“It takes a village... to provide tasty food. This resto is a hidden gem in Edmonton and so happy to taste the flavors of east Africa again. My only disappointment was there was not any ugali the day we were there, but the chapati and the lovely side of spinach certainly made up for it. The portions are good value and could easily feed two people. We will be back next time in Edmonton. Asante sana.Ps. Dont let the atmosphere stop you. It is clean and basic, but it is not important for this tasty experience.“
“I came here for an event earlier in the year and recently came back again. Small and quiet family business located on 95 st. There is plenty of street parking as well as a little lot close by. The area is a bit dodgy and from the outside the restaurant does not look like much. Don't be fooled as the food on the other hand is quite delicious! We ordered the veggie platter as well as 3 meat dishes. We got the chacha and lamb which I strongly recommend. There was another chicken dish but it came with one drumstick. The food was packed with flavor and hit the spot. The food here is meant to be shared. What we had was enough for 5 people to feel satiated. It is also very cheap! Our bill came to $60 for 5. The staff was really nice. There were a few working but we didn't really see much of them throughout the evening. The inside has decor from Africa. They also had the music playing and the set up where they do their coffee ceremony. The plumbing in the bathroom wasn't so great and the toilet didn't flush. I know the place is in an older area and could probably use a bit of an update. I was a bit sad to see that the restaurant was empty. We had made a reservation and were pretty much the only ones there the whole night. I hope that more people find out about this place. I look forward to eating here again.“
“Food was delicious, everything was perfect and halal and I’d definitely come again. However serving sizes are small and we had to over order a lot to fill up our family. Would visit it once in a while for special occasions rather than regularly due to the prices and serving size.“
“Always love coming here due to the environment. very friendly and helpful on what items to choose. Food is very consistent I can rely on zuhur chefs to deliver the same results and it’s refreshing. Highly recommend coming here especially if you’ve not had Somalian food. Lastly the hostess are always quick to help you get seated and get you a bowl of soup and drinks, they also always check up on you if you need anything.Thank you to the staff and everyone who is involved it’s always a pleasure to spend money here!“
“this is my new favourite restaurant the food is absolutely delicious the beef wrap is my favourite the food portions are perfect and the staff is professional & friendly and the restaurant is always clean...I have absolutely no complaints at all & my grandchild loves their food also“
“It's a great meal. I'm not going to lie: it isn't pleasant inside. It's quite rundown. You come here for a great meal and a very reasonable price. So eyes wide open. I had lunch with a Somali buddy here and he recommended this place. I hadn't been here in years - used to come often when I worked near NAIT. so tasty...“
“To celebrate Black History Month we went here for some Somali food. The staff were friendly and welcoming. The restaurant is pretty plain looking but clean. The bathroom was really clean as well. Menu is pretty standard in terms of Somalian food - goat, lamb, chicken and beef with rice. They also serve sandwiches. We did a platter with a lamb shank and king fish with rice. It came with salad and a complementary soup. Salad was fresh. Not sure of the dressing, I am guessing it was French. Soup was a broth and delicous perfect for a chilly day. We also got complemetary juice.Then the platter came. Plentiful rice and lightly flavoured with tumeric. The lamb fell off the bone. Lots of amazing flavours. The fish although looking like it was overcooked was not. It was perfectly cooked and flaked off with the touch of the fork. So delicous. Huge portions. We couldn't finish it all and we also got a banana each. Super affordible, super tasty, and super friendly.This is the way to go.“
“Ordered their Goat Meat / Ari with rice for brunch. It came with a banana and soup! It's the little things that make me appreciate a restaurant. The goat meat was delicious. Too much onion in the salad for me though. Wasn't very fond of their mango juice either.“
“I have never had peanut soup before and let me tell you, it is delicious! Like nothing I’ve ever had. Rich flavour, with a blend of meats including some shellfish. I also tried fufu for the first time and it goes so well with the soup. It’s also fun to eat! Please do yourself a favour and try this cuisine out. You will love it! The owner is very hospitable and kind as well. I’ll be back!“
“Great food and such friendly people working here! Stopped by for our first time and we weren’t disappointed, the beef stew was fantastic and we tried a fish samosa for the first time and it was so good! Their other samosas are just as good! Will definitely stop by here again.“
“We tried a new restaurant last night and it was fantastic! I love Ethiopian food, and wanted to try a place I hadn’t been to before. First thing to note is that the word “Bete” is not the french word “bête,” meaning “beast” (as in animal). It is an Amharic word meaning house, similar to “Beth” in Hebrew and “bayt” in Arabic, as I was told. All this just to clarify that the restaurant’s name is more closely translated as “Africa House,” not “African Beast,” which I ignorantly thought prior to learning this from the owners. We told the host that it was our first time there and that we were willing and eager to learn from him and try new things. He was very helpful and guided us though the menu. Before making a decision, we noticed that some other guests were eating fresh banana with their injera (the ubiquitous crêpe-like sourdough bread served with virtually all dishes), which piqued our interest, Lindsay in particular. When we asked which dishes came with banana, he laughed and told us that they don’t serve bananas, and it’s a common way of eating injera for Somalians, and that those guys arrived with their own banana. Apparently this is a BYOB restaurant. So, with no bananas to be had for us, we decided that the $99 mixed plate was the way to go. As you can see, there is a wide variety of food in this dish. In the middle, ground beef topped with their homemade cheese (similar in texture to feta, not as strong in taste, yet oh so fresh). At first, I was convinced there was mint in this, then I realized it was rosemary. It made it very refreshing. Bottom left is a perfectly spicy lamb tibs in the most delicious red sauce. Next to that is a mild lamb tibs that was juicy and yummy, with a couple jalapeño accents just for fun. To the right was a fried beef strip dish with onions called cha-cha tibs. Up top, a variety of lentil and chickpea mashes, plus pickled beets and cabbage. We ate like the locals, with our hands, using small torn off pieces of injera as temporary, edible utensils, and were endlessly satisfied as we worked our way around the platter. The only problem was, we just couldn’t finish it, so we ended up with a takeaway box of a couple pounds of leftovers (aw, shucks). We had a wonderful conversation with the husband and wife team, who shared so much about their culture, including the beautiful artwork and artifacts throughout the space. We even got to meet their baby, who, I am proud to say, reached out for me to hold her. She was adorable! We also learned that the wife occasionally offers cooking courses. Would you be surprised to learn that my name is on the waiting list? One can’t help but salivate I’m thinking about such a culinary experience. I wish I had discovered it sooner, despite having driven past it countless times (it’s on 111 Avenue across from Tony’s pizza). To be honest, it’s not the classiest part of town (I reported a needle to 311 on our way out), so if you’re leery of that sort of thing, now is the time to get over it and see what rewards await you when you step outside your social and gastronomical comfort zones. Just be sure to invite me along when you do.“