as told by Elisabeth Kvitashvili
When you think of tasty food that’s a little bit exotic, with unusual flavors and has a bite to it, there’s no better place to head to than Oasis Café at the corner of Divisadero and McAllister on the edge of NOPA. Haile Tadesse and his wife Abeba Gedam have welcomed customers to their Ethiopian/Eritrean café since 2010. A member of the Tigrinya people who hail from territory located along the Ethiopian/Eritrean border, Haile opened a small store in the Oasis current location in 2007. After three years he and his wife decided to convert the store into a café where he could “introduce his culture and food” to the community. Haile and his family are locals themselves living just a few blocks away in NOPA while their oldest son is up the street at USF.
For ten years Oasis has served as a gathering spot for NOPA locals and as well as for the Ethiopian/Eritrean community given Haile and Abeba’s emphasis on excellent coffee and healthy food which represents the authentic flavors of their homeland. The Ethiopians say that arabica (coffee bean) originated in the highlands of Ethiopia which today remains one of the world’s top producers of quality coffee. At Oasis you can get a mix of breakfast, lunch and dinner options, both American and Ethiopian/Eritrean style. Meat and many vegetarian dishes and platters are available with the Veggie Combo, an all vegan dish, being the most popular. Also popular are the meat sambusas with hot sauce and chicken tibs served with injera, the spicy bread with which one eats the spicy dishes.
Normally OASIS employees 8 people, representing a mix of cultures. Ranferi from Guatemala is usually behind the counter to take your order while Musa is in the kitchen preparing the dishes. Marcellino can be seen both in the kitchen and up at the counter. With business down between 50-70% on any given day, Haile has had to lay off some staff though three remain. Oasis has installed a protective shield at the counter and gloves and masks are worn by the Oasis staff but has not yet shifted to delivery service owing to the associated costs. Instead, Haile would like people to order online through OASISCAFESF.COM or stop by the café which remains open every day opening at 7am. Haile and Abeba are very grateful for the continuing support they continue to receive from loyal customers and hope more people in the community will stop by to try their delicious food. I am a regular customer with an almost daily sambusa order ready for me to go with my Haile’s Choice coffee.