Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Some of the BEST food I have EVER had. My husband and I stumbled in here on date night and we were so excited to try a food that was new to us. When you walk in, you are immediately hit with the most incredible smell. It smells like rich spices and incense…. It’s just incredible. The menu is wonderfully descriptive and tells you what each dish includes. You know exactly what to expect. I believe the 2 people who we met were the owners. The gentleman who took our order taught us how to properly pronounce the dishes we ordered. My husband and I each ordered a sambusa which was a pastry filled with lentils and was delicious. For my main dish, I ordered the Doro Wot which was a spiced chicken dish with a boiled egg and served with a sour bread called injera. It was also served with cheese to help tone the spice level down if needed. My husband ordered the Beef Kei with rice and it was spiced and Smokey and super flavorful. We also ordered coffee which is without a doubt the best coffee I’ve ever had. It’s strong, Smokey, yet oh so smooth. My husband and I both agree that tonight we had one of the best meals either of us have ever had. The best way I can describe it is that it tasted like a warm hug. You can tell that the food was prepared with love and I’m so happy it was shared with us. Upon checking out, the woman took a moment to teach us about Ethiopian food and she taught us about Injera and how it’s made and the health benefits of it. We also took Baklaba home to try. I simply CANNOT wait to go back! We live 45 minutes-1 hour away and we will absolutely be coming back regularly. Try it, you...

I wish I could write a positive review. First off, they are dishonest. They have been open, according to the worker, for about 5 months. This makes this review all that more disappointing.

We ordered two meals at $18.99 each. When it was time to pay, the register showed the total. Then suddenly they said that was the wrong price. Then the total increased it by $8+ dollars. We asked why, and they claimed "we haven't updated the menu yet". Mind you, he said this tensed up. How can they not inform customers of new menu prices, much less just print out a temporary menu?

Still very confused we walked out and looked at our receipt. We realized he lied. The menu didn't change, they wanted to get more money. The initial total we saw was indeed the correct total. I went in to take a photo of the menu and he claimed the increase was due to credit card fees. $8+ in credit card fees?! Come on!

Then on top of that, at the bottom of the receipt it said there is a price difference for cash and card.

No where in the restaurant or "old" menu are there signs for this.

This is so disappointing. For a new business, a minority owned one at that, they won't last if they steal and lack integrity.

Aside from this situation, the food is mediocre. The portions are small and the flavors are very mild. If this is the first time you will have Ethiopian food ,then you will think it is good. If you had good Ethiopian food before, you will know it's not...

Wow! What a wonderful treat. If you've never tried Ethiopian food, you need to. And this is a wonderful place to try and come back to again and again. We will be back. We ordered two platters: 1, a vegan Platter w/ gored gored and 2, a vegan platter with beef tibbs. It was out of this world delicious.

Be prepared to wait a bit to order if they are busy. It's just the owners running the place, but hopefully, that will change as they become more popular. And they deserve to be. We waited about 10 to 15 minutes after ordering to get our food.

One of our party is a chef, and we are of the same mindset that we hate going to a restaurant and leaving saying, "I could have made that better." We left this restaurant hugging the owner and exclaiming, "That was hands down an amazing meal!" Every dish was perfectly seasoned and cooked. My favorites were the red and yellow lentils, and the collared greens. The injeera was perfect. Every bite was a symphony of spices, sour, salty, and natural sweetness that will dance across your palette.

Go. The prices are reasonable for what you get - and really, she should charge more for the skill she has in the kitchen. She is a truly gifted chef. Our party of three ate there for lunch and left with enough food for dinner that night.

P.S. If it matters to you, I get MSG/monosodium glutamate/yeast extract triggered migraines and had no issues with any of...