637939 Mon Jul 20 08:29:14 -0700 2009 50 23 Ontario (including Toronto) 0 4873788 Went to African House this past weekend on the reco that it was the best in the city. It was good...but the best? The wots were really flavourful (the Gomen Wot and the Azifa were especialy good) but the injera was a little too wet/soggy which really threw things off. Plus I wish that they would serve the "dips" hot....as I'm sure the flavour would come out more....but I know that's just not the way its done. So Chowhounders.....where is the Best Ethiopian in the city.....and what are your reasons for naming it #1? Mon Jul 20 08:29:14 -0700 2009 167313 jrabbit2727 1 4874271 Lalibela. Reason is, it's the only one I've been to. LOL. The fact is, when I went looking to have Ethiopian, it was probably the consensus best. We were stunned at how much we enjoyed it. DT Mon Jul 20 10:52:56 -0700 2009 4873788 11291 Davwud 1 4874705 Dukem is my favourite. My friend prefers Nazareth. My husband likes African House. I think they're all good, but it's quite subjective :-). Mon Jul 20 12:42:54 -0700 2009 4873788 75881 vorpal 2 4874820 Ok - so on a subjective note...which resto has the best injera? One that is light but not to wet/slimy? To me, this is a big part of the expererience since every bite you take involves the injera. Mon Jul 20 13:20:10 -0700 2009 4874705 167313 jrabbit2727 3 4874827 I think out of the three I had, Nazareth had the best injera... the curries were my least favourite, but they were still quite good! Mon Jul 20 13:21:13 -0700 2009 4874820 75881 vorpal 4 4874856 Just an FYI Nazareth is closed for renovations right now. Mon Jul 20 13:28:59 -0700 2009 4874827 11750 fickle 4 4882094 their injera isn't homemade, they buy it! Wed Jul 22 15:38:32 -0700 2009 4874827 13092 jayseeca 5 4882809 Do any of the TO restaurants make their own? I'd be curious to know which ones if so! Wed Jul 22 20:14:15 -0700 2009 4882094 75881 vorpal 2 4883373 How are Dukem and Nazareth for veg dishes? It does appear (as noted below) that these are well-liked places but some times well prepared meat dishes doesn't work out to well prepared veg also. Thu Jul 23 05:42:44 -0700 2009 4874705 174519 Ediblethoughts 3 4883824 I am a meat lover but nothing beats Nazareth's veg dish! I can't wait for them to reopen! Thu Jul 23 08:42:18 -0700 2009 4883373 233307 bacchus_is_watching 4 5128451 This seems to be the case in general with Ethiopian restaurants, I find. I'm a huge meat fan, and I can't fathom eating vegetarian food for the life of me... a meal feels incomplete without some meat. That being said, when it comes to Ethiopian, while I like the meat dishes very much, it's the veg dishes that bring me back. Sat Oct 24 18:42:42 -0700 2009 4883824 75881 vorpal 3 4986675 I orderNazareth's vegetarian platter all the time and I think it's quite good. I learned to eat Ethiopian food from the poeple I worked with in Israel who used to bring their wives' home cooking for lunch every day. I think Nazereth is pretty close to their home cooked meals. Fri Aug 28 13:36:52 -0700 2009 4883373 184972 shpeizmaven 4 4987291 I called them up a week or so ago and got no answer--I assume they're still closed? (Went to Lalibela instead which was quite satisfying.) Fri Aug 28 17:27:34 -0700 2009 4986675 174519 Ediblethoughts 1 4875197 My fav is Rendez-vous, at 1408 Danforth (around Greenwood). Their vegitarian platter is great..all curries are complex in their flavor...and have texture...some places I find everything is too mushy and flat tasting (just heat nothing else). The injera is good..not slimy. The owners are there serving/cooking most of the time and make the place feel homey. Mon Jul 20 15:03:27 -0700 2009 4873788 14062 suzspot 2 4875344 What's this about curries? I've never had anything remotely resembling curry powder, paste or even Indian in flavour profile at an Ethiopian restaurant. Granted, the spice blends are complex, but most of the standard dishes at Ethiopian or Eritrean places contain berbere, which is likely a blend of a large number of spices which varies from region to region and thus, restaurant to restaurant. I hate to be a stickler, but the cuisine is so unique that I think it deserves to be distinguished from Indian or any other cuisine that has incorporated what we understand as "curry" into its cuisine. I dined at a place on the Danforth that was very close to Coxwell. I don't recall the name. It was small and there was a second even smaller room in the back which housed a pool table, which was jammed against two walls. The food was very good. We had raw kitfo, two vegetarian combos and one vegetarian dish that was cooked fresh for us. It was WAY too much food for three of us. We were being greedy that night, but it was in error. We loved the raw kitfo. Does anyone know the name of it and is it still around? Mon Jul 20 15:48:34 -0700 2009 4875197 239809 1sweetpea 3 4875997 Sounds like Cottage, which is defunct. Not sure if that's the place, though. Mon Jul 20 19:46:33 -0700 2009 4875344 23411 embee 3 4876289 Based on every definition I've read, I fail to see why the term "curry" should not be applied to the majority of Ethiopian offerings. If your idea of curry is based on Indian cuisine, it is far too limited anyway: Thai and Japanese curries, for example, are nothing remotely like Indian curry. Mon Jul 20 22:26:27 -0700 2009 4875344 75881 vorpal 3 4878620 ya...anyway I figured curry would be more understood to everyone...ok their wat is real good...that better? Besides...the word curry is used to describe meat/veg cooked in sauce and spice...not just in India. Tue Jul 21 15:42:49 -0700 2009 4875344 14062 suzspot 2 4875888 not sure what slimy injera you are referring to. i think most Toronto Ethiopian restos buy their injery from an outside source (positive that Dukem does). heard great things about Rendez-vous. Told that they, Nazareth and Dukem are the best. Dukem is great, so i just stick wtih them. Mon Jul 20 19:09:51 -0700 2009 4875197 120740 atomeyes 3 4876480 By slimy I mean kinda wet to the touch...almost like it hasn't been cooked long enough. Has a soggy/limp feeling. I prefer my injera drier so that it can soak up more of the wots. Tue Jul 21 04:20:05 -0700 2009 4875888 167313 jrabbit2727 1 4876359 I used to go to Lalibela, but Sheba (near Bathurst/College) has been my go-to Ethiopian place since moving to that area. I would rate them about the same. I really like the yebeg tibs at Sheba. Mon Jul 20 23:24:05 -0700 2009 4873788 285917 pravit 2 4876599 How are their veg dishes? I've been to Lalibela (veg dishes are very good) but Bathurst and College would mean less of a drive. Tue Jul 21 05:44:14 -0700 2009 4876359 174519 Ediblethoughts 3 4882841 About the same as Lalibela, I think, although I'm not that knowledgeable about Ethiopian food. I always just get the veggie combo and a meat dish. Wed Jul 22 20:28:57 -0700 2009 4876599 285917 pravit 1 4880929 Ethiopian House, at yonge & Irwin is by far the best i've had. Lots of choices/great spices & have a great coffee service at end of the meal. Wed Jul 22 10:04:59 -0700 2009 4873788 255931 blueberry101 2 4880935 Ethiopian House is our standby and we've always been quite happy there. It's not as cheap as I tend to think of great ethiopian food, but there is always plenty of food - if we are with a group of 4, we get veg and meat platters to share. Wed Jul 22 10:07:21 -0700 2009 4880929 203878 drjolt 2 4881740 sorry, i would disagree with you. i find their food oilier than the other places i've tried in Toronto. the service is poor and your meal wait time is relatively long. have you tried anywhere else? Wed Jul 22 13:48:55 -0700 2009 4880929 120740 atomeyes 3 4881942 I've tried M&B Yummy was fine, Addis Abbaba also fine but a little bland in my opinion, African House which was really flavourful but the injera was soggy and Ethiopian House which I argee is really oily. Basically I've had ok Ethopian food...but not great food.....and I really like it, so I'm dying to find a GREAT place. It seeems that everyone likes Duken and Nazareth the best....will have to try those. Wed Jul 22 14:44:11 -0700 2009 4881740 167313 jrabbit2727 4 4883727 the sevice should have been enough to turn me off of Ethiopia House. i was once sitting upstairs and went to go to add something to our order. walked towards the stairs and one of the servers was there. i told her i wanted to change my order and she started rambling how my server was crazy. wouldn't stop talking about it and made a crazy-finger-motion repeatedly. very uncool to do. took a guest from Brazil there for dinner. i think it was the large oiliness that did me in, but let's just say that i had to cut my post-dinner lounging short. never had that problem at Dukem. and all of their tibs (including the special tibs) are fabulous. plus the price is great. and yes, like all ethiopian places, they do the coffee ceremony. if my memory is correct, the veggie options at Addis Ababa were the tastiest in the city. wasn't a fan of their meats. Thu Jul 23 08:10:29 -0700 2009 4881942 120740 atomeyes 3 4882815 I love the food there (this is the place that helped me to finally develop an appreciation for Ethiopian food after a number of failed attempts), but I agree that the service is very lacking. Wed Jul 22 20:15:49 -0700 2009 4881740 75881 vorpal 2 5022072 I've never had Ethiopian before, but have been invited by a friend to Ethiopian House. I am wondering what sorts of things you suggest ordering from there, or Ethiopian places in general. Thanks! Fri Sep 11 09:10:34 -0700 2009 4880929 1094423 racheljenna 3 5022162 The vegetarian combo platter is probably the best thing on the menu (it so often is at Ethiopian restaurants). I'm a dedicated meat lover, and still I agree with the many people who recommend the veg platter. Besides that, I would recommend trying one beef dish; if you're up for it, get kitfo served raw (I believe that's the raw dish I had in the past, which was amazing). Fri Sep 11 09:40:41 -0700 2009 5022072 75881 vorpal 3 5022808 The last time I took someone who had never tried Ethiopian food (but was very enthusiastic about it), we ordered the vegetarian bayaaynatu and the regular, meat-based bayaaynatu - the vegetarian gives you small amounts of 8 different veggie dishes, and the meat one gives you larger doses of tibs and kitfo (probably the most common beef dishes) and some greens and such. It makes a nice, broad sampler that allows you to try a little bit of everything to see what you like. Fri Sep 11 12:53:26 -0700 2009 5022072 139230 Wahooty 3 5023438 Just be prepared for how unusually sour the injera (the bread you use to eat your meal--no cutlery) is. That can be a bit of a shock the first time you try Ethiopian. Fri Sep 11 17:20:47 -0700 2009 5022072 174519 Ediblethoughts 4 5103925 Well, I tried it. I now know that Ethiopian is definitely not for me. We got the veg platter. The bread was so spongey I didn't enjoy it at all. Same for the platter. Ah well, now I know. Wed Oct 14 18:33:07 -0700 2009 5023438 1094423 racheljenna 5 5106741 It is certainly different than other food . I wasn't much of a fan when I first tried it. I tried it on and off over the years but not very often. For some reason in the last year or so I've really taken to it. I'm not quite sure why I suddenly came around. I guess you could call it a long-term-acquired taste! Thu Oct 15 17:40:25 -0700 2009 5103925 174519 Ediblethoughts 6 5106765 I had a similar experience. I wasn't that into Ethiopian the first few times I tried it... then after about six or seven times of forcing myself to give it a go over and over again, something clicked inside my head and I suddenly developed a strong love of it. It's still far from my favourite cuisine, but I crave it often and regularly. Thu Oct 15 17:52:41 -0700 2009 5106741 75881 vorpal 1 4988022 I don`t know if this has been posted yet but Nazareth is back open! I havn`t had time to go yet but apparently it is as good as ever! Sat Aug 29 05:48:42 -0700 2009 4873788 233307 bacchus_is_watching 2 4988493 Good to know! Thanks. I'll try this place out next time we do the Ethiopian thing. Sat Aug 29 10:46:51 -0700 2009 4988022 174519 Ediblethoughts 3 5022650 I tried Lalibela on Danforth the other night with four friends that had never had Ethiopian before. Against my advice, they opted for some very meaty choices. I ordered the vegetarian combo for myself. They ordered a meat combo (2-person order), combo meat and veg platter (for 1) and a lamb dish, with the intention of sharing all. When it arrived, they were staggered at the size of each dish. The lamb dish alone could have provided ample meat for four people. The meat combo for two was enormous and was probably not a wise choice for newbies, as it contained two mounds of finely diced tongue, tripe and a pile of jalapenos. It also had two mounds of kitfo, which they requested very rare, but not raw. It also had chicken drumsticks, another meat preparation, cheese and salad, with a couple of hard boiled eggs. The combo meat platter was a mix of vegetable dishes, plus a beef dish and the chicken drumsticks and hard-boiled eggs. It was all quite the adventure for my newbie friends. I really wish they had searched for definitions on the menu of the dishes that were going to be on the meaty meat combo for two. Needless to say, about 10 pounds of leftovers (all meat, I might add) went home (with me, the one who doesn't care for meat, especially) at the end of the feast. As for quality, I have to comment that I was a bit disappointed. I found most dishes to be more salty than heavily spiced. The only dish that proved to be really hot was the tripe and tongue combo that had as much jalapeno as meat in it. Normally, I'd be all over a dish that hot, but I despise tripe, so I couldn't be of assistance to my friends. My SO is working his way through the meat leftovers today. I must say that the leftovers I ate (veggie portions, plus saturated injera) today were tastier than when fresh the day before. Perhaps the spices came through more after sitting for a day. I still found everything quite salty, though, particularly the beets and collards. I ordered the HOT veggie combo, but the server must not have heard that one detail, as I received the MILD combo instead. There were only a handful of jalapeno slices on my iceberg lettuce, awful orange tomato and onion salad (no dressing to speak of). I didn't complain, though. Maybe I should have had them bring extra peppers. Just a comment or two about the meat dishes. I had a small taste of each and found all to be very salty, as my veggie dishes were. The beef in the meat and veg combo was tender and saucy. The chicken drumsticks struck me as being cooked in virtually the same sauce/spices as the beef. The lamb didn't interest me at all, despite a funky-looking dipping sauce that had a heady red wine and berbere flavour (quite salty). There were bones in some of the lamb pieces, but they weren't always evident until a bite was taken. The others enjoyed the lamb very much, I think. My friends opted for the coffee service and enjoyed the popcorn that accompanied (guess what ... it was really salty!) and the incense, though it had to be removed after a couple of minutes as it was smoking us out. The coffee was tasty. The Ethiopian beers we sampled with our food were fine, though not spectacular. Castel is a pretty typical beer, while Meta is quite malty. I applaud my friends for trying something new (every one of them tasted the kitfo and the tripe and tongue dish). I really wish someone had listened to me and focused a little more on the veggie options, which would have made the meal a lot less heavy and unbalanced. I wasn't surprised that nobody wanted to take the leftovers, since they were all meat and injera and it seemed they'd all had their fill for a while. I think they might have missed out, though, since the flavours improved over 24 hours. Oh well, their loss. Next time I'm in the mood for Ethiopian, I think I will try Dukem or else Nazareth. My SO and I will most certainly stick to the veggie combo, which is our fave. I hope the spicing will be hotter, yet less salty than all the dishes sampled at Lalibela. A couple of years ago, I tried Cafe Rendez-Vous. I recall being very impressed with the heat level and complex spicing of both the veggie dishes and the kitfo (which we had raw). I'll have to get back there for a second try too! Fri Sep 11 12:07:10 -0700 2009 4988493 239809 1sweetpea 4 5023477 I ordered the hot version of veggie platter at Lalibela once and it came with a stuffed hot pepper in the middle of the platter. It was explained to me that there was no other difference between the "regular" and the hot except that stuffed pepper. OK then! You have my sympathy on all that meat left over. I have the same preferences for veg food and spicy (though since my dining companions aren't as good at hot, I tend to not seek out the real spicy stuff as much--pity!). I've only eaten at Lalibela and La Habesha in the past few years for Ethiopian so I don't recall how salty other places are. It would be nice to have a little less salt. Oh wait, I did go to that veg Ethiopian place on Queen (Y & B Yummy I think it's called) for the all day brunch---and the saltiness of many of the dishes just about killed me. Of course, I might have done much better with the veggie platter instead. Fri Sep 11 17:42:17 -0700 2009 5022650 174519 Ediblethoughts 5 5024274 Ediblethoughts, where is La Habesha? Do I have a reason to try that place before any other? Does anyone know if the veggie combo at Dukem is savoury and spicy rather than salty? What about at Nazareth? Sat Sep 12 07:33:28 -0700 2009 5023477 239809 1sweetpea 6 5024623 I enjoyed it but I hadn't had Ethiopian in age and so I wasn't very discriminating. It's also, even for an Ethiopian place, VERY casual. More so than Lalibela. Of course, they also offer a rather eclectic "other" menu too (my dining companion had spaghetti with meat sauce) so if you're eating with people who would rather not try Ethiopian, they can go with the Other Menu. I'm trying Nazareth on my next Ethiopian endeavour. Sat Sep 12 10:34:24 -0700 2009 5024274 174519 Ediblethoughts 1 5024487 I like the place called - I think - African Palace, on the north side of Bloor near Shaw. Says "We specialize in vegetarian cuisine" in the window. They have a couple veggie dishes I've never seen in other restaurants, like this tomato curry that's basically a really aromatic, chunky marinara. One thing I love about this neighbourhood: you can buy injera at almost every convenience store. Sat Sep 12 09:19:33 -0700 2009 4873788 10681 piccola 1 5025318 This thread is too long for me to go through all the posts. Can someone please summarize the locations for me? I'd love to try African for the first time! Sat Sep 12 16:46:41 -0700 2009 4873788 1108923 CaseyTea 1 5027035 Sorry, this isn't quite a summary of the thread, but run down on the restaurants we have tried in TO. My wife and I have enjoyed Ethiopian food for many years. Last year we spent a month in Ethiopia and when we came back, we found that our tastes in Ethiopian food had shifted. Things that we didn't notice before (like the exact texture and taste of the injera) suddenly mattered a lot. We really miss the 100% teff injera. We avoided any raw meat there for obvious reasons and thus we still don't tend to order those dishes here. So here are some thoughts, with the above biases in mind: Queen of Sheba - used to be our favourite. Still very tasty stews and nice variety of both meat and veggie. But the injera is made from barley and rice and now is not to our liking - kinda chewy and glutinous. Lalibela - the injera is OK and the stews were less flavourful that Sheba. Vegetable variety is good, but mainly a la carte rather than in the combo plate. Ethiopian House - the meats could be more tender (although in Ethiopia, everything is chewy so perhaps this is more the way they like it). Less vegetable variety. Addis Ababa - the injera was good. According to the waiter, they are planning to put 100% teff injera on the menu at a higher price. The stews themselves were good, although the meat was oversalted. The quantities were a bit miserly. Rendez-vous - injera was so-so (teff and barley) and the stews (particularly the meats) were too salty. The vegetables were at room temperature (which can be authentic) but aren't as yummy this way. Wazema - very good injera, with a reasonable teff quotient. All the stews were flavourful and the vegetables were nicely done. A friend from Ethiopia felt this one was his favourite also. The only downside is that there is somewhat less variety than some. Ibex - injera only so-so. Veggies were generally good but again a bit lukewarm. Didn't go back so haven't tried the meats. Haven't tried Dukem, Africa House, or Nazareth yet, so no opinions there. So in summary, our favourite so far is Wazema. If Sheba can do better injera, they would be our second favourite. Sun Sep 13 16:27:40 -0700 2009 4873788 1109105 Dr. John 2 5027296 Thanks for the tip about 100% teff at Addis Ababa. I look forward to your review of Dukem, if you have a chance to eat there. Sun Sep 13 18:15:57 -0700 2009 5027035 19782 Full tummy 3 5127328 I tried Dukem last night and quite enjoyed it. My SO and I had a vegetarian combo and a combo that included all the veg, plus Doro Wot (slow cooked chicken leg in savoury sauce), a lamb wot (cross-sections of fall-off-the-bone rib meat in sauce) and a beef tibs dish. We really enjoyed the dishes. I was so happy that although all dishes were well salted, none was too salty, which is a theme at all of the other places I've been to in the past. I loved all of the veg dishes. Of the meats, my fave was the lamb, which was so tender and tasty. The chicken was also fall-off the bone tender and very good. I didn't care for the beef tibs, but as I'm not a die-hard meat lover, I just don't care for the chewiness of the beef pieces, which were bite-sized, but only seemed stir-fried, so were not at all tender. No matter. My dining partner gobbled it all up and let me enjoy the chicken leg. Good deal! I absolutely loved their take on the beet dish. It was gingery and contained potatoes, which were a lovely shade of pink from the beets and their juices. The collards were also excellent. They still had some texture and bright green colour. Yum. The injera was a little bit darker in colour than some that I've had elsewhere. I hope that means a higher percentage of teff flour, but I didn't ask. My only disappointment was that they didn't offer any Ethiopian or other African brands of beer. We wound up drinking Stella Artois, which was listed on the menu as $4, but we were somehow charged $5 for each. We didn't bother mentioning it. The enormous meal was otherwise excellent value. I'm looking forward to trying Ibex, Addis Ababa and Wazema now, and perhaps Nazareth, though without a hearty recommendation, it's probably not as high on my priority list. Sat Oct 24 08:20:15 -0700 2009 5027296 239809 1sweetpea 4 5128284 Your description of the veg dishes is making me want to try this place. I was going to go to Nazareth first but you're making me waffle... hmmm... Sat Oct 24 17:01:29 -0700 2009 5127328 174519 Ediblethoughts 5 5128459 Although I prefer Dukem and would encourage you to go there, I really don't think you can go wrong with either choice; they both offer excellent taste, value, and service. Sat Oct 24 18:45:56 -0700 2009 5128284 75881 vorpal 6 5129550 Good to know. My eating companion has a limited patience for Ethiopian so there must be very long times between dinners out. Decisions... Sun Oct 25 12:02:29 -0700 2009 5128459 174519 Ediblethoughts 4 5130301 they used to have Ethiopian beer (not on the menu). St George was one that i remember. trust me - not overly great. not missing much. if you ask them at Dukem, this will ALWAYS suggest the lamb dishes. haven't bothered to order beef or chicken there (except for their kitfo, which i assume is beef but i may be wrong). my only knock about Dukem: its inconsistent. their veggie dishes taste different almost every time. now, they are always excellent, but i feel like the recipe is always changing. strange to see. Sun Oct 25 18:05:18 -0700 2009 5127328 120740 atomeyes