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Cafe Ibex
Category: Restaurants Ethiopian Ethiopian [Edit]
3219 Martin Luther King Jr Way S(between Hanford St & S Claremont Ave)
Seattle, WA 98144
Neighborhood: Columbia City
(206) 721-7537
- Hours:
Mon, Wed-Sun 11 am - 2 am
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
Voted Best Three Ethnic Restaurants in Seattle!
12 reviews for Cafe Ibex
Review Highlights
-
"Accessible by light rail (Mt Baker station." In 4 reviews -
"We always order the combo platter for two people." In 4 reviews -
"i had my usual, the veggie combo, and it was quite..." In 3 reviews
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12 reviews in English
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Review from Daren D.
2/5/2012
Part 2 of my late night munchies craving - with no certainty of finishing both meals, BUT, alas, the spontaneous night continues.
Like Dahlak, they play some pretty jammin' cool music at night. The lady helping me was fast, yet friendly at the same time, if that makes sense. I called about asking for chai, and she kept saying "No, we don't have Thai tea". I decided to just go and ask about it inside... and get more food, lol... No one greets you but walking towards the bar she approaches and asks me to take a seat with a menu. I told her I called about the chai and she smiled. She went back to grab what she thinks and comes back with a tea bag pouch, kinda red in color and I saw the words "...noir chai" on it. I think, after a quick search, that it's pukka? Hmmm, not sure... Anyway, it was nice! And she recommended some sugar with it. Super hot, though, careful.
I got the same similar thing as at Dahlak, a lamb dish with injera... their lamb was more tasty and the injera had a smoother tan color to it. SO much injera, what do people do with it? I'm not into it that much, so I guess that's moot.
I also agree with the atmosphere. Soft wall lighting, jammin' beats and nice service. They also have a small bar with flatscreen.Listed in: Chai is nice
-
Review from R to the Y.
Chicago, IL
12/7/2011
My wife and I have been to close to a dozen different Ethiopian restaurants, in DC, Ann Arbor, and Chicago, and this is probably our favorite one. The food is as good as any we've had, the service is extremely friendly, and the value is unbeatable. We got way more food than we should ever try to finish (though we just about did), with a beer, and after tax the total was less than $20!
We just moved to Seattle and Cafe Ibex is already at the top of our favorite restaurant list. -
Review from Mai G.
Seattle, WA
1/7/2012
The food here is amazing! (But I like every Ethiopian restaurant I've tried in Seattle).
Beyond that, this place earns 5 stars because of the friendly staff, their tolerance for our large group of people, great prices, and the free ice cream cake that we were surprised with after our meal. -
Review from Ninette C.
Seattle, WA
11/19/2011
Interesting...
I have never had Ethiopian food before but I came here for a group meeting over a Saturday afternoon lunch.
This place is in a part of town I don't come to very often. It doesn't look a thing on the inside like what you would think it would look like from the outside. It's actually huge! There's a banquet room inside which is interesting considering there's no parking. It's much nicer on the inside too...
We started off with some lattes which were good without being too sweet. I also liked the chocolate syrup on top. Our group leader ordered a chicken variety and a vegetarian variety platter. I asked her how many they served (we had 8) and she said 2-3 per platter. I was shocked because the plates were $13-14 each! What a steal!
The food arrived together on a large round platter. Note to picky vegetarians: if your friend orders meat and you don't want it all on one plate, make sure to tell them. They serve a little bit of everything and there is a bread underneath. They also brought us each a serving of bread. You are supposed to use the bread as a wrapper of sorts to grab the food. We ended up getting a couple spoons because it was easier.
The food was flavorful. If I had to compare it to something, I would say that it seemed to have some familiar flavors as Indian or Middle Eastern food. It was unique though. I liked the spinach and yellow beans the best. I also liked the green/long yellow beans and the egg. I didn't care so much for the salad looking thing and a couple of the purees. The bread is kind of like a spongy crepe. It seems like a crepe on the edges but the center is spongy. I would say I only liked about half the vegetarian dishes so I probably wouldn't get a variety platter again if it was just me and a friend or two.
The staff here is very nice. Our group leader knew them so we met the owner and they took photos for us and everything. They gave us the room in the back, but the restaurant was completely empty on a Saturday afternoon. It was weird. Do they do most of their business at night?
Overall, this was a good experience and I enjoyed learning about the cuisine. I would come back again. -
Review from E. P.
Seattle, WA
10/4/2011
This restaurant has fantastic atmosphere, servers/owners who remember you when you return, tasty Ethiopian food, and super jam-tastic dancing night on Friday and Saturday - AND they serve food till the early morning in their generous dancehall space in the back.
This is a great bar to hang out in, and a good restaurant to have a meal with your family too.
An intercontinental interlude: the last time I ordered a whiskey coke, I got my whiskey in a snifter, with a small cup of coke with two ice cubes. Love it. -
Review from Fuzzy B.
Seattle, WA
5/26/2011
What a great find! I spotted the place from the train and then happened to be in the neighborhood a few days later. I'll echo what several other reviews have noted - the food tastes great, the chef came out to check on us, and it's totally reasonably priced.
The next time my friends want to go for Ethiopian food, I'm definitely bringing them here. -
Review from Ilya P.
Bellevue, WA
1/16/2011
IBEX is one of many Ethiopean/East African eateries in the Colombia city-Mt Baker area.
Good ethnic dining experience, they put the food on top of an Injera flatbread, and you eat with your hands.
Ask for extra napkins.
Accessible by light rail (Mt Baker station). -
Review from Amy S.
Seattle, WA
9/17/2007
UPDATE 3: Finally back to it's old form. Read the initial review. Yay! The return of Ibex.
UPDATE 2: Decided to give it another chance, but this was the final straw. Two of the dishes in our vegetarian platter were rancid and two had no flavor at all. The injeera was stale (I think it must have been cooked a day or two earlier) and disgusting. No more Ibex carry out for me. I'll be taking all of my business to Tagla on Rainier (across from Tully's).
UPDATE: I'm taking a star away. The past two times we've gotten carry out here, the food was lackluster. Hopefully it will get better. Still cheap and better than many of its competitors, but definitely no longer 5-star good.
This is my favorite Ethiopian spot in the city. It's always super fresh and the prices are right. The decor can't be beat. The veggie platter (my staple at Ethiopian spots) is inspired and introduces flavors to what are typically tired dishes at other restaurants. In addition, the veggie platter is still sub $10 in a cuisine market that is seeing inflation elsewhere.
Cafe Ibex is currently eclipsed by the construction around the McClellen light rail installation, but it's open so support it! -
Review from Molly M.
Seattle, WA
8/16/2011
Ibex is a great spot for Ethiopian, and I've even seen a show on their stage in back. We always order the combo platter for two people. The price is incredible, beer is cheap, and they were very sweet to our 3-month-old baby. We sent my small-town parents by themselves, and they loved it as well. Great value, sweet service. I only rated 4/5 because service is a little awkward (probably a cultural difference), but not a big problem. CLOSED TUESDAY!
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Review from Alex B.
Seattle, WA
8/5/2009
Cafe Ibex is a delicious little restaurant. I have been there several times now and every time I go there it gets better it seems. The wait staff are very very friendly and seem to really appreciate your business. The food is inspirational. I've never quite had anything like it. It just keeps bringing me back for more.
It's always been kind of a pain to get there but now the link light rail is open and there is a convenient stop a block away from this place, I am going to start going there a lot. and I can't wait.
If you've never had Ethiopian food and want to try something new, I highly recommend this place. I went on a whim with my friends and have not regretted it since. -
Review from Marla E.
11/5/2011
hmmmm.....well, the place is a dump but the food is very good. i had my usual, the veggie combo, and it was quite delicious. i was with 3 other people and since we all ordered the same thing, it was served on 2 huge platters instead of 4 big ones. it made the experience feel more intimate, sharing a plate with a friend. it worked for our group but i can see how it wouldn't work for less acquainted people. we were the only people there for lunch on a a saturday, which was sad. the price is right on par with what i'm used to ($12 for a platter that serves 2), though i did end up eating the majority of my half of the double platter, skipping breakfast to accomplish that feat. i'm still searching for that perfect combination of great food AND ambiance. every place in seattle i've been to thus far has either one or the other.
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Review from Bob E.
Seattle, WA
3/30/2010
I've been a fan for a while from before the light rail and after. The space is spartan and understated. The food is quite good and is also a good value. I tend to get a veggie combo and then one of the lamb or chicken dishes added on. It's plenty of food for three normal people or two really hungry ones.
