queen of sheba

been dying to get back!. it's been years since i have been here. i remember having the queen’s eight platter and loving it. eating in the ethiopian style was new and refreshing. i still remember the flavors and look forward to visiting again in the near future.

i've been to the queen of sheba on a few occasions for both lunch and dinner and have always enjoyed the food. the lunch buffet is affordable at $10 a person, and the food is delicious. there are many different dishes to try, and there's even enough vegan foods to satisfy vegan friend. it is my understanding that the non-meat dishes are all vegan.

the items from the kitchen are good, in particular i enjoyed the queens lamb tibs and the queen's eight platter.

the service is friendly and the interior is nicely decorated.

haile selassie, eat your heart out!. the thursday night crowd was sparse as i entered. the decor is pleasant and authentic and the tables were neat, clean, and not crowded together. my waitress quickly showed me to my seat and was very pleasant while taking my order and explaining the menu to me. i ordered the queen's meal of eight or something like that - a sampler platter with 6 or so different dishes (3 vegetarian and 3 with meat). i asked for spicy dishes and two of the 3 meat dishes were spiced to normal american standards. for those who like heat, you'll have to ask for extra spicy. the meal was served quickly. the injera bread was fresh and neatly rolled in a bread basket. the food was very tasty and i everything, even the injera used to line the plate. the owner, his wife and daughter (i presume) were very pleasant and made the place feel at home. i would like to visit queen of sheba on a friday night or a ethiopian coptic feast day to see how the place moves when the crowd is larger. when i'm in tampa again, i'll be at queen of sheba.

tasty with options!. lunch buffet has several options for your tastebuds (see my photo) ! the meat is very tender and flavorful and the rice and sides of beans is healthy and yummy ! good prices, and good service. ask the staff to explain all the dishes on the buffet, makes for a fun and interesting lunch. will be back.

white table clothes, don't soil that; here, have a wax paper placemat.

they were short on staff, we considered that.

disco lights twirl/cross at the entrance.

we were surrounded, rust-colored textured  walls all around us.

brown suspended ceiling system overhead.

honey, sweet, smooth iced tea hit my taste buds.

flaky pastry dipped in spicy, seasoned, buttery bean paste

white flaky fried fish fillets, crispy cuts on our plate.

neatly bundled injura wade at the edge of the saucer.

shared plate, multiple hands, americans invited to ethiopian dinning table.

buried flavors, the injura, doro watt chicken could no longer cover.

monetary sacrifice from $ to $$.

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thieves. thievery. thieving. we ordered the coffee ceremony and they charged over 50$ for 5 people and the coffee was cold and it was not much of a ceremony. i have been to plenty ethiopian restaurants including district of columbia and this was the most expensive ethiopia restaurant. the food is not that great either and the servants have attitude problem. ethiopian are supposed to be honey people but i guess when you come to america things change. please stop taking people's hard earned money. this is not the first time this has happened at this place. the government should look into these overcharges. this is a crime.

was a interesting experience not my cup of tea but it was good food overall the portions are pretty big, service was slow thou, and they weren't busy.

delicious, fresh and made with love!

i'll be honest, i come here with a regular she knows what to order, and i feel it adds to the experience. however, after meeting the owner several times, she is warm and inviting and welcomes all new customers.

the place is warm and friendly and smells of incense and food. dining in a group? order the platters. go for a veggie platter and a meat platter and you will have the total experience.

small portions huge bill. i went with two other adults. we bought a groupon and bought the meal for 3. total is was only enough for two so unless you fill up on the bread-like stuff you will leave hungry. i was shocked to see how small the portions were and that our bill was over $50! we didn't order drinks or an appetizer expecting the meal to be large and plenty. the staff was missing most of the time and when i made a comment about the small portion size the manager seemed annoyed (& did nothing). the food we did have was pretty good but not worth the ride service and smal portions. i left feeling ripped off.

u never know till u walk through the door!!. this little place is amazing!!! the owner is there everyday walking around and asking how everyone's meal is. and believe me it's an experience you have to try... eating with your fingers with the sponge bread is finger licking good.
the ceremonial coffee is a bit expensive so only do it once in awhile... i have not one complaint except i didn't go there for dinner tonight!

not so bad this side of the atlantic. after living in ethiopia, i have high expectations. i would not recommend ordering of the pre-prepared menus since they cater to the american palate. however, if you know what ethiopia dishes you like just ask for them by name and you'll get a great treat! the food was quite good and some of the best i've found in the us thus far.

not so good. as you know i’m an undercover foodie at heart; tampa is very limited on ethiopia options, this is your only choice. the last time i had good ethiopian food was when i was in london, so i decide to give this place a shot for lunch. unfortunately this was not good, i thought doing the lunch buffet was the best choice sense you can try a little of everything. i highly doubt the dinner menu is even better & the service was slow, my waiter forgot about me/ very short staff. you can get away with not having very good ethnic cuisine if you are the only restaurant of that type in town because most people won't know any better. let me sum it up “overspice (i love spicy, but don’t downed the food) or no spice” what happen to tasting the actual food and for the food that needed spice (veggies, greens etc) where was it?? i tell you where it was it was.... it was at wendy’s, that’s right after the flop lunch; i had to stop and get a burger to make things better.

good place to eat.. this place has very good service as compared to the dozen or so other ethiopian restaurants i have been to across the states.
the food is very tasty and a good value on any budget.

love this place!. i love ethiopian food and this place is authentic. you can't go wrong with a combo plate and sharing it - more than enough to satisfy! the food makes you feel like you are having something healthy - not really sure if it is.... but, i love it! try it!

walked in with an open mind even after reading some poor reviews, and my sisters story of her "odd" dining experience. place looked great and smelled better....i've eaten at many ethiopian restaurants and so was able to explain the menu very well to my very dark skinned (east indian) boyfriend. (i'm half indian light skin) and our server asked my boyfriend in a very pleasant voice how he was doing and brought us water and menus. on her return she asked him what he would like to eat and quickly walked away after he said that i would do better ordering. she never came back. so she either hates lite skin or women. either way she should not have anything to do with the service industry. so after an awkward 20 mins we left and nobody cared to stop us.