05/30/09

Off the beaten track

by Sherri323

This is a GREAT restaurant in the art walk district of Culver City. Ethiopian food was great and they had a terrific jazz combo. Relaxed and easy - you can bring kids. The owner is terrific. Food is a little slow coming out of the kitchen but worth being patient - just come and relax! Great street to walk and explore too.

• Pros: awesome food, great music
• Cons: takes a little while for food

Jazz it up and get down with East African cuisine and live music in the Culver City Arts District.

by Martha Burr

In Short
This airy cafe nestled among Gallery Row is cheery in the morning and romantic at night. Kinetic jazz-themed oil paintings pop on the olive and ochre walls, and live music plays most every evening. A vibrant mix of neighborhood artists, jazz lovers and expats come to get their groove while chowing down Eritrean dishes. Specialties include spicy fava bean stew, and chicken, beef or lamb dishes (tibisi, yetibs, kitffo) and vegetarian platters with cabbage, collards and lentils infused with East African spices.

06/23/08

Perfect Blend of Cultures

by Noel16

I love Industry Cafe` and Jazz. The combination of authentic delicious Ethiopian/Eritrean cuisine at a very reasonable price with the enjoyable jazz atmosphere is really what this city needed. I was getting tired of the walking into overated "exotic" restaurants that do not offer much in terms of ambiance other than mediocre food at unimaginable prices. This place invites incredibly talented jazz groups to perform at no cover charge to the customer (only a tip jar), and the personnel is very friendly and delightful. One small advise, when you go to this place and order a traditional East African food, please try to eat it the food with your hands (no utensils) the way the East African do (after thoroughly washing their hands of course)....it really adds to the flavor of the food. Other than that I recommend this place to anyone, whether you are a jazz lover or just want to take your date in a nice and inexpensive romantic spot.

03/01/08

A Very Disappointing Turn

by superfurry

The Industry Cafe has been open for a couple of years now and in that time I've visited no less than 6 or 7 times. I've always been delighted by the combination of a relaxed atmosphere, typically great live music (with no cover) and authentic Ethiopian food (also beer & wine) at very reasonable prices. After my experience last night, it seems clear that a change has occurred for the worse. First, the menu has changed in such a way that the cost of a meal for 2 people has doubled. A platter with 2 meats and vegetarian stews that once cost about $14 now costs over $30 since you have to actually order 3 dishes to recreate the platter. Honestly, I could have overlooked this since their food was indeed very cheaply priced. But what really put me over the edge was the bottle of wine. We ordered a bottle of white wine (no wine menu to speak of)... we were served a bottle of Charles Shaw sauvignon blanc (a marginally drinkable wine -- $2.99 at any Trader Joes)... and at the end of the evening our bill read $25 for the 1 bottle. Whoa!! I'd been thinking about it during our dinner: what price would be reasonable for this bottle in a restaurant? $18? $20? Yeah maybe... but $25? That's just sad. If you're going to aggressively gouge your customer on wine at least have the decency to go fetch something obscure so the illusion remains that you care about your customer's sensibilities. Word.