St. Gabriel Ethiopian Delicatessen

I highly recommend trying the traditional Ethiopian dishes at this restaurant. The prices are reasonable, the food is delicious, and the service is attentive with a friendly smile.

Upon entering, this restaurant may seem like a deli or takeout spot, but don't let appearances deceive you. Their menu offers a big plate option for four people, featuring a variety of dishes including chicken, beef, lentils, and their special spongy bread known as injera. The flavors reminded me of Goan bread and the chicken dish had a sour and spicy kick similar to vindaloo. Splitting the cost with three others makes this meal very budget-friendly and allows you to enjoy a diverse range of flavors.

We ordered the Kornis sharing meal on Deliveroo, which arrived resembling an Ethiopian lasagna. The presentation was quite unappealing. All the dishes contained a mix of vegetables and meat, which made it difficult for the two vegetarians in our group to enjoy the meal. This was very disappointing. I hate to say it, but there needs to be some improvement in this area. It's a shame because the food smelled delicious.

My daughter ordered takeaway for our group of seven via an online service (probably just eat). We chose two mixed sharers, which turned out to be way too much food, but no ones fault. It took rather a long time to arrive the arrival time changed twice, but it was a big order and tricky location to find. What was really strange was what it got delivered in. Each sharer was sent in a rigid plastic storage box of about 1 sq ft capacity. The injera was layered with dishes in between like a giant ethiopean lasagne. This made it hard to extract and serve and especially hard to seperate the veggie from the meaty. We just about managed. The food itself was good, though injera is not to my taste. Some dishes were very spicy, but all were tasty. We had over ordered and there was far too much and one sharer was put in the fridge untouched and consumed over the next few days. We did end up with two useful storage boxes. My advice if ordering takeaway; allow plenty of time and careful how much you order.

I've just got back after follow up visit to this restaurant and I hate to say it but...bit of a disappointment. The food was still good, although not as good as last time. But the place was no where near as clean, i almost didn't sit down to eat. Last time the food was presented beautifully, this time the service was slow and much less friendly. Last time the portions were huge and plenty more injera bread was offered, this time none and what there was was very cold, and it had gone up by one pound! What a shame, come on guys, whats happened?