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Queen Sheba
Category: Restaurants Ethiopian Ethiopian [Edit]
916 E John St(between E Broadway & Olive Way)
Seattle, WA 98102
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill
(206) 322-0852
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 4 pm - 11 pm
Sat 11 am - 11 pm
Sun 4 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
156 reviews for Queen Sheba
Review Highlights
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"The veggie combo is always warm and comforting." In 22 reviews -
"Yebec wot is awesome along with honey wine." In 18 reviews -
"The atmosphere is nice and the injera is always good." In 41 reviews
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- A Yelpy Insight: Vegetarians go nuts for this spot. See more places they like.
156 reviews in English
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Review from Tan Lo S.
I honestly love love love African food!!!!
I know that Eritrean food + Ethiopian food are very similar... so I will never refuse going out to eat at a restaurant that serves either or!
I like this place. When I went it was super quiet and not busy. I forgot what we ordered... I just know there was 1 lamb dish, 1 beef (I think, or was it chicken?) and the chicken dish with the green veggies.
I loved it all! Sooo good. The Enjera bread was so good too. We of course, ate with our right hand as it is cultural. The only thing I didn't like was the lentils in the middle ( I think it was lentils). Otherwise, they served all 3 dishes on sharing platter and we were all so full we could barely eat it all! we seriously had so much leftover.
I like this place. Normal priced about $9-$11 I believe.
I am hoping to try this other Eritrean place by my house soon. But I like this place. Good service and good food! Mm. -
Review from Diane J.
This was my first experience with Ethiopian food. The greeting was warm and the service was great even though they were short handed and busy the night we went.
The food was well seasoned and different than what I expected. The chicken dish with jalapeños was over the top good.
I did struggle with everyone eating from the same plate, but I guess there are worse things in life.
Worth a visit just for the experience alone. -
Review from P C.
Redmond, WA
After being to other Ethiopian restaurants in Seattle, I would like to reduce 1 star for Queen Sheba.
I have had a couple of bad experiences as well. Once I came in with friends visiting Seattle and they didn't have any Ethiopian beer or wine or Doro Wot. On a friday evening. WTF ?
Another day I went there with my wife around 9:45 pm and they were already closed even though their website advertised to be open till 10:30 or 11:00 (dont remember exact time).
Ofcourse we went to Saba and had some nice food :)1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/19/2009
This is the second Ethiopian restaurant that I tried and my favorite so far. It is nice and cozy and… Read more »
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12/19/2009
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Review from Christine S.
Seattle, WA
My husband and I have split two orders of vegetarian combos many times. Actually, it seems that this is what people order, looking over at other tables. The price is reasonable for it, about $11 per serving and you can try a little of almost everything. The food is delicious, always. They are often short staffed, so I would not recommend this restaurant if you are looking for quick service. If you are looking to relax with friends, this is a great place.
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Review from Juliane W.
Seattle, WA
Whenever I crave Ethiopian food I visit Queen Sheba...ever since I came here for the first time I've really taken to this spot. I love that it looks like a house that was turned into a restaurant, the tables are very close to each other and you can smell all the food cooking in the kitchen. I usually get the vegetarian plate to share with whoever I'm with, but also had tried the fish and was equally as impressed. For the amount of food you get, it's definitely a steal. I've never left hungry and never left unhappy. I'll be back again and again!
..the honey wine is divine as well! -
Review from Luna S.
Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA
I love this place! The super cozy atmosphere is the perfect place to have a fascinating dinner conversation, and the food is super delicious...you'll probably spend half of the conversation talking about it. I rarely stray from the veggie combo platter, but I don't need to...it's amazeballs!
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Review from Lee W.
Grab a wad of injera, load wad with Ethiopian mystery food, stuff hole, repeat.
This was my first experience with Ethiopian and it was epic!
We did the veggie sampler tray and the meat sampler tray. The whole thing comes out on a a 4 foot round pallet with a bunch of different dishes dolloped around the edges. If you didn't know better you'd think a giant Bob Ross was coming to paint a tree with your food!
The beef tibs were the highlight. Everything was loaded with flavor but the tibs were saucy, spicy and gosh darnit people liked it.
Our waitress may have been new to the position, she seemed flabbergasted at times. Bringing too many beers and then charging us for the extra beer. Bringing extra injera upon request then forgetting to charge us for the extra injera.
Ultimately Queen ShebaHawk is a four star establishment because the food was great and the price was very reasonable. $36 spent on an appetizer and the two sampler dishes and it fed six of us. -
Review from Michael N.
Seattle, WA
Located within a couple minute's walk of my apartment, of course I'm going to frequent Queen Sheba!
I quite enjoy bringing people visiting from out of town here. It always makes me sad how so few people have ever had Ethiopian food. I am *far* from a master of Ethiopian food. But I do know that the food here is inexpensive, filling, and tasty.
As a vegetarian, my options here are somewhat limited. I always get the vegi platter and it is always tasty. Never have been a fan of the spinach based dish, however.
Service tends to be very relaxed and friendly and food tends to come out before I expect it.
Highly recommended. -
Review from Daniel T.
Seattle, WA
Jüpiter loves you
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Review from Ann W.
Summary: Queen Sheba - great location, decent service, slightly on the pricey side, but it does the job.
Queen Sheba is located on Broadway and John - I never even noticed this place until I actually walked by it. It's in a great location and very close to all the good stuff on Broadway.
The 4 of us ordered the meat combo (included chicken, beef, and lamb), and the veg combo (included cabbage, two types of lentils, and green beans), as recommended by the waitress. Each of us was more than full and enjoyed the meal. My favorite was the chicken, beef, cabbage, and green beans. I'm not a fan of lamb, and the lentils were pretty plain.The meat combo was $20 and the veg combo was $12. Not bad split among 4 people, but if buying individual dishes, there are other places that are less expensive (Saba in Central District).
All in all, it wasn't magnificent, but I wouldn't object if someone wanted to go. -
Review from Chirayu D.
Jersey City, NJ
Liked the food..Writing this review was long over due... definitely try the okra dish..would encourage the vegetarians to try this place!
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Review from Marie B.
Seattle, WA
The absolute most disgusting Ethiopian/Eritrean food I've ever eaten... and Ethiopian is by far my favorite! The veggie combo picture of mush below is exactly what our plate offered.... it took about 30 minutes for it to come out... I always order the veggie combo and it comes out beautiful elsewhere: full of many choices, fresh, and always with a salad. Here it was tablespoons of mush... so gross. It tasted bland... and had we not been starving and eaten it, it probably is the only place I would have sent the food back and left. When we went to pay, we saw our waitress sitting back near the kitchen eating a FEAST of about 10 different amazing looking dishes with all five or her Ethiopian friends... so I guess you have to be family to get good food and service here.
Best Ethiopian: GOJO on 135th and Aurora Ave N -
Review from Samantha C.
Honolulu, HI
This was the first place I had ever tried Ethiopian only to return time and time again. If you've never had Ethiopian food firstly you EAT WITH YOUR HANDS :) instead you are given a fermented flat bread that you tear off to scoop food with. NOM!
Whenever we go with a large group we always get the meat combo and vegetable combo, as well as, the vegetarian rolls as an appetizer. I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND the fish! They used to have two types, but now I think it's just one, ASA WOT I believe.
Be adventurous and try something new! It does get fairly busy on the weekends, but just come a bit earlier 5-530 so you don't have to wait too long. There is street parking, but it's Capitol Hill so it may take a few turns. -
Review from Morgan S.
A great little hole in the wall that's run by a great family. The service might be slow, but the food is so good you forget all about it as soon a you take your first bite. The meat combo with their iced chai is my personal favorite.
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Review from Michelle F.
Kent, WA
This is a great little place that I would have never thought to try, but I'm glad I did. It's an older house that has been converted into a restaurant and the service is very good. The food is great and you always leave feeling full. I especially like that they note how spicy each dish is, and everything is separated on a big plate, so the spicy dishes don't mix with the no-so-spicy.
It's fun to go with a larger group and have everyone share around the big plate of all different foods.
Prices are reasonable and it's easy to get a table...except Friday or Saturday night, in which case, I'd make a reservation in advance. -
Review from Brian R.
Alameda, CA
I absolutely love Ethiopian food. I actually just came from Lancaster, PA, of all places, that had some great wat and the best Injera I've ever had.
This place. Wow, not so much.
The vege combo did not have one particularly delicious component to it; all the them were rather bland and lacking that kick that is so distinctive of Ethiopian. The injera also lacks the sourness that compliments the berbere and other spices typically used in Ethiopian cuisine.
Never did I think I'd have bland Ethiopian!
Perhaps the Kitfo or Tibs might be good but no way you'd wanna goorsha with any of the veggie dishes. -
Review from Ashley G.
Greatest Ethiopian in Seattle! I give this 4 stars because as I said, this is the best in Seattle I've had, but not the best ever (that award goes to a little place in San Francisco next to USF). The service was great, the breads were tasty and the food was also great. The spices were interesting and had a little kick to them. Their chicken and lamb were awesome.
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Review from Gordon N.
Tacoma, WA
Had the Vege Combo; Misser Wot, Shiro wot, green beans, Gomen & Kike, cabbage & potatoes. Interesting but not amazing food.
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Review from Agnus R.
Seattle, WA
Sharp little bones in my husbands food and big ones in his friends that cut their gums and made it so they couldn't early their food. We told the server and she just shrugged and walked away and didn't return until I got up and walked over to where she was sitting on the couch, talking to another girl and asks for my tab. I actually had to tap her on the shoulder because the first two times I said something, she completely ignored me.
The time before that, they put my vegan food right next to their meatiness after I had said I would like a separate platter for the vegan food. The server said that she wouldn't charge me for a replacement, but she did anyway.
I'd tolerated their overly greasy food and slow service in the past because I love Ethiopian food. But after the last TWO times have been so offensive, I've discovered some really excellent alternatives to this place. -
Review from Jerry G.
Seattle, WA
I normally don't write a review after going to a restaurant only once but then there is Queen Sheba. If you like Ethiopian food then there is nothing to complain about here. The staff are very friendly and the food is extraordinary. It has a nice romantic feel inside - Great place to dine with a lover.
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Review from Jessica M.
Seattle, WA
This Ethiopian place was somewhere between a Meh! I've experienced better and an A-OK restaurant for me. It wasn't so bad that I thought about asking for my money back but it didn't blow me away enough to recommend it to anyone.
I shared a meat ($19.95) combo and a vegetarian ($10.95) combo with my husband. Both combos were served on the same platter. While the variety and amount of food in the combo was impressive, only a few dishes stood out as enjoyable and they were from the vegetarian choices. This was not the first time I have had Ethiopian food so I can say it was just OK.
I was pleased that our group of seven was easily seated at 7pm on a Saturday night. The restaurant was somewhat empty so I was surprised that our drink refills took a long time and we rarely saw our server. -
Review from Kay G.
Kirkland, WA
Ah-mazing! I miss living nearby b/c I still crave their food! If you are dying to try some new/different cuisine- try it out. You won't regret it!~
Con: There is usually a line, so come ready to wait a bit or come during off-peak hours. -
Review from T K.
Seattle, WA
I admit to having little other Ethiopian experience to compare it to. I just go here when I want Ethiopian because it's closest.
Also, Ethiopian is a bit different, if you don't like it, you aren't going to like it!
That said, i always enjoy the food I have here. I appreciate the clear vegetarian options. The service has always been good to me.
Extra star for Pink Guava Juice! -
Review from Bryan K.
Seattle, WA
Any chance I get to eat with my hands and have it be socially acceptable, I'm down. Regardless, I still managed to eat like a total slob, spilling meat and mashed lentils(at least that's what I think they were) all over myself and the table in the general vicinity of my mouth, but you'll hear no apologies from this guy. I had a smile on my face all the while.
I loved every bite. I actually found myself day dreaming about it today, wishing I had just one more bite of that delicious Talapia seasoned to perfection. Also, I love places where the food is served on one platter for you and your dinner companion to share. It makes me feel like we both had an equal hand in eating the food before us, even though we both know I had more than my fair share of the food. Oh well, out of sight, out of mind.
That being said, I love this place, and it won't be too soon that I am back stuffing my crepe with small piles of undetermined mashed substances. -
Review from Aayu V.
Seattle, WA
Yebec wot is awesome along with honey wine
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Review from John E.
Olympia, WA
YUM!
I live in the CD, home to many walkable Ethiopian eateries...Why go to Cap Hill? Well, this one is way up there in taste, service, and portions. The veg platter here is good; I recommend extra greens ($2) so you don't have to fight over them.
Man...this cuisine can be so unkind later in the night that I am not sure I'd make it a date destination. Your mileage may vary, and it *is* worth it. -
Review from Sara E.
Seattle, WA
I am an Ethiopian food freak, and this place is on my top 5. I used to live right down the street, which probably contributed to my Queen Sheba addiction - I had to go in there all the time, because it was the most convenient Ethiopian-food-fix. Still, their food is great. The gomen tibs is my favorite (I used to order it almost once a week. In fact, I ordered it so much, it got to be kind of embarassing). Yebeg kil kil is also good, as is any beef or lamb dish.
Service is friendly, if a little slow or distracted. So friendly, in fact, that when they got a new cook who didn't make my food the way I liked it, the server remembered and asked the old cook to prepare my food each time I came in (the new cook has caught up though). Expect to wait for your food, sometimes as much as a half hour. But it'll be worth it. They have a full bar, but I've never seen anyone order a drink, and they don't have a bartender; an ex-boyfriend ordered a gin and tonic, and they brought him out a glass of gin and a can of 7-up. So, stick to the wine or beer. Try a glass of tej, Ethiopia's traditional sticky, golden honey wine, similar to mead. -
Review from Katie S.
San Francisco, CA
Hail to the Sheb! I've never had any other Ethiopian food so I have nothing to compare this place to, but I've gone many times and I've never been let down.
It's takes a while for your food to make it to the table, but it's well worth the wait. Order either the Veggie Combo or the Meat Combo- serves 3 well, stuffs 2 to the gills. I also like the honey beer- oh yeah. it good.
One drawback: that damn glass cleaner smell that graces the restaurant ALL THE TIME. They clean the tables- all of them- all the time- with this cleaner that makes the restaurant smell like you could perform surgery in the kitchen.
One draw... forward? - that single wing in the meat combo. I fight for it everytime..
Oh, and don't get stuck with the egg.
I give it two anjaras up! mmm.. anjara.. -
Review from Sean C.
Once, I was a sheltered young suburbanite whose idea of "ethnic food" was Americanized Chinese food. My first exposure to the idea of an Ethiopian restaurant was someone telling me an extremely worn out joke that isn't funny enough to repeat, and then a serious endorsement and a basic explanation of injera, the traditional spongy bread that is used in the place of utensils.
Many years later, after moving to the Seattle area, I noticed Queen Sheba across the street while going to Vivace with a friend and decided to try it out.
Despite having about five different dining companions here over many dinner visits, what inevitably seems to happen is sharing the vegetarian sampler of five different dishes including tasty lentils and greens as well as the yebeg wat, a lamb dish in a reddish-brown sauce that is spicy to my taste but still edible for my companions.
Another less food-related reason I find myself coming back here is that Queen Sheba works well as part of an affordable dinner date before catching a show or other main event on Capitol Hill. It's not ideal for a first date as concern with first impressions doesn't mix well with the inevitable mess of eating with injera, but it's good for a relaxed second or third date (and at least I would personally be wary of someone who, under no pressure, is too uptight to forego utensils.)
My only negatives about this place are:
- It gets a bit hot inside during the summer.
- At peak dinner times on weekends there can be a bit of a wait (I've waited about 20 minutes for a table for 2 on more than one occasion on a Saturday night.)
- Parking is the standard Capitol Hill street parking.
My only usual regret after dinner at Queen Sheba is that I'm so full of good food that there's no way I can go to Dilettante afterward in the same evening for dessert. Try it, you are unlikely to be disappointed. -
Review from Andy K.
Seattle, WA
Yum; When you're tired of Indian and Thai but still want something distinctly non-American this is a great choice. I went with two others and got the veggie combo plus something with chicken. Everyone agreed that the veggie dishes were great and the chicken entirely unremarkable.
Unfortunately the veggie combo isn't quite as large as I thought it would be from other reviews. It would be plenty for any sane person, and probably enough for two people if neither was very hungry. Next time I'll get one for myself; leftovers wouldn't be a bad thing.
I won't ding it for the chicken, since everyone knows good veggie food is where it's at. But I would have liked things with just a bit more seasoning.
Oh, and the feeling of injeera expanding in your stomach after you've finished eating... bliss :) -
Review from Dawn A.
Seattle, WA
We had driven by so often and talked about how we should go that it was finally time to try Queen Sheba out -- especially after I read about their moderate prices on yelp. :) We went early on a Friday night and didn't have a problem getting a table. It's too bad that the more traditional style tables are only reserved for larger groups (at the Ethiopian restaurant we used to go to in Boulder, everyone had one so I guess I was expecting it), but it's a neat little space anyway.
We ordered both the meat and vegetarian samplers, after our friendly server told us that if we were hungry, we could handle it. (There were plenty of leftovers the next day, as it turns out). We liked everything enough to eat it and particularly enjoyed a few things -- problem is, we don't know what was what in order to inform our ordering next time. We also enjoyed the sweet Ethiopian honey wine, although it might have been even a little too sweet for my tastes - it was hard to finish.
Overall, this place had good service, a fine atmosphere and pretty good food. The moderate prices make it more likely that we'll be back! :) -
Review from r h.
Seattle, WA
Food is pretty good, not spectacular. Got the veggie combo and it was more than enough. My dinner date got a lamb dish, and it was served in the middle of my veggies which horrified this veg-girl. But, I didn't specify that we needed 2 separate plates. Apparently I should have?
The lamb had all kind of bones. Maybe it's supposed to, but some of them were very small. I scraped the lamb-contaminated veggies off to the side and ate the rest, which were tasty. Especially the cabbage and cauliflower dish, yum.
We could have easily had another beer or two each but our waitress never came back to check on us. And there was a picture of Hitler decoupaged into our table which freaked me out. Overall, I'd go back for another chance. The food merits higher than the 2. I want to like them more than I actually do. -
Review from Me H.
Seattle, WA
I may be a picky eater but I'm always up for trying something new. A friend and I try to meet one Sunday a month for dinner at a new/different restaurant and for November we picked Ethiopian food here a Queen Sheba. Neither one of us had tried it before and weren't really sure what to expect.
Let's just say neither one of us were pleased and we soon realized Ethiopian food is NOT for us. I'm not sure what we ordered all I remember is it came out on a big plate and it all looked like baby food/poop/vomit not very appealing to our eyes oh and the sponge like bread I still can't figure that stuff out. Needless to say we hardly ate anything but had it boxed to go and left if for a hungry homeless person to find while we ventured down Broadway to find someplace else to eat.
The low star rating is because I didn't like anything about the place, the smell, the food, the restrooms nothing, not even the Ethiopian beer I had. The plus was it was pretty cheap so it didn't set us back much. -
Review from Sarah B.
Seattle, WA
I guess this is the beginner Ethiopian restaurant. We wanted to try something different and this seemed like a great idea.
Great atmosphere and beautiful objects to look at while you eat. Friendly wait staff that are willing to advise you through the menu. We ordered a sampler and it was plenty of food for two people. Great selections to try and the bread was so delicious. Topped it all off with an imported Ethiopian beer. Very sweet and satisfying. We went the whole course and ordered coffee and baklava. Both were a nice ending to a wonderful dining experience. They staff even let us finish up in peace before they closed.
Very classy and a great place to have a full meal. Oh! And really affordable too.Listed in: Blue Wizard needs food badly.
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Review from Matt A.
Seattle, WA
Strike two for Seattle Ethiopian restaurants....
Long Wait! to be seated! to get waited on! to get our food!
there was 6 of us and we got 5 dishes because we were told that we would receive good portions... either they reduced our portions or other people only eat 5 ounces of food.
off to dick's burgers for us... -
Review from Victoria T.
Seattle, WA
The service was impeccable, friendly and prompt.
The food was flavorful. The portions large. The atmosphere festive.
Great family dining experience. -
Review from Calvin Y.
I like Queen Sheba. But I don't LOVE Queen Sheba.
The restaurant is easily found because it's right off Broadway on East John Street. And it's a house!
Since we're not very good at making decisions - we decided to order the Veggie and Meat Sampler Plates. The two sampler plates were $10 and $20 respectively and it was plenty of food for three! The waitress we had was extremely nice and helpful. The meat is tremendously tender - especially the chicken in the doro wat. And I absolutely love their bread. It's just the right amount of sour.
But the food is slightly bland especially the spinach in the veggie sampler. Unfortunately, the restaurant is really crowded... and HERE'S PROOF: rather than trying to make our own conversation, my friends and I couldn't help but eavesdrop on the table behind us. From the random pieces of information we obtained every now and then, we concluded the man did not look old enough to have a daughter in college. If you do decide to eat here, make sure you use your indoor voices -- otherwise you will be judged by your fellow restaurant patrons.Listed in: CAPITOL Hill
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Review from Hanafi L.
Seattle, WA
Can you say yummy?
I needed Ethiopian close to the NW Film Forum. Yelp to the Rescue! Even got Rock Star parking right in front. BTW, the space behind the loading zone spot is a real parking space, since its an unused driveway.
We had a lamb & a veggie platter and true to form, I don't remember the actual names of the items. I will tell you that it was ALL good. There was some very smooth orange stuff that we couldn't identify. We meant to ask what it was, but forgot in our rush to get to our 7PM film. We thought it tasted "wheaty", but really couldn't identify it. Sorry, you're just going to have to ask for the orange stuff that is the consistency of cream of wheat. Believe me, its worth the embarrassment. There was a cabbage thing that was terrific too.
I have had larger portions elsewhere for equal or lesser prices, but this was right up there at the top of the tastiness scale.
This place is definitely going on the "keepr list" and Yelp gets 4 stars too for helping me find it so quickly & easily. -
Review from Thai D.
I've never had Ethiopian food before, and I gotta say, it was a nice surprise. I came here with two friends, and the food was great. We tried the Ethiopian beers, which were tasty as well. I love that they serve all your orders on one giant plate on the bread - community stule and I love that you're forced to eat this with your hands. The food does take it's sweet time to get to you, so hopefully you're a patient person.
I'd come back, but never by myself. Sharing the giant plate is part of the fun of eating here. -
Review from D.J. Y.
Now this is what I call a serious food find. After a two time flop at DeAfric in Columbia City a friend from Eritrea told us about this place.
We beat the dinner crowd and actually found a parking spot four spots away from the front door! Right across from Seattle U. this place is frequented by the college crowd, and I do mean CROWD, small in stature but nicely adorned interior adds to this atmosphere. Well minus the men's room. That's a funny story for another time, I hope they've properly shaded the window by now....
Food was served by friendly attentive servers, I think I drank enough water to float a boat, (Mental note, do not eat Ethiopian food in the middle of Summer.) kitchen was a bit slow to put out the food, I can't figure out why, but then again I've never cooked or prepared Ethiopian food, it must be very time consuming.
Our friend from Eritrea was embarrassed about the long time it took to serve us, but for that wonderful meal, it was well worth the wait.
For those who are newbies to unusual ethnic foods, please do some research before you go. I read other Yelp'ers review of this restaurant and found it quite ridiculous regarding their description of the food served. Do some research first then review a place, sheesh...
And be prepared to eat with your hands!
Minus 1 star for the lack of parking, and lack of AC!!
