Zemam’s Ethiopian Cuisine Review

Eating at Zemam's feels like being invited to a dinner party in a cozy home.
The three-item samplers are perfect. One sampler is great if you want a solid meal: two can share for a light meal. The injera is delicious and surprisingly filling.
The only thing I would change is to add some kind of sound dampener, like inconspicuous pads or thicker curtains, etc. to make it a little less loud in there.

Every time I have gone here for 20+ years it's always the best. Love taking friends and family there

Oh my God! I've been to Ethiopian places all over the country and this place is fantastic! Kind of small and busy (expect to wait for a table). But the wait is worthwhile. The injera was fabulous. Sweet and moist, totally delicious. We had three different wats and all were great. I also highly recommend the lamb, never had braised lamb that delicious before.

Do yourself a favor. Go here and eat. You will be grateful.

Great experience; delicious cuisine! Visited with my daughter and granddaughter while visiting Tucson. I'll definitely return on a future visit!

Absolutely amazing!!! One of my favorite comfort foods! It Is family run and just a great place BYOB

Always delicious and priced very modestly. If you haven't had Ethiopian this is a great place to check it out. They have 2 locations in Tucson, I have only come to this one since I live close.

Don't forget that they don't serve alcohol, but they do have a very reasonable corkage.

One of my favorite restaurants in Tucson, excellent Ethiopian food, an interesting atmosphere, and quality service all for a reasonalbe price.

Awesome food... They made excellent gluten - fee (teff only) injera with advance notice. Both vegetable and meat dishes were great.

Really delicious food and courteous staff. We ordered a sampler with spicy chicken, a beef dish and some red lentils. Was enough for three but we weren't very hungry then.

I recently arrived in Tucson so I was looking around for a place to eat at and found Zemam's. I decided to give it a try since I never had Ethiopian food before..... MAN! IT WAS THE BEST DECISION I EVER MADE!!! The service was great, the staff were friendly, the tea was delicious and the food was SUPERB. I will be stopping by again and again and again!

Hvac techs from Arico plumbing heating and cooling love Zemam's. They love the food and service.

The menu is a little confusing here. Just get the samplers. The owner is very friendly, and will help you choose a great combo. I recommend the red lentils and the lamb.

Theyve expanded but still kinda small. Love this place

It's still open, but just for carryout. Regardless it is as delicious as ever. We've tried Ethiopian restaurants in CA, NY and MI. Nothing compares to Zemam's. Its simply amazing and very affordable. I highly recommend it.

AMAZING food . Ate there since i was little, until we moved to Phoenix. but any time we vistit Tucson its a must have !

It was not crowded on Sunday night. Service was great, very personable staff person. Food was excellent and flavorful as always.

To be honest, I've never had Ethiopian food elsewhere, so I can't compare. But I can say that I really REALLY like the food served at Zemam's. I've never ordered an item I didn't like there and just thinking about the Yedoro Alicha makes my mouth water. I usually go with three friends and we split two sampler platters (12.50) between the four of us and walk away very full, so it's a pretty economical choice too. The Ethiopian iced tea is also fantastic.

Delicious food! Nice variety of meat and veg dishes.

Didn't know what to expect ~ beware, new diners to Zemam's &/or Ethiopian food (such as I): no utensils, Asian-style family serve. So, what did I think of it? You walk into basically a house. It looks small at first, but extends out into several separated dining rooms. Walls are decorated with interesting drawings; the ambience is much like one of those Asian cheaper diners. Good for a date too!
We ordered two combos, a Mixed Veg. & Meat Sampler, and an All Veg. Sampler, consisting of:
Yesimir Wat, Fossulia, Gomen Wat, Yesimir Kay Wat, Gomen Alicha, and Shiro
Doro Wat (Chicken)
They provide you with a plate of Injera, kind of like a spongy flatbread, used to pinch a mouthful of a dish, put it in your mouth, and say "mmmm". :-)
We split the meal between the 3 of us, equaling to about $12 each. Not bad! They did charge us for a double coffee, tho... must tell them next time.

Amazing vegan options, full of flavor & not too spicy. I recommend getting the sampler and trying a few different flavors out!

Place is amazing very diverse menu meat wonderfully savory and veggie options 10/10

Food was amazing. Service was excellent. Very family friendly. The coffee is a must.

First experience with ethiopian food, it was all amazing. Don't go spicy if you don't want really spicy! Iced tea wonderful. I will definitely be back.

Zemam's was my introduction to Ethiopian cuisine, which quickly became my new favorite ethnicity of food! Delicious.

Delicious home made cooking. First time trying Ethiopian food and it was amazing!

Great food, friendly staff, good prices. Best in Tucson

Delicious food. While the meat dishes were absolutely delicious, the vegetable ones really stood out the most to me. I ll happily place a fully vegetarian order from them again and know that I ll be quite content. Staff is wonderful, too!

Zemam's is my and my wife's favorite restaurant in Tucson. Hands down, no questions, 100%, not even close. If you like flavorful, spicy food, look no further. And it's so reasonably priced! Pro tip, bring a bottle of red wine - the corking fee is like $2.00 lol

Fantastic service! Lovely atmosphere! Authentic flavor! May The Most High bless this family. Peace <3

Very good. Very different,and unique. Not for the unadventurous.

Amazing! So accommodating, I called ahead for GF option and they were so kind. Delicious food, so flavorful... if you've never tried Ethiopian food, you must, but make sure it's at Zemam's.

Different dining experience. Loved the different spices used in all the dishes. My faves of the night were the tea and the fish and collard greens dishes!

pretty disappointed, quick service but not friendly, clean, nice decor, plenty of gluten free injera but stingy portion and one dish was clearly burnt with no replacement, apology or discount. go to sheba or desta instead

It's a fun, quaint little restaurant to go to. It's in an old arts and crafts home right on Broadway. The food, service, prices and the staff are great.

Food was delcious! The waitress we had was very friendly and put up with all our questions. We had a big party and tried almost everything and there wasn't one thing I disliked. The dough they make is a bit like sourdough so be warned if you don't like, but I happen to like sourdough. Definitely check this place out. Been in Tucson for a long time.

This was my first time trying Ethiopian and it was wonderful! If you like Indian, you will likely enjoy Ethiopian. We tried about 15 different dishes and all at the table shared them. All were delicious!

Great Food - Ambience Lacking. No doubt this is a great place to bring friends and to enjoy authenticate African food. Delicious in every respect. My only complaints are: no liquor (but you can bring your own) and the interior (tables, chairs, etc) are straight out of a garage sale. Also, I ordered an 'Arnold Palmer' which was a combination of lemonade and spiced tea - I wont try that again!

Worst ethopiean food ever. Skimpy portions
Nasty food glutenfull injera
Only 3 veggies with the veggie sampler
Don't come here if your liking for traditional Ethiopian food.
Americanised. And expensive
BS

Food is SO good! Service was awesome! Gluten free and veggie options. Very flavorful. This place became an instant favorite for us

Amazing food, definitely going to come back when I'm in Tucson!

Great food and nice service. Wasn't able to eat in but they fixed great takeout.

Absolutely fantastic. We came in from up north and called in take out on our way to our rental place. Loved it. Excellent quality food. Loved the collared greens. The lentils were perfect. The kat watt zigni was to die for. The girl who answered the phone and brought out our food was super awesome.

Seriously. Don't think twice. Order from these folks. It's honestly amazing.

The food is spicy and tastes good. Noah was so helpful in recommending a great deal of tasty food.. Worth going there.

Nice home like dining, informal, just not my kind of food.

This was my first exposure to Ethiopian food, and now I'm hooked. For the amount of food you get it's reasonably priced, we didn't have to wait for a table at all, and it seemed very authentic. But again, it was my first time eating Ethiopian food so I can't really vouch for authenticity, still delicious though. I'd highly recommend it.

I've been wanting to try Ethiopian food for a while now so when we saw Zemam's while driving through I wanted to stop. My mom and I got a sampler with 6 different dishes and all were wonderful. I definately recommend stopping here.

The food and service are absolutely amazing. I never knew how much I loved Ethiopian food.

A must visit for anyone in Tucson. Great vegetarian options.

Wonderful food, service, ambience. Nothing not to like!

Great food, great setvice, wonderful place to take the kids so that will have to use their fingers.

Excellent. Not everyday that you eat the "plate" and "utensils" as well as the food.

A unique gem in Tuc-town that brings a great flavor! I recommend the veggie sampler with Ethiopian Iced tea. You can bring your own wine (corking fee) to the table here. Expect to eat with your hands, sharing from a dish in the middle of the table! Oh so good!

Cheap food for unreasonable money,expensive, not tasty.
Very disappointed. And I love Ethiopian food.
But not in this place.

Great food. The portions are generous and theres plenty to choose from. Bring a friend and share a couple of sampler platters. You'll want to try everything.

Great little place. Used to be a house. Everything is delicious. If you call ahead, they will make gluten free injera bread. This place is BYOB, so bring a bottle of wine. They provide glasses and an opener.

Fantastic food and great service. I don't live in Tucson anymore but when I visit the in laws I always make a trip to Zemams.

In love with this restaurant! I highly recommend eating here if you're looking for something new and affordable.

If you like eating with a fork and hate sharing food with people this is not the place for you. I love getting the samplier so I can try a little bit of everything and share with a friend. The Ethiopian tea is worth it too!

Just delicious. It's a unique experience with amazing food.

Bring your own bottle is nice. The food is such a departure from what I am used to, it is great.

The food was so delicious. Really enjoyed the lamb dish and the staff was friendly. Felt like I was eating at a friends house

Love love love !!!!! So delicious & I would go everyday if I could

It's ok, not bad food, just not my favorite cuisine. I prefer eating with utensils and have my own plate, rather than everyone smearing food from the pie tin in the center. The bread you swipe with, was slightly spongy and I felt bloated later. It's worth experiencing one time.

Very friendly atmosphere, flavorful Ethiopian food. Forks are provided on request, but are not necessary.

Small place but very tasty food and relaxed atmosphere.

Love love love this place!!! Fantastic food, clean restaurant and did I mention amazing food!

Great experience, food had a lot of flavor. If you are looking for a new experience, give this a try.

the food is fantastic, but they close between lunch and dinner, and Google does not reflect this. Manager was REALLY rude about it. I ate elsewhere.

Delicious authentic Ethiopian food, will definitely visit again next time I am in the area!

Our first experience with Ethiopian food. If you like Indian food, you d probably like this. Comfortable environment and tasty food.