Sheba

I arrived here at 7:00 pm on a Thursday evening and they were closed… No sign or anything, just a locked dark restaurant.

This is a fun funky little ethiopean joint located in a little corner of Canton that is currently only open on Thursdsay Friday and Saturday (maybe Sunday too? I can’t remember). The set up is a row-​house style bar, but decorated very traditionally. You can choose between a western style table, or the traditional basket. If you opt for the basket — keep in mind, you end up sitting on a regular height chair, so your food is a bit low. The waitress brought over a little side table for drinks that was quite striking with its curved legs. I found it to be relaxing, but if you’re particularly tall or have a bad back, opt for the american style table.
If you’re not familiar with Ethiopian food — here is a quick primer. The sterotypical food there is usually slow cooked stews or vegetables that are lightly spiced (sometimes very spiced) and served on a flat crêpe-​like bread called Injera (ground casava root flower made into a large open «pancake» that comes out soft). You also get a few more Injeras to tear up and use to scoop the food. Generally, your table has the one big Injera with the food on it in the middle of you. If sharing is going to be a problem, order accordingly.
The funny thing about this place is the menu pricing. You can get orders for one person, but for twice the price you can get the dinner sampler for three. With two types of meat, and a bunch of different vegetable sides — this is the option to go with, but it was a TON of food — really good food. We tried so hard to finish it.
The food on the injera was just scooped on and around. A few places I’ve been to will split the food down the middle — so if you look across the table (bread) you’ll see a mirror version of what is on your side. This way you’re not literally dipping into the same things as your dining partner. At Sheba — you have to be even more comfortable, because yeah — if you want the Collard Greens, you’re just going to reach across and grab it.
We washed this all down with a couple Ethiopian beers. They really are not my favorite (very similar to Indian beers). They lack any really depth in taste, but do go down clean. I can imagine a cold one being incredibly refreshing at the end of a very hot day. In this case, I might get something else.
Sheba is also set up as a Bar Bar — they do advertise having a dance floor. It will be a small one — but they do have a heck of a sound system set up for when they do. I could picture this being a fun place if a little bit of a crowd showed up.

Sheba appears to be closed. I tried to use my Living Social coupon. I walked up during business hours — closed. Twice I called over the next two weeks — went to voicemail immediately. Days later, I walked up again, and not only was it closed, but the mailbox was overflowing with uncollected stuff. No note on the door, nothing. Skipped town? (Sigh) Tossing the coupon, I turned for home.

Authentic and delicious! The spice level is perfect. One of the few gems I’ve found using groupon. I think this is the best Ethiopian restaurant in Baltimore.

I also came here with a groupon, its definitely the way to go. We were two couples, and the guys ate a lot. We still werent able to finish all the food. They offer regular tables and more traditional tables, our server was very nice and helpful in picking what to order. The drinks were average, which is the reason for the 4 star rating.
I have no previous experience with this type of food, but I do make a point to try any new kinds of food whenever possible. We all agreed upon leaving that it was definitely a fun and yummy experience, but it wouldnt be too frequent on our restaurant line up, maybe once every ⁴⁄₅ months.
The atmosphere was a little strange considering there is a DJ booth in the restaurant, but not in a bad way. It is also a little on the small side.
RECOS: Get the sampler, basically try as many things as possible. Everything is made to share, so order as a table — not as individuals. Dont worry about running out of food. Overall — definitely give it a try!

Came here with the benefit of a Livingsocial deal (FYI, there’s a current Groupon deal out there as well, assuming you act fast). One of the benefits of using these Livingsocial/​Groupon deals is that you get an opportunity to check out a place that may have otherwise never hit your radar, with the perk of at least a bit of a discount.
Bottom line: Glad I came.
I’m not an expert on Ethiopian cuisine, but I’m not a novice either — but I found the food to be quite good and on par with other Ethiopian restaurants I’ve dined at (including many samplings from a variety of restaurants in Little Ethiopia in Los Angeles). The flavors were strong, but not spicy (mind you, I have an ridiculously high spice tolerance, so others may disagree).
We tried the Sheba Sampler (which includes the full veggie sampler, as well as two meat based dishes), and me and the BF were both very pleased. The Sampler is suggested to feed up to 3 people. At first glance, it didn’t look like ((that)) much food, but at the end of the meal, we were entirely stuffed. We probably should have stopped after we finished 2/​3rds, but our overeating is maybe a testament to just how yum it was.
Plus, imported Ethiopian beer is always fun. And yum.

Had dinner here with my family last night. Being that I’ve never had Ethiopian food and I had a Groupon for the place, I decided it’d be a great place to try out.
I was pleasantly surprised. The menu isn’t too large so it makes deciding what to get really easy. I decided on the Vegetarian Sampler since I’m trying to eat healthier. We had the Meat Sambusa as apps as well. Everything was excellent! I loved the spice and flavor of the food and loved even more that this was an «eat with your hands» kind of place. Injera was interesting. It reminded me a lot of a pancake. It complimented the dishes wonderfully although my husband pointed out it wasn’t so great alone, lol.
BTW, looks can be deceiving. It didn’t look like much food when our tray got to us but it definitely was fulfilling! I wished I could keep eating, it was so good!
All in all it was a great experience. The staff was friendly and helpful. I would definitely go back and maybe try their traditional Ethiopian seating area. I probably wouldn’t take my daughter back, though, as their children’s food options are currently in the works and I have a picky tot. The server and cook staff was great, though, as they accommodated her as best they could (she ended up only eating rice though she did try some of the food).

I was so happy when an Ethiopian restaurant opened up in Canton. I really liked that we could choose the type of table we wanted to sit in, American Style or Traditional Style. I would suggest the Traditional Style so you get the full experience. They almost always have a Groupon special going on, so I would high suggest looking into that if you try this place. The Vegetarian Sambusa was a tasty appitizer to start off with! I don’t normally like lentils, but it was ground up and had a spicy sauce drizzled on it. I then got the Vegetarian sampler which was also pretty good. I would say the sampler is the way to go so you can try a lot of different types of food all at once. I also got the St. George Amber beer to wash everything down with. It was full of flavor and added a nice touch to the meal. The service is excellent, and the waitress (I’ve had the same one each time I’ve went) is very attentive. She also knows the menu very well so she can describe the type of food and answer any questions you have.

We came here with a Groupon deal. And the waitress was nice? I really want to like this place, but the food was so disappointing that we didn’t even finish it so we left hungry (*very* atypical). Maybe it was a bad day for the restaurant, but we won’t be back.
It’s an old row house, bar in the front, a few tables in the back. Typical for SE Baltimore. Half «American» and half «Ethiopian tables,» which were stools surrounding a shorter table with a decorated cover.
The Group deal was for two — with two drinks, an appetizer, and two entrees. The drinks were beer, soda, or «drinks made with cheap liquor.» Yes, exact words. Thanks, but no thanks? In the end, they did honor the Groupon for an wine (Malbec) so that was nice. The wine wasn’t very good, but a generous pour.
We started with the vegetarian sambusa. It was tasty, but ice cold in the middle. We then shared the beef tips and the doro wot. The beef tibs were almost like a pepper steak, and were edible. The doro wot was a spicy, flavorless sauce with a half chicken leg and a hard boiled egg. The hard boiled egg was larger than the piece of chicken. This dish is normally $ 14.25? It may have cost $ 1.425 to make. They threw in some lentils and cheese, which we didn’t (want to) eat.
And now I need to go make myself a snack.

I am glad that we have a decent Ethiopian restaurant in Canton area. While it is nothing like the ones in DC in its size and selections (the restaurant looks more like a bar), I liked their food. I got beef tibs and a sampler. They offer gluten free Ingera which I liked more than the normal one.

If they weren’t out of pretty much ½ of the things on their menu, this review would have been 4 stars for sure. The food was fantastic especially the quanta fir fir. Highly recommended. Service was pretty good too and we didn’t feel rushed when we took our own sweet time. But like I said, they were out of ²⁄₃ appetizers and all lamb dishes — maybe because it was a sunday?!?

We had a Groupon for 4, and we took our son with us. The hostess was very friendly and greeted us with a smile. We chose to sit at a traditional seating, but with chairs instead of back less stools.
We ordered the 2 sambusas as our appetizers, which were similar to Indian samosas. They came out steamy hot, had a very nice flavor to them and weren’t spicy.
For our entrees, we ordered the lamb tibs, doro wot, kitfo and the vegetarian sampler. The lamb tibs were cooked with onions, tomatoes, garlic and jalapeño peppers. The ground beef (kitfo) was cooked in spiced butter, the chicken (doro wot) was stewed in a spicy tomato sauce with a hard boiled egg. The vegetarian sampler had collard greens, and 3 types of lentils. Most of the food was spicy but there were enough items not spicy that my son ate to his heart’s content. The food was flavorful, looked good and tasted really good.
The hostess kept asking us how everything was and even engaged my son in conversation. We will definitely be going back.

The food was insanely good.
However, it was almost inedible due to my inability to handle heat.
Sooooooo spicy!
I want to come back, but am afraid that I’ll kill my taste buds again. Maybe I should bring a jug of milk?
Other than that, it’s obviously a dive-​bar like atmosphere, so don’t expect much in décor. The focus should be on the food.

Sheba was on the short list to try out and there was a Groupon so what better way to try a new Ethiopian restaurant. As an appetizer the vegetarian sambusa was excellent but it is certainly small. For the main course we ordered the vegetarian sampler and the lamb tibs. The lamb was perfectly cooked and the flavor of the dish was fantastic. The vege sampler was only average and collared greens and red lentils weren’t that great. It was fun to try an ethiopian beer as well. The service was just okay, the waitress was a little weird. The décor was unusual and you could choose to eat at a normal table or a traditional round ethiopian setup… which is more of a pain than anything. Overall this was a good experience but I do not think I would rush back. It is on par with other ethiopian places I have been to and it is fun to have a new dining experience.

Sheba is the 4^th Ethiopian restaurant i know that is in and around Baltimore City, dont know much about the county, but this is a welcome addition. I took advantage of a groupon, and came here. The décor was nice, the ambiance was great with Ethiopian chairs and tables. I ordered the meat sambusa to start, fantastic reminded me of the ones i have had back home. It has a kick to it, i ordered three entrees Lamb tibs (fantastic) doro-​wot (great), and God knows i need some veggie’s in my life, vegetarian platter (good). I washed it down with two (small) bottles of tej (Ethiopian honey wine) — i got my buzz on. All in all great place. I will put it on my Ethiopian food rotation.

Wouldn’t go back.
Atmosphere felt like corner dive bar with some quick generic «exotic» décor thrown up.
Menu was tiny and everything from décor to tables to chairs felt cheap.
Food was good but super bright lights and trendy pop from 4 years ago just confused the vibe. I wanted an Ethiopian restaurant and I got a cliché cheap «not American» experience.
I definitely won’t be back. Not because of anything horrible but just because i was so completely underwhelmed and was waiting to leave after I had been there ten minutes.
And the cocktail list is generic, beers limited and uncreative, and wine list was terrible. The Ethiopian wines were sweet and gross and just gross. Don’t both. Really.

I love Ethiopian food! My significant other and I decided to come here on a Thursday when we saw a Groupon deal, which came with an appetizer, two entrees and two beverages for $ 28.
We decided to have an early bird dinner, so seating was quick. Environment was spacious. There were regular tables and authentic Ethiopian seating. Service was good. We ordered two Ethiopian beers (St. George), a vegetarian samosa for an appetizer and for entrees we order medium rare Kitfo (ground beef) and Lamb Tibs (pieces of lamb). The proportions were a bit small, but it was enough to fill us both. Food was great.
My significant other is Ethiopian so we consume a lot of Ethiopian food, from homemade to numerous surrounding Ethiopian restaurants in Baltimore, DC, and Virginia. The food was good but it was more catered to virgin palates and was not as authentic as other places. But when we are lazy and do not want to travel far distances, I feel like Sheba can temporarily fulfill my cravings.
Would definitely come back again.

The food: absolutely delicious.
The service: much to be desired.
My boyfriend and I went to Sheba on a Wednesday night last week to check if their reality was up to snuff with the good reviews we’d seen. Upon arrival, we were promptly seated a few tables away from the only other party of diners, handed menus, and left to drool over the options. We ordered our drinks, and the waitress was friendly enough when delivering them. The first warning sign came when I asked her about the differences between a few dishes, and she replied «Oh I have no idea, I’m new here.». Did she offer to check with the chef? Nope. The Lamb Tibs and Doro Wot (chicken stew) were super scrumptious, but I couldn’t help but wince when the waitress double-​charged me for my wine, and when I pointed it out, she responded «Oh I suppose I can take that off, but you ordered two.». When I pointed to the single empty glass on the side table versus my bf’s 2 empty beer bottles, and repeated myself, she came back with an «I appreciate your criticism!» and a sassy smirk. Apparently she’s not only new to the restaurant, but new to the service industry in general. That cost this spot a full star. Maybe next time, Sheba. Maybe not.

Very quiet night here at Sheba. Very clean. Food is tasty, great if you’re looking for something different. Wait staff was nice. I’m just surprised that there was only my sister and I here. Parking is a lil tight. Great location.
I was a lil sad that the waitress who also doubled as the bartender didn’t get my amaretto sour right. :-(I really wanted an amaretto sour it was so far from it. I didn’t try any other drinks.

So I heard about this place from a coworker and suggested it on a whim to some friends one night… We were feeling adventurous so decided to risk the somewhat sketchy exterior and were surprised by a delightful and warm interior!
It is a small cozy environment with half dedicated to «American» style eating and half to «authentic» Ethiopian eating style with straw communal type eating set ups. We obviously chose to sit on that side and had a blast learning to eat with our hands! It was seriously so fun!
We then proceeded to order the «Sheba Sampler» which was not on the menu but suggested to us by out waiter/​bartender. When the food arrived, we were more than pleased! There were about 10 different dishes served on a large platter with Ethiopian style sponge bread (injera!!) The mixture of meats and vegetables was delicious… incredible. The spices– WHOA. The three of us ended up stuffed and satisfied after a lovely meal in a wonderfully warm place.
Upon striking conversation with the owner’s brother– we ended up with multiple free drinks and complimentary dessert! The service was obviously fantastic. We will surely be returning– and soon– with many more friends!