Reviews African Palace

Zomato
Hal Carim
+4
Of the three beacons of great Ethiopian restaurants on Bloor Street West / Dovercourt area, the African Palace has been my favourite in its quiet efficiency, calm ambiance and tasty dishes such as this veg Injera plate - Finger Lickin' Good!
Oct 14, 2018
Zomato
Ellemange
+5
The food is excellent. The service was warm and friendly. The blend of spices was perfect. As good as the Ethiopian restaurant we went to in Africa.
Nov 19, 2017
Zomato
Xiaoeats
+4
I occasionally get a craving for Ethiopian food, for the fragrant blend of spices but more for the spongy sheets of injera. A friend and I met up at African Palace, one of three Ethiopian restaurants in the neighbourhood and chatted over a vegetarian platter for two.
Oct 21, 2015
Zomato
Mary-Margaret Jones
+4.5
African Palace is our favourite Ethiopian restaurant in the city. I'm happy to see people line up at Nazaret because it means we will get great service, drink amazing tea and fill our bellies with the most amazing assortment of vegetables and lentils ever. Have trouble with gluten? Let them know and they'll give you lettuce instead.
Jun 05, 2015
Zomato
D.Chan
+4.5
Friendly and tasty. If you call ahead they can make the injera without flour (teff an barley), it does change the texture but if you are wheat free it is Great! Food is always tasty, hot, and service friendly!
May 31, 2013
Zomato
Paris
+4.5
I love this place as an alternative to Nazareths which is just down the street (is a favourite of mine but has AWFUL and slow service). The platters for 2 or 3 are awesome and it's great to try loads of new things. I'll be going frequently :)
Mar 06, 2013
Zomato
SK Datta-Ray
+4.5
Excellent Hospitality and Food. We had a family dinner this evening at the African Palace. The food was excellent as was the warm treatment by the owner.
The first time we went there was on the Orthodox Church's Easter. We walked in not realizing that the restaurant was closed and that it was a gathering of their friends and family. The owner insisted that we were part of her family and that we eat there. She would not let us pay. She also treated us to the traditional Ethiopean coffee. It was a wonderfully touching experience. We decided then that we would return and this evening we fulfilled that. We will go back again. We highly recommended this reasonably priced place.
Nov 11, 2012
Zomato
Robert
+4.5
Hospitable place. The lady that does the main serving (unsure if she's the owner) makes this place stand out. If she knows it's your first time she will traditionally give you the first bite of their main platters. Speaking of which, they are delicious and full of flavor. They used to be closer to Christie but have moved a few minutes walk west on Bloor. Be sure to check them out.
Jun 10, 2012
Zomato
Sommelier Ontherun
+4.5
Fantastic fare, hospitable service. Ive been to this place more than 5 times. Ive tried many of the other Ethiopian places on the neighborhood, and this still stands above them all.
The seasoning is deft, never over or under. The flavors are precise and well thought of. The injera is fresh and thicker it seems than other places. The portions are sizable, a vegetarian would have a hard time finishing the veg platter. The service is honest and no-nonsense, she is there to make your experience pleasant.
I would recommend this place without hesitation. You'd be hard pressed to find a better quality meal for the price in this city.
Apr 23, 2012
Zomato
Mmmmm
+4.5
Fish!. All the food that I've tried here has been amazing, but I was especially impressed with the tenderness and flavour of the fish... The owner/cook is really kind and helpful as well.
Dec 09, 2011
Zomato
Adam Peleshok
+4.5
The Lady Made the Difference. So this was my first time trying African food, and it was quite the experience. When we walked in the restaurant we were seated by a nice lady. Right off the bat I noticed that there were no utensils at the tables, only a napkin and a wet nap. I found this a little interesting.

The lady serving us knew that we were noobs because she asked if we've had Ethiopian food to which we said never. So she recommended we get some dinner platter for 2 for $23 and some samosas for an appetizer. I have heard from other places that Kitfo is an interesting dish of raw ground beef so I figured I'd enquire about it. The lady offered to put that in with our dish for $5 more (cheaper than the menu). I got Gored Gored instead because it was beef cubes rather than ground beef.

The samosas came out pretty fast and they were very flavourful. They were bordering on too much spice (for me at least), but they were good. The sauce they came with was a jalapeño sauce that gave it some kick.

In between the samosas and dinner was quite a long wait. I had read in other reviews that you don't get African food if you are in a rush. It may be the culture but this was true. During our down time there was a group of 'tards' (I mean some guys who just yapped the whole night away that the restaurant could hear) that bought this coffee ceremony thing for $10. The lady brought out this coffee tray with frankincense, popcorn, and coffee. The frankincense was lit and she poured coffee for everyone. The coffee smell of the beans and the frankincense filled the restaurant with a nice odour. I had never seen this before and was quite intrigued.

The meal for two came out on one plate and it was served with some kind of bread (it reminded me of a chamois). This was like a sampler platter where you rip off some bread and grab the items on the dish. There were a bunch of things like beets, cabbage, spinach, some bean pastes, beef, lamb, and my raw beef cubes. I didn't care much for the bean paste things but I did enjoy these beets, cabbage and spinach. We were kind of glad the lady recommended this because it gave us a taste of a bunch of things.

After dinner I asked the lady if I could get some of that coffee (without the ritual). I had wanted to see what this tasted like. She gave me a coffee (which is like an espresso shot) and brought some frankincense. The best part was that she said it was ON THE HOUSE. I was impressed with that.

I was really impressed with this place because the lady went the extra mile to make sure we got a taste of African food and I appreciated that. She was very nice and charged us less than the menu price for the samosas..

The restaurant is fairly small, can only seat about 30 I think, and the one knock I have on it is that there is no A/C in there and it got a little hot.

Overall the lady gave us a great first experience and I'm glad I went there. I would recommend people check it out, but only if those other tards aren't there.
Aug 01, 2009
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