Unfortunately I have to echo some of the recent negative reviews. We got the veggie combo ($16) and it was ridiculously small, not even enough food for one person. The food itself was mediocre at best. Later we were told we should have ordered "for two" even though the server said nothing about that. They were out of the 2 beers I asked for. Everything is served on Styrofoam and plastic, a terrible waste of resources. The injera tasted old and stale. The bill was wrong when it came. The server LAID DOWN in the booth next to us and read a book while we were eating. (I wish I were joking.) We spoke to the chef, who didn't seem surprised at our dissatisfaction, and offered to discount our meal by ONE DOLLAR. Something is wrong here, and maybe it's best folks stop going here and Dahlak is put out of its misery. There are other good Ethiopian spots in West Philly, e.g. Abyssinia and Gojjo. Go there and avoid the disappointment and wasted money at Dahlak. One of the worst dining out experiences I've had in my life.
Highly highly disappointed. It takes a lot for my partner and I to feel ripped off, but last night that’s what happened. Extremely small portions sizes for the amount of money spent. In a portion of beef there was maybe 4 small beef tips. I originally ordered lamb which they said there was none left, which makes me think they were running low on beef for the night too. Still hungry after spending $60 worth of food. Will never go back.
What happened ? This used to be my favorite Ethiopian spot. The supply chain, inflation, gas prices - something is causing this place to offer 3 bites of food on rough, yellow injera with wine in plastic cups, half the menu missing, and no water. You can see the wine glasses through the kitchen door - but no, here's a plastic Dixie cup. Ordered the Yebeg wat, there were 3 bites of food. The rest was bones without any meat on them.The quality has fallen drastically as the prices have risen. Seriously disappointed.If this is not your first experience with Ethiopian food (or Dahlak ), you will be seriously let down.Be prepared to spend $16 on a tiny splatter of food on injera with the texture of a corn tortilla.Cheap beer though. They don't have that one, that one, all these, or that one. But your sixth choice, they have it, and it's $4. Good balance to the $16 entree that's sampler sized.
Wanted to try Ethiopian cuisine for long time. Finally made it here. We ordered one non veg platter with doro okra, yebeg Kay wat, and kit allicha. We had requested to make the dishes spicy. The flavors are amazing. We ended up ordering Doro Okra and Yebeg Kay wat again. Portions are small but yummylacious. We also tried thier cocktails with shot of CBD oil. couldn't click pictures of the dishes because they were devoured. They also have live music!!!!
They used to be my favorite restaurant for Ethiopian food but my last experience wasn't the best. The prices went up which is understandable however they also altered the menu to where the sides are now an extra cost when they once came with the meal. To add insult to injury, the portions were so small that I was still hungry when I used to have left overs. I'll have to rethink if I'm going back. Maybe this was a bad day.
This was an adventure. There were plenty of vegetarian options which was great for my dining companion. Everything we ordered was delicious and flavorful. This was my first time with Eritrean food and tbh I had no idea what I was doing when I ordered (hence the adventure). In hindsight I should have swallowed my pride and asked questions bc I misread the menu and had food envy for what my dining companion ordered ?. The food was low-key spicy so I interpreted it as having a "kick" while my companion said she was at her limit.TL;DR I would go again & I would recommend to others
cheap drinks, great cheap food (esp late night) but the complete lack of music was not great. they have jukebox but paying a dollar per song is….
This place is awesome. Very cool atmosphere, the server was very knowledgeable and outgoing, and of course the food was DELICIOUS. I was also very pleasantly surprised by the beer list, they had a pretty impressive selection.
I am such a fan of this place. Pre pandemic I was a customer on a level that pay the mortgage around there. Post pandemic a couple times you could find me there drinking at 1 in the morning when everywhere else was closed.This is technically an "Ethiopian" bar. There are plenty of ethiopians and eritreans that hang here but overall it's a multinational scene that represents the best of what west philly has to offer. Also on any given night in the mix a bunch of white punk rockers too. People of all types really. LGBTQ friendly. Everyone gets along here.I will give a fair review and point out some areas of improvement this icon of an establishment should consider. The booze here is basically always good, fast, and strong with mixed drinks. Less expensive than other bars too. The hookah is top notch quality, but at times delivery to table has been slow. The food on the best days in the kitchen is really authentic and never fast. Since pandemic food isn't always consistent as far as quality- but consistent as far as time- this kitchen never was fast.Nevertheless- I'm giving a rare 5 stars. This is because of the people one can meet there, friends or lovers. I admit the kitchen isn't always consistent- on those nights I ordered a pizza frome somewhere else and sat in the back. The management didnt say a word, at other places they would kick me out.
somehow, even though west philly is well known for being one of the city’s top music neighborhoods, this is basically the only real venue in the area, aside from the summer-only pentridge station? i know this is a house show neighborhood but it’s a little ridiculous to have basically one venue. so the service this place does for the neighborhood is vital