We had a really great meal with the shared platter. The food is delicious. I recommend ordering rice as well as bread. The owner is very helpful, although when you first sit down and wait for service, it's a bit confusing until you realise one...person is doing it all. It is BYO. For payment you either need cash or can do it via bank transfer. Once you know the way the restaurant works, it is fine! Would have appreciated a takeaway menu.More

Terrific food and an unexpected find in Ballarat. Big flavours and low prices. Relaxed vibe in this unpretentious eatery. Definitely worth the effort to visit. Staff were friendly and only too happy to assist us in picking some suitable dishes. Highly recommend you try when...next in town.More

We were in Ballarat last week and needed to grab a quick meal. We chose Merkama on the strength of the positive reviews. We decided to have samosas and cake as we did not have tome to do justice to the curries. We sat down...and very quickly we were given some welcome (free) Ethiopian tea, Shai, and it was really good. We ended up ordering two pots more of this as we enjoyed it so much. We had a couple of meat and a couple of vegetarian samosas each. They were really nice. We then finished with a slice of Persian Love cake each which was really yummy. Apart from a person who came in for some takeaway we were the only customers at that time. We found the owner/chef/waiter to be friendly and obliging. We plan to return and have the full curry experience another time.More

Absolutely incredible food! And such friendly staff I would 110% recommend going to this amazing place! Food was incredible, I could hardly stop eating! Owner/staff was so friendly, funny and a beautiful human. You are missing out if you have not eaten here!! 5/5

Such lovely food and a great atmosphere. We went as a table of 10 and got shared platters, which was perfect for our group. Everyone loved all the dishes we were served and cleaned up the plates before they were collected. Absolutely to die for...Persian Love cake!!!More

Good marketing and high rating on TripAdvisor. Therefore apart from another one table young tourists sitting next to us, there is not one walk-in, no local residents at all during whole lunch time. The meal tastes are bit salty but acceptable, overall the quantity and...quality compare with the price is less satisfied.More

Having not had African cuisine for several years we were excited to find one in Ballarat! It is a basic looking restaurant with authentic decor and appears to be run by one passionate chef/server/cashier/owner? The menu is straight forward and easy to share with a...small or large group. Pick your favorites and go for it! Very well priced for amount of food and the service was excellent. Wish we lived closer so we could go back again and again!!!More