11 of us had an excellent Ethiopian family style dinner at hareg and left full and happy Quickly to the pros and cons Pros 1.Injera : soft fluffy fermented delicious injera . One of the best versions I have had in Ottawa 2. The platter , I prefer beef , chicken and goat in that order 3. Parking : they are towards the northern end of banh st hence there is a fair chance to find parking 4. The Ethiopian experience : the shop tries to preserve the authentic Ethiopian experience and they succeeds to an extent 5. Service : efficient and fast Can be improved 1. The coffee ceremony : not so much of a ceremony , they do use the traditional utensils and methods but it's more rustic than ceremonial 2. No dessert : what ????? read more

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This place is a cute little business on bank street. I came with a friend and we both got the vegetarian combo. The prices are really reasonable! It kind of took a long time for the food to come out, and then when people came in after use their food came out what felt like right away, which was a little confusing. Anyway, the food was great! So flavourful-- I reason why I live Ethiopian food so dang much! We asked for more injera and scraped our plates clean! I have been craving Ethiopian for a long time and I'm so glad I could try it in ottawa. 7/10 read more

Hareg Cafe - Vegetarian combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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First rate option, this is the best Ethiopian food in Ottawa that I've had, and among the top 3 Ethiopian I've ever had. It blows away the two mediocre options we used to have. The menu is rather limited, but thats fine, its better to have great food than many options. I would take friends from out of town to Hareg, so yeah, I definitely recommend it unreservedly read more

If you want authentic ethiopian food, this is the place to go and experience it for a reasonable price ($16 dinner buffet), where you can have a large variety to choose from! You walk in and seat yourself; there are spots for about 15-20 people, so come early because some buffet items might run out! There is quite a variety, and there is meat on Friday/Sat/Sun. My favourite was the goat dish...super flavorful! There's about 5 vegetable and 3-4 meat dishes, and salad. Dessert was cookies in a jar (which were soft and fresh)! You're supposed to use your hands only and eat the veggies/meat with injera, the sourdough-risen flatbread that has a spongy texture (perfect for mopping up sauces)! I didn't want to eat too much flatbread, so I ended up using utensils. Nothing is too spicy, and I liked to add the hot spicy powder at each table into the food to spice it up. If you want coffee, you have to tell the man/woman, and the woman will start to make it (it takes time, so order in advance)! You get to see her roast the beans and make a cup from scratch from start to finish, and the smell of fresh coffee was super appetizing. The cup was small, but enough to try it out (not sure if it costed anything or not...maybe dinner buffet would have been cheaper had I not ordered it)? Regardless, you must try it; it's dark, rich, and strong. Overall, good value for the dinner buffet. The owner isn't very chatty but you can tell he is trying to be hospitable. The interiors are decorated really cheerfully with ethopian images, so it adds to the experience! read more

Hareg Cafe - Ethiopian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I came here with a bunch of coworkers to experience Ethiopian cuisine the night the Tornado rolled into the city. This restaurant and the block of bank street managed to survive the blackout. When we first entered the restaurant we were greeted by such wonderful people. They offered us coffee but not just any coffee. We experienced a coffee ceremony where they showed us how they turned fresh coffee beans into roasted beans and then into delicious coffee. They also took the time to explain a lot about their culture and the artwork displayed throughout the restaurant. It was a wonderful experience. The restaurant is not fancy or large but was large enough to accommodate a large group of about 20 of us. The interior design was very cultural and home-y and suited the restaurant well. It was a buffet of authentic Ethiopian food. It was phenomenal. They had a lot of vegetarian choices as well as meat dishes so it appeals to most diets. The price was very reasonable. It was $34 for 2 adult dinner buffets, coffee and tip. I loved everything about this restaurant and will most definitely return! read more

Hareg Cafe - Coffee ceremony station - Ethiopian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Enjoyed the food so much. All of the beef platter was so good that I had to order for more injera or flatbread. The owners' family were very kind and friendly. Definitely recommend! read more

Hareg Cafe - Beef platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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I stopped in intending to have dinner here (6pm on a Sunday), but they told me they were out of injera. How can you be open as an Ethiopian restaurant without injera? If you really had an injera supply issue, just close. I asked what they'd serve my dishes with? "Nothing". I walked out. Hopefully this isn't a representative sample of how this place runs its business. read more

The food was exceptional at an unbeatable price as well. The vegetarian dinner buffet was 13$ and if you want to add meat, it's an additional 3$. It was a very authentic experience from the moment we walked in as an Ethiopian grandmother welcoming us in! read more

Hareg Cafe - Check out the photo. For the record, we were only two people! - Ethiopian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Hareg Café is a small, family owned restaurant serving traditional Ethiopian food. They offer an AYCE lunch buffet with two options: vegetarian/vegan for 13$ or omnivore for 16$. I loved this place because the food was tasty, well-seasoned, and it really channels that home-cooked meal taste. You can eat two big plates and not feel overly bloated because you are eating a lot of healthy foods like greens, pulses, and injera which is made of teff, an ancient super grain. Seating is limited and this location is popular, so show up early if you can. You might get lucky and get to try their Ehtiopian coffee as well. read more

I stopped in for lunch--It's near the end of the trendy Glebe neighborhood, near a really sweet pet supply store and a nice little coffee shop too. There is parking on Bank and also the side streets. The restaurant has a homey feel, not fancy but very clean with a couple of tables that have couches instead of chairs. The service was friendly and fast. I ordered the vegan platter and oh my goodness, it was beautiful. I had unfortunately left my phone in the car, or I would have photographed it. There were 9 , count 'em, 9 different vegetables/pulses on the platter and plentiful injera to scoop with and eat. You may have heard that one should eat a rainbow of food every day--Well, it was a rainbow on that platter. Collard greens supremely prepared, bright red and sweet beets, purple-red cabbage perfectly cooked and spiced, orange/yellow carrots/cabbage, reddish-brown potatoes with dark smoky-sweet puréed lentils, lighter brown lentils completely different and delicious, yellow split peas, and more...Just heavenly. The cost of the platter was around $15, which I'd consider a bargain, especially considering the quality! I'm definitely going to return with my hubby. He will love it too. read more

Here's me: - I love flavourful food. I love whole foods. - I'm all about comfort. The food, the environment, the service I have been to Hareg five times, all for lunch, in the past six months. This quiet and friendly cafe is a moment off the 417 with ample parking close by. When I've not been for a few weeks, I start experience cravings. It's that good. They offer a fresh and seasonal lunch buffet. I have not ordered off the menu, and instead assemble my own "yetsom beyaynetu" - a mixed combination platter of delicious injera bread topped with a variety of the curries and vegetables available that day. The vegetarian buffet offers a little bit of everything so that you get some real variety in your meal. The menu offers many other vegetable and meat dishes, but the flavours and ingredients are so delicious together on the buffet that I have yet to try them! More important is the friendly service, which you will experience if you take a few minutes to enjoy the delicious coffee service at the end of your meal. Or drop in, and pick up a take-away for lunch in FIVE MINUTES FLAT. You won't regret it. Try Hareg for fresh, comfortable, reasonable and memorable meals. read more

I've been eating Ethiopian in Ottawa for over a quarter century, have a good whack of experience with the restaurant strips in the..."Little Addis Ababa" districts of DC and LA, and this place is probably my favourite. They get vegetarians. They get that there is a difference between vegans and vegetarians. They are dirt cheap. They are the only place I know of in Ottawa with _fresh_, non-overlooked collard greens. It's exactly the sort of restaurant Ottawa, taken over in recent years by places with $9 "parmesan and truffle oil fries with house-made aïoli" where the menu should say "Fries. With extra fussing from your server, artificially flavoured oil, and Sysco mayo with some garlic we added, $9," has too little of: hidden holes in the wall with cheap and delicious food and no pretensions. Nice restaurants are nice, but I want a quick tasty meal my wallet doesn't really notice a LOT more often than I want to see what Stephen Beckta is up to. read more

The food and service were FANTASTIC! We had the vegetarian/vegan buffet (woo hoo! Being vegetarians, it's SO nice to eat at a place that "gets" it). All the food was delicious. I loved the red sauce lentils (I don't know what it's called) the best. This was a great spot for varied and healthy food. While we ate the woman made Ethiopian coffee from roasting the beans in front of us to grinding them to preparing a pot, it was amazing! Buffet was 10bucks. 2 buffets, 1 coffee, 1 tea came to $28 with tax. Well worth it! A true gem in the Glebe! read more

Food was really delicious and the service was extremely friendly. Apparently there is free coffee with your meal on Fridays and Saturdays? The server was roasting coffee by hand, so I'd imagine this would be a good place for coffee fans. I will be coming back! read more

We came here late Sunday afternoon and ended up having the buffet. It was a little dry. Nevertheless it was still delicious. The traditional Ethiopian bread was amazing as were the lentils. I had the chicken also which was a little dried out and overcooked. It was still very tasty though. I would like to come back here again and give it another chance. Would I recommend it? Yes. I feel like it is probably more excellent than I experienced, and definitely great value. read more

I usually order delivery from here, but this time we decided to go in and scope out the place. Food was delicious, service was great and we even stayed and enjoyed their in house roasted coffee with the lovely woman who served it. Not sure if I'll do delivery again as this place is worth driving to instead. :) read more

My favourite Ethiopian restaurant in Ottawa. Great vegetarian food, and great meat options when they have it (it's either Fridays or on weekends). Everyone who works there is so nice, too. read more

The good: - Monday through Thursday vegetarian buffet - Very good food, quite tasty - Friendly service - prices on low side - free coffee ceremony on certain days - clean and tidy The bad: - parking - special items Friday through Sunday - they have forks for the uninitiate ones :-) read more

LOVE the food. My favourite Ethiopian food in the city. So this means that I go often... or at least try to. They are infamous for only having about a 70% chance of being open (I'm talking about during their alleged business hours). Next to impossible to contact them beforehand either. Needless to say, I've wasted lots of time and gas driving out just to see that they are closed. read more

The most amazing Ethiopian food I had in Ottawa. The place is small and cozy but the food delicious. I recommend the platter since it comes with a variety of items. read more

Hareg Cafe - Ethiopian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Ordered from them online and was so excited. Had no response for an hour, called tried everything to communicate what I needed and finally when I thought my order would be coming. I received a cancellation and suddenly online they were listed as closed. Really disappointed because now I don't have anytime to eat. read more

two words - vegan buffet. amazing variety (I counted 11 hot items), super fresh gluten free injera and a free traditional coffee service on Fri nights and Saturdays. excellent value ($8.99 buffet) and great flavours. best eithiopian in Ottawa and my 2nd favourite out of 20-odd places I've eaten at in North America. read more

If you've ever eaten good, authentic Ethiopian food, this will taste watered down and sad to you. The injera was thick and flavorless. There was no spongy kick to it at all. Wouldn't eat here again. read more

I ate here a few months ago with friends and was delighted with their vegetarian buffet. Super affordable as well as varied, the owner of the restaurant is also a delight as well. Evidently on weekends, they have an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, and the occasional meat option. The decor is pleasant and mixes the traditional with the contemporary and the bathrooms were good, too. So far, this is my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in Ottawa. read more

I attended on May 27 and performed as part of the Moveable Comedy Feast. I had never eaten Ethiopian cuisine before and loved the fresh flavours, textures and spices. The wonderful Ethiopian coffee was a wonderful accent to my meal. I look forward to my next visit and would not hesitate to recommend this restaurant to others. Thank you! read more

The best Ethiopian vegan place in Ottawa, the place is very neat, they were very friendly and the food is very fresh, gluten free and beyond tasty, affordable price. I will recommend for all vegan lover to try it!!! read more

I am very satisfied with the Hareg Café Buffe, the entire look of the restaurant and the hospitality. It was my first time taking my colleague to Ethiopian restaurant, we were around 10 people. Everyone loved the food, the coffee ceremony and wanted to come again. I was very proud of Hareg Café. To list some of the many things that I appreciated * A real Teff Injera (the Ethiopian bread) * The vegetarian foods have real Ethiopian flavor. The day we went.. Hareg Café had almost 15 different kind of Ethiopian Vegetarian food + 4 Non Vegetarian food. * When some of us asked for water.. they offered us Water with Lemon and cucumber which was very tasty for free.. I really enjoyed the lemonade * They happy prepared Ethiopian coffee ceremony on week day * The price is really good read more

Really tasty and authentic food homemade Ethiopian and Eritrean for an extremely reasonable price. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the Glebe and want something different. I will be back for sure read more

I love this place!! Buffet, super healthy delicious food, kind people, pretty atmosphere, love it!!!

Really wonderful spot with great food and atmosphere. It's definitely more of a hole in the wall, casual, traditional vibe. On Friday night, it was a buffet of hot and cold items. About 6 hot vegetarian options, maybe 4 hot meat options and some more veggies, salads, roasted veggies assortments and unlimited injera bread (which is supposed to replace utensils although there are some utensils by the buffet). The food was delicious, I only had veggie options but my parents who had the chicken said it was very good too. The best part was the traditional coffee making nook where the owner showed us how coffee is roasted and made traditionally in Ethiopia which was really interesting and special (and the coffee was delicious!). Price was also extremely reasonable (priced a little less if you only had vegetarian dishes) - about 63$ for four people (two veggie and two meat). A really comforting and warm dining experience read more

The food here was amazing! We had the vegan and meat buffet. The depth of flavours was fantastic. My wife had only the vegan dishes and loved everyone of them. The wat dishes were amazing and the best red lentils I've had (awesome spice). The restaurant was clean, quiet and the gentleman working was pleasant and chatted with us about Ethiopia and his time here in Ottawa. If you are looking for great Ethiopian dishes, this is the best we've had in Ottawa so far. read more