Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant: A Cleveland Gem Serving Authentic Flavors

Nov 11, 2025 0

Cleveland's culinary scene is ever-evolving, and Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant stands out as a unique and delightful dining destination. Located on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, Zoma offers a taste of authentic Ethiopian cuisine that caters to both vegans and meat lovers alike. This cozy eatery has garnered rave reviews for its flavorful dishes, friendly service, and inviting atmosphere.

A Culinary Journey to Ethiopia

Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant is a favorite for both vegans & meat lovers with its authentic Ethiopian food. All of our foods are prepared with imported Ethiopian spices blended daily. Our produce is always fresh and our sauces are prepared as ordered. The friendly staff and warm decor makes Zoma the perfect place to relax with family and friends.

The restaurant offers a wide variety of options from vegetarian, vegan and meat dishes, all of them distinctive, tasty and aromatic. The key to all the dishes are the spices.

Menu Highlights

Zoma's menu features a diverse selection of dishes, from flavorful vegetarian options to savory meat entrees. Here are some of the standout items:

Zoma Beef Tibs: Cubed tender beef marinated with our special sauce and fried with onion, rosemary, jalapeno pepper, and a touch of fresh garlic served in a sizzling pan.
Zoma Chicken Tibs: Cubed tender chicken marinated with our special sauce and fried with onion, rosemary, jalapeno pepper and a touch of fresh garlic served in a sizzling pan.
Zoma Lamb Tibs: Cubed tender lamb marinated with our special sauce and fried with onion, rosemary, jalapeno pepper and a touch of fresh garlic served in a sizzling pan.
Zoma Mushroom Tibs: Mushrooms marinated and sautéed with onion, garlic, fresh tomatoes and house sauce.
Tofu Tibs: Sauteed tofu with onion, garlic, ginger and other Ethiopian heartly spices.
Cabbage: Fresh cabbage and carrots sauteed with garlic ginger and curry.
Green Beans and Carrots: Fresh Green Beans and Carrots sauteed with garlic, ginger, and tomato sauce.

For those who want to sample a variety of flavors, Zoma offers combination platters:

Zoma Special Combo: Combination of Beef tibs, spicy beef stew, Home made cottage cheese and All 6 veggie dishes.
Meat and Veggie Combo: Comes with spicy beef stew and your choice of 3 veggie dishes.
Veggie Combo: Your choice of any 4 veggie menu items.
Veggie Combo: Your choice of any 3 veggie menu items.

To start your meal, consider these appetizers:

Tima tim FitFit: Pieces of injera bread mixed with chopped fresh tomato, onion, and jalapeno and Ethiopian Herbs.
Sambosa with Veggie: Veggie pastry filled with sauteed whole lentils, onions, and jalapeno pepper served with sweet chili.

And don't forget to indulge in a sweet treat with:

Baklava: Baklava is a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. It was one of the most popular sweet pastries.
Tiramisu Cake: Tiramisu is a coffee-flavoured pastry dessert.

The restaurant also offers a selection of wines, including Ethiopian honey wine.

How to Make Injera Ethiopian Flatbread

Customer Reviews and Dining Experience

Zoma has garnered high praise from its patrons, with many reviewers highlighting the delicious food, friendly service, and unique dining experience.

Here are some excerpts from customer reviews:

Read also: Authentic Ethiopian Cuisine

"This is by far our favorite place to eat in Cleveland. The staff are very nice and kind. It is very reasonable and you get generous quantities of food for the price. I would highly recommend this place."
"I just had one of the most delicious meals ever, at this restaurant. I’d never been there before but I’ll definitely go back. Very very satisfying - worth every dollar. The service was excellent as well."
"Beautiful restaurant with wonderful, friendly service. Food is DELICIOUS and the injera bread is the best I’ve ever had. We really, really loved our experience here so much we will be going there again soon, and often."

Many reviewers appreciate the authentic Ethiopian dining experience, which involves using injera bread to scoop up the food. The interior is clean and cozy. Themed art decorates the walls, the TV even plays Ethiopian music videos.

One reviewer shared their experience:

We started off with some coffee and Sambusa. The coffee was rich and herbaceous. I added a little bit of sugar, but it’s not necessary. It had a wonderful spiciness to it, like cumin or coriander. The Sambusa was crispy and had a delicious Lentil filling.

For dinner, we chose the Zoma Special Combo, a collaboration of meat and vegetable dishes with plenty of Injera bread. There was no silverware, so you use the bread as your utensils. We had so much fun picking at the massive plate and trying all the different selections. The flavors were rich, and the vegetable dishes were as tasty (if not more) than the meat dishes. If you need more Injera bread, just ask and they will gladly bring you more.

Everyone there was pleasant, and the owner thanked us personally as we left.

Hours and Special Events

Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday with the following hours:

Tuesday: Lunch (11:30am to 2:00pm) Dinner (4pm to 9pm)
Wednesday: Lunch (11:30am to 2:00pm) Dinner (4pm to 9pm)
Thursday: Lunch (11:30am to 2:00pm) Dinner (4pm to 9pm)
Friday: Lunch (11:30am to 2:00pm) Dinner (4pm to 9pm)
Saturday: Lunch (11:30am to 2:00pm) Dinner (4pm to 9pm)
Sunday: Dinner (3pm to 8pm)
Monday: CLOSED

Zoma also hosts special events, including Vegan Night on Wednesdays from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

Why Zoma Stands Out

Zoma stands out due to its dedication to authentic flavors, fresh ingredients, and warm hospitality. The restaurant's simple, vegetarian and vegan heavy menu is inspired by the fact that Ethiopia's Orthodox Christian community refrains from meat and dairy for much of the year - it's a perfect fit for modern, health-oriented diners. With vegetables so prominent in their cooking, Ethiopians have perfected wonderful spice combinations to enhance their deceptively simple dishes.