Hdmona restaurant — Restaurant in Calgary

BEWARE Went looking for ethiopian food as my favourite restaurant seems to have closed down, and selected this place based on reviews, which is why I felt compelled to leave one myself. The vibe is actually kind of neat, tiki style bar and pool tables, but the service was bad, the food was bad, and we were scammed by the staff and left with no option but to pay.

We ordered kitfo from the menu (ground beef dish,) and I asked if they had dorowat (chicken drumstick dish,) and she said no, but recommended another chicken drumstick dish. I ordered a coffee to start, (it came after the meal, more on that later,) and we asked for water to drink. We were served two room temperature bottles of water, and when our food came, it was the complete wrong food. It was Tibs and Chacha. No chicken, and not ground beef. I asked if this was the kitfo and chicken we ordered and she said "not today" and walked away, not to return for 40+ minutes with my coffee.

The food was pretty bland, tasted of mild spices and extremely dry meat. One dish was laden with knuckle bone, and bone fragments. The coffee was served over 20 minutes after we were done eating, and it has yellow fishing line bunched up in the end. I asked about it, and she stold me I was to keep the plastic string it in to act as a filter, but still ended up with a cup full of coffee grounds. gross.

When the bill came, we were grossly overcharged. The meals were on the menu at $17 each, and the coffee was $5, but we were blown away to see the bill: The meals were $25 each, the coffee was $20, and our waters were $6. for two waters. I asked why the prices were so off, and she said "meat cost is high today." I told her it was not alright, and that the menu said different prices, and she wouldn't have it, left us with no option but to pay almost double what the bill should have...

We were looking to use a bathroom as nothing was open in the area. We would have been interested in seeing their menu as well but when we stopped in around 11 pm the place was filled with people and smoke and we were told the bathroom wasn't working. The lady working looked concerned about us walking and acted like she wanted us out as soon as possible as we were the only white people in there. I'm sure health inspectors would like to check out their smoke filled place with non...

Hdmona did not invent Eritrean food. They simply perfected it. Tersit puts her love into every dish. You will enjoy every bite. If you can, eat in (or on the patio) and take your time to savour the smells and tastes. Enjoy the traditional coffee or perhaps a Beck’s and some popcorn while you wait. If you can’t eat in, order ahead (20minutes about). Or, enjoy the beer or coffee and popcorn while waiting. So many choices. The food is beyond words. We will return...