If there was more than 5*, I would have been given it. We came to Toronto for vacation for 10 days, and since we came, we have been going to Selam restaurant every day for dinner. We have been to many Ethiopian restaurants around US and other part of the world but no other Ethnic food is better than Selam Restaurant. The food is very delicious and the customer service is one of its kind. I will recommend to everyone to try this healthy and delicious food with welcoming and warm hospitality. read more

This place is around Odsingtom and Bloor parking is around the residential area. The place is clean, nicely decorated have friendly servers. We sat in the front where there is like a tent and you could see outside interestingly enough after the front area you have the bar area and then the back area. Most of the people decided to sit at the back area, (more condensed tables) which I feel less cosy. There was a tent area in the very back, set up for a large group.In any case, it's great that they serve a variety of alcoholic drinks and has lounge atmosphere in the front area. They play instrumental music without lyrics that is very relaxing. Ordered the SELAM special for two it included three veggies and the chicken and beef tins which were not a lot of meat to be honest so we added a side of kitfo which was actually a good portion of meat. If I had the SELAM special for two without adding the extra, I would've been very disappointed as the meat amount is very little. The cost was $40 for the platter and $12 extra for the kitfo. read more

Selam Restaurant & Lounge - Selam special for two includes chicken and beef ribs and three veggies your choice. Added kitfo for $12 - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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It would have been perfect if only the service was up there to match the food. The servers were polite and a pleasure to speak with, but all the long wait times were just unacceptable. It was good that we were sitting in a spot closest to the bar, at least it sort of made it easy to spot us whenever we call for service. I can only imagine how hard it could be for those sitting way out at the back. We had to call for attention several times to follow up on our requests for a glass of water and our dessert. For our order of cheesecake, we followed up at least 2 times (maybe more) but later ended up with a server coming back to mention that it was no longer available. I would have also appreciated it if they were a lot more transparent with everything. They should have mentioned if requests for injera costs more and by how much. The final bill amount was just a total they gave you shown in the machine. It would have been only proper to give a breakdown of all items listed to just double check if calculations were correctly done. The saving grace was that the food served was such a treat. I got the Ethiopian dining experience I came for. I especially loved the chewiness of the lamb that came with the Selam platter, and the people I dined with have good comments about the mushrooms, which were a part of the veggie options of the platter. read more

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Category: Ethiopian food; ethnic food. I had a fantastic meal at Selam. Here are the details: Food: 5/5 Service: 4/5 Ambiance: 4/5 Value: 5/5 We ordered the Selam's Platter for two for $35. This was a small feast, and a very good value. The platter is a Combination of traditional beef and chicken tibs served with choice of three vegan dishes. The beef was amazing. The chicken was alright, but not as good as the beef. For the 3 vegetarian dishes we selected: 1. Hamli - Collard green stew - This was AMAZING. Such big flavour, with great spices. 2. Mushroom tib - very delicious. Probably has lots of butter. 3. Shiro - Roasted chickpea and split pea stew - this was a puree. Very nice. I would have preferred for the peas to be left whole. A side of hot sauce was very tasty, although not nearly hot enough ;) The platter is severe with plenty of traditional spongy and super delicious injera Ethiopian bread, which you use to scoop the tibs by hand. So, it makes for a fun (albeit messy) way to eat. Probably not a great dining option for a first date, but perfect for a third date ;) The ambiance for the restaurant was very nice. The decor is elegant, the lights are dim. At first they played some smooth jazz. Then they switched to a video of a live performance of Sharon Jones (which is phenomenal, incidentally), but I digress. A few words of constructive criticism for management: 1. The service overall was very good. However, I was somewhat disappointed that they insisted on sitting us in a two seat-table which was not conveniently located even though I requested to seat in a nicer table for 4 people. I didn't think that this was an unreasonable request since the restaurant was half empty and did not fill in for the duration of the evening. 2. The table was sticky. It's not the only place where I experienced sticky table. Still, I wish restaurants declared war on sticky tables. Something has to be done about those sticky tables.... 3. When I checked in with Yelp, I received a coupon for 10% off. But when I tried to redeem the coupon, I was told that they don't have a deal with Yelp, and that the deal was with the old management. Sill, I think the coupon should have been honoured, or else, removed from the system. Either way, I still chose to give the place a solid 5/5 stars. read more

I've enjoyed going to Selam for Ethiopian food, particularly the vegetarian dishes. My favourites are: timotim shroom tibs shroom shiro sweet potato I've also tried the beef tibs/chicken tibs which were so-so. Selam also has a nice ambience and a table in the back that's good for a larger group. read more

Pros: 1. You can choose what 6 dishes you'd like in your platter. 2. Gf injeera available. 3. Less greasy than most other Ethiopian restaurants. 4. Portions are great! Cons: 1. Flavour slightly bland, not the best. 2. Unsustainable styrofoam and plastic packaging. 3. Salad is $9 for lettuce and a few slices of onion, pepper, tomato. I liked the split peas the best. The collards were lacking in flavour (just a bit of garlic needed). The cabbage tasted slightly like tallow. Flavours were not as good as say Rendezvous Vous or Ethiopian House, but portions are bigger and the food IS healthier as it's less greasy. Salad needs more onions. Injeera can be put in a paper bag and not a plastic container and paper packaging like a pizza box would be great for the whole platter. read more

Selam Restaurant & Lounge - Vegetarian platter w gf injeera - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Very solid Ethiopian food with plenty of vegan options. I showed up around 6:30pm on a Friday looking to grab dinner. They were essentially full, but had a bar seat open, so I sat there and ordered their vegan platter ($18 plus tax for a choice of 6 vegan dishes). The food arrived in about 20 minutes. There was a decent portion of all 6 items. The highlights were the mushrooms tibs, sweet potato dish, and split peas, while the red lentils and shiro were also good, and the gomen being only average. There was plenty of injera to scoop up the food. I was quite satisfied by the end. Decent service, though a bit nonchalant. Worth trying. read more

Selam Restaurant & Lounge - Vegan combo with a choice of 6 dishes - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Great food in a relaxed but still upscale atmosphere. A friend and I shared a meat dish and a vegetarian plate. We loved everything on the plate! The service with helpful explanations. I recommend the small up-charge for the teff injera. If you like spicy ask for awaze! read more

Hands-down best Ethiopian food in North America. Puts other Ethiopian foods from Washington DC and New York City to shame.

Food, service, and atmosphere was great, we were new to Ethiopian cuisine. Got to try a fantastic selection of traditional Ethiopian dishes. I would recommend this place to anyone. Excellent experience read more

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The food here was delicious and they have an extensive vegan menu in addition to meat options. Everything was so delicious. The wine list is good and the staff are very nice. We loved eating here and will come back for sure. read more

I stumbled upon the restaurant during COVID last summer and it was surprisingly full of Ethiopians and people of different backgrounds all together enjoying the food! The atmosphere is delightful with nice music playing in the background and the smell of frankincense burning from coffee ceremonies. We ordered the vegan platter for two and the cha cha tibs (lamb), awaze beef tibs and doro watt (her majesty). Wow! The food was so good and every loved it and even the hard boiled egg in the doro watt was the favourite for many. I love my red lentils which was in the vegan platter. This place is great for groups because you can share various dishes. We ate on two big platters (5 ppls) because it's always fun to eat together and it's common in Ethiopian culture. To end, we enjoyed some traditional Ethiopian coffee. read more

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We have been back probably 7-8 times since my last review. I have to give them 5 stars, they deserve the perfect score. The food is always amazing, the service is very friendly and the ambiance is so cozy and comfortable. I highly recommend going to Selam (previously named Pero) and trying Ethiopean food! p.s. The last time we went I tried their ginger tea which was super gingery and spicy, I highly recommend trying that if you don't want to have the coffee. read more

Selam Restaurant & Lounge - Ginger tea (and coffee in the back) - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Delicious! We devoured our vegetarian platter, Ethiopian food is so flavourful. Note you will not get any utensils here - traditionally you pick up your food with the injera. They were lovely enough to bring out a rose petal and lemon finger bowl afterwards to clean our hands! Service was lovely, but we also went for a really early weeknight dinner so it wasn't busy. Really cosy decorated interior. I would definitely return. Note this restaurant used to be Selam up top and Pero downstairs where they had a buffet, but the staff told me they have closed Pero and kept the Selam restaurant name, focussing solely on a-la-carte. read more

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their customer service is really bad. The food they gave us wasn't good and it takes a lot of time

Excellent food and services. They have variety of choices from meat to vegan. We had coffee (comes with popcorn) as well with some coffee ceremony, it has a fun and interesting experience. read more

Selam Restaurant & Lounge - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We had not had Ethiopian food for many years so were anxious to try the unique flavors and presentation again. We opted to try Selam because the decor looked brighter than our previous meals had been at Lalibela and the reviews were positive. The decor was pleasing, the service prompt and helpful, and the food was fine but not outstanding. The spicing in the lentils, okra, and beef was appealing but the meat and chicken were dried out, evidently from being reheated after being prepared beforehand. Our memory of Lalibela was that the food was tastier and in larger portions there. read more

Great quality food family owned resteraunt such a sweet staff. Beautiful scenery. Rich culture. Very accommodating. read more

What an amazing find! This is Ethiopian food that will delight your senses and your taste buds! It's rare to find a restaurant that places such love in their food- this is a labor of love. We ordered the pero platter which comes with vegetarian and meat options. You soak up all this deliciousness with the bread they give you heaping portions of. I went back for many servings,as everything was so wonderful. We will definitely order from here again! We are very happy customers. read more

Should I say that we were lucky that our friends canceled our dinner plan? Lol, The show must go on, right? So, we decided to go to another restaurant and have something a bit healthier tonight. We decided to have Ethiopian food and wanted to try a place that we have never been before. I chose Pero based on Yelp reviews. I also purchased a deal from GROUPON for $17 for a PLATTER for two people. You can choose between Vegetarian (Vegan) or Meat (Pero) options. It was 47%off from the regular price $32. AMBIANCE (4 stars) It was a nice restaurant. You can smell herbs when you just walk in the place. The smell wasn't too strong. It went well with the atmosphere and music. It made us feel very relaxed. FOOD (4 stars) It was a HUGE platter for two people! Check my picture! I'm normally a big woman, but the platter could hide all of my body! Should I be happy? Lol, We got PERO PLATTER which came with two portions of CHICKEN TIBSI and BEEF TIBSI, and three choices of vegetarian items. We chose -TIMITIMO TSEBHI (Lentil stew with spices and herbs). Our waitress suggested us to have this one if we like spicy. And we love it! - SHERO WITH MUSHROOMS (Chickpeas sauce with sautéed mushrooms). This one was very tasty. - HAMLI (Green salad with garlic and ginger). It was sour, but it was nice to have some fresh vegetable to go with the platter. We also added on THE GORED GORED, served medium rare. My husband said that they were a bit hard to chew even though it was medium-rare. Maybe other people like it but I didn't think it was the right food for him lol. After finished all food which we couldn't finish lol. We packed the rest home and ordered the TRADITIONAL COFFEE which was infused with ginger and served with POPCORN. We had Ethiopian coffee with popcorn before at another restaurant and we like it. This time we didn't regret it either. I could smell and taste GINGER from my coffee right away when I was sipping it. DRINK (4 stars) We ordered the 1/2 liter of TRAPICHE CABERNET SAUVIGNON. It was $28. It is cheaper if you get a whole bottle which is $36. However, we knew we couldn't finish it, so we ordered only 1/2 liter. PRICE (4 stars) It is the average price. Maybe a higher than some Ethiopian restaurants. However, the platter for two people was massive. If you get a deal from Groupon, you will get almost 50% off from the regular price for the platter for two people. It's a very good deal. I was lucky because I got 20% off from the normal deal ($17). So, I paid $13 for the platter! AND I got 10% discount off from the food from Yelp CHECK-IN! OVERALL Good deal from Groupon and Yelp. Nice place. Satisfied! read more

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Horrible service from the beginning to end. We had a group of 15 and was celebrating a birthday. Reservations and cake being brought in was told to the restaurant prior. We were told we could have the tent booth prior but when we arrived we were seated elsewhere and they were hesitant to give the booth to our group. Upon the extremely slow service and annoyed waiters of having anything to do with our table, we were told a $15 cork fee was going to be applied for bringing in a cake. 10mins later we were told it's now 30$ because it's $15 per 6 people. None of this mentioned before and confused with the changing fees, we still waited about 20mins for plates to be brought out for the cake. Upon paying for our bill we were now told we were given a discount of $20 for the cork fee. With slow and rude and absent service, the food was mediocre. I would not come back here and everyone at the table agreed. They also do groupons which is to encourage new customers to try and come back again so I don't understand why they would lack in such bad service. The owner came by once and was polite but that was about it. 1/5 star. read more

Selam Restaurant & Lounge - Platter for 2. Apparently the 5 dishes vary as people at our table had different things given to them - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

It's amazing the food is delicious they have them a good service with dignity and respect I get fresh food always when I go there I'm so happy to be Salam Restaurant read more

Went here for Winterlicious dinner on Friday, January 27 with a couple of girlfriends. We were greeted by the owner himself and what a pleasant man! Staff were nice and attentive throughout the night. Nice, cosy, comfortable and eclectic atmosphere decked out with images, niknaks and paintings from and inspired the homeland. FOOD was incredible! We had the Collard Greens & Split Pea and Veggie Rolls for the appetizers. Beautifully presented and very delicious. For our main dishes, we had Beef Tibsi and Fish Goulash. I'm not a huge spicy eater and the awaze and berbere were mixed in other spices to create more of a flavour than just heat. Servers explained how to eat the dishes which was greatly appreciated, being our first time eating Ethiopian food. For dessert, we all shared the Coffee Cake, Chocolate Cake and Cheesecake. All were very good and not too sweet. Portion sizes of all dishes were perfect. Highly recommend this place and will be returning to try other items on the menu. Thank you Pero! read more

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A daily deal for a vegetarian platter for 2 enticed us to visit Pero but good food and service would bring me back to Pero. It was very quiet while we were there. We were the only diners for the most part, other than a few men at the bar. Our server, who I believe is the owner, was very attentive and answered all our questions. He talked us into ordering an appetizing of 'ethiopian sushi' that consisted of injera with spicy lentil pastes inside, rolled up and cut. It was good but very filling, as injera tends to be so make sure you're adeqately hungry before ordering this. We followed with a veggie platter that was smaller than the standard veg for 2 platter at Nazareth, that we are so used to, but also tasted much fresher. The wats were brightly coloured, something you don't see at Nazareth. We polished it off quickly, though I do remember some pieces of the eating injera being dry on the outside, as if they had been pre-rolled and then sat out, loosing some moisture. Wasn't a big deal though. I don't remember being charge extra for additional injera, otherwise I would consider this a sticking point. Overall the service was excellent. I like that they have a lot of veg options on their menu and there's this nice little coffee ceremony area that they said is for weekend use and for large groups. The drawbacks here are it's not very busy and I think this is due to the prices. $30 for a veggie platter for 2 vs. the $8 at Nazareth is pretty steep. Yes, quality is a factor but I think $15 per person for what is essentially a lentil dinner just doesn't make sense. They seem to be trying to go for the fine dining approach and the owner posts a lot of photos of chairs with fancy covers on them, but truly this is not what the ethiopian dining crowd is looking for in Toronto. People want good food and affordability, not frills. That's why Nazareth has a line-up out the door on a Thursday evening and this place only has a few guys at the bar. I'd like to support Pero because the food is good but $15 is more than I want to spend on one dish on my average night. read more

Selam Restaurant & Lounge - Spiced tea to cleanse the palette. - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Found a Groupon for this place a few weeks ago and decided to try something new. We didn't really know what to expect when we first walked through the curtain covered entrance. We were greeted by a rush of lovely smelling spices and a very nicely decorated, dimly lit room. Very nice ambiance. Our waitress was friendly and polite, and recommended a really tasty appetizer. The vegetarian platter was delicious. It was a very interesting experience overall, since neither of us had ever tried Ethiopian food. The owner gave us tips on how to eat the food and interesting combinations of sauces to try. He was very helpful and we would've been lost without his advice. The spicy red lentils tasted the best. There was actually no need to add the appetizer, as the platter was already enough food to fill your stomach, but it was worth it because it was good. We were served freshly roasted coffee and lightly buttered popcorn after our meal. The coffee was really tasty. Overall: Beautiful atmosphere, delicious food, great service. read more

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Pero is a lovely, romantic little thing that I hesitate to describe as a "restaurant and lounge"... the restaurant thing, my taste buds attest, they've got down, and there is definitely a vibe befitting late night drinks in their cozy setting (complete with drapes, dim lighting, and ambient music)... but my picture of lounges involves overpriced cocktails and a nightclub feel, whereas Pero lies somewhere between a jazz cafe and an intimate resto for cute couples (made cute simply by the fact that they are in this setting). My friend and I shared a veg platter and a nice bottle of African shiraz. The food was flavourful and very tasty, and, me being a messy and enthusiastic eater, I loved the way it's all to be eaten Ethiopian-style, sans cutlery, with your bare hands (the owner even told me flatteringly that I eat like I've been to Africa! Messy eaters rejoice!). Super cute feature: they give you a bowl of lemon water with actual rose petals after the meal to wash your hands. D'aw. Prices are quite reasonable (~$30 can feed two people, and wine bottles start at ~$30 also), and the service is super sweet. And I hear they've opened the downstairs for live music, which I'm quite excited for based on their taste (in decor and in music). Of note, they are 100% veg*n-friendly, but also equally carnivore-friendly. Overall, there really wasn't one aspect that I felt was wanting - 4 stars for the food, and the added star for the amazing ambiance and lovely service. I will definitely be back, perhaps on a night with live music (Fri-Sun). read more

Definitely one of the fancier and more refined Ethiopian places in Toronto! I had the vegetarian platter - a bit more pricey than most places but good value with a groupon. The lentils were all amazing! There was an okra dish that I wasn't a fan of - tasted very undercooked and lacked any real flavour. Recommend especially if you can get a window seat or back seat under the cannot - great ambiance read more

This place was an amazing little experience run by the enigmatic Chef Pero. I don't know much about Ethiopian food, but I enjoyed every bite of what was presented before me. The lamb was amazing and disappeared quickly as I and my fellow diners discovered how delicious it was. They also offered to make the bread with just fermented teff flour, a more authentic recipe that also happened to be gluten free. The evening was capped off when we watched Pero set fire to the bar in honour of a friend's birthday. In return, she sang a famous opera excerpt before a stunned and hushed audience. Sure, this was a one-off experience, but looking around the restaurant I can see that Pero has made his place a staple of the Ethiopian community here in Toronto. I may not live in Toronto, but I am already looking forward to coming back to this place. read more

Nice atmosphere and decor. The upstairs is very quiet and feels homie, and you don't hear any noise from downstairs, which is good. The service was ok. Our waitress was very nice, but the other waitress didn't know anything, and on anything we asked for she'd reply: ' I'll ask the manager', even if it was a simple question. FYI they don't know about the 10 % discount that is on their Yelp page. The food was good, but nothing too extraordinary. The menu is pretty small, so we did the platter and the shrimp. Chicken and mushrooms got my vote, although some of the dishes in the platter I didn't like at all. Very interesting concept with eating with your hand, I think it was the best part. read more

Selam Restaurant & Lounge - The platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I've been here a few times, and it has been excellent each time. One of my favourite Ethiopian spots in the city, and some of the best lentils I've had. While they do offer meat, Pero has excellent vegetable dishes - definitely a must-have. A great thing about Ethiopian food is that you eat with your hands - and when eating with friends, it can act as an immensely personal experience. I can't say enough about this place. Will certainly be back. read more

Love Ethiopian food and Selam is delicious! Had the vegan platter (side note: this dish makes me think I could survive as a vegan). Wish they had collards and green beans as an option, the only thing we didn't love was the okra. Still fabulous though. read more

very nice , in every way , service , Varity of food , table set-up, ow !! the ceremonial coffee read more

Upon walking into the relaxed and intimate atmosphere; you are warmly greeted by the most lovely people. The vegan options were plenty and the staff were extremely helpful with recommendations. This Has been, without a doubt, the most flavorful food I have ever tasted. Every bite was perfectly seasoned and prepared. The entire experience was delightful from start to finish. read more

Most people have never tried Ethiopian food before they should start right here. Great service even better when the owner Pero is in the house. He takes pride in his work and takes time to explain the Eritrean delicacies. The injira might be strange for some at first but when you start eating and tasting those flavours wow delicious. I recommend getting the platter! This place is also great for vegetarians because let's face it there's not a whole lot of options for vegetarians out there. Service is always lovely. Finishing off with the traditional coffee and popcorn is always a delight. Try it! read more

I visited Pero's with a Groupon on a weekday night dinner around 5:30pm. The restaurant was completely empty except for us, which worried me slightly but I didn't think too much into it. We ordered the Pero's Platter which comes with 2 meat dishes and 3 veggie dishes. The base includes a layer of the sour bread, injera and then the dishes are placed on top and are separated with more rolls of injera. There was also a salad right in the center of the platter. You're meant to just use the bread to scoop up the dishes into your mouth. The quantity of food for 2 people was quite large, and we couldn't finish everything. I also would've liked to have picked the dishes we were receiving! I saw in the menu they had a lot of different dishes and ordering the platter just seemed like a lucky draw. In terms of flavour, I wasn't blown away. Because of the style of eating and the way the dishes looked similar to Indian food, I think I assumed that there would be more flavour and punch but instead most of the food was pretty bland. This could also be due to the fact that I'm Indian myself and I usually prefer food to have more flavour and spice in general. The whole vibe of the place was cool though, there was comfy seating, curtains and candles everywhere, very lounge-y and home-y. Unfortunately, I wouldn't visit again. Although I didn't hate it, I just didn't like it enough to go back. Would recommend to friends though as a cool place to try for the experience, very unique! read more

It was a fun experience to eat here. We were with a big group (about 12 of us) and they were easily able to accommodate us on a Friday night. I ordered Pero's Platter which had both meat and veggie options - all were great. I especially liked the Shero (roasted chickpeas cooked with onion and spices) and Mushroom Tibsi. The Beef and Chicken Tibsi and Flaxseed Stew were pretty good too! It's served with injera which is like a slightly sour crepe that you scoop up the saucy food with and eat using your fingers. We tried our friend's Fish Goulash and it was REALLY good... definitely ordering that next time we come! Also, it's a vegetarian friendly place as a few in our group were vegetarians and they were pleased with the options. A bunch of us ordered the coffee and it was pretty good. Make sure you order it with your food because it takes about an hour for them to prepare. They brew it with ginger which is an interesting twist! read more

Why oh why is this place rated so high!? Probably by people that don't eat Ethiopian food often. I've had Ethiopian food in most of the city, east ... west, and south + other cities in Canada and the US. This place has by far been one of the worst places. Here is why: There are a ton of better places in the neighbourhood. The food we ordered was bland, and chunky. The beef and chicken (how my partner described it) was chewy and old. The veggie choices were sub-par, and nothing special. The mint tea was not a tea at all ... it was 2 leaves of mint submersed in medium-hot water, which didn't do anything, because it wasn't crushed, and had no actual tea leaves. So really it was a tasteless mint infusion (yes, I am a big fan of teas/infusions and this was sinful + expensive). One other comment: I found beef in my veggie dishes. Yes, imagine if you are a vegetarian, and order a shared platter (I asked if the items were separated so that I wasn't forced to eat meat, was told absolutely), then as I was eating my lentils, I picked up a piece of beef. No, it wasn't put there by me or my partner, it was there when the platter arrived. SO, save yourself the trip, and try a different place. The chef came up and said hi to us, which was nice, but it by far did not help the food aspect. read more

I was looking for a late night place(11pm-ish) to grab a bite and stumbled across this little gem. This place had a sexy ambiance, low lights, red walls, candles, great photography on the wall, live music AND a fully stocked bar (SCORE!). The vibe was chilled out and most people seemed to be leaning back and enjoying their drinks and the music. We ordered a mixed combination platter of 3 vegetarian dishes, the beef tibs and another spicy lamb curry. The food came out in the perfect amount of time to allow for some good conversation. The yellow lentils were smooth and went really well with the injera. The green/brown lentils were a little bland in comparison, and I wasn't a fan of the texture. The beef tibs were a bit more sour from other places I have tried it in and were SUPERB. The lamb curry was quite similar to the tibs, and spicier but not overwhelmingly so and was my favourite.The injera(crepe-like spongey flatbread) is served cold not warm as opposed to other places, but I didnt mind that. I found myself stuffing my face with the delicious curry-soaked injera on the platter that it was served on, after polishing off everything else. Also, the servers were attentive and helpful and spoke english fluently. Always a plus! Another thing which I liked about this place was the crowd was quite mixed and not just "i-am-here-for-my-first-ethiopean-experience". Also, people were enjoying drinks, not coffee service which at most other restaurant comes coupled with a rather headache-inducing incense, and was a welcome relief from the reason that keeps me from having Ethiopean less often. This is definitely my favourite Ethiopean place in the city, and quickly becoming my go-to spot for a more intimate dinner with a date(leaning in over the live music definitely adds to the more "date-y" experience) or to catch up with a friend or two. Prices are around $30 for the combination platter, enough to feed 3-4 people. Great music is free (atleast on the Sunday night that I happened to be there) read more

With a live band that speaks to your soul and food that satisfies the taste buds, Pero's serves up a platter of soul food that will do more than just fill you up! Pero's is a north african restaurant/lounge located on Bloor Street in between Ossington and Christie. The dim lighting and collection of African art work on the walls add to the amazingly chilled out ambience that this place already emits. The food is pretty standard Ethiopian cuisine: flavourful meat stews and a wonderful collection of vegetarian dishes served on these giant platters so that they can be shared among a family or a group of friends. While you can be the odd one out and try to fork and a knife this meal, I recommend getting the full experience by rolling up those sleeves, grabbing a crepe like roti and going to work with your hands. While the food is on par with other Ethiopian hot spots in the city, the music is really what brings you back to this place. On a friday or saturday night, you can come in and experience some live R & B and soul...but to get the full feel of this place, i recommend coming out on a sunday night. Drawn in by the fusion of the African hand drums and a live soul band, herds of people come in with their famillies and friends to support Pero's on a sunday night. Good food and great music that will get you high on life in no time...and if that doesn't work...they got a pretty decent bar that might do the trick! read more

I sat waiting for my dining buddy in a cushioned warm comfy tent. The ambience and warm colours at Pero are immediately comforting and inviting. I was relaxed right after work. The waitress was very attentive and filled my water glass more times than I can count. The owner, Pero himself, came out and greeted me! I asked him a million questions about Eritrean culture and he patiently sat with me and explained the rich religious diversity of Ethiopia. We ordered the Pero platter as I hadn't been here before. It was the right type of tasting menu for people new to the food. 2 meats and 3 veges on a bed of yeasty injera. It was a lot of food. Go hungry! Beef tibs- I will be getting this on it's own next time. Delicately flavored cubes of beef which were al dente to my liking. The sauce soaked the injera right through and I thourougly enjoyed the soppy injera. Chicken tibs- tibs is just better when beef! Collard greens- tasted like collard greens. Very fresh, not necessarily something I would order again simply because I liked the mushroom vege better. Mushrooms- mushrooms and jalapeños in Berber sauce... I kept eating this! That a mushroom could be made so much more.. Split peas- this was a paste similar to hummus. It was well flavored, I'm just not a fan of pasty lentils. Injera- perfect. Pero came by a couple of times to initiate us with the roasting coffee bean smoke. I felt communal, like I was part of the ceremony itself. Again, in Pero fashion, he went over all my questions around why we were served popcorn with coffee? ( that's what his mother did!- good enough for me) Would I go back? For sure- to meet Pero again and to have a bowl of beef tibs.. All by myself! read more

Selam Restaurant & Lounge - Pero platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario