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Cafe Lalibela

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105 reviews#29 of 545 Restaurants in Tempe$$ - $$$AfricanEthiopianVegetarian Friendly
849 W University Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281-3463+1 480-829-1939WebsiteMenu
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Ratings and reviews

4.5 105 reviews
#1 of 4 African in Tempe
#29 of 545 Restaurants in Tempe
Certificate of Excellence2016, 2018 Winner
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Mentioned in

Food and ambience

African, Ethiopian, Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
A little gem!We had an all vegetarian platter full o...We had lamb, beef, chicken, collards, s...

Location and contact

849 W University Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281-3463
2.9 miles from Desert Botanical Garden
Website
+1 480-829-1939
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Menu

SOUP & SALAD​
Shorba
Soup made from lentils, carrots, potatoes, onion and vegetable stock.
Bowl $4.25
Cup $3.95
Selata
Garden salad with house dressing
$3.95
ENTREES​
A combination of three items is suggested for one serving. All entrees are served with Injera.
Make your own combination from the following list
Alicha Sega Wat (Mild Beef Stew)
Tender beef cubes simmered in kibae (spiced butter), onion, and turmeric flavored with various spices.
$4.95
Asa Wat (Fish Stew)
Shredded fish stew simmered with berbere (red pepper), garlic, and onion flavored with various spices.
$5.50
Doro Wat (Spicy Chicken Stew)
Chicken simmered in kibae (spiced butter), berbere (red pepper) and onion flavored with various spices. The Doro wat is traditionally served with hard-boiled eggs. (Request for egg.)
$4.95
Key Sega Wat (Spicy Beef Stew)
Tender beef cubes simmered in berbere (red pepper) and onion flavored with various spices.
$4.95
Yebeg Alicha Sega Wat (Mild Lamb Stew)
Lamb cubes simmered in kibae (spiced butter), onion, turmeric and herbs.
$5.50
Azifah (Brown Lentils)
Whole brown lentils blended with onion, green pepper and spices. Served cold
$4.75
Fosolia (String Beans and Carrots)
Lightly spiced string beans cooked with carrots and onion.
$4.75
Gomen (Collard Greens)
Chopped collard greens cooked with fresh garlic and onion.
$4.75
SUGGESTED COMBINATIONS​
For parties of 3
Lalibela Exclusive
A​ combination of: doro wat (3), kye sega wat (4) alicha sega wat (1), yebere sega tibs (23), yebeg alicha (5), misr wat (9), gomen (8), fosolia (7), tikil gomen (11), yekik alicha (12) and ayeb (29) garnished with selata and served with injera.
$39.95
Vegetarian Exclusive
A combination of: azifah (6), shiro wat (10) misr wat (9), gomen (8) fosolia (7), tikil gomen (11) and yekik alicha (12) garnished with selata and served with injera.
$36.95
INDIVIDUAL PLATTERS​
Meat Combination
Combination of doro wat (3), alicha sega (1) and kye sega wat (4) garnished with selata and served with injera.
$13.95
Vegetable Combination
A combination of misr wat (9), gomen (8), fosolia (7), and tikil gomen (11) garnished with selata and served with injera.
$12.95
Spicy Combination
A Combination of doro wat (3), kye sega wat (4) and misr wat (9) garnished with selata and served with injera.
$13.95
Mild Combination
A Combination of alicha sega wat (1), yebeg alicha sega wat (5) and fosolia (7) garnished with selata and served with injera.
$13.95
Chef’s Favorite Combination
A Combination of doro wat (3), gomen (8) and ayeb (29) garnished with selata and served with injera.
$12.95
Manager’s Choice
A Combination of kye sega wat (4), tikil gomen (11) and yekik alicha (12) garnished with selata and served with injera.
$13.95
Kitfo (Ground Beef Resembling Steak Tartar)
Lean tender beef finely chopped and mixed with mitmita, cardamon and kibae. Served raw or slightly cooked with gomen and ayeb garnished with selata.
$12.95
Yebere sega tibs (pan fried beef cubes)
Lean beef cubes pan fried with jalapenos, onion and fresh rosemary. Garnished with selata and served with injera.
$12.95
Yawaze Yebere Tibs (Spicy Pan Fried Beef Cubes)
Lean beef cubes pan fried with jalapenos, onion, fresh rosemary and awaze. Garnished with selata and served with injera.
$13.95
Yebeg Sega Tibs (Pan Fried Lamb Cubes)
Lamb cubes pan fried with jalapenos, onion, and fresh rosemary. Garnished with selata and served with injera.
$13.95
SIDE ORDERS​
Injera (Ethiopian bread)
A crepe like sourdough bread made from a mixture of teff and wheat flour.
$0.95
Ayeb (Homemade cheese)
Freshly made mild, crumbly cheese used for enhancing flavor.
$3.50
Rice
$1.50
GLOSSARY OF GENERAL TERMS​
Awaze
A spicy paste made from berbere.
Berbere
A mixture of red chili powder and spices.
Kibae
Purified butter mixed with various spices.
Mitmita
Very hot red chili powder blended with spices.
Wat
A​ stew like sauce made from a variety of ingredients. Such as vegetables, beef, chicken, lamb or fish.
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Details

Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner
CUISINES
African, Ethiopian
FEATURES
Takeout, Seating, Parking Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Table Service, Reservations, Serves Alcohol, Gift Cards Available
Reviews (105)
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LanguageEnglish
Traveler rating
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All reviews injera collard greens stews combination platter bread lamb potatoes ethiopian food doro wat phoenix area ethiopian experience strip mall the real deal iced tea lentils spongy vegetarian
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Reviewed January 18, 2020 via mobile
Incredibly Delicious Food!

This place is such a hidden gem! It is very clean, the service is quick and friendly, and the food is rather filling and super tasty! We will definitely visit again :)

Date of visit: January 2020
Helpful?
Reviewed December 5, 2019
Lunch @ Lalibela

It’s a good Ethiopian restaurant. Serves host of food for taste lovers as well as vegetarians. Quality, quantity and service levels were excellent with a good value for money.

Date of visit: October 2019
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Reviewed November 26, 2019
Oh my gosh, this was good!

I visited Cafe Lalibela with my family and my ASU student son's girlfriend, and judging by how quickly the food disappeared, I'd have to say that everyone was satisfied. We had the main combination platter for 4, which amply fed five people. It had a...More

Date of visit: November 2019
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Reviewed August 18, 2019 via mobile
A great find

Wanted something completely different. This is a small restaurant in a strip mall about half a mile from Mill Ave. efficient service. Hadn’t had Ethiopian food in years, so asked for recommendations. Split the manager’s special for two. Had a nice combination of veggies and...More

Date of visit: August 2019
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Reviewed August 3, 2019 via mobile
A little gem!

A total gem hiding in the city. The food was amazing and the service was phenomenal. Everyone was so attentive, even noticed I wasn’t drinking my sprite and came to ask why then replaced it of their own accord with a homemade tea. Will definitely...More

Date of visit: August 2019
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Reviewed May 24, 2019
Tasty Ethiopian Fare in Tempe

This restaurant is a little difficult to get to if you don't have a vehicle; but taking a combination of light rail and bus will do the trick. It is somewhat out of the way and a fair distance from downtown Tempe and it took...More

Date of visit: May 2019
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Reviewed April 28, 2019 via mobile
Great food

Nice casual atmosphere. Very good traditional Etheopian food. I had the spicy combination platter which had lentils, and two kinds of meat. We also had a tea specific for colds which was delicious. My companion had the meat platter which she finished. It is in...More

Date of visit: April 2019
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Reviewed April 1, 2019
I have eaten here many times and always enjoyed it, but this time is was superb

Over the years, I have eaten here many times and remembered that Cafe Lalibela was very good. Well this time (it has been several years since I was here) was even better than I remembered. Dinner with good friends, excellent service and great food is...More

Date of visit: March 2019
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Reviewed February 28, 2019 via mobile
Best Ethiopian Food Ever

I’ve tasted several Ethiopian restaurants but this one is by far consistently the best. Service is great and food is amazing! The concept of eating with no utensils is new to me but I absolutely love it!! I brought my family here and we all...More

Date of visit: March 2019
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Reviewed January 23, 2019 via mobile
First Ethiopian meal and loved it

Our friends have talked about this place for a couple of years and tonight we made the trip to Tempe to try them. Situated not far from the Gamage .theater, this place is in a little strip mall with plenty of parking. None restaurant is...More

Date of visit: January 2019
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