Meals By Genet

Meals by Genet is, without a doubt, my top recommendation for anyone seeking a truly unique and unforgettable dining experience in Los Angeles. This isn’t just a meal; it’s a culinary journey that rivals my best experiences from Napa to New York. The food here is elevated to an extraordinary level offering an authentic taste of Ethiopia infused with love and warmth. My go-to order? The Ethiopian tofu tips in homemade butter. It’s pure magic—simple, yet so profoundly flavorful. While the DoroWot often gets the spotlight (deservedly so), insiders know the tofu tips are where simplicity truly outshines. Pair it with an Ethiopian beer to start, and follow up with a dry Sauvignon Blanc for a great pairing. Genet, the heart and soul of this establishment, is a gem. Dining here feels like being welcomed into her home, where she masterfully guides you through the rich and vibrant flavors of Ethiopian cuisine. It’s no wonder the late, great Jonathan Gold praised this place as one of the best he’d ever experienced. This is my go to answer on if you had the choice for your one last meal. Thank you Genet.

This was my first experience having Ethiopian cuisine but this was the best place to start! Everything about this place is wonderful; the exceptionally kind staff, wonderful service, calm ambience, AMAZING food, and Genet herself even said hello to us. Couldn’t have asked for a better time. Thank you so much!!!

Fantastic veggie feast, lamb, and chicken tibs as always when we introduce friend after friend to this experience. So loud and echo-ey even those seated side by side could barely have a conversation, but our group had plenty of time to chat after we went home. Leftovers were kindly boxed for us--but in styrofoam boxes labeled recyclable type 6. Local cities recycling programs don't accept those, so it would be better to stop using styrofoam and switch to a more eco-friendly choice.

NOT worth the price. We ordered one vegetarian and one beef dish (and NO beverages) and it came to $90!! The waiter actually tricked us and brought more food then we ordered. It was like some sort of bait and switch game. We were with friends we hadn't seen in years, so we really weren't paying enough attention. When I brought it to the waiters attention that we only ordered 1 vegetable and 1 meat, they refused to take the extra meat dish off the bill... I've been around the world and I've never been treated so poorly in a restaurant before. They actually charged $4 for EACH teff bread. The waiter said something about wheat being cheaper and teff being very expensive. I've never been charged extra for the Ethiopian bread before. Then the waiter basically strong-armed us into getting four breads even though we only wanted 2. We asked the wait staff to give us a lot of alone time, since we hadn't seen these friends in 17 years, but they came over to the table every 5 - 10 minutes to interrupt our conversation. Like I said, the food was OK, I have had better Ethiopian for a quarter of the price. And considering they cheated us and would not fix the bill, I wish I could give them zero stars.