Right now, I think this is the best Ethiopian option in the city…read moreIt has a homey, casual feel to it and I keep coming back This is the restaurant I pick for first-timers to Ethiopian food Its an easy go - to pick for me generally

I tried Ethiopian years ago and didn't like it. I couldn't get over the using your hands aspect of…read moreit. Fast forward 20 years and my friend suggests Habesha for lunch and I go along. We ordered two Habesha platters (mix of meat and veggie dishes) with injera bread. I found out you can use the bread to pick up the meat or veggies. The cabbage was my favourite. Great flavours! The beef cubes/stew was great too. Lentils were well prepared too. The tea and coffee were unique and good. I am converted. This was delicious! Service is a bit slower so plan accordingly. The decor is plain but it doesn't matter when the food is good!

Food wise, it's cheap and large portion. But there's little variety. Everything is big bread with…read moredifferent variations of toppings. For mine, it was soggy where the toppings were placed because of the olive oil. Service was close to non-existent. They forgot my Coke until I reminded them. It also took time for the food to be ready or to get the bill. I only saw one star, so I assume he's the wait staff, the chef and the cashier.

Pre-pandemic, I had an appointment down the road and I decided to walk the 15 minutes to get some…read moreEthiopian food. I used to live in the area and visited their old location on Gladstone ages ago, so I thought it would be a nice opportunity to try their new(er) location, also on Gladstone. I've only had Ethiopian food a few times in the past, including at Blue Nile, but I was in the mood to try a dish I never had before. The restaurant had just opened for lunch so it was empty. I was grateful to have the full attention of the server, who I realized later was also the cook - the one and only staff member there! He was patient with me as I took a look around and debated over what to get on the menu before asking him for a suggestion. He asked if I ever had tibbs before, a staple in Ethiopian cuisine, and I hadn't, so that's what I ordered. I definitely read the menu, but I didn't pay attention at all to what he was making. I just said yes and got excited lol. It was about $12 at the time, before taxes and tip, though the price didn't matter at all because I was hungry and drooling at the sights and smells of him making the food. He made it with such care, packed it for takeout with such care, and rang it up with such care. He was very kind and courteous. Top-notch service. It was about 20 minutes or so before I was able to sit down to eat it and it was still piping hot. I had no idea what to expect. Whatever it was, it was fully wrapped in a huge piece of injera. When I unfolded the injera, there was a giant portion of sliced beef, onions, and peppers in a tomato-based sauce. I looked at the menu online and saw you could get juicy or dry, so I assumed I got juicy. My coworkers kept asking what I got, saying it looked and smelled amazing. A couple of them even tried some. It was delicious! The beef was tender and the sauce was very flavourful. The injera was light and spongey, not too sour. The meal was super filling, too. The injera soaked up some of the extra juices and it was all great to eat it with your hands. I would, however, separate the beef from the injera if saving leftovers, as the injera at the bottom would be super soggy. I would definitely eat here again. Maybe in person next time! I was tempted to buy some of the snacks, spices, and other pantry items by the cash, but I get carried away with that stuff and I knew I wouldn't be able to carry it back with me. But I totally regretted not getting anything. Definitely next time, too!

The food was amazing and the portion large so come hungry! I ordered the vegetarian platter so was…read moreable to try a variety, and all were delicious. If you are not familiar with this food, you do eat with your hands, so get ready to dig in! The staff could be a little more helpful, especially if guests are not familiar with the food. This is an upstairs location and I am not sure if they have an elevator, so check options if you are unable to do stairs.

If you're craving a hole in the way dining experience of delicious Ethiopian cuisine, D'Afrique is…read morethe place to be! The highlight of the evening was definitely the lamb--succulent, flavorful, and a definite 10/10. The mixed platter we chose was perfect for sampling a variety of dishes. It included a delightful assortment of vegetarian options alongside two chicken dishes and a savory beef dish. Each item was bursting with unique flavors and perfectly complemented the injera bread. We were able to ask for medium spiciness and some extra spice on the side so we weren't overwhelmed. The service was friendly and attentive - our waitress was able to give us great recommendations - adding to the overall enjoyable dining experience. The easy to miss entrance leads you upstairs to a nice dining area with table cloths but comfortable ambiance. Great for your dairy free and pork free friends plus there are gluten free options.

My husband and I had lunch at Safia Restaurant recently and overall we loved it!…read more My husband was going to a Hobby Show nearby, so we were in the area. We had been to the restaurant at this location when it was called Far Jano, and I found out from the staff at Safia that the owner of Far Jano sold her business 2 years ago and they believe she went back to Somalia. So Safia took over the place. They also sell Somali food. We got a few dishes to share. We got the Liver with Anjeero ($14), which comes with Somali Ginger Milk Tea. We also got the beef and chicken mixed suquaar plate with rice ($17). The liver dish is called "Beer." It comes with your choice of malawah, chapati or anjeero. Since I've already had the 2 former breads, I really wanted to try the anjeero. The man taking my order advised me it's a bit sour. I had heard it's similar to Ethiopian injera, which I like, so I told him I was good with that. The anjeero was delicious! It's less sour than injera. The best I can describe it as is if a crepe, a crumpet and some sour dough starter got together and had a magical baby, it would be anjeero, lol. I dream of anjeero now. I need more anjeero! Lol. The Somali Ginger Milk Tea is also so good. It was a bit too sweet for my tastes, but I still enjoyed it. It's creamy and full of ginger flavour. I would get this again. The liver was also good, but too oily for my tastes. It's fried with lots of onions, tomatoes, and some bell peppers. I would love it if they used less oil. The spices were amazing though. It masked the "liver flavour" well. I don't really like the taste of liver, but I eat it to boost my iron levels, so I like it when it's prepared in a way that it doesn't really taste like liver, haha. The beef and chicken suquaar with rice was also a hit. The chicken is slightly spicy, while the the beef is not spicy at all. The chicken was so tasty. It was moist and tender and full of flavour. The beef was also full of flavour, but it was tougher and not as tender, but still good. The rice was soft and fluffy and rich with warm aromatic spices. There were lots of onions in this dish, but also some peas and bell peppers. This dish came with a side salad. The salad was really boring with just romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, but the vegetables were fresh. It came with a ranch dressing on the side which I did not use. We also got 2 sauces. A red one which was mild and a brown one which was spicer, but I would describe as mild-medium. Since I dislike ranch dressing, I actually used the red sauce on the salad. Service was really friendly and welcoming. The restaurant is right next to a mosque and it appeared that all customers other than us were members of the mosque. So even though we obviously stuck out, the staff did not make us feel out of place at all. The dining area inside is small, but they have this nice more private area where you need to remove your shoes to enter and it's furnished nicely and is somewhat separated from the rest of the restaurant. There's also 2 tables outside, which is where we ate. It's covered with an awning and is well shaded, which is great when it's hot and sunny out, like it was on the day of our visit. Lots of free parking in the plaza. The parking lot is also shared with the mosque. It's a pity that this place is far from me and is in an area that I no longer frequent. Although they have another location on Cobden out near the Ikea, which is not close to me either, but a bit more convenient. I'll have to give that location a try sometime ;)

The food is a must try ! The samosas are delicious , I bought them 2 days in a row!…read moreGood food and great service ! Prices are good too ! Will definitely recommended

The entrance is a little confusing for people who are not familiar since they share the space with…read morea Bangladeshi restaurant. The host came out to greet us since we probably looked confused. He recommended the Ibex Special and a Beef Stew (apologies if this is not the correct name). It was our first time trying Ethiopian food so we weren't quite sure what to expect. The food was well seasoned and left a positive impression. The service was great and we came on a Saturday around 3:30 PM with no wait. The restaurant is well lit and has pleasant music.

We arrived in Ottawa yesterday afternoon and found Ibex Habesha just across from our hotel. They…read moreare closed on Monday, but glad we stopped by today. Amy, one of the owners and chef, was fantastic. We had the Ibex special which comes with a few meat dishes, but about 7-9 vegetable dishes. Beautiful large restaurant that has been open a few months. They share the space with an Indian restaurant, with two unique areas. Highly recommend if you are in the area to try them.

If I could eat only one meal, it would be from Scharma de Roza. Generous portions for a reasonable…read moreprice. We love the owner, Ahmed. If you are in the area, it's definitely worth it.

I have had take out from Shawarma De Roza a handful of times and the customer service has always…read morebrought the hubby and I back, but then we remember how salty the food is.. The woman who runs this restaurant is very pleasant; always goes out of her way to make customers feel like they are at home, and usually always gives free baklava with orders, and portions are huge!. With that being said, of course customers are going to love supporting this business. While the food is not bad, it is overly salty and vinegary for my personal liking. My hubby who will devour pretty much anything could not finish his falafel platter; the falafel was dry and the garlic sauce was vinegary and the turnips were very salty. I am a turnip lover, and always ask for extra, extra, extraaa turnips on my wraps, but these turnips were the saltiest I have ever had. I must have consumed at least 7 glasses of water afterwards, and still felt dehydrated! Another thing I did not really enjoy was that if you ask for everything on your wraps, be prepared for black and green olives, which I love, just not on a falafel wrap! I do like that tabbouleh is included on wraps! :) Overall, food is relatively fresh (minus the dry falafel we received), customer service is bang on, but salty-ness of the food leaves me to venture to other shawarma restaurants.

The best falafel you will ever have! Crispy and fluffy on the inside made fresh, organic and vegan!…read moreThis Sunday November 26th, all sales will be going to support Palestine! Expect kind and humble service with a nice place to sit and enjoy your meal. Every falafel sandwich flavour is a must try!! I always have a hard time deciding which one to pick. Definitely try the black bean and original (then come back and try the rest lol). You can buy falafel by pieces, but trust me you're going to eat them just like that as they are! Their salads are excellent too, as well as all their hummus types. Everything is vegan Love this place :)

Best tasting and healthiest food around. Everything I've tried which is just about EVERYTHING on…read morethe menu is amazing. I crave this food when nutrition is needed. The soup, wraps, bowls, wedges are all OMG deliciousness and you can feel the nutrients running through your body. Gonna order right now after writing this making me think of it again.

Very disappointing second experience compared to the one I had a year ago…read more The staff (1 person) tries to push you towards the regular menu even though the buffet option is still offered. Apparently, because people abuse! Ok! So the buffet is reduced to the third of what it shows on the pictures, with an insulting sweet section! Clever way to get us to order from regular menu... And then comes the service ! Here is a summary : You got the dish, eat , drink, pay and get out!

With the go to spot for Moroccan food being a victim of COVID. This one serves the gap I suppose…read more They are more geared towards the buffet as other than our table almost everyone had the buffet. This lead to very very slow food delivery. I enjoyed the combo of sweet and savory (especially for meat dishes) though I wish they could spice up the tajines was more. For a cuisine that's known for bold flavors there are hints of flavor here and there. There is a lot food here for what one pays and dessert is almost all you can enjoy. The tea was good as well. 3.5 stars.