Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant

The food and service was great! The person who helped us was very polite and suggested a great dish since it was our first time. The big dish was enough for two people. Overall I give it a 4 star, we were satisfied.

This place is amazing! Such delicious, beautiful Ethiopian food. I usually get the combination platter for only $ 13, so I can try a little of everything, but this time I got the veggie combination, and it is delish. The lentils make me not miss the meat. I love eating the injera, the sourdough bread, with my hands, the traditional way.

We love this restaurant! The food is unique and delicious. The owners/​chef are friendly and welcoming. You have a choice in how spicy you want your dish, which is nice. Eating here is a wonderful experience.

This place was my first experience with Ethiopian food and I am sold! The flavors are phenomenal and everyone who works there is very nice. It is clear how much love goes into the food. It is not a large place nor is it very fancy, but it is truly an experience.
Both times we’ve ordered the combination platter along with one of the meat dishes. Everything has been spectacular.

First timers– try the combo plate– A taste of everything. Reminds me of a lot of foods in various cuisines. So worth it! Also, make sure you try the tea too.

Nice Ethiopian food. Tasty and filling.
The vegetarian combo was well done, lots of variety and fresh. The bread was great and plentiful.
Good price for all you get, I left some bread which is unusual for my appetite.
Not fancy but clean, good service but it was past lunch time when I got there so not too many people. Would definitely go back.
Wish they had a better water offering, it was straight out of tap with no ice, only negative. The tea was great though.

Well this one might not be agreeable to all, but I like restaurants that are easily accessible and have a good website. Lalibela does not fit in the category. The website claimed that the restaurant is open till 9PM. I went at 8.15 pm and was rushed into ordering and given not so nice treatment as I walked in when the kitchen was closing. Not really nice for customers to feel unwanted!
The food could use improvement as well since there were few Ethopian curries and more Americanized dishes.
On the vegetarian platter I was served salad with Injera which I never expected since Ethopian cuisine has many more curries like Buticha, Shiro, Misir Wat…
I was not entirely happy with experience.

My boyfriend and I went to Lalibela yesterday for a late lunch. We were the only two customers for the majority of the time we were there. The owner sat us and was our server. Because I had only eaten Ethiopian once and he never had, the owner recommended the combination platter so we can try most of what they make. It was delicious! My favorites were the red lentils and the chicken his were the red lentils, the sautéed beef and the jalapeño sauce. The hot spice tea was delicious as well. We shared the platter only and it was the perfect amount of food! Even better was we left with full bellies of great food and all under $ 20! We can’t wait to go back.

Loved the food so interesting and wonderful. The tea was so complex in flavor. Need to revisit and bring my daughter.

Don’t go if you are in a hurry and go with an open mind if you have never had Ethopian food. Order a platter to share and enjoy authentic Ethiopian fare at a fair price. Wonderful staff and selection.

My wife and I have wanted to check out Lalibela ever since we moved to Omaha, but for some reason we never seemed to get around to it. Finally, we fixed that last night, and wow, I’m so glad we did!
I’ve only been to one other Ethiopian restaurant, so I don’t have a broad basis for comparison, but I CAN say that the food was absolutely excellent. We ordered the vegetarian plate, and everything on it was delicious. Be aware that Ethiopian food has a respectable amount of heat, and several of the dishes on this plate were on the spicy side. I love spicy food, so that was a plus for me.
Everything was absolutely delicious, from the lentils to the spiced potatoes, to the cabbage and salad. Oh, and the bread. Ohh, that bread! The flat bread served with the meal is soft, chewy, and slightly tangy, and pairs incredibly well with each dish. Don’t be afraid to scoop several different things together in one chunk of bread, either. The flavors blend incredibly well!
I also need to touch on the price. Simply put, Lalibela is an astonishing value! The vegetarian plate is one of the pricier menu options at $ 12, but was plenty of food for two. This isn’t just me being cheap, either — Our server cautioned us against ordering two things! At first I was skeptical (I normally have a big appetite, and I arrived hungry!), but at the end of the meal, my wife and I were completely stuffed. Our total bill for the meal and two bottles of water was under $ 15 before tip! I’d be hard-​pressed to think of another place in Omaha where you can get as much (delicious) food for under eight bucks a person.
This was easily one of the most unique, tasty, and flavorful meals I’ve had in Omaha in quite some time, and I’m definitely looking forward to going back soon!

Great experience! I’m on a business trip from DC, which is known for its Ethipoian food; and this was on par with the best I’ve had. As good as the food was though, our waitress made the experience and is the reason for this review. Leslie was the cutest, friendliest waitress I’ve ever encountered. Her attentiveness and friendliness was streets ahead! Leslie, if you ever read this, thank you so much for making my rainy, gloomy evening an experience to rememeber… reach out if your ever on the east coast.

The Unilocal time was wrong and when we showed up they were closed. Our son cried as we walked out the door. They ran out to our car and offered us free food. When they learned that we were traveling they told us to sit and made us food even though they were closed and the owner had to go to another job! And the food… It was wonderful! One-​hundred teff injera and amazing vegetarian food.

They were closing as we walked in at 8:30. Unilocal said they close at 9 but during the week they close earlier. We were traveling through Omaha, and our son cried at the door when he learned they were closed because he was so hungry and excited to eat real injera made of teff (as opposed to the wheat flour many places use).
Then something unexpected happened. Hearing our son cry, the family that runs the restaurant (who were on their way out) felt bad and told us to stay and made us beautiful vegetarian combination plates.
They were amazing, delicious, generous, and would easily stand up to the best Ethiopian restaurants. Most of all, the act of kindness was something truly special.

Okay, I got food poisoning… but I somehow still love this place!

Lalibela is great. Reasonable, solid Ethiopian cuisine. It’s a fun experience. The atmosphere is nice and small and adds to the experience. The owner is really friendly. I had the sampler platter and it left me stuffed – would definitely recommend sharing!

This has quickly become one of our favorites in town.
The employees are great and the food is unique (to us) and absolutely delicious.
We usually get the veggie platter and add a meat. The first visit was beef, second was lamb. Everything is fantastic but that lamb steals the show.
Try it — you’ll love it too!

I have tried other Ethiopian restaurants in town but this was my first time trying Lalibela. I must say, I was not disappointed. We had a large party of about 15 people sitting at our table and ordered 4 platters to go around. We did eat it all, but it was a decent amount of food. Like Khoa T. says, it was enough to feel slightly full but not overstuffed. At ~$ 12 a platter, thats pretty reasonable pricing. In the future I’d like to give one of the meat platters a try because it sounds very exciting and enticing.
The injera bread they serve their platters with reminds me of sourdough, but in a spongy, pancake manner. It’s really some excellent eating if I do say so myself. There are no utensils, it’s back to medieval times using your hands to eat – i totally love this. Tear off a piece of injera and use it a scooper to eat the veggies/​meat piled in little neat stacks on top. Really fun! The lentils were my favorite thing on the veggie platter.
While I’m not a huge fan of incense (personal preference) the smell in there somehow makes me feel like the experience was more authentic. The smell was quite strong for me! It wouldnt keep me from going there again but I do want a shower when I leave. :)
Oh and one more thing-​easy parking and whether you want a tea, coffee, or water you’ll be paying a few bucks extra – there is no water on tap here.

Lalibela is best enjoyed with friends. And if you’re having trouble finding friends to go here, let me know, as I’m always up for a visit. My recommendation is to order several items and do a round robin sort of roulette dinner, rotating periodically until everyone is able to sample everything on the table.
But first thing’s first… no utensils. That job is readily tackled by Injera, a sourdough-​risen flatbread with a spongy texture. Traditionally made out of teff flour, it is a national dish in Ethiopia. And if just that description sounds off-​putting then maybe this isn’t the restaurant for you? But I always advocate trying something at least once before discounting it. And if you have any friends trying to avoid gluten, let them know they’re safe here, as I understand teff to be one of the gluten-​free grains. (Which is a good thing, because there’s plenty of injera to be had here)!
You can also bring your vegetarian friends, as their Vegetarian Platter is to die for.
For some reason I feel like serving me a heaping pile of bread is a personal challenge (one I’m happy to accept). The meals are plated on top of injera, and baskets of the stuff are also served on the side, typically one per dish.
I don’t think I’ve tried everything on the menu yet, but the Vegetarian Plate is always a good choice, with several varieties of lentils, greens, and cabbage. Combination plate with doro wot and cheese is another good way to get a thorough sampling of the flavors and to ease yourself into.
The process goes down pretty much like this… You just grab some injera, tear off a piece, and use it to pick up some food, then stuff the food in your mouth. There’s not a lot of grace to it, but I suppose it does take some practice.
For those of you unconvinced, check out this video primer:
Most of the meats are small enough to pick up easily in a single handful, and those that aren’t can easily be dismantled with fingers.
As for the food, mixing is allowed. And there is no particular order to the meal. Eat whatever, whenever and have a good time. We don’t tend to enforce the feeding each-​other rule shown in the video, though that could make for some fun dining too.
Here’s my rundown of the menu items we’ve had the pleasure of trying (which is pretty much everything, since it’s a small menu).
Combination Plate: A variety of meat and vegetarian dishes including tibs, doro wot, salad, cabbage, cheese and lentils. Great place to start if this is your first foray into Ethiopian.
Vegetarian Platter: A combination of salad, cabbage, lentils and cheese.
Kuanta Fir Fir: Beef sauteed in spices, butter and onion, mixed with pieces of injera.
Key Wot: A spicy beef stew prepared with a clarified butter sauce, cheese on the side.
Gored Gored: Lean beef mixed with spicy butter sauce and a paste of hot peppers with garlic, ginger and spices.
Zil Zil: Stir fried beef strips, onions and peppers.
Ethiopian Coffee: Pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Strong and delicious.
Ethiopian Spiced Tea: I think this used to be complimentary, but now they charge for it. You can probably blame me for this since I like to drink 2 – 3 cups… or, in other words, as many as they’ll bring me. It’s spiced, it’s sweet, it’s so good I’ll even order tea in the summer.
Injera: The star of the show in more ways than one. Injera serves as plate, utensil and meal all in one. They’ll always bring a basket per entrée, so don’t feel compelled to sacrifice your platter bread at first. Then, after you’ve eaten your fill you can roll up all the leftovers for later.
And that, my friends, is how you over-​eat. Sharing an entrée is probably your best bet to leave in a comfortable state of affairs.
Lalibelia does not have a liquor license, so if you’re feeling like a brew you’ll have to go elsewhere. What they do have is bottled water, Ethopian coffee, and some wonderfully sweet spiced tea (see above).
Service is very friendly, but don’t expect a detailed menu primer or rundown on what all the items are. You need to tap your sense of adventure here a bit. The restaurant is warm and inviting, decorations made it feel cozy, and the food is fantastic. Bring on the injera!

My craving for Ethiopian cuisine led me to this Omaha restaurant. The place is large and the tables were spaciously arranged. The vibe was subdued, down to earth, and there was a TV in the background. There was one person working on the floor and another in the kitchen.
We ordered the Combination Plate ($ 13.99) that came with vegetarian platter, tibs, doro wot, and cheese. They were out of the Yebeg Alicha ($ 9.50) but the owner was very kind to add a sample to the gorgeous platter free of charge.
The Tibs were a bit dry and rough, and the pieces were cut too small for me to fully enjoy it. The same can be said about the Yebeg Alicha, but the flavors were much better as the lamb was supported by a good level of moisture and spiciness.
To my surprise, the Doro Wot was excellent. The spices nicely penetrated the hardboiled egg and the chicken was moist, tender, and delicious. The six-​item Vegetarian Platter comprised of two types of lentils, split peas, collard greens, salad, and cabbage and carrots tasted on point. I especially liked the two lentils, split peas, and collard greens. The injera were not as fluffy as I would have liked, and to my dismay, the server only replenished them one at a time when asked.
I was not fond of the slow service, but to put it all in perspective, the prices were the best I have ever experienced at an Ethiopian restaurant. For $ 15.32 and a lot of food, the three of us were very well fed for the night. In retrospect, the Doro Wat was my favorite item, followed by the Yebeg Alicha, and the Vegetarian Platter. I have had better experiences elsewhere with the cuisine, but it was good enough for anyone who wishes to try it for the first time.
3.5 stars for the experience. Interested diners can expect solid flavors that carry a good level of spiciness thanks to their use of spices and berbere sauce. There’s also free wifi for those who needs it. I’d be interested in coming back the next time I’m in the area.