Café Lalibela

I used to come here almost monthly but haven't been for a few years. I was concerned, given some of the recent reviews.Well, they did NOT disappoint! The atmosphere was great, service was spot on, and the food...OMG I've missed this!!Alicha sega wat and tikil gomen...so amazing!!

Wow. Went to the vegan buffet today - they do this the last Sunday of every month. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet for about $25, all vegan dishes, many of which are regularly on the menu, but they typically do a couple that are off-menu and/or seasonal. This has become a favorite thing that our whole family looks forward to every month. The food is flavorful, interesting, and delicious. The people are super friendly, especially the lady who comes around with the traditional Ethiopian coffee service which is included in the buffet. If you go, you'll want to order a Yekemem Shai, which is an Ethiopian tea with cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. What a delight this place is. BTW - they're open the rest of the month, too, with a menu that includes meat-based as well as vegetarian and vegan dishes, so don't wait until the last Sunday of the month to go. It's one of our favorite places to have a meal.

I hate to do this, but I need the chef/owners to be aware. Now, I'm not sure if it was just an off day, but come on. What in the flavorless heck is going on here?I ordered delivery, and the food was cold - from the inside, and the flavor was nonexistent - I mean, it tasted bland in the worst fashion. I'm shocked that they would serve this as a representation of flavorful cuisine. This was a horrible experience, and I hate that I have to write this. Absolutely abhorrent. Annnnnnd, to add insult to injury, they charged $3.50 for a small, glass half full cup of a fountain Sprite in a plastic cup. It wasn't even a can or bottle of soda.This HAS to be the most painful review I've ever had to write. Do better folks.

I love this place. There are other Ethiopian restaurants closer to where I live. Nope we are doing the 20 minute drive for the best. Fast and good service. Oh yes the food is comatose good. Flavors will help you get your life. I usually come with my foodie husband but I needed a me, myself, & I night. The ambiance is nice African music and very clean. They've been here for over 20 years and you cannot tell. Fluffy Grandma recommends.

Amazing and authentic Ethiopian food, great lunch specials for $12.95. Incredible value for the high quality and great flavors of this food. It is a small family run business and everyone who works there is very friendly and nice. This is a very unique find, very highly recommended!

My ears are still ringing. The energy Saturday night at Cate Lalibela is conspicuous. The staff was extremely convivial. I choose to build my own - lamb, chicken, and chard. I crave spice and flavours like these and it absolutely hit the spot. Carnivore and vegan friendly, Cafe Lalibela has something on the menu for every foodie.

First time trying Ethiopian food, so I have no standard to compare it to. I do want to say it's a good place to start. Parking in a private lot and easy. Service was relatively quick and staff was nice too.Lalibela deluxe platter - Comes with 1 basket of injera per person. To be honest I'd have a hard time pointing out what was what - I just know it was great. All the meat options - doro wat, alicha sega wat, key sega wat, and yabeg alicha were fantastic. Salad/fresh veg on the side was seasoned well and really added to each bite. I feel like portions here as labeled on the menu can be a bit ambitious, because we shared this platter for 2 and it really could have served 3/4. Ended up taking home maybe 40% of the food.Traditional Ethiopian coffee - Though we ordered a small pot, this came in a sizable pot and small cups for stronger coffee. Gets a pleasant buzz going without any of the really strong, really fast-absorbing caffeine that makes you jittery. Pot keeps the coffee nice and hot. Sip slowly to really enjoy the slightly bitter brew.Bathrooms are quite clean and spacious, and we felt very comfortable washing our hands before and after. I'd be back here with a group to try their larger platters!

This is for takeout last night 12/29/23I'm from Honolulu, Hawaii--we no longer have an Ethiopian restaurant. The last time I had Ethiopian food was in DC at Das Ethiopian at the end of 2020, so I was excited to see several restaurants near Scottsdale.Online I ordered the Lalibela Deluxe $42.95. It was a good way to try both meat and vegetarian dishes.Spicy dishes were not very spicy and flavors seemed muted overall. Meat dishes --no stand outs, they are tasty, but not "wow."-alicha sega wat--mild beef stew-doro wat - spicy chicken stew-key sega wat - spicy beef stew -yebeg alicha sega wat - mild lamb stew--skip if you don't like gameyVegetable dishes - the flavor profiles for the vegetables were more varied-fosolia - green bean and carrots--recommend -gomen - collard greens - recommend -misr wat - spicy red lentils --sweet, I'd prefer a little more savory element-tikil gomen - lightly spiced cabbage w/ turmeric - recommend-yekik alicha - yellow split pea The Deluxe comes with 4 injera We used 2 extra injera to eat the entire plate. We have smaller appetites and it was enough food for 2.5 meals. I love the injera--the soft spongy/fluffy sour dough crepes.(I ordered extras --they're delicious as peanut butter and jelly)

Celebrated Galentines with my bestie and omg how cool is this place! We went in for their Valentines 3 course meal special. The menu is vegan friendly which is primarily why she chose this spot. Although I am not vegan I enjoyed the food and it was all packed with flavor! This was my first time trying Ethiopian food and I was very impressed! I Will definitely be back again to try the rest of their regular menu.

My family has been coming here for about 10 years and it's always been one of our all time favorite spots. The restaurant is family owned and the staff is always really nice. Our favorite dish is the Alicha Sega Wat which is a lamb stew. Extra injera bread is a MUST. The Shorba (soup) is my favorite- it's so rich and the flavor is amazing. I highly recommend trying this place if you've never had Ethiopian cuisine because it's so unique. They sell their own bags of Ethiopian coffee, along with some teas, spices, dried beans, etc. so you can try some staples at home. My dad really loves the coffee and I bought some this time to try for myself.Injera is a special type of bread that's made with fermented dough and cooked almost like a crepe. It has a slightly sour taste like sourdough. It can be weird at first but most people find that they really like it. The food is eaten with the bread instead of a utensil, similar to African cuisine. Side note- the salad is also really good!