Vegan
Take-out
Catering
Gluten-free
Fully vegan restaurant serving traditional Ethiopian cuisine. Menu includes stews, assorted vegetable plates, combo dishes, sides, salad, dessert and more. Buffet available Sun, Fri-Sat from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. Black-owned. Open Mon-Sun 11:00am-10:00pm.
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1047 S Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, California, USA, 90019
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Last update on 18 Jul 2024 by Guest
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92 Reviews
First Review by Mimi710
Reyanne86
Points +85
great food at a great price - Edit
Stumbled upon this place thanks to HappyCow! Got in just in time for the all you can eat vegan buffet for $12.95!!! Food was amazing and the workers were so sweet! Highly recommended!
Read moreGuest
MaoGranada
Points +86
first time ! - Edit
it was a good introduction to Ethiopian food... being from South America I found most of the ingredients very similar to my culture... great lunch bar...
Read moreGuest
bejeweled88
Points +31
Rude Customer Service, mediocre ambiance but Good Food - Edit
I went out to dinner here for the first time recently with two friends.
Read moreWe ordered a platter to share as well as one additional dish. When the platter arrived we politely asked if the other dish was on the way but the server (owner I think) replied extremely defensively "you didn't order anything else!!!" But the three of us all remember that it was definitely ordered. She repeated several times that we did NOT order anything else instead of apologizing and fixing the mistake. This rude response took the joy out of the meal a bit.
The food was delicious! But poor customer service, uncomfortable chairs and poor decor would be some cons.
Updated from previous review on 2016-09-21
Pros: Delicious
Cons: Customer service , Uncomfortable chairs, decor and ambience
Guest
socalRob
Points +235
A buffet is always a smart move - Edit
I hadn't tried Ethiopian food before this visit, but was pleasantly surprised by how good everything was. I wasn't always clear on what I was eating, but it filled me up and I have few complaints.
Read moreGuest
ArtVB
Points +332
Best Ethiopian in town - Edit
The lunch menu is awesome and a nice introduction to Vegan Ethiopian food. I look forward to my next visit.
Read moreGuest
LinaBrooks
Points +490
Finger food - Edit
We loved most of the food that was served but the trouble I had was that you have to eat it with a wrap instead of forks , all would of been fine but I found the wrap very bitter so whatever you would take it would give that bitterness/ sauerkraut like taste... Big fan of those lentils though.
Read morePros: tasty vegan food/ home made , not greasy food /not oily , friendly owners and servers
Cons: decor needs updating , wraps , forks would of come handy
Guest
VeganCookieLover
Points +3163
best Ethiopian restaurant - Edit
The stewed lentils are delicately seasoned. The vegetables are wonderfully spiced. The injera is perfectly spongy and tangy. Great service. I've been coming here for years.
Read moreGuest
xZagx
Points +355
vegan buffet - Edit
A menu and a lunch buffet. Good varieties, a lot of choices and a very kind staff. All the sabors of ethiopian cuisine.
Read morePros: Ethiopian specialities!, vegan, eat as much as you want
Guest
philjdomm
Points +945
For two - Edit
Love the traditional hand washing basin
Read morePros: Location, Back Parking, Staff
Guest
beetsrock
Points +813
red lentil love - Edit
Went with a group and ordered a sampler with sambussa to share with 5 people. My favorite is the red lentil dish, but everything is delicious and it is fun to be able to taste different things and mix and match flavors. Sat in the hut, which was shipped over from Ethiopia and reassembled in the restaurant. Beautiful presentation and very friendly service.
Read morePros: friendly staff, abundant servings, authentic hut dining
Guest
JaneMcG
Points +47
Our favorite restaurant in LA! - Edit
My husband and I eat here literally every time we come to Los Angeles. Service is wonderful, atmosphere is wonderful, most importantly, it's the best Ethiopian food we've ever had (and we eat Ethiopian almost once a week.) We've eaten here a dozen times over the last few years. Order the veggie feast and eat your heart out!! :)
Read morePros: Best Ethiopian food ever, Great atmosphere, Friendly service
Cons: Parking sometimes takes a few minutes
Guest
brandalock
Points +173
Hearty, Healthy Ethiopian Cuisine! - Edit
My husband and I ate here over the weekend for the all you can eat lunch buffet. It was SOOOOOOO good!
Read moreAll vegan Ethiopian cuisine sans fake meats. This food is the real veggie deal.
Great price for the all you can eat buffet. I loved the lentils and split peas, as well as their sauces and dressings. The mango cake was to die for!
Highly recommend if you are int he mood for hearty, healthy, Ethiopian food!
Also very attentive service, even for a buffet. One waitress was manning a pretty busy room and didn't let a water glass go empty or a request unanswered.
Pros: All you can eat buffet, Hearty and healthy, Great Service
Guest
ButikiGirl
Points +222
Tasty Meal! - Edit
Very tasty food. We were in a rush and had to scarf down the food. I wish I had more time to enjoy the food. I went with a flexible vegetarian and a guy that was very meat and potatoes and only ate American food (he had never tried any ethnic food before this experience). I was a bit worried that he would not be happy but everyone loved their food. The samosas were probably the best samosas I’ve had in a very long time. The food was very delicious and I didn’t have to worry about any hidden clarified butter. Great food, great service. Next time I’m in LA, I will have to try the buffet.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Saturday May 17, 2014
Pros: Great food
Guest
DynaMo
Points +103
A feast for the senses - Edit
Hands down my favorite restaurant in L.A., vegan or not. Consistently delicious with spices and flavors that jump off the injera and into your mouth. Get a combination platter of course - try as many dishes as you can. The red lentils are divine and the greens are always perfect. Try the pure teff injera, made with only this ancient grain (no wheat/gluten) that is reminiscent of buckwheat. Its tanginess offsets the deep rich flavors of the stews. FIrst time eating Ethiopian? This is the place for you! Say hello to Rahel herself, a most gracious host. Coffee lovers: ask about the coffee ceremony. I don't even like coffee and I LOVE this.
Read morePros: wildly good food, eat at traditional tables if you like, excellent staff and service
Guest
JonJon
Points +20759
Excellent experience - Edit
It is rare to be able to eat vegan african food in a restaurant. That makes this one really nice, food is really excellent and you will find it nowhere else. Portions are big and they serve you different sorts of food in an ethiopian traditionnal pancake. You also can eat directly with your fingers, which is really appreciable. Staff is friendly and the restaurant has a pleasant atmosphere. You should absolutely try it!
Read morePros: excellent food, friendly staff, nice place and atmosphere
Guest
Randallcoach
Points +20
Excellent Vegan Food, Gluten Free if needed - Edit
I've been to this restaurant several times and rate it highly. Excellent food, friendly people. They can serve gluten free injera (the spongy pancake-like bread that is used to soak up the food when eating) upon request for those who are gluten sensitive.
Read moreOne time, visited on a Sunday and the food wasn't as good. Perhaps the main chef isn't there that day, not sure.
Pros: Clean, Pleasant ambiance, Excellent vegan Ethiopian food
Guest
JcRodriguez
Points +118
First time - Edit
Our first time eating here, we were impressed, the food was good, the service nice.... We will come back.
Read morePros: love the decor, friendly staff
Guest
vegan_ryan
Points +3869
Great food, greater buffet - Edit
I love Ethiopian food, and this place really does it well. Additionally, they have a buffet during lunch times, and it doesn't get much better than that.
Read moreIf you're looking for something ethnic, try this place. It's all-vegan, and that's always a good thing to support.
Bring change for the parking meters, and expect to park a few blocks up or down the street.
Pros: All-vegan, Buffet
Cons: Difficult parking
Guest
Chia
Points +3631
Tasty and Filling - Edit
I had read about this place on happycow when it first opened some years ago, and have eaten here several times. Here's my Rahel Ethiopian Vegetarian Cuisine review.
Read moreIt's located on Fairfax Blvd in a section known as Little Ethiopia - lots of restaurants serving Ethiopian food. Rahel's is the only pure veg (vegan) establishment, as of this writing.
The food is tasty and flavorful, lots of lentils, dal, potatoes, and some dark greens. Food is served with injera bread that you're supposed to eat with your hands.
When eaten in moderation, I felt good. But on the occasions where I ate a bit too much, the spices and the heaviness of the food did not settle well.
A good dining adventure if you'd like to try Ethiopian food.
Pros: authentic flavors, good variety, Ethiopian coffee ceremony
Guest
OperationChowhound
Points +8938
Excellent Ethiopian - Edit
I wasn't hungry, so I just ordered a bowl of lentil soup and baklava. I was excited for vegan baklava, but it was a little disappointing. My friend ordered a feast and she seemed to enjoy it. She had leftovers, but it still seemed a little overpriced. Nice atmosphere.
Read morePros: all vegan
Guest
zaphod46
Points +413
great lunch buffet - Edit
We have been hearing about Rahel's for years and finally got a chance to try it today. This was our first time eating Ethiopian food, so I cannot comment on authenticity, but it was damned good vegan food. All the dishes were naturally vegan (no faux-anything), constantly replenished, and delicious. The choices were heavy on lentils and varied in spiciness from not at all to somewhat.
Read moreOn a whim, I ordered a glass of Besso (drink made from barley). It was sweet and creamy and just the thing if I ate a little too much spice at once.
Cannot wait to get back there for dinner sometime.
Pros: tasty, good value
Guest
Colby
Points +121
Best Vegan Ethiopian Food - Edit
I haven't tried a whole lot of Vegan Ethiopian food, but this is my favorite Ethiopian place so far! I was happy to see descriptions of what each dish was composed of, since it's usually a little hard to tell... For the $9 lunch buffet, you can get a good deal of food for your money! They even have gluten free injera for those avoiding gluten. It's just too bad they're only open for lunch, or I would have gone back for a second try during my vacation in California.
Read morePros: all vegan, good value, delicious
Cons: only open for lunch
Guest
Zinnia N
Points +90
Too much of a good thing - Edit
The food is really good. Too good, in my opinion, because I always eat too much. Yes, I know that I could take it to go, but I wish they could just sell some smaller portions for cheaper prices instead. The balance of flavors is very subtle and good. For a while they were even selling some kind of lentil wrap in Whole Foods, but unfortunately that seems to have ended. Also be warned that you will almost definitely need to park on a side street, but that's to be expected in this neighborhood.
Read morePros: yummy, ambience
Cons: portions too big, bad parking
Guest
Veggie Salvadorean
Points +68
Vegan Ethiopian Buffet?! - Edit
Being a lover of Ethiopian food for quite sometime, I was excited and apprehensive about eating at this restaurant because of the buffet. Needless to say, I was satisfied, but not overly ecstatic about the results.
Read moreAt the buffet line, the injera is premade, rolled up on top of each other in an Ethiopian closed basket. Down the row of metallic food covers included the green and red lentils; the potato stew, rice; split-pea stew; string-beans with carrots; kale stew; and barley (an ingredient I never knew was used in Ethiopian cooking).
The red lentils were full of flavor, a hint of flaming spice, but not hot enough to distract the pallet from the other selections. The potato stew was another favorite and the yellow base stew was enjoyed more so on my finger tips, but the other options weren't overly impressive. Of course, this might be the results of eating from the buffet, but the advantage is you get to see what options are available in vegan Ethiopian dining.
Surprisingly, even the buffet option comes with a side option: lentil soup or house salad. The lentil soup was a bit on the bland side for my liking, but the "3D" juice, a combination of barley, flax and sunflower seeds, was fantastic. The drink wasn't too grainy; it tasted great with the meal.
Service was very attentive and the atmosphere is alive with pictures, art, and other Ethiopian decoratives. And parking is not difficult on a Sunday afternoon when the meters don't run on South Fairfax.
In sum, the buffet is a hearty option for those who've never experiences the colourful flavors of Ethiopian spices. But next time, I'm in LA, I'll pass on the buffet and order fresh from the menu during dinner as I'm sure it will complete the experience.
Pros: Excellent Service, Inexpensive, Wonderful Red Lentis
Cons: Buffet quality hit or miss.
Guest
Colinski
Points +110
Vegan Ethiopian! - Edit
For the uninitiated, I would say Indian food is the closest thing to Ethiopian, in that it consists largely of spicy stews eaten with flatbread. I have been here several times and I love it. I recommend getting one of the dinner combos where you get several items all on one plate so you don't have to choose one thing. However, you will get a lot of food, but that's not a problem for me.
Read morePros: High quality, Huge portions
Cons: Terrible parking
Guest
onlyahuman
Points +214
Affordable Ethiopian buffet! - Edit
I love this place! Finding Ethiopian food was the most exciting food discovery for me in the past year, finding this all vegan Ehthiopian place? Even better! The buffet is cheap and all you can eat! I tricked some of my non-vegan friends into going here and they loved it too! I can't wait for my next trip back to CA so I can go here!
Read morePros: great food, nice staff, all you can eat!
Guest
rebeccaj
Points +168
wonderful place - Edit
Ethiopian food is my favorite, and I'm vegan, so it's no wonder that I loved this place.
Read moreOur server came out with a pitcher and bowl so that you could wash your hands before eating--that was neat (of course we had already washed our hands, knowing that we'd be eating with them).
The food was very flavorful, but I noticed it wasn't at all spicy-hot--that may be good or bad, depending upon your tastes.
I tried the Ethiopian tea. It was good--it smelled like Christmas spices. The cup was small, but they refilled it later.
The lights were dimmed, and there were candles on the table. It was almost TOO dimly lit, the night we were there.
Pros: great food, quiet restaurant
Cons: not super cheap
Guest
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