Café Lalibela

If you like indian curries than you may like ethiopian food. They are quiet similar without the curry spices. It was my first time trying ethio food and it was very interesting. Their bread is kind of like a massive pancake but they have holes in it like crumpets. I have a fear of little holes so it really freaked me out haha if you’re like me you may want to close your eyes while you eat. We didn’t know what to order so we just ordered 1 from each category. 1 lamb dish, 1 beef, one chicken and a vego dish. It comes on a huge platter and the meats get poured onto the bread. What’s interesting is there’s no cutlery. You use your hands to scoop it up into your mouth. I found it quiet enjoyable and the owner was helpful and friendly. I would definitely try it again

i heard its the oldest afro restaurant estanlished only in 1998!!,.blacks in australia r new arrivals i assume, back home in america or in europe, blacks r old and established. café lalibela was as good as the one in america, the staff and serves r all perfect .now coming from a nation that has old established black population, i didnt need to look menu to order. yes footscray little america i call it…

I’m kind of ashamed of myself for not reviewing this place sooner. This was one of the very first restaurants I ever visited when I came to Australia so many years ago and one I still trek to now even after exploring every culinary inch of this beautiful foodie city. The Ethiopian food here is no joke. Try it on a cold, rainy winter’s day and you’ll be hooked.
I’ve tried the gored gored (think steak tartar meets curry,) the kei wot (delicious beef stew, there’s also a tastier lamb version,) the broad bean smash with feta and egg, and the lentils. The lentils here are tastier than any of the meat dishes I’ve ever had, and that’s saying something. Please get the lentils if you’re trying this place for the first time. With the vinegar-​y, spongey injera (Ethiopian flatbread) your tastebuds will sing praises.
Service is generally very friendly and they offer some delicious, refreshing African beers that you can’t find anywhere else. Cash only, but that’s okay, because it’s worth it.
Please don’t miss it if you’re craving a warm, spicy meal on a cold night.

After reading so many good reviews about this restaurant I decided to give this café a try and it was actually my first time eating African food. I must say that I wasn’t actually impressed by the cuisine at all. I thought the bread that they served was very strange. It’s like really soft moist cake but it’s really sour, it reminds me of sourdough bread that have been left out in the water. Anyway, good thing about the cuisine is that they serve you different dishes to eat with the bread, although I kinda wish they gave more option to have rice instead of smaller bread.
During lunch time they got this lunch special deal which makes it so much cheaper than going for dinner for the same thing. So I recommend to go for lunch instead.
The staffs are really friendly and super nice though! She would guide on choosing the menu which is great

I love love love Lalibela. It’s a quiet, cozy little place in the heart of footscray and it’s great for a quiet night out with a partner or a fun night out with a group of friends. There are lots of yummy veggie options and all dishes are served on a large plate in injera. The food is well priced and though there isn’t BYO, all of the alcoholic drinks are about $ 5.

As far as Footscray Ethiopian goes, this is one of the best. Delicious, nice service, nice place — no complaints.

Brilliant!
Went here for a lazy lunch on a cold Sunday, had the offal dish (only available on the weekends) plus two other dishes (I think number 6 and 14?) — one was a beef curry the other was lamb and onions.
Food was amazing, more than enough for three people — didn’t want to leave leftovers since it was amazing… however perhaps three dishes was too much: P
believe the hype, great food at only $ 49 for three dishes plus two beers.

I’ve recently moved from Melbourne and I wish there was some way that Café Lalibela could have moved with me.
The food here is probably the best and most authentic Ethiopian food I’ve had in Melbourne and the best part is that it won’t break the bank! There is a massive shared meats, veg, or combo platter that easily feeds two (or one depending on how hungry you are — trust me I’ve done it!) and a bottomless supply of Injera bread. There is good imported Ethiopian beer as well.
This restaurant has a cozy, warm environment and the staff here are so pleasant. You definitely have your choice of Ethiopian restaurants in Footscray but this one should not be missed!

Best Ethiopian in Footscray. Also probably the best-​known seeing as it’s had a few write-​ups in the newspaper since it opened in 1998. The food here is great and the beer is specially imported — and it’s all cheap as chips! You can’t go past the share plate of a combo of vegie dishes (like sweet curries) on a large, round and soft bed of injera bread — like a savoury pancake almost. Of course, if there are meat-​eaters amongst you they’ll be wanting the rich and dark meat dishes as well.
How many of you there are changes how large your share plate is — it’s pretty impressive when a massive injera plate gets put on the table. Tear off a piece of injera, scoop up come curry with your fingers and eat. That simple and absolutely delicious!
Really love this place, and the service is warm with a smile.

Lalibela is an inexpensive and authentic Etheopian restaurant that is one of my favourite places to eat in Melbourne.
The menu is a selection of meat and vegetarian dishes (varying in their level of spice) that come served on a big platter of injera (which is a delicious flat bread that is made from a fermented wheat-​like grain). The food is eaten by hand, by ripping pieces of the injira off and using it to pick up mouthfuls of the various dishes.
The restaurant is able to cater for large groups and often you will see tables of up to 20 people dining there on weekends for birthday parties, etc. The communal vibe that comes with sharing the large platters of food, and the fun aspect of eating exotic foods by hand makes it a really fun place to eat with friends.
They also have a good range of cheap African beers on offer, so it’s a great place to have some drinks before heading out for a night on the town.
If you’re not sure what to order, just ask the waiter to make a suggestion. I’ve done this several times and never been disappointed. The Derek Tibs, Atakilt Wat and Doro Wat are all particularly good!