Ziada Restaurant

We went to this place really wanting to like it. It was great to see some local diversity in dine-​out options. The food really was quite good, and the staff seem nice, but boy do they have some things to learn about running a restaurant. First, it’s November, turn on the heat! We knew that the wait would be long… but the place was absolutely Arctic, which made it intolerable. Second, as noted by others, how about some appies to tide people over? Third, they need a wine list that includes more choices than ‘red’ or ‘white’. How about a few BC VQA options? Nothing fancy needed… just some CHOICES. It’s not that hard. People who are waiting will drink and be less impatient. Fourth, never, ever, ever, ever bring out a cold dish that’s supposed to be hot just because you are in a hurry to serve it. Final verdict: we’d go back for the food, but not until they improve the experience.

Not a quick meal. Expect to spend a long time here. It’s good food, and the service was friendly and sweet, but man… I could have walked across New West and back in between service visits from the staff.
Drinks took forever to appear and our server was often in the back, so we couldn’t flag him down to ask questions. We could see our tea sitting on the counter for at least 5 minutes… just waiting. The «special tea» was red rose and spices. Tasty, but would have been nice with some milk.
We ordered two orders of the mixed veggie and two different meat dishes. The veggie portions came out small and cold. The meat dishes were hot and good and decent portions, though took a long time to arrive after the veggie dishes. While the flavours were good, we were rather disappointed with the cool temp of the veggie dishes and how cold the injera bread was. Considering the server said it was all being made fresh, which was why it was taking so long. After we were mostly done, we were treated to a top up of some of the veggie options, and a new one we hadn’t tried before. This top up ended up being better than the rest of the meal. The temperature was hot, and even the bread was warm and fluffier. That really picked up things for us, despite being fairly full from the meat dishes.
Overall, it was a delicious meal, but the service was so agonizingly slow, I just couldn’t give this place more than 3 stars. Go, try it out, just make sure you have lots of time to spare.

An hour and change into waiting for my meal at Ziada I was thinking three things:
a) Maybe I shouldn’t have cracked those bad jokes like «Ethiopian food — this’ll be a quick meal!» (a la Jerry Seinfeld).
b) These guys really ought to look into the concept of appetizers.
c) This is going to be amazing, as they’re making all the food fresh back there.
I should note that my wait for food was probably not typical, as I was with a large group of people ordering all at the same time.
Though a cup of spicy tea eased the beast, I was beginning to get my grumpy on when the meal finally arrived: a big platter of spongey, cool injera flatbread with a small bit of salad on one side, along with a bowl of lamb vigni and a couple of extra pieces of rolled-​up injera. For those of you that don’t know — or at least I didn’t, on this, my maiden voyage into Ethiopian/​Eritrean food — you put the stew on the injera, then break off pieces of the injera to pick up the meat/​veggies/​lentils to eat.
The vigni was just spicy enough for my palate, and also very filling, even though I shared it with my husband. (The owner of an Ethiopian restaurant in Vancouver I interviewed once said that couples ought to use the injera to feed one another in a very romantic way — called gursha — but we weren’t about to gross out a crowd here…)
After the meal, the restaurant treated our group of 12 to a coffee ceremony. Ziada normally does this, I think, two Saturdays a month at 5 pm, but they put on one especially for us. In case your caffeine-​fuelled souls didn’t know it, Ethiopia is the world’s home of coffee. And they honour it with a ceremony that involves a woman roasting the raw beans over a small stove, shaking the pan gently so they don’t burn and filling the entire restaurant with the aroma. Then, when beans turn back, the coffee is ground and put in a clay pot with water, heated, filtered several times, and served in tiny china cups that look like they came from a child’s tea set. You’re supposed to drink three cups, one from each «pouring.» I was buzzing after one … thankful that they were doing this a little earlier in the day than normal.
After a leisurely three hours of waiting, then eating, then watching the coffee being made, then the caffeine high … we paid. When the server told me the price for our share (two people), I couldn’t believe my ears: a grand total of $ 16 (with tax) for an entrée, two cups of tea, and a Coke. The coffee ceremony and post-​meal fresh-​popped popcorn were free.
The fanciest restaurant in town, Ziada is not. But the hospitality was outstanding. Take a while and give it a try.

Really true Ethiopian, Eritrean food. Very friendly staff, good helpings. We loved the serving on fresh Injera (Ethiopean sourdough flatbread). Eating with your fingers has never been so good. Bring the kids! We have had the «sampler» plate with lamb, goat, and chicken «stew’ many times. The garlic and spinach is particularly tasty to me. If you are in luck you may see a «coffee» ceremony — interesting. On the very odd occasions in the summer, the Owner will bring in his homemade, freshly made African beer. It is very rich and filling, very little alcohol if any. Try their tea at the end of the meal. Not to be missed

* Solid Eritrean offering *
I stumbled upon this fairly new Eritrean restaurant and just had to give it a try. The server gave a big welcome upon coming in, and ushered me to a comfortable clean table. The space is larger than you would expect from the outside and has a nice feel for a casual hole in the wall.
All of the customers appeared to be Eritrean and were speaking Tigrinya. I took this as a very good sign!
I ordered the lamb qulwa, as I absolutely love lamb.
They served a very generous portion which had a superbly spiced sauce. There was a slight hint of heat, mixed with the peppers, onions, garlic, tomato, berbere, and a surprising touch of rosemary! Truly a lovely sauce with rich complex flavours. The lamb itself was just slightly too cooked for my taste, but not to the point of it being a problem — just a personal preference.
They included a small salad on top of the injera as well, which also had a hint of rosemary to carry through and link the flavours.
The injera was thankfully served at room temperature instead of chilled like at some other places around town. It had the perfect consistency and sourness.
This was a very satisfying meal, with very friendly service. I’m looking forward to returning!