Dahlak Eritrean Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Saskatoon

I dined here as my first meal during my first time visiting Saskatoon. I've had Ethiopian and Somali food before in Toronto, so I was keen on trying Eritrian food. The restaurant was empty when I arrived, and you had to ring a bell for service, which made it a bit intimidating, but in the end it was a great experience!

We ordered two dishes: okra with beef and dorho. These two dishes had distinctive flavours and completed each other well. They came with a generous portion of injera (spongy flatbread) and were served on beautiful plates. The lady who served us (presumably the owner) came over to ask us how we liked the food, which was a nice touch. I could sense that she was proud of it. I also briefly chatted with an Eritrian guy at the restaurant after dinner and he was very nice as well. However, the restaurant didn't offer free water...Only bottled water for sale, which was not the best part.

Overall, it was still a positive experience and I hope more people discover...

I recently went here for lunch with a group of 6 and it was a fantastic experience!

We were welcomed as soon as we walked in and were seated promptly. One of my co-workers had called in advance letting them know a larger group was coming in and this cuisine was new to us. She had suggestions of what we should order, so we went with her recommendation. We received a few large meat and vegetable platters and she split them onto individual plates. All the food was delicious and seasoned to perfection! The chickpeas in particular were phenomenal.

We also received complimentary tea and coffee at the end of the meal accompanied by popcorn (a tradition in Eritrea). She did a live serving of pouring the coffee and adding the sugar at an end table beside us and then served it. Both the tea and coffee were very tasty and the popcorn was a great...

So, I was quite excited to try this restaurant. However, the experience on the whole was underwhelming.

When it comes to the flavour of the food, it was delicious, no complaints there. The owner explained and recommended some dishes as well. However, the portion size of the Meat Lovers Platter that was shareable for two was only good for one person (picture attached). I expected a little more generous portion for the price. Also, after being served the food and other items of need, we were all on our own till we went to pay the bill.

I was also looking forward to enjoying the coffee I had heard so much about, which I know is not something I should just expect but having read so many positive reviews of hospitality being shown this way, I left a bit...