Sodere Ethiopian Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Eagan

I really wanted to like Sodere. I am proud to see a locally owned & operated restaurant by an Ethiopian family in Eagan. It took awhile for someone to bring us menus but once we ordered, the food arrived in a reasonable amount of time. All of the food was freshly made & was delicious in very small amounts. The seasonings in the food were too hot for my tastes. We ordered the vegetarian combo which was listed as $13.99 on the menu.

The problems arose when we asked for more water which finally arrived about 15 minutes after we asked. In the meanwhile, I got up to ask for water at the bar. The owner was on his way to the kitchen with a load of dirty drinking glasses in his hands using his fingers inside the glasses to hold them. He put down the dirty glasses and tried to serve me water before washing his hands. I suggested he might want to wash his hands before touching the water pitcher to serve me. To his credit, he did briefly wash his hands before pouring me a glass of water.

The check arrived & the items we ordered were higher than the prices on the menu. We asked to see the menu & the owner tells us they raised their prices but would adjust our bill. 5-10 minutes passed and no updated bill. I got up to pay at the bar & he was trying to create a new bill. I figured out how much the bill should have been, gave him cash, & we left.

I don't know if the poor service is a cultural difference for me or if the owner is still trying to figure out how to run his restaurant.

It was a disappointing experience. I might try giving them a 2nd chance after I see...

Sodere has a very nice atmosphere and vibe and makes you feel like you are just like in a restaurant back in Ethiopia. On the other hand the service wasn’t really that good, passing the food to the person instead of putting it on the table isn’t really respectful in my opinion. On top of that manners and attitude, I believe that waiters should be excited and energetic to take orders and give service which they weren’t really doing in addition to that the waiters should have been coming every now and then to check if people want more things or if everything is going good and are enjoying the food which they were also not doing so that should improve too. One more thing is the food, the smell and the look of the food looks exciting but the taste is kind of disappointing which isn’t nice. And lastly waiting more than 30 minutes to pay for the bill isn’t okay . For example the kitfo wasn’t as great and was disappointing because most habeshas love kitfo. Sodere can do...

Sodere is one of my favorite restaurants and it is up there with the best Ethiopian places in Minnesota. The service is fast and friendly, the restaurant has good vibes and live music, and most importantly, the food is delicious. People who complain about the prices (which aren’t crazy high to begin with) are whack because the portions are humongous. And, they hook you up with a lot of injera bread. That stuff is the greatest mmm mmm. The best way to eat this delicious cuisine is to pick up the food with the injera, but you can also use silverware if that simple concept is too much to handle. I ordered a veggie dish and a beef dish to go. Little did I know what a taste explosion they both would turn out to be. And, it’s good for you! What more could you ask for?? Keep on keeping on Sodere, I love you. Pro tip: order two entrees for yourself like I do and drink milk with them because things can get real spicy...