Lunch Box in Burbank - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

We ordered a vegetarian platter among 5 of us. Food was AMAZING!

A Perfect place to try Ethiopian dishes, I had a wonderful experience at the Ethiopian lunch box. The place was tidy and clean and the staffs were very nice and welcoming. I recommend trying the combinations.

Haven't had Ethiopian food in a while, and since my friend and I were missing the old Reheboth Cafe, we were in the search! Luckily, we found this place! It was night time, and right outside, were a bunch of guys just staring at us intensely. I mean, "two Asian guys and a white guy walk into an Ethiopian Cafe" is usually the start of some racist joke, but let me tell you: This place is no joke! The food is great! We ordered the mild spicy level foods because my company couldn't really handle spicy, and even the "weak guy" of us kept eating the spicy stuff, and crying with joy (also from the spices). After we came in though, the sign was immediately flipped to "Close". Don't think they were expecting to serve food on New Years Evening, but there were others just hanging out and having a good time. Only complaint I had, was the tea. Although they used Lipton tea bags, they managed to put the right spices in there to give it a slight hint of that flavor I'm used to when it comes to Ethiopian tea. Not the best, but it wasn't bad considering what they were dealing with. I'd come back again if I was in the area!

Finding a place which is open on the New Year's Day for dinner wasn't exactly easy, especially since we finished the movie at around 9PM, so we drove for a bit and settled on eating at this Ethiopian place. I have never had Ethiopian food and it was indeed a novel experience. The atmosphere: besides our table, everyone else (and they all seemed to Ethiopian) was simply drinking (tea) and talking: we were the only table which ordered food. Maybe the Ethiopians just don't eat dinner this late? The restaurant itself was very spacious, but the individual dining space was not; however, we didn't feel cramped either. It just felt like a lot of "space" was unused, unadorned for some reason. Maybe simplicity is better according to the Ethiopians? The service: we had much difficulty conveying what we wanted besides the food (my friends wanted tea). It took some efforts but eventually our request was fulfilled. The waiter and waitress were overall, however, friendly and responsive, despite the language barrier. The food: I was really glad that my friends chose to have the food with medium level of spiciness: even that level was too strong for my taste I found. However, the experience was unique (good even): food is served on a platter, and you use injera (which is flatbread made from teff) to wrap the food to eat. Imagine eating a pizza, and instead of using your hands, you use gloves to grab the pizza, except that the gloves are themselves edible. Not a perfect example I know but I think that may help you get the idea ;-). I have to be fair, so there are a couple of complaints: the flatbread was always served cold, and while the food itself wasn't cold, it wasn't hot either. The other complaint is that for some reason, the two different lamb dishes we ordered turned out to be one lamb and one chicken (I think either we can't read the subheadings, or it was mislabelled under Lamb :-p). Overall though, it was an interesting and pretty pleasant experience (but please take that last comment with a grain of salt: I was eating with my friends).

I have no idea when this place is open, have come by 3 times now (12pm, 8pm, 9pm) and they've been closed during supposedly open hours (gmaps, both yelp pages) every time. They have no posted hours in the windows, just multiple blank closed signs.

Excellent food and excellent service at reasonable prices! The injera is very good and definitely worth ordering extra! The veggie combo was very delicious with wonderful spice combinations and probably some of the best collard greens I’ve ever had. Probably some of the best coffee I’ve ever had too. Very smooth with no bitterness or tannins even drunk straight black.

Delicious food, incredible service. We were warmly greeted and our food came quickly. I had the veggie combo which was fantastic and my partner had lamb timbs. The injera was perfect (and gluten free!) And we had plenty to finish our meal. Portions were large- I even had leftovers to take home- and prices were very reasonable. It's a small place and a few people were gathered to watch the soccer game. Made it feel like a neighborhood place. We'll be going back!

Food was very bland. There wasn’t much oil which I’m a fan of, but just due to how bland things were, I can’t recommend this place.

Stopped in for a quick bite with a honey wine both were delicious!

Love the Teff Enjera. My daughter who eats only gluten free diets was very happy. After four days it was still fresh.

For the first time ever we had to throw away the food we ordered, that says a lot about this restaurant. First, they put all the dishes on top of the injera bread, even for take home orders. When it is time to eat, the bread is so soggy, there is hardly anything left as bread. The food is also worse than any other Ethiopian restaurant we have ever tried.

The food was tasty, the furniture was a bit shabby, but seemed clean, and the service was fast and friendly.

Delicious (and hot 🥵) as always!

The localest diviest place. Good food! Real af.

Delicious, reasonably priced Ethiopian meals. Interior was simple but clean.

Good Ethiopian food! Friendly owner! 😊

ምላስ ሰምበር very nice and delicious ❤️

Delicious food with good service, I look forward to coming back soon.

Although there was a little confusion in what we had ordered and what came out, the food was absolutely delicious. We selected this spot because of the gluten-free injera which was equally delicious. Staff are very warm and welcoming

Such good food… ask for it spicy! The vegetarian combo and misir are amazing. some of the best Ethiopian food I’ve ever had. And the vibe is very homey and informal and welcoming.

It’s your simple joint in a hole. Yet, do not go by the looks of the place - the food is stunningly good and affordable.

I visited this place with my wife in March 2022. I have eaten at many Ethiopian restaurants and let me state it unambiguously - the food here is EXCELLENT. The enjira, the meat based dishes are absolutely delicious. The restaurant has humble looks and seems like a mom-and-pop store, but they, who wants glossy menus and ten TV screens in a restaurant when all you need is good food and the owner's generous smile. Please visit this restaurant/ Also, for the quality and quantity of food, I actually think their prices are tad low - so please tip them generously. Thank you.

My new favorite Ethiopian food in San Jose! Exactly how I hope Ethiopian dishes to be prepared and taste. The chicken doro wat and the lamb tibs firfir were my favorite. Vegetarian sampler was right on point. The beef was ok. None of us liked the tej, though. Feels unpretentious (no frills) and also authentic and loved by people who know Ethiopian food.

Really enjoyed our lunch at this place today. We went for the Vegetarian combo. The owner was very friendly, the restaurant was very clean and well presented, and our food was delicious. Great price as well!

Very authentic Ethiopian restaurant I feel like I'm at home whenever I came to this place

I love this place I've been going there for almost 30 years. I've always get the best service. I even go there when I have group of friends. They open late too...

Friendly owner, good mix of vegetarian and meat dishes, your choice of spiciness, excellent homemade injira bread.

It’s been a while since I’ve had Ethiopian food, but it’s as good as I remember. I ordered the raw Kitfo Dulet. The food was pretty tasty, quite spicy, and big portions. The menu pics are outdated btw, they don’t have the goden tibs anymore. You should look at the menu on any of the delivery apps to see what they currently serve.

Amazing authentic Ethiopian food!! Fantastic customer service

Very pleased with the food I got today! Good quality and each flavor in the combo was distinct and fresh. Injera was generously added (2 ziplock bags of it!) so I used the second bag for a skillet the next day...just mist w some water on all sides, reseal bag and put in microwave for about 40 secs. Love love Ethiopian food!!!

Service and food is always excellent excellent I love this place

I love all the food they have specially gored gored and spicy tibes

The best New Ethiopian restaurant. Easy and fast .I love it .if they extends the time antil mid night it is best to cheal

Delicious! Great food and friendly service.

The food is great. And service is excellent. Injera is gluten free. There are many choices of vegan dishes.

The food was delicious the service was excellent!!!

Decent late night food place. This is more of a hole in the wall place . Even the table sizes are small to accommodate the way in which Ethiopian food is served.

Got a lot of tasty meet. The ower and waitress are top notch. Go here!

Great restaurant and friendly staff. I had the veggie combo and it was enough for two people. Sat at the bar and had a few Ethiopian beers with the locals. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. Definitely will be visiting them again.

My first time having Ethiopian food. The manager took our order and was super friendly and happy to explain my various options for my first introduction to Ethiopian cuisine. The food was delicious and the taste was bold and felt authentic and homemade. The price was also very low for the amount of food we got. The place feels very cozy. I rarely give five stars, I'll be coming back here.

Most flavorful dishes and well cook meal I've ever had. For all you saying stuff is undercooked, not everyone likes over cooked meat. They dont serve beef jerky. If you enjoy that stick with your 7-11

I love this place. A little mom and pop and they make sure to look after you. Prices are fair but you do have to pay for water.

It is amazing and delicious Ethiopian food with reasonable price !!!

Love the lunch box! Ever since Fared, the always friendly original owner left, there's been some inconsistencies in the people cooking the food. Last time a woman named Roman, cooked the food for us. She was very friendly and courteous, and we were very very satisfied with our meal! It was very delicious.

Very nice staff and environment. Loud Ethiopian music playing and my 2yo loved it. Very interesting food. Try the goat.

The place is lit at night. People singing and dancing

Great food great people! Will be back often.

AMAZING Kitfo!! The service was excellent, everybody was very friendly and attentive. I would definitely go back :-)

Good food, friendly staff and open at 1am!

Super friendly staff and great food. Such a good experience!

Our favorite restaurant has changed hands. Currently closed. Will see about new owners. We'll miss friendly Fred and the fabulous home style cooking for sure!

Not the best Ethiopian I've had but not the worst. Pretty reasonable prices. I went in about 7PM and they were out of multiple menu items. I appreciate that they let me know that up front so I could choose wisely. I had the goat and the veggie platter and it was a good size for two people. They were very attentive with service and provided a lot of injera right from the start (I love that cause I tend to always ask for more). If you pay with credit card they bring a iPhone based card reader right to your table which is great for tipping and getting a receipt via email.

Good choice of vegetarian dishes. Good portion sizes and not expensive.

Lunch box is a bare bones place in a dusty strip mall / street in San Jose. It feels like you go back in time in that neighborhood. Once you get the food your ordered though, you;re amazed. It's very affordable, you get a lot, and the spiciness levels are nicely high. There even had good vegetarian options! The lunch formulas are perfect for 1 person. We were not expecting that kind of place and tastiness of food. If you can abstract the fairly old and scarcely decorated place (which in a way has its retro charm) you will enjoy great home cooked-like Ethiopian food.

The Lunch Box is hands down the best Ethiopian food on the West Coast. I am NOT Ethiopian, but lived in the heart of Oakland's Ethiopian neighborhood for 10 years. I know this cuisine, and the folks here make the BEST homestyle food ever. 1876 West San Carlos (cross st Wabash) across from Luther Burbank School The veggie combo is unbeatable. DH eats meat, and I don't so we always share this. Two people get a healthy filling dinner for $10! This is very much a family place, and you can taste the different flavors as each member of the family has his/her turn in the kitchen. The mom makes the best greens I have ever had anywhere. We always get a double portion. All your ethiopian favorites are here-the fresh injera (bread) and doro wat, lentil stew, simple potatoes and cabbage, and the spicy meats. A word of caution-most who try the meats find them a bit rich after the fact. I recommend sticking with veggie unless you are very used to ethiopian food. The proprietor is so charming, and greets us like family, no matter how long we stay away. We don't live in SJ anymore, but always make a special trip to Lunch Box when we are in the Bay Area. This place is very simple, casual and laid back. A true treasure-try it-you'll feel like you are at someone's home.