My go-to place for Ethiopian food. Friendly staff and delicious food. I've eaten there many times pre-Covid and now just order delivery. Everything was fresh and hot as well as packed carefully. I really have no favorites as all the platter meals I've had are great. The vegetable samosas were also great! read more

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

By, chance Dilla was the closest restaurant fro my hotel. While riding Uber, the Ethiopian driver said that this is a local foodie restaurant and a good choice. The food was great with a wonderful authentic atmosphere. The waitress was very friendly and did not up-sell me with a menu item. Her menu recommendations were the right portion that best represents Ethiopian cuisine. Full meal with beer and dessert was cheaper than area restaurants. read more

Dilla's - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

Simply the best tonight. I LOVE the veggie platter, it's out of this world delicious, the serving is enough for 2. It comes with yellow lentil, berebere lentils, greens, mixed veggie, cabbage, and I think I'm missing somethings. You also get the bread. Ooooh the bread, it's mildly sour and spongy, it's wonderful to absorb up every last bit of sauce. I've back over the years, always was good, but honestly the food has gotten better. read more

A friend and I decided to venture into this establishment tonight as we were craving Ethiopian food. We've eaten here before, and decided to have it once more. The food was good, but there was a miscommunication in regards to one of the dishes; however, that is not the reason for the 2 star review, rather it is for the horrendously slow and uncaring customer service. I will write further giving, in detail, about what made the customer service bad. Situation 1: The waitress suddenly left to attend to another table in the middle of taking our order. I had to flag down another waitress to make sure she got our order. Situation 2: When the food came, we noticed that the Kitfo came fully cooked (kitfo is the minced-beef dish). I was under the impression that it was supposed to be raw. When I did my research later, I found that it could be cooked to different temperatures. When we were ordering the Kitfo, the waitress did let us know that it is a raw dish, and we specifically told her that we were fine with it that way. Unfortunately she did not understand us as her mind was somewhere else (SHE LEFT during the middle of taking our order!!). I am not mad about the meat not being raw, but rather at her bad customer service and communication skills. Situation 3: When both my friend and I finished our meal; we decided we needed napkins, a takeout box, and of course, the bill. It took a good half hour for everything to be completed. I tried flagging down the waitress and saying excuse me loud enough to be heard every time the waitress walked by, but to NO AVAIL!! When the waitress finally came, she brought the bill and the box, but not the NAPKINS! HORRIBLE LISTENING SKILLS!! To save myself some time, I decided to WALK the bill back up to the counter, rather than wait for awhile... Okay, so I was a bit annoyed, and asked her again when giving her our cards. A good 15 minutes later, she brought back the bill with our cards, BUT NO NAPKINS!! I had to go the bathroom to grab myself some paper towels... I always tip, but this is the first time that I did not tip an establishment, and I do not regret it. We've been to the restaurant once before, and decided to try them again, but shame on me for thinking that they would have improved. I GUESS not! read more

I've been here quite a few times with my family, and each time has been an enjoyable experience. I had never had Ethiopian food prior to my first trip here, and the first time is definitely an interesting experience. Each entree is served with Injera, a soft flatbread that almost serves as utensils to grabbing and eating food. I am a huge fan of trying different foods, and the flavors in these dishes are unique and provide a nice change of pace with eating out. Dilla's also has a nice lunch buffet so patrons can sample various dishes instead of going all out on one dish. They also have a copious number of vegetarian dishes both in the buffet and on the menu, so the vegetarians and vegans in the group have options. Great place to try to experience a new food experience. read more

Love it, large plates of delicious food at affordable prices! I recently discovered that the "veggie combo for 2" can be ordered as a half portion for one. That is what I always get, great variety and absolutely delicious! read more

Dilla's - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

The biggest scam. My Doordash driver waited over an hour for the food. It arrived to me cold and not even 1/3 of the box was full. I paid $22 for literally one spoonful of everything off the veggie sampler. I would honestly leave a half star if it let me. They literally piled up the box with 3 injera to make it feel heavy. And everything was drenched in lemon. I couldn't taste any flavors paste that. read more

Never had food from Ethiopia? This place is awesome. This was my first visit and I'm a huge fan. Friendly and attentive service. They have a large variety of options on their menu, the combination entrees are a safe pick since it samples various items. I loved every single items of my meal. Free parking is available in a private lot connected to the restaurant. It was not hard to get a spot on Sunday evening. read more

This place is painfully slow -- we ordered takeout from this place at noon and our food wasn't ready until an hour later with hardly an apology from anyone working there. People order takeout for the convenience. This wasn't anymore convenient. read more

I ate here a few times before covid. They are awesome, excellent cozy ambiance. I ordered random stuff, usually fries or an appetizer. It's a tiny restaurant but so cozy and great East African vibe, good music. read more

Super good food! Love that that offer gluten free injera bread! Owner was very friendly as well.

I've been on a serious Ethiopian kick lately, and this place met my injera neeeeds. Stopped in on a late Sunday afternoon, not too busy, easily seated for it being a small place. The staff were all SUPER nice and welcoming. He gave us some good recommendations - veggie sambusas (they came with picante style salsa, which was a bit odd...) and the 5 meat combo platter. We also ordered some $4 Ethiopian beers, which were fun to try. Loved the platter - it was $19.99 and was plenty of food for both of us! It was supposed to have 5 dishes, but only came with 3 (one had two portions, however) and then their homemade cheese. Just a note - there ARE bones it it! Lovely service, delicious food - we'll be back! read more

The best Ethiopian restaurant I've ever been to the food is very fresh and authentic,traditional environment, very clean and spacious the employees are very welcoming and helpful !!! I highly recommend this this place...I've been to many Ethiopian restaurant in different states this is the best !!!!! read more

Updated from 2013 review: Dilla's has hit its stride as an Ethiopian restaurant. The menu is varied, and most dishes come on the injera bread. Haven't tried the buffet recently, but the individual dishes were excellent. Both of us had lamb dishes, and both were excellent. The place is small, and has a bar, so be careful of peak times, but worth it. Paid parking next to the restaurant. Some large tables, and the smaller ones can move to accommodate larger groups. Decor is excellent, and the staff is friendly. The family cooks and serves! See photo. read more

Dilla's - Two lamb dishes. Dilla's, 4/07/17 - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

I love Dilla's! They are my favorite Ethiopian food in the cities. Delivery from them is always tasty with generous portions and lots of injera. read more

Get a change of pace and try some Ethiopian. The food was enjoyable. Went on a Saturday night and the place was bustling with activity. We got the sambusa with meat appetizer and it came out hot and crispy...but without extra plates so we each ate our sambusa on a napkin. The real way to enjoy this place is with a group. We had a group of 4 so it was perfect to get a large combination platter. It eliminates having to pick and choose from an extensive menu. It came on a large plate and had both veggie and meat samples. It comes on one big piece of injera bread which soaks up all the yummy sauce. Extra bread came and we were offered extra on top of that since clearly we were devouring it. Overall food was flavorful and with such a variety it was fun to eat. If my review was based on all food it would be a 4 star review. But my entire experience has been marred by my visit to the restroom of this restaurant. You are about to eat on a communal plate with your hands, you have got to wash your hands! That means an obligatory trip to the restroom. I was inclined to use the toilet but one look told me to just hold it - one toilet had an overwhelming stench and the other one had flies all over the seat. Eeeeek! The uncleanliness just made me cringe about what the kitchen might look like. read more

I was hungry for some fish so I popped into dilla's because the menu read cod fillets with fries. What I got was totally different. 1 strip of fish and a plate full of fries. I try to explain that the menu states fillets which is plural. I got a sorry excuse and no extra fish. They didn't come to my table to ask is there anything else I need. I had to walk to the front counter for a to go box. Very poor service and the quantity of food is very poor. read more

You know you've come to the most authentic Ethiopian restaurant in the Twin City when a bunch of Ethiopian bachelors show up on a Saturday night and flirt with all the Ethiopian women *not* dining near their table. I'm a real snob when it comes to kitfo. Kitfo is basically the Ethiopian way of making beef tartar. Instead of capers and raw egg, kitfo is freshly ground beef seasoned with warm butter and an array of secret spices. With the exception of NYC's Awash, Dilla's kitfo is no doubt the best I've had ANYWHERE, period. My hubby and I also ordered a veggie combo. Highly recommend! 6-7 well contrasted flavors, but somehow all supportive of our main entree "kitfo". Among them, the collard green (they call it spinach) is perhaps second to none, not even NYC's Awash. It is cooked to full flavor but not over cooked. Any chef knows how hard it is to achieve this effect with leafy veggies. We can't wait to go back to Dilla's next week! read more

Our table had samosas for appetizers (some veggie and some with meat), and several sampler platters as entrees. The Injera was fresh and delicious and the collard greens were amazing! Lots of great vegetarian and vegan options, and they offer several varieties of imported Ethiopian beer. The traditional Ethiopian coffee at the end of our meal was a real treat. A truly enjoyable cultural experience. read more

Dilla's - Ethiopian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

I ordered the Yebeg Wot (lamb) and the Veggie combination plate. The lamb was delicious in flavor, but the only downside is it had some bones. I didn't deduct any stars for that since the flavor was good enough to make up for that shortcoming. The injera is also perfectly spongy and sour as it should be, and they gave me 2 injera with the Veggie plate and 1 with the lamb dish (in addition to the ones that were on the bottom). The Veggie plate was good too, but I only ordered it for the gomen (greens) so I really didn't even need all the other stuff. I didn't see where I could order veggies as a side dish on the Yelp takeout ordering page so was forced to order more food than I wanted. read more

I'm giving it five stars because the service was friendly, the food came quickly, and best of all they had gluten free injera- which was an adventure in itself to find. I'm no expert on Ethiopian food to know how similar dishes stack up elsewhere, but I've been to a few and this was damn tasty. read more

I would avoid ordering from here through Yelp's Eat24 app (for pickup) if you are at all hungry. It's pretty clear they don't prioritize the "ASAP" orders at all. My order was pre-paid, small and simple, I showed up 35 min after ordering, and was told 15 more minutes. I finally was handed my food 20 minutes later. What is the point of ordering to-go if I'd get faster service walking in and sitting down? Would you stay in a restaurant if you didn't get served for 55+ minutes? Food was ok, way too much salt overall for my taste though. Injera was good and plentiful, and saved the review from being one-star. Price for the amount of food was good, but again, the wait makes me unable to recommend going here. read more

Super tasty Ethiopian food. All of the 'vegetarian' items are actually vegan. I've only Had the Sunday buffet and it was small and great. 5 vegan options aside from the injera bread. I only Give 4 stars because it could use a serious remodel. read more

Hadn't had Ethiopian food in over 20 years when we went to Dilla's. We all split a fava bean appetizer, my wife and son split a vegetarian combo, my daughter had chicken curry and I had the doro wat. Each dish was excellent, as was the injera. Serving sizes were abundant, but not overwhelming. Price was very reasonable, not an expensive meal. Service was good. Bonus, nice selection of Ethiopian beers. read more

It is a family restaurant, meaning I felt like I was at the owners' house instead of at a restaurant. And I loved it. The menu is rather long and it has plenty of options, including a large vegetarian selection. The items are traditional Somali fare and I personally liked it much more than Fasika. The place is a sit down kind of place with the level of prices and service typical of the ethnic places with this format (~$8-$12 for most entrees) and it is great for longer lunch breaks. On Thursday it runs an all you can eat buffet (which I still didn't get an occasion to try) and it has a special for students (I think is around $6 or $7 for an entree). It is a great new addition to the area and I can see myself going back there when I want to treat myself to a longer lunch break. read more

I'm not going to front: this is probably the best Ethiopian restaurant in the entire United States. What?! In Minnesota?! In Minneapolis?! Isn't that just a bunch of "white people"?! Get your close-minded head out of your you know what. Minneapolis, like many other metropolitan areas, has experienced a surge of immigration in the past 20 years or so (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9906.2010.00525.x/abstract Check out one of the authors -- recognize him?!) This immigration has not only bolstered tax bases and counterbalanced decades of population loss, but it's been a boon for dining. Dilla's is a byproduct of these processes, an example of the local transformed by the global, the boundaries between the two withering. What?! Yeah, back to the food. Not only is it delicious, but the people who run this place are super chill and stand-up. They let you stay forever and eat at your own pace. I also went for the $10 buffet on my last visit only to realize there was only one meat selection there. When I then ordered off the menu and planned just to 'bite the bullet' on the $10 buffet, the dude said to relax and that he wouldn't charge me for it! WOW! "I can't believe you finished that!" Oh, you thought wrong, cause your food was so good. read more

not much atmosphere, but clean and accessible. friendly wait staff. REALLY GOOD ethriopian food, ABSOLUTELY worth trying!!

We'll go a long, long way out of our way to dine on Ethiopian. We flew all the way from Albuquerque to Minneapolis to chow down on these eats, and let me tell ya, it was every second of the flight. We also happened into a relative's wedding while we were in the Cities. Strange coincidence. Again, I state with emphatic determination, ABQ needs Ethiopian. Even the sort of average eats, like those we had at Dilla's, are such a unique change of culinary pace and so fun to eat. Dilla's doesn't offer any fluff, no flare, just home cooked recipes and (during our visit) really friendly service. The injera was very cold, which kinda flattened the warm toppings available from the buffet, but no matter. Our bellies were full, our toddler was coddled, good times. Hey Dilla's, I know of a place where the summers are hot and the winters are basically snow-free. Wanna set up shop in New Mexico? read more

I've only had African food once before this, so my expertise doesn't extend far. With that being said, Dillas was just OK. My girlfriend and I split the meat combo platter (ethnic combination or chef special). The injera is definitely an acquired taste. The dish could stand with more meat and less sauce and oil. I like my protein, and there really wasn't much. As Gucci Mane would put it, I got lost in the sauce. Parking is inconvenient and bathrooms are in the basement. read more

There are a few good places in town to eat Ethiopian, but Dilla's in the best. I usually get the Awaze Tibs and tea. The inera bread that comes with is great! Sometimes, my husband orders the Kifto and we get an appetizer of sambusa to eat with the tasty sauce! Parking can be crazy, and I wish they had more spaces in the lot next door. The other thing is that sometimes there is only one or two servers for the whole restaurant. The foods so good that I temporarily become a patient person. read more

I usually go to one of two Ethiopian places in Saint Paul, I saw Groupon had a good deal for this place. I bought one for myself and one for a friend. I went and got horribly sick. My friend who went on a different day and we just happened to order the same dish, got horribly sick as well. I feel awful that I gave my friend a Groupon to a place that made her sick. I will not be going back. On a side note the people there were friendly. I was disappointed that bread was served cold. More so disappointed that I got sick. read more

Unlike many Ethiopian places, this one had a nice crowd (not too much) on a weekday night. I got the vegetarian combo and I'm sure I ate too much because it was all so good! Excellent value for the price - for 1 person, you get very ample servings of like 8 different dishes plus injera for $10.50. It could be shared by 2 if you wanted normal human sized portions. OR you could get the full size for 2 ppl for even more delicious food at $15.99. A great deal either way! Service was super friendly. Everyone else in the restaurant seemed happy too. I will definitely return next time I'm in town! read more

First time here. Our server had trouble understanding our questions. In ethnic restaurants I take that as a good sign. Anyway, we figured it out. Everyone who worked here was friendly and accommodating. I love Ethiopian food but am kind of clueless about which dish is what...so #69 Combo Platter, here I come! It's a great choice if there are just two of you. Lots of variety and you leave satisfied. My faves: any of the meat dishes, the greens, and the BEETS, OMG the BEETS. Plain decor, great food, good value. Two of us got stuffed to the gills for $30 plus tip and waddled out afterwards. Some off-street parking here, too, which is a big bonus in this congested neighborhood. read more

Yum! Checking "Eat Ethiopian Food" off our list on our trip to MN was important! Dillas did an awesome job. When you walk in the door you're not sure what to do... some folks at the bar sort of stood around and I wasn't sure if they were guests or employees. it's a small place and would be tough for a crowd of 6+ if you didn't plan on using the whole restaurant. You walk downstairs to the creepy bathroom, but all these are overcome by the deliciousness of the food. I was nervous about introducing two of our friends to ethiopian but Dilla's held their own. The waitress was very sweet and helped me pick out a platter that would be big enough. We basically ordered the vegetarian platter and the combination platter. I also tried the Ethiopian coffee for the heck of it - some extremely strong espresso in a tiny adorable coffee pot with some frothy cream. I had to add a heck of some sugar to it to match my taste but it was a cool little extra. All the dishes on the platter were great. I won't pretend to be able to identify them all but the lentils are delicious, they include the traditional salad and cheese too; the doro wot was good, and the red lentils = VERY spicy! There was also something like beets, I think, that I hadn't seen at other E places, and it was actually extremely good! The two platters was TOO much for 5 people and at about $12/person it wasn't too bad. We could easily have fed 6 or even 7 with the same food. I would go back if I'm ever in the area! read more

The people were friendly enough, but the service wasn't great. Most importantly of all, we did not enjoy our food. The roll that they served had the consistency and sponginess of a baby's arm... and not in a good way! Ate here once and Would definitely not dine here again... read more

This is hands down the best Ethiopian food I've ever had. Huge portions at great prices. The food is extremely flavorful, just loved it! Also the staff is extremely nice and attentive. They make you feel very welcome and valued. I rarely give 5 stars but this place is worth it. GO! what are you waiting for! read more

I stopped in for lunch the other day and it was good. They have a buffet, which I enjoyed because I was able to try a lot of different things. The food was a bit cold, but was still good. Not the best Ethiopian food I've had in the cities, but a pretty good spot. read more

The restaurant was clean and comfortable with booths lining the walls. We were immediately shown a table and our friendly waitress (who also might have been the chef) recommended some dishes for us. Ethiopian food is great for sharing- get a variety of dishes and share them by breaking off pieces of injera (the crepe-like bread on the plate) and scooping up the meat or veggies with the injera using your hands (no forks!). From Dilla's website: "Dining in Ethiopia is characterized by the ritual breaking of injera and eating from the same plate, signifying the bonds of loyalty and friendship. These bonds are often demonstrated in the form of gurrsha - that is the placing of food in the mouth of another diner from one's own hand." We ordered one of the Yebeg Tibs (Lamb) which was plated in the middle, surrounded by our other dish, the #39 Veggie Combo. The Veggie Combo is a variety of dishes: #30 Yemisir Watt (Spicy red lentils simmered with onions in a spicy homemade sauce), #31 Kik Alicha (Split peas cooked in a mild sauce of onion, garlic and ginger), #33 Gomen (Chopped collard greens simmered in a mild sauce of onions and fresh garlic), #34 Quosta (Chopped spinach simmered in a mild sauce of onions and fresh garlic), #35 Tikel Gomen (Sliced cabbage and carrots cooked in a mild sauce), #36 Yatkilt Watt (String beans, carrots and potatoes cooked in a mild sauce of onions, garlic, ginger and Ethiopian spices), #37 Dinich Alicha (Potato cubes and carrots cooked in a mild sauce of onions, garlic, ginger and Ethiopian spices). Ours came with some beets as well. I especially enjoyed the Tikel Gomen (Sliced cabbage and carrots cooked in a mild sauce) and the Kik Alicha (Split peas cooked in a mild sauce of onion, garlic and ginger). We enjoyed our meal at Dilla and will be back for lunch or dinner. On Thursdays and Sundays they offer a lunch buffet and they have cheap student deals daily. read more

See all

Pretty crowded and not the best ambience.. Finding parking is a huge pain! Having said that, it is a great value-for-money place to eat Ethiopean food! I just love their Misir Wot! Just the right amount of spice-level, and huuuge portion size. Had a lunch buffet once, but the choices seemed limited, probably need to make a few more trips to confirm this. But yes, great for take-outs. Tip: Place order before hand if you are doing a take-out, since it takes at-least 20 min or so. read more