Enssaro Ethiopian Restaurant

Enssaro’s new Rockridge home continues a family story that many Oakland diners first encountered on Grand Avenue. The restaurant announced its new opening for July 31, 2026, and its current home is on College Avenue. Owner Nesanet Tamirue has described cooking learned from her mother and grandmothers; that inheritance gives the relocation a culinary continuity beyond a change of neighborhood.

The menu makes Ethiopian cooking approachable through clearly different preparations. Ye doro wot brings bone-in chicken and boiled egg together in a red sauce; lamb wot takes the slower path of meat simmered with berbere. Tibs move toward sautéed meat or mushrooms with onions, peppers, garlic and spices. Choosing between these preparations lets a diner think about the dish’s cooking method and sauce, rather than treating all Ethiopian food as one level of heat or one kind of stew.

The shared samplers provide an especially useful introduction. Vegetable combinations bring red lentils, split peas, greens and cabbage with potatoes and carrots into one order; larger combinations add seasoned chickpeas or mushrooms. Mixed meat-and-vegetable sets give a table another route through the menu. Injera accompanies that way of eating, and a separate teff option is listed for diners seeking gluten-free bread. Enssaro is a good fit for a group interested in sharing and comparing several dishes, with enough range to build a vegetable-centered meal or include substantial meat preparations. Its move gives established cooking a new Rockridge setting while keeping the family’s food at the center.

Sources: Enssaro: current Rockridge location and hours · Enssaro: dishes and shared samplers · Rockridge Voice: Enssaro's new home in 2026 · Enssaro Ethiopian Restaurant: Google Maps listing