2026 Centurion Award Winner · Tucson · Restaurants
Zemam's
2026 Centurion Award winner. Best of Tucson Restaurants.
Tucson's first Ethiopian kitchen, family-run since 1993.
Zemam's is the 2026 Centurion Award winner for Best Ethiopian Restaurant in Tucson in Tucson, Arizona, operating since 1993. Selected by published criteria and independently verified. Page last reviewed 2026-06-22.
Why they won
Named best Ethiopian restaurant in Tucson for 2026 for introducing the city to Ethiopian cuisine, a 4.5-star Yelp record, and more than thirty years of family ownership.
Amanuel Gebremariam arrived in Tucson as a refugee and, after studying at the University of Arizona, opened Zemam's in 1993 in a small house on Broadway with just five tables. It was the city's first Ethiopian restaurant, serving communal platters eaten with injera.
Three decades later, with his sons now involved, Zemam's anchors the Z Street Market, a community gathering place built around the food he first learned in his mother's kitchen.
Highlights
- Tucson's first Ethiopian restaurant, since 1993
- Family-owned across two generations
- 4.5 stars on Yelp
- Centerpiece of the Z Street Market
What they offer
- Communal Ethiopian platters: Served family-style with injera.
- Doro wat, vegetable and meat samplers
- Vegan and gluten-free options
Verified profile
Mr. Centurion says“The kitchen that taught Tucson to love Ethiopian food.”
Winner web icon
Zemam's may display the 2026 Best of Tucson web icon as part of its verified Centurion Award recognition.
Awarded by the published Centurion criteria.
Read the methodology →
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