Queen of Sheba

07/02/2008 Posted by exerrex

First time eating ethiopian food and i have to say the food was excellent. We ordered the platter for the whole table and it worked out fine with 2 of them for 12 people with lots of extra's. The round tables were tough for a group over 5 some square tables would be a good investment. Besides that everything was great.

Pros: Good Food

Cons: Service was so so and the round tables was hard for a big group

04/27/2008 Posted by rima101

Went there with my wife and kid. Each of us ordered a dish and a salad combo. The dishes were $14.50 each and the salad was $8.00. The food tasted really bad, and we got 2 spits of salads ($8) and few cubes of meat as main dish. I am not joking when I say that sizzling meat in oil at home tastes much better. And to top it off we were served the checks few minutes after we were served the food. so, bad food, small portions, and you look at a $40 check while you are still forcing yourself to eat the bad food. That was my frustrating experience. For those who write good review, I really doubt that you are really customers and not the owners.

Pros: Maybe the location...

Cons: Food, service, smell of the place, condition of the building inside and out....

01/19/2008 Posted by Aven

I was wary of eating here due to the bad reviews regarding service, but my husband and I wanted to try it out anyway. We're glad that we did. The Queen of Sheba was well lit, clean and the food was great. The service we received was good - though we did see others waiting a while for their orders to be taken. The portions are smaller than out previous Ethiopian haunt, so order several dishes without the worry of being stuffed. The lamb was fantastic - the lentils were out of this world!! As far as crappy service -- one doesn't have to live in Portland long to understand that service all around is pretty lackadaisical. High end restaurants, bars, tapas - it doesn't matter. If you're in Portland, be prepared to have a server who comes by...whenever... So why are people surprised? Those at the Queen of Sheba who were waiting kept their server headed back to the kitchen with questions about meat products and vegan alternatives. While I support all types of lifestyles, no one has to be a pain in the a** regarding their diet. If it's such a problem for you finding the gluten-free, non-dairy, mushroom protein chicken substitute, then don't go out. Just - don't go out.

Pros: Great food

Cons: Portland "service"

12/12/2007 Posted by imnewatthis

Used to go to Queen of Sheba all the time as a kid and grew up in an Ethiopian family. Recently I took some friends who had never tried this kind of cuisine to Queen of Sheba and was shocked to find that the experience I had as a child would now only be a nostalgic one. When we arrived we were not greeted, I wasn't sure if we were to seat ourselves or wait. I sought out a worker and found one on the computer in a back room whom seemed agitated that I had disrupted her. She gave us the menus and rudely told us to find a table. The place was pretty empty with the exception of a large group near the bar. We were the only brown people there and saw little service compared to the mostly white patrons. This was appalling to me as an Ethiopian because the culture on a general level is very hospitable and welcoming. The food was good but it came out way too quick to be fresh; with the exception of the chicken tibs that only needs to be spiced and sauteed, the veggie dishes take much longer to prepare. About a minute after our food arrived, we were given the bill. This made me feel unwelcome because I had asked them to leave a menu so we could order more food, wine, and coffee after the meal. They had little regard for us as customers and hurried us out even though the place was empty and we had over 45min till closing. It wasn't until I broke out some Amharic that I got a smile but it was too late because my friends and I felt jaded and prejudged.

Pros: Food was good but not as good as some other places

Cons: Service was terrible as was the ambience

11/22/2007 Posted by bingonis

Can't say enough good things about this restaurant! The food is incredible and the service is friendly and personable. Often smaller restaurants have a difficult time accommodating large group, but was have had a group of 20 and received the same great service. I have been to other Ethiopian restaurants, but always come back to Queen of Sheba. I will say that it took us a couple visits to Queen of Sheba before we truly understood what to order and what our favorites are. I highly recommend the spicy lamb.

Pros: Everything

Cons: Nothing

09/17/2007 Posted by savourangels520

We went there as a big group for a birthday gathering. Since the table they gave us only fit comfortably for 5 people, we asked if we can have another table combined to accomodate 9 people, but they flat out say no. They are not even busy at the time we asked for this and they have extra large room in the back that definitely can accomodate larger group and more guests coming. We're not sure if they just gave us bad service or what, because it seems they are a lot nicer to otherguests who majority that day are caucasians. We definitely found that it wasn't a friendly service. We asked for water and while the waitress saw us and seems walking toward our table they went to the table after us and gave the water to them, then when we waived again for water they keep saying hold on. The total bill for 4 orders turn out to be $88 with not much meat on the dishes (majority are lentils/beans, potato and vegetables). In summary, we won't come back to this place and not recommend it even for those who thought just doing it as a food adventure. Go somewhere else!!

Pros: Nothing really

Cons: Bad service, over price, over rated

06/07/2007 Posted by somecomments

My husband and I absolutely love Queen of Sheba. The food is always delicious. We have brought many friends here over the last year and even the skeptical ones end up loving this place. Meals are served family style. Just tear off some of the injera bread and scoop up what you like. You can wash your hands before and after, so no reason to fret. We love the decor and ambiance because it just feels genuine and good. It's not fancy and "upscale"... just fabulous food in a relaxed atmosphere. T-shirts and shorts are perfect attire. The Ethiopian Iced Tea has just the right sweetness and spice. Good selection of beers. The lentils, mustard greens, and spicy lamb are our absolute favorites. Yum. Yum.

Pros: Delicious spicy flavorful food. Wonderful!

11/18/2006 Posted by joshuatom

The atmosphere is a bit trite, but if you can stand that, get ready for some of the best food ever! I would recommend anything on the menu, just be careful that many are very spicy! I would also recommend the Ethiopian beer, very good! The way they serve the food family style (for larger groups) in a huge plate with their specialty tortilla type thing is very fun and very good! Don't expect to use silverware!

11/13/2006 Posted by kfcook

I found this place by visiting citysearch and honestly was most intrigued to try it with the cat food review. I mean I wanted to see if it really looked and tasted like cat food. Well, I will say out of the 6 dishes that the group of us ordered there was definitely one that looked very similar to a can of cat food. But, it sure didn't taste like cat food (although I have never eaten cat food). It was very good. No, it didn't LOOK all that appetizing. It did taste really good. I have had African cuisine many times. This is my first that was served in this manner. No utensils. I liked it; it was fun for a group. The food was good. But, I wouldn't go out of my way for it. It is great that they have such a large vegan/vegetarian menu. I will go back, but it won't be most likely for groups that want a unique/different experience.

Pros: Lots of Vegan/Veggie options, unique dining experience, fun for groups

Cons: Not a great atmosphere, dirty tables and chairs

10/05/2006 Posted by hawke

we were refused the seat that we wanted and shoved in a corner that smelled like cat urine. the rest of the food was great, but i swear one of the things we were served was canned cat food. disgusting. table service? sucked. i'll never go back - and i'm spreading the word. i've joined city search just to create this review. i was so disappointed!

Pros: no problem parking, some of the food was really great

Cons: wretched service and ambience! not clean.