Excellent Table

Lovely, friendly owner that clears up any confusion you have with the menu and suggest great items as well. Excellent Ethiopian food. Price is pretty nice as well.

It’s a great place right next to a small park area. Good food of a sort that can’t be otherwise found in the area. The woman there is a fun person to talk to.

Disappointed. Overpriced and tiny portions. We came for lunch. Half of her menu options were not available. We ordered a plate for «two adults». I could have eat it all myself, but as I had my 7yo and 10yo too, we all left hungry. The plate was advertised as $ 23.99, and she charged us $ 27.36. What happened there? I didn’t ask and frankly don’t care. At that price point, the plate should have been much larger! While it did taste good and the owner was nice, I am not likely to come back, which is sad, as we love Ethiopian cuisine. Oh, and don’t forget parking is hard to come by here. If you are using GPS to find the location: it’s on the back side of the building. NOT facing Main St.

Food. excellent… The owner is really nice… It is one of my favorite places, hands down!
She makes everything really perfect, the veggies and the meat, served over the Injear. I am a fan of the couscous that she makes with nuts!

I came here on a Friday around 1pm. It happened to be the «Steppin’ Out» festival, and nobody could see that the restaurant was open. The owner was playing renaissance cathedral music to get customers’ attention. This did not seem to be working, probably because of the cognitive discordance between the music and the thought of Ethiopian food, but I like chamber music, so everything was cool.
The restaurant itself was quite cozy and brightly colored in yellow. The owner was very happy to see us, and helped us choose from among her numerous, delicious-​sounding menu options. In the end, we got a combo plate for two, which was quite reasonably priced at $ 20. We also each got the tropical iced tea, which reminded me of Jamaican sorrel, with notes of ginger and, I believe, hibiscus. The food was a little slow to come out, but we enjoyed it when it did.
Each of the items were boldly seasoned. I pride myself on my ability to identify each of the flavors in a food, but I admit that these were too complex for me to identify. Thinking back, it seemed like allspice was a major player, and the mixed vegetables had a conspicuous note of turmeric. I think I may have detected a showing of mace and, of course, cayenne. I thought it all went well, except the lentils, which had too much spice for my taste. The injira was great and I thought about getting more.
All in all, a very nice place, and I’d be interested to try it when there isn’t a giant festival happening directly outside. :)

There were eight of us college kids on a day of a farmers market. The woman was really kind to us, and the food was pretty darn excellent. I really can’t imagine a better combination of excellent food and great service. I was really impressed, and of the three Ethiopian restaurants I’ve now been too, this is probably my favorite. Keep up the great work, and thanks for a great meal!

I am so happy with that Sweet Mediterranean tea here. Came down to Vtech for my cousin’s orientation and the drink was perfect for a hot summer day! Will definitely come back to try their food as I heard great reviews from other students!

It truly is excellent food! Very friendly owner, expansive menu (though not all dishes are available all the time as this joint is a one woman «show») — we’ve tried almost all of it at different times and have yet to try something we didn’t like! Try some of the spicy dishes, you won’t be sorry if you like the heat! The prices are slightly on the higher side but well worth it! Fresh and good injera bread she makes herself! We always leave this place with happy full bellies!

The food here is made fresh with fresh ingredients! Not much seating or ambiance so it’s a takeout spot for most though it’s nice and quiet for lunch. The owner makes all of the food herself so you can have things made the way you like. She is also very kind and wants to make sure her customers are satisfied.
I love having fresh food available at such a great price. Most farm to table restaurants are on par or much more expensive!

This is a small, local restaurant with home made foods. The lady who is the chef was so welcoming and treated us with a very pleasant Chai. We tried the mild beef and spicy chicken with injear which was a nice combo. The food quality was good and tasty.

I went here in the summer the night of a bluegrass jam session in the farmer’s market space. Ordered a delicious combo of the dishes she had available that day and tropical tea and sat out listening to live Appalachian music eating homestyle Ethiopian food. What the other reviewers said was my experience as well — the owner is very friendly, offers to explain about the dishes she’s made, and you really get a homey feeling, that everything is made with love here. Well spiced dishes, tangy and spongy injera, in Blacksburg no less. Fantastic!

We just ate at Excellent Table and it was fantastic! It was our first time eating Ethiopian food and we weren’t disappointed. The WONDERFUL owner was so helpful as we were trying to figure out what to get and we were even given samples to try. The place is small, but very cozy and located just behind the downtown farmers market parking area.
From what we can tell and have read, the menu changes to keep things fresh but everything sounded and tasted great.
We definitely recommend eating at the Excellent Table the next time you’re in Blacksburg or just looking for a great meal.

When we arrived at Excellent Table Ethiopian Cuisine during lunchtime, the cook/​owner had a marker board menu of all the items being served that day. There was a red X beside everything that was not available at the moment. That may seem to strike as a negative, but it was actually a wonderful thing. As she was talking to us through the ordering window, she would freshly prep food and come around to the board and erase an X. This meant the food was not yesterday’s leftovers. The prices were not too bad either. We ordered a mix platter of black bean curry, cold lentils with diced tomatoes, doro tibs (mild chicken stir-​fry), and siga wat (spicy beef with potatoes). While we were waiting, we heard her fire up the stove with divine smells radiating towards our table. In no time at all she brought out our food. I found myself having fun, tearing off pieces of injera, using them to pinch up delicious scoops of siga wat! The siga wat was perfectly spicy hot for me and my never ending quest for capsaicin infused munches. For our drinks, the owner recommended her homemade tropical tea. It went exceptionally well with our meal as a nice sweetness to balance out all the other flavors. All in all, this place, while small (one table for four and a counter for four), is a carnivore’s, herbivore’s, and omnivore’s paradise wrapped into one. The owner goes out of her way to make it a pleasurable experience with great recommendations of what to order. This is the place to be if you are looking for authentic Ethiopian food and are in the Blacksburg, VA area!

I’m only a visitor but I am pretty confident in saying that I think this place is the gem restaurant of Blacksburg. Why give your money away to any other kind of non-​independently owned establishment when you can support real, homemade food? This place is tiny and cozy, and I felt like I was really just in the owner’s home kitchen having a delicious Ethiopian meal.
Food of course was amazing and the price was on par with most Ethiopian places I’ve been to in San Francisco and Los Angeles (~$ 14 for one person). Not cheap, but I paid the same amount at Gillie’s and enjoyed this much more.
Pretty sure there were two dates going on when I was eating here. That’s how warm and cozy this place is. Candles and all.
Eat here! Be patient if the line is long and enjoy the fact that there is a very direct loving connection between the person who made your food and you!

This is a small restaurant that only has one employee, the owner herself. So, as you can imagine, there isn’t a lot of room to sit. I think most people order food to go. I however, did not. Myself and 2 other colleagues decided to try out this place and we were pleasantly surprised. The food is very authentic and absolutely delicious. The owner is from Ethiopia and from what I’ve heard continues to travel back to pick up ingredients and spices. She is also very nice. I would definitely suggest trying this restaurant.
We ordered the 3 – 4 person plate with 2 meats 2 vegetables & 1 side. We got Lamb, Pork ribs, mixed veggies, black beans, and couscous. Unless you buy an additional drink water is served with the meal complimentary.
The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because of the dining area. The seats were worn way too badly for people to be sitting in them. One of my colleagues actually fell through the first seat he sat in. Other than that, it is a lovely place to eat and i can not state enough how delicious the food is.

Not cheap, not easy to find, but worth the effort with every bite. It’s a hole-​in-​the-​wall run by a sole lady who is friendly as can be. I ordered the single-​meat combo for one, and went in hungry but left full. Actually, I ate at the tables right outside. Chicken stir-​fry, eggplant and lentils. Not sure if the injera was teff, but good enough to sop up all the goodies. Less intensely spiced than some other Ethiopian but clearly plenty good for Blacksburg. Unilocalers got it right on this one.

After spending several days in Virginia I started to get some of my California based cravings for ethnic food. Excellent Table filled that niche in my desires for something exotic and delicious.
Excellent Table is a one lady show — the owner does the orders, the serving, the stocking, works the phone and even cooks the food. She’s a very nice, friendly, warm lady full of smiles and eager to serve customers the food she puts her love and attention into.
I ordered the spicy chicken and bean curry which came with a side of couscous all served over injera bread. The spicy chicken was very tasty and just the right amount of spice if you can handle spicy food. The bean curry was average and the injera bread was very filling and tasty. The couscous though was the best couscous I’ve ever had. I loved that it was served sprinkled with nuts and raisins so you’d really get that variance in texture and flavor in every bite.
Excellent Table is a great place to go if you’re craving something authentic and ethnic. The prices are just a wee bit steep but not unreasonable. The service is great and most importantly the food is delicious.

WOW! I knew I was in for a delicious treat when I stepped through the door to a sensuous aroma. The menu is posted at the door and on the column near the ordering window. It was supplemented by a white board listing of what items were freshly prepared and available to order. I was a little unsure what to order and was presented with 2-​bite tastes to help with my selection.
I had spicy ground beef & potatoes, spicy lentils and couscous with herbs and dries fruit. The dishes were prepared perfectly spiced.
The dining area is very intimate, seating about 7 without special arrangement, but is also outside seating.
Not being familiar with the area It was a little difficult to locate as the address is on the street but the entry is on the back side facing the public farmer’s market.
The lady running this establishment was so delightful, helpful and welcoming.
Given an opportunity, I would definitely return and bring others with me.
If you are in the area, do yourself a favor and do not pass up the opportunity to dine on Excellent Tables fine Ethiopian cuisine.

Delicious hole in the wall, not much seating but wow the food is great. The woman who runs the show is happy to give samples and talk about her food – make sure not to miss this place if you’re visiting Blacksburg and love fresh, well prepared food!
I got spicy sliced pork and pork ribs, lentils, fried tofu with eggplant, and a combination of tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant. Everything was seasoned perfectly, and even eating the rest the next day in my hotel (without heating it up) it was great. I’ll definitely be back.
For anyone mentioning price I agree that this is NOT a «cheap» fast food-​y type place, despite the food being ready very quickly. Everything is made fresh, and good ingredients are pricey. She told me that unfortunately she hasn’t been able to have the lamb recently as things have been slow, and the lamb price for her is nearly $ 10/​lb. You get what you pay for, and it is worth it.

I unfortunately am not as ecstatic about Excellent Table as other fellow Unilocalers. I think Ethiopian food might just not be my cup of tea! I’ve tried it once before a few months ago back in DC (don’t remember the name of the place because it was late night after a concert near the 930 Club and their only sign was «Ethiopian Food — OPEN»), and had a similar experience.
I’ll start by saying it is VERY pricy! For just one combo my boyfriend and I shared and two teas, it was $ 26. We were shocked because we read from another Unilocaler that they got their combo for $ 14? So… did the two teas cost $ 12? I don’t think the amount of food surmounted to that price (see my photo). We paid about that same price in DC for twice the amount of food. But we didn’t argue because the woman is so nice and welcoming…
Anyway, for our combo we chose the spicy beef and potatoes, the spicy garbanzo beans, the spicy eggplant and tofu, and the mild vegetables. There wasn’t a side to choose from yesterday (which we were a little bummed about) so she let us pick 4 entrée dishes out of the 6 she had listed on the whiteboard next to the order window.
The only dish we really enjoyed was the spicy beef and potatoes. It had very good flavor and I wouldn’t have minded eating more of that. The garbanzo beans were just okay (it was a paste as opposed to the whole beans), but the spicy eggplant and tofu had an odd aftertaste to it and the mild vegetables were on the bland side (maybe because they were «mild» — but still, there should be flavor!).
I feel bad but we most likely will not be coming back. The woman who owns the place and makes everything is a sweetheart, though! This is mainly why I’m giving it 3 stars!