A M Africa Restaurant - Kitchener

My experience at A M Africa on a Sunday night was overall positive. While I was disappointed that some menu items such as lamb and goat were not available, the waitress/owner recommended the meat and vegetable platter which turned out to be a giant and beautifully arranged plate of delicious food. We requested for spicy dishes and one of them had a nice kick, while the others were milder in flavor. The service was laid back but pleasant, with the waitress checking in on us once to see if we enjoyed our meal and later coming by to refill our water and bring us the bill. Overall, a good dining experience.

They didn't even let us park in the parking lot, told us they are closed, though we called from the street right out front and were told they are open. When I said "but at the door we were told its closed" the person on the phone said "oh I guess we're closed, then" I wouldn't trust the food. They likely spit on it and who knows what else, if you get in there.

I wanted to take my wife out for Ethiopian food after her graduation from Conestoga college ,out first choice was East Africa cafe located in downtown KItchener on Ontario street ,which serves up tasty Ethiopian food at a reasonable price we ate there before but were surprised to find it closed on a Tuesday ?I remembered there was another Ethiopian restaurant located on King St beside Rockway gardens named "A-M African restaurant" we proceeded there ,upon arrival the exterior of the establishment looked kind of run down ,with all kinds of stuff leaned up against the walls ,not very inviting to people passing by who might be curious to make a visit .Once inside we noticed most of the lights were turned off ,and it felt quite hot inside too after one minute a guy very casually wearing shorts and t-shirt asked us if we wanted to sit down and look at the menu .We found a seat in the dark dining room ,with no other customers in sight .When he returned to take our order we inquired about various vegetarian dishes (five of them) we were told they only had "two" of them of them ...upon hearing about the limited selection ,we choose a dish that was with potatoes ,carrots beans and spices served with the famous injurian bread .We ordered two Tusker beers and a ginger ale ,that came very quickly then we waited for what seemed like almost 45-50 mins for the food ,with no apology no interaction between when the drinks were served until the food arrived ,which we found strange because we were the only customers there so it's not like the kitchen was back logged with orders .Between the time he brought us the drinks ,and the the food it was almost one hour and we were quite hungry .The meal was a large portion ,the spices used were a bit overpowering ,understanding this is Ethiopian food I proceeded to eat .Because the portions were so large we could not finish the meal ,I had to go and ask for a take out box ,which the server just handed to me ,expecting me to do it myself I was kind of shocked because this is something they do for you as part of the service .Once I was done scraping the food into a Styrofoam container ,I paid with debit not leaving a good tip because of the bad service .The over all impression I had dining at A-M African restaurant was that they don't treat the restaurant like a business ,and don't really seem to care about repeat customers in the long run .No passion ,no desire ,just eat pay the bill and get out .The decor inside was a bit more well done than East Africa cafe ,but that couldn't help the overall dismal service and there was no Ethiopian music being played inside ,they have a large 50" TV located near the front entrance ,which was turned up very loud on the news channel CNN with a story about a police beating someone ,not very nice to experience when you are out for a night with your wife .My experience at this establishment is one of being over at someone's house who doesn't want you there and can't wait for you to leave .Which is a pity because most Ethiopians I have met were warm and hospitable and welcoming to visitors .If you want to try good Ethiopian food skip this place entirely and go to East Africa cafe' instead .there the food is better ,faster service ,and you will want to come back .

We were welcomed as soon as we got there by the lady that owned the restaurant. Very homestyle feeling!!She explained the menu too us and then offered suggestions for us. We decided on a bottle of wine (very reasonably priced), and a vegetable & meat sharing platter. It was quick, delicious, and spicy! Now I love spice so this was great for me!After dinner I had asked the owner how to make injera? She quickly offered me the recipe, told me where to fine the ingredients and offered for me to come back and make it with her for my first time. she gave me her number and said once I get all the ingredients call her and come back to the restaurant and we can make it together. Wow!! what an experience!Loved the food, loved the ambiance, LOVED THE HOSPITALITY!! Can't wait to come back!~Kit

My son wanted to take my wife (and others, 5 in total) out for an Ethiopian lunch so that she could experience the cuisine that he enjoyed while living in Africa. We tried going to the other East African restaurant in downtown Kitchener but they were closed. So, we decided to try A M Africa. When we got there, we were the only customers (and this did not change). The lights were mostly off and the restaurant was hot. The server turned on the lights and opened a side door for ventilation. The menu was sparse. The lunch options were not available on Sunday (which I could understand if there was more selection) so we ordered a vegetable and meat platter. Some of the dishes that we were hoping for were not available so we just went with what they had (tibs, chicken thighs and legs, beans, and potatoes). When it came, the injera was limp and soggy and came apart far, far too easily to be very useful. Too many of the dishes were too spicy. When this was mentioned to the waiter, his response was "that's Ethiopian food". I can understand that but we weren't asked how spicy we wanted the meal. My son's experiences at other similar restaurants were that the spiciness was far more variable, with concern given over what the customer might want. That was not the case here. We ate very little, which was handy because, other than the tibs, there wasn't a lot of quantity to justify the bill in the end. In addition, the atmosphere was poor. Besides what I described earlier, there was no music but there was a constant noise from the kitchen as the cook had constant conversations with people (perhaps on the phone, perhaps not). At the end, the bill was for $67. If the lunch (not dinner, mind you) had been great or even pretty good, I wouldn't have minded. But the lack of selection narrowed the possibilities, I guess. This was the least satisfying restaurant visit that I've had in recent memory. We will definitely not be back.