Scarborough's most authentic Ethiopian restaurant. Injera the size of the table, a rainbow of wots (stews), and the communal eating tradition that makes every meal feel like a celebration. The kitfo is a must for adventurous eaters.
Neighbourhood: Scarborough · Address: 3467 Sheppard Ave E, Toronto, ON · Hours: Mon–Sat 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM | Sun 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Price Range: $$ · Phone: (416) 913-8305 · Editorial status: Not yet verified
Berhane Ethiopian serves up Scarborough’s boldest trays of injera and wot, perfect for sharing with a hungry group. If you’ve ever wanted to try authentic kitfo at a spot where locals actually eat, this is your move.
Unlike the downtown Ethiopian restaurants, Berhane feels like someone’s kitchen—most patrons are Ethiopian regulars, and the staff will walk you through each dish if you ask. The injera here comes extra-spongy and tangy, arriving in massive sheets that genuinely cover most of your table.
Berhane Ethiopian is the anchor of Scarborough's Ethiopian dining scene — a restaurant that has been serving the city's East African community and adventurous diners from across the GTA for over two decades, maintaining the authenticity and generosity that defines Ethiopian food culture at its best. The restaurant's format centres on the communal experience of eating from a shared plate, using injera (spongy fermented flatbread) as both utensil and food.
Injera is the foundation of the meal. Made from teff flour — a grain indigenous to the Ethiopian highlands — and fermented for two to three days before cooking, it has a slight sourness and a porous texture that absorbs the stews and sauces placed on top of it. At Berhane, the injera is made in-house from teff imported from Ethiopia, and the quality shows: it tears cleanly, has the right level of fermentation, and holds a scoop of stew without disintegrating.
The stews (wots) that arrive atop the injera cover the range of Ethiopian cooking: misir wot (spiced red lentils), tibs (sauteed meat with onions and tomatoes), gomen (collard greens with spiced butter), ayibe (fresh cheese), and kitfo (minced beef seasoned with spiced butter and mitmita). The combination platter for the table is the recommended approach — a large injera spread with multiple wots arranged on top, covering vegetarian and meat options simultaneously.
The tej (Ethiopian honey wine) is the traditional beverage pairing and Berhane serves it properly — made from fermented honey with gesho herb, slightly sparkling, gently sweet and tannic. Dining at Berhane, eating with your hands from a shared plate, is one of Toronto's most genuine cultural dining experiences.
Ethiopian food is eaten communally from a single large plate, using pieces of injera (the spongy flatbread) to scoop stews and dishes. You tear off a piece of injera, use it to grab a portion of one of the wots (stews), and eat it as a single bite. No utensils are needed or expected. The shared-plate tradition is central to Ethiopian dining culture.
Injera is a sourdough flatbread made from teff flour, fermented for several days before cooking into a large, spongy crepe. It has a mild sourness from fermentation, a slightly spongy texture, and a neutral flavour that works with both spiced stews and lightly seasoned vegetables. At Berhane, the injera is made in-house from imported teff and is noticeably better than restaurants using commercial pre-made versions.
Order the combo platter for the table — it covers vegetarian wots (misir, gomen, ayibe) and meat preparations (tibs, kitfo) on a single large injera. For adventurous eaters, the kitfo (spiced minced beef) is the most interesting dish; order it leb leb (lightly cooked) if uncertain about raw. The tej (honey wine) is the traditional drink pairing.
Berhane Ethiopian is at 3467 Sheppard Avenue East in Scarborough, in an area with a significant East African community. It is accessible by transit via the 85 Sheppard East bus from Kennedy Station (Line 2). By car from downtown Toronto: approximately 30–35 minutes east via the DVP and Sheppard Avenue.
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