Lalibela Restaurant — Restaurant in Omaha

We took a trip here upon recommendation from a regular customer at my store. I have never been to an Ethiopian restaurant, but I've been fascinated by kitfo for several years after having come across a description of it online.

The facade is a basic restaurant or business type building just off busy Saddle Creek on Cass. The moment we walked in we could smell that we were in for a delicious meal. Aromas of traditional spices and cooking meats wafted across our nostrils, but not oppressively. Decor is comfortable, not garish, not fake, but very obviously home-style traditional. It is meant to enjoy your meal, not distract from it. Very clean and maintained.

It took just a brief moment to be seated and order. The menu is short but well curated. We selected a sharable combination with several meats including the beef kitfo, which you can opt for cooked or raw (the more traditional way), and lamb.

When it arrived on one big plate as requested, it was a beautiful sight to see. Several varieties of lentils, meats in sauces, cabbage, stewed collards, all grouped on top of two traditional Ethiopian injera or cold spongy pancakes, in an array of dazzling colors. Pleasing to the eye, soothing to the nose. Our server kindly informed us of each item, warned us which were particularly hot, brought us more cakes, and left us to it.

Twenty minutes later we were blissfully packed full and began boxing up our copious leftovers. This is definitely a place worth revisiting, and if you haven't yet checked it out I recommend...

You absolutely cannot beat this place for Ethiopian in Omaha. Great prices, great food, and an experience you won't forget. Never had it before? Get the combo, it easily feeds two. Before you know it you'll be back - I can promise you that.

For the uninitiated, you'll be eating with your hands off a common plate. The bread is gluten free and the combo will get you a taste of everything. Several rolls of bread will be served on the side. You tear off a piece and use it to grab your bites. Most of the dishes on the combo are vegetarian, but not all. If you run out of bread, there's always the bread the food is sitting on, and you can request more - if your stomach can get that far!

The owners are local and authentic, good family people, and you can see the cook in the kitchen. Many of Omaha's substantial Sudanese and horn of Africa populations eat here regularly, but you'll also find a mix of midtown, which is in and of itself diverse.

I think it's really neat it's in an old pizza hut that's been repurposed, and it definitely has rough edges to match the neighborhood. But you seriously cannot get better food in this strip - no matter how much your grandma likes the Rice Bowl.

You absolutely will not regret...

Lalibela's is one of our favorite restaurants in all of Omaha! We highly recommend! We've been visiting here about 10 years now and the quality is still consistently amazing. Lalibela is traditional Ethiopian family style dining, so all of your food will be set on one tray in the middle of the table. Traditionally, you use your hands with your injera (traditional Ethiopian bread) to pick up your food. They have forks available too if you're not comfortable eating with your hands. If you're at a loss for what to order, definitely go with the combination platter. The tea is also amazing and we highly recommend - you really can't go wrong with anything as we've enjoyed everything we've tried. The serving sizes are very substantial and we almost always have to take some to-go. Long story short, the food is amazing, the owner is so friendly, you get huge portion sizes for what you pay - please visit Lalibela's if you can - we highly recommend!

(Also, If you want to try traditional Ethiopian coffee, they recently opened Lucy's coffee shop across the street too - we also highly recommend...