Harambe - Vancouver

Walking along the bustling and eclectic Commercial Drive, we decided we wanted Ethiopian for dinner after an afternoon of shopping and a pre-dinner cocktail at... read more Walking along the bustling and eclectic Commercial Drive, we decided we wanted Ethiopian for dinner after an afternoon of shopping and a pre-dinner cocktail at a pub nearby. Decided to try Harambe after passing by numerous places and were glad we did. Tried their meat sampler and everything was very tasty, with the lamb dish being a standout. Being a Wednesday, seemed like a few other restaurants were closed (there was another Ethiopian place also closed with a family emergency) so ended up being quite a crowd at Harambe! The waitress did her best and the owner pitched in to help as well but there was a bit of wait...didn't bother us as we were not in a rush and enjoyed the casual atmosphere.

My daughters told us about this place and so we ventured out to give Ethiopian food a try for the first time for us. We did not regret it.The place is not fancy... read more My daughters told us about this place and so we ventured out to give Ethiopian food a try for the first time for us. We did not regret it.The place is not fancy, but they had wonderful artful paintings on the wall, many for sale. (I would have bought one or two but already have too many paintings for our home.) It was pretty full, with a couple of tables reserved for large groups. Their menu had so many different offerings, but the recommendation was go for the Chef's Choice Combination for 3 - we were 4 but it would be enough for us apparently. There are no utensils given out to eat the food with. Instead, they give Ethiopian traditional bread, called Injebi, a teff-grain flat bread, to act as both a platter and the utensil to pick the food up. The Injebi is soft, spongy and quite tasty. The food comes spread on the Injebi and they also have rolled up Injebi for diners to use to pick the food up with, and to wrap it around.The Chef's Choice contained some of their classics - the Chicken Dot and Yebeg (Lamb) Tibs, with various types of veggies including their Kik Alicia Wot (Lentil,) all cooked with Ethiopian spices.The service was a bit slow, and we had to follow up on our order. The long wait for it, however was very well worth it. The food was surprisingly delicious, some of the best cuisine I've tasted in a long while. It can easily compare with some very good Mediterranean dishes that I love.This place is highly recommended.

This was the first time me and my wife ever tried Ethiopian food and didn't know whether or not we would like it. With encouragement from my friend in Vancouver... read more This was the first time me and my wife ever tried Ethiopian food and didn't know whether or not we would like it. With encouragement from my friend in Vancouver we decided to take the plunge. The restaurant is located in commercial drive and the decor is striking. The food is excellent which makes me look for Ethiopian food everywhere.

Ambience: the decor Reflects the Ethiopian culture <br/ <br/ Food : It was my first time trying Ethiopian cuisine. The vegetarian platter was huge served with E... read more Ambience: the decor Reflects the Ethiopian culture <br/ <br/ Food : It was my first time trying Ethiopian cuisine. The vegetarian platter was huge served with Ethiopian style bread(Injira). The curries in the platter had great taste specially the lentils and the cabbage curry !!!!!<br/ Price is reasonable!<br/ <br/ *Wanna try a new cuisine , should visit this place.

4/5 (Yes I did it for the memes Did you know that Harambe means 'everyone pull together '? Doesn 't it ALL MAKE SENSE now? Kinda blew my mindInternational suppe... read more 4/5 (Yes I did it for the memes Did you know that Harambe means 'everyone pull together '? Doesn 't it ALL MAKE SENSE now? Kinda blew my mindInternational supper club Yelp! Never had Ethiopian food before so this was something different! I really liked all the spices and little bits of everything. I also really enjoyed eating w my hands. Warning: you WILL get food on your pants if you aren careful. I definitely dropped food on my pantsDefinitely came here for the memes, stayed for the injera bread. Injera is this really cool sponge crepe that is got the sourness of sourdough. I reaaaaallly liked this 'bread ' I got the vegetarian plate (which i suspect is probably vegan as well, which is great! and it had lentils, spicy beans, cabbage a lil salad and some greens. Everything was really good. Next time I am thinking of getting a few small dishes to try. One thing is that although service is fair, I wouldn 't go absolutely starving because it was prETTy slow. Really wished they gave us a basket of injera bread to nom on while we waited like oliver garden or something lol. Overall, it was a great time and I would recommend the veggie plate!The ambiance was..... interesting, a little hole in the wall kind of feel, not bad. xAngel