Lalibela Ethiopian Resturant

Seattle, United States

4.1

21 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 206-322-8565
Address:
2800 E Cherry St Ste A, Seattle, WA, 98122
b/t Martin Luther King Jr Way & 28th Ave
Madrona
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miMartin L King Jr Way & E Union St
0.3 miE Union St & 27th Ave
0.3 miE Union St & 26th Ave
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Street, Private Lot
Bike Parking
No
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Noise Level
Quiet
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes

Today

Today –
Local time (Seattle) 11:42 AM Friday, November 29, 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

In addition to serving the most deliciously authentic Ethiopian food in Seattle, Lalibela offers a range of features which proudly make our restaurant a living community.

Coffee — Enjoy the perfection of our espresso, lattes, and macchiatos – brewed with beans freshly roasted right here at Lalibela.

Full Traditional Coffee Ceremony — Includes incense, popcorn, and coffee traditionally roasted and prepared in front of your eyes. A great event for special group occasions.

Catering — We’ll prepare the highest-​quality Ethiopian food available in Seattle for your event or party. Please call in advance for details.

Hosted Special Events — Our restaurant has the facilities to host 75 people, including birthdays, bridal showers, graduations, or any special event. Call for details.

Bar — Lalibela features a full bar – including domestic, Ethiopian, and other imported spirits

History

Established in 1998.

Lalibela is the name of a remarkable ancient city in Ethiopia where a number of still-​standing elaborate churches were chiseled from rock. As one of the first Ethiopian restaurants in Seattle, we chose this name as a way to introduce Ethiopian culture and history to our new home. A family-​run business, we were also dedicated to introducing our custom of preparing platters of food meant to be shared by a group. A binding element of Ethiopian culture is the love inspired from eating a shared meal.

Though Lalibela has been on Seattle’s map of fine establishments for over a decade, its spirit – and especially its food – remains as fresh as the day it opened. We continue looking forward to sharing our community with our current and future customers.

Meet the Business Owner

Genet T.

Business Owner

Lalibela co-​owner Genet, a Bale Moya (Amharic term meaning ‘very good cook’), came from a family of eleven brothers and sisters. She was educated in marketing but had a desire to share her cooking skills in a restaurant setting. Genet and husband Tabor opened Lalibela in 1998 with a large amount of support from the Ethiopian community and their families.

Related places

Explore similar places:
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Agelgil Ethiopian Restaurant
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Ras Dashen
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Vicinity

Near this location:
1
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Agelgil Ethiopian Restaurant
2800 East Cherry St
1
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Agelegle Ethiopia Resturant Bar
2800 E Cherry St Unit A
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Warka Grocery
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Seattle Young Peoples Project
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Dream Catcher Statue
Leschi Park 32nd Ave & Yesler

21 reviews of Lalibela Ethiopian Resturant

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Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
How I heard of this place: Through some Ethiopian friends at least seven or eight years ago, possibly for a birthday celebration. Most recently, my friends Bayan & Hanim invited me to partake of the delicious food Lalibela has to offer.
Type of cuisine: Ethiopian
Ambiance: Large interior space with table and chair settings as well as woven stools and tables for more of an ethnic experience. Dark furnishings, a small stage and sparse décor on the walls. Relatively quiet for the size and number of patrons.
What I ordered: My dining companions did the ordering. First we ordered the vegetarian combo, presented on a large serving dish over injera were a variety of vegetarian options, including sauteed kale, three preparations of lentils, a lettuce and tomato salad with a light lemon dressing, sauteed cabbage with carrots, and green beans and carrots in a tomato sauce. The man in our party needed meat, so we ordered one semi-​raw ground beef dish, which was enjoyed in a handful of injera with a white cheese (similar consistency to feta, but with less flavor) and mitmita. The final dish we ordered was a fried beef dish, which came fajita style with sliced onion and diced green bell peppers, tossed and fried in a rosemary seasoning, and served with a chili sauce on the side.
What I loved: The flavor of the fried beef dish, specifically the onions and diced green bell peppers, was tasty and unlike any other combination of seasonings I have had. The selection of lentil dishes is always a favorite!
Why I loved it: It is often recommended by my Ethiopian friends as one of the best (if not the best in Seattle. We were seated immediately, the food came out in stages, which made it fun for sampling, and vegetarian options aplenty.
Cost: Low ($ 12 veggie combo plate, large enough to share and leave everyone full)
Place rating: 4
Bellevue, WA
food was excellent, don’t go here if you’re in a rush.
Meat platter and veggie platter fed up to 5 of us.
Place rating: 3
Kirkland, WA
Call before you go! We arrived at 11:15 and they were closed. Their website and door sign said they open at 11. Instead we went to Zobel, which was excellent.
Place rating: 4
Bellevue, WA
This has been the best Ethiopian restaurant I have been to. I am giving all the 4 stars for the food, I am chopping out 1 star for the ambience. We were 5 of us and we ordered the veggie combo, the shiro wot and meat combo. We ordered sambusa for appetizer. The veggie combo was very flavorful and was shared by 3 people. The shiro wot was equally superb. The sambusa was very oily and probably not a good idea to order, though it dint taste bad. The meat combo from what my friends felt, had only beef entrees. They felt that the combo could have a combo of meats instead of JUST beef dishes. The injera was not at all super sour like it was in all of the previous restaurants, which was a big plus for me. The potion sizes are perfect for a heavy meal. The restaurant looks dark n shady from outside but once you go in, things are better. Dont expect much ambience. Our table cloth was dirty beneath the glass surface. Overall, a very good experience, I will surely recommend it to others and myself go again.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
Came here with my team for dinner because 1. No past reviews of roaches and 2. Is vegan friendly. There were lots of empty seats, so we picked our table. The waitress promptly brought us water and menus.
Because I was starving (what’s new?) I ordered the Qategna to start. The injera was toasted perfectly and the awaze and clarified butter spread was spicy and delicious; really well flavored. I wish I had ordered two.
Because there were six of us, we ordered two Lalibela Special Combo’s for $ 31 each and the vegan friendly Lalibela Vegi Combo. This of course, was way too much food but we ate almost all of it between the six of us. Seventh guy came late and nomed the leftovers.
Upon seeing the price for the Special Combo I was a little shocked (I haven’t seen this high of a price on a menu at an Ethiopian restaurant before) but once we received our food, I understood why. The portions are MASSIVE. More extra double massive than I’ve seen at any other place. Honestly, I bet 6+1 of us could have been fine eating from one combo. Delicious variety!
I’m not sure if the injera here is 100% teff, but I did feel a food baby for a couple of hours after dinner was finished (Could have just been the amount I ate– 1.75 injera’s lol). I like that the injera wasn’t super thick and they give you more than one per person.
Throughout our meal, the waitress came to check on us many times to see how we were doing on food and drinks. She never left us unattended and checked in on us enough but wasn’t giving us claustrophobia for the 4 hours we were there either. Great balance.
The food was good, very flavorful and delicious. I saw a few high chairs, so this place is kid friendly. It was a little chilly inside but warmed up after our food came to the table. There’s parking right outside (and down the street if there are no vacant spots).
Eat here!
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I tried the veggie combo and lentil sambusas and both were delicious. Our server was friendly and our food arrived in a timely manner. Will definitely return again soon!
Place rating: 5
Sacramento, CA
I came with some friends who’d tried literally every Ethiopian restaurant on the block… there are maybe 7 or so in this part of town. Lalibela is their favorite, and kid friendly! If your little ones are adventurous enough.
We ordered the Lalibela special combo and veg combo which was more than plenty for four adults and a very hungry 11 month old. The dora wat was probably my favorite, but everything on the veggie combo was spectacular. Just a note, injera expands. The lettuce serves as a great alternative. We took quite a bit home, two large to go containers, all for a very reasonable $ 15 a person.
What a great treat while visiting Seattle :)
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
This is my favorite Ethiopian place in Seattle, and I’ve tried quite a few. The food is consistently fresh and delicious, the portions are large, and the price is right. The qey (I always think of it as «kai») wat is terrific.
They also do a great Ethiopian-​style macchiato and spiced tea.
For some reason the restaurant is often empty when I’m there. Not sure why that is.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
This place was freakin’ amazing. Went here for the first time, looking for some good Ethiopian food here in the Seattle area. I ordered the Misir Wot (spiced lentils), and it was SO GOOD. And the injera was delicious. Freaking love! Also try the hot tea. It’s spiced with cloves and cinnamon. Yum! Waitress was super nice and helpful, also. Two thumbs up!
Place rating: 3
Seattle, WA
I had never eaten Ethiopian food — it’s very similar to Pakistan/​Indian in that they use similar spices.
There were 8 of us, and they have a $ 34 combo platter that has basically everything on the menu — and each giant platter feeds 4 to 6 people.
You will be eating with your hands — but you can ask for utensils if you want. Forget trying to figure out what dish you are eating, and try them all!
The food was good — and I was somewhat sad that we were the only patrons in there @ 7:30 on a Saturday night.
Minus one star for their bathroom cleanliness.
Place rating: 2
Seattle, WA
food was pretty good to very good.
giving 2 stars because in the doorway they have a framed newspaper writeup that featured their cheap ($ 8.50) veggie platter. this was the main focus and point of the article. when i saw it i decided to order the veggie platter. i did not look at the menu. veggie platter ended up being $ 14.50.
Place rating: 5
Olympia, WA
This is my favorite Ethiopian place. It will scare you, though — I don’t think they could make the storefront less inviting without piling human bones outside. But once you get inside, it’s pretty relaxed.
The food is amazing. I always go with a 3 – 4 other people and order the meat and veggie platter, and it’s more than enough for all of us, usually with a bit left over. And if I can stuff myself to maximum density for only $ 8 – 10 each and have that awesome Ethiopian spice smell on my hands for a day or two afterward, I’m pretty clam-​happy.
Whatever that means.
Place rating: 5
Santa Ana, CA
Ethiopian food in Seattle, part deux.
I still don’t have a great standard for comparison between Ethiopian places, in part because the average span between visits to purveyors of this particular cuisine is unreasonably long. For what it’s worth, to a novice in the world of east African food, Lalibela earns an easy recommendation.
Between four of us, we ordered two veggie combos and an order of doro wot. This filled us all to the brim, and left us with only a scattering of lentils and some sauce-​soaked injera on the platters when we settled the bill. Each dish on the platter was flavorful in its own right, with my favorite being the collard greens.
I suppose the only thing I can say for or against Lalibela for people wanting to try it is actually more of a statement about Ethiopian food more generally: if you don’t like the taste of sour bread, you’ll probably leave with a mixed opinion on Lalibela or any similar restaurant you try. Injera is sour like a strong sourdough, and is a core part of the meal. One of my friends left feeling iffy on the experience despite having enjoyed the vegetables on offer, for this very reason.
Lalibela earns a particular mark up from me as a family business, too. We met with a husband and wife, from Holland and Ethiopia respectively, who ran the restaurant and quite obviously took pride in their food. Interesting conversation was had, and a delicious meal to boot.
Place rating: 4
Milpitas, CA
I had my first experience with Ethiopian cuisine here. This was a while back but Unilocal reminded me I had not reviewed it… so here I go!
I think what I ordered was the Lalibela platter. If that’s the one with a little bit of everything then yep that’s the one!
The injera here was the better than the one I had at a different restaurant in SJ. It was not as sour as the second place I went to which complimented the veggies and meat well.
Luckily, I went with a friend who is Ethiopian and guided us through our meal. I had a co worker who was not into the cuisine and requested a special chicken dish be made and the server totally went out of her way to make sure the dish was up to her standards. What great service!
I’m not sure if I could ever find my way back here but I definitely recommend it!
Place rating: 3
Bellevue, WA
Don’t come here with friends who you are not comfortable sharing food with… as you will be sharing off a big plate. The Lalibela Special Combo is a really good deal for people who just want to try everything. It includes the vegetable combo (which is 6 things) and the meat combo (which is 7 things) and a few others (so many things that you should just read the menu). Do choose to sit in traditional seating for your authentic experience. The service on the Sunday afternoon I went was a little slow because there was only one server.
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
This place rocks. As has been said the veggie platter is yummy but the Lalibela platter is the best if you have enough people to eat it. The various combos are a great deal and the Lalibela platter will easily feed 4 very hungry people.
4 stars not 5 only because the service is often slow butit still friendly and I don’t mind the slowness because I could spend a lot more money for worse food faster at many of places.
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
Best Ethiopian place in Seattle!
Don’t be discouraged by the dark, foreboding entry or the deserted feel.
Inside it’s clean, has charming wait staff and Delicious veggie combos. Nom!
Place rating: 1
Seattle, WA
I went here a lot b/​c my Ethiopian coworker recommended it. The service was spotty and the staff always looked half asleep. The place wasn’t clean. The food was cheap and okay. I did start to notice that the server kept the injera (bread) that we didn’t eat to reuse. We also dropped a napkin on the dirty floor and she picked it up and put it back on our table to use. I might have a different level of cleanliness but I don’t like dirty napkins on my table and reused injera from previous customers so I stopped going.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
Wonderful. Just wonderful.
The place didn’t look like much on the outside, but inside was quite quaint, cozy, and comfortable.
We came in using a
coupon /​gift certificate. Having never eaten in this area, I was astounded at how many Ethiopian restaurants there were here (at least 7)! I will have to come back to try them all some time, though I dare say we may have found the best one on the block already.
We were served quickly by a very friendly waitress who promptly brought out our water and menus. We kept it simple so that we could try many dishes at once, and ordered the Veggie combo ($ 12), the Meat combo ($ 13), and an extra side of Gomen (greens) ($ 10).
The greens were tender, the lentil dishes done perfectly. Everything was well (but not overly) seasoned. I was quite impressed with the darker, slightly spicier meat dishes as well. We ate more of the dish thank I would like to admit to before giving up and taking it home with enough for both our lunches the next day.
I will happily be returning!
The space was large and had a separate bar as well. The entrance is big enough for wheelchairs, and the restaurant is large enough to host large groups. They had a stage set up as well, so I am assuming they play live music, though there wasn’t anyone playing while we were there.
Two thumbs up for Lalibela!
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I’m starting to see a trend in the Lalibela reviews: If you get the Veggie Combo, you LOVE this place. If you get anything else (or if you are easily chilled?), then maybe it’s not for you. This is my favorite Ethiopian place in a tiny sea of Ethiopian restaurants in the neighborhood, and the ONLY dish I have ordered (or would order, anywhere) is the Veggie Combo. So if you want to get a Veggie Combo, I highly recommend Lalibela.
Oh, and they give great pours from the bar, too. Some of the other Ethiopian places in town don’t have a full liquor license, if that matters to you.
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
Lalibela hits a home run if only because they are the only Ethiopian restaurant in the area that serves «quatena». This delicious morsel is the injera bread slathered with butter and the special spice mix that I crave so much, and is purely distinct to Ethiopian food.
They do nice mixed veg and meat samplers, and the collard green dishes are outstanding. The exterior façade of the restaurant leaves a bit to be desired. The darkened film on the glass door doesn’t exactly scream «come on in» but once you enter the décor is decently pleasant, not fancy, and the waitstaff is generally friendly. Lalibela has odd hours (not open on Tuesdays) but make the effort to check it out.