Café Lalibela Ethiopian Cuisine

Seriously the best authentic food we have ever had! This is our all time favorite restaurant and have been coming here for years! Try it, you won’t be disappointed! :)

This is not the Ethiopian food I know and the meat quality is poor and it is over priced I would not recommend this to anyone

I had the spicy combination it was wonderfu, l the meet was tender and so flavorful. I look forward to returning and trying something else next time.

Looking for a candlelight dinner on fine china? Don’t come here.
Want to eat your plate and lick your fingers? You’ve come to the right place! The food is always hearty and full of flavor. Vegetarians also do great with plenty of non-​meat options.
Come with an appetite and well manicured nails.

If you’re in the mood to be adventurous, this is your place! Ordered what was essentially a sampler platter with a variety of meat and vegetarian specialties, which you are supposed to scoop up with a thin and spongey, sour-​dough-​flavored bread. Service is a bit slow in the times that I’ve gone, nevertheless, I’ve enjoyed this unique cuisine and would return when my Ethiopian food cravings return

I have always wanted to try Ethiopian cuisine. Glad, so very glad I did. My wife and I love this place. Lunch seems to be leftovers, good, but not as good as dinner. Dinner is sooo good. The first time we went, I was very hungry. The smell of the delicious food is so wonderful that even though we weren’t kept waiting long, I was starving by the time the food came. I just can’t put into words how good it is!
The family that runs it are very very nice and super friendly. They’ll take time to explain things.
I really wish this were a chain. But it’s worth the drive. I’m writing this now because some family were looking for a place to lunch with us in Tempe tomorrow. This is it.

Love the food and the people! Great to come with a group of people and just get huge platter to share. The lentils, potato and cabbage and collard greens are so tasty. They even offer gluten free injeera and a gluten free chocolate cake that is amazing. The ethiopian coffee is sooo delicious I can never pass it up even though it keeps me awake all night. Its smooth and doesnt need any sugar or cream. They are opening a store next to the restaurant and you can buy some of their food at Whole Foods.

Delicious Ethiopian food right here in the Valley. Given the typical lack of cultural food options around here, this place is not only a jewel but an absolute staple in this city.
I have always ordered food to share and dug in with my fingers but I’m sure you could do it otherwise if those things don’t sound like fun.
Always seems like everyone around me is on a date of some sort when I go here. Perhaps it’s a way of impressing on your potential-​significant-​other that you are worldly and open-​minded? Maybe it’s because you need a partner in crime to embark on an adventure like Ethiopian food? Who knows, but it seems to work for couples who are looking for a fun dinner option.

Great Ethiopian food in PHX. The Vegetarian combo was awesome. Just the right amount of spiciness. The injera was lighter and thinner than I have before, but very flavorful. I thought it was one of the better injeras I have had. The food is great, the price is low and you will always leave full. You can’t go wrong. Highly recommend.

Yum! This place is terrific! We live far away from the closest Ethiopian restaurant so we really had to take advantage while in Phoenix. This place didn’t disappoint! The injara was perfect, the beef stew lunch special awesome, and the red lentils superb. We will have to return when back in Phoenix. Highly recommend.

This place is fantastic. I recommend coming here for the lunch specials, which are very reasonably priced. We had them cater an event recently and they far exceeded expectations. PLUS, they are a family-​owned business.

Best Ethiopian food ever!!! So yummy and service is always consistently great. Food is fresh and delicious!
Updated ¹¹⁄₁₅ We moved a year ago to the DC area and after trying about 10 Ethiopian restaurants here we still haven’t found one anywhere close to as good as Café Lalibela. My kids missed it so much that we asked them to freeze and overnight some to us. They did and my kids were ecstatic! So grateful to Salem and everyone there for doing that for us.

Café Lalibela is one of the restaurants we return to time after time. I’ve been here a few times with just one other person and also in a group; so far, I haven’t been disappointed!
We normally get one of the combination plates which comes with a variety of different entrée options and a generous side of injera bread. Out of the dishes we’ve tried, our favorites of the meat dishes have been the Doro Wat and the Key Sega Wat. From the vegetarian dishes, we’ve really liked the Tikil Gomen, the Miser Wat, and the Yekik Alicha. Each of them have their own unique taste and make for a really satisfying meal. Even though the menu says «spicy,» I haven’t found any of the options to be very spicy. They do have a lot of the Ethiopian seasonings so they’re very flavorful.
Other than that, I’d say that their platters have very generous portions. Even though they say they feed 3, I think they’d feed 4 people. If you go in a group, I recommend getting a platter & adding 1 or 2 options depending on how many people are in your group!
They’re typically pretty busy so at times you do have to wait and track them down to get drink refills. It’s definitely worth trying out especially if you like to try something new!

First time here & will definitely be back! Live around the corner… satisfied vegetarian here!!!

My first time having Ethiopian and I can tell you that I was very pleased. I thought all the onions (because they have onions in EVERYTHING) would get my tummy upset but it went down smooth.
I assumed the lamb stew would be the best thing about my entrée (#5, 8 and 9) but the spiced red lentils were amazing. The injera takes a little getting used to but after awhile, you just can’t help yourself.
Even if you order the half pot of Ethiopian coffee, share it with a friend because they bring out plenty.
My only complaint is that I’m not fat enough to really pig out.

I hadn’t been here for awhile, and so decided to go for lunch to take advantage of the lunch specials. I was immediately greeted with a smile, seated at a pleasant table, and provided a menu. After a very short wait, my server came to take my beverage order.
She returned very shortly with my iced Yekemem Shai (tea with cinnamon, cardamom & coves), and took my lunch order. I ordered the sampler from the lunch menu, and selected Doro Wat with boiled egg (spicy chicken stew), Gomen (collard greens), Fosolia (string beans and carrots) as my three items. I also ordered the Tikl Gomen (cabbage, potatoes and carrots), and some Ayeb (home made mild crumbly cheese) to sprinkle on top. There was an option for rice, injera or both — but I stuck with just injera.
I had never had this sort of iced tea before, but as I started sipping, I was really glad that I had ordered it. It had a lovely perfumed aroma and flavor but was not overpowering.
The café had a pleasant ambiance which I enjoyed while I was waiting for my food. As I waited, the restaurant around me filled fairly quickly, and I was glad that I had arrived when I did. It looked like there was also a lot of take out activity going on.
Shortly my food arrived, and it looked and smelled delicious. I forgot about taking a picture until the Doro Wat, my stand out favorite, was completely consumed. Everything looked and tasted fresh and was nicely seasoned. The portions were more generous than I expected. The injera was very nicely made, and not as sour as I have sometimes had it. The Ayeb was interesting, but I will pass on it next time as it was very mild and didn’t really add much flavor.
I was provided refills for my tea, as well as a fresh cup to take with me. Service was friendly and attentive throughout my visit. I left wondering why I had waited so long to come back here.
This was the first of 2 Ethiopian restaurants I ate at in two days, and this was by far the best!

My sister and I saw an advertisement about this establishment while watching «Check, Please» on PBS Channel 8.1 and my sister went beserk! She begged me to accompany her and I must say, I really really didn’t want to go but, for the sake of a sister… I went. To ‘my’ surprise I really enjoyed it! Standing room only after 6PM because it gets packed and quick! We were fortunate that we arrived a little before 6PM so there were still some seats available.
We took our time perusing the menu and finally after some time and discussion we ordered. My sister ordered the combination of doro wat (3), alicha sega (1) and kye sega wat (4) garnished with selata and served with injera. I ordered something I knew (lol) YEBERE SEGA TIBS: (pan fried beef cubes), Lean beef cubes pan fried with jalapeńos, onion and fresh rosemary. Garnished with selata and served with injera. Delicious. Great portions and very friendly, clean, has a strong sense of family and community feel inside.
We had a great time so much so — we’ve made a second trip already! I met the dynamic duo husband and wife team Anabal and Mona. They are simply dynamic people. Will be back often. Next time, I’ll get brave and try something I am unfamiliar with. :)

We ate here while spending a day in Phoenix on vacation. It’s on par with other Ethiopian restaurants we’ve tried and the food was yummy. If you’re an adventurous eater, just want to try something different as a change of pace or are an Ethiopian cuisine fan, you’ll definitely like Café Lalibela.

This was my first tryst with Ethiopian food and trust me it does not get any better. Café Lalibela is a quaint little place with big flavors. Here the food needs no décor to dress it up. We were greeted by warm and welcoming smiles and seated quickly. The staff is friendly and will be happy to walk you through the menu.
To start the evening we had Ethiopian Amber Beer and Koranti (hot tea with Greek liquor ouzo) the tea has a strong aroma of cinnamon, its not for the fainthearted.
The drinks were followed by
Doro Wat (Spicy Chicken stew with red pepper, onions and spices) served with hard boiled eggs.
Yebeg Alicha Sega wat (Mild Lamb Stew with onions, turmeric, herbs)
Misir Wat (red lentils cooked with onions, red peppers, herbs).Its medium spicy.
Most of the dishes are cooked in Kibae (butter with spices).
we enjoyed all these delicacies with a side of Ethiopian bread Injera, which is a crêpe made from wheat flour. Also don’t miss the Ethiopian Coffee.
What comes as a pleasant surprise is that Ethiopian food is like a distant cousin of Indian food with its extensive use of spices and butter, turmeric, onions. The Crêpe also reminds me of something between a dosa and uttapam.
They also have a lot of options for Vegetarians. So go check it out.
P.S Ditch the silverware for a change!

A lot of veggie and meat options. Veggies are more bland, but I still enjoyed the lentil type stuff. The combo meat dishes were pretty flavorful. It was my first time having Ethiopian food, so… Not bad. Can’t compare to other places.
Friend ordered a special hot tea that’s supposed to be good for people with a cold (indicated in menu). She told me not to get it because it tastes like «earth».

For May’s International Supper Club UYE we went to Café Lalibela, after makiing reservations for a large group, we noticed when it came time to eating we were a smaller group than planned, but without any issues we were able to move to a smaller table to free up the larger one if needed.
I won’t lie, I have been here before and was looking forward to coming back, I already knew what I wanted too. I ordered the #18, it’s a spicy combination of doro wat, kye sega wat and misr wat with selate and injera.
The plate presentation really isn’t pretty, blobs on dish, but the food is great tasting! So get over the plating presentation. Doro Wat is a spicy chicken stew, it was simmered in kibae (spiced butter), berbere (red pepper) and onion flavored with various spices. The Kye Sega Wat is a spicy beef stew simmered in in berbere (red pepper) and onion and it too flavored with various spices. The Misir Wat, which is one of my favorites, is split red lentils cooked with onion, berbere, and herbs, if you love lentils with a little bit of spice then you would love this too! Selate is a side salad and it was great tasting as well. The Injera is a sponge like crêpe that is sourdough, made with teff & wheat flour, its texture is different but its taste is great, its like eating the inside of a sourdough loaf.
Service was great and the food was delish! Look forward to coming back!

Location: the restaurant has lots of tables, no booths, not exactly the type of place you want to take out on a date.
Service: This is where you lose most of the rating. The server was not attentive, never follow up, never give us refill and takes forever to take a order. They are polite but the service definitely needs lots of improvments.
Food: I ordered the spicy beef stew and fish stew. The fish stew has a strong fishy smell and the beef stew was just OK. The whole presentation isn’t very appealing. The black tea, however, was rather tasty.
Rating: I don’t think I will come back here again. The service and the food both needs lots of work. However, if you are a vegan or vegetarian, this might be a good restaurant for you. They do have lots of bean dishes.

My tip for you? Go with 2 or 3 or 4 friends and get the exclusive combination. That way you’ll get a chance to try a lot of the great representative dishes. That is what I did recently while visiting from out of town. The four of us shared the combination and it was a perfect amount of food for us and a good variety of things.
The greens (Gomen) are some of the best I’ve had. the meats that we had were flavorful and interesting. the lamb (Yebeg Alicha Sega Wat) was excellent. The rentals were good but the chickpeas were a little flavorless. But everything else in the combo was a home run. I took family members who never had Ethiopian food and they really enjoyed it. Best I’ve had in a long time.
Be sure to fight over the injera that has soaked up the sauce from each dish that was sitting on it. It is some of the yummiest parts.

I heard so many good things about this place so I was super excited to try it. I was even more excited since I had never tried Ethiopian food before.
It’s located in a shitty strip mall so that means it had to be amazing, right? Upon walking in, we were barely greeted. Ok… then we were seated. Their soda selection wasn’t the best, so we all got water. The water came and it tasted straight like Mexican water; we all decided to order soda, tea, and lemonade. Then we ordered the meat tray for 3 to 4 people (3 of us).
The moment of truth… the food arrived and so did the bread. The bread they give you is so that you eat with your hand with it. The bread was very dough and had a funny texture but it wasn’t bad at all. The food was an explosion of all sorts of curry, cumin, spicy, etc flavors in your mouth. It wasn’t like anything I’ve had before. So the food was good. Only con is that it she’s extremely heavy so I was uncomfortable for the rest of the night.
The service. Oh the service. They have this Latina girl working there who looks like she hates her life. She never once cracked a smile and was just so blah. Whenever we asked for something, she would stare at us for 10 seconds and answer with «yeah.» So annoying.
I wouldn’t drive out of my way to come here but maybe once a year is ok to have it.

I’ve never tried Ethiopian food before, but now I’m a fan!
I came here on a Saturday night around 7 pm and there was no wait for my party of 6 people, which was great for us! Around 7:30−8 the restaurant started filling up and by the time we left pretty much all the tables were occupied.
We ordered the large vegetarian platter, which is supposed to feed 3+ people. I would say it could feed 4 people comfortably. since we had more than 4 people we also ordered the individual meat platter, and plus I wanted to try some of the meat dishes. while the meat dishes were alright, I preferred the vegetarian dishes by far.
sadly, I don’t know the names of what I was eating bc there were so many different dishes on the platter, but I really liked how they prepared the veggies. I even liked the collard greens, which I was expecting to hate!
the bread you use to scoop up the food is really interesting, it’s a thin almost crêpe like bread, but quite flexible and spongy. it pretty much has no flavor to it, it’s just a means for getting the food into your mouth. I liked the texture of it though, and it enhanced the meal.