Just go, don't go super hungry and please be patient your food is being cooked with love. Â Have a glass of Tej, Â while you wait. Â There is a master chef pouring her soul into your food, so eat slowly and savor it. Â This is the good stuff you've been searching for and it's been right under your nose the entire time!
Review Source:You can probably tell from what everyone else said below that this place is absolutely AMAZING. Â I love coming here; it's always a very homey feel when I come in and get greeted by Zodi. Â Her cooking is just off the charts, and the wine's pretty great too. Â I've started to become a bit of a regular now and my girlfriend and I have a blast hanging out with her and enjoying her food. Â This was my first exposure to Ethiopian food, and no other place has ever even come close.
Review Source:Visited this gem on the recommendation of a friend. This was my 2nd time eating Ethiopian and it was SO much better than my first experience. The atmosphere of this small restaurant is nice- lots of African influence and plants. The place was clean and not terribly busy.
My friend and I ordered the vegetarian combo for 2, which came with 6 offerings plus injera (cannot get enough of this sour bread- love it). We both ate until we were full and then I took home a large full container to go that fed me and my husband...I was given more injera to take home too and they didn't charge me for it- bonus!! I wish I knew all of the names of the yumminess we ate, but the green pea mixture was a favorite.
The service is a little slow, so don't be in a rush when you give this place a try. I will definitely be back to Queen of Sheba!!
A friend from Hawaii was visiting me for the weekend and all she requested as must-dos is Ethiopian food. Living in Aurora there happened to be many MANY choices. I took her on an Ethiopian 3-night-straight food tour and Queen of Sheba was the last one.
This place topped off every Ethiopian restaurant I've ever been! There was only 1 person working in the front of house and she was super sweet. Service was definitely slow, but it's ethiopian! We ordered some wine and had a great time chatting up a storm while waiting for our veggie combo for two.
The food - AMAZING. Huge portion, great tasting, fresh!
The service - Slow, but we didn't care. We were there to have a great experience, not to squeeze in dinner.
The lady that was running the front of house was really sweet and carefully explained to other first-timers what ethiopian food is. The food was so good we ordered seconds! She looked at us with surprise and brought us another huge plate of food. LOVED IT! Will definitely be back, but not when I'm starving, The wait can be long.
Let's take a trip to Ethiopia! Oh wait, let's just grab some Ethiopian food instead in Denver!
Great first time experience trying Ethiopian Food. Â This small, quaint resturante will surly promise you a great experience without leaving the city. Â The food is savory, flavorful, and the aroma of the food fills up your table, waiting to dig in and get your hands dirty.
You do have to eat with your hands while grabbing your food with bread. Â Great sharing atmosphere! The cook and owner is an Ethiopian Lady who will give recommendations, educate how to eat the food, and great pairings. Â
I went on a Wednesday night so it wasn't crowded at all. Â Prices were very reasonable + grab some Ethiopian beer while you are there! Step outside the typical Denver Fooderies (is that a word?) and venture out to this great place!
The ONLY reason I didn't give this place 4 stars is because of the service. Like others have said, there appears to only be one person working in the kitchen (an adorable old Ethiopian grandmother who I wanted to squeeze), and on busy nights, it's hard for her to keep up with orders. Just be sure to go here with plenty of time.
My boyfriend had never had Ethiopian food (I know...I know...) so I took it upon myself to change that. Upon epic Yelping, I determined that this was the best option in Denver. We went on a Friday night around 5, and there were already about ten people in the teensy restaurant. It took us a while to be served (the Ethiopian grandmother doubles as server too), but she was so warm and personable and FUNNY (I burst out laughing at least three times over the course of dinner because of her) that we weren't even all that upset (just make sure you go here with someone that you're ok talking to for a long time...might be awkward for a first date situation).
We ordered one of the combination plates (I don't remember which one it was...I just know it came with wine). It took probably an hour for the food to get out to us, but the first bite more than made up for it. The lentils were ridiculously good, the lamb was out of control, and the vegetable dish was to die for. She even brought us a small free appetizer (I assume because she knew we'd be waiting a while for dinner). It ended up being just shy of $50 for two people to stuff their faces, take home leftovers, and each have a glass of wine. I absolutely recommend this to EVERYONE.
This place was my first experience with Ethiopian food and I have absolutely no regrets about it!!! I thought the food would be bland and tough, but it turned out to be so aromatic and flavorful. The woman who runs the restaurant is one of the nicest people I have ever met and she made sure that my group had everything it needed.
The prices were amazing for the amount of food you get - we got 3 giant plates of food with a ton of Injera - and the waiting time overall was not bad, especially for a sit down restaurant where one woman basically cooks everything herself.
I plan to come back many times in times in the future.
Delicious Ethiopian food in a nice, modest setting - both standard 2- and 4-top tables and a traditional room. The service is warm and friendly - not the fastest, but the whole place (including the kitchen!) was run completely smoothly by only two people, neither of whom made us feel rushed. It was actually quite nice to enjoy our feast at a more leisurely pace. The veggie combo was completely delicious with perfect seasoning and a variety of textures - and the leftovers made a great next-day meal. Be sure to try the Ethiopian beer (try Harar, a  lager) or the almost-sweet honey wine. I'll definitely be back for more!
Review Source:After years, yes years of trying to convince my husband that ethiopian food is not twigs and berries, we had a free night and grabbed a friend and made it out to the Queen of Sheba.  It was a Saturday night about 7:30 and the place was packed so we got taken into the room with the traditional style "tables." How lucky was that! It enhanced  the experience and made the dinner so much more fun. You sit on small three legged wooden stools with a woven basket  that cradles a metal tray in front of you. There are little stools for your drinks. Under the guidance from the really wonderful woman who works there we got 2 meat combos and one vegetarian combo for the three of us. The food came out hot and with injera (a flexible yummy flat bread) you use instead utensils. We ate everything! Not a lentil or pea was left on our metal tray and we left happy and satisfied.
As others mentioned this diner took awhile, about 2 hours. But the company was wonderful and with good food and good friends I felt the hours fly by. Although the sweet lady was not the only one in the kitchen as other yelpers mentioned (she had a friend), the place was packed and she pretty much does everything. She is so nice, and funny, and even put on some music and came out dancing at one point, ADORABLE. She is very helpful if you have any questions and can point you in the right direction if you are unsure what to order. My husband enjoyed the tej (honey wine) but I found it to taste a little to much like kombucha (which I'm not a huge fan of), not terrible I drank it all, but sorta wishes I had ordered a beer instead.
All in all a wonderful experience. I can't wait to go again.
Got some great employment-related news recently and repeatedly badgered by Yelp Android app for suggestions -- I love the app, but it needs a feature similar to the "roll again" option some other apps have. Â Had a lot of great suggestions, but nothing that galvanized me into a for-sure selection. Â After 3-4 tries...it came up with Queen of Sheba. Â And I blinked...and said "That's where we're going tonight." Â I hadn't been to QoS since 2000, and it was an amazing experience then.
And it's still an amazing experience now, 12 years since my last visit.
The same format applies as back then -- 2 people total in the kitchen, and I wasn't sure if 1 of them was doing any cooking, but just taking orders from people. Â She was very pleasant overall, but my friend, who is not an adventurous diner by any means, decided to treat me to dinner here -- and he has a pretty severe allergy or reaction to anything spicy pepper/capsicum/paprika/berbere-related -- you get the idea. Â Unfortunately for much of Queen's menu, berbere (chili pepper-based spice mix) is infused into many of their dishes, and the server was making it sound like they could not custom-cook the dish without spice. Â It made me wonder, briefly, if their food arrived pre-prepared in bags -- which was an awful thought to have about a place I'd believed to create all their dishes freshly. Â So we had to do a few loops through the menu, all the while more people trickling in. Â By the 3rd go-round where she'd left us to come back, she was a bit impatient. Â I can understand, given their limited staff -- but that and the lack of customization is why I'm chopping a star off. Â My friend had just gotten out of the hospital from a lengthy stay and the last thing I wanted to see was him going back in by choosing something that had pepper in, because the server was too impatient to provide him with a pepper-free option. Â (She never did; we had to wing it and got lucky.)
I had the various meats plate and was not disappointed; it was amazing and enough food that I took half of it home for the next day -- chicken, beef tibs and something else. Â I also had a goblet of honey wine. Â Honey wine, I discovered, is not mead....very mild and pleasant tasting. Â I made a note of the honey wine and the pleasant smoothness and mildness in my app - spellcheck changed mild into MILF - hilarious. ;) Â Server filled it about 2/3 of the way...I'm nitpicking, but I would have appreciated a 3/4 to 80% fill more than 2/3. Â It's not super expensive from the price on the menu, and comparatively speaking, you don't get a frosty mug of beer from your local bar filled 2/3 of the way. Â Step up your generosity a bit.
The injera here (gray pancake-like spongy bread substance best used for sopping up gravy/sauce) is less sour than at Red Sea, and I thought, went better with the meal as a result. Â I got to introduce my friend to it too, and he thought it was a brilliant invention, and really loved his 1st step into Ethiopian cuisine. Â QoS is apparently still doing very well in Denver's troubled independent restaurant market, the place was 90% filled by the time my friend and I departed, so I'd say they're going to still be around for a good long time -- and with the quality and exoticness and the flavor of the food, it's very easy to see why.
I've enjoyed eating at Queen of Sheba for many years. It's a small place and the owner prepares everything from scratch. We usually order the QOS special for two which comes with beer or wine. There is a nice selection of dishes served on a tray of Ethiopian flat bread, such as lentils, stewed lamb, fall-off-the-bone chicken, and more, some spicy, some mild. There's always plenty for our son to enjoy too, so the price is really reasonable.
One reason we really like QOS better than other Ethiopian places we've tried is the injera here. It's quite different--more flavorful and definitely more delicious.
The only reason we don't eat here more is the the service. You've got to be ready to wait a loooooooooong time for your food. While I love the fact that the food is really being freshly prepared by the owner herself, it's just a hard place to go to when you're really hungry (or you've got a hungry little one). If you time it just right--not too early before she gets going--and not too late before she gets too busy--you might get lucky and the food comes out of the kitchen in a reasonable amount of time. But you never know...Still, it's a great place for some really tasty food when you've got time to hang out. I waffled between 3and 4 stars just because the service has been so excruciating at times.
First, I am basing my 5 stars on quality of food and service in relation to price. Speed of service, atmosphere, etc., are NOT factored in which is explained below.
This is the best Ethiopian food I've had in the US...Better than anywhere in New York or DC. The kitfo is unreal. Go with some friends, split the queen's meal, and add the kitfo if you are meat eaters. Â
The service and food comes out slowly, as the chef is the only cook in the place and she is the only one manning the stoves. Â Her grandkids are on the staff and hover over her shoulder to learn how to make her unbelievable food, but at this point are not allowed to cook. Â I love everything about this place and even have grown to love the slow, but incredibly friendly service. Â Make sure you have some time and aren't too hungry before going because you will likely have to wait a while for your food. Â Have a drink, ask questions of the servers and the chef, and enjoy your meal. Â You will not be disappointed by the food.
Try the Ethiopian beers too - both are delicious.
After much coaxing...my girlfriend finally got me to come here with her. I have one word to sum up this lovely establishment...YUM!! I am not very adventurous when it comes to eating endeavors (which I a working on) so naturally I was a little concerned to learn that you eat everything with your hands, and the majority of it is stewed meat of your choice. Holy crap was I pleasantly surprised. The meats (beef and chicken) were stewed to perfection. The vegetables were tasty and everything had the perfect amount of seasoning. In fact, I actually asked to come here for dinner last night because I was craving it so much!! The staff here is very humble and friendly, and I will continue to come here more and more often!
Review Source:We've always done Cafe Africana for ethiopian food as it's a bit closer to our house however, I think we may start going to QoS more often! It's a small restaurant and seating inside is limited. It's packed during dinner from what we've seen. The food portions are in line with the cost and it's a unique dining experience eating with your hands. The girlfriend and I had chicken and lamb on our last trip and both were delicious. The chicken had a great spice to it. We were strapped for time as we were supposed to meet some friends for a movie after dinner, we asked our server if we would be able to have our meal and be out of there within an hour. She checked with the kitchen and made sure we were tracking within our timeframe (great!). We definitely want to come back and try the feast for two, it has a ton of items in it that all sounded delicious.
Review Source:I've visited about 20 times and always had great service/great food. Â There's a lot of Ethiopian places in this part of town but I prefer Queen of Sheba for the service and ambience. Â We often go with a group and sit in the little yellow room - call ahead to reserve this. Â The food is delicious every time. Â I love the old lady who works there and the other staff, too. Â Makes me happy just thinking about them...
Review Source:Wow, this place is pretty delicious! Â You wouldn't expect this place to be so good, cus it's just a little mom and pop shop, hidden on Colfax. Â I walked in just at 5, right when they opened and the lady running the show was so kind to let me order a take out order on the whim. Â Normally she says she wants you to call, but since she had just opened she said she would help me out. Â I ordered the lamb kabobs, which has a fancier name, but that's all I can remember :/.
It took her about 15 minutes to whip up my dish for just $12. Â I came home and opened it up and to my surprised it was wrapped in a delicious fluffy bread. Â SOOOO YUMMY. Â The lamb was greatly flavored with jalapeno spice and a couple extra toppings of veggies. Â I don't have much experience with Ethiopian food, but boy this is going to be hard to top. Â Super yummy and I will definitely be back for more!!
My first Ethiopian food experience!
So great. Definitely lived up to my expectations. It was so delicious.
I really didn't know what to expect and the woman working the joint definitely recognized this so she basically took us under her wing and chose what to serve us and pretty much taught us what to do and how to eat it. I'm so glad we listened to her because she gave us the exact right amount of food and the right amount of variety. She was so sweet and friendly. I'm pretty sure she's the only person working the place and she's doing a fantastic job.
The place is literally one room and hidden away in this strip mall. We almost passed right by it! I would not have know that such a delicious gem was secretly sitting right there on colfax all along.
I definitely plan on coming back and trying more of this fantastic food!
This place is a hole in the wall in a jankety location, but it has phenomenal food, which is after all what matters. I went to Queen of Sheba with an out-of-town guest who lives in the ethnic food desert of South Carolina, and we had the vegetarian combo for two. Everything was delicious, and the injera was gorgeously sour and spongy. The woman who takes the order also cooks the food (as other reviewers have mentioned) and she is a delight. I sort of never want to try any of the other Ethiopian restaurants near Colfax because I like her so much. And did I mention the food? My favorites: The azefah appetizer -- cold and astringent; perfect for the record temps in Denver this summer. Doro wot -- so savory and hearty. The injera -- real teff flour injera with the flavor and texture you want. I can't wait to go again and try the meat combo.
Regarding the slow service: if you come here expecting quick service, you will be disappointed. If you accept that it's going to take a little while, you'll be happy to wait since the food is so amazing.
Bottom Line - This is the best Ethiopian food I've ever had, and I've even had it a few times in the Bay area where it's supposedly the best. I usually only give 5-stars if I've been to a place multiple times to validate consistency of the food, but I'm relying on my friends who frequently come here and this place did not disappoint.
We came for dinner on Tuesday, 29 May 2012, and our table of 3 ordered:
Vegetable Combo ($14.99, combo for one) - I really love the lentils and the cabbage!!! Â This is a must order.
Meat Combo ($14.99, combo for one) - The meat was oh so good!! Â It was good to mix the meat with the vegetables. Â This is a must order.
Kitfo ($9.99) - This is basically an Ethiopian version of beef tartare. It was a bit sour from the vinegar, but not overly so. Â I'm not sure I would order this again only because I enjoyed the lentils and meat soo much more, but I'm glad I tried it!
So for the three of us, the food was plenty! There was even enough for a to-go box. Â
Our bill came to $39.97 + 3.23 tax + 10.00 tip = $53.20 for our table of 3.
The service was outstanding (though my star rating only reflects the food). Â The lady (who I assume is the owner) took our order and cooked the food. I noticed quite a few people complained about the slow service, but we were the first ones in for dinner (at 6pm) and it was fine... the restaurant filled up at about 7:30, so I'm sure the cooking time slowed for those tables. The owner was so very nice and I'd love to come back next time I'm in Denver, even if there is a wait for the food!
Well, here I am to eat my words. My first experience here, as you can see from my previous review, was pretty terrible. This most recent time however was amazing. I was encouraged to go back and give it another shot by the reviews on Yelp. You couldn't all be wrong, right? Well, it was fantastic.
The food here is just phenomenal. We got the vegetarian combo and fell in love. My mouth is watering just writing this review, and it's been several months since I went.
The service is slow, this is true, but that's because it's all made to order. These combination plates are 8 or 9 different types of food, and she's making it all right then and there. It's fresh and incredibly delicious. Sit back, have some wine, talk with your friends, and enjoy the experience.
So far my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in Denver!
I took my brother here since he was visiting. We don't have Ethiopian restaurants back home so I wanted him to try something new.
We came here for lunch. Since we had a big breakfast we went for the meat combo for one at $14.99. There was only one woman working the place, cooking and serving. She was so pleasant and welcoming. Worth waiting a little longer for your meal (but not too long).
Our meat combo came with doro wot (stewed chicken leg and hard boiled egg), spicy lentils, stewed beef tips, spiced sautéed beef tips, stewed cabbage and stewed peas. It was plenty for the two of us to share without feeling overwhelmed from stuffing ourselves. But the food was DELICIOUS - seriously so good. My brother who has never tried Ethiopian loved it (I knew he would).
Definitely check out Queen of Sheba, great place to bring first timers because the food will not disappoint. Also, if you like spicy, she can make it even more spicy upon request.
I am a huge fan of Queen of Sheba. Â Now you all know about my proclivity for eating Ethiopian food. Â Queen of Sheba makes me want to make that proclivity into a full on, hard-core addiction. Â I mean, can you give wot intravenously? Â Of course, that would take all the fun out of eating it, but I digress.
My friend and I shared a vegetarian combination and beef tibs wet. Â They were both fantastic. Â The beef was spiced just right, and nice and saucy, which I love. Â The different vegetables were awesome. Â We sat for over an hour, just enjoying our meal. Â The restaurant was very empty that night, so we didn't wait long for our food. Â We also enjoyed some honey wine. Â What can be better than honey wine, seriously?
One thing to note: Â I stopped in to see if I could get takeout awhile ago, and the man told me that because it was a busy night for them that it would take a very long time. Â He then gave me a card and asked me to call first with my takeout order. Â I give props for the honesty there. Â I'd rather know up front than be wishing someone had told me earlier.
If you haven't read up on the legend of the Queen of Sheba, you should. Â It's very interesting.
I am bowing down to the Queen of Sheba for sure.
I love Ethiopian food and fell in love with this place when looking for good Ethiopian food here in Denver. Â I vacillate between 4 and 5 stars on this one. Â The environment and decor here is nothing special, for God's sake, it's in a strip mall. Â That being said, some of the best Ethiopian food I've had.
What I really love about this place is that I believe it's just a family that works here. Â I'm not sure, but that's definitely the way it feels. Â I usually opt for their sharing platters where you get a nice variety of a bunch of things for about $30. Â Way too much food for just two people, but I always end up eating it all anyway.
The cook, who I'm assuming may be the owner has always come out to see how I've liked everything, which just adds to the "home-y-ness" of the place.
I was sad when my V-day plans fell through and Queen was closed for vacation for the week because I had definitely planned on going there.
I take some blame on this one. I noticed several fellow yelpers had mentioned that the service was slow here, so I guess I can't be too upset. Unfortunately the extreme wait for the food really hindered my experience here, which is why I felt it necessary to drop my rating to 2 stars (it would have otherwise been 3).
A group of 3 of us went to Queen of Sheba for dinner. It was pretty slow - there was only one table of 2 in the restaurant besides us. Over the span of the next 90 minutes, we waited patiently for our food to arrive. At 60 minutes, our appetizer showed up. Another 30 minutes later, or entrees finally arrived.
The food was tasty, but not worth the extreme wait. We didn't get very attentive service from the waitress while we were waiting either, as she was tending to her child in another area of the restaurant. From my perspective, there are far too many places to get great Ethiopian food on East Colfax to wait that long for a plate. Maybe they were just having an "off" night when I was there, but I won't go back to find out.
I often begin a positive review with the disclaimer that "it's good by Colorado standards." Â
How wonderful it is not having to do so for this restaurant. Â
This isn't just the best Ethiopian restaurant I've been to in Denver, it's possibly the best I've tried pretty much anywhere. Â It's true that the bread is a bit more sour than what I've had at other restaurants but I still find it extremely tasty and their food is incredible. Â If I was taking someone who has never before tried Ethiopian food, this would be the first place I'd take him. Â Every single thing I've tried on the menu has been heavenly. Â It's a small hole-in-the-wall Mom-and-Pop place and the service can be slow if they're busy but it's still extremely friendly service in a comfortable and clean environment. Â If you can, visit with the mother (who does the cooking) and the sons (who wait tables). Â It's a fun and lovely visit and makes the time pass quickly. Â If you're new to trying Ethiopian food, try one of the sampler platters. Â It's definitely worth your while.
I ordered the vegetarian samosas as an appetizer and enjoyed them very much. Â Nice crunchy exterior and excellent spices and flavoring of the stuffing (mainly lentils and some potatoes, I believe). Â Very tasty!
I also ordered the lamb stew which came with sides of potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and red lentils. Â There were lots of bold flavors and spices, and the meat was cooked well. Â The pancakes that you ate the meat and vegetables with had a slightly sour aftertaste, but that might be normal - it was just something I wasn't used to.
It was actually my first encounter with Ethiopian food, and I really enjoyed it. Â If you're like me and aren't familiar with Ethiopian food, this place is a great place to start - it's similar to Indian cuisine with its spices and flavors.
The staff here is incredibly friendly, and the lady who cooked the food made sure it tasted good and that I had an enjoyable time.
I LOVE mom and pop restaurants! This is definitely one of them. In fact the owner cooks the food from scratch. Quite a treat! And if you're vegetarian, which I'm not, then you're sure to be satisfied with the delicious authentic Ethiopian culinary experience.
This is a very humble restaurant. Do not expect clothed tables and candles. Still, it is excellent. The service is provided by family members and they make you feel right at home. Do expect a long wait for your food since it is made from scratch. Remember that lentils have the same effect on one's tummy as beans so if you're going on a hot date that night it may not be a good idea to eat them. They're just so delicious it's hard to resist!
This place is fantastic! Â
Run by a couple sweet Ethiopian ladies, if you're looking for an authentic experience, you've found it! Â
The food was delicious. Â My friend and I chose a sampler plate that came with fantastic injera, two awesome house salads, and two glasses of house wine. Â It was a great way to try a lot of things on the menu and the owner was happy to adjust the menu according to our likes. Â
Small little place and super busy. Â The service was very slow which is the only reason I gave it 4 starts instead of 5. Â But if you know that going into it, which we did (thanks Yelp), you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the cultural experience as well as the food.
I'll make this short and sweet:
Amazing food! Â It all comes on one platter and tastes amazing. Â Portions are pretty big, so that makes the place reasonable. Â (it looked expensive at first).
Service was a big slow so don't plan on getting out of there if you need to catch something after.
All in all, will return. Fun place.
After eating at the majority of Ethiopian places in town i have settled on QOS being my very favorite. The same woman is always there cooking (it's usually just her in the kitchen) with her family helping to serve the customers. This woman cooks the best food and is so kind and thankful to everybody who comes in. I have not been to QOS once without her coming out and checking on our satisfaction with the food or thanking us when we were leaving. She has made a few suggestions on appetizers that have been phenomenal.
The food is always very delicious, with generous portions, and it feels nice to support this hard working family's restaurant. The veggie combo is so amazing and i am always satisfied with the meal and usually have some to take home!
Also, recently tried the tea and spicy tea and it was of course, of course, AMAZING too!
My wife and I were quite skeptical coming here but decided to do so any way because it was close to the apartment where we're staying for a bit. Also we just drove into town and were quite knackered. The skepticism comes from having just done a 13 day road trip from a long stay in Portland. It started to hit home how true it is that only major cities really do have the variety of ethnic foods available and at least some that serve up in tasty plates that are affordably priced. Everywhere else, is mostly bad with the rare gem.
So with lowered expectations, we arrived into this hole in the wall small business. The owner promptly welcomed us and seated us in the mostly empty thursday night. There was a variety of selections available and we promptly took the Veggie Dinner for Two. We knew from the other reviews and previous Ethiopian excursions that this would take time and that's fine if the food is good. In fact we appreciate how long it would take as it tells us the food is being made from scratch.
She served us an appetizer which I think comes with the meal. It was quite good. As I never seem to remember the names of all the ingredients, I can say one of the 2 appetizers served with injera was a beet mix. I actually never had this before and both my wife and I have had Ethiopian in 4 different cities over a dozen occasions.
Eventually the main platter came out and we were immediately impressed by the size. This seems a bit larger than the platters were use to having but perhaps I'm wrong. We had a hard time finishing this but on hindsight it may have to do with the fact that normally when we eat Ethiopian, we only get this platter served on a large injera covering the bottom of the platter with another piece of folded injera for each of us. There's no appetizer or in this case four pieces of folded injera along the edges of the platter plus one more the owner gave us later upon seeing how much was left on the platter.
Sooooo that may be the real reasons we didn't finish our platter like we normally would. I would say this veggie combo for 2 is actually more a comfortable portion for 3 when given the appetizer.
The various selections on the platter from the red potatoes to the yellow potatoes to the spicy lentils to the vegetables were all quite good. I look forward to eating the leftovers tonight. It was all beautifully presented and made for a very overwhelmed low expectation. Is it as good as our favorite place in Los Angeles--Meals by Genet? In a word, No. It is, however, one of the best Ethiopian restaurants since we left Los Angeles. It could compete with any of the other L.A. Ethiopian restaurants in Little Ethiopia any day of the week. If Meals by Genet was closed, I would go here if this was in Los Angeles.
This is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Colorado. Unfortunately Colorado doesn't offer very many good restaurants or a plethora of good ethnic restaurants. After almost giving up on my quest for good Ethiopian food in Colorado after eating at 7 mediocre Ethiopian restaurants, I finally found this amazing beacon of light.
I've eaten there about a dozen times now and have never had bad food there. The only advice I can give is to go during the middle of the week when It's not too busy - and don't be offended if your food takes more than 40 minutes to cook, good Ethiopian food always takes a long time to make (plus it gives you time to enjoy the tasty tej). Â
Best things to get there - doro wat, kitfo (ask for it raw and extra spicy), yateklit wat, miser wat, and atar wat.
I dined at Queen of Sheeba in the middle of the week with three friends. Â All of us were from out of town. Â We were planning to go to Ras Dashen in Aurora, but found out that they had closed since the last time we had visited Colorado. Â We ordered the Queen's Dinner and her Guest (for four) ($64). Â This dinner included several different dishes: chicken drumsticks (two), Key Yesiag Watt (stewed beef), Â beef tibs, Yebeg Watt (lamb), cabbage, potatoes, carrots and lentils served on the Enjera bread plus a salad on the side. Â All of dishes were pretty good but we thought Ras Dashen was better. Â The watts were particularly good. Â The Enjera was okay but it wasn't as good as I have had at other restaurants.
We are pretty good eaters but there was plenty of food for the four of us. Â The waiter did a good job of keeping up with our needs (more water and Enjera). Â The restaurant is pretty small but even so it was only half full.
This was my first ethiopian food experience so I really have nothing else to compare it to.
The food was good and the experience was fun.
Family like atmosphere and the staff seemed very willing to teach you more about the culture.
Would recommend this place to anyone wanting to try something new.
An assignment for my Cultural Aspects of Nutrition class required us to visit an ethnic restaurant and write a paper. Â Hell I had to write a paper, why not a review while I'm at it?
I'm ashamed to admit that it took a school assignment to finally get me in the door of an Ethiopian restaurant. Â Considering they have many-a-vegetarian option, I don't know why I waited so long... and now that I've been, I can't wait until I get to go back.
The dude and I decided on Queen of Sheba (well, I decided--he just came along for the food). Â I like that they had good reviews, and a website that I could see the dishes before going. Â We visited around 8pm on a Saturday night, post-gym time, both famished and ready to eat. Â I ordered a glass of Tej, or Ethiopian honey wine, because I wanted to try it. Â It reminded me of mead, go figure.
We ordered the Vegetarian Combo for two. Â The Dude was quite considerate, saying, "I want you to be able to try as many things as you can so let's get that" (a keeper for sure). Â When the giant platter arrived with an array textures and colors, I thought, "Man these little dabs aren't going to be enough ...especially since I'm sharing!". Â But I was wrong. Â We both dug in (literally and metaphorically), pinching the Injera around bites of this and bites of that. Â After all, there were enough leftovers for each of us to have another meal from it (including extra injera).
Surprisingly, the house salad was one of the most stand-out items to me. Â It was simple lettuce, tomato, and red onion with oil, but something about the spices blended with the oil made it noteworthy. Â Aside from that, I especially liked the Yatakelt Wott (cabbage, potatoes, and carrots), and the Miser Wott. Â Next time I go, I know I'll be ordering a salad and the Miser Wott, spicy, please.
The service was reserved but accommodating. Â Zodi, the mother and chef, made it a point to come out from the kitchen and visit each table. Â She seemed cheery and appreciative of people's business, and she was very nice. Â At our table, she remarked on hearing her son pointing out the dishes to us, so she knew we were new to the restaurant. Â This was a high point in the restaurant's appeal. Â Great customer service, and someone who I could just tell really enjoys serving people excellent food.
Overall, this was a unique dining experience that I am excited to have again, and share with others. Â As the food is made to order, it's not a quick dining option by any means. Â Still, the food proves itself to be worth the wait. Â After one glass of wine and the combo, with tip it did come out to be about $20 a person, which is a little pricey for my current budget. Â Still, I realize I'm paying for authenticity, quality food preparation, and a dining experience that's different from many other places (not to mention we had leftovers). Â This is a definite "return to" on my list!
I was shocked how much Ethiopian food was in this area. Yelp lead me to pick this one.
My phone's GPS lead us to a older strip mall. I figured the food had to be good as the location was not the nicest.
We entered and there were a few other people dining.
Menus and water came quickly and our order was also taken in a timely manner.
I opted for the vegetarian platter for one. $15 I love Mitzzir Wat but I figured I should try a few things. Â
My anticipation grew as the smell from the kitchen grew in intesnity. It took some time for our meal to be cooked, but I found this to be a good indicator that it was not just sitting in a chaffing dish on a hot line.
My meal arrived, it was colorful, and large. To my surprise all of the items were served hot. I was very glad as in my experience usually some veggie dishes are served cold, and I am not a huge fan of cold food.
Every item on my plate was bursting with flavor and had great textures. The Mizir wat was not too oily and had a good amount of spice. The anjera as spongy and just the right thickness.
As a added bonus, another table sent over a extra glass of honey wine. I love free liquor.
I found the staff and customers here to be friendly.
If you are up for a adventure into a true non chain environment give this place a try.
So here's my story.
My daughter was having a play date which involved dinner. I was supposed to cook. I didn't want to. I have no excuse.
We packed up and drove to Queen of Sheba, 4 hungry women. All out for the best. We did well with our choice. It's small and we waited a while, I mean a WHILE but you know what? It mattered not cuz' everything was soooo worth the wait!
Our play date friend was also Ethiopian and was able to make an immediate request for some chicken legs, Doro Wot, I think. It was heavenly. When it came time to order the rest the owner and chef was soooo honest and helpful and suggested we order something for far less money because it was better suited for myself and three kids. That kinda class is seriously rare, super cool and much appreciated. I was talked out of a Heineken and into an authentic Ethiopian beer and I was glad about it.
OK... so we waited, and waited but I was having such fun with my daughters and their friend it didn't matter a bit. When the food finally came it was clear the amount of time and effort put into this stellar meal was great. The children with me tonight are 11, 10 and 9. I am not going to divulge my age. I will say this, the 4 of us tore into and polished  off our dinner like no body's business. Ummmm, succulent, flavorful, tender and satisfied all come to mind right now. The hands and fingers and Injera were flying!!! Lips were smacking!
We are now at home watching a movie and contemplating ice cream...I am so going back to Queen of Sheba and so hoping that beautiful business woman thrives with this restaurant.
p.s. One of them said I should definitely use at least 4 exclamation points !!!!
Just like someone's mamma made somewhere...
I've tried three Ethiopian restaurants in Denver (Axum, Arada, and this one) and Queen of Sheba is by far my favorite. Â The place is tucked away in a little tiny strip mall with minimal parking and the restaurant itself just looks like a little place with no frills decor, but once you take one bite of the delicious treats that come from the kitchen, you will be whisked away to Ethiopia... Well maybe not that serious.
The owner is this lovely woman who is Ethiopian and she has been running the place for 16 years. Â She has an interesting format that clearly keeps people coming back for more. Â You walk in, she or who appears to be her daughter will take your order, and then you will watch her cook it for you. Â From scratch. Â
Yes, you'll wait an hour for your food, but watching her cook it is a treat. Â It's like watching mom prepare dinner while you sit and tell her about your day. Â
The food is rich and blistering, but not so hot that you can't taste the amazing ingredients she uses. Â This is one of those times where the cliche of being able to taste the love that goes into your food fits perfectly. Â This woman loves. Â She loves what she does and she loves every customer that comes in to her little kitchen. Â
We ordered the vegetarian sampler and it was phenomenal. Â Ever dish on it was delicious and the Injera was just the right level of spongy and sour. Â When we were nearly finished, she came back out with a final dish (by this time we were completely full but when momma brings a dish, you eat it), which is something she does for all of her combo plates, but she presents it as if it was made solely for you.
Queen of Sheba is about more than just the food. Â It's about feeling right at home.
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