Sunset Cafe — Restaurant in Seattle

2025 update: food still delicious but be careful with pickup/takeout orders. We called ahead for a Sunset Combo and the special avocado salad. We got two injera and a container with only small amounts of various meat dishes - a dab of gomen and no other veg dishes at all (so nothing like the photo) and no avocado salad. (You would think with all the Ethiopian and Eritrean eateries in Seattle that someone might come up with appropriate takeout serveware.)

2024 update: I wouldn't have believed the food could get any better, but I would have been wrong. Our Sunset Combo today was even more delicious than before. The Doro Wat was nice and spicy. Just know if you order for pickup that they might not pack the injera on the bottom of the container and instead they provide two injera on the side. Next time we'll order extra.

And one comment for the reviewer who thinks Sunset should move... Sunset Cafe is a part of this community, like all the other small shops and eateries. It belongs HERE, and IMO if you don't like it, it's you that should move.

Just a little neighborhood eatery, and not very grand from the outside, but the food is off the chain. I really appreciate that they don't water down the seasonings to attract non-East-African customers. We got the Sunset Combo (pictured) and the Avocado Salad (which is just avocado and a bit of tomato, with a nice sour-salty dressing, and some onion and jalapeño to add even more flavor. Plus they serve it with crusty Vietnamese bread - gotta love the South End.)

The Combo has the usual variety - with LOTS of meat dishes. The yellow split peas could have used a little more seasoning the last time we ate from Sunset Cafe, but otherwise the whole plate was pretty much perfect. Two of us ate half the combo for dinner and I had leftovers for breakfast and lunch the next day.

Plus there's a full bar and we plan on going back for a little night out.

Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurants come and go in Seattle, but Sunset Cafe appears to be a keeper. It's become our go-to spot for...

I am sad to say this was unlucky #13 of my Ethiopian restaurant experience. Honestly it was the worst over all out of all 13 so far. It was Ethiopian food so it was still "good" but the yebeg alicha was the second worst I have ever had. The Misir Wat (Ethiopian Spiced Red Lentils) and Yekik Alicha (Turmeric Yellow Split Peas) were the worst I have ever eaten by far. I only had one bite of each it was truly not good at all. The Injera we had was kinda doey in places but the areas that were properly cooked had a decent flavor. The price and service was good. It certainly is a neighborhood hangout spot, that is kinda fun. Overall we wished we picked one of the many other options we had in Seattle. I am concerned that this place was very well reviewed for Seattle I might just skip Ethiopian if I am ever in town again. But I doubt it I...

Really wanted to like this place but felt the service was really not good, the server rarely checked on us and there was some real communication issues about getting some water to drink on a hot day. The food also took a very long time to come out and one of my group was ready to leave due to the wait. When we did get the food it was pretty good but the injera was a bit stale/dry and not as moist as expected from previous experience. We also got fuul and while I haven't had the dish many times I don't think it traditionally should remind me of cafeteria chili con carne. Not a bad taste at all, just not what I was expecting. I understand they seemed to be understaffed so I don't want to be too harsh but I want to let others know there is a lot of room for...