About Moya…

Moya first opened on July 9, 2010. It took owner Fana Alemayehu a year to complete the project. She came to San Francisco from Ethiopia in the early 80ʼs and has worked in the food service industry ever since, but Moya was her first opportunity to showcase her cooking. Fana began cooking at a young age which was common for young girls in Ethiopia at that time. When she got older, she loved to cook and invite people over and host events. Her favorite thing about cooking was the fact that food brought people together. Everyone has things to do and places to go, but we all have to eat. Fanaʼs goal was to open a place where people could enjoy good Ethiopian food in a casual setting. Unfortunately, after only being open for nine months, the restaurant was forced to close due to extensive water damage sustained from an SRO fire in SOMA.
Furthermore, the landlord of the space at 1044 Folsom St. proceeded to evict Fana because he wanted her to pay rent even though she couldnʼt operate. It was an awful situation, but Fana immediately began her search to find a new location to rebuild Moya. She found the space at 121 9th St. (at Minna Alley) in October of 2011, and plans to open in April.
At Moya, we use fresh ingredients including authentic Ethiopian spices (prepared especially for Fana by her mother in Ethiopia). The new Moya will still have our best items from our old menu, but weʼve also added some new options. See menu here. The biggest change is that Moya will now be serving fresh organic coffee all day. Our coffee is roasted by Equator in San Rafael. Come on over to Moya to get your fix of fresh Ethiopian home cooking.

Whatʼs Ethiopian Food??

Ethiopia is a country located in East Africa. Injera, traditional Ethiopian bread, is the foundation of Ethiopian food. We use it to eat everything, and we eat with our hands.
The proper form is to tear a small piece of injera and use it to pick up the different stews using a pinching motion. Oh, and another thing, youʼre only supposed to use one hand, your right hand. By the end of your meal, your left hand should be just as clean as it was before your food arrived. Ethiopian cuisine offers several options to suit a variety of tastes. At Moya, our Ethiopian menu includes meat options, chicken, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dishes.

E A T. W I T H. Y O U R. H A N D S.

but donʼt be scared to ask for a fork.