Queen Sheba

My hubby and I first went to Queen Sheba through a Groupon deal (That was, when Groupon was still easily accessible to the Blind). This was the first time we tried Ethiopian food and it was amazing. We weren’t even sure what we were eating exactly but the person serving us was very nice and tried to help us pick out things we would like. I especially liked these vegetarian rolls made with smushed Lentils. Imagine that, me, a true carnivore liking something vegetarian! I also had this mild Lamb stuff which was good. Everything was tasty and properly smushy which is why you use this soft crêpe-​like bread called Injera to scoop it up with your fingers. Seriously fastidious people may have a problem eating with your hands, but you know what they say about being in Rome… So, after sopping up every tasty bit of sauce with the Injera, we finished our dinner off with a pretty darn good tasting Teramisu. (And no, this was not smushed nor did we have to eat it with Injera. A proper fork was provided. I had left our waitress a $ 20 tip and she came running down the street after us thinking I was mistaken in the denomination of bill I gave her. She was surprised and pleased with her big tip. More brownie points for her honesty and her extra effort in trying to give it back to us. This has become our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, though it is a bit of a trek to get there for us.

We went for a sunday night dinner after skiing and it was a pleasant surprise. I ordered the veggie combo which was pretty good — the black lentil curry was amazing. Friends ordered fish and chicken with anjeera and they loved it. Few ethiopian beers to select from as well. Nice ambience and service was ok.

The food was pretty good– we ordered our food hot, but the spicy level was more like a mild-​medium. The prices were high too. We ordered a meat combo for $ 28 that was supposed to feed 2 people. We ordered it for takeout, and when we opened it up, it was the size of one normal size dish at an Ethiopian restaurant. I’d recommend trying another Ethiopian place. On a plus, they were easy to order from!

Came in late on a Monday night and the restaurant surprisingly got busier as the night grew on. The ambiance is dark and warm and smells great. The restaurant is small and cozy and there was only one waitress on duty but she was sweet and efficient.
Thankfully the wait was not long for our meat combo platter and when it was brought out before us the aromas were amazing. The food was equally good, the meat tender, the spice level just right, everything very flavorful. The injera was soft and perfect for soaking and we had plenty of it for the two of us. It took us awhile as we lingered over the giant platter talking and nibbling here and there but in the end we pretty much took care of the entire platter. Very reasonably priced for the amount of food. We’d come back again on a cold rainy night!

First time having Ethiopian food. The two of us split one chicken dish and it was plenty! So delicious! Loved the injera and honey wine. It was casual and had nice, cozy ambiance. Seems like a cozy date spot or good for an intimate meal with friends. Would recommend

I have been to numerous ethiopian restaurants since 1990. I have been to this one before as well a few years back.
This was bad…
Inaccurate menus. The veggie combo was listed online at $ 11.95, the meat combo at $ 19.95.
They charged $ 13.95 and $ 27.95.
What a RIP OFF.
For that“queen sheba ransom” you get burned doro on the meat combo and diluted meser on both dishes.
The servings are tiny as well.
The server alwas largely absent even though the place was almost empty.
I wonder if ownership has changed.
This was my last visit l. There are MUCH better options in Seattle. Just go to MLK and Cherry head East. You will find several.

COLD RESTAURANT. POOR VEGGIE COMBO. SMALL PORTIONS. INACCURATE MENU PRICES.
The restaurant is cold. I will not return until they maintain their restaurant at a standard high 60s/​low 70s temperature. On a cold Seattle night (low 30s), Queen Sheba was hardly warmer inside.
The veggie combo here was good, not great. The red lentils were excellent and slightly spicy. The yellow peas were bland. The cabbage/​carrots/​potato were hearty. The okra was similar in spice and flavor to the red lentils. The greens were not my favorite, but everyone else liked them. I was disappointed to discovered Queen Sheba does not include any spice paste on their veggie combo (like Café Selam and others).
My observation on the orders other members of our table received was that by combining a veggie and meat dish they actually received a significantly smaller portion than if they had been served on their own pieces of injera. Had this been my order, I would have been furious. Because it was theirs, I won’t let it influence my star rating, but I will mention it to advise others.
Lastly, the prices on Queen Sheba’s website are not accurate. E.G.: veggie combo is listed as $ 11.95. In the restaurant it is $ 13.95.

Food is always great I always look forward to being on this part of town to come in and have Ethiopian just wish the place presented a little bit better and I would give it 5 stars

This was my first experience with Ethiopian food and what a delight!
My friend and I split the Yebeg Tibs and the Kike. The lamb was cooked beautifully and the okra it came with had a great texture. The Kike was very flavorful and colorful and both dishes were suprisingly filling. The two of us ate and had enough to share leftovers (I’ve just had mine for lunch and they are still delicious!). The injera bread is a treat, just a little tang and spongy texture. I look forward to eating it again!
The restaurant itself is cozy and feels like you are in someone’s living room. It was pretty quiet when we came in on a Tuesday. The service was great, very friendly and attentive. We will definitely be back.

My first time with Ethiopian cuisine… WOW! Loved it!
I ordered it as take-​out so I only gave it four stars, since I couldn’t rate the restaurant itself. However, the food was delicious! Very flavorful and earthy, not too spicy.
I tried the Doro Tibs, Gome Tibs and Vegetarian Roll. I also enjoyed the side vegetables and injera bread that came with each dish.
I only dealt with them over the phone but they were very patient and pleasant. I can only suspect they are the same in person. I highly recommend trying Queen Sheba.

On Both occasions I ate here I got very sick a few hours afterwards. I did not find the service nice nor helpful. I would not recommend this location.

This was my first Ethiopian food experience and I’m a huge fan of all the flavors. My friend and I ordered the veggie combo and a fish item, which was more than enough for the 2 of us. All of the dishes were so flavorful and delicious. There were 2 fish dishes to choose from, we went with the waitress’ suggestion and it was my favorite dish. The fish was tender and flaky, perfectly cooked with tasty spices. Instead of utensils, they serve a type of flatbread (I don’t know what it’s called) to scoop up the food. The flatbread has a sour flavor to it that I wasn’t a big fan of, best to take small bits of flatbread and do your best to scoop up lots of food, it’s ok to get your fingers dirty. The flatbread also expands later and makes you feel excessively full. I also tried an Ethiopian beer (not the lagers) and it was pretty good. Thoroughly enjoyed my first experience and looking forward to more!

While visiting Seattle from Boston my friend and I stopped a young couple on the street in the funky Capital Hill area. It turned out they moved out there from Norwood MA! Their faces lit up when asked where they love to eat. Did we like Ethiopian food? Queen Sheba was their favorite place. Neither of us had eaten Ethiopian food before so we hesitated then jumped in. It was a beautiful night out on their patio. We ordered one of the spicy white fish dishes and the veggie combo. What arrived was beautiful, so colorful and absolutely delicious. Something as simple as spinach was cooked to garlicky perfection, even the okra wasn’t mushy. The fish had just the right kick and loaded with flavor. We couldn’t stop eating everything on the plate and then the pancake underneath. Perhaps I will now be spoiled and not like any other Ethiopian restaurant?
One note, on top of the great food was really good service. I didn’t care for the wine I chose, it tasted sour to me and our lovely waitress took it off the bill. They didn’t have to do that, I’m the one who chose it but they did.
Thank you so much to the couple from Norwood we now love this place as much as you.

Great veggie combo plates with great taste and variety. Wash that down with some red house wine and you have a complete meal. :)
The service was good, the atmosphere nice and the food was great. Can’t wait to go again.

Anya’s Rating Summary: Food (³⁄₅), Pricing (²⁄₅), Service (⁴⁄₅), Atmosphere (³⁄₅)
Food: Second time having Ethiopian and again, it didn’t disappoint. I had a lamb dish called the Yebeg Tibs. It was presented nicely and had a nice flavor. Overall I would rate it ³⁄₅ on the food.
Pricing: Pricing was definitely more expensive than what you got. Total for just the lamb was $ 13.95 before taxes, which would be fine if the portion were a bit larger and it wasn’t lunch time. Overall I would rate it ²⁄₅ on pricing.
Service: The waitress was great, attentive, and offered up suggestions that made it easier to order. The food was swiftly made and presented at my table in a very quick manner. Overall I would rate it ⁴⁄₅ on service.
Atmosphere: I went during lunch time, there was no one in the restaurant, but it has quite an open floor plan with an area offset from the rest of the restaurant that would be best suited for a date. Otherwise, the place is suited best for groups, bigger tables, shared plates, etc. Overall, I would rate it ³⁄₅ on atmosphere.

It is really too bad that I am rating Queen Sheba so low. It is near work, delivers through a variety of the third party services, and the food is great.
When I spend $ 300 on dinner and I happily see that there is a 10% off the bill after check in, I’m really excited. I didn’t expect the discount– I picked this place because I knew the food was good. So when I ask the waitress two or three times about the discount and she says she will take care of it, I assume she does.
Apparently at Queen Sheba they don’t think this is a big deal. The bill was full price, even on itemized receipts after the main bill came. I understand not discounting alcohol or something, or even trying to tell me that the discount can’t be used on a split ticket order, etc, but when you tell me you are honoring a discount YOU SET UP, please do that.

Maybe I am just too loyal to my favorite Ethiopian restaurant that my mind and taste buds refuse to let me believe any other place is good. Well, don’t get me wrong, it is good here. Very flavorsome, but not a whole lot is given to you. $ 27.99 seems a bit pricey for the amount you get in the meat combo. It says it feeds two, but I felt like my cousin and I were fighting over what was on the plate. Also, $ 2 for extra injera? This is the only place where I’ve seen that they charge extra, which seems a bit ridiculous since they give you only one to begin with.
Service was okay, but out of every table in the restaurant, all were available because no one else was there except us, and she still sat us next to the stairs where my cousins chair was literally in the plant behind her, lol. It seemed odd they’d even put a plant there to begin with and then have the nerve to put us there when we were the only ones eating there.

Came here because I hadn’t tried Ethiopian food before. It didn’t take long for me to realize that just about everything is eaten with the spongy bread. We had ordered extra bread so it made it easier for us to grab the meat with. The platter was delicious but with all the bread going into my stomach, it didn’t take long for me to start feeling full. I think if I were to visit again, I’d try some of their other dishes that don’t have the bread, especially if some of the dishes already come with it.
Service was professional and I enjoyed the laid back atmosphere.

I was in a group of eight people and had the chance to try one vegetarian platter and two non-​vegetarian platters. The food was without a doubt the best Ethiopian I have had thus far in Seattle.
Till date I haven’t enjoyed Injera, a moist fermented bread which is a staple in Ethiopian food. Mostly because it is often far too sour. But the injera at Queen Sheba’s was perfect. Not too tart and really delicious. The Misir and Shiro wat were my other two favorite dishes. Not too spicy but at the same time very flavorful. If you are vegetarian or vegan you will go nutty for this place.
The customer service was ⁷⁄₁₀. They are nice but somewhat disorganized in the back. Lot of fumbling around when we asked to split the check. But ultimately a good experience. And very affordable as Ethiopian food goes. I will recommend this place to friends and probably go back some time soon.
FYI they do charge an uncorking fee of $ 6 if you order a bottle of wine. They will not tell you in advance.

WE HAVE A WINNER!
I have been searching for an Ethiopian restaurant to rival Nyala in LA — and this is it! The search has ended, THIS is what Ethiopian food is supposed to be! Moist and flavorful without just being hot. Served with those wonderful veggie garnishes (sides?) that set off the flavor beautifully. And the restaurant itself is very nice! Homey yet upscale-​ish. The wait staff is brilliant (but I notice this tends to be the case in all Ethiopian restaurants) — they hung out while I pigged on extra orders after they closed and were very encouraging — or maybe they figured out that I would keep buying the longer I stayed? LOL! No I’m serious they wouldn’t let me leave. :)
I have to admit, I made a pig of myself on Yebeg Tibs (yum!) and ordered some Yebeg Alicha to go too. And peeled the Injera off the plate and stuffed it into my to go box (what? Its the tastiest part! It soaks up all the sauce during the meal!)
I cant say enough about this place, except see you there next weekend. They told me that on the weekends they open at 4pm. Perhaps I’ll move in?
BONUS: I got 10% off when I checked in on my Unilocal phone app.