Top Misir Wat dishes in Oakland

Red lentils stewed long with berbere until silky and complex — one of the strongest items on the vegetarian platter

Red lentils slow-cooked in berbere spice blend until the sauce is thick, earthy, and faintly smoky — a textbook version of the Ethiopian staple

Red lentils simmered in berbere and niter kibbeh until they meld into a dense, earthy stew — a reliable anchor on any combo plate

Red lentils cooked down with berbere into a dense, fiery stew — one of the best arguments for vegetarian Ethiopian eating

Slow-cooked red lentils in berbere — earthy, deeply spiced, and one of the better single-dish arguments for Ethiopian vegetarian cooking

Red lentils slow-cooked in berbere spice paste, deeply savory and aromatic, served over injera

Red lentils stewed down with berbere until deeply savory and almost creamy — one of the best vehicles for injera on any Ethiopian menu

Red lentils cooked down with berbere until thick and deeply spiced — a benchmark dish for judging an Ethiopian kitchen

Slow-cooked red lentils in berbere spice — earthy, properly spiced, and one of the best individual veggie dishes on the menu

Red lentils stewed down with berbere and spiced butter — earthy, brick-red, and one of the best gauges of how much care goes into the kitchen's spice work