Was on a business trip to Toronto and came across this gem. The owner is super nice and the food is…read moredelicious. Being the first and likely only time I would eat here due to not even living in Canada, we went with a "safe bet" for our dinner party since I was the only one that had ever eaten Ethiopian food. For our group of three, we got a beef and lamb platter for two and a vegetable platter for two. All of us loved our food! So I'd say that the food is not only good for first-timers, but for those (myself) who had eaten plenty of Ethiopian food before as well. Both of the platters essentially served two versions of every item in the platter. There was a mild and a hot version. I personally didn't find the hot version too hot and neither did my other two guests, one of whom can only tolerate moderate amounts of heat. However, if you like a lot of heat like Indian or Thai hot, then you'll need to request it. Each of the items had distinct flavors, which were all really good. I've noticed that at some places, multiple items on the platter end up tasting the same, but that was not the case here. The coffee is a pretty neat treat as well, to end off the meal. It is actually a coffee ceremony, which includes freshly roasted coffee (literally roasted upon ordering in a small pan) served in a special pot accompanied by burning incense and popcorn. Please don't make the same mistake as I did and pour your own coffee when it is ready! Being a coffee person myself, I timed the brew time and wrongly assumed that when the owner walked off, we just serve ourselves. So after some time passed, I started pouring and as soon as I did, the owner walks up and sees me doing it and made a sad face and said that she was supposed to do it as part of the ceremony! I felt bad but at least we had the same internal coffee timer haha. Anyways, the coffee is pretty strong but very flavorful and the taste is actually enhanced by incense. This was a neat experience and I've never thought to order coffee at an Ethiopian restaurant before, but will definitely remember to do so from here on out.

Food was not bad, but also not great, it was OK…read more Some of the dishes were interesting and flavourful, while others were cold and disappointing. We tried to get the server to explain to us the dishes since it was our first time eating Ethiopian food, she didn't have much patience, we ended up more confuse than before. We gave it a try and shared the dishes so everybody could taste different things. I can't really say what was better than what, because we didn't even get to know which plate was what after we received it, sorry! The place looks cool, but the experience was not good, I wouldn't go back and would not recommend as well, unfortunately.

I've always loved Ethiopian food conceptually - communal, hands-on, comforting - but the extent of…read moremy exposure to it was Bloor West. Nothing wrong with those spots. I've frequently brought friends to Lalibela and watched them enjoy themselves. But not until eating at Rendez-Vous on the other end of the city had I ever understood how delicious Ethiopian food can be. One of the things I've enjoyed most about eating Ethiopian is the diversity of flavours you get on a single plate (or expansive portion of injera). You can order any dish on its own, but the fun for me is juggling flavours and combinations. That's why I ordered at Rendez-Vous the same thing I always order at any Ethiopian restraint - the plate for one. This included 4 veggie selections (spinach, beets, potato & carrot, salad) and 1 meat selection (I got the kitfo). It looks like a lot of food when it arrives, and it feels like double the amount of food it looked like when it's all in your stomach. I can't remember the last time I've felt so full. Don't quote me on this, but I heard somewhere that injera expands in your stomach, so maybe that explains it. Every bite I had was phenomenally delicious. The kitfo offered that bouncy chew that only raw beef has, spiced in an attention-grabbing way. When tossed in niter kibbeh (a sort of infused clarified butter), the result is a powerfully filling and satisfying dish that's hard to find comparisons for. In truth, everything tasted like more than the sum of its parts. Even the simple green salad somehow tasted exciting, the onion cutting the other heavier flavours. Unfortunately, I was so hungry I ate everything before remembering to take a picture. The service was extremely friendly, with a server who took obvious pride in the food on offer happy to talk about it. Oh, and their espresso was also perfect. Will definitely be back.

It's been a while I had Ethiopean food and I took my friend from out of town to impress her with…read moretheir amazing platter. Ordered veg +meat combo platter. My friend was impressed. However My knowlege of Ethiopean food is very shallow, I only know some names such as "Tibs"( meat fried with butter, garlic , onion & pepper), "Injera"(fermented flat bread) "Doro Wat" "Awaze"(sauce), etc. Their menu description in English was very confusing. Almost all the meat dishes had different names but they were mostly sauteed with butter, garlic, onion & pepper. Wait staff was trying to explain that there are various options of meat such as spicy, non spicy, ground meat version, etc. but I was not even sure, I was served with what I actually chose. For example, if you look at #60 &#61, only difference I see is one is served on sizzling plate. However their names are completely different. 60. ChachA Charbroiled beef tender seasoned with spices, onion, garlic, red pepper, green pepper, ginger, rosemary, served with Injera and green salad (It comes with a special sizzling pot). 61. DereK Tibes Charbroiled beef tender seasoned with spices, onion, garlic, ginger, green & red peppers, rosemary, served with Injera and green salad.

Wow! I'm definitely coming back here…read more I love Ethiopian food so once I saw an Ethiopian restaurant near me I knew I had to try it. The Vegetarian Bayaaynatu is a must get! I like lentils as much as the average person but oh god I didn't know it was possible to put this much flavor in lentils! It tastes so good especially with the injera bread. I just know that I'll be ordering the vegetarian bayaaynatu every single time I come here. This dish cemented this place as a staple for me! As for the meat Bayaaynatu, it comes with a serving of the Goreng Goreng and the Tibs. It says the Goreng Goreng is best served rare but I know myself and wouldn't be able to eat rare meat and ordered it medium and I really liked it! I'd definitely get it again, it tasted so flavorful and the meat was tender and cooked just right. As for the Tibs, it came out pinker than I'd like. It tasted ok, but it was definitely overshadowed by everything else on the plate and we didn't end up finishing it. I tried it out and it tasted fine but the pink color just freaked me out to be honest! All the table have no cutlery so you have to eat everything with your hands, which I personally love! I love the place's decorations and aesthetic, but it can get a bit stuffy. We came on a hot summer day and they have no AC so it was pretty stuff and sweaty in there, but any complaint was gone once the food came out :p The server is just one guy, but food still came out quickly. I'm very satisfied with my whole experience here and I'm definitely coming again and will have to try every dish on the menu!

It's always nice to try a different cultural food, and the Ethiopian house is a good entryway to…read morethis cuisine. We ordered the combo platter of vegetables and meat choices, so we can really try all the different varieties available. I liked that their wraps were not as sour as the ones I've had in the past. Great service and unique atmosphere.

I've been wanting to try Ethiopian food for many years but never knew where to go until one day, a…read morecoworker suggested this restaurant. We arrived at around 2pm so it was more of a late lunch and the restaurant was quiet save for a party of four. We were tossed up between the Lalibela Platter and the Family Platter but opted for the Family Platter since it offered more meat options. I was also pulled between the Special Hot Tea and the Ginger tea... this time I opted for both. The Ginger tea has a nice Ginger bite to it but the Special Hot Tea is really quite special. I would probably just order that one next time. Both were really good though. Everything available on the platter was delicious and I'm glad that we were able to try such a variety of items. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, one thing I did learn, I'm not very good at eating with my hands. The cuisine seems to have a mild to moderate heat, nothing too extreme, at least in this platter. Oddly enough though, it did leaving me wanting something sweet. The desserts on offer were carrot cake, ice cream and baklava. I just wanted something small and sweet that I could share so opted for the baklava. In fairness, when I asked how big it was (trying to decide if I needed to order one or two) she did say it was like a slice of cake but I guess I still didn't expect to be... like a slice of cake! I have never seen such a large piece of baklava before. It was fabulous! Our server was quick, attentive and friendly. I would definitely recommend this restaurant is you're in the area.

Had dinner here last night and enjoyed the vegetarian platter, which is the dish I always get at an…read moreEthiopian restaurant. The cooked lentils were each flavourful and hearty, and I enjoyed the salad and vegetable forward dishes. The platter was $18 plus tax and tip. The restaurant was entirely empty on a weekday night, not sure how busy they are otherwise. Our waitress was friendly. I liked that the doors leading to the washrooms all had foot handles so you don't need to use your hands. Tasty meal to enjoy with friends or a quiet date.

Good atmosphere, delicious food. We had a great day at the…read morerestaurant. Service is good

I've been to Tabule's Riverside/Leslieville location and this is my first time at their original…read moreMidtown location. It's just as good! We got a reservation for 6pm on Wednesday. It wasn't too busy at all and we were well taken care. A solid spot where you can dine-out and still get great options to eat healthy too. My friend ordered the fattoush salad with added chicken and I had the Kefta dinner. While my food was great, I wish had more veggies than rice so I think next time I'll ask to sub for veggies or order the salad with added protein instead. I was way too full from lunch so we didn't order any apps this time but I remember their dips and apps being quite good.

Looks like there haven't been too many reviews recently, so here's one to stay current…read more Was just there on 10/16/26 and Selam definitely earned a 5 star rating. The food was excellent. Good spicing which made everything seem quite fresh. I've grown up eating Ethiopian food (starting with restaurants in the Washington DC area 50 years ago when there were very few in the U.S.) and unfortunately it's easy to find restaurants where the food seems to have been sitting around on a steam table for too long with the flavors muted and everything just kind of gloppy. Definitely not the case with Selam. We had the non-vegan platter and the quantities were very appropriate. The chicken and beef tibs were tasty (the chicken in particular had a nice garlic taste). Also notable was the simple cabbage, which was flavorful and had nice-sized chunks of carrot. The service was good. Attentive and efficient staff. Our party of 3 did not encounter any unacceptable waits or delays (7pm on a Friday evening). The atmosphere is pleasant...not a hole in the wall, but also not needlessly fussy. Lighting and sound levels are comfortable. It seems to me that this place has been around for a long time for a reason. This meal was one of the highlights of our weekend in Toronto, and I'd go back for sure next time I'm in town.

This place is around Odsingtom and Bloor parking is around the residential area. The place is…read moreclean, nicely decorated have friendly servers. We sat in the front where there is like a tent and you could see outside interestingly enough after the front area you have the bar area and then the back area. Most of the people decided to sit at the back area, (more condensed tables) which I feel less cosy. There was a tent area in the very back, set up for a large group.In any case, it's great that they serve a variety of alcoholic drinks and has lounge atmosphere in the front area. They play instrumental music without lyrics that is very relaxing. Ordered the SELAM special for two it included three veggies and the chicken and beef tins which were not a lot of meat to be honest so we added a side of kitfo which was actually a good portion of meat. If I had the SELAM special for two without adding the extra, I would've been very disappointed as the meat amount is very little. The cost was $40 for the platter and $12 extra for the kitfo.

I tried this place with a Groupon and ordered 1x Meat Combination and 1x Vegetarian Platter for…read moretakeout. I've had several Ethiopian restaurants in the past and have always loved the heavy spices used in the cuisine. This is one of the few foods where I prefer the vegetarian dishes to the meats, with the platter featuring a mix of lentils (my favourite), chick peas, cabbage and carrot stew, beets, carrots/string beans, and collard greens (unfortunately tough and hard). The meat platter contained doro wat (spicy chicken stew), a lamb dish, and a beef stew. Each were spicy and bursting with flavour. The chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender, but the ground beef was quite dry and probably my least favourite dish. Everything is eaten with your hands by using the injera (Ethiopian sour dough) to scoop up the food. Would love to come back and dine-in.

This is my second time trying Ethiopian food, the first time was through Uber Eats so this felt…read moremore authentic. We really liked Blue Nile and our server was super nice and open to answering our questions. We tried the veg spread and meat spread. I liked the veg better and would return just to have more!

Fantastic Ethiopian restaurant with flavorful dishes, fresh ingredients, great portions, and…read moreexcellent service. The unique flavours and welcoming atmosphere made the meal memorable!

Got the meat combination for 2. The dishes were decent, though below average. The spicy dishes were…read morevery spicy. The chicken was almost inedible. The decor is quite nice.