This was my very first time having Ethiopian food. I'll admit, this cuisine never really stood out to me and after seeing it on Yelp's top 100 restaurants this year I knew it was time to give it a try. We came on a weeknight evening and had to wait briefly for a table. Between the three of us we shared the GS Special which has a combination of chicken stew, beef stew, and 8 vegetarian side dishes. This was the PERFECT introduction to Ethiopian food and I was completely blown away. The bread is a bit difficult to describe, but is very light and spongey and absorbs the sauce and flavors of the dishes so well. We also ordered the Ethiopian smoothie (for aesthetic purposes of course) and the fruit flavors were extremely fresh. It might be tough coming here with a larger party especially since the seating area is limited. It took a little bit of time for the food to come out, but it's a small family-owned place so please be patient- it is 100% worth the wait! I was surprised to stumble upon this hidden gem. If you've been hesitant about trying Ethiopian food, this is your sign to come and try!

Been coming here with friends and family several times, I wanted to update a review since it's been a while. Very wholesome staff! They make you feel welcomed and attentive even though they get really busy (we hear the phone calls and people coming in for takeout!). Although when it does get very busy, please be patient!! They will definitely take care of you and will make sure you eat well. Please understand and do not rush them, make sure if it's busy then you have time to wait for a table, it is worth it! You can also order take out as well. You can sit in the dining tables or the Gursha Corner. They don't have as many tables but every time I've come we were able to be seated. We usually order beef and veggie platter, enough for 3 of us. Given we had 5 people, we ordered the GS special as well which came with an additional dish of chicken (boiled egg and chicken drumstick). Each platter comes with extra injera on the side plate. Very delicious, we were almost able to finish both platters amongst the four of us, but we only had some injera left. Bathrooms are clean and single gendered, located in the back. I do want to order their smoothie next time when I come back again.

First time trying Ethiopian food and it was such a great experience. The combo is definitely enough to share with 2, maybe even 3 people. It's a great little family owned place and you see the whole family helping out. Everyone is very friendly and will give you tips if it is your first time. The food is so fun to eat as you use your hands to grab the bread and sides to combine flavors. All of the sides are full of flavor and it was great to try everything in one platter. Would definitely come back.

Look how beautiful this food is, tastes as good as it looks. We ordered the #13...basically a sampler of everything ...serves four no problem, only $35. Support this mom and pop restaurant...its casual, it's good a small store of Ethiopian products...artwork on the ceilings....a flatscreen TV with Ethiopian music and dancing. I loved the homey ambiance. You eat with your hands. It's a friendly way to dine. But you can always get spoons and scoop good stuff o to your plate. Vegans, you can find happiness here. The meat offerings are tasty too. Big happy thumbs up on the injera....go and find out what it is. As good if not better than all the Ethiopian places on Fairfax in Beverly Hills adjacent...the SGV has good quality Ethopian food. Celebrate by going to GS!! Thanks Yelp for the recommendation l!!

5 stars for taste, price, and portion. Our party of 3 came on Sunday at 11:30 am, and we did not have to wait. We tried to pick a table father inside because the sunlight bounced off the cars out front and straight into our eyeballs (facing the door). Service was a little slow, but friendly and helpful. We reviewed the menu and chatted for awhile. I later walked to the front since I saw a payment kiosk, but the employee said he would come to us. He explained that the bread should be used to pick up various dishes and eaten with the hand. Since I had a cold, I requested a fork and was given an additional spoon for communal use. DRINKS ORDERED - Ethiopian Spiced Tea ($3). I enjoyed my hot black tea brewed with cinnamon, cardamon, and cloves. It was made plain without sugar. - Ethiopian Smoothies ($5.90). The drink was gorgeous! I watched jealously as everyone else took a sip and exclaimed in excitement. I heard it was delicious blend of strawberry, mango, and avocado. FOOD ORDERED We shared the newly added GS Special ($35). The menu said it serves 2-3+ which was accurate. We actually had two more servings left over! Here's what came out on the platter: - Doro wot stew (chicken leg & hard boiled egg) - Key wot (beef stew with berbere spice) 8 vegetarian dishes corresponding with menu items 4-11: - Misir wot (red lentil stew) - Misir alecha (yellow lentil stew) - Kik wot (yellow split pea stew) - Shiro (chickpea stew). I don't think we got to try it on that day. I heard our server tell another table they were out of shiro, and there were only 7 dollops of veg on our platter. - Atkilt (cabbage and carrot) - Fasolia (string bean, onion, and carrot) - Key sir (red beets) - Gomen (simmered collard green) Every dish tasted great! My top 3 were the doro wot, misir alecha, and fasolia. The spongy and sour injera soaked up the sauces. I could be wrong, but I think the niter kibbeh (seasoned clarified butter) provided an intense umami flavor. If I had to nitpick, I would have preferred the injera warm. The injera was cold, even the piece covering the plate. The curry stews were also quite oily.

I could see why this is a popular place. The food here is phenomenal and it's a great dining experience. We're honestly unfamiliar with Ethiopian food so this was a great introduction. We ordered their combo which included meat. We enjoyed the vegetable sides more so than the meat, but chicken and beef were both still great. The sourdough was a stunner and this was a dining experience that involved different textures. Next time, we'll just get the vegetarian option. The service was as fine. It was a bit hectic and it took us a while to get seated, but it's understandable and doesn't take away from the restaurant. They are busy and understaffed. The restaurant itself looked fine. It had Ethiopian decor and music playing, which elevated the dining experience. It was enjoyable and worth going back for take out.

It is located in a non-descript strip mall in Covina. My suggestion is to go right at opening. We were there by 10:45am and we were second in line. By the time they opened at 11:03am, there was a long line behind us. Minutes after we were seated, four more parties came in and it was a full house! The restaurant has little touches of Ethiopia here and there. I'm unfortunately unfamiliar with their culture and I intend to remedy that soon. They sell fabrics and little knickknacks from the country in a small corner of the restaurant (see photos). I'll check it out more throughly the next time I go. We weren't that hungry but as it was close to noon, we ordered the GS special. They offer no utensils as you're supposed to eat with your hands (although I'm sure you can request them) - you use the injera (soft sourdough) to pinch the food with. The injera serves as the delivery system. It was a sizeable plate that was perfect for us 3. We even had leftovers to take home. It had chicken, beef, beets, vegetables, and just the most delicious things I don't even know the names of. I just kept eating, man. Every bite was different from the one that came before it. It was a flavor explosion! For $35, all that yummy goodness? And you eat with your hands? It was such a great experience. So much bang for your buck. The server was kind and attentive enough despite the crush of people at lunchtime. He kept our water glasses full and checked on us every now and then. It's a great place to grab authentic Ethiopian food and parking is not a problem. If you're adventurous and want to try something outside your comfort zone, dine at this place and thank me later!

The veggie platter was SO GOOOOOD and they gave us plenty of injera. I will come back here for Ethiopian. Prices are very reasonable as I've had pricier Ethiopian in Los Angeles.

Came out to check out GS Cafe & Ethiopian Cuisine which was also featured on Yelp's top 100 of 2024 and is ranked number 4!! Located in the city of Covina this place was packed for dinner time. We came in early to beat the rush but while sitting here tables of friends and family were coming in to also enjoy a tasty meal. Ethiopian food is nice because it is a large platter of food that you share with the people who are at the table. You also eat with your hands and use this interesting bread called injera which is sourdough made, to put either meat or vegetables in it. Fun times and a must just to try some traditional Ethiopian food! Bring a few friends or family members with you because the platter is large and very sharable.

Fantastic gem of a neighborhood restaurant that feels family owned and operated. Now, I have eaten Ethiopian food a few times in my life, but I can't say I'm too familiar. That said, I felt like I was enjoying an authentic home cooked meal here. The person that was serving me was very helpful in helping guide me to make up my mind what I wanted. Also, keep in mind that because this feels like a family operation, the food doesn't come out super fast. So if you want a quality home cooked meal feel and are not in a hurry, this is the spot. Of the few times I've been to an Ethiopian restaurant before, I usually get the variety platters that come with the bread or injera. I was really close to ordering the veggie platter here (looked really good), but it was more well suited for multiple people. I ended up ordering the doro wat or the chicken stew (I do love a good stew). There was tons of flavor and spices, without being too spicy in terms of making sweat, haha. Each bite was fragrant and very enjoyable. It was fun soaking up all that flavor into the provided injera as well. I also ordered the tej. The server let me try a little before I committed to ordering a whole glass (which is more like a mini bottle with a cup on the side). I appreciated that because it's similar to meads in other cultures, but mead isn't for everyone. I enjoyed the flavor, so I ordered the glass. There was a slight effervescence and a little thinner that I expected. Almost like a soft drink, but not really... the flavor was delicious and I enjoyed it a lot! Coming here is like a full on cultural experience. There was TV playing music videos from what I assume is Ethiopian culture. There was plenty Ethiopian decor that adorned the walls. Parking was easy. This place is located in a strip mall with plenty of parking (I came on a weeknight so it's possible it just wasn't busy)