Dahlak Restaurant - (215) 726-6464

Everytime I eat at Dahlak it remind me of the time I spent in Africa. The art work of the beautifull african men and women, remind me of my next door neighbors back home. The smell of the "tibs" cooking in the kitchen reminds me of when my mother prepared it for me. The setting and the atmosphere, inside the restaurant and out in the patio, reminds me of the small town I lived in back home. So, for me when I come to Dahlak, im not only coming for the authentic Ethiopian/Eritrean cuisine, Im coming to get a little taste of how I lived both in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Im coming for the friendly service that I usually dont get anywhere else in the city. And I also come for the Doro tibs, with salad, and greens on the side, and to top it off you must have the Ethiopian tea after your meel. Best nights to go for me are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I usually get there early to snag me up a table outside and enjoy my meal back home style.

One word: yuck! I was minimally hopeful that there would be a good marriage between Eritrean and Indian food. All hopes were shot. We ordered from the Eritrean section of the menu, and we had to force ourselves through the meal. The food was awful: the chicken dish tasted more like Campbell's chunky marinara; the injera tasted like a lightly used kitchen sponge; the yellow lentils tasted like the cooks ran out of ingredients. The service was equally terrible. The male server was racing around but only spinning his wheels. The female Eritrean server/host was better. Overall the service was inefficient and unfriendly. I would not recommend this restaurant to an enemy and the two stars is quite generous.

people have always raved about how good the food is here, but i was quite disappointed. having tried many other ethiopian restaurants in other cities, the food at dahlak was a little bit blander. also, the lentils were undercooked on my last trip, and my boyfriend saw an insect (i'm apparently not allowed to use the word on this site, but you can guess) run under the table (yikes!). i guess if there aren't other options, it's okay, but i don't think it's worth the hype.

Dalak is superb. Unlike another reviewer, I have never had a problem with no soap in the bathroom and I can't imagine the staff laughing at such a request. The food is excellent, although Ethiopian/Eritrean cuisine may not be to everyone's liking. The staff is courteous.

Dahlak is a famous Ethopian restaurant in West Philly. It has earned it's reputation with hearty meals at great prices, in a great atmosphere.