Ethiopian food is something epic. It leaves a present taste in your mouth that excites your taste buds. Expect an explosion of flavor from the spiced sauces and meats. You will enjoy the huge meals consisting of meat, bread, rice, herbs, and other cultural foods from the East African nation of Ethiopia.
The food from this Rastafarian nation is easily acceptable to the majority of folks who try it. It contains the foods that are familiar to many Americans cooked in a different cuisine using cultural recipes. So nothing too foreign will turn you off, but if you are going in for the first time, keep an open mind because a new recipe will have a different taste than what you’re used to.
Though not as popular as Thai food or French restaurants, Ethiopian restaurants are still a landmark in this city of lights. Some of these restaurants are exclusive to Ethiopian cuisine, while some incorporate other recipes, like American dishes, into their menu. Here is a list of restaurants where you can find a serving of the Ethiopian dish you have been dying to try, right here in the heart of Vegas city.
Best Ethiopian Restaurants in Las Vegas
Ethiopian restaurants in Las Vegas map:
1. Lucy’s Ethiopian Restaurant
- Address: 4850 W Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89103
- Opening Hours: Sunday to Thursday: 11.00 am-8.00 pm, Friday and Saturday: 11.00 am-3.00 am
- Rating: 4.3 stars
- Price: $$
Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant is arguably one of, if not the best, restaurants serving Ethiopian cuisine in Las Vegas. You are ready to mince immediately as you walk into the establishment as the aromas of rich spice and traditional diaspora goodness roam the air. After your meal, you can wash down your meal at the bar with a beer served at your table. Grab one of the $3 sambusas online at their website with door delivery.
They also provide catering services, primarily for parties and events held outside and around Las Vegas. An extensive house menu allows you to have a restaurant-caliber meal on your special day, which is incredible. Fix a booking at this Ethiopian African haven and enjoy the wildest tastes of good food and rich East African culture. You will feel like you are on safari right here in Vegas.
Special Dish: $13.99 Doro Wot-Traditional chicken stew simmered in red spicy (berbere), ginger, pepper sauce, 1 boiled egg, garlic, herbed butter, and 1 drumstick
2. Cafe Luhena
- Address: Flamingo Rd 4825 W #1, Vegas, NV 89103
- Opening Hours: Saturday to Thursday: 1.00 pm-7.00 pm
- Rating: 4.6 stars
- Price: $$
This is a small restaurant specializing in handmade dishes that are traditional to the Ethiopian cuisine you will find in the East African country. Cafe Luhena will serve you delicious dishes at an affordable price in Vegas. If you want to book dinner in this palace after 5.00 pm, it is better to make a reservation by calling ahead. The same goes for group parties and events. This also ensures food is available at the time you arrive.
The restaurant also does outside catering with an optional African theme for parties and private parties. Give them a call to plan the menu and the theme selection. They are fit for engagement parties, birthday parties, graduation parties, events, etc.
Special Dish: Lamb Awaze Tibs for $16.99- usually pan-fried lamb in awaze sauce (cayenne and paprika pepper in homemade Ethiopian butter sautéed in onion.) Bread injera served with garlic and Jalapenos.
3. Asmara Restaurant Las Vegas
- Address: 4180 W Desert Inn Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102
- Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday: 12.00 pm-9.00 pm
- Rating: 4.4 stars
- Price: $$
Serving exclusive Ethiopian and Eritrean dishes the menu at Asmara Restaurant is to die for. You are introduced to a world of baked injera with sauces that drip with exciting flavors. Dubbed the best East African cuisine service in Vegas, the restaurant is a true representation of the culture and resilience of the tradition of Ethiopia.
Enjoy entrees in a relaxed environment that encourages casual dining so that you and your mates can relax during eating. The eventful menu and the knowledgeable waiters will guide you to what areas you may need to check.
Special Dish: Kelwa Derho-chicken for $13.75 (Skinless chicken breast sauteed with clarified butter, specially seasoned hot peppers, onions, jalapenos, and tomatoes. Served with a dollop of yogurt)
4. Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant
- Address: 4780 W Tropicana Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89103
- Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday: 11.00 am-8.00 pm
- Rating: 4.2 stars
- Price: $$
The rich and famous aroma of Ethiopian coffee fills the air as you walk into the small eatery in Vegas, Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant. The staff is respectful and eager to guide and serve you. If you are a first-time Ethiopian cuisine eater, they will recommend foods that you will enjoy indefinitely.
The issue with the restaurant is that it transforms into a hookah lounge as the day goes by, especially during the evening hours. It may turn you off if you don’t prefer loud music and hookah smoke. For the lunch hour, it’s generally enjoyable and well-lit. But the environment is pleasing, and great service with polite staff and finger-licking good injera will keep you hooked.
Special Dish: Fresh injera with shirowat and red lentil combo
5. Passion Hookah Lounge Bar
- Address: 3400 S Jones Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89146
- Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday: 6.00 pm-12.00 am
- Rating: 4 stars
- Price: $$
Passion Hookah Lounge Bar is one of the top Ethiopian restaurants with parking, although it gets packed real quickly. The food and service at this joint are exemplary. The staff is always smiling and ready to guide you through the menu options at the restaurant. Lamb is a customer favorite at the restaurant. Get some beer and a hookah to relax after your meal. The hookah received a lot of positive reviews. Customers rate it as highly valuable and satisfying. It is a perfect spot for a date night or a hangout moment with your mates while in Vegas.
Special Dish: The lamb chops-Ethiopian tibs, served with fries.
6. Peace Ethiopian Market & Restaurant
- Address: 4850 W Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89103
- Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday: 6.00 am-9.00 pm
- Rating: 4.4 stars
- Price: $$
Peace Ethiopian Market & Restaurant, which serves an all-day breakfast menu, is your go-to spot for a culturally rich coffee, freshly brewed to have those strong tastes of true African coffee. With special vegan dishes like the Shimbra Asha, you and your friends are sorted when dining in this restaurant.
Bring your appetite and feast on the Ethiopian goodness that you can only experience by eating Ethiopian cuisine. Carrying a gift from the shop, such as freshly ground coffee, will be a great start!
Special Dish: Doro Wot for $15.99 (chicken drumstick or thigh with hot and thick red peppers, onions, garlic, ginger, and purified butter sauce, served with a hard-boiled egg and homemade cottage cheese)
7. Melkam Market
- Address: 4230 S Decatur Blvd #600, Las Vegas, NV 89103
- Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday: 9.00 am-9.00 pm
- Rating: 4.4 stars
- Price: $$
Melkam Market is perfect for authentic Ethiopian food cooked with traditional recipes. Buy spices and meat to make Kurt or Ketfo, or grab the injera sauced meals as a takeaway to eat in your hotel or at home. This is a good spot to chill and enjoy the Africanacity of Vegas. You can see what makes Ethiopian cuisine something to always look forward to every time you are in Vegas.
The grocer-restaurant combo gives the market a good approach and a smooth vibe. Imagine trying a dish and loving it so much, but you don’t know where to find the ingredients to make it. Not the case here at Melkam-shop, for the groceries at the shop and enjoying a homemade Ethiopian meal.
Special Dish: $13.99 Kitfo-finely cooked lean beef, seasoned with mitmita chile powder, seasoned and cooked with butter.
8. Habesha Restaurant & Bar
- Address: 6182 W Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89103
- Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday: 11.00 am-11.00 pm
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Price: $$
Traditional dishes on the Strip are what this iconic restaurant offers the patrons who grace its doors. Habesha Restaurant & Bar has a traditional vibe of eating together, which is promoted in this hall-like dining area with huge mahogany and pine tables and chairs. They do outside catering too, so you can color your event with traditional as well as modern-day Ethiopian foods.
Make a reservation between 10.00 am and noon for prompt service. You can book your dinner party here, with a dining capacity of up to 60 people. They also have smaller rooms that can hold up to 15 guests.
Special Dish: $24.95 Habesha Meat Combo-savory lamb Key Wott, lamb Alicha Wott, lamb and beef Tibbs and Kitfo
Conclusion
For all your Ethiopian dishes and cravings, you can find a restaurant in Vegas that will sort you out. Feast on the best injera in the city served with pepper sauce and some hot coffee freshly brewed to preserve quality. You are expecting an explosion of spice and deliciousness while eating one of the traditional Ethiopian palates served in the city’s Ethiopian restaurants.
Not to mention the wonderful exotic hookah at the lounges, which instantly transports you into royalty. Its quality can only be rivaled by the Sultans it serves. The restaurants are ready to have you, with some offering parking and catering services too. Have a blast in Addis Ababa and Vegas!