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    Katar River Restaurant and Bakery

    4.4 (35 reviews)
    ModerateEthiopian
    Open 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Order Katar River Restaurant and Bakery Takeout or Delivery

    Katar River Restaurant and Bakery Photos

    Business Info

    KATAR RIVER RESTAURANT AND BAKERY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Katar Combination for two, plenty!
    Ben I.

    This unsuspecting restaurant tucked into what looks like an industrial warehouse is an excellent place to experience the cuisine and culture of Minnesota's East African community. The decor inside was a welcome change to sludgy and gray Minneapolis, with colorful woven art on the walls and abundant potted plants. Spicy and sweet tea was served to us in a beautiful pot, and the waiter kindly explained how to enjoy it with our meal. We had the combination platter for two (which could've easily fed four) and the minchet abish, of which every dish was delicious. The injera that accompanied the mains was deliciously spongey and sour. I will definitely return for the hospitality and good food, as well to try my own hand at East African cuisine with ingredients from the well-stocked grocery that occupies half of the restaurant.

    Exterior patio with lots of seating (August 2021).
    Kedar D.

    I hadn't been back to Katar River in over a decade, but it's still around, it's still good and, if anything, has improved by offering more vegan options. This restaurant is also an Ethiopian grocery store and, oddly, connected to a shipping warehouse. It's easy to miss and not in a place you'd expect, but it has lots of great outdoor seating. I ordered a bunch of their vegan dishes. The key sir ($11) consists of beets and potatoes and tasted great. The kik alicha ($11) is split peas in a turmeric sauce and was mild in taste, but I loved the texture and integrity of the split peas. The misir wot ($11) was excellent with spicy and cinnamon-dusted red lentils. The fosolia ($11) consists of green beans and carrots and was good. I also got lentil sambusas ($1.50 each). These had a thick and layered shell which I found interesting, but the interior lentil filling was dry. It was decent on a whole, though, considering the price. Katar River is a hole-in-the-wall and a super authentic experience for Ethiopian food. If you're looking for slightly better food, I recommend Red Sea in Cedar-Riverside or Agelgil in St. Paul. Dilla (Minneapolis) and Fasika (St. Paul) are also respectable.

    10. Vegetarian Combo (above) 32. Meat Combo (below)
    Muneeb H.

    Nice Ethiopian restaurant that doubles as an Ethiopian grocery store (stock up on Injera, Teff flour, Berbere spice mix etc) Food is always wonderful with *huge* portions. Service can be a little slow but wonderful staff working. Easy 5-10 minute walk from the Lake St. Light rail station. Come hungry.

    Sampler meat platter for 3
    Calvin H.

    First time trying Ethiopian food and this did not disappoint. It was a new experience eating a full meal with our hands. Our group of 4 decided on the sampler meat platter for 3 and it filled each of us up with leftovers. We also got two fresh sambusa. An experience to remember. Owners and operators of the business are kind and happy with what they do. Thank you guys for serving up the community with delicious food.

    33. 3 Meat and 3 Veggie Combo // Veggie and Meat Sampler Platter (for 3 people)
    Iris C.

    First time trying Ethiopian food! It did not disappoint. It was such a great experience. Our group of 4 ordered the meat & veggie platter to share (we got the 3 person platter) and we shared a few of the lentil sambusas. So much food, and even had some leftovers. Everything was tasty and flavorful. Definitely a must-try! Lots of local and Ethiopians here dining, so you know it's authentic!

    Sampler platter for 3.

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    This place is for real authentic. Huge meal sizes, the combo for 4 feeds a family of six. For two days. People are friendly.

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Extremely kind people here and the food was great! The sampler platter (meat) for 3 was abundant and tasty! Highly recommend it

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    The food is amazing, obviously some food is spicy but overall very good. Vegetarian ComboKatar Ultimate

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    9 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    15 years ago

    Really tasty, healthy and cheap (except the fish, which I didn't like).

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    14 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    11 years ago

    good food, good service and the best coffe

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    Ask the Community - Katar River Restaurant and Bakery

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    Dilla's

    Dilla's

    4.1
    (169 reviews)
    1.3 mi
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    Our veggie combo at Dilla's was beautiful and delicious. Friendly service and wonderful food. We…read morewill return soon!

    It has been a very long while since I have had Ethiopian, and I heard that Dilla's was the place to…read moretry in the Twin Cities. After a brief adventure thanks to Apple Maps, we arrived. There is a large paid lot right next to the restaurant, so parking was easy. We did arrive early--right at 5, so that probably helped. We were seated pretty quickly as well. As others have noticed, the service is quite slow (there seems to be only one person working the front of the house), though that felt like it was part of the experience--there was a distinct "gathering place" vibe, and there were plenty of regulars who were engrossed in conversation... it seemed like everyone was family there. The decor added to the family/community feel, with art, textiles, and wicker ware all contributing to a homey feel. Of course what you're really wondering about is the food. It's quite tasty. We started with the veggie sambusas, which were hot and crispy and came with a spicy tomato chutney that was just delicious. We also ordered the fule, which was quite tasty and filling. I loved the seasonings and textures. My favorite dish, though, was Dilla's Mix. It was absolutely beautiful to behold thanks to the jewel-toned beets and golden squash, and the juices of the veggies combined with the spices to create a glorious sauce. It was very comforting and oh-so-satisfying. Of course, all was served with springy injera to scoop it up with. Their injera is a bit lighter and milder than some that I have had elsewhere, but it does the trick nicely. As others have mentioned, Dilla's serves entrees in their own dishes, which is great if you are a group that likes to share.

    Photos
    1. Sambusa with Veggies
    1. Sambusa with Veggies
    9. Fule and 45 Dilla's Mix
    9. Fule and 45 Dilla's Mix
    Dilla's

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    Lulu's EthioVegan Cuisine

    Lulu's EthioVegan Cuisine

    4.8
    (56 reviews)
    2.2 mi

    Lulu's is casual, family owned, and full of flavor! I visited for the first time with friends who…read moreare vegetarian - and it was such a treat to be able to order anything on the menu and know that nothing would contain meat! The Wot and rice are the definition of comfort food, the falafel were crispy, and the mushrooms came out of the kitchen sizzling. Service was quick and incredibly kind. Next time you're looking for a new, vegetarian/vegan bite - definitely come to Lulu's!

    Before commenting on the food taste and quality, I want to emphasize how important it is for this…read moreestablishment to exist in such a neighborhood. Normally, daily Ethiopian food that's not in the US are vegan, so what is offered here is closer to what's authentically made in Ethiopian culture. I enjoyed pretty much all the dishes I had, and I would recommend this spot to anyone who wants good vegan food. My friends had the awaze tibs, which contained seitan, a high protein meat substitute, and it was seasoned very well, having an adequate amount of spice. I ordered the mushroom tibs, and it was okay, because it tasted as if the only seasoning was salt, and it was a bit dry, which indicated that the mushrooms were overcooked. In addition to such, we had a few veggies on the samplers, including miser, ater kik, gomen, fasolia, and keysir. They all had a good amount of seasoning and in general tasted good with the injera. I would say, though, that they may have all needed a bit more mekelesha, because I have had more vibrant-tasting versions of all of those veggies elsewhere. One thing worth noting was that shiro wasn't one of the options for the veggie sampler, so I had to order a separate portion of shiro, since I considered it necessary when consuming Ethiopian food in general, and it tasted good, in a conventional manner. It seems like per the menu that they have a shiro wot now, which indicates how popular it is among customers.

    Photos
    Inside restaurant
    Inside restaurant
    Vegan brownie ($4).
    Vegan brownie ($4).
    Baklava

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    Baklava

    Katar River Restaurant and Bakery - ethiopian - Updated June 2026

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