Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant in New Haven

They set up a food truck in New Haven at Sachem Street near Yale University, and I have always loved their food (mainly chicken and shrimp with rosemary and spicy saucein the food truck. Lalibela was my top choice among all the food trucks. I have been going there for the past four years.This time I had relatives visiting me in New Haven, and I decided to treat them to food from Lalibela. However, the food turned out not so impressive. Also, the food was way too expensive for its quality. All food was cold and looked like they were prepared a while ago. The silverwares were too old and dirty. We used napkins to clean them before using them. One of us asked for warm water, and they brought water directly poured from the tap, as the water was all bubbly.The lady who was serving us was pleasant. She asked if we knew how to eat or needed anything. But there wasnt much she could do for us. I had severe acid reflux that evening. I hope they will maintain the quality of their restaurant as in their food truck.

Ordered here tonight after not eating here for a good 12 years. It was amazing! I don’t know why I didn’t go back sooner. I was pleased to learn they had gluten free injera. I ordered the veggie sampler platter and everything was so good! Cannot wait to go back!

I had the white fish with collard greens and spinach. It was absolutely delicious. Just the right amount of spice and very fresh.

I was able to order the food twice on Grubhub. The food was so so good. Unfortunately you stopped delivering to Milford. Please start delivering again. I really miss ordering food from you

Good service, delicious meats, sour dough not for me. Ate as much as I could and was still satisfied.

Quite disappointed in our experience here. When we walked in the restaurant it was completely empty and there was not one person to greet or seat us. We had to walk to the entrance of the kitchen just to gain someone’s attention! Once seated, I asked for a lemon for my water in which the waitress walked out with the bare lemon wedge in her hand and placed it into mine what?! Very unsanitary. We ordered 3 meats and 4 veggies, all of which lacked flavor. The beef was very tough with little flavor. The fish had flavor but was tough. What was the most upsetting is the amount of food put on or passive plates; merely a spoonful of each vegetable. Service: 2/5, taste: 3/5, overall experience: 2/5. Sorry I do not have pictures available to share

We have eaten Ethiopian food many times and it is one of our favorites. This restaurant was non air-conditioned and understaffed. The few staff were great though! The food was tasty but the drinks were not. It probably took two of our table to get their drinks around 10 minutes more than the rest. It was also strange getting the total without a receipt- the amount seemed much higher than the menu said.

The food is incredible! Genuinely one of the best meals I have ever had. GET THE SAMBUSAS they are a must. The customer service is great, feels like I’m dinning with my friends and family. Even if you are in New Haven for just one day.. you must go.

come here ALL the time. Consistently yummy!!! Definitely try it out. Red lentils and doro tibs are my faves :)

Sambusas and hummus were good! Loved the alicha & misir wot especially; yebeg kikil was decent but couldve been spicier for sure. Overall nice vibes at the restaurant- beautiful decor, super clean!

Not a good experience from start. My fiancè and I walked in, looked around waiting to be seated. We had reservations. A young lady appeared and I told her my name. She just motioned to a table for us to go to. I had to ask her which table twice because again, she just motioned us... not walked us to our table. Mind you the place wasnt even half full.Second, she had zero personality. Never smiled or made casual conversation. It was our first time in an Ethiopian restaurant so we were having a little challenge with some of the dishes, asking what some stuff meant and trying to decide. We ordered a couple of apps that she said they didnt have. So then we tried to look for something else to order, then she said, "ok youre not ready so Ill come back".She came back and took our orders answering the bare minimum. Finally our food came, without the drinks. Fine. No problem.Food: presentation was less then. The collard greens bowl sat right smack in the middle of my enjera. Like hello, Im suppose to be eating that. Dont know where the bottom of the bowl was just now. Plus the enjera was a little too lemony flavored for my liking. I also had the lentils. My fiancè had the chicken, beef, and veggie combo. None of which had any real flavor, very bland to say the least. Fact, my fiancè became very nauseous and kept having to open the door of the car to spit the whole 20mins ride back.Needless to say, well never return.

This was an incredible experience. I truly enjoyed dining at this restaurant. Id recommend any to eat here!!

If you would like to experience the authenticity of Ethiopian foods, eat here! I have been waiting to try this style and type of eatery for quite some time now and Im glad that I was able to experience these traditional meals. I would most definitely visit again.

I love to try ethnic foods!! It’s a lovely Ethiopian restaurant. Food was great. Place has good vegetarian options.

Such great authentic food! The owners are extremely friend. Took the time to come out and talk with us. Will definitely be coming back.

Has great gluten free options which was important to my family. Outdoor seating option was very nice but only four tables. We went later in the evening so there was no wait for an outdoor table.

Enjoyed this long-time and highly recommend New Haven Ethiopian. Everything was fresh and served pleasantly. There are more stylish looking restaurants in the area but this food is worth coming for!

Until recently I had never been to Lalibela (only its food truck), despite having lived in New Haven for many years. But I went twice in the last two months, first because my fiancee wanted to try Ethiopian food, and then because she really wanted more of it. For a casual restaurant Lalibela is a bit on the pricier side, but the food has lots of flavor and the portions are filling, especially with all the injera they serve. Ive found the wat dishes to be more memorable than some of the lighter stews. The veggies are flavorful as well but occasionally too salty. All in all you can expect a unique and tasty meal, even if you wont be blown away by all of the entrees.

First Ethiopian experience was a plus! We did the vegetarian entree sampler for 3. Was nice to try 8/9 vegetarian entree options they had! From what I could tell, the injera was super fresh and good bread/utensil!Flavors were very diverse! Fresh veggies and they were all pretty “al dente”. Love that they were firm and not overly soggy like a lot of veggies in stews like that can be. Service was slightly slow but completely acceptable and worth it! Just plan to spend some time here.

Came with a group of friends and had amazing service and food. The manager was super sweet and made sure to check on us. Will be back for sure!

After A day of trying New Haven pizza, I needed some vegetables. Lalibela supplied them and supplied them well. I got the vegetarian combo and it was great. Get the Ethiopian hummus; it’s slightly spicy and creamy. Extraordinarily nice people run this place, so it’s great all the way around.

I love the food here I have been getting takeout here for over a year. I used to live in Portland Oregon and they had great Ethiopian food there. After first trying it for myself there I learned I love this cuisine. So happy that New Haven has a great Ethiopian restaurant! My favorite dishes are vegetarian and I really suggest the Sambusa if it is your first time. Any bread or pastry dish is going to be great too please try the injera if you havent.

We went to Lalibela for a birthday celebration. Our first time there. Everything was soooo delicious! They even had gluten free injera. We had the vegetarian platters, each one was so flavorful. The owner greeted us personally. Very welcoming.

Its a very nice place. Its a little short-staffed, but a good eatery nonetheless. Id recommend it, although I will caution that there is no silverware, which may need a bit of getting used to for those who are unfamiliar with the concept.

The food was was so deliciousI have had Ethiopian and mini restaurants before how many years this was the best of restaurants in New York New Jersey or ConnecticutSuper tasty

There is a good reason why this Ethiopian place has high ratings, awesome Ethiopian injera and other dishes. I didnt try the coffee or tea, but I will try them next time. In other words, I will be back for more.

I was originally excited to go there and arrived at 6:50. That should have been plenty of time to make my 7:50 movie. I placed my order at 7pm. At 7:30 I noticed two separate tables of six, which arrived after me, had received their food. I ask the hostess what the wait is and she says she will check. When she came back she walks right past me and says nothing.At 7:45 I had enough and left.My dinner now became movie theater chicken tenders and fried mozz.So disappointing.The place was not very busy.

This restaurant is the best Ethiopian restaurant I’ve ever been too. I grew up in D.C, and we had lot of Ethiopian restaurants in the area. This one takes the cakeZ You can tell with this restaurant, there’s a lot of tender love and care when they serve you the food. The owner is extremely involved and cares a lot of about your experience. I definitely recommend this restaurant to first time people. You’ll love the experience and the food. I travel from Hartford to come here every single time! Enjoy the experience!

The restaurant is very clean and well decorated. The food is fantastic!! The flavors are so well mixed together. The owner stopped by and chatted with us which have it such a homey feel. Please do no hesitate going! Open your mind and palate to something different; you won’t regret it! And try the Ethiopian beer 🍺 very tasty!

AmaaaaZing!!!!! The flavors and portions were on point! Customer service was great! The wrong plate was brought to us (accidents happenthey quickly fixed it without blinking an eye. The owner came around and chatted with us.the waitress was able answer our questions and suggest very good options for us. It was really nice. They made us feel like we were guest in their home. DEF coming back. Thank you Lalibela restaurant!

Amazing food, such a great atmosphere and on Saturdays they have a live pianist! We came for my mothers birthday and everything was delicious and the food was well priced. Lots of variety for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike and there are many mild options. Coming from a Kenyan family, this was a wonderful experience!

The food was and service was good. Id have to go a few more times to get a full idea of what there food is truly like. It was my first time getting Ethiopian food and I enjoyed it. The coffee and style that it was made and served was great though

Do not be discouraged by the looks of the food. Let me tell you it is absolutely delicious. We tried the combo piles of meat, they come served on top of injera (consistency is close to a pancake). Our favorite pile was the chicken DOODO wot. Ill say the food is kinda close to the Indian cuisine flavor wise. If youre looking for a different experience look no further, this is definitely the place to be.

This was our first time trying Ethiopian cousine and we absolutely loved it. Granted, we have nothing to compare it to and I personally cant comment on authenticity. However the overall quality of food, the spices, the freshness and the flavors were amazing.

❤️💛💚 Excellent food and warm hospitality…the food was fresh…the njera was perfect. I am picky about my Ethiopian food, this is definitely a new favorite. I love how close it is to Yale.

Walking around downtown we popped in and were greeted by very friendly staff who were engaging as we wanted to learn about the cuisine being prepared here. We shared the "lentils" (not sure exactly which menu item). BBQ-esque lentils, green lentils, and sweet potate/green beans served with a generous helping of Injera (Ethiopian crepe-like breadwhich was absolutely life changing. Enjoyed a crisp Ethiopian lager and we left fat & happy.

This is one of my favorite places to eat with my wife. We come up from New Canaan either by car or train for the terrific options for vegans. I have been to many Ethiopian restaurants in Manhattan and nothing compares to Lalibela. This is one of those places the are always consistent...consistently good!! The staff and the owner are very attentive and very personable and make everything very relaxing. Keep up the great food!

I love this place! Very family oriented, the service is amazing and the staff are very friendly. You can dine in or order take out the wait isnt that long.I always come in for the same thing the lamb 🤣 but whenever I switch it up I am never disappointed. They keep me coming back. I recommend you to try them out if you are looking for something new or even just a really delicious meal. The portion is very good and filling. They even have a vegetarian section on the menu, see!! they cater to just about everyones needs. Go and check them out!!

We found this spot last week and had to come back. The food is incredible. My wife and I are both vegan and the shared plate is amazing. So much flavor. We had two amazing Ethiopian places we used to go to in Brooklyn and this spot in New Haven is on a whole other level with the flavors. Will be coming back often.

I had the taster platter with 4 different dishes and all were delicious! The food is very flavorful and well-spiced. The staff is also very friendly, but unfortunately someone forgot to put in our phone order. Upon arrival, our food was not ready and we had to wait almost 20 minutes at the restaurant while our order was being prepared.

it was my first time at an Ethiopian restaurant. We were a group of 3. All the food was excellent! interesting experience.

I love this place! I recently switched to a vegetarian diet and this is one of my go to places to eat. The food is amazing every single time. They have a great variety of traditional ethiopian dishes along with top tier service. The main server during the night time is so friendly and welcoming when you come inside and absolutely LOVES each and every customer. She is my favorite person to see on a weekly basis! Highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the New Haven area or just looking to try something new.

Excellent place with amazing service, amazing food and drinks. Our food was excellent and our server was really great and such a nice person to talk to and get recommendations from. Highly recommended if you want some comfort and healthy food!!

The food is absolutely delicious!! The attention in the restaurant is great and the place is perfect for having a different lunch or dinner.

I think its great when a restaurant can make up for a long, initial wait. This particular Lalibela location is ran and owned by a very sweet husband and wife. The establishment was clean and neatly decorated with Ethiopian based art. It was nicely lit for small group/small family style dining. They even have a bar. There were only 2 other dine-in parties seated when our group arrived. They were seated completely separate from each other and by the time we got our meals, we were the only diners there. Our service was kind and they answered any questions that we had. The food was delicious, especially the beef tibs, the shrimp dish, and the curried lentils! We got so full off of the injerra that the portions seemed almost endless. More importantly, the bathroom was spotless. I highly recommend, especially, if you want to try something new.

The platter was quite delicious & filling that I ended up having leftovers to go. This spot is worth visiting & I look fwd to the day when the live music will be back though that which was playing still helped to warm up the socially-distanced setup.

This is one of my favorite places in New Haven. I’m an NYC expat always searching for places that remind me of my homeland. The food here is homemade, tasty and authentic. I’ve seen the reviews where people complain about the service, and how only 1 person waits all the tables. Totally understandable if you’re in a major rush. It seems that the restaurant is family owned and operated which, to me, is a big plus. If you’re looking for fast food, this is the wrong place. If you’re looking for great food, home style vibes, great culture and a meal that will nourish your soul, come here.By the way, don’t embarrass yourself by asking for a fork. Live a little and use your hands.

If you’re in New Haven and craving a filling, homemade dinner, look no further than Lalibela. Delicious authentic Ethiopian cuisine served by the kindest staff. We came here in COVID times- the restaurant was spotless and we got to dine outside, enjoying the breezy summer evening.

Delicious food! It has a good variety of food options for all food preferences. A few of the options were more spicy than I expected, so make sure to ask if you don’t enjoy spicy things. Nice atmosphere, not too noisy, and a nice section of wines from different countries.

Very delicious. Ordered the vegan combo platter and enjoyed the spinach and potatoes the most. Zucchini and carrots were also very good. Would def recommend and come back