Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant

SERVICE- located in little ethiopia - street parking available but can be hard to find on the weekend evenings- plenty of seating inside with tables for 2-4 people and a couch for a larger party- ambiance is dimly lit which provides a slightly romantic feeling- servers are attentive and prompt when delivering foodMENU- Ethiopian selection of appetizers, various meat and vegetable based entrees, and platters- vegan and vegetarian options available- average price ($18 per person)FOOD- veggie utopia (10/10): this combo comes with eleven of the vegetable dishes on top of an injera bread. It is the perfect size to share between two people. Each of the dishes have a unique spice blend which makes them all a delight. My favorites are the shiro (smooth lentil paste) and the potato-carrot-cabbage dish. WOULD I GO BACK? Yes! It is a staple for me when I am in town.

Sunday afternoon casual. The food was delicious, the honey wine a treat - yet I went for the St. Regis beer. There was only one server on shift who was pleasant, but not particularly efficient. I would have been annoyed by her cavalier attitude if I had been in a hurry or if my company wasn't so great. Go hungry, share the meal, be adventurous and open. The tiramisu for dessert was delicious but felt like a non-sequitur. A simple sorbet or something lighter would have been a nice finish.

my first time trying ethiopian food. how have i lived so long without it, and without lalibela? so, so delicious.the staff were very kind, too. my new favorite lunch place.

Can't believe I hadn't tried this one yet! I'm a huge fan of Little Ethiopia's restaurant row and Lalibela's was no exception! We came after a film screening and absolutely loved it. My partner and I got the Veggie Utopia and between two people with a little extra injera, it was plenty of food. I wish I had a better grasp of the names of Ethiopian foods to talk about the dishes more specifically, but the selection was fabulous! There was a plant-based dish in the Utopia that had a sort of beefy quality that was lovely (my apologies, I wish that was more helpful!) and a tomato-based one that had a lovely cold, fresh contrast to the warmth of the lentils and other offerings. I had the red wine and it went very well with our meal. Our friend had the honey wine and I had a sip-- it was lovely and made in-house. I can't quite do that much sweetness but the soft richness was fantastic. Lalibela tends to have a more upscale interior and ambiance compared to some of the others on the row. Really great choice for both meat and plant-based menu options.

I had my first meal at Lalibela today and it was fantastic! We ordered: Sambusa: savory pastry stuffed with lentils, grilled onion, jalapeños, and herbsVeggie Combo: lentils, yellow split peas, collard greens, potatoes and carrots and cabbage Yebeg Tibs: lamb sautéd in butter with onions, green peppers, rosemary, and herbsEverything was absolutely delicious, fresh and so flavorful. Made and served with love. The injera was so soft and fluffy, make sure to get a few extra orders! The tiramisu for dessert was perfectly sweet, creamy and had a nice hit of rum. I cannot wait to come back and try more of their dishes.

Haven't had Ethiopian food in a long time and was passing through the Little Ethiopian neighborhood and couldn't resist stopping for lunch. Had not tried Lalibella before. Lovely interior. Feels like you could actually be in a restaurant in Addis Ababa with colorful walls and furniture, and many decorations. We started with the veggie sambussas which were delicious! They looked like an Indian samosa and had lots of flavor, especially with the accompanying sauce. I had the veggie combo with fish. Not only was every element flavorful and varied in texture, spice, profile - they were all amazing, especially with the injera which there was plenty of. The fish was cooked perfectly and added much heft to an already substantial dish. Honestly this was enough food for 2 and I took a good amount home with me. The service was mild at first, but got friendlier as the meal went on. I would definitely return and recommend.

Ethiopian food is one of my favorite world cuisines. It's also, I've found, surprisingly challenging to get people who are even normally adventurous eaters to try it. So, let me give you the basics. Ethiopian food is based around injera, a spongey sourdough flatbread and wats, which could be described as stews or curries. You typically will be served a large circular piece of injera with various wats on it. You will also be given more injera to pick up the wats and eat it with your hands. It is a delightfully flavorsome and wonderful cuisine that is almost impossible not to do family style. For some reason both in my hometown (DC) and Los Angeles, the vast majority of Ethiopian restaurants are located on one street in a single neighborhood. And it's not like two or three on a block. No. It's like EVERY storefront on a block. Are they all family? Do they collectively share profits? I have no idea. In LA, all the restaurants can be found on Fairfax. In DC, check out 9th Street.But, onto the actual restaurant. A friend of mine, unfamiliar with Ethiopian food, had promised to take me for my birthday. Now, when we finally went, my birthday had passed almost three months ago. But, no worries, as this restaurant was well worth it. I told my friend that we could try any restaurant and undoubtedly find it delicious. We stopped at the first empty pay parking space and went into the restaurant that was immediately in front of it: Lalibela. Lalibela is actually rather minimalist in decor for an Ethiopian restaurant. It's mostly white with a few pieces of art here and there. Quite comfortable, so no issues. We ordered two things: the Veggie Utopia, which included around ten different dishes. A note about Ethiopian cuisine: Ethiopian Lent is very strict: no meat, no eggs, no dairy. The only food you eat is plant based, making this an excellent choice for vegans and vegetarians. This dish (which was under 40 dollars) could easily feed three or more people. Now, because we are not vegetarian, and my dining partner is Lebanese and therefore familiar with kibbeh, we also order the beef kitfo. This is finely minced and spiced beef served raw or cooked. We asked for rare, but were given raw, which, as a lover of steak tartare, was fine by me. I could not find a single bad note or unpleasant element to the food. It was universally excellent. The flavors popped, the texture was mouth-watering...it was delicious. And my dining partner enjoyed it just as much as I did. I've eaten at several restaurants on Fairfax and I can't say any of them was bad. But I will say that this place was particularly good. Besides for wonderful food, the service was quick and pleasant. It was a thoroughly enjoyable dinner. Between the Veggie Utopia and the Beef Kitfo, the dinner ended up being approximately 60 dollars. With just two of us, we ate perhaps half of what was on our plate. This meal could have easily fed four people, thus making it a very inexpensive place to have a very nice dinner with friends. Highly recommend.

Very good - came here for lunch on a weekday before the auto show and tried their "Taste of Lalibela". Very tasty. The restaurant opened a bit later than their advertised time and so we had to wait for maybe 15-20 min to get seated.

Food: We ordered the Veggie Combo with Fish, topped with Zizil Tibs (Braised beef with pepper), Yebeg Aletcha Wot (Mild lamb stew), and Kitfo (Minced raw beef in spices and butter, cooked medium rare). The platter itself is so esthetically pleasing. So colorful. The flavors were mind-blowing. I enjoyed all the veggie selections. My favorite meat was the Zizil tibs, and Yebeg Aletcha wot comes in second. However, I find Kitfo to be an acquired taste. Injera (Flatbread) is an amazing discovery for me. It has this bouncy, spongy-like texture and a slight sourish taste to it. The sponginess soaks up gravies and flavors, making its consumption unique and tasty. Service: Good Ambiance: Clean and Casual. There were standard dining tables and lower cushioned seating suitable for larger groups. I do find the lower seating comfortable to sit in but a little difficult to eat in.

Dropped by for a weekend lunch - had my two favorite go-to dishes: Kitfo (African version of beef tartare) and "Veggie Utopia," a generous combo plate with a dozen+ vegetable dishes artfully arranged on injera - healthy and satisfying - had a cold spiced tea and got a jar of their signature spicy cilantro sauce to go - one of LA's Little Ethiopia's best restaurants - if you haven't tried Ethiopian food, you should try this place.