It has been a very long while since I have had Ethiopian, and I heard that Dilla's was the place to try in the Twin Cities. After a brief adventure thanks to Apple Maps, we arrived. There is a large paid lot right next to the restaurant, so parking was easy. We did arrive early--right at 5, so that probably helped. We were seated pretty quickly as well. As others have noticed, the service is quite slow (there seems to be only one person working the front of the house), though that felt like it was part of the experience--there was a distinct "gathering place" vibe, and there were plenty of regulars who were engrossed in conversation... it seemed like everyone was family there. The decor added to the family/community feel, with art, textiles, and wicker ware all contributing to a homey feel. Of course what you're really wondering about is the food. It's quite tasty. We started with the veggie sambusas, which were hot and crispy and came with a spicy tomato chutney that was just delicious. We also ordered the fule, which was quite tasty and filling. I loved the seasonings and textures. My favorite dish, though, was Dilla's Mix. It was absolutely beautiful to behold thanks to the jewel-toned beets and golden squash, and the juices of the veggies combined with the spices to create a glorious sauce. It was very comforting and oh-so-satisfying. Of course, all was served with springy injera to scoop it up with. Their injera is a bit lighter and milder than some that I have had elsewhere, but it does the trick nicely. As others have mentioned, Dilla's serves entrees in their own dishes, which is great if you are a group that likes to share. read more

Dilla's - 1. Sambusa with Veggies - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

Small spot for good Ethiopian food. Pros: Good flavors, friendly servers and appreciated they were willing to create a veggie+meat combo for me - the menu only has veggie or meat combos. Cons: only 4 parking spots and their catering van was in one of them. Server disappeared for long periods of time though there were few tables. The injera was very cold, which made the food get cold fast. Especially since the room was very cold (the server was wearing a down coat). read more

Dilla's - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

There was hair in our food and one of the entrees we ordered was incorrect. The staff seemed overall confused and when we after for utensils I was given a dirty spoon. read more

Absolutely unacceptable and extremely unprofessional. My partner and I arrived during clearly posted business hours (open until midnight), yet we were flat-out refused service simply because there were no other customers. That is not how a legitimate business operates. What made this worse is that the server themselves acknowledged the situation was not handled appropriately. Being open means being open -- you don't pick and choose when to serve paying customers. This experience was rude, dismissive, and a complete waste of our time. Management seriously needs to address this behavior and retrain staff on basic customer service and professionalism. read more

Food - cold,nasty, hair in food, my wife's stomach was hurting before we left the restaurant. Service - The poor lady that worked there was the hostess,waitress,cashier and the bartender. As a consequence it took forever to get service. Ambiance - When I went to sit down the cushion of my chair came off in my hand I could have fallen on the floor. The place was definitely in the need of a paint job or remodel. read more

Our veggie combo at Dilla's was beautiful and delicious. Friendly service and wonderful food. We will return soon! read more

Dilla's - Veggie combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I got the large veggie combo expecting to have delicious leftovers. Not so much. The fasolia was delicious and the shiro was good, so I basically ate those two and the salad. I really liked the sambusa with veggies. They were hot and flaky. Don't bother with the french fries. They were boring with minimal salt. Not worth the money. If I did return, it would just be for the fasolia and sambusa. read more

See all

Dilla's is a great place for Ethiopian food. Especially if you don't know what you would like! Their combination plates with a mix of dishes at different levels of spice always hit the spot. Son Brandon and I realized we hadn't been here in a really long time. We split a meat combo and had vegetarian mini somosas. I had some tea as well. The sourdough pancake is scrumptious and goes well w the over spicy flavors. The mild lamb curry was really good. The chicken had a sauce w an amazing kick. The other meat dishes were fairly mild. read more

See all

Loved my first visit here! Came in on a wintry Friday with a large group & we were taken care of to great satisfaction. There were six of us, and although we did plenty of sharing, we noticed that one way Dilla's distinguishes itself from other Ethiopian restaurants in the area is that those of us that ordered an entree for one got it all to ourselves, instead of on one giant platter. I liked that. I ordered Zilzil Tibs, which was a steak & veggie dish served in a hot cauldron with a really unique horseradishy sauce on the side (along with plenty of injera, of course). It was delicious and satisfying. There were a couple of other entrees ordered as well as a big meat & veggies platter shared among three of us. All of it came with ample servings of injera, but a friend of mine requested "special injera" which is made from 100% teff grain imported from Ethiopia. Stronger flavor; interesting! We chose Dilla's because we specifically wanted to have a high-quality, traditional East African restaurant experience in the heart of Minneapolis's lively Somali community, and I think we chose the perfect venue. The food was delicious and the service was quick and kind. I will most definitely be returning. read more

Dilla's - Meat & Veggie platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

Dilla's makes perfectly fine Ethiopian food, though I prefer a few other spots. The fule ($8) tasted fresh, but also bland, and they didn't serve it with the traditional French bread. That said, only 3 or 4 places in the Twin Cities serve fule (sometimes spelled "foule" or "ful" or augmented with the word "medames" and consists of fava beans), so I'm glad they offer this. The miser wot ($13) is vegan by default and tasted fine, albeit heavy on the tomato paste (the texture had a stickiness). The ater wot ($13) is also vegan by default and I loved the intact split peas, but the flavor didn't pop on this one. The vegetable sambusa ($8) was way too oily and not fried well, so this wasn't a winner. If you're looking for better Ethiopian food, I recommend Red Sea a block a way, Agelgil in St. Paul and maybe Fasika in St. Paul (which is hit or miss these days). read more

See all

I love Ethiopian food, therefore it's very hard to disappoint me. That said, Dilla was fantastic, and not by my somewhat low standards either. As someone who makes it a point to eat Ethiopian food at every turn, this was a thrill. My first impressions were less than good. I sat in the smoking section, thinking that that was all they had, and contemplated leaving on account of the smoky fog and loud conversations in this salon-like space. Luckily my friend arrived and moved us to the more quiet, dinner-friendly section. We had one platter to share, and except for extra injera, the meal was more than enough for two. We combined meat and vegetarian options. The star of the dish was the Doro wot, which was probably the best I've ever had! The one let down was their tea, which was a glass of insipid water, too cool to steep the teabag it came with. Otherwise I highly recommend this establishment. read more

Dilla's - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I sadly only got to visit here in-person once before lockdown, but recently got takeout and was super impressed that they have maintained their quality (AND quantity!) I am always super nervous about take-out when it comes to Ethipian food just because of the style it is normally served in and I worry about injera getting soggy, but the folks here packaged up the combo meal so nicely and it wasn't messy at all! Not to mention, they didn't compromise on quantity either--our Vegetarian Combo lasted the 2 of us two meals each. That night, they had a really nice beet dish as part of their combo which tasted fantastic. I also love that their combo includes Shiro, which is my favorite dish. The service was super nice; we live in the neighborhood so we just walked over and placed our order in person, but the staff member mentioned they were doing curbside and next time we could just drive up. After we told him we didn't have a car, he mentioned it was ok to drop in next time and place our order in store. My only regret is that I waited for 8 months of lockdown before ordering take out from here when I could have been enjoying it all along. read more

The elusive 5/5 rating. The vibe is on point. The music is fun. The employees are polite. They're open late. We lit. read more

Dilla's - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I love the culture and tradition behind an Ethiopian feast with friends--dig in with hands and injera! The flavors are bold, the variety is abundant, but dannnng the service made me sad... Two of us excitedly (and moderately hangrily after a workout) ordered the meat sambusas and a meat + veggie combination platter for dinner. After a while we noticed that all of the tables that sat after us got served before us. We were ignored by servers and even the owner who made rounds, despite me trying to make eye contact with my desperate hangry eyes. After almost an hour, they realized that they gave a table next to us our order + their order too. They weren't apologetic but at least our combination platter came out swiftly after that realization. Sadly, our entree order was wrong, and they forgot our sambusas. It took a while to get my can of Sprite too. The food was overall pretty good, though after a little while all of the textures and flavors felt/tasted too similar. My favorite parts were the beef and the boiled egg, so maybe I'll just narrow it down to those two dishes next time. And bring a backup snack in my purse. read more

Dilla's - #61 Combo platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Meh, there are better alternatives close by. We hadn't eaten here in a few years and were excited to give it another try. Ordered the sambusas with meat. They were out of meat so we tried the veggie sambusas instead. Flavor was decent but texture was oily and food temperature was barely warm. It's as if they were fried an hour ago. Definitely not fresh and disappointing. We also tried the veggie platter. As a plus, food service was fairly quick, at least quicker than last time. Flavor and taste was good. Unfortunately, the items that should be served warm/hot were also lukewarm. Overall, a meh experience. There are many better alternatives as other helpers have recently indicated. read more

If you haven't eaten Ethiopian food before This review won't help much. I'm sorry. This place hit it for us. The portions are generous. The spicing is both strong and subtle. Each item is unique and maybe slightly different than other restaurants. I love the menu. It is very varied. My favorite thing about this place is that you can get combinations of almost anything! The menu has several to choose from and there is also the option to do a 50/50 split and have your choice of 2 things in one dish/order! Some warnings: it is a pretty small place and they do burn incense- which I love. If you are highly sensitive maybe check in before committing. read more

Delicious food, good service. I'm consistently amazed by how flavorful and unique each dish is, despite looking pretty similar to each other. read more

Dilla's is a wonderful space. In addition to having some of the best Ethiopian food I've ever had (and I've had a fair amount), I just loved sitting in this cozy restaurant on a Saturday night with a hugely diverse group of African and non-African people. There were families, students, a party-sized group of jovial young people, and an assortment of languages in the air. A beautiful little girl with a hijab played peekaboo with us. The owner (I think?) came to check on us a few times, speaking limited English and nonetheless conveying the message that he wanted us to feel welcome. The food. Wow. The doro wot was the best I've ever had. (If you've never had doro wot, it's a chicken dish that comes with a drumstick and a hard-boiled egg, cooked in a spicy red sauce.) The flavor was so complex -- spicy, but not just in a hot way. It came with some mild farmer-style cheese that was a great foil for the spice. We also ordered the veggie plate, which was s symphony of flavors that was definitely enough for two people. I especially loved the green beans, of all things. So tender and bursting with flavor. (I guess I'm so used to my in-law's green bean casserole that I forgot that green beans are delicious and can be served without cream of mushroom soup.) All this and a tasty samosa appetizer came to a $42 feast for three people. We'll be back! I was missing the Blue Nile, but no longer. read more

Dilla's - Doro wot. There's no way a photo could do this justice. So delicious. - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

Friendly waitstaff, delicious food, so many options! Music and smells remind me of Ethiopia.

Been coming here for years and last two take out orders, having to wait 30 minutes- the server kept apologizing both times they were busy. I get home, two separate times ordering to and salad missing from pasta,sauce missing from sambusa. Third time I ordered to go tonight. And this will be my last time I spend money ever again. Ordered fule which I have order a dozen times. Tonight I get home and no onions,jalapenos,tomatoes,cheese. Just plain beans. If they changed how they prepared it, well another reason not to order plain beans. So sad, food is excellent- but the errors,wait time. Now I will search for another Ethiopian restaurant in Minneapolis. I will post a photo. read more

Dilla's - Reason a 1 star,read my review to understand. Fule,which I have ordered for years - no jalapenos,onions tomatoes,cheese. - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Worst customer service I have ever seen, they don't check on their customers I had to wait 40 min after I finished my food and they still didn't check on me and there were only 4 customers in the whole restaurant. unhappy-face always looking mad and that ruins the mood of eating. read more

Dilla's is one of my favorite Ethiopian restaurants that I've had thus far. There are so many options to choose from! The service is wonderful. The owner and her son are among the sweetest people I've ever met, and the owner's son took his time explaining to us the combination options available, and any adjustments we could make; he was extremely accommodating! The food was very flavorful! We ended up getting the yetebaberu combination, which consists of meat and vegetarian options. My absolute favorite stews were the fasolia, key sir, and misir wot. All of the sauces and stews plus the injera were a 10/10. The only minor problem was that the sambusas were cold when brought out to us as an appetizer, but it was still very flavorful. There is not a large parking lot for this restaurant, unfortunately, but it didn't take us long to find a spot right next to the restaurant. Can't wait to come back!!! read more

Dilla's - Yetebaberu Combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Ethiopian food near the west side of the university. Service is super nice. Food is served family style and you eat with your hands. The base is a sourdough injera bread - made out of teff and wheat. (If you call ahead they can make a gluten free injera!!) We got the big platter - don't remember the name but it was $30 and it includes a variety of ethiopian dishes. It was huge and enough for 3-4 people. We also ordered the tripe and it was the best. It was a little tough but not at all smelt and the flavors were fantastic. It was also quite inexpensive- about $10-$12 a person. Great place to grab an interesting delicious meal. read more

See all

This is our first time eating here. Food is good ! We tried the sambusa with meat and the Yetebaberu ($30). The sambusa had a LOT / generous amount of meat filling within it. The Yetebaberu - which is like a sampler plate with both meat and vegetarian food on the injera bread was really good as well (we shared it amongst the 4 of us). The chicken on it was cooked so well that the meat literally fell apart, the beef on it was similarly delicious. But I have to say, the meat portion was a little small for $30. I think if you are a meat eater like myself (and don't like bloated full feeling- the feeling you get when you are full of carbs without much meat), it would be more economical to order a meat entree that only cost $10-13 - and you could theoretically order 2-3 of those and would get more meat than the Yetebaberu. Good luck and enjoy ! read more

Dilla's - The Yetebaberu - chicken at 9 0'clock, beef at 5 o'clock - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

This place was the bomb! Went here on a rainy Monday for lunch and man it was delicious. It is a quiet local restaurant that has that mom and pop shop feel. Definitely a hole in the wall. The food was fantastic! We had the combination which included chicken, beef, and lamb. It was our first time eating Ethiopian food and it didn't disappoint at all. We even took some to go! The servers were very kind to us as well. Food came out quick and they were happy accommodate our food allergies. Will always be a solid recommendation from me to others if they want some Ethiopian food! read more

This place does not disappoint. I was here last year this time. Same quality, same amazing flavors. I'm working in Bemidji and don't have access to Ethiopian food. Even bought some mitmita to make my own dishes. Staff has always been super friendly. When I'm back in town, I'm sure I'll be stopping by! read more

The only other Ethiopian restaurant I've been to was Fasika in St Paul so I was mostly comparing the food. The fact that both restaurants' foods are extremely similar speaks to the authenticity of both restaurants. But about Dilla's, you walk into the restaurant and smell that strong scent that tells you you're about to eat EVERYTHING. I ordered the Three Combination which has meat and vegetables are well as the injera for such a great price ($15.06 with tax). It was so good! I am so impressed by the customer service here. Dilla's son is the manager and makes sure to walk around and check on your food and experience. So humble and delightful. I really liked to music too! Highly recommend! read more

Dilla's - Three combination (kintot). Great customer service! - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This place is amazing. We got three different combination platters. Everything was outstanding. The veggie platters with lentils were delicious and the meat dishes were so good. read more

This was my first time trying Ethiopian food...I came here with a group of 4 and we ordered the Yetebaberu Combo platter to share. It was huge. I didn't know we would be eating with our hands, but when in Rome! The experience was lovely and the staff were really nice, I think it was the owner who came to our table to talk with us. Overall, I was not used to the flavors and various foods and textures on the platter. I tried everything at least twice and in the moment I enjoyed it, but today I kind of regret it(I didn't get sick, I just don't want it ever again). I would for sure go back to try something else! read more

Dilla's - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Finally got out here for the Sunday buffet! Limited selection, all vegetarian except for 1 meat dish. So you've got the usual collard green dishes, different lentil dishes, cabbage and carrot. Rice and injera. Today's meat dish was a lamb curry and it was by far the best one of all the dishes. The red lentils were a little undercooked, and like others mention they don't refill quickly, especially the meat dish. So try to get there before noon - there was plenty to be only because I was one of the first people to choose the buffet in the restaurant. The price has been raised to $11. It's a really great way to try different things but they also have a vegetable combo plate that's about the same cost and you'll likely have food to take home. read more

Dilla's - New set up for buffet - 7 vegetarian (4 types of lentils, 2 types of collard greens, cabbage and carrots). Rice and lamb curry. - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

Amazing food! This was my first time having Ethiopian and I was lucky to be with others who have eaten it before. If you have never had the cuisine, do yourself a favor and check out their website before hand because they explain the dishes and cuisine well. Be patient with the servers, as the service can be compromised by a language barrier. We asked for extra plates but our server did not know what we were asking for. A bit of patience and creativity and we all figured it out - she was very sweet. The space is warm and cozy and inviting, and very clean! read more

Wanted to try Ethiopian food for the first time and was recommended to come to Dillas. Came with a party of 6 and was quickly seated. We ordered two combination platter: vegetarian and meat, as well as two appetizers, Fufe which was tasty, reminded me of Mexican refried beans and bread and Kitta Firfir which was like spicy bread. The vegetarian plate was full of lentils, beans, and salad. The meat plate was full of spicy lamb, non-spicy lamb, chicken, beef, and an egg. The group enjoyed everything. The environment was great. Lots of mirrors, African paintings, and drawings. The lights were dimly lit and it also had 2 tvs on each side of the restaurant. Definitely diverse food! Ended the meal with coffee and milk! Delicious and a great ratio, did not taste like coffee but more milk -out of this world! We liked it a latte! read more

See all

I can't call myself an expert on Ethiopian food. I've probably tried a handful of different restaurants and most in the Bay Area. But Dilla's is so good. Their spicy lentils and variety of meat dishes are flavorful and fulfilling. Did I mention their injera is delicious!? read more

This place is truly one of my favorite restaurants in this city. The food is Prepared with care. The wait staff Is very respectful and greets you with a smile and surely want you to have a wonderful meal. When it's all said and done and you have thoroughly enjoyed your meal. Their wonderful smiles let you know that they are pleased that you enjoyed something they take such pride in making. The atmosphere is perfect dimly lit, Ethiopian jazz playing and the people are wonderful having nice conversations around you. With no pretense the food is spectacular,coffee wonderful. If you call yourself a true minneapols urban dweller this place is a must experience restaurant. Late night hours, open till 2:00 a.m. You truly feel like you are part of their family when you leave. read more

See all

The food is incredible. I had the vegetarian platter when I went last. It's amazing that beets, lentils, and greens can be so flavorful and filling with injera. I also had the lunch buffet on a Sunday. The selection was varied, with both meat and vegetarian options available. Ethiopian food would make it okay for me to be a vegetarian. Every Minnesotan should come here. We have a sizable Ethiopian community and I'm so glad that delicious Ethiopian food is ten minutes away from me! The restaurant has some reserved parking spots. Otherwise there is surface parking. I'm not sure if Dilla's validates. The service is not the fastest, but the care is reflected in the quality of the food. Staff was friendly and answered all my questions. I'm drooling and need to go back! read more

Dilla's - Vegetarian combination platter. Amazing! - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

My only regret is that I did not eat the food slower. It was so good that I inhaled it, and it was meant to be savored. I got the trio combo for $14.95, and it was enough food for two people. I could not finish it, no matter how hard I tried. With tax and tip, it was $18. There was a chicken drumstick, a beef stew, some lentils or split peas, could never remember what's what, and some greens. The flavors and textures were wonderful. This is a restaurant that I could eat at every day. The menu was very diverse, plenty of vegetarian, pescatarian, and meat options of all sorts of spice levels and flavors. The service was very friendly, a bit slow, but if you're not in a rush, it's nice to take a longer lunch once in a while. read more

Dilla's - Three combination plate. - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

They have a pretty good all you can eat buffet, much better than almost any Chinese buffet around. I liked the Spicy Beef, lentil, beets, ground beef, cabbage, and bread. Plus they have a fancy bar. Yebeg Alicha Wot (Tender pieces of lamb braised slowly in green pepper and tumeric sauce, flavored with an Ethiopian herb, ginger, and a touch of jalapeno pepper, was very good. read more

Service and atmosphere is very nice. The food was good but my peices of steak were swimming in a seasoned butter which sort of set me off. I dont like over oily things especially food. The injera was fine but a nice naan would have been better choice. I do recommend trying for the flavors and the culture. read more

Dilla's - Yebeg Tibs - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

I wasn't impressed. There was only one table before me. Food took too long to come out. A table that was seated 10 mins after me were served before I was. I ordered the chicken tibs. The rice tasted old. It had dried grains of rice and some rice was in disgusting lumps. The chicken lacked flavor. I would recommend going somewhere else for your Ethiopian fix. (Like Fasika on Snelling). read more

Dilla's - Here you can see some dried rice grains - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Dilla's is my favorite Ethiopian restaurant for so many reasons! First, I love that they provide lots of gluten free options (including gf injera). Also, they have a huge assortment on their menu. Whether you're vegan, gluten free, vegetarian or a meat eater, Dilla's has something for you! We love to order a meat option and the veggie platter for a variety of delicious flavors. It makes my mouth drool just thinking about it! All in all, I can't wait to try a variety of dishes at Dilla's. read more