Gebeta Restaurant & Lounge — Restaurant in Avenue District

Gebeta Ethiopian Cuisine - Edmonton, Alberta Canada

We had the pleasure of visiting Gebeta on our final day in Edmonton last May before heading out to the airport.

Have you ever been to Edmonton? Would you be surprised to hear that it's QUITE the vegan mecca, there's so many vegan places and foods to enjoy out there. What's more, it's a very quick visit from Seattle, only a 2 hour flight. You don't have to fly out of Seatac, you can drive to Vancouver International Airport to save a couple of dollars or for the absolute cheapest and most enjoyable experience, drive to Abbottsford International Airport where you can catch a flight that's super inexpensive (I think our r/t flight was about $150, give or take) and only 1.5 hours. Getting in/out is a breeze because it's a small airport and the experience is so relaxing and enjoyable, similar to flying out of Paine Field in Everett, if you've ever had the pleasure. There's lots to see and do in Edmonton including the largest mall in North America, so large that it includes an amusement park inside the mall. Edmonton doesn't really have a freeway system, which we found odd ..but.. that doesn't hinder traffic at all. The roads move briskly, taking you where you need to go and in addition, they have light rail out that way as well, which we rode and it was clean, fast and efficient!

So, back to the food! We knew we had to visit Gebeta thanks to their inclusiveness to vegans by having a separate section on the menu dedicated for vegans (see included video), this in addition to having both salad and appetizer options labeled specifically as vegan!!! We started with their delicious Azifa Dip (Special zesty dip, made with blended lentils, garlic, onions, jalapenos, dijon mustard and olive oil. (Served with your choice of injera or pita bread)). This dish had an incredible depth of flavor, a perfect pairing for injera or pita bread! For the main dish, we chose the Vegan Sampler (Combination of house vegan dishes including, spicy red lentils, yellow split peas, green beans and carrot, beets and potato, shiro, whole lentils and cooked spinach). You really can't go wrong here, such an incredible variety of smells, flavors and textures and a different combination in each bite, you control the balance ... you have the power :). I'm a mango fan so I couldn't resist a tall glass of Mango Juice.

If you're a fan of Ethiopian food and visiting Edmonton, or if you've never had Ethiopian and are curious to try, Gebeta needs to be right at the top of your restaurants to visit, the Vegan Sampler alone is easily worth "the price...

We went here last night for the first time. I got hungry at the Kalidoscope festival and wanted a meal rather than a fast food item. I ordered a Dor Wot plate. It had chicken and a stewed type sauce. It was really good. It came with the Ethiopian bread. I've never been a fan of that type of bread as it's quite spongy with a stretchy pancake look and feel to it. And it's generally sour or fermented tasting. The one here was more palatable for my tastes. Less fermented tasting. Perhaps less traditional? I'm not an expert on Ethiopian foods and my first ever experience was 30 years ago at an Ethiopian friend's home. At thier home, everything was served as a communal sharing meal. We sat on mats on the floor. This restaurant I think serves individual plates that you can order as a single meal. More western style. But I'd recommend going with a small group of people and each ordering a plate to share. Would I come back? Yes. The atmosphere...

4.5: This was our first time ordering from Gebeta, and we ordered take out/pick up on a Friday night. Food was excellent and quite flavourful, we especially liked the derek tibs and the nice bit of charring on the meat. We very much appreciated the portion size for the price; other Ethiopian/Eritrean venues we’ve ordered from have charged same price for tibs or doro wot, but portions were not as expected for the price. Also we received two pieces of chicken in our doro wot when we’ve received only a drumstick or thigh from other venues in the past. 0.5 star off only because of the extended time waiting to pick up just due to being understaffed in the kitchen that night. It was a one woman show!! 😀 However great conversation with front of house staff to make the time pass for all those waiting (including delivery folks). Would definitely order from here again, and when restaurants are able to safely open again will...