platter with colorful cabbage and beets and potato. We loved the carrots and green beans and yellow lentils and collards. Beets and potato were a little bland. Chicken was excellent with a nice heat even though it was mild. Injeera was good. Had to go back to work so we skipped the wine.
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One Venus
We dropped by to get a taste of Ethiopian food, and they didn’t disappoint us. The Asa Wot is nice and spicy like I wanted, and the ginger honey lemonade as cool and fresh. They had a private party going on upstairs but our server was very attentive to us also
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Anna Shova
Highly recommend! Chef incorporated modern and traditional techniques to spotlight the richness of Ethiopian cuisine. Beautiful ambiance, attentive service and lots of space for having special events with crafted delicious cocktails.
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Renee Kar-Johnson
Service was amazing. I loved the vibes inside. I got the lamb dish, and it was phenomenal 10/10. The meat was perfectly cooked, and the spices were all mixed perfectly. I’m not a salad person, but this salad was so yum LOL. We also got the veggie platter, and it was good but not to my taste. Most of the curries were served cold. I would definitely go again for the lamb:)
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Larry M
First time eating Ethiopian Food. I’m glad that we chose this place. Very clean, fantastic service and delicious food. We chose the lamb and chicken, both were incredible. Definitely coming back
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Jags Krishnamurthy
Small little gem with very welcome service. My wife and I are vegetarians and there was plenty to choose from. While the food was great their attentive service makes the place very memorable. The injera bread was soft and rolls and rolls of them are brought to the table. It can be had with so many different sides. The starter that looks like spanakopita was super tasty.
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