this is the exact type of place I expect to get amazing Ethiopian food and Lalibela never…read moredisappoints! not your typical "restaurant" as there's a little dance floor bar area when you first enter, but as you progress through the space there is plenty of restaurant sitting - feel free to seat yourself wherever! we ordered to-go so we took our seat at the bar, placed our order with the nice young lady, which let us know our food would be about 10/15 mins. portion sizes are definitely worth the price which isn't too expensive (we got the vegetarian combo). I'll snap some pictures next time ha

SEVEN WORDS: TRADITIONAL, LOW PRICED, EHIOPIAN CUISINE / SKETCHY NEIGHBORHOOD…read more . Since we Live in Whitehall and my Wife has never tried Ethiopian Food, we stopped by Lalibela's - One of this part of towns historic Go-Toss. for Ethiopian Food anywhere in Columbus. . As we parked Our Car, we were greeted by a Short Strip Mall that had a very Gritty Look to the Exterior: Dirty Windows, Littered Parking Lot (with an Unbelievably High Number of Old Blackened Bubble Gum Stains from Parking lot to Front Door. It was Something you might see in a Marrakesh Baszaar - or any thired World Place where the Challenge was to actually keep things Clean on a Continual Basis. However, this is Hamilton Road in Sub-(Urban) Columbus. . We've eaten at Several Other Whitehall Restaurants - and Nothing look like this until you get on the South Side of Livingston Avenue - and Beyond. Still, I am personally undaunted by Exteriors - and sometimes the Restaurants themselves - by a little bit of unclean surrounds. . We Entered and the place immediately reminded you of a Middle Eastern Restaurant - Well-Stocked Bar along the Opposite Wall from the Entrance, a Quaint Restaurant that is outdated - and probably needs a good refresh on Furniture and Wall Coverings - but All are VERY Negotiable in a World Food Setting. . When we Looked through our Menus, we really didn't know a Single Dish on the Menu. Still, I chose the Beef Kitfo (Cooked to Medium) and My Wife Got the Beef Tibs (Cooked to Mild). . Unfortunately, we are both fans of a Very Mild Food - so this was not quite for us. Still, Let's try to give it a reasonable Fair Review, based on the Community, not the Individual Tastes. . Kitfo is a traditional meal, where a thick chili-like paste is cooked and placed in a small bowl with a Starchy Yogurt Sauce that has more of a butted whirred potatoes than the true yogurt that is mentioned. . The Bowl/Tureen sits atop a large pancake of "Injera," a fluffy Bread that is half-way between crepe and pancake, but 100% Savory. The traditional eating method is the Right Hand, taking the Injera in the right hand, folding around a dollop of Kotfo (or whichever protein) and maybe smoothing on a small bit of the Yogurt. Again - it's like Potatoes in this case, which was great. . Sorry for Being Lengthy, but If you don't know Ethiopian, you don't know it at all. . The Kitfo was mildly spicy and had the strong tastes of both Anise and Cardamom: Both are very Savory, but As Good as a licorice Liquor. The Beef, cooked to my liking - was like a spicy chili with a deep smoky tinge of Chili powder - and maybe even turmeric. Bright and Bold, but not Overwhelming. The Injera (bread" was like a fine piece of wheat-pumpernickel bread, a small bit tart, but quite yummy. It complemented the Kotfo perfectly. . My wife truly doesn't like Spicy food - and the Beef Tibs (not Tips, but a similar mash of Beef, Tomatoes, Chopped Onion, and some hot Peppers of some sort. . Due to the Heat and Exotic Flavors, we filled up quite quickly, but there would still be enough for a Hearty Serving for Each of Us. The Bill, including Two Entrees and One Soda came to $42 Reasonable, considering two Beef Dishes - and the Extra prep for the Made-from-Scratch Injera. . Although I Ranked it 3-Stars, it's still a mid-3, Maybe 3.45. Was it the Best Ethiopian? I'm not Sure of that, But I'll let you know whenever I try another of these Restaurants this Summer.

Super chill place serving delicious vegan Ethiopian food. I had the Half Garden Plate which gets…read moreyou 5 of their hot stews and 2 portions of injera. I chose the beet vegetable medley, okra and red lentils, mushroom, yellow split peas and curry vegetable medley. Everything was delicious, with the curry and okra ending up my favourites. The portions are very generous so be sure to come with an appetite. Siyum the owner told me he's been at this location for 5 years after previously operating out of a smaller space in the OSU campus. Y'all, he moved to have more room and parking for his customers. I think you know what to do. Run over there and show some love, NOW.

Cozy Ethiopian place with delicious vegan food. It's usually just the owner or one person working,…read moreso expect service to be on the slower end, but it's all made to order in the back. We usually get the platter and split it.

I would love to see more Ethiopian restaurants get a bit more attention than they do. I've only…read morebeen to Nile Vegan in the city and it's delicious! My friend had never had this cuisine so I suggested it. Parking in the rear and at the front of the building. Quite a number of customers inside too! The guy at the bar was basically the only server. He took orders for drinks and food and also delivered food to tables. He seemed busy and flustered. My friend and I both ordered the doro wat. Hers was chicken while my version was already mixed in with the injeera. It was a LOT of food. More than I usually get portion-wise. Next time, I'll order to share. The food didn't disappoint! Filling and great seasoning! It's got a larger menu than I'm used to seeing so I definitely would come back to try something else. Love it here!

Excellent! Fresh, tender injera and well flavored dishes all around. Friendly service, chill vibes,…read morefelt very authentic. Plus a bar with beer and liquor! Highly recommend.

Outstanding food, beautiful staff, plenty of spice, and great prices…read more I've never had Somali food before, and I'll seek it out in the future! (Oh, the housemade lemonade was also sweet, tart, and fresh: highly recommended!)

I stopped by this food stall for lunch after seeing so many great reviews and decided to try the…read moreChicken Safari, injera bread, and a sambusa. Since it was my first time trying this style of cuisine, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The food was flavorful, and I enjoyed getting to experience something new. While I thought everything was good, it didn't quite stand out enough to be memorable compared to some other meals I've had. One thing that did stand out was the service. The staff member who helped me was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and happy to answer my questions, which made for a great overall experience. If you're looking to try Somali cuisine while visiting the North Market, this is a solid option with good food and excellent customer service.

Delicious ethnic food! Yum! Try the camel meat if you're feeling adventurous. I didn't see it on…read morethe menu but I had read they have it. We asked and you can either have it fried or roasted. We opted for roasted and were not disappointed. Goat and camel were both cooked to perfection. Both meats were wonderfully tender and flavordul. It's a no frills place with pictures on the wall with prices crossed out serving as the menu. Its location isn't the greatest but it's fine during the day. You could also get takeout. Food comes out quickly. I will be back!

The chicken is really good, there is a lot of different kind of meats offered, even lamb! I had…read morerice on the side also.

This is my favorite restaurant in Columbus. I forgot to take a picture of my husband's spinach beef…read morestew with sounded yam. The waitress cashier was training and she was working hard as always. She was training 2 young ladies and ensured they attended well to all customers. The upgrades to the restaurant brings it up to date all the while preserving the flavor with the traditional dishes. They offer a spice sauce use at your discretion it is definitely spicey. Love it here they have a new watermelon water i never tried before that is no sugar added and is perfect for a warm spring day.

Service - Amazing: Ambiance - Bright, Clean, Fun! Food - Best Jolloff I have ever had. I had the…read moregoat and my husband had the snapper, fried. It was delicious! I would give five stars, but my food came about 10 minutes before my husband's. This place is a gem!

"I HAD A Fantastic Experience!"…read more ZARA restaurant offers delicious food, friendly service, and a cozy atmosphere. Every dish we tried was excellent. Highly recommend!

Great food! The lamb was spiced perfectly, and the portions met expectations for a take out/…read moredelivery order. I *almost* feel like I bought too much in anticipation that the entree wouldn't be enough for my family of three-- but we're more than content with the amount of food. The side shiro and yellow lentils were good for my toddler as they weren't as "hot" (my 18 month doesn't say spicy yet). The amount of injera that came with the Lamb entree and the side shrio was wooo perfect, because we love injera. It's best described by me - an outsider- as like an Ethiopian sourdough tortilla!?! So good, spongey and clings to every delicious flavor of anything it touches. The only thing I'd suggest they add/offer/fix-- greek yogurt or anything similar in the Ethiopian culture to help lil people/young eaters cool their mouths, luckily I had some greek yogurt in the house to help my lil girl lol because she was not ready for the handful of Jalapeno'd Lamb she grabbed . Perfect meal though! MmMm can't wait to see how any left overs reheat and that'll definitely get added to the review, because who doesn't love big portions that leave delicious left overs ?! The service was quick and on point too-- I ordered at about 4pm-- and I live on the opposite side of town-- food arrived hot and well packaged by 4:23pm. I noticed I had a missed call from tbe restaraunt, they'd ran out of my drink and wanted to offer a replacement (good and quick work to their front of house lady). They weren't messing around, attention to detail -- check , polite and respectful -- check , quick and accurate order+ seamless deliver with Grub Hub -- check!!! Definitely will be ordering again! A previous yelper who reviewed said if you like Lalibela you'll like this place, as a long time fan of Lalibela, I agree! Part of how I how I found Zara was that I couldn't order Lalibela on Grubhub.

The food is always fantastic here. You can get beef or chicken and pick between rice, pasta or…read morebread!!! If you are very picky about seating arrangements or ambiance I would take it to go because it is not a fancy place. You literally go there for good home cooked affordable food!

Simplistic menu. I would not say that anything particular stand out as unique. It literally is…read morechicken that's cooked in BBQ sauce and they serve it to you with a bunch of vegetables and rice with a banana. The chi Ken I got was also a bit dry, but I heard the leg is a lot more tender so I might go for that next time. They do give you w lot of food for the price though. I came with a large group and we were separated from the rest of the restaurant. We were placed in a room which allowed us to have privacy but they kept closing the door which felt kinda odd since it was like we were trapped haha. The ranch sauces they provide goes quite well with the bbq chicken. There is a spicy one and a regular one. The yellow bottle is spicy and the red bottle is regular.