Semai Restaurant & Lounge in Noordelijke IJ-oevers West

Perfect place for gluten free food!! We really had a great time, food was delicious and we loved the experience & atmosphere. Also the owners spread a friendly and chill vibe. Looking from the outside you might have some doubts due to the dark „garage entry“, but you miss out big if you skip!

The ambience is very nice, as is the service. The food was great.

Jambo.Perfect super food. Traditional very good cuisine. 10 out of 10 stars. Unique experience. Very good. Hakuna matata.

What a lovely find! The food and atmosphere of Semai Restaurant are amazing! We are definitely coming back, thank you for this great dinner!!

Everything was 10/10! So delicious

This is an outstanding Eritrean-Ethiopian restaurant -- the best in Amsterdam, hands-down. Possibly the best in the Netherlands. We've eaten at Eritrean-Ethiopian restaurants around the world, including Washington DC and Oakland, California, where there are large Eritrean and Ethiopian populations and great restaurants. Semai is up there with the best of these. We had the doro wat (spicy chicken) and the vegetarian sampler. A must for anyone who loves this cuisine or wants to try it out. (Also-- a very lovely and charming owner!)

Great place to have habesha food with great and professinal service i would 100% recomended

I have been coming here since Feben opened this wonderful restraunt. I frequently stay at a nearby hotel and highly recommend this delightfully welcoming place! I am often amazed that people do not venture up the stairs to take in the amazing artwork. Semai is a delightful trip to East Africa with the cuisine and visually stimulating surrounding artwork and decor! Having traveled to East Africa, Semai's authentic feel is endearing.

Best place ever! Super nice people, delicious food and not expensive at all. Nice relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant. Definitely recommended!!!

The service, food, whole experience was 10/10 🫰🏻 The lady working there introduced us to the traditions, made traditional coffee in front of our eyes, thought us how to use the fingers when eating and overall was very friendly and generous. Will definitely come back. Fair prices too - we drank tea, had two main dishes, a dessert and traditional coffee and it was only around 55 euros

Great place! Delicious food, incredibly friendly service. Quite affordable for the quality

Super nice people and very tasty spicy food! The restaurant is also very attractively decorated with beautiful painted walls and decorations. Highly recommended!!

Enjoy an Ethiopian-Eritrean gem in Amsterdam Step into this authentic Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant and experience a culinary journey that will surprise your taste buds. If you are looking for a place that serves delicious food, this is the place for you. The menu is full of tasty and colorful dishes, prepared with fresh and pure ingredients. Also a large choice of vegetarian and vegan dishes. Gluten-free injeras also no problem, but please reserve at least 1 working day in advance. The owners radiate warmth and hospitality. They welcome you with open arms and make you feel immediately at home. The restaurant offers excellent value for money, which makes it even more attractive to dine here. Although there is often a single table available during the week, this will not last long once the rest of Amsterdam and the surrounding area discovers this hidden gem. So don't wait any longer and book a table quickly to experience for yourself why this restaurant is a must-visit for anyone who loves delicious authentic food.

Visually, it's a very unique restaurant that takes you to Eastern Africa. For lovers of spicy food :)

Food was mind blowing and the most beautiful staff EVER!! I will definitely come back!m and recommend it to everyone

10/10 would recommend First of the place is quite popular so I would recommend booking a table before hand. The service and the atmosphere was spectacular and the place really gives of a home like atmosphere. We ordered the mixed vegetarian dishes for 2 people and it was a lot of food we couldn’t even finish. Wine was great as well Conclusion go here !!!!

Very tasty food served by friendly nice people. Good meat and vegetarian offering. It's fun with just the two of you, but it's even more fun to go with a group.

Delicious food and a very nice and warm atmosphere. Thank you!

It feels youare some where outside abroad

Delicious food, very friendly service and cozy atmosphere.

Delicious food. I found the non-spicy dishes quite hot. Still, worth a try. Portions are abundant, we ordered 2 3-courses portions and we could've easily fed 4 people. I loved the baklava dessert and the traditional tea. Looking forward to coming back!

Delicious food with fair price and a friendly and professional staff. I definitely recommend this place. (Always look for areas of improvement 👍)

We came for dinner on a Sunday evening Warm welcome and accommodating and very kind waiter It’s spicy!! Be careful if you are sensitive to it It was excellent! We recommend

Really good restaurant: food was really good, and they were really welcoming! Unfortunately it was empty that specific day.

Really friendly, helpful service and great traditional Eritrean food.

SEMAI is highly recommended if you want to eat different, East African food in Amsterdam. Nice atmosphere, friendly welcome and delicious dishes.

Super tasty food and very nice service ♡ it took a bit long but it was okay and completely worth it. Definitely worth repeating!

Wonderful find on visit to Amsterdam. Really flavoursome food and good value. Very friendly people.

Delicious Eritrean dishes + Top service! Definitely recommended!

Delicious and amazing taste of African food

Authentic place ! Nice food and very nice atmosphere.

Delicious food, exceptional service, very friendly people!

Great place and great Friendly waiters

My favorite place in Amsterdam. I go there often with friends or family and is always great. Very tasty food and big portions, very gezellig vibes and nice people working there. I fully recommend it.

Delicious food, friendly staff, would definitely come again

My favorite place to eat, very friendly staff and great food!

It was delicious 😍💞 new fave in amsterdam.

The food is amazing! The service is outstanding! I recommend to all! 😍

Loved it! Very vegan friendly and gluten free option too. Sweetest staff too ☺️

Great food and service. They were so friendly and accommodating!

The food was delicious and the staff was really nice!

Great food and great service. The lady serving us was very nice and answered all our questions. Would highly recommend.

It is very nice authentic Erithreian restaurant with excellent service and super tasty food. People working there are so nice, we would love to come back sometimes.

Everything was just perfect. Very good atmosphere, food is amazing and people working there are super friendly and helpful with information about food. Recomendations!

Delicious food and the friendliest staff. The food is really delicious, whatever you choose. Everything is delivered with a big smile. Highly recommended!!

This restaurant is a gem in North! Delicious food for a very reasonable price. The service is very friendly and knowledgeable. In short, highly recommended and definitely deserves five stars!!!

Fat tasty! And very friendly service 😊

Very nice place and pleasant hosts. Good food for good price.

Great restaurant! we are so glad we found this place. The food is delicious, beautiful interior design and the staff and the management are always welcoming and very friendly. The best Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant in Amsterdam.

Amazing place with great food and so so nice staff with a warm smile 😊 We loved it !!!! Totally recommend it!!

One of the best review I made for ethiopian restaurant! Great place, food is perfect and people are nice.

Amazing food and wonderful staff. Worth the wait !

A really nice meal with work. I will come back, but with family/friends. Very tasty and a good atmosphere.

I crave their food when i'm away, it's so delicious! Owned by a wonderful family, always a great experience.

The best Erythrean / Ethiopian food in the city! Every time. Many vegan options on the menu. I like the decor too, it seems very authentic. The owners are lovely too. Thank you for every meal I had here, I'm looking forward to many more!

absolutely lovely staff, love the spice level of the food! Delicious

Everything is great! I would recommend this restaurant to everyone, the food tastes delicious and exotic and so do the coffee and honey wine. You can also experience East Africa well with the atmosphere! :)

My first time in this kind of restaurant!. I enjoyed a lot with the taste and food!.

Great food and extremely friendly hostess

A real family tent, with super tasty food, even nicer people and a beautiful and comfortable interior. If you are looking for a good restaurant for enjera, this is the place for you!

Delicious food, self-imported beer, bottle of wine, nice service. My Valentine's Day was more than successful ;)

We had a wonderful dinner. The food is authentic and well flavored. We tried a mix of the meat and vegetarian dishes. Highlights? The spicy lamb and the pumpkin dish. Highly recommend!

The restaurant with great paintings. Thank you for connecting us.

Delicious traditional food 👌🏼 in the city with wonderful hospitality 🫶🏻

GLUTEN FREE!!! I live so close and had no idea this gem was right here. So happy to have a new gf spot🥰 all the dishes are naturally gf and if you call ahead (day before) they can make the injera(bread) gluten free as well! So you can have the full Eritrean experience without missing out on the tasty injera. Such a lovely calm spot with great atmosphere and the friendliest service. Would highly recommend 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Had a great time here. The food was delicious, the staff were super nice, and the atmosphere was very pleasant. Definitely different than a typical Amsterdam restaurant and very authentic seeming. Aside from the above, they are able to make their injera gluten-free so there are a lot of options for those with allergies. Just inform them when you are making the reservation. Enjoy ;)

Gréât place to enjoy an out of the ordinary EU cuisine. Friendly and welcoming hosts, making it a unique experience with their spicy atmosphere. Highly recommend.

Very good food and beautiful art for the price of 1 (!). Very friendly staff, meals with an authentic taste thanks to ingredients and drinks imported from Eritrea and Ethiopia, and a quiet but at the same time very cozy atmosphere. Due to the wide range, it is advisable to ask the staff for the best combination :)

I love the Ethiopian cuisine and this absolutely blew my mind. The quality of the meat dishes was out of this world. Another plus is the atmosphere, it propels you right back to Ethiopia… I’ll definitely become a regular here!

We tried the Vegetarian mix, which consists of three vegetarian dishes of your choice and it was really delicious. The staff was really nice. I'll definitely be back in the near future.

蜂蜜酒喝起來像台灣的小米酒、蜂蛹酒 （杯子也很別緻） 素食的鷹嘴豆、扁豆很好吃 香料很有層次 葷食的牛肉、豬肉、羊也很好吃 我個人最喜歡吃三角形的炸物（餡料吃起來的味道很像臺灣原住民的樹豆👍😊

Superleuk restaurant in Amsterdam Noord. Heerlijk Eritrees eten met je handen. De eigenaren zijn zeer vriendelijk en behulpzaam. De sfeer van het restaurant is gezellig en je waant je even in het buitenland. Parkeren is een beetje lastig (restaurant zit in een smal straatje met weinig parkeerplekken) en het restaurant zelf zit op de eerste verdieping dus lastig voor minder mobiele mensen. Het eten: geweldig! als voorgerecht hadden we vegetarische pasteitjes. Het diner: Grote porties! We hadden twee vegetarische en een visgerecht. Alles wordt in een grote schaal geserveerd of indien gewenst apart. Het eten is best pittig dus niet voor beginners. Verder heerlijk op smaak en de frisse salade erbij maakt het geheel af. Qua drinken, de heerlijke eigengemaakte honingwijn is echt een aanrader. Hier kom ik zeker nog een keer terug.

Excellent ! Service tout sourire et prix très raisonnables !

super welcoming, family friendly, african vibe

Perdus dans le dédale d'Amsterdam, mes quatre collègues et moi avons trouvé refuge dans un restaurant à l'atmosphère doucement familiale. Chaque mets racontait une histoire, et si le piquant de certains a joué les incendiaires avec ma bouche, cela n'a fait qu'ajouter une touche d'humour à notre soirée. Nous avons ri, échangé, et malgré la danse épicée sur nos papilles, la chaleur humaine de ce lieu a su adoucir le feu de chaque bouchée. Une aventure gustative mémorable au cœur de la Venise du Nord. 🌶️

Bijzonder eten, en bijzonder hóe je dit Ethiopische eten moet eten: met je handen. Eten is wel erg pittig, voor ons iets té. Respect en bewondering voor eigenaren restaurant: hoe relaxed en vriendelijk ze blijven in alle hectiek (restaurant zat deze avond vol). Leuke avond hier gehad.

Heerlijk gegeten, alles kwam binnnen 20 min aan, de meest liefste service

Really tasty food! Good sized portions and very friendly staff, would recommend 10/10 Great vegan options :-)

Very very friendly folks Really loved the homemade honey wine and the vibes inside

Geweldige service en heerlijk eten. Ik raad ten zeerste aan.

The heady smell of roasted coffee, spice, and hosts so friendly they could single-handedly flip the Dutch service reputation.

The food is good. Well spiced and even a good size. There was unfortunately not enough sauce (which makes the injera so juicy). The main problem is that it took over 30 minutes to get the dishes we ordered. Ethiopian food is precooked for hours - so it just sat somewhere and when we got it - it was cold. In addition, the service was good but very slow. We didn't get our drinks and then I had to go to the bar to ask for them and when they arrived (after probably sitting there for quite a few minutes), they weren't cold anymore. Also when we wanted to pay, we waited for long time - until I went to the bar to pay. The injera was hard on the side. Probably also not that fresh anymore. Pity - since the food was good. We took the vegetarian mix (22.50 euro) and the meat mix (25 euro). The beers were Hertog Jan (3.50) and Asmara (4 euro), both were ok. Altogether we paid 55 euro + tip. Not cheap but it's Amsterdam.

Heerlijk gegeten. Leuke bediening. Met n soort dikke wrap als bestek rundvlees..kip..lam van mild tot pittig naar binnen gesmikkeld!

An excellent restaurant. Tried all the vegetables, would recommend. Beers also great.

Feel the family restaurant vibes with this authentic Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant. Cute loungy interior, the food is delicious and the servings are generous. The lamb dish was delicious.

Heerlijk eten en een fijne service! We hebben het niet opgekregen maar konden er de volgende dag nog van genieten!!

Fantastisch, wat superfijn hier.

Fabulous ambience, food, and service! Thanks for an amazing meal :)

Super nice food, spicey for those who like :-) Very lovely service. Good prices.

Heerlijk eten en heel erg vriendelijke bediening

Amazing food and amzing service in a really cool restaurant. I can only recomend it 100 times and more.

Heerlijk gegeten. Was heerlijk. Weer wat anders. Met de hand. Kom hier nog wel eens.

Heel lekker eten, betaalbaar en goede service!

A great place to discover Eritrean/Ethiopian cuisine. I especially enjoyed the roasted coffee with ginger 👍

Delicious food, freshly cooked, for spices lovers. Very abundant portions: share a mix, its the best option ;-) Cozy atmosphere and very kind and welcoming staff. We will come back!

Amazing, fresh food and super sweet staff. The portions are very large and well-priced. Will definetly be back!