Cafe Selam Reviews

This was our first Ethiopian meal in a while, and our first at this restaurant. It was delicious!! We chose the gluten-free injera and the meat and vegetarian combos, and everything was amazing. Employees were lovely, too - friendly and helpful. We'd love to return if we find ourselves in the neighborhood again!

DELICIOUS! Great atmosphere, lovely people, fresh and comforting food!!! I want to eat it every day - the environment was so inviting !

When you're craving Ethiopian than this is the place to go to. Food is very tasty and reasonably priced. Went here with co-worker for lunch - we ate that much that neither of us ate dinner that night! Expect to eat with fingers - no knives and forks here.

I've been craving Ethiopian food for a while and after getting a suggestion to this place on our trip to Seattle, I'm so glad we went here. The food prep is a bit slow and the place is very quaint, but it's all worth it. Everything was excellent, the staff nice, and we got stuffed. Check this place out, it is very good.

Ate Ethiopian for the first time last night with my daughter. Very friendly staff and unique atmosphere. Waiter helped us order and we really enjoyed the food. Will visit this place again sometime.

Four of us walked over to Cafe Selam on Cherry St. to sample one fo the many Ethiopian restaurants in the Seattle area. The two of us, being the newbies, followed the lead on the other two in our group. Now this place is not much to look at, but there was outside dining which we wanted. Our server was very friendly and helpful. We did our meal family style with Ketfo (like a steak tartare, but slighlty cooked), lamb Tibs and a vegetarian combination consisting of Shiro Wat (red beans), Mesir Wat (red lentils), Iyb (cheese), and cabbage, spinach and salad. This was all served on Ingera, a flat bread, plus an extra one for each of us to use as our utensils. Really different tasting, but very good. We topped it off with several Ethiopian beers and plenty of water to take the edge off of the spices. So I may not be able to order this same meal again at another eatery, but this was one fine introduction to this cuisine. All this food and drinks came to only $60.00! We left stuffed. This is one on my "Try It" list.

I have had a lot of Ethiopian food, and this place does not disappoint for its authenticity and outstanding flavors. What's more, you actually have a bit of a feeling of being in the homeland as you sit listening to Ethiopian music an ambiance that is just a tad Third World in a good way -- Next to an auto repair shop, etc.

Three different people all recommended this same restaurant to us, so we decided to give it a try. It’s right next door to an auto repair shop on Cherry Street. They have a nice small patio with a white picket fence and lots of flowers. We ordered the meat combination and the veggie combination platter. It was fantastic! We also had Ethiopian wine and beer, and coffee. Everything was so delicious. Our server was kind, informative and helpful. We filled up our bellies and took a substantial portion home for tomorrow’s lunch. Don’t let the location stop you from enjoying a great meal!

This was my first time eating Ethiopian food. Got a hot tip from the Uber driver in Seattle, and boy was he right. This restaurant wasn't much to look at, but that only added to the "authentic" feel. We orders 2 vegetarian platters and a couple of meat dishes. You will be eating with your hands - no forks and knives. Absolutely delicious - will be returning and also looking for other Ethiopian food experiences in my travels. Will be back!

We hardly talked. The food was so good all we did was make noises each time we tried something different. The injera was just right and all of the items in the vegetarian combo complemented each other beautifully. It was a cheap, incredibly delicious dinner. We'll be back.

We went to this restaurant at the recommendation of a friend. I have never had Ethiopian food before and he said this place had vegetarian options (I'm vegetarian). We were told the place was small (It is). Parking was a problem at the time of night we went. The food was very tasty and filling. A great first experience.

I have been to this restaurant twice and have had a great experience both times. They were able to accommodate a mixed group of vegetarians, meat-eaters and gluten-free eaters with no problems. The food is delicious. The price is right, too. This is not a fancy place, but I found the atmosphere very nice. We ate outside on a sunny day, and ate inside another time. The staff are very polite and friendly.

We were in town visiting a friend and opted for this hole-in-the-wall cafe near a couple of other places where we have already eaten. It’s located in a converted house, dining area is a bit small, service can be slow. However, the food is outstanding. Spicy but not too hot, flavorful, and economical. We ordered the vegetarian combo plus a side of lamb tibs. The lamb was spicy, the veggie combos tasty and some of them quite hot. Highly recommend. We would eat here again in a heartbeat.

My first time trying Ethiopian food and it was recommended by our Airbnb host. The Fir Fir is their specialty dish which consists of Injera bread cooked with onions, tomatoes and garlic and topped with a meat if your choice (beef or lamb). The portions are very generous and one plate is enough to feed 4-5 people. The bread is slightly sour and the filling is a little spicy. It was pretty good!

There are a lot of Ethiopian restaurants on Cherry St., so we found this serendipitously because they had available parking. The food was typical but good. Service a bit slow but friendly. My wife asked for "mild" spice and got "medium" so she said. my vegetable combo was filling, however. They could use some original artwork and take away the TV because all it showed was an ad the entire time. I found $50 to be expensive for two dinners with no accompaniments.