Moya used to be considered an Americanized Ethiopian restaurant. Now, they have moved even further away from traditional Ethiopian food into "fusion" with only a handful of Ethiopian dishes. Their menu is honestly hard to get a grasp on and is trying to do too much.
The service has been off and on; either horrible or decent. Servers are slow and not very friendly for the most part, but I've found servers that are both prompt and friendly.
Sadly enough, living across the street, I never see people there. I'm not sure if they're renovating or just having a tough time with business. There is definitely potential there, with their facility and location, but I think their service and muddled "fusion/lounge" concept has caught up to them.
If you want authentic Ethiopian food, just go further up Clairmont by Pure (the nightclub). There are several there. Most are small and frequented by Ethiopians.
The food here is pretty good, id say its probably a top 4-5 ethiopian resturaunt in atlanta (Desta is definitely the best). I have eaten here about 7-8 times and have always had good experiences.
But...
A few weeks ago i had a taste for a smoothie, so i put smoothie king into my navigation and the one right beside moya popped up. i got there and the smoothie king was abandoned. i had to use the bathroom really bad so i walked into Moya to use theirs (since i have eaten there pretty often), and the lady tells me that i couldnt use the bathroom because i wasnt a customer!! i really had to use the bathroom, that kinda sucked. i explained to her why i randomly walked into Moya and how i had eaten there many times before and it didnt matter. so yeah that was probably my last time going to Moya unfortunately... didnt really feel the love. (i would also add that there was nobody in the entire restaurant but that might be a low blow) :-(
I've been to the restaurant, not the nightclub filled with Asian teeny-bopper college kids.
How is the food? It's okay. It's definitely something I can get into. You have to eat with your hands. If you are one of those weird people who need to use a knife and fork to eat a Snicker's bar, this place is not for you.
I liked the sauces and meats that I ordered, but I wasn't a big fan of the bread. It was too sour-doughy. I'm not a huge fan of sour dough. And the sourness of the dough was overpowering everything.
I don't know if the sour-dough ish bread is standard in Ethiopian cuisine, if it is, oh well. If it's not, they need a more variety of bread, and I'll go back there.
I went with my wife on a Saturday night and we were the only ones in the restaurant. Â That being said you would think the service would have been impecable. Â Not the case! Â There was several items on the menu that was not available that night, which is ridiculous for a Saturday night. Â The food they did have was pretty good but the environment was depressing.
Review Source:Try everything once! It's all interesting and exotic. I don't like everything, but what I do like I can't get enough of! Eating with bread utensils is a new but somehow familiar style.
This place is great! It's ethiopian style which means the meats and vegatables are poured out onto a pancake style bread (injura?) and then you use more pancake pieces to scoop up the savory meat and veggie spread.
Start with the meat dumpling appetizer. It's two turnovers fried with meat and spices like an empanada. Soooooo good!
Be sure to get the meat dish #1. They'll say that it is "dry" but that just means it doesnt have that lentil sauce. Its little chunks of beef with crispy edges and awesome peppers and fresh tomato chunks. (but not spicy) I would probably skip the chicken dish. It's chicken on the bone, and this gets a bit messy with no silverware. It has a funny explanation though.
2 main dishes is good to share for 2 people. The portions aren't small, but I usually don't have leftovers either.
If you've never tried Ethiopian food before, this is a newbie friendly place to try first.
I have had ethiopian at four different places in different parts of the country. This was by far the worst experience. I usually love Ethiopian, but the food here just wasn't as mind-blowingly tasty as other places. I guess the food wasn't bad per se, but it just lacked something. Maybe it wasn't as flavorful, maybe there weren't as many combinations available. I can't quite put my finger on what it was. Everything just seemed very...ordinary and that is simply unacceptable when it comes to Ethiopian.
Review Source:We ate something that we later realized may have been raw ground beef, but it was good, and I am still alive so I am not complaining. Also had the shish kabob. It was refreshing to finally eat something in Atlanta that wasn't fried, even if it likely was not cooked at all. Also I would have to agree with the person who said the service was laughably bad. I actually did laugh when the waitress brought me a fork and knife and didn't bring one for my friend. Then, when I discovered my friend's dish came with the delicious Ethiopian bread that you use to eat the ground beef tomato thing, the joke was on me. Also, the music was kind of loud reggae which was strange because we were the only people in the place, it was like the party forgot to come or something.
Review Source:The service at Moya is laughably bad. Literally. I laugh at how poorly I'm being treated whenever I go. They manage to be both rude and indifferent at the same time.
Oh, but the food!!! Stay away from the "Typical Chicken Cutlet," which is essentially a chicken finger done poorly, and you will eat very, very well. Anything they serve that is a stew that's been simmering all day is out of this world, and the rolled up flatbread that comes with most everything is a religious experience.
Moya: where you walk in yourself and leave as a 5 foot, 95 lb girl who apparently opens up tabs at 19!
If you are a pseudo Emory student (just turned 18 high school senior thinking you are something special) then I guess you would enjoy Moya Lounge. If you are anything else, probably (most definitely) won't enjoy the basement filled sweat sauna of teenage sweat and awful bartenders who give you back the wrong I.D. at the end of the night (which turns out to be of a girl who isn't even 21). How do you open up a bar tab with an I.D. that isn't even a fake one?!?!
So the story is...
I go to Moya last Friday for a party that my Emory friend told me about. It's supposed to be this whole "back to summer school" party (typical of Moya Lounge to host an Emory party). However, we forgot that high school just ended and because Moya is 18 to party, 21 to drink, the place was filled with teenagers.
10 dollar cover!?!? (I don't even pay this at the most elite clubs in Atlanta)
Dress code?!?! (The dance club is in the basement of their restaurant.)
DJ broke down for 30 minutes?!?! Â OH YES! For 30 minutes there was nothing but giggling girls. And when I asked for my money back, the bouncer told me to talk to the manager who was some man named Josh downstairs ( I found out the next day the manager is a woman!)
Worst of all, at the end of the night (one hour later), I walk away with someone else's I.D. and credit card. Apparently the bartenders just like to hand out people's identities. As well as let people open up tabs that aren't even 21.
So I go back the next day, to get my real I.D. and credit card to find out that the owner is trying to charge me a 20% fee for leaving it at the bar. After arguing with her that the bartender gave me the wrong one, she hands me 3 dollars and wants me to call it even.
At that point, I was done. I want to flick the place off every time I pass it.
Moya is an exotic gem. This Ethiopian establishment serves multiple functions; it is a restaurant, full bar and lounge! The dinner menu is intriguing. To be honest, not every single thing I've eaten at Moya has been delicious, but most of it is good and I'm always glad to try something different. I recommend the sampler platters, such as the meat which comes with chicken, lamb, and beef. All dishes come with delicious Ethiopian bread, and the vegetables are flavored with eclectic spices. This way there is bound to be something you'll enjoy...
In addition to the food, Moya has an amazing lounge. The venue is a great size for private parties. Dim lighting is brightened in areas with splashes of blue and red. The ambiance is unusual and exotic. An enclosed patio is dazzling on warm nights. I recommend Moya anytime of the day, whether to eat or to enjoy the unique atmosphere.
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