Queen of Sheba

The place looked good and clean. Right when I arrived I didnt know if we sat ourselves or we had to wait for someone to sit us. Waited in the front for about 5 minutes until i catched the woman in the fronts attention and she told us to sit ourselves. We found a corner, the restaurant was empty exept for some people in the front (who where talking to the woman who told us to sit ourselves). We waited for more than 5 minutes and no one came to our table, didnt even had menus to look at. I stood up and just grabbed one. The menus where terrible. It even had a hand written page. Took a look and realized the food they sell is more soul food than «fusion» or ethiopian food (cus thats what they advertise) terrible service, kinda sketchy place. Left mad to another restaurant. Will never come back again. Whats even more ironic is thatvtgey have a sign thats says «Voted best in 2015» very hard to belive.

I highly recommend this place for a fun experience for when you want something unique and different! My husband and I eat there frequently and are always happy. Some of the servers are a little awkward but the manager/​owner is very kind and attentive. We’re lucky to have authentic Ethiopian culture right here in our own neighborhood. Branch out and try something new!

My wife and I spent three months in Ethiopia and this is as close as it gets too authentic Ethiopian food. The food is fantastic and the service is very friendly. We had a great time and enjoyed the Exotic Ethiopian atmosphere.

My experience today at The Queen Of Sheba restaurant in Sarasota, FL was extremely unprofessional and there was a complete lack of management, literally. My party of 5 (3 adults, 2 kids) came into the establishment on a Sunday afternoon when there were no other customers. The only other person besides us was a young boy sitting at the bar. We saw a sign to seat ourselves and also, the young boy informed us to do the same.
We sat down and soon after, a woman who was previously out in the parking lot talking to someone came to our table and informed us that she would be our server. After getting our drinks, the server informed us she was also the cook for that day and that she was the only one in the restaurant besides her 5-​year-​old son. We decided to stay since one of the members of our party had previously had a great experience at the restaurant.
While waiting for our food, the server’s son kept trying to grab our attention by yelling «hey» and «hello» from the opposite side of the room. Occasionally our server would attempt to correct her son but it was only partially effective since she had to focus on doing her dual job of cooking and serving.
Our party’s kid’s food and an appetizer came out first after 20 minutes. Our server did a good job of getting our young kid’s food out first. At that point another couple came into the restaurant. Our cook then switched to a servers role and took the couple’s drink orders. Shortly after, she returned with their drinks and explained the menu. The couple said they needed a minute to decide and the server than switched back gears to cook. About 15 minutes later, the couple left the restaurant after not being attended to.
A few minutes later, another party of 5 entered the restaurant. While the server was getting water for that table from the bar, the server’s son kept yelling at his mom «Ewww, that’s toilet water, that’s toilet water» I’m not sure what the boy was referring to but it sure gave me an uneasy feeling. A few minutes later, the other party of 5 also left since they were not being attended to.
After finishing most of the appetizer, a member of my party asked for a spoon (after waiting 10 minutes for the cook to come out) to finish the rest since there was no silverware on the table. Over 5 minutes later, she had to ask again. Shortly after, the server’s son delivered silverware rolled up in a napkin and we thanked him. While opening the silverware, another member of my party said «I wouldn’t use that.» Looking down, part of the rolled up napkin was soaked with some brown liquid.
My party ended up waiting 55 minutes with minimal service before the entrees arrived. At that point, I asked for the meals to go since we were running short on time. Once our meals were boxed, the server motioned us to the bar to check out. I informed her that I thought she was doing her best and it wasn’t her fault for being put in an impossible roll of the only server and cook.
When we were checking out, a member of my party asked for a to-​go box for her child’s chicken nuggets. While the server was getting the to-​go box, the server’s son reached his hand on to our plate and grabbed a chicken nugget to try to eat it. The server tried to correct her son but the damage was already done. Our party left the establishment stunned by the complete lack of management and unprofessionalism.
In all fairness, our server/​cook was trying her best. Also, her cooking was tasty and well seasoned when I ate it later. Unfortunately she was placed in an unprofessional role of having to cook and serve at the same time. Cooking and serving need to occur at the same time and that requires at least 2 people. The management should have never put that server/​cook in that impossible position. If an emergency happened and the restaurant was understaffed, the restaurant should be temporarily closed rather than having a single server/​cook who has to watch her child at the same time.
I hope the necessary adjustments are put in place by management to ensure similar unprofessional incidents do not occur for other customers. After this unfortunate experience, I do not plan on returning to this Queen of Sheba restaurant nor do I plan on trying any other Queen of Sheba restaurants.

Food was not good. This is the first bad review I’ve ever given, but the injera was burned, the meat was flavorless, they served us one sumbussa?! This is not authentic etheopian. Service was nice, kind of.

I would start by saying that the owners are really nice. Unfortunately, I didn’t like their food at all! The manager was so nice about not charging me. I ordered the Queens Plate. I did not like the taste of one item especially, the bread. They give you this mauve rubber-​like bread to eat with the food. Be prepared for something really different.

The service was excellent but the food was just ok. Unfortunately, I’ve been far too spoiled by the quality of Ethiopian food in Washington DC. Portions were smaller than what I’m used to and flavors were more subdued.

We had been wanting to try the only Ethiopian restaurant in Sarasota and finally got the opportunity. But when we pulled into the parking lot, we saw raw sewage flowing out from the back of the place. We brought it to the attention of the manager and then decided not to stay. They have since been ordered to clean up their act or risk being shut down.
We are happy to try Queen of Sheba if they are serious about running a reputable operation.

We went back to Queen of Sheba with a Groupon deal and what a different experience! The service was sub-​par, we were ignored for the most part and the server didn’t know what the dishes were even called. We ran out of injera and by the time we got the servers attention to bring us more the entrée was cold. The AC was broken and it was 85 degrees in the restaurant. To top it off we got the exact same platter we’ve had in the past and it was half as much food. It was also bland (which I didn’t think was possible with Ethiopian food) and one dish tasted burnt. Sadly we won’t be back.

We enjoyed having lunch here today. I tried the 8 item veggie platter, tomato salad and sambossa. They were all good but didn’t really wow me. Service was prompt and polite.

Food is right on par with many of the Ethiopian restaurants I have tried. Ambience is not so great. Inside a dingy repurposed KFC is Queen of Sheba. Ethiopian food is a simpler cuisine, and the interior reflects that.
The food stood up to the test however, if you a familiar with this type of food it delivers, if you are not it is going to be very different than what you are used to.
To describe Ethiopian food would first start with the injera bread. This is like a sourdough crêpe of sorts, torn to use as a tasty replacement for silverware.
The dishes are more akin to spicy baby food, some puréed and blended, others with savory sauces and chunks of your chosen meat. The lamb really stands out and is delicious.
The food was up to the level I expected, but the ambiance was severely lacking. Service was fine, though many of the items we wanted to sample they were out of. Namely, the beef sambussa, something my wife had really looked forward to trying had been missing from their menu for a few days. The vegetable version was a fine stand in but not what drove all that way for.
Unfortunately and a huge deal breaker is though we were offered bottled water, they were out of that too and instead was served tap water from a cloudy pitcher that really turned us off.
Apparently this is a chain, so it might be more with it to venture to the Tampa location if you are looking to impress your friends. If you just want to try a different cuisine, or have a taste for this type of food, considering it’s the only one in the area, it’s your best and only bet.
4.5 for the food, 2.5 for the ambiance.

The food here was good. I would like to go back to try more. Had the sample platter and tried a little of everything. Some things were a hit. Others, not so much.

Not sure how to rate food we never got. We went early on a Saturday. They’re open from noon till late, and we got there about 4:30 after a matinée at the Asolo. We were making sure the restaurant was a good choice for our neighborhood dining group later in the month, a group of eight. We walked in and a man was at the reception desk doing paperwork.
We waited as he failed to acknowledge us – restaurant was empty at that point. We finally asked if we could sit anywhere and he gestured to the dining room. We sat. A few minutes later he walked to the back of the dining area and removed a sheet of paper covering a table in the corner. Took it back up front, then went back to his paperwork. We finally left, and he didn’t acknowledge that, either. All he ever had to do was 1) Explain he was the only one there and we needed to come back later – with apologies 2) Call someone from the back to serve us. 3) Serve us water and apologize for a short delay.
Instead we were ignored. Completely. So Queen of Sheba not only lost our business on Saturday, they also lost a large group dinner later in the month and any business that would have resulted from that.
I hate to give such a bad review, but what’s worse than no service? The only other restaurant I reviewed this way went belly-​up soon after. The very least any of us can expect is to be acknowledged as diners trying to spend money and give our support and attention. Lacking that, what else matters?

If you don’t enjoy out-​of-​the-​ordinary experiences and you love popular restaurants with great ambiance and trendy drinks, don’t come here.
However, if you’re looking for delicious Ethiopian food and authentic traditions — Queen of Sheba should be on your radar.
The owner is a welcoming, very hospital woman who makes you feel right at home and is happy to introduce you to the cuisine and the experience. If it’s your first time here, I suggest that you order the Queen’s Eight — a chef selection of four vegetarian dishes and four meats that is served in a platter and eaten with injera bread (no utensils). They will alter the spices based on your preference. If I had to do it again I would have asked for a few dishes to be full spice, because most of it was a bit mild for me (although I have a preference for spice). The Queen’s Eight platter included chicken, beef, lamb, tilapia — which were all very good. But in my opinion, the vegetarian dishes were equally tasty — lentils, peas, collards, beets, cabbage and more.
There are Ethiopian beers on the menu. They are worth trying but weren’t better than ok.
The restaurant is located in a former KFC, so the ambiance is what you might expect in a former KFC. But the walls do have some Ethiopian art and the whole atmosphere is helped greatly by a gentlemen singing some fun but mellow tunes very softly so you can still carry on a conversation.
Oh — and the price — $ 15 per person for the Queen’s Eight, and they don’t gouge you on drinks to make up for it.
We’ll be back.

As soon as you walk in the door, the delicious aroma permeating the restaurant transports you to Ethiopia. The service was outstanding, the warm kindness of our waitress made us instantly comfortable. This place is one of the most unique places I have ever eaten. It is custom to use no utensils, but pinch your food with the rolls of bread they give you. It is definitely a great experience to sample some eclectic food, I will definitely be back.

Super friendly staff; we had the Queen’s platter which is several selections from the vegetarian, chicken & beef menus, the spongy sour ingera bread, between 3 people, there was plenty, more than enough. Too stuffed even for desserts & coffee. I’ll be back [since it’s practically in my backyard]

Just finished eating a delicious Ethiopian-​vegetarian meal at the new Queen of Sheba and rushed home to write this review. My husband equally enjoyed his non-​veg meal as well! We want these guys to stick around forever. I’ve tried Ethiopian in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris and this was by far the tastiest and friendliest experience. The quality of the ingredients is great — very fresh and flavorful.
The owner is very lovely and welcoming, the food is exceptional, and for us the location is very convenient… on Sarasota’s North Trail (which seems to be becoming the new foodie hot spot in town). The atmosphere is casual so put on your jeans and head out for a yummy treat! Also just a little tip — try the coffee,
It’s fantastic!

Queen of sheba is a low key restaurant off of 41. I think it might have been an old burger King. The place’s interior could use a bit of a sprucing up which is surprising consider in that it is so new.
With all that said, it is certainly delicious though when it comes to food. I was so excited to see an Ethiopian restaurant open up in sarasota. I’ve been to many in dc, nyc, philly and Chicago and queen of sheeba certainly held its own with some of the really good ones.
We ordered the beef sambusa which was incredible to start. We also ordered the appetizer sampler which was great value for $ 9. The prices here are fabulous, i will return for that reason alone. The main course we ordered the queen platter as it seem to incorporate the best of vegetarian and meat options. I loved that dish. I just wish the spongy bread on the platter was bigger as it usually goes under all the dishes from my experience so the sauces can seep in. Here the bread you ate with came mostly from the side bread basket. That’s my only main complaint.
Also, the service was wonderful. Our waiter was fun, friendly, and attentive.

I never thought I would find an ethiopian restaurant, let alone a decent one, outside of DC /​NYC.
Holy Bejeezus. This is really amazing. This might be the biggest restaurant opening on the trail since Le Anh’s.
If you’re not familiar with Ethiopian food, your «dishes» are served together on a communal «plate» of Injera (bread, sort of like a sour flour tortilla). Reflecting Ethiopia’s historical presence as a crucial trading post between India, the Middle East, and Africa, Ethiopian food is a wonderfully flavorful mix of spices (at varying levels of heat, so don’t worry).
Me and 6 of my friends (one vegetarian) stopped by and ordered the Omakase-​style Queen’s platter for $ 15 a piece. This came with 8 heaping scoops of flavored meat and vegetables in various curries and sauces. This was a truly insane amount of food. Half of the group was over 6 feet and it was still a feast.
I understand that their grand opening is this weekend. I wish them luck in Sarasota. They’ve done an incredible job bringing Injera to the whitest-​bread of places.

We tried this spot for the first time today and loved it. The vegan sample platter was delicious, and the service very friendly.
I especially appreciated the fact that the menu was very vegan friendly, with vegan items clearly marked on the menu.
I asked for berbere sauce on the side and it was a great touch and added a lot of flavor. We especially loved the greens, the cabbage dish, and the red lentils. YUM!