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Ratings and reviews

Travellers' Choice2023
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Details

PRICE RANGE
USD 7 - USD 16
CUISINES
Ethiopian
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
View all details
meals, features, about
Reviews (282)
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281 results
Traveller rating
209
60
10
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1
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Time of year
LanguageEnglish
Traveller rating
209
60
10
1
1
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All reviews goat tasting plate flat bread injera stews meat stew cake ethiopian food one man show complimentary tea eating experience fantastic food friendly service visiting ballarat relaxed atmosphere set menu dishes
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Reviewed 5 days ago

Brilliant service and a brilliant meal. Incredibly delicious, authentic food. It feels like you are visiting a friends home for dinner. Would go back without hesitation.

Date of visit: December 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 weeks ago

Excellent food- the best African cuisine I’ve had in a long long time. Don’t delay. Get down to Cafe Merkama asap.

Date of visit: November 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 28 October 2023 via mobile

Food is beautiful and Temam is a great host! Great taste of Ethiopia! Highly recommend for something a little different

Date of visit: October 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 22 October 2023

We often eat African in Melbourne, Merkama was of the highest standards of these, and cooked their own in house Injera bread, we had a selection of 8 dishes, all of which were excellent, and if you don't try the home made persian love cake...you are losing one of the best deserts I have ever tried, Bravo, you will see us again!More

Date of visit: October 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 20 October 2023 via mobile

Very interesting and lovely food, accompanied by excellent introduction to this food by owner. Great experience. The silverbeet dish was particularly lovely as was the welcoming shai tea.

Date of visit: October 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 29 September 2023

Great little restaurant. Different Ethiopian food. We are in and had the tasting plate, excellent. Reasonably priced and BYO. This guy deserves your patronage, you won't be sorry

Date of visit: September 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 25 September 2023

Wonderful tasty food. Fantastic service by owner/ chef. We had the tasting plate and the chef helped us choose the options. Great price too. BYO alcohol. Enjoy.

Date of visit: September 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 31 August 2023 via mobile

Best food I’ve eaten in a long time. Lovely warm and friendly service with tasty food. We had the taste of Africa sample plate and loved everything. Highly recommend

Date of visit: August 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 25 May 2023

Excellent service and wonderful food, especially for someone who doesn’t get to eat Ethiopian food very often. The owner set up a table for us, as we had dropped by earlier in the day. His food suggestion was spot on and the goat tender and...delicious. We were the only people there as it is the off season, but i highly recommend it. One thing to note is you need cash to eat there or know how to use his payment system. No credit cards.More

Date of visit: May 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 4 March 2023 via mobile

I have to fair and make sure I don't get tied up in the hype of TripAdvisor. It was nice, but was it the best I have had, no, far from. Was it worth trying, yes. The flavours were clean, it was tasty. Portion size...OK. Value OK. Atmosphere OK. I would say its a good place to try but lower you expectations from the TripAdvisor hype a couple of notches.More

Date of visit: March 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 13 February 2023

A very enjoyable meal and value for money. The goat stew went extremely well with the vegetables. Other choice is chicken or beef stew.

Date of visit: February 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 26 January 2023 via mobile

great food, definitely coming back the next time I’m in Ballarat and bringing more people to enjoy as well😋😋

Date of visit: January 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Temam Akmel Hussen, Owner at Cafe Merkama, responded to this reviewResponded 28 January 2023

Thank you

Reviewed 26 January 2023 via mobile

Yummy food, good vibe & very affordable!! Very good service and lovely environment. The xylophone was extra special treat.

Date of visit: January 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Temam Akmel Hussen, Owner at Cafe Merkama, responded to this reviewResponded 28 January 2023

Thank upu very much

Reviewed 20 January 2023 via mobile

Shai tea and Persian Love cake just wonderful. Very good, complex flavours, and relaxed and affordable. Loved it.

Date of visit: January 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Temam Akmel Hussen, Owner at Cafe Merkama, responded to this reviewResponded 22 January 2023

Thank you for your kind words

Reviewed 20 January 2023 via mobile

Fantastic food and gracious host. I took my mother here for her birthday and will be going back many a time. Beautiful heart warming food, we had the share plate for three and couldn't be happier.

Date of visit: January 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Questions & Answers
Ask a question
Meander42881202287
22 February 2020|
Answer
Response from jamessQ7235AW | Reviewed this property |
Yep, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
0
Votes
Rosemary P
28 June 2018|
AnswerShow all 3 answers
Response from IntrepidNomad69 | Reviewed this property |
Yes, byo is welcome.
0
Votes
Marie D
26 August 2015|
AnswerShow all 2 answers
Response from cafemerkama | Property representative |
From 12pm to 9pm
0
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CAFE MERKAMA, Ballarat - 30 Doveton St N - Updated 2023 Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Cafe Merkama

Yes, Cafe Merkama offers takeaway services.

Cafe Merkama is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4.5
  • Atmosphere: 4