Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Lake View Township

My partner and I order takeout or delivery from Ethiopian Diamond at least once a month and dine in a few times a year as well. I'm vegetarian and the veggie combo is our go-to. Typically we get two samplers and the food lasts us for 3ish meals (it's somehow even better as leftovers the next day). Our favorites are the kik alicha and dinich alicha, but we rotate everything in and out and mix and match something new every time we order. Everything we've tried is delicious, flavorful, filling, and it's all SUPER affordable for the quality you're getting, especially compared to some other Ethiopian restaurants further south. We've only ever had excellent experiences with both the food and the service, whether we're dining in or ordering out. The staff is so friendly, knowledgeable, and flexible on odd requests.

For example: Last weekend we ordered our usual through a third-party app and kept getting messages from the app provider that the order was delayed. When we called the restaurant, they said the order had been ready for an hour but the driver had not picked it up yet. Checked the app tracker and the driver was down in the southern suburbs (we're up in Rogers Park) and the food was already over an hour late. So we cancelled the order through the app (and got a full refund), but we knew the order was completed and sitting at the restaurant and we didn't want it to go to waste. Called the restaurant and asked if we could come pick it up, even though the app had cancelled the order. They of course offered to make us a fresh order, but because we wanted to, they allowed us to just pay them directly for the one they had already made.

It was an annoying and kind of bizarre situation but the staff dealt gracefully with us calling several times, listened patiently to the problem (which was not their fault or doing), and helped us figure out a solution that worked for us. Can't...

Worst Place ever to go and dine. Pathetic service! We went on Nov 21st evening to try this place and used Groupon ($70 deal worth $150 for 4). Here is a narration of our nightmare:

1. First they pushed us to small tables which is kind of tight for 4 people. Knowing their serving plates are big they should have more spacious tables and sitting arrangement.

2. Our company ordered the same food as we did. Our attended didn't even checked what is going on. After 45 min, I had to go myself to the manager (Rob) to request if we can get our food as our company had almost finished their food.

3. After escalation we got our food which was almost 1 hour after we ordered our food.

4. Our company finished their food and then our food was served we had very tight space. No attendant came to check and take the plates away. Our company had to pick her own place to take it one of the attendants to take it away. Shame on you guys!

5. Lastly, we got our desert and only 3 people got their forks. I am not sure how to eat ice-cream with my hands!

6. Lastly, insult to injury and kind of a slap on our face manager gave us 10% discount (I would keep minimum 20% tip) on the bill (Which was already paid). We had to go to manager how is he planning to give us that discount since it's prepaid. He had no answer. (Smart move Mr. Rob!)

7. Finally, manager (Rob) said maybe they can put it on the gift card. Does he expects us to come back to a place after such a bad experience? This money doesn't even pay food for 1 person's dinner. So, we had to ask him that we don't need that money and give that to our attendant.

For a restaurant which charges $150 for 4 people is by no means qualify for a cheap restaurant. If you want to enjoy and have a better dining experience then this is definitely not a...

My sister-in-law invited me to lunch, saying she had eaten a mysterious bread. It was fluffy and flat. Injera is a superfood, made by spreading fermented bread on a plate and eating it with side dishes on top. The side dishes are simply seasoned. At first I didn't know where the food was, but when I realized it was Ethiopian food, I identified the restaurant, so we headed there by car. There were two other groups of customers in the spacious restaurant facing the road. It was large enough to accommodate a party. A beautiful woman carefully introduced us to the menu. There were three of us, so we ordered a set menu for two and added two plates of sambusa, a deep-fried dish. The sambusa came out first. It is a deep-fried dish similar to an Indian samosa, and is eaten with sauce. The sauce was like chili sauce. Next came the injera, and I was surprised at how big it was. The woman gave me an orientation, saying that the injera was served like a roll. Her word "enjoy!" made an impression on me, and she was a wonderful person. We tore the injera into pieces and scooped up the side dishes to eat. The injera had a unique flavor. To me it tasted like shrimp nets. The side dishes were stir-fried beans, vegetables, meat, and similar things, and although they were hardly salty, they had a nice spiced bread flavor. The meat was chicken, mutton, beef. I don't remember if there was pork. You could add a spicy sauce to taste. The injera spread out over the dish was soft and delicious in the juices from the side dishes. It was a memorable lunch experience, not to mention the taste. It must have been a very high-end restaurant. I'd like to go again. When you go abroad, it's really fun to eat...