Dallul East African Cuisine — Restaurant in Dallas

I was very excited to try this place out but was pretty disappointed from the moment I walked in. The atmosphere was very cold and dark, and you could tell this place catered to more of the local community rather than strangers. I sat at the bar and was waiting around 5 minutes before the bartender even greeted me, while I was in plain sight with barely anyone else around. Finally after being approached I just wanted to start with a water, and wasn't greeted with an introduction or a menu or anything. I eventually found a QR code to scan and waited another ten minutes for the bartender to come by who finally asked for my order. I ordered food along with a Hennessy and Coke. ANOTHER 5-10 minutes go by without my drink, and when it's finally being made, I see her making the drink with a half opened bottle of Coke. It was probably the worst alcoholic drink I ever had because of how flat the soda was. And it was $15 which made it even more insulting. I didn't even bother to ask for another because of how long it took to get served. After waiting another 20ish minutes I finally received my food, which was decent but nothing out of this world. I really wanted to enjoy this place and be introduced to a new and exciting cuisine and culture but felt myself wanting to leave as soon...

My family and I evacuated to Dallas from Beaumont for Hurricane Laura. This restaurant was next door to the hotel where we stayed. We are adventurous eaters and decided that we would definitely try it out because of curiosity (we had never had East African food) and convenience since it was next door. Oh my, I am soooooo glad we did!

We ordered the Somosa appetizers and decided on three entrees to get a good mix of tastes and different meat options. We went with the Doro Wot, Yebeg Wot and the Beef Tsahli. Every single morsel of food was amazing. So full of deep flavor and a perfect amount of spice. The injera was soo soft and wonderful and was a perfect “spoon” with which we scooped up the amazing entrees. I can’t say enough about home much we enjoyed our meal! I just wish I lived closer so I could experience the rest of the menu.

Walking in the door instantly made me feel like I was in an episode of No Reservations with the late great Anthony Bourdain. The patio had several gentlemen smoking cigarettes and drinking beer while joyfully talking and eating. Inside I was the only person with English as their first language and I instantly knew I was in the right place for good authentic food.

Can’t recommend this...

Honestly It only got 1 star because the coffee was really good and the food and prices/portions were decent. This was probably the worst experience I’ve ever had. The interior was underwhelming and it smelled really bad of smoke, despite “no smoking” signs posted every other foot. somehow it was dead inside but we still got the worst service ever. Our server took forever to take out food order and instead talked to some guy at the bar for 20 minutes. Also, another table twice out size came in, got their order taken, and finnished their food before we could even place out food order. They also ate all their food, payed out, left, and had their table cleaned again (about a 40 minute experience) befor the server ever acknowledged us again. We were very clearly done eating by then and had to walk up to the computers to finally pay out and leave. I don’t know what all the good reviews are for but I’m literally from east Africa and can tell you there’s better food out there and there DEFINITELY is better service literally...