Getting Vegan Ethiopian Food at Rahel

A couple of weeks ago, I checked out Rahel Ethiopian Veggie Cuisine. I love Ethiopian food and wanted to try this vegan restaurant. I’ve been to Meals by Genet which is vegetarian before but this was the first time I’ve been a vegan Ethiopian restaurant. They also offer gluten free injera (the unleavened bread served with Ethiopian food).

I got the Vegan Feast which came with a sambusa or better known perhaps as a samosa. The savory looking filling freaked out the former vegetarian in the group but it was only stuffed with lentils. I really liked my meal and Ethiopian food is probably one of the cuisines where I don’t miss meat. I couldn’t finish my food however as it is very filling.

 

My friend got the Millennium combo which came with baklava for dessert. We found the soaked injera bits mixed with sunflower seeds (the more milky looking bread stuff on the plate) interesting but a bit of a cheat. I rather have another lentil-based dish in the combo.

The couple with us decided to share a Vegetarian combo, requesting the meal be served together. As you can see, it’s basically everything combined on a large platter.

Our top faves were the kale, lentil based stews and string beans. I also really liked the cabbage. But like all Ethiopian places, I found the salad a bit confusing and hard to eat with the injera. Usually you can request silverware but for the most part, we ate with our hands. They did however give me a spoon to facilitate stuffing my leftovers into a box to take home.

While I shouldn’t compare Rahel to Genet, I did find there were big differences. At Rahel, I liked the service and the decor. The food was good. At Genet, I loved the food but found the white table clothes (it is “fine dining”) a bit fussy. Of the two, I would probably actually go back to Genet for their tofu and they do a really fine sunflower seeds dish as well.

Still, I love LA. Vegan Ethiopian food. And gluten-free! Rahel should be featured on a TV show or something.

Rahel Ethiopian Veggie Cuisine

1047 S Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90019 — (323) 937-8401

© The Minty 2012