I really needed this on a day like today. I had some time before class and this was my breakfast/lunch mealtime. Yelp helped me decide on this place. I've passed it many times and today I finally ventured in. I wanted to go somewhere with a TV and ethiopean food and this place met the criteria. The woman who greeted me, and I think ultimately made the food too, was very friendly. I ordered lamb tibs and it was really good! As the several photos on here show, the food comes on a huge thing of their bread with another one next to it, so there's plenty to eat with. I think if I had a chance to redo the meal I would have ordered another meat instead of lamb because it was a little too lamb-y and I think the cut could have been chosen better. I cannot describe it because obviously it's the taste of lamb, but I've had it in other places where it tastes better. After I ate, I lingered a bit and the same woman asked if I'd like coffee. Of course, I said "yes, please!" because I was 20 minutes away from a two-hour class and I hadn't had any coffee yet. Good stuff. I felt very welcome here and the prices are reasonable in relation to the amount of food you get. I think she was disappointed I didn't eat everything, but I was full! I'm definitely coming back, and maybe next time I'll get the Citywide special too! Tip: $10 minimum on credit cards. read more

We sorta happened upon Queen Of Sheba. The wife, baby and I began heading with hopes of hitting up Dock Street. Well, Dock Street is not open on Sundays. At that point we were committed to Baltimore Avenue, but both wanted something new. That cancelled out the usual good spots, The Gold Standard, Vientiane Café, and Vietnam Cafe. And, yes, those are two different places spelled almost the same, one Thai, the other Vietnamese. So, this brought us to Queen Of Sheba. We had talked many times about trying out some Ethiopian food, especially since there are several in the area. Sheba was more bar than restaurant. It was very empty, so we had the run of the place. There menu was very small. I was disappointed they did not have any meat combinations. We initially were going to get the chicken and lamb tidbits, as well as an app called Foul. The waitress was kind enough to tell us that was A LOT of food. She informed us each meat dish comes with a mess of veggies. So, we decided on just the chicken. Moments later we were told they were out of the chicken. Who runs out of chicken? It's not like there was a rush of people that came in before us. It was 1pm on a Sunday. We almost left, but got over it and ordered the lamb. When the food arrived, we were very pleased. It all tasted very good. The lamb was tender and there was hardly any fat. The bread was done just right, just the right amount of sponginess. The veggies were done just right as well. We also really enjoyed the Foul, which is not to be confused with Fowl. It's actually vegetarian and I believe bean based. All in all, the food was good. The decor was shabby. And the lack of chicken was a bummer. read more

This is a great place. Decided to stop in during the Baltimore Ave Dollar Stroll as they had $1 PBR's advertised....and I'm glad the rain made me stick around. Especially in time for Quizzo...which I kind bombed at, but, I guess it's okay. Food and service is excellent. I got some kind of spicy lamb dish with peppers and sauce over rice. So bangin! And a portion big enough to serve 2-3 for $10+tip. Ethiopian food is definitely a favorite from here on out. Drinks were cheap as well 2 mixed drinks and a beer came to $11, one of which was Miller Fortune for $3. A nearly 7% ABV beverage, I mind you. You're lucky if the closest watering hole to you has High Life for that price. My only complaint is the $10 minimum for cards. Combatted that by ordering in bulk, though, that isn't always feasible. Will return. read more

Ive never actually tried the food here but I've stopped in several times for drinks. It's a lounge after restaurant hours and they make some pretty cheap but stiff drinks. I stopped in yesterday during dollar stroll to grab some Pabst Blue Ribbon for $1 and hung out for a bit. It has a very casual and laid back vibe so it's a good place to go to grab a drink with friends. read more

I went here on a Friday night with some friends. We ordered the veggie combo and the doro wot. The veggie combo was okay, but a bit lacking in flavor. The doro wot was laughably bad. The "chicken" they served us was almost entirely just bone. It looked like someone ripped most of the meat off a few chicken thighs, then stuck the bones in the doro wot sauce and served it to us. The sauce was, like the veggie combo, okay, but not as flavorful as other places, like Abyssinia. The service and restaurant cleanliness didn't seem any better than the other Ethiopian places in west philly, and the service was not anything great. read more

Holla. City wide specials. Talk to Will. Get some wings. One of the best "dive" bars on Baltimore... -- The Man read more

There was a time, years ago, when I only had one friend who would go here with me. Sure, the clientelle was primarily African (nothing wrong with that) and the facade a little suspect, but I always had a great time here around the big curved bar. Bartenders were sweet, and drinks were cheap, and the juke box was jumping. I *guess* I'm pleased that other people have finally discovered this little gem, though it will eventually mean that it's impossible to hide from the people I know. read more

Great neighborhood spot, good bartenders, good tibs. They had a great blues guitarist in one Saturday, I think he plays Sunday nights normally but it was just a great time. My bf is a regular and they keep him in tibs and lager and he's a happy guy. If you're in the neighborhood stop in! read more

if you've never tried ethiopian go somewhere else - this place is for a specific ethiopian restaurant experience. the 1 star reviews are funny - they should probably never go to africa. Popped by this place last Saturday afternoon for a late lunch with my dad after the Penn Museum when the place I wanted to take him was closed. shared 2 entrees for 24 bucks. that included a beer actually. Not bad. sauces were good (not bad but not tasty) and the greens sadly had that "straight out of the can" taste you sometimes get. oh well. their beri-beri sauce has a nice dusty heat. felt sorry for my dad who drank his water too quickly because the waitress was lazy and unattentive - but in a friendly way. owners and cook are nice. the owner put some ethiopian dance music on the jukebox for a party who came with two kids wearing ethiopian soccer jerseys. it took me back to my peace corps days. so, it's a pretty authentic african bar/restaurant here in philly that doesn't appear to over-use maggi. pretty much like a foodstall with seating you'd find in a large town in africa except they actually have what's on the menu. decor is great and unintentionally dive. classic neon beer signs in the window and that seal of a quality bar in africa - Guinness - but they also have yards in the bottle to represent craft brews. the waitress doesn't know though - so if you want it you just have to order it. Kinda wished I lived in West Philly so I could have a beer here from time to time. ps- don't bother with that tiny paper bar napkin, just wash your eating hand in the bathroom and open the door with the other one. read more

Cheapest city-wides this side of the Schuylkill. Do you need another reason to stop by this place on a Friday night? Everyone here is very friendly and welcoming. I wish their menu had more to offer, but the fries are steak fries and are also DELICIOUS. read more

My wife and I just had dinner here on a sunday night. We have eaten at other Ethiopian resturants in the area. This one has a limited menu, but the food was very good. The service was also extremely attentive. Compared to other Ethiopian restuarants in the area I would say this one gives bigger portions (particularly of meat) for the money. We were stuffed for a total of $19 for the 2 of us. As they do not serve dessert and we wanted a little something to cleanse the palate after dinner, we went to a nearby cafe for dessert and tea and spent almost as much there as we had on our entire dinner at Queen of Sheba. This is also a really interesting and diverse neighborhood. read more

West Philly is likely one of the few places in the states where you can legitimately claim the Ethiopian restaurant market is saturated, thus places need to be on their top game. Queen of Sheba has been around as long as I can remember, but for some reason I always thought is was just a bar. This misunderstanding had me missing out on one of the best vegetarian combos around. Sorry Abyssinia, but I think I've found a new place. That said, it's more of a sit at the bar and order kind of place, the restaurant section was desolate the two times I've gone, but the bartenders are friendly, and the beer is pretty reasonable, the food takes a little time, but then any good Ethiopian food I've had does. read more

This has been my favorite local bar for almost 20 years. Food is great ethiopian food n the service is fast and friendly.

The worst dining experience of my life. We were told when we sat down that things were a little backed up in the kitchen, but after an hour when we hadn't gotten our food we decided to check on the status. We were told it would be 'right out' but it was another 20 minutes before the first item came out, and 10 to 15 until the next one, and the last one was so long we canceled it. We were there for 1 hour 40 minutes and only 15 of that was eating. All the waitress had to say was "I TOLD you it would be a while!" If we had known 'a bit of a wait' meant over an hour we wouldn't have bothered to eat there. It wasn't the dinner rush, it wasn't the weekend, it was after 10pm and there was only two other people in the dining room eating and maybe one person at the bar. No real apology, no discount, no nothing. We even had to go and ask for the check. Considering it is right next to Gojo and Dahlek, two excellent Ethiopian places, there's just no reason to risk an experience like this. read more

Queen of Sheba's food was very small and the service took eternity. The drinks are cheap, but they attract a dangerous crowd. I generally did'nt feel safe when I was there. The Ethiopian bartender spoke broken english, and was very hard to understand. Overall 1/5 stars! read more

Went in the late afternoon, about 4.30. The bartender was pleasant but said the chef wouldn't be in for a while so a meal was not to be had. Too bad. read more

There's a pretty good quizzo here Thursday nights at 8:30, which takes over the entire back booth area and can get pretty packed. The beers remain welcomingly inexpensive (like $3 Yuenglings). read more

The Queen is a great dive bar for de-stress and chill out time. This is *not* a trendy dive bar. It's actually a dark, kinda dirty, tacky bar with cheap TVs blaring sports. This is where you go for an irresponsible number of city wide specials with friends read more

I've wandered into here quite a few times now. The drinks are good (and cheap). You can't beat the citywide special! Give Will a holler, he'll take care of you! read more

Love the AUTHENTIC eritrean food here (if you don't want to try that they also have frid chicken, chicken fingers, fries, fried fish etc.) the owner is always so nice and pleasant as well as the staff come for an afternoon CITY SPECIAL a shot of whiskey and a beer for four bucks! read more

They have cheap beer and nice people. I don't get to West Philly much, but when I'm in the area, I go there. The food is weird. I like it. read more

They have a quality (ie cheap) city-wide special and a legit dive bar experience. If you like dives this is one of the many Baltimore Avenue gems. read more

if you know exactly what you want out of your night. meaning: the plan is 8 minute walk to your friend Karen's house on Osage (she's doing good, just promoted at work!) 5 minute walk to Queen of Sheba get in the door (opens in). Find a seat. Theres two next to each other! 2 minute take off coat, look at menu, order a drink howareyouhowareyougoodgoodcrazystroyawwwwsogoodtoseeyou 25 minutes - 2 drinks- food comes yum (take the Instagram photo) ?? minutes - eating one more drink home and in bed by 10:30am to get up for work (plug your phone is to charge! **bonus points if you already received 3 likes on your Instagram from Sheba) that it? don't go to Queen of Sheba. or go. If I see you, I'll buy you a drink. as an fyi WaWa serves hoagies. read more

QUEEN OF SHEBA is an INCREDIBLE & unique find in a city inundated with thousands of restaurants. It is an Ethiopian restaurant and i have been here now about 6 times over the past couple years. I have NEVER even seen a glimpse of disappointment. It is absolutely DELICIOUS!! The restaurant is family owned and ran and you feel like you are transported from the moment you walk into the front door. It is very well laid out with a large table overlooking the street, then a small bar area with a larger area behind that housing a bunch of tables, both conventional and also traditional (low seats with a center coffee table high area for setting food into....VERY authentic & FUN). The service is GREAT and everything can be well explained to you if you are not familiar with the cuisine or style. Everyone is incredibly friendly & helpful. The food is EXTRAORDINARY on every level....taste, scent, preparation & presentation. It is very similar to a stew appearance on most items and so VERY flavorful in the best way. You do not have utensils (available if requested) but instead you are presented with a multitude of crepes which you use as a utensil by tearing off a piece, using it to pick up food & eating it. It is so much FUN. We have tried a sampler tray several times and it is a highly recommended way of trying out an array of items....the tray can be done as a meat tray or a vegetable tray or combination of both. There is a bar.....our consistent favorite is the TEJ WINE, a honey wine that perfectly compliments the Ethiopian flavors. Just Go & Enjoy the UNIQUENESS of Queen of Sheba. They do take reservations and it is well worth the trip to it!! read more

The food is great, except the fish. Don't order the fish. But the classic curries are fabulous, and if you order meat you get vegetables with it. Incredibly good value and flavors are spot on. Ambiance is a little lacking- but it's a bar with a restaurant side so for what it is it's great. We also bring our toddler, there are booths. I recommend to try this one- it's the best one for Ethiopian food in the area if you aren't worried about having a huge menu or the fancy ambiance. read more

Good times and good food. Though it's totally a dive bar, they have Doc Street on tap which I was happy to see. I ordered the veg combo. It was HUGE and delicious. The vibe was relaxed and chatty. I had such a great night here, I think it's gonna be a standard destination for me. read more

awesome dive bar!!!! $3 citywides here! LOOOOOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. also $9 pitchers (like real actual large pitchers, not the lame ones with a big hollowed out area in the middle for ice but it means it's actually only half a pitcher). SO MUCH CHEAP ALCOHOL. read more

Great friendly bar with really good Ethiopean food. I'm no Ethiopean expert, but their food was filling and tasty. Pleasant service and never too crowded. Great place to catch a Sixers game or occasionally catch some live music. read more

Yummy Doro Wat - justy the perfect spice! Our bartender was lovely - people in the bar were friendly. This was a fun visit back to my old neighborhood from the 1980s.This place is an interesting combination of urban neighborhood bar (I remember it as Off The Wagon - ugh) with great ethnic food & even decent beer from Dock Street up on 50th st. Different!! read more

Came here one night to eat Ethiopian food me and my friend ordered the Beef tibs and gored gored it was flavorful and real quality Ethiopian food! Definitely give this place a try if your in West philly! read more