The food was amazing and the portion large so come hungry! I ordered the vegetarian platter so was able to try a variety, and all were delicious. If you are not familiar with this food, you do eat with your hands, so get ready to dig in! The staff could be a little more helpful, especially if guests are not familiar with the food. This is an upstairs location and I am not sure if they have an elevator, so check options if you are unable to do stairs. read more

If you're craving a hole in the way dining experience of delicious Ethiopian cuisine, D'Afrique is the place to be! The highlight of the evening was definitely the lamb--succulent, flavorful, and a definite 10/10. The mixed platter we chose was perfect for sampling a variety of dishes. It included a delightful assortment of vegetarian options alongside two chicken dishes and a savory beef dish. Each item was bursting with unique flavors and perfectly complemented the injera bread. We were able to ask for medium spiciness and some extra spice on the side so we weren't overwhelmed. The service was friendly and attentive - our waitress was able to give us great recommendations - adding to the overall enjoyable dining experience. The easy to miss entrance leads you upstairs to a nice dining area with table cloths but comfortable ambiance. Great for your dairy free and pork free friends plus there are gluten free options. read more

D'Afrique Restaurant & Bar - Platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I'm no Ethiopian food conesour, but the food here was 5 stars - absolutly delish and a very different expirience; I love that we get to eat with our hands! We ordered the sharing platter for two and were absoultly stuffed by the end - honestly we could not even finish the whole thing. For the food, I would go back anytime! So why 4 stars? Well, the restaurant could use a little love (maybe a lot of love) - specifically the bathrooms: not clean (really, really not clean), missing toilet paper, the stalls have no locks...not a pleasant expirience at all. The main area of the restaurant has a lot of potnetial but could also use a little attention as well. That said, the gentleman serving us (I'm guessing the owner) was lovely, attentive, and very happy to see us enjoyig the food so much. If we could just imporve the environment, this would be 5 stars for me! read more

Among all the choices in the area, D'Afrique appealed to me because I immediately smelled the delicious food from the doorway. You have to climb a steep flight of stairs to get to the restaurant, but if you've no physical limitations, it's worth it because you'll eat all the calories shed in the climb! I had a glass of house Chardonnay that was crisp while I waited for my order (vegetarian platter). There were a handful of people inside, three at the bar and only 1 other eating at a table alone (I dined alone and felt safe and was given space while still felt attended to). The restaurant was newly assumed by two women. They were both present and made sure I had everything I needed before, during, and after I ate. I completed the entire platter and was asked if I wanted more (I would have said yes if I wasn't concerned how I'd feel about the tasty greens and lentils later on!). However, the food was well prepared, especially the beans, so that I had no gastrointestinal issues during my flights the next day! I would love to come back- I hope more folks try this establishment! read more

D'Afrique Restaurant & Bar - Entrance from street - Ethiopian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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I love Ethiopian food and this place is definitely authentic! I got a take out Afrique Platter which is a medley of various meet and veggie dishes. It comes with a piece of injera which is authentic Ethiopian cuisine. They were even kind enough to add a complimentary piece of injera. However, the reviews about wait times are true. It took about 15-20 minutes for me to get my food but it wasn't a big inconvenience. I have, however, dined in at some point and I remember the service being extremely slow. I would not let that deter you from going but just plan ahead! Also, I read previous reviews of people not quite liking the food but keep in mind, Ethiopian food is very unique and I believe this place does a great job of preserving that! read more

D'Afrique Restaurant & Bar - The menu! - Ethiopian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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So my co-workers and I were feeling adventurous one night and decided to try Ethiopian food for the first time. I see other reviews saying they tried the combination platters, and now that I think about it, maybe we should have tried those. But again, we were feeling adventurous and wanted an authentic experience, so we each ordered an entree which came with injera, this like really interesting bread-like thing. I don't eat spicy food, so the waitress/owner recommended the alicha wat (beef cubes simmered in a mildly spiced stew.) One of my coworkers got pretty much the same thing except with lamb, and my other coworker ordered the kitfo, which is supposed to be like beef tartare and is served raw. Basically when you order the dish, it comes served on a round platter with the injera (it looks like pita bread but is spongier and looks like it's covered with holes) and then on top is a little handful of whatever kind of meat you ordered. You are supposed to eat it with your hands, so you rip off some of the injera and try to wrap it around the meat and eat it like that. It was definitely a really interesting and unique experience, albeit pretty messy. I actually thought the beef I ordered was pretty good - it was similar to yellow curry but wasn't spicy at all, and the beef was really really tender and just fell off the bone pretty much. The injera is really something different and I think is an acquired taste. It's really quite sour... I was okay eating this with the meat, but I don't think I could eat it on its own. My coworker who got the kitfo didn't really enjoy it unfortunately... I tried a bit and I can kind of see why. The concept is similar to tartare, which I love, but the flavours were really different, I guess because of the specific spices and ingredients they mix in there. I also wasn't a huge fan, but I thought it was cool to try. Because it's a pretty small, owner-managed restaurant, we found the service to be really slow, as we waited a looooong time for our food to come (and we were really hungry at the time.) However, the owners of the restaurant were really nice and kept checking up on us later on in the meal to see if we were liking our food. They offered to cook my coworker's kitfo (it normally comes served raw) to see if she would enjoy it more that way, but unfortunately she couldn't get over the taste. It was a nice gesture on the owners' parts though, and in the end they took the entire cost off her bill, which was so nice. Also when my other coworker and I had injera left over and no more meat, they came around and scooped more meat onto our plates :D Personally, I don't think Ethiopian food is really my cup of tea, but I think this is a cool establishment if you want to try a different type of food, and I do think you get a pretty authentic experience here. They have another area of the restaurant which is filled with what I assume to be Ethiopian furniture and decor, so it would be cool to eat there. read more

D'Afrique Restaurant & Bar - Alicha wat with injera - Ethiopian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I'm a fan of Ethiopian food, and I was thrilled to have another location downtown (other Ethiopian places are the Horn of Africa and the Blue Nile.) I was not disappointed. The food was very good. I recommend the combination platter. It was a while ago, so I can't remember specifics, but I'll be back. I prefer it slightly over the Blue Nile, and I think it was about as good as the Horn of Africa. read more

I maybe charitable with my rating because I don't let things get to me as much as most others. My wife and I were the only ones in the restaurant for the first 15 minutes and even then the service was inattentive. The explanations of the various food items was inadequate and when the food came out it didn't taste fresh. The server didn't bother to explain the various items on my variety sampler platter, never came back to refill my water, and to top it off she was slow bringing me the bill...I had to ask twice and this was on a slow night. Poor service+poor quality food= one star but they salvaged something by allowing me to store the ice cream I bought from the grocery store which is part of the reason I gave another star. Oh and soap in the ladies bathroom was diluted to 90% water and the men's room didn't have soap. If you cut corners with cleanliness then I don't know where else you're gonna save face. read more

Everything about this place was GREAT! Our hostess took the time to explain things to us, especially once we explained that we had never had Ethiopian food before. Presentation was beautiful. The serving platter was colourful. Food was AMAZING! Everything was sooooooo different! I am not one to eat (mostly)vegetarian, but I definitely will do this again. After all that, what could top it? The fact that they are EXTREMELY affordable. For $40, tip included, we both came out very satisfied. It has been 2+ hours since we left and I am still satisfied without being stuffed. A couple of warnings: You eat with your hands. The "bread" they use is to help you eat. It has a very different texture. It is almost like a sponge cake and a crepe had a baby. Virtually everything you eat will have a different taste and texture. The spiced tea blends in with everything so nicely! Finally, the salad with the D'Afrique platter is great to cleanse the palate between each different mouthful. The platter had 8 different tastes in it. Well worth taking as a first try so you can taste a bit of everything, pretty much. Thank you for the great experience. We will be back read more

Would give less than one star if I could. I hosted a private birthday party here with a friend last Saturday and the service was painfully bad. After three separate visits to the D'Afrique to firm up plans and pay our deposit, the restaurant violated every single thing we agreed too -- including the stipulation that it was a private party to ensure all our friends felt free and safe to dance/have fun. As the evening progressed, it became clear the owner/manager had invited other folks we didn't know to come drink at the bar and a whole bunch of strangers started flooding in. We had also agreed on a time for the event to start and for us to set up, which he didn't respect either. We were pretty flexible, but when we tried to resolve things (really kindly and calmly considering how disappointed we were), he got super aggressive and defensive. We felt total disrespect from the guy who clearly had no interest in listening to two women. People complained throughout the night about bar service (all the strangers he invited in were getting served first). And we left feeling scammed. Would not give this restaurant my business again. Would not recommend anyone else does. read more

My wife & daughter ain't very adventurous when it comes to trying different cuisine. We did end up going in for Ethiopian few months ago when my daughter's fiance convinced all of us to give it a try - and we did not come back disappointed. Not knowing the 'best' - I am giving them 4 stars... I should get more knowledgeable in the near future when I try it out at different locations. read more

This was my first time eating Ethiopian food and it was great. My husband and I were in Ottawa for New Years and we were getting desperate to find dinner New Year's Day. Luckily, we happened upon this place. The staff were super helpful and attentive. Because we both had never had this type of cuisine, we were guided to the D'African and vegetarian platters to try a little of everything. You do have to eat with your hands but it was totally fun to figure out how to use the teff bread to eat. It was a great experience with really good food. We left happily full. We'll be checking out Ethiopian places near us when we get back home. read more

incredible, the food the service was spot on, everyone enjoyed and raved the rest of the trip about D'Afrique