Lalibela Restaurant – 869 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6G 1M4
Country: Ethiopia  
Seating: Mostly inside but there are a few tables on the sidewalk
Must-try dish: Lalibela Platter for Two 
Dinner guests: Curly Guy, Sundance Pati & Suited Sebastien
The high: It’s refreshing to eat with our hands in a group again
The low: There’s a liquor license but no Ethiopian beers or spirits

If you look up Lalibela Toronto, two locations will appear. One on Bloor Street and the other on the Danforth, in the city’s Little Ethiopia neighbourhood. Both restaurants are great, but they actually have different owners and aren’t affiliated. In fact, Lalibela is also a beautiful part of Ethiopia located in the Amhara Region, which is famous for churches built in massive rock formations for the Coptic Christians to hide in during the 12th and 13th centuries. 

So, if you don’t know, now you know! 

Who said that eating with your hands is wrong? We honestly don’t know because not only is it fun, but it’s also the most effective way of eating certain dishes. Ethiopian food as a whole falls into this category. Both vegetarian and sizzling meat dishes are elegantly placed on top of injera, which is an enormous fermented flatbread that has a similar texture and appearance to a crepe. You’re also served additional injera on plates that you break into smaller pieces to use as a vehicle to start eating the food. 

It goes without saying, we consumed large amounts of injera in one night. This is what we ordered for five people: 

Lalibela Platter for Two: If you go out for Ethipian food, this has to be on order. Lentils, chickpeas, split peas, cabbage, vegetables, chicken and lamb come together in their respective groups on top of the injera in a colourful way. Although there was order to the organization of each item, it got mixed up as we started digging out hands in for bites of everything. This platter gives a diner a good idea of a variety of Ethiopian cuisine all in one place. 

Zilzil Tibs: This was a favourite of the night, and for good reason. A pan of sizzling beef with zucchinnis, onions and spices dropped down on the injera with all its tasty juices that marinated the flatbread below. It complimented the other flavours and textures already decorating the injera and was one of the easiest items to grab with the smaller pieces of injera. 

Dero Tibs: Another fantastic recommendation from our server Azeb, who hails from Ethiopia and curated our entire order for the night. Similar to the beef in preparation and in delivery, the chicken is sauteed in butter, hot peppers and spices. 

Over the course of the meal, the sauces from each dish are slowly marinating the injera underneath, and by the end, those pieces of flatbread become some of the most delicious parts of the meal. We want to warn you ahead of time, digging into the saucy injera is messy on the hands, but totally worth it! 

If you’re an Ethiopian food fanatic, check out our review of Lalibela Cuisine on the Danforth, as well as our review of Hwunet Bar & Restaurant that serves up Eritrean delights. 

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)