Rahel’s Ethiopian Food

I’ve eaten Ethiopian food a handful of times in my life, and I’ve never been impressed. This humble little food cart, tucked away in the corner of a Cartlandia in SE Portland has forever changed my impression of this African cuisine.
I’ve had the Doro Wat tonight. Whoever gave the egg comment in 2014 did a good thing. I have never eaten a hardboiled egg that’s simultaneously this fluffy and wonderful. Amazing!
The cheese on the Doro Wat is… divine! Fluffy, mild, goodness.
The chicken was tender, the sauce was simply on point!
The collard greens were made with so much love, you must try these out.
I love this cart! The seasonings were *perfect*. This food is really made with love, and everyone can taste it.
(Also, the woman who runs the cart is so very kind!)

I wanted Indian food but they were closed when my fiancé got there so he asked if I wanted Thai or Ethiopian. He said the Thai was more Teriyaki than Thai and he didn’t want Teriyaki, but would eat it if I wanted it. I felt adventurous and asked to try this place.
I am so happy we gave it a try because it was wonderful! My fiancé had never eaten Ethiopian food and loved it. He got a Sambusa and the non spicy chicken that came with greens, potatoes and beets. Mine was the non spicy lentils with potatoes and beets. Both came with plenty of food and plenty of Injera. Mmmm.
We will definitely be back again.

Very generous portions with lots of sides… extremely accommodating for gluten free folks… simply the best Ethiopian food I have had in years!!!

I am becoming hungry for Rahel’s food just writing this review, so I’ll be brief and to the point. This is fresh-​tasting, complexly spiced, quality Ethiopian food. Whether you are herbi-​/​carni-​/​omni-​, there is something here for you at a great value for the price, cooked and served by one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Another plus is that, since Rahel’s truck is back a little from the hustle and bustle of the trucks closer to SE 82^nd, you can manage to have a relaxing, quiet meal at her table without all the car traffic.

We got the #1 lamb combo and loved it. The food was recommended by the owners and cooks at other carts so we had to give it a go. We sampled some of her other meats and they were all delicious. Fresh, colorful food with clean flavors. Rahel was so nice and a joy to be around.

Let me start by saying I love ethnic fare. I tried to call Rahel 3 times but could not hear her because of the rough road I was driving after on way to hiking. She took the time to text me the hours she was open… she heard my end of the chat even though I could not hear on my cell. That said she also let me know there was still plenty of veggie fare left. Such a lovely lady, great food, great extra effort on getting me info, and nice touch of ask for xtra injera if you need it, etc. Highly recommend a trip out her way for wonderful food, supporting local, and food cart experience! Hugs
Dena from NC.

so really good

Delicious Ethiopian food served with love and friendliness. Definitely the healthiest option at Cartlandia, while still being flavorful and filling. The plates are full of color and taste. I love the vegetarian plate, ms picky and not spicy are both very good. The lamb is tender, and I highly recommend getting the injera for an extra dollar. Always my first pick at Cartlandia!

My husband and I are adventurous eaters, so when we saw this food truck, we knew we had to give it a try! We spent $ 18 (and that included a $ 3 tip) for enough food to feed ourselves and our two young kids! The food was so delicious and fresh. It was also fast! I loved all the veggies on the spicy lentil combo platter. They were cooked and seasoned to perfection. I’m not sure if I will ever eat at another Cartlandia food cart!

This is the best Ethiopian food I have had other than homemade, and I have eaten a lot of Ethiopian food (NYC, DC, Portland). Rahel is a sweetheart and her food is consistently delicious. The doro wat meat falls off the bone in a tantalizing and rich berbere sauce. The gomen is flavorful and savory. And the lentils are always cooked to perfection. Go and give her some of your business! You won’t regret it.

I am going to tell it to you like it is. Get the vegetarian plate. Add the cheese. this is a lot of food and so proper. Trust me, fresh. Quality. Do yourself a favor, eat here.

As my first Ethiopian food experience from a food truck, I was very pleased! I’ve eaten many times at Ethiopian restaurants so I know the cuisine pretty well. I got the Firfir which was pieces of injera smothered in a split pea sauce with a nice side salad. It was really tasty, I’ve never had injera already mixed with sauce, so it was different but really tasty! Really great service to…

I needed to get to 205 to get across town before rush hour hit. Hungry! Gotta eat!
Gotta drive? Burrito right? Well I pull into Ala Carts at 102^nd and Stark I can get a burrito there. I notice Rahels Ethiopian food cart. I’ve had Etonian food before. When my daughter had Ethiopia as her country to do a report on in 6^th grade we ate at a couple Ethiopian places. I want burrito. I need burrito. It’s the best driving food at 80 miles an hour on 205 burrito is best right? But spicy Doro Wat a spicy meat dish is sooo good in fact the lovely lady cooking it up saw my moment of indecision and offered me a taste of her fare. BUT I knew the sponge bread Injera is not good wrap material. I ask her point blank can you make me a Ethiopian burrito? She said yes and I knew she did not understand me cause any sane person would know you can not make a Ethiopian burrito. if you know how to eat it you basically shovel it into your face with your fingers. yummy So you have the picture? 205 80MPH shovel food with fingers in face. I should have been arrested I was like a drunk driver leaning over the passenger seat to get my shovel full and bobbing my head back up to stay in my lane. Best non burrito burrito I’ve had. Now you know why the auto accident rate is so high in Africa. :)

Food:
beef tibs: ok, nothing special itself.
doro wat: pretty good. The chicken was excellent and I like the cheese too.
both dishes came with stewed cabbage, greens, and a potato/​carrot stew. these were surprisingly good and balance the proteins. I’d get the doro wat again and I think next time I’d try the lentils.
she does take credit cards

I feel really, really bad writing a poor review. But I am compelled.
I ordered the veggie assorted sampler-​type platter for $ 8 from a young woman who kept both earbuds in while I ordered. She heard me just fine, but I found this a bit rude.
The items on the platter, a great (probably vegan??) array of vegetables, lentils. stews, were all delicious.
But I HAVE to remove several stars because of the injera (spongy bread). It was BITTERLY SOUR. It was disgusting. I’ve had injera once before and had no issue with it. Is it sometimes supposed to be so sour it’s painful to eat? Did I have a bad batch?
I spent the rest of the day hoping I didn’t get food poisoning — and I didn’t, happily.
If I ever go back, I’ll be clear to order WITHOUT the injera.

It satisfied a craving I had but not the best Ethiopian food around. They have Doro-​Wot available, however, the egg is very rubbery and you could tell it isn’t freshly made. The Injera was alright. The quality of the food you get is good for the price.

We stopped here for the first time and had the doro watt (chicken) and the siga watt (beef). Both came with collard greens and a potato/​carrot mixture (loved the collard greens!) They were fabulous and better than a lot of the Ethiopian restaurants we’ve been to in town. The berbere sauce is a little bit less spicy than other places, but I actually liked this spice level better –for us, it was perfect (as opposed to painful) and had a nice slow smoky heat to it. The portions were generous, and the injera had a great texture and pleasant sourness. Plus, the woman who ran the cart was very kind. We’ll be back!

Love this Ethiopian food cart! Rahel is so sweet and such an amazing cook. I got a spicy vegetarian combo and it was so good. Perfect for a cold and rainy Portland day. There is even from scratch Ethiopian cheese. The food is delicious, filling, spicy (if you want it) and the prices are reasonable. Can’t wait until the weather gets warmer and we can sit outside and gobble up her fine dishes on site. Great food, great service, great prices and easy access parking. WHats not to like. They are open from 11 – 7 Monday — Saturday. How super cool to have good Ethiopian food on this side of town!

I actually have never had Ethiopian food prior to trying this cart, and I’ve always wanted to try it, so I was pretty excited when I saw this cart on the Mall 205 cart pod.
When we got to the cart, the proprietor, a really nice Ethiopian lady, greeted us and patiently explained to us the menu. I ended up getting the miser kay wat, which are lentils slow cooked with various spices. It came with braised greens and injera. The lentils were very flavorful and nicely cooked. The greens were a great addition to the plate, and the injera was definitely interesting and not how I expected it to be at all, but still tasty though. She gave us a huge serving, and for $ 6, it’s a great value.
I’m definitely glad to have finally tried Ethiopian food. Thanks to this cart for giving me a great introduction to it!

I’ve been to Ethiopia a few times and my family is really close friends with people we met there. They moved to L.A. eventually and we used to go to their house all the time for fresh injera, homemade cheese and all the food we could eat. I’ve been spoiled having eaten some amazing Ethiopian food in my day. When I saw this foodcart open, I was really excited to try it.
I stopped by with my mom today who, as a leetle, older Chinese lady, is probably the last person on earth who you would think knows any Amharic. But she does (and she knows the nicer words too, unlike my dad). My mom said «hello» in Amharic to the friendly woman steaming Injera behind the foodcart. She seemed surprised, and I explained about our wanderlust family ways. She let us watch the injera steam and, for us, it brought us great memories of our friends, travels and a place that we love.
My mother’s partner was with us as well, and he had never tasted Ethiopian food before. He was game, though, and tried the lentils (and loved them)! The food was well-​spiced and balanced, the injera warm and soft, and at the end of the meal, it was thoroughly soaked with all the delicious sauces and different spices.
I already told some of my friends about this cart, and now I’m posting here too in hopes someone will see my review and try it out. Homestyle Ethiopian food similar to what my own friends would have cooked for us back in Ethiopia or L.A. and great service to boot — so stop by and say hi (or «tanastalin,» especially if you happen to be a senior citizen type Asian lady), watch some injera action and give this cart a try!