The food here was delicious and so filling. I came with a group of 5 and basically ordered one item from each section on the menu, trying a lamb, beef, seafood, veggie, and chicken selection. Honestly, I don’t even know if we specifically got what we ordered; it seemed like the server just gave us what she thought was good for each section, which was fine by us.Eritrean food and Ethiopian food have a fairly large overlap, sharing the injera and eating style, but differing on certain sauces and use of tomatoes (among other things). The injera here wasn’t as sour as I’ve had at other places, which I found I actually prefer, and I really loved its taste. The salad in the middle was a nice touch and the dressing was delicious. All the flavors of each item were rich and robust. My favorite was the fish— it was tender and full of flavor; I felt the beef was pretty tough/overcooked though. Overall, it was a lot of food and we all were extremely stuffed afterwards; it was well worth the ~$30 per person cost.A family-owned neighborhood restaurant with very homey vibes and a spacious interior, our servers were super sweet and attentive. They kept bringing out more injera, various spicy sauces, and water for us. Though the food took quite some time to come out, it was worth it when it arrived. Overall, it’s a great spot to bring a larger group, and if I lived closer I would definitely come more regularly.—Price (relative to peers): 4.2/5Food: 4.5/5Ambience: 4.4/5Service: 4.8/5Overall Value: 4.5/5
Sanjay Ramakumar
We have tried Ethiopian and Eritrean food all over the US. This has to be the most flavorful food we have enjoyed. Friendly staff and hostess.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Vegan Combo Platter
Mona T.
The food here was delicious and so filling. I came with a group of 5 and basically ordered one item from each section on the menu, trying a lamb, beef, seafood, veggie, and chicken selection. Honestly, I don't even know if we specifically got what we ordered; it seemed like the server just gave us what she thought was good for each section, which was fine by us. Eritrean food and Ethiopian food have a fairly large overlap, sharing the injera and eating style, but differing on certain sauces and use of tomatoes (among other things). The injera here wasn't as sour as I've had at other places, which I found I actually prefer, and I really loved its taste. The salad in the middle was a nice touch and the dressing was delicious. All the flavors of each item were rich and robust. My favorite was the fish-- it was tender and full of flavor; I felt the beef was pretty tough/overcooked though. Overall, it was a lot of food and we all were extremely stuffed afterwards; it was well worth the ~$30 per person cost. A family-owned neighborhood restaurant with very homey vibes and a spacious interior, our servers were super sweet and attentive. They kept bringing out more injera, various spicy sauces, and water for us. Though the food took quite some time to come out, it was worth it when it arrived. Overall, it's a great spot to bring a larger group, and if I lived closer I would definitely come more regularly. -- Price (relative to peers): 4.2/5 Food: 4.5/5 Ambience: 4.4/5 Service: 4.8/5 Overall Value: 4.5/5
Kevin Tracy
My wife and I love this place! We stopped by on a whim and were not disappointed! They accommodated her Gluten allergy very gracefully and made us feel very comfortable, like we were family!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sruti Bhagavatula
Omg this food was heavenly!!! So good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth C.
We tried Den Den last Saturday for lunch and I cannot wait to go back. We've always loved Mama Desta's Red Sea and Demera, and Den Den uses a lot of the same spices, but the textures and flavors were just a little brighter here. There was a bit of a language barrier so we named categories of food (veg, lamb, fish, beef) and the woman who served us decided what dishes to prepare. Some were spicy, some mild, and they were all delicious, especially the spicy fish. The service was pretty slow (we weren't in a hurry) and so was the wait for the food, but that's because there was one cook and she was preparing 8 different dishes for us--and they were all worth the wait. Some of us like a lot of heat, so our server brought out a side of the awaze spice paste. The whole meal was excellent.
Lydia
Food is so so good! The lady who runs this place is very nice and continuously offered more food during our meal — despite portions already being generous. Price for dinner was very cheap for Chicago.Definitely split a platter with a friend or two :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lentils, Vegan Combo Platter
Elizabeth Rowan
I am still dreaming about the fantastic meal we had. We had about 10 meat and veg dishes and a side of the spicy sauce. Delicious!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Felicia Pugh
Great service, all the food is excellent but the fish is the best.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Erika P.
Delicious Eritrean food and great service in Rogers Park. I'm a fan of the chicken and my son always orders the lamb. Both are always delicious. The injera is so good, and we enjoy the tea. Note that they are closed on Wednesdays.
While this restaurant had the tastiest injera I've ever had (something about the slightly toasted flavor and crispy edges, maybe?) the stews were a little bland and underspiced. Our server even took the time to ask if we liked spicy food and then, when we said yes, to recommend a specific lamb dish (the lamb ali'cha) and... it was zero level spicy, still. However, at least it was cooked to tenderness and it did end up being my favorite dish. The vegetable dishes were good enough, but the flavors blended together. No spice ever really stood out. I felt healthy at the end, but even only a half hour after eating couldn't really remember anything enough to crave it again and return.
leia giesler
I had a wonderful experience with my friends Kim and David, also I sat in a separate coffee table to have coffee with Mrs.Ella,very respectful and sweet Ethiopian woman. Thanks Mrs Ella's for your hospitality.Food was delicious.Leia/Brazil ??
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Aidan S.
We love this place - definitely in our favorite Rogers Park restaurants! The food is delicious and affordable, the space is quiet and sunny, and the owner is very sweet - whenever we order coffee she always brings it out while it's roasting so we can smell it!
The food here was delicious and so filling. I came with a group of 5 and basically ordered one item from each section on the menu, trying a lamb, beef, seafood, veggie, and chicken selection. Honestly, I don’t even know if we specifically got what we ordered; it seemed like the server just gave us what she thought was good for each section, which was fine by us.Eritrean food and Ethiopian food have a fairly large overlap, sharing the injera and eating style, but differing on certain sauces and use of tomatoes (among other things). The injera here wasn’t as sour as I’ve had at other places, which I found I actually prefer, and I really loved its taste. The salad in the middle was a nice touch and the dressing was delicious. All the flavors of each item were rich and robust. My favorite was the fish— it was tender and full of flavor; I felt the beef was pretty tough/overcooked though. Overall, it was a lot of food and we all were extremely stuffed afterwards; it was well worth the ~$30 per person cost.A family-owned neighborhood restaurant with very homey vibes and a spacious interior, our servers were super sweet and attentive. They kept bringing out more injera, various spicy sauces, and water for us. Though the food took quite some time to come out, it was worth it when it arrived. Overall, it’s a great spot to bring a larger group, and if I lived closer I would definitely come more regularly.—Price (relative to peers): 4.2/5Food: 4.5/5Ambience: 4.4/5Service: 4.8/5Overall Value: 4.5/5
We have tried Ethiopian and Eritrean food all over the US. This has to be the most flavorful food we have enjoyed. Friendly staff and hostess.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Vegan Combo Platter
The food here was delicious and so filling. I came with a group of 5 and basically ordered one item from each section on the menu, trying a lamb, beef, seafood, veggie, and chicken selection. Honestly, I don't even know if we specifically got what we ordered; it seemed like the server just gave us what she thought was good for each section, which was fine by us. Eritrean food and Ethiopian food have a fairly large overlap, sharing the injera and eating style, but differing on certain sauces and use of tomatoes (among other things). The injera here wasn't as sour as I've had at other places, which I found I actually prefer, and I really loved its taste. The salad in the middle was a nice touch and the dressing was delicious. All the flavors of each item were rich and robust. My favorite was the fish-- it was tender and full of flavor; I felt the beef was pretty tough/overcooked though. Overall, it was a lot of food and we all were extremely stuffed afterwards; it was well worth the ~$30 per person cost. A family-owned neighborhood restaurant with very homey vibes and a spacious interior, our servers were super sweet and attentive. They kept bringing out more injera, various spicy sauces, and water for us. Though the food took quite some time to come out, it was worth it when it arrived. Overall, it's a great spot to bring a larger group, and if I lived closer I would definitely come more regularly. -- Price (relative to peers): 4.2/5 Food: 4.5/5 Ambience: 4.4/5 Service: 4.8/5 Overall Value: 4.5/5
My wife and I love this place! We stopped by on a whim and were not disappointed! They accommodated her Gluten allergy very gracefully and made us feel very comfortable, like we were family!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Omg this food was heavenly!!! So good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We tried Den Den last Saturday for lunch and I cannot wait to go back. We've always loved Mama Desta's Red Sea and Demera, and Den Den uses a lot of the same spices, but the textures and flavors were just a little brighter here. There was a bit of a language barrier so we named categories of food (veg, lamb, fish, beef) and the woman who served us decided what dishes to prepare. Some were spicy, some mild, and they were all delicious, especially the spicy fish. The service was pretty slow (we weren't in a hurry) and so was the wait for the food, but that's because there was one cook and she was preparing 8 different dishes for us--and they were all worth the wait. Some of us like a lot of heat, so our server brought out a side of the awaze spice paste. The whole meal was excellent.
Food is so so good! The lady who runs this place is very nice and continuously offered more food during our meal — despite portions already being generous. Price for dinner was very cheap for Chicago.Definitely split a platter with a friend or two :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lentils, Vegan Combo Platter
I am still dreaming about the fantastic meal we had. We had about 10 meat and veg dishes and a side of the spicy sauce. Delicious!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Great service, all the food is excellent but the fish is the best.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious Eritrean food and great service in Rogers Park. I'm a fan of the chicken and my son always orders the lamb. Both are always delicious. The injera is so good, and we enjoy the tea. Note that they are closed on Wednesdays.
Restaurantji Recommends
Everything was really fresh and the staff was very
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very hospitable, family run place with good Ethiopian food and friendly service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Meat and Veggie Platter, Spicy Tsebh'i a'Assa, Lentils, Vegan Combo Platter
While this restaurant had the tastiest injera I've ever had (something about the slightly toasted flavor and crispy edges, maybe?) the stews were a little bland and underspiced. Our server even took the time to ask if we liked spicy food and then, when we said yes, to recommend a specific lamb dish (the lamb ali'cha) and... it was zero level spicy, still. However, at least it was cooked to tenderness and it did end up being my favorite dish. The vegetable dishes were good enough, but the flavors blended together. No spice ever really stood out. I felt healthy at the end, but even only a half hour after eating couldn't really remember anything enough to crave it again and return.
I had a wonderful experience with my friends Kim and David, also I sat in a separate coffee table to have coffee with Mrs.Ella,very respectful and sweet Ethiopian woman. Thanks Mrs Ella's for your hospitality.Food was delicious.Leia/Brazil ??
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We love this place - definitely in our favorite Rogers Park restaurants! The food is delicious and affordable, the space is quiet and sunny, and the owner is very sweet - whenever we order coffee she always brings it out while it's roasting so we can smell it!