Industry Cafe & Jazz

I was in the area and had this in my collection to try and it did NOT disappoint. My friend who is a vegetarian mentioned that Ethiopian food was vegan friendly and the options were plenty.

We ordered chicken wings and fries - AMAZING. The Veggie Platter was soooo SEASONED, I can't get the red lentils out of my mind with the spice. Also ordered the lamb - OH MY GOODNESS, SOOOOO TENDER!!! Like it was just tooooo good, can't wait to order that again with the chicken. The injera was so fluffy. The side of Mac and cheese was good, typical Mac and cheese.

Industry Cafe & Jazz is super cute and the food was DELICIOUS. Our server Sweet was GREAT. The owner Aron stopped by our table and assure we were good. The jazz was superb. It was a great way to have Sunday dinner.

This was my first time having Ethiopian food. Parking could be sketchy but we did find parking on that Sunday and it was metered. I am not sure how it would be when there's jazz on the Saturday nights which they said was packed and a great time to come enjoy.

Can't wait to stop by again for greatness.

What a lovely start to a rockin' Saturday night! I can't believe it took me so long to have a visit to Industry cafe + Jazz!

Arrived here at around 7:30pm on Saturday and the ambiance was so relaxed and cozy. Maybe it was a special night, but many of the patrons seemed to know one another which contributed to the comfortable vibe.

As for the food, I only had some french fries and a few glasses of wine, so I can't speak much of it. The fries were good and for 4 bucks, was a pretty good deal for snacking on.

Such a great start to my Saturday night! I know that Industry Cafe does a weekly Wednesday night jazz jam, so I will definitely find myself here for some middle of the week Jazz.

We visited this restaurant a few months ago and I forgot to review until we were headed back a second time We live in the South Bay so we don't have as many unique experiences like this near home, but it was worth the 40 minute drive for us! We ordered beef tibs and a veggie plate to share, which was a perfect amount for the two of us. As for the few people saying it is bland, I guess it depends on how you like your food. I definitely don't feel like I enjoy bland food, and I love all kinds of foods, and I thought the food was excellent. It was not super spicy, which was good for me as I have had some Ethiopian food that is too hot. Save room for the carrot cake, which is really, really good. My uncle was nervous to try new foods so he ordered a burger and enjoyed that. The jazz was amazing.

Also, I think sometimes people who are saying "turn it down" don't fully understand how instruments work. A live, real drum set is loud. You can't turn it down. So if you have drums and other instruments playing in a band live in a smaller building, it isn't the best place for a long conversation. The band took breaks and we talked more then, but enjoyed the music more for listening when they played (but chatted a bit during that, without feeling like we were in a concert but in a cafe). Definitely check this place out.

The service was excellent. The food: incredible (I'd never had Eritrean food before!). And we happened in on a Saturday when live jazz was playing - did not disappoint. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this place.

This little neighborhood place is a hidden gem! We've been here a few times now and it never disappoints. The vibe is always chill, the food is delicious, and the owner is so down to earth. They have live music with different bands rotating, but the bands are always great! Unlike most of LA, this place is unpretentious, warm and welcoming. Wonderful date spot but also family friendly. Food wise, we got the Doro Wat and Zil Zil tonight (Doro Wat has a little kick to it so beware if you can't do spicy) - both were so good. Music tonight was provided by JD Hall - such a talented band with a great vocal range and lots of energy and spirit. 10/10 will be back here again and we have plans to be a regular!

I really enjoy coming here! My favorite order is the beef tibs with a salad and cabbage. It always hits the spot. One thing that sticks out and keeps me coming back is the service and the ambiance. The staff/family that run this restaurant treat their customers like friends, with warmth. There's also frequent live music and poetry nights. I always see different types of people here. Even though it's street parking (in Culver City, yikes!), I usually don't have trouble finding a spot.

The male owner or manager was very polite and got us a table on a full night. The ambience with the music was great but the food was the worst I've had. We were curious about the sizzling dish at a nearby table. It smelled great but after receiving a giant platter of the lamb, beef and chicken tibs with various lentils and veggies, the meat was inedible and rubbery with all having no seasoning. It's rare to find such bland food and poor quality meat at a restaurant. The lentil sambusa was ok but under-seasoned again. The injera was soft and good.
I hope the chef and owners reconsider their food quality and recipes to match the vibe.
The only saving grace is the atmosphere but I will not eat there again. Go for the music and drinks but not the food!

A friend recommended this spot for great Ethiopian/Eritrean food and it did not disappoint! We ordered the vegetable plate and the chicken tibs to share - the tibs come with a choice of 1 veggie and a salad, we chose the collard greens. They offered to combine it all on one plate for us which was convenient, and gave us extra injera on the side. We also tried the sambusas (lentil filled samosa-like appetizer), which I enjoyed. Total per person was around $23 before tip ($19-20 per plate split between two people + $3 sambusa). For the amount of food we got I felt the value was great compared to similar spots!!! The food tasted very good as well - I loved the chicken tibs - flavorful and perfectly cooked - and the vegetables (red lentil, yellow lentil, cabbage/carrot, collards, salad) were all delicious additions to make the meal enjoyable!!

Was also pleasantly surprised how FAST the food came out!! We placed our order and I kid you not it came out in under 5 minutes. Our waitress was very kind. There's a ton of indoor (and some outdoor) seating. Street parking only. Bathrooms on-site (& clean unlike old reviews I read). And live jazz music!!!

Suggestions for improvement:
1) The music is way too loud. Loved the live jazz band but the speaker needed to be turned down a lot because we were yelling to each other the entire meal.
2) Only 1 waiter, so on a busy night it took a while for us to get our water refilled and get the check.

Also appreciated the owner/chef coming out to check in with us and see how the meal is! A nice personal touch and he welcomed us to the restaurant and to the family! Overall will definitely recommend to friends for great food and fun atmosphere!!!

Incredible food. Staff are very welcoming and sweet. Good music and bands. This place has become a regular for me. Highly recommend.

My friend and I walked past this beautiful gem of an establishment after a concert organized by Synchromy and we heard some jazz playing inside-- we really couldn't resist. The music was amazing, the musicians were warm and welcoming, and the service was splendid.

It was almost closing time for the restaurant -- but we really didn't want much apart from a slice of dessert (tiramisu), a coffee and some jazz tunes (first Saturday of every month!). We really had an amazing time and I can't wait to come back and actually try their food (I am such a sucker for Ethiopian).

Overall, HIGHLY RECOMMEND.