This restaurant has come a long way since 1999 -- there are more traditional dishes, and they have done a good job of making sure you now get your food and drinks quickly. This is one of the few places in the bay area you can get a hemingway daiquiri, empanadas, and a wide selection of seafood and cuban-california fusion. Authentic cuban food lovers should still head down to san jose, but this is a great place to hang out and to meet people for drinks.

Seemed overpriced. The service was good, but the food did not come quickly -- the kitchen seemed slow, even for a friday night. The food is well presented, but there is not much of it. This is definitely more california than cuban, and the cooking and flavours reflect that. The decor and atmosphere was nice and seemed to reflect the spirit of the restaurant, but disappointingly, the food didn't. Nice for yuppies, but not gourmets.

Rasselas cuisine has improved markedly over the last few years,and it seems to have maintained its reputation as a great placeto go to listen to jazz. The menu is a bit more limited thansome ethopian restaurants, but all the dishes are excellentand the only downside is that the small quarters can get somewhatpacked. Not the place for an intimate conversation, but aperfect place to take a group of friends or music lovers, and anexcellent all around deal considering the price and includedentertainment.

This place has really fantastic deli sandwiches andthe best crab salad sandwiches I've ever had. Friendlystaff, and a great place to go for a casual lunch.

This is the best ethopian food I've had in the east bay.The injera is perfectly done, and the doro wot (spicy chickenstew) and vegetable combination we had were both excellent.The restaurant has plenty of seating, both indoor and outdoor;in fact, it seemed that not many people knew of this place, because otherwise it would be packed.Although the lighting and decor leave a little to be desired,the staff was very pleasant and competent.I'd highly recommend this restaurant, both as your first placeto eat ethiopian, and just for the general quality of the food!

This is still my favorite restaurant, and in my opinion it has the best ethiopian food in the bay area. For those who haven't had it before, ethiopian food is typically served as several stews (or wots) on top of a large round dish containing a base of flat injera bread. The injera (fermented flat bread, much like what a sourdough pancake would be like - except made from teff flour) is perfectly done at Shebele, with just the right tang. Additional pieces of injera are given to individual diners to scoop up the stews with, and most people eat in this communal style rather than keeping entrees in separate dishes. It is better if you can go with a few friends to try out the variety of dishes that are there. My personal favorite is the doro wot (spicy chicken stew), which is just hot enough to complement and not overpower the chicken, and the lentil stews (yi-kik-alitcha and others I don't remember) are the tastiest rendition of lentils of any cuisine. The service can be a little slow if they are busy (I suspect they are family run -- there are never more than a couple of waitresses and usually the same one), but the waitresses are extremely polite, very helpful, and serve the food with grace and flair. There are traditional (ala Addis Ababa) Ethiopian chairs and tables and an Ethiopian coffee service (even if you don't get the service, try the coffee...they roast the beans fresh in the traditional manner -- it is strong, but good!). And if you are a wine drinker, the honey wine (tej) is an excellent complement to the meal as well as somewhat of an interesting novelty to most Americans. I highly recommend the experience -- if you try it once, you'll probably come back.