Bahel Ethiopian Restaurant

Came here with my coworkers for lunch. This was my first time having Ethiopian food. The food was already ordered when I arrived. The collard greens and lamb were my favorite. It was fun to learn more about the culture and how it relates to its food. I would like to come back to try some other things on the menu I.

Small space, a few booth tables, two larger party tables and about 3-4 small two top tables. They grilled some meat and veggies, smells a bit like fajita at a Tex Mex spot. More seating in the back. Ordered one vegetarian combo, chicken tibs, sambusa, a side order of red lentils and a side order of yellow lentil and an extra side of injera. They don't have a lot of lentil options here. Ended up getting two more sides of the red lentil and the yellow lentils. $51The incense is a bit intense for such a small space. The sambusa is super hot, filled with lentils. The wonton is nice and thin and super crispy too. It's good. The sauce is different and spicy too. The red lentil is good, the yellow tastes decent, but the lentil is a bit hard. The cabbage, green beans, collard green and the salad were just okay. The salad dressing is an Italian. The service was good.

Came back again and tried the Goden Tibs which was new to us - absolutely loved!! beef short rib was grilled and seasoned to perfection, highly recommend!

Yummy! The ambiance is the "most authentic" Ethiopian experience, beautiful decor and a very chill vibe. The service was smooth and quick. Now, the most important thing, the food! Very flavorful dishes. My guy and I shared the vegetarian platter and Fish Tips (tilapia). Highly recommend for an off the beaten path, Ethiopian restaurant.

Ethiopian food is some of the best food I've had. Everything is made to order, so allow enough time for your food to be cooked fresh. The service was great. We started with the Lentil Sambusa. They were filled with lentils, some mashed, some held their shape. Overall, it was an amazing texture. Next we ordered the Special Kitfo, and the Vegetarian Combo. The minced ground beef in the special kitfo can be ordered raw - well. We ordered medium raw, but it was pretty raw. It was a new experience to eat beef that way, but we both enjoyed it. Every item on the vegetarian combo was a ten out of ten. It's impossible to pick a favorite. And where have the cheeses been all of my life?!? This was a great experience, and I'm excited to go back and explore more of the menu.

Great service and delicious food! Server provided details to help us decide on our order and she was spot on.

Nice casual eating area. Handwashing sink outside of bathroom which was very nice to clean hands before eating with them Ordered the veggie platter with ribeye tibs. The red lentils were very good. The only item that had spice to it. The rest were very mild. The yellow lentils were not cooked sufficiently. The greens were good but a bit on the colder side and would benefit from more spice. The salad is what killed it for me. Italian dressing on a salad in an Ethiopian restaurant?!!? Threw my tastebuds off and set the overall feeling of the meal. The tins were good but nothing to really make them standout. Too mild and too little of a serving for $15 on top of the veggie sampler. Finally the injera was just okay usually served warm, it was quite chilled and the flavor wasn't on point. Will it do in a pinch? Maybe. But I'm not inclined to try again. Recommendations if the rest of your group is dead set on going here, try to talk them into the other option a stone's throw away. If you're still unsuccessful do the following:1. Ask for no dressing on salad if what you order comes with one. Lemon juice would've been 1000x better than Italian. 2. Order Dereq tins instead of the ribeye. And ask for it to be spicy (to whatever level you prefer), if you let them choose and you look like me they'll give you something with very little spice. 3. Order the rest of your meal to a specified spice level. Again the default I was served was too bland. 4. Ask for chili/spice on the side so you can dr it up. 5. Don't set your expectations too high and you won't be disappointed. 6. Treat the staff with kindness. They were cheerful and attentive despite the deficiencies I experienced with the fare.

This restaurant has completely bad service. From the owner to the food, it is completely unsatisfactory due to its inability to meet legal standards. If anyone ever goes here, just call DHHS, there is something that is not going on correct. Upscaling and upselling for purposes of shitty food.

As a long time supporter of across the street.....this is a tough one! This food is AMAZINGGGGGGG and since I first tried it 2 months ago, I have been back 3x. I feel like such a cheater LOL.The restaurant has seating up front or in the back for bigger tables in a really dope Ethiopian decorated room. Service was pretty good in both rooms.I had the fish tibs and tried the Shiro for the first time. Delicious. Like imprint in your brain good! The wine tastes really earthy and served in traditional bottle/glasses. Great experience, great food. Not sure I can go back to what I knew before

Ethiopian food is one of the most underrated cuisines out there, and Bahel does it right. Came by with a friend the other day and we ordered the sambusa appetizers, kitfo, dereq tibs, lamb tibs, shiro, and doro wot. Sambusa (4/5): These are kind of like Indian samosas but with a lentil filling. The shell is very light and crispy without being too greasy. The lentil filling is pretty light and the spicy dipping sauce has a nice kick. Solid starter. Kitfo (5/5): I recommend taking a leap of faith and order these raw as traditionally served. It is essentially an Ethiopian beef tartar marinaded in a fragrant spiced butter sauce served with some collard greens and a soft white cheese (similar to feta to me but not as salty). The meat is always super tender and it beats out the beef tartare I've had at French restaurants. I order this at any Ethiopian place I eat at. Dereq tibs (5/5): This dish came out sizzling like Mexican Fajitas do. The beef was charboiled and smoky with a nice crust surrounding each piece while remaining tender on the inside. It comes with perfectly grilled onions and peppers. I never had tibs taste this good and this I feel is an essential order as well, especially at Bahel. Lamb tibs (4/5): Great lamb favor with a nice marinade and tender as well. However, it was a bit on the milder side and didn't stand out as much as the kitfo and dereq tibs. Doro wot (4/5): I would describe this as Ethiopian Mole. It is a chicken stew/gravy with a slightly sweet taste to it and is also slightly spicy. Great comfort dish item to order on a cold day, but I wish they served it with 2 pieces of chicken and eggs rather than just 1 drumstick and egg (pretty much impossible to share if eating with more than 1 person). Shiro (4/5): This is like a fancy, silky refried bean (Swear I'm not intentionally trying to make comparisons to Mexican food here but for anyone who hasn't had much Ethiopian food, these comparisons are accurate!). This split pea stew has a slightly thinner consistency than refried beans and is a nice changeup from the meat dishes. Also a great dish to have during the winter time although if I could order again, I would probably go for the red beet dish instead for more texture. Injera here is as good as any and although pricier than Ethiopian food I have had in Houston, I feel it definitely has a step up in quality and is well worth it. Will definitely return here in the future.