Yum! Stopped here in place of my usual spot and was pleasantly surprised! The man was friendly and the wait was quick! I ordered the shrimp with rice (skipped the salad as I thought I might re-heat) and got both offered sauces. The second it hit my mouth I was satisfied. It's in a great location on Church Street in New Haven so I will definitely be back for a quick lunch. read more

Lalibela Cart - Ethiopian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Had a fabulous experience here during lunch today! I purposely didn't bring a lunch to work (which isn't the norm for me) so that I could go to the café in my office building, but I found out it was closed. I knew that there were sometimes food trucks over by the Yale Whale, so I had to at least check the area out. When I pulled up, there was a lot of traffic in the area, but I managed to snag a spot along the street right next to the truck. It was kind of difficult to get in the spot because there was a line of cars behind me. Thankfully, the man working the Lalibela truck was signaling to me to make sure that I was in the parking spot correctly! When I was finally in the spot, I thanked him for helping me, and ordered a vegetarian combo. Best lunch I've had in a long time. The three scoops I ordered were the spicy lentils, the yellow lentils, and the mixed vegetables. I chose to have injera as my side. I love the food from the sit-down restaurant so I knew the food from the truck would be great. I'll definitely be coming back here for future lunches! read more

Not really sure where/when this cart resides but the chicken is absolutely amazing! If only all good carts were this delicious... the chicken was moist and flavorful. Seemed like one of the healthier options. If its healthy and it tastes good that's a double win in my book!!! read more

Lalibela Cart - chicken and vegetables in a styrofoam container - Ethiopian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

So good!! Even if you haven't tried Ethiopian food, the entrees are very beginner friendly. The spicy chicken (doro wat) is great, and so are the spicy lentils, and the carrots and green beans. You get tons of food for $7, and you have the option to sub rice for injera. With so many food cart options, this one is definitely a good bet. Try it out. read more

While apartment hunting in New Haven I needed a bite to eat. I had heard of the food carts around Yale medical school and needed to give them a visit as I love food carts. I was very happy to see Ethiopian as one of the options as its one of my favorite types of food! The amount of food you get is great for $5. They only had 2 rolls of injera left so they let me have them with some rice for no extra charge. The spicy beef is fantastic. Though I wish the collard greens had more flavor, they seemed pretty bland like they were cooked alone with no spices. After I move to the area I know where I will be grabbing lunch almost every day! read more

This is a wonderful cart, with so many healthy options and the nicest lady who runs the operation. She and her assistants make it one of the best carts in the area. Vegans can do very well here, too, but I wouldn't want to miss out on the beef and chicken dishes that are always so consistently delicious. Five dollars for a full, healthy meal is a great deal. The only thing I would request is the possibility of ordering a whole piece of injera separately, rather than the smaller rolled pieces that come with the meal, so that you don't have to worry about running through your injera too soon. I see that some reviewers have noted their use of styrofoam, this must have been an aberration, since I've always been served in a tinfoil to-go container with a paper lid, all recyclable. And you can bring your own container that they will gladly fill. I'm very happy to be able to enjoy this cuisine so regularly. read more

This is my favorite cart outside of the rink! the food is delicious and it is very affordable ($6 for a huge plate). I usually have spicy chicken with two of the veggie sides and injera. The restaurant downtown is good as well but this is a great quick lunch option. read more

If they had more of the selections from the restaurant available at the cart, this would be a no-brainer five star rating. That's barely a criticism, as the options they do have are equal in quality to what you would get if you went to their sit-down location. The green beans and carrot, spicy lentils, doro wat, and yellow split peas are all delicious. And please, get the injera. I'm not even sure why rice is an option. There's no good reason NOT to get the injera. It's fresh and chewy and has that delicious sourdough flavor that pairs perfectly with the food. Sadly, this cart is criminally underpatronized compared to many of the others. But take heart! That means there's rarely a line at Lalibela and you can be enjoying your delicious Ethiopian food while everyone else is still waiting to stuff their face with greasy, all-you-can-eat Thai noodles. read more

Five star for the amount of the food and the flavor. Only $5 and you can get to choose three items with rice or injera. I highly recommend getting the injera. It is slightly tart and goes well with all the dished they have to offer. Their green been and carrot is really magical! That is the must get item. Of course other items are yummy as well. A great cart really worth checking out! read more

Lalibela's cart is great. The other reviewer is right to warn us about how quickly the injera can go. The styrofoam isn't my favorite either, but I actually really like their stuff on rice. I often ask for a couple injera rolls on the side too (best of both worlds!) and they've always obliged gratis even when I offer extra $. Their always sunny customer service, tasty+spicy, and plentiful vegetarian options has made Lalibela my go-to cart over the past year. I just hope they'll still be around over the summer! read more

The awaze beef was very dry and tough. It seems that they didn't season or marinate any of their meat before putting it in the sauce -- so bland and watery. At least the awaze chicken was tender. Lentils were just ok -- a bit cold. The injeera was thick and starting to dry up. I hope they weren't left over from last night. :( Meh. I've had a lot better. But hey, this is a food cart so 2 stars you go. read more

My fave of the carts. Best for combination of quality, quantity, and price. The best dishes they do are the veggie ones - lentils etc. I think its sometimes a little less popular than a few of the other carts because people aren't familiar with Ethiopian cuisine (me included). But its all pretty mainstream ingredients, just very tasty. read more

I LOVE going to the carts. Lalibela is GREAT food and has many vegetarian options. Like most of the carts, Lalibela gives you WAY more food than I can usually eat in one sitting and there is usually enough for left overs. read more

Lalibela Cart - food trucks parked in a parking lot - Ethiopian Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

The food at the Lalibela Cart is among my favorites in New Haven. You can't go wrong with the spicy chicken, split peas, mild lentils or fosolia. You MUST order the injera. While I love the food, I equally love my conversations with Charlie. He makes stopping by the cart a worthwhile part of my week. read more

I think I need a 12-step program, I get lunch here every single day when I'm in town. Completely addicted. At first I used to rotate through the veggie options, but eventually I quit dabbling:injera with spicy lentils, collard greens & zucchini is where it's at. Shillamat, you're a culinary goddess! read more

Of the food carts on Science Hill, probably one of the best choices. Many other carts seem to stuff the containers with rice or water, but here you pay for what you get meats and/or veggies. Ethiopian food is well adapted to vegans too if you are one, since they fast 50 days a year - so the food is similar to Indian food in some regard. read more

I don't know what they do to the carrots and green beans, but it's totally addictive. You will be sad when you finish it. The spicy chicken is great, as is the spinach, collard greens, and just about everything else. I always get it with the bread, so I'd say go that route, but they do offer rice as well. read more

This is my favorite cart if I'm looking for a healthy lunch. Last time I had yellow lentils, green beans and carrots, and spicy chicken which were all very flavorful. They use a combination of spices to make it tasty without being too oily or salty, like the noodles/stir fry from some other carts. I love the injera- a whole wheat sourdough bread- and recommend it if you like sourdough. If you don't like sourdough I'd advise sticking with the rice. read more

lots of veg options of different wots (stews) - combo is 4 types for $5 with injera (if available) lalibela is a good cart but it's very popular so things can run out quickly, especially injera (as previous reviewers said) but also the best wots (they vary in tastiness just as in the restaurant) i would go there all the time but usually don't have lunch until 12:30 when most of the best things are gone styrofoam containers read more

The spicy lentils, the spinach and potato and the zucchini side dishes that I ordered [all vegetarian], where accompanied by 5 rolls of the most amazing Injera. Everything was fresh, tasty, not oily at the least and served just in the right portion size. I strongly recommend lunch at Lalibela Cart! read more

Average Ethiopian food, but pretty small portions compared to the other cart options in the same parking lot. The others give you so much it's almost enough for lunch the next day- here I'm just barely full. They do have many vegetarian options and it is the only spot around for Ethiopian food. But this is still better than the restaurant which has incredibly slow service. read more

Had a chance to try Ethiopian food for the first time at the lalibela cart. Everything was fresh and for $7 I could get 2 entrees with rice or injera, or ethiopian 'tortillas' if you will, made with sourdough bread. I tried a couple of different veggies, all good, but I really enjoyed the sweet potato. Also the owner was very kind and quick. read more

What a wonderful cart, especially for vegetarians! I had never had Ethiopian food prior to coming to New Haven, but this cart converted me; I now get food from here practically every lunch. For vegetarians, the spicy lentils and green beans and carrots are amazing, other items are good too, but not quite in the same class. While it is a dollar more than some of the other carts ($6 for three entrees +injera or rice), you will still never get this much Ethiopian food for so little anywhere. The woman who runs the cart is also super nice and somehow remembers all the orders of the zillion people who are regulars there; I was away for 6 months, and she still remembered when I came back! The line also moves quickly, so you can get in and out fast. My only complaint is that I miss the spicy potatoes, but the rest is great too. read more

I just tried the cart for the first time and loved the food. I had a red lentil dish, the green beans and carrots which were perfectly sweet and my favorite, and the spinach and potatoes. I had it with rice since I'm not a big fan of the Ethiopian bread. The rice was short grained sticky rice and very tasty. I just wish there was a bit less rice and a bit more of the vegetables. The potatoes and spinach were good, but I'll probably try something different the next time. The other two dishes were amazing. Can't wait to go back! read more

for only $5, you get 3 items plus rice or injera. spicy beef and spicy lentils were tasty.

Delicious. $7 and you get 2 vegetarian options, 1 meat, and a drink with either rice or injera. The collard greens are so good, as is the potatoes. The woman working will normally help newbies learn how to use the injera too :) read more