I've been to Habesha many times. The food is always great, the service is kind, and the prices are reasonable. I've tried the Habesha Platter, Alicha Wot, Yebozena Shuro, and Nech Tibs. They are all great but my absolute favourite by now is the yebozena shuro. All dishes come with a vegetable salad that consists of chopped lettuce, sliced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, and a sour vinaigrette. Most often the dishes are served with White Injera, although I remember them previously being served with both brown and white injera.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Raed
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Delicious food and warm service! The vegetarian platter was full of flavor, and the portions were generous. The injera was fresh and soft. Staff were friendly and made us feel right at home
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris Mahler
The food here is amazing, however the price is the issue. It used to be very affordable, $15 dollars give or take for each item. They have recently raised the price by a lot, now averaging around $20-23. The platter used to be $15 and now it’s $25. What was a $50 dinner is now $75 which is too much of an increase. It’s sad because the food is so good but it is really not fairly priced for proportion anymore. Pictured is $75 worth of food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
Raïssa Ali
I love Ethiopian food, but sadly, this place was a huge letdown. The food was just as disappointing as the customer service, bland, poorly prepared, and not at all what I expected from Ethiopian cuisine.
The woman who took our order was incredibly unprofessional. She seemed annoyed by our (very simple and valid) questions about the menu and acted like she didn’t want to serve us at all. What really surprised me was watching her completely shift her attitude the moment an Ethiopian couple came in, suddenly she was warm and welcoming. That contrast was hard to ignore.
It’s honestly disheartening, especially since Ethiopian culture is known for its hospitality and warmth. I’m shocked this place has such high ratings, it almost feels misleading.
To the people who gave this place 5 stars: if you think this food is good, just wait until you experience real, quality Ethiopian cuisine. This wasn’t it.
If you’re looking to feel unwelcome and eat subpar food, this is the spot. Otherwise, I’d strongly suggest trying a different Ethiopian restaurant.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Juliette Jacquin
Food is delicious but service takes a bit long.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 3
Joe Hurley
Do yourself a favour and give Ethiopian food a try. Delicious!!!! We shared the Habesha platter and an order of Kitfo. Everything was delicious. Love the platter because of the variety. Service was very great. He was mindful as well as helpful. Very authentic, as good as our experience in Seattle.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Habesha Platter and Special Kitfo Raw
Johan Daniel
A flavour-packed escape in Ottawa! Habesha Restaurant offers a warm and authentic Ethiopian dining experience that truly satisfies both the heart and palate. We tried the dulet with rice, the Habesha fish and chips, and the tilapia—each dish was a delightful explosion of flavour.
The dulet was expertly seasoned, rich, and perfectly paired with rice. The Habesha fish and chips brought a unique Ethiopian twist to a classic, with crispy golden batter and tender fish inside. The tilapia was tender, juicy, and bursting with spice and soul.
The ambiance was cozy, the service was welcoming, and the portions were generous. A must-visit if you're looking to explore traditional Ethiopian cuisine with a modern touch. Highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mal
We got 2 veg platter. The injira was warm. There were about 5 sides and a salad with dressing in the middle. It was fine. You could try once for the experience of the cuisine.
The service was a bit slow as it was early around 11.30 am. The place is bit dated, they may need a refresh of the benches.
It is on the bus line and quite accessible, and next to Tim's.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Jade H
Love love love!!!! My partner and I usually get the habesha and vegetarian platter to share and it is more than enough to go around! They have recently increased their prices , just something to keep in mind .. but still very delicious !
Words cannot express how much I love this place - the food is SO GOOD!!! It has become a neighbourhood favourite for me. I didn’t know what I was missing out on until I tried this place - it’s an Ottawa gem in my eyes.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Samrawit Fisseha
I've never had a worse experience in a Habesha restaurant than this one. In addition to the terrible meals, there were many delays and mistreatments in the services as well.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Semhar Tesfatsion Musael
We have never experianced such a disrespect, Our stay in this restaurant was as follows
1. First we were not offered water while they did it for other's 2. The food came in a great delay 3. The food was not tasty at all. I wouldn't have touched it if I was not hungry 4. We had to wait for 25 minutes after asking for the bill. Plus they have provided the bill ontime.
I wouldn't advise anyone to go there and have a meal at any measure
Laurie Gough
I’ve been here three times and it’s fantastic. I wish I had left a review before now. Tonight I got dragged to another Ethiopian restaurant (in the Byward Market) and it was awful. But Habesha is fantastic! The food is fresh and delicious. The injura is hot and fluffy, just made when it arrives. On top of all this, it’s very affordable. No wonder it gets filled up with people every evening. Highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Brad Flood
Friendly owner, amazing food. We will be back. I can’t recommend this place enough.
Amazing food, lovely people.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I've been to Habesha many times. The food is always great, the service is kind, and the prices are reasonable. I've tried the Habesha Platter, Alicha Wot, Yebozena Shuro, and Nech Tibs. They are all great but my absolute favourite by now is the yebozena shuro. All dishes come with a vegetable salad that consists of chopped lettuce, sliced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, and a sour vinaigrette. Most often the dishes are served with White Injera, although I remember them previously being served with both brown and white injera.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Delicious food and warm service! The vegetarian platter was full of flavor, and the portions were generous. The injera was fresh and soft. Staff were friendly and made us feel right at home
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food here is amazing, however the price is the issue. It used to be very affordable, $15 dollars give or take for each item. They have recently raised the price by a lot, now averaging around $20-23. The platter used to be $15 and now it’s $25. What was a $50 dinner is now $75 which is too much of an increase. It’s sad because the food is so good but it is really not fairly priced for proportion anymore. Pictured is $75 worth of food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
I love Ethiopian food, but sadly, this place was a huge letdown. The food was just as disappointing as the customer service, bland, poorly prepared, and not at all what I expected from Ethiopian cuisine.
The woman who took our order was incredibly unprofessional. She seemed annoyed by our (very simple and valid) questions about the menu and acted like she didn’t want to serve us at all. What really surprised me was watching her completely shift her attitude the moment an Ethiopian couple came in, suddenly she was warm and welcoming. That contrast was hard to ignore.
It’s honestly disheartening, especially since Ethiopian culture is known for its hospitality and warmth. I’m shocked this place has such high ratings, it almost feels misleading.
To the people who gave this place 5 stars: if you think this food is good, just wait until you experience real, quality Ethiopian cuisine. This wasn’t it.
If you’re looking to feel unwelcome and eat subpar food, this is the spot. Otherwise, I’d strongly suggest trying a different Ethiopian restaurant.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Food is delicious but service takes a bit long.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 3
Do yourself a favour and give Ethiopian food a try. Delicious!!!!
We shared the Habesha platter and an order of Kitfo. Everything was delicious. Love the platter because of the variety.
Service was very great. He was mindful as well as helpful.
Very authentic, as good as our experience in Seattle.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Habesha Platter and Special Kitfo Raw
A flavour-packed escape in Ottawa! Habesha Restaurant offers a warm and authentic Ethiopian dining experience that truly satisfies both the heart and palate. We tried the dulet with rice, the Habesha fish and chips, and the tilapia—each dish was a delightful explosion of flavour.
The dulet was expertly seasoned, rich, and perfectly paired with rice. The Habesha fish and chips brought a unique Ethiopian twist to a classic, with crispy golden batter and tender fish inside. The tilapia was tender, juicy, and bursting with spice and soul.
The ambiance was cozy, the service was welcoming, and the portions were generous. A must-visit if you're looking to explore traditional Ethiopian cuisine with a modern touch. Highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We got 2 veg platter. The injira was warm. There were about 5 sides and a salad with dressing in the middle. It was fine. You could try once for the experience of the cuisine.
The service was a bit slow as it was early around 11.30 am. The place is bit dated, they may need a refresh of the benches.
It is on the bus line and quite accessible, and next to Tim's.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3
Love love love!!!! My partner and I usually get the habesha and vegetarian platter to share and it is more than enough to go around! They have recently increased their prices , just something to keep in mind .. but still very delicious !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Words cannot express how much I love this place - the food is SO GOOD!!! It has become a neighbourhood favourite for me. I didn’t know what I was missing out on until I tried this place - it’s an Ottawa gem in my eyes.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
I've never had a worse experience in a Habesha restaurant than this one. In addition to the terrible meals, there were many delays and mistreatments in the services as well.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We have never experianced such a disrespect, Our stay in this restaurant was as follows
1. First we were not offered water while they did it for other's
2. The food came in a great delay
3. The food was not tasty at all. I wouldn't have touched it if I was not hungry
4. We had to wait for 25 minutes after asking for the bill. Plus they have provided the bill ontime.
I wouldn't advise anyone to go there and have a meal at any measure
I’ve been here three times and it’s fantastic. I wish I had left a review before now. Tonight I got dragged to another Ethiopian restaurant (in the Byward Market) and it was awful. But Habesha is fantastic! The food is fresh and delicious. The injura is hot and fluffy, just made when it arrives. On top of all this, it’s very affordable. No wonder it gets filled up with people every evening. Highly recommended!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Friendly owner, amazing food. We will be back. I can’t recommend this place enough.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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