This is my first review but my second time here. I must say the food is very good. Prices are more than fair for the quality of food you get. We always seem to show up at a very slow time. The owners are very polite and friendly. We had chicken kabob and a gyros also an appetizer of samosa and bajiya. The lime and chili dip was dynamite! I recommend this place to everyone I will be back, even though its an 80+ mile drive.
(5)
J R.
Had the Hoe-Dra veggie combo at their Saturday Market booth. Good, but not quite as flavorful as Ethiopian food I've had previously. (Horn of Africa is apparently food of "Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and the Middle East.") I meant to order the Caravan Plate, which includes a bajiya (apparently a Somali black-eyed pea fritter) and a sambusa (a triangular pastry filled with something savory), but by the time I got to the front of the short but slow-moving line, I forgot what I wanted. I'll have to try their restaurant, too.
(3)
Bret B.
I came here using a Groupon. I'll admit that I was a bit hesitant at first, because their website said that they opened at 5, and I wanted to come at 5, but when I called to make a reservation, I was told I should come at 6. Fine. I've eaten a lot of African food over the years. In fact, I wrote the African chapter for the Slow Food Guide to Chicago. I was very excited to try Horn of Africa's cuisine. I was told that the food was from all around the geographic Horn, but in truth, I think the emphasis is on Somali cuisine. I started with two appetizers, a bajiya (seasoned fried patties of mashed chick peas and split peas) and a chicken sambusa (like an Indian samosa, with chicken, cabbage, green pepper and other flavors); excellent start. Next I had the yellow lentil soup. Very tasty, it reminded me of the Ethiopian lentil curry, kik alitcha. The soup was served with bideena "bread," which seems almost identical to Ethiopian injera, a spongy sourdough flatbread/pancake. My entree was the Foon Hoolaa Diimaa, lamb stewed in beri-beri sauce (comparable to Ethiopian berbere). The flavor was exceptional. My only complaint was that it seemed as though the meat had not really been stewed in the sauce, as it was rather tough, and had not taken on the spicy flavors as one would expect from stewing; this might be a difference between Somali and Ethiopian cultures, but I doubt it. More bideena was served with the lamb stew. I will add that service is extremely friendly, and food is delivered very quickly, and freshly prepared. I had only once before eaten Somali food, and I can say without any hesitation that Horn of Africa is far superior to that prior experience in Chicago.
(4)
Victoria W.
We did the $9.95 lunch buffet and loved it! The restaurant has a nice, airy interior. Service was great. The buffet had four meat dishes, six hot veggie dishes, cold salad, hummus, and pickles. For carbs you had a choice of injera, rice, or a naan-like flatbread which was very good. Dessert included these incredible hot fried cinnamon balls and rice pudding, and they had a great hibiscus drink. Sadly, the rice was very dry and clumpy - must have been at least a day old. But that was literally the only bad thing. Everything else was delicious!
(4)
Lorne S.
Great service, and the sambusas were amazing, the spicey lime dip was awesome! We had the gyros, which were delish, and that means a lot coming from a gyroholic. Our waiter (also the owner) was very pleasant, and was very nice to our 2 yr old son. We will be coming back! One thing to note though was we used a resaurant.com certificate, and he requested we tip 20% because we were using a coupon, is that legal? Didnt mind, because service rocked, but just a heads up to any other patrons using a gift certificate from restaurant.com
(4)
Peter T.
Met my pal here for the lunch buffet today, it's a bargain at about $8, and enough variety to satisfy whatever kind of "vore" you are. I had curried goat, the minced beef casserole common to that region, greens, hummus, bideena bread, hibiscus tea. Picked up a cup of soup and the falafel plate to bring home to Mrs. BurgerDogBoy, which included bideena, pita, hummus, tabouli as well. It's obviously a kind of a hybrid menu, with both African and Mediterranean dishes, they do have some offerings which are more "family style", if you want to go the whole sharing route. I really enjoyed it. Ample free off-street parking in back, as well. My plate runneth over.
(4)
Katherine V.
The Horn of Africa wasn't very busy on a Friday evening at 7 pm. I don't really have an insight as to why...simply an interesting observation. We choose to start with the appetizer sampler. This consisted of one beef sambusa, one chicken sambusa, and two bajiyas all served with a spicy, fresh, green sauce. Note that the combo is the same price as ordering these items separately. Not to worry though, because this dish was amazing. Each item tasted as though it had just been made. Highly recommend. We also ordered the Marakha Lukku and the Lukku Hurdi, both with medium heat. The chicken in both of these was cut very similarly into chunks and was unfortunately a bit dry. We both thought that the flavor wasn't as developed as it could have been, although honestly we haven't ever tasted these dishes before, so maybe the flavor was intentional. Overall they tasted okay and very filling. The rice that came with each dish was tasty. We ended with Mutabaq (African donuts). These were okay as well. I have no idea if the inside is suppose to be a bit raw and sour...maybe it's intentional but it seemed a little off. Had a Groupon here that only saved us $5 in the end. Not huge savings but obviously enough to entice us over here. Another thing of note: We were one of two tables in the restaurant. The appetizer came out very quickly but the dishes took a significantly long time...over 30 minutes. The server was very friendly and even let us try the house bread before we decided on bread or rice with our dishes. Prices were reasonable.
(3)
Darin T.
Had this authentic Ethiopian food at the food truck at the Saturday market downtown. I can say this was truly authentic as I lived in Ethiopia for a year and this food brought me right back The samosa was my favorite part and follows traditional Ethiopian street food style. They did charge extra for injera which was annoying but it was so fun to be able to find real quality African food-- especially on a food truck!
(4)
Ken W.
I went to the food cart at the saturday market, and the food was interesting but the quality was not there. The chicken, the rice, whatever it was, it was all very dry. The flavoring was dried out of the meat, and my friend and I had to heavily use to cucumber sauce and salsas to make it somewhat enjoyable. If you're going to have a side food cart outside of the restaurant, it is important to maintain the quality. I have not tried the restaurant myself yet, so I'm not sure if the quality is any different (I'm hoping so), but after this experience, I am turned off and not interested in trying the restaurant out.
(2)
J K.
So many vegetarian and vegan options. All fresh and good prices. The appetizer sampler is great with the lentil sambusas and bajiyas. You can get a big falafel sandwich for $8 or a plate full of falafel, hummus, salad, tabouli, and a basket of pita for $10. By the way, the hours here on yelp are incorrect. Check their website. hornofafrica.net
(4)
NORELL D.
One of my favorite places to eat in the crowded Portland's food market place . Such a variety of flavors and textures combined for a wonderful dining experience. Vegan, Vegetarian or meat (Chicken, goat, and fish) prepared with their Delicious African and Middle Eastern spices not common in my native Caribbean Island of Cuba. Great customer service (courteous and very friendly) I highly recommend this place!
(5)
Karli H.
My husband and I visited Horn of Africa for the first times with a Groupon certificate in hand. We were warmly greeted and encouraged to pick a place to sit. The menu is not expansive, but for once that wasn't a bad thing as everything on it was new to us. Since we were first timers, we were encouraged to try the appetizer sampler of sambusas and bajiyas (spiced garbanzo/chick pea patties). That was a great way to wake up our palates to the delightful array of spices. We opted to try the Sampler Platter for 2 with the Foon Hoolaa Diimaa as the meat entree. The spongy bread, Bideena, was fun to use as a tool to sample each item. We chose well with the sampler because we could try more than one entree/side. The food was served on top of a giant piece of bideena. Our host shared with us that the best part of the whole meal is the bideena after the juices/flavors soaked into it...and boy was he right! My husband will be lucky enough to take some leftovers to work tomorrow and make all of his coworkers jealous.
(5)
Amy L.
Having eaten at many Ethiopian places from PDX to Seattle to San Francisco. This is the one place I would never go back to again. The food is completely mild not strong on flavors. Portions are small for the price. Most of the items from the veggie combo were pureed. It essentially felt like I was dipping injera into baby food. We ordered the stewed chicken, it was okay. Injera was average. Place was dark, parking was difficult. Service was okay.
(2)
Andrew H.
I ate dinner here a couple months ago due to being intrigued. I haven't eaten too much African food in my life. I ordered plantains and tabouli salad, which were both delicious. I definitely want to come back sometime and try some of the other vegetarian options on the menu.
(4)
Jenny P.
I came here for dinner. We used a Groupon. We both ordered the vegetarian platter. There were only 3 warm veggie options, plus some plain collared greens and lettuce with beets. It was extremely underwhelming and bland. I would definitely check out Enjoni or Bete Lukas. You get a lot more for your money, and both are delicious. I would not return to Horn of Africa.
(2)
Daisy R.
Horn of Africa is a family run business with delicious food. We are always served quickly, generously with the best Ethiopian food in Portland! Love this place.
(5)
Nichelle M.
The food was really really good me and my boyfriend went there a few days ago and went to there buffet but the one star is for there customer service skills they suck!!! The lady mean mugged me as I went to the buffet which by the way was only my second time and rudely came up to me and asked me to not to much because she doesn't want me wasting any food! Like how dare you? It's a buffet first of all and second of all it's a damn buffet like there food is amazing but there customer service skill are sad and I will never be returning there again
(1)
Nichole K.
This was my first ethnic food experience ever...4 years ago! To this day I compare all of my middle eastern/african food meals to it. To my dismay nothing has met the expectations Horn of Africa set. I can't recall what I ate, but I do know the flavors were perfectly blended, portion size was just right, and the service was splendid. Although I have to admit at first I had no idea what to do with the fermented bread, but once that was solved...amazing!
(5)
Corey K.
This place is delicious! We came in because I had heard so many good things I had heard about it from street fairs, etc. and the Chinook Book coupon. I didn't realize all the food is organic! Great, fast service, yummy house-made chai, and large portions! Oh, and the plantains were the perfect finish!
(5)
Megan M.
First off, extremely slow service. Our waitress was not what I would call friendly. Food was okay, I've definitely had better. I was with friends who had a restaurants.com certificate, and if you've perused the rest of the reviews, you can probably already tell what I'm going to say. We noticed a 20% upcharge on our bill once we presented the certificate, asked what it was about, the owner came over and gave us a sob story about how they don't make money when people use certificates. I understand the logistics of that, but don't offer up these coupons if you're basically not going to honor them! Bottom line, I won't go back, there are much better places in the area (Enjoni, Sengatera) with better service and better food.
(2)
Nachomama C.
I have mixed feelings about this place. This was the first time my family ate Ethiopian food and upon arriving we were extremely excited and everything seemed great until...We had to wait over an hour for our food to arrive. Besides my family there were 2 other families there and so I was not sure as to why we had to wait so long for our food. The only thing I could have thought of was we did provide him with a coupon from Restaurants.com and he seemed a little irritated that we brought a coupon. When the food arrived it looked great however it was warm. We ordered a #23 which was a famliy sampler, an appetizer and a Gyros. The total cost for our meal was $50.85. Keep in mind it was my husband and our two children that shared the platter. We went up to pay for our food and the owner started to complain"We don't make money when people bring in coupons" My thing is why offer coupons if your going to complain. FYI that would not make a person want to visit your establishment because of your attitude and this made me feel uncomfortable. In additional to all of this he charged us a $12 Gratuity! The service was not good, the ice in my water melted because we had to wait over an hour for our food and we were hungry. I will never return again and I highly suggest they get a person that is more people friendly to help their business grow. Why should I spend my money again if I can go up the street to another Ethiopian restaurant and get great service?! I did give this review 1 start but I did change it because the wife was extremely nice.
(2)
Robert H.
Portland is a small town. When you operate in certain creative circles, you are sure to run into people you know at the usual hangouts. But sometimes you are working on a plan, idea, startup or brainstorm you don't want overheard by your crowd. You don't even want them to know who you are meeting with, know what I'm saying? This is a place where Julian Assange could meet with Mark Zuckerberg and no one would find out. So if you have a big plan you don't want to get back to your Etsy rivals, the ad agency types or the paparazzi this is the lunch spot to talk. I'm on a quest for African food, including Ethiopian, Somalian, Kenyan, Eritrean and the food of Djibouti - North East Africa. Horn of Africa has a unique take with their lunch buffet; a mix of what I would consider North East African and what I would consider Indian. So this place combines both ideas, a private place to meet with tasty food and it is very inexpensive. The buffet, when I stopped by, had a healthy looking salad of lettuce, tomatoes, kalamata olives and red onions. There was a sauted onion pepper chicken dish, berbere ground beef with peas, collards - not overcooked, a coconut turmeric hominy, potato-carrots, organic navy beans in a yellow sauce and sibling organic lentils in a red sauce and a few other dishes. There was a saffron biryani rice and injira. Indian condiments accompanied including chutneys - not the sweet type - and Indian pickle. Unique was the berbere goat. It has some tomato in addition to the spices, and bones as clearly stated on a note by the dish. I think first time goat for me. It's game-y a little chewy and works well with the spices. I spent some time talking with the family who own and operate the restaurant. We talked about spices. We talked a lot about goats. What they eat, anything, but they relish blackberries. Their love of climbing. I learned, though I thought goats were not too bright, that they respond to their name and know their goat family. Yes they are stubborn. I guess goats have selective intelligence. The owner used to process goats to meat in a previous location, and reports that goat livers are a high demand item. You are not going to get that much goat intelligence elsewhere in Portland. We talked about East African farming and farm animals. I learned that ostrich oil is a great treatment for muscle pain and skin ailments. Wow! I've been for just lunch. All you can eat lunch. Great family restaurant, a variety of food with a few organic dishes, India-related dishes, a few vegetarian/vegan, but not mostly, and some healthier salad options to go with. A bargain and goat too!
(4)
Laura M.
We had goat with bereberi red sauce. It was so delicious; the flavor explodes in your mouth and you want more. Also the curry chicken was yummy too.
(4)
Cornelius V.
I brought my lady here for some tasty cuisine and it was very delicious!! The buffet was closed when we came in but the owner let us eat it anyway such a lovely man and his wife! I will definitely be going here again and again!!
(5)
Bm F.
This place has become my Jam. Moving on from my first breakfast review, Ive been eating the more traditional dishes for breakfast mainly in search of something that makes me feel good after eating. I love traditional breakfast food but its a bit heavy sometimes and when your not using it as a hangover cure especially. My followup is being written as Im sitting here eating Fuul for the second time this weekend, with homemade ghee and a fresh hardcooked egg. I ate that and another been dish yesterday and felt good and full all day. the biggest thing, it tastes great. Its weird, this is one of those places thats so close I somewhat ignored it for a while, Now Im wanting to eat there constantly. Every time Ive been in there recently , theres someone if not me taking about food quality. The quality of meat and where it comes from. we know so many portland restauraunts focus on this but I dont know much about the ethnic food scenes being super conscious about where the animal protein comes from. makes me feel good knowing that these guys care about that.
(5)
Erin C.
Loved the red lentils with rice and chapati! Just what I was after. Service/food was kind of slow but that's because the food is made fresh. I'd love to come back with a larger group. Worst part is that we were the only ones in there.
(5)
Laura C.
I cannot speak for the food - since we did not eat it. I am basing my rating on the restaurants extremely poor customer service. They advertise on Restaurants.com , but will not honor the certificates they sell. Luckily, the customer service rep at restaurants.com replaced the Horn of Africa certificate with another restaurants' and said they would contact the owner for not honoring their certificates - which they said they are contractually obligated to honor.
(1)
Olivia T.
Try anything that you normally like at a Mediterranean or Indian restaurant (just don't expect large portions). For fans of elephant ears (the fried, flaky, sugary, carnival treat, not actual elephant ears because that would be yucky) definitely try the mutabaq for dessert! Mutabaq (moo-tuh-bak) are fried African donuts that are comparable to elephant ears and are just a little more dense and chewy. The food is similar to Mediterranean and Indian food and is not bad, but not great. I really wanted to like the food because the owners are nice, but my taste buds left feeling unsatisfied. The owner mentioned how their Sunday buffet is the best way to try their food so maybe we'll go back and give Horn of Arica another review. For now, we stick with just A-OK.
(3)
Eva G.
The food was very good. The waitress appeared to be bit distant/reserved at the beginning, but warmed up eventually and I end up having great time at the restaurant. The falafel, tabouli, hummus and mango yogurt were excellent. I will definitely return for more. P.S. They do not accept American Express.
(4)
Raja S.
The place has nice food... their appetizers (sambusas: both chicken and particularly veggie, bajiya) were really good. The entrees (Lamb with berri berri sauce) was great. The chicken (with berri berri sauce) was good and the chicken kabob was good as well. Nothing to complain about the food, it took more than 45 minutes for our order to come (even after the appetizer showed up). The quantity of the food was also less... one entree is definitely enough.
(4)
Christy W.
This was our first time at Horn of Africa and all I have to say is wow. The food was yummy and best of all was our server Ruby! She was awesome. She was so cheerful, kind and personable. It was a lot of fun. The food did take a little bit to get out to us but it was well worth the wait. Everything was so fresh. The dough balls and rice pudding we had for dessert were just as good as our meal. This is definitely a place we will be returning to.
(4)
Reed W.
Three stars when the food is good. It's been shaky a few times that I've been here. Flavors are not too interesting and the dishes that they do have are somewhat blah. They used to almost always have a really good humus available in the buffet but the last 2 times I've been there it was not to be found. Unfortunately that was one of the main reasons I liked the place. Don't care for their meat dishes.
(2)
Erich S.
Delicious! I just walked there for lunch and the buffet was fresh, tasty and had a nice variety of perfectly spiced stews/curries. Also, their hibiscus tea, while a bit sweet, is delicious!
(4)
Jasmine L.
I'm surprised Horn of Africa doesn't have way higher reviews. This place has DELICIOUS food! My favorite thing to order are the beef patties with a spicy, green sauce - which is one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten! Just writing this review is making my mouth water - if you have the chance - this is definitely a must eat at spot!
(4)
Jessica S.
They do brunch now on sat and sun and it's really great; quite a wide range of offerings. It hit my brunch tooth. And there is no crowd. I had the Eggs Benedict and my husband had something with sausage and hash browns. The serving size is large and the for us the service, from the owner, was so friendly. Come here for Brunch!
(5)
Max L.
Fresh, delicious food, coupled with an inviting atmoshpere and friendly, knowledgeable staff made for a dining experience we'll return for.
(5)
Curtis C.
Nothing horrible about this place, but nothing really stood out. I went to the lunch buffet with my partner. There were some interesting choices, a lot more meat than I'm used to at Ethiopian restaurants. I like the bean/chickpea/lentil purees that you often see, and these were nowhere to be found. The one dish I liked, and that I even recall is the lamb stew. Flavors were really good, and I'm not even sure what the spices were... Definitely not something I'm familiar with. All in all I think I will try some other places in town before I return to H.O.A.
(2)
Lara G.
Amazing service!! such great people! and the food was delicious! never had African Food and now I can't wait to go back. Definitely recommend it!!
(5)
Claire S.
I love Horn of Africa! Some favorites are the maraka lukkhu (chicken in berre berre sauce), sambusas (a delicious appetizer, kind of a like an Indian samosa), collard greens, lentils, yellow curry, chicken kabob and African donuts for dessert... I just moved back to California and I'm going to miss this place. Horn of Africa packs a lot of unique flavor compared to some of the lackluster options in pdx. Added bonus: friendly owners and customer service!
(4)
Richard M.
Take two- the story gets worse. So, I already reviewed Horn of Africa poorly because I thought I was misled when I called in a Groupon order for takeout, and when I arrived to pick up my takeout (which allegedly had been prepared and was ready), I was informed that they wouldn't take the Groupon, even though it did not say as much on the coupon. Today, I returned to physically eat a meal there with my wife, as per the apparent rules. My wife was there, and informed me a waitress had told her that they were out of lentils. Tenish minutes later, a waitress asked if we had gotten our order, and I remarked we hadn't even gotten to place an order, and we only got one water glass between us.When she saw the name on my groupon on the table, I was asked if I wrote the bad review. I acknowledged I did, and this was their chance to sway me into writing a good one. I was informed they WOULD NOT SERVE ME, since I gave a bad review, and that's bad for business. I chuckled, and noted that kicking me out wasn't going to get a better review, and it would be even worse for business. The waitress seemed stressed, as if she saw the logic of "The customer is always right", or at least the customer gets to write a bad review when treated poorly. She said she could have the owner come talk to me. I agreed, thinking we could work something out. The owner immediately started lecturing me about how the point of Groupon was to get me in to have delicious food and to get me to come back. I noted that I didn't get to try the delicious food, and he'd have to serve me for me to try it. He refused, and was clearly getting agitated. I noted that if he wasn't going to honor the certificate I paid for, he should reimburse me for what I paid. He replied that he doesn't actually make any money, and that I should talk to Groupon, and that I shouldn't write bad reviews. (The waitress reiterated now was the chance to get me to like the food and write a good one, which I agreed with, but he had none of it.) I didn't get emotional, but I did use my old stage vocal training to let the other customers know I was being kicked out for having written a bad review, and wasn't allowed to get what I had essentially already paid for. One woman noted she hadn't complained, but she had been waiting for her food for 2 hours. (Heresay, I know). My advice for the owner- if you don't want bad reviews, don't do things to get bad reviews, don't provoke outspoken people, and if you're shouting at a customer, you've already lost.
(1)
Marty B.
Lunch buffet was delicious. Everything tasted fresh and homemade. It was well stocked and dishes were replaced if they ran low. A yummy mango drink and iced water was included in the buffet. I would definitely return.
(4)
Leandra C.
This place is owned by a very friendly family. The food is obviously hand made with a lot of care and the atmosphere is calm and usually pretty quiet. The couple that owns it are charming and friendly and won me over immediately. Their daughter is great too. She was professional and gave us genuine answers to our questions about the food. My favorite dish is the big plate of food on the sponge bread for two, plus a mango nectar. I love supporting local, independent, family run businesses and this one has wonderful food.
(4)
Casper I.
I went here today with my daughter for lunch. The food was so so - not worth the drive out from Beaverton. I had a coupon for 25. - because of this, they ADDED 20% tip to the bill, for just 2 people, for LUNCH! The food was not that good, the service was middle of the row, and I feel like I was ripped off as we were not told there would be 20% added, nor is it posted ANYWHERE. When I asked about it, he said it was because we used the coupon! BEWARE!
(1)
Ariana M.
I was really excited to try some of Portland's African food, after moving here from L.A. With a toddler in tow, we figured it would be a fun, easy meal out. We were sorely disappointed on several counts. First of all, we were seated and waited on by a young girl who was not friendly and didn't seem to be listening to anything we said. We placed our order for a family platter, and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. They came by to refill our waters, but never offered an explanation for why our food hadn't come. The longer we waited, the more the staff avoided even looking at us. After an hour, we got up and asked someone if they could at least please bring us some injera for our super-hungry three year old. They did. Finally, our food came, and it was... OK. We had ordered a three person plate, but it was very skimpy, and some of the dishes only contained a couple of table spoons worth of food. A lot of it was barely warm, and the lentils were really dried out, they had probably sat in the warmer all day long-- they should not have been served. A few minutes later, the friendly owner came by our table (for the first time) and asked about how everything tasted. I told him that it wasn't worth waiting over an hour for. He apologized and said that something had gone wrong in the kitchen, and that NO ONE had ever had to wait this long for food before EVER in the history of his restaurant. Hmm... I said that someone should have said something, anything, to us and at least brought a bite for our daughter. He also said that was true, and apologized again. Then he brought our table some dessert. Interestingly, we were CHARGED for the injera that we had asked for while waiting over an hour for our food. Sure, he was nice. But it in no way made up for the super-crappy service, the mediocre food and the insane wait. By the way, the restaurant was not very busy while we were there, so all of this seems even harder to justify. I think the waitresses may have been family members, but they were young and didn't seem to want to be there, and completely unskilled in handling difficult circumstances or customer concerns. We won't go back.
(1)
mya j.
Food was good. decently priced. The owner is friendly. The service however is not the best. They forgot our silverware. I would go back again for the food. They have good vegetarian options
(3)
Mark T.
Tasty, healthful food in a comfortable, modern, clean space. The sunday evening buffet ($10.95) includes some pretty scrumptious variety, and I'd highly recommend giving it a try. Great injera, tasty rice pilaf, decent hummous and dolmades, awesome green chutney, and wickedly complex pickle. The African-centric items excelled over those of middle eastern derivation. Have to share numerous other concerns about indifferent service. I don't require someone hovering over my shoulder, but I'd rather not be subjected to a "OMG, I'd rather be anywhere but here right now" attitude. Also, is the whole "key is over there" for privileged access to the (albeit clean) restroom really necessary?
(4)
Paula W.
Okay, if there's one thing I can't stand it's having to ask for more water, coffee, etc. I mean what's the point of having a server if they aren't serving you? Might as well save the tip money and go to a buffet. I was with a group in the upstairs Africa room and while the vibe was kind of cool with the couches and low stools, it was a bit of a pain to eat. If sitting on the couch you had to bend way down to eat at the low table. I guess I just prefer to eat my food at waist level. There were seven people in the group and we were presented with three menus to share. It was at least 30 minutes before a server came back to take our order. And though the server was helpful she kind of had an impatient air about her. We asked for more water and it was at least another 20 minutes before a different server came in (without water) to bring the appetizers. This younger server was even more impatient and very offput by our request for more water. Long story short, the food was okay but the servers seemed to have a problem coming up to our little secluded oasis for any reason, including bringing more water, bread, or even our meal. And the biggest surprise was when cashing out, learning that an additional 25% was added to the bill for the use of this room. We don't know if it was a communication problem with the one who organized our group or if they just didn't tell her about the fee. It ended up being an extra $30 for seven of us. It took about 30 minutes just to try to get the bill divided up and straightened up mostly because the staff kept arguing with each other about what should or should not be on the bill. I think there are many other african places in the area that I will try before coming back here.
(2)
Erika B.
I really, really wanted to like this place.....but I didn't. Much of what I ordered was served to us off of their buffet and the temperature was barely warm. I felt like I was eating leftovers at home. The flavor was really lacking as well. On the plus side, the staff was very friendly.
(2)
Inga B.
I love African food, especially bideena and having a groupon made this visit all the more sweeter. Ordered the chicken breast stewed in house made beri-beri sauce, the marinated beef and red lentils. I really enjoyed the lentils, that was by far my favorite dish. The chicken breast was a bit over cooked but the sauce it was stewed in was delicious. The marinate beef was very good as well, I just preferred the flavors of the other two dishes more. That along with 2 glasses of honey wine and a cup of coffee totaled $35.00. Not bad for a night out.
(4)
Madame M.
I recently tried Horn of Africa for the first time. I ordered a beef dish and when it arrived, I was wildly underwhelmed. There was a tiny amount of meat accompanied by a mere cup of very dry unappetizing rice. The meat itself was very overdone and so salty it seemed like a practical joke. From all the wonderful things I have heard of African cooking, this was not one of those dishes. Did the cook have a bad day, does African cooking resemble a salt lick? I don't know. All I know is that Horn of Africa needs to tune up it's instrument cause the food is off key.
(2)
Dan P.
You know when you go to an Indian buffet, there is like one thing you kinda like, another one or two things you could eat, and then 6-7 things that just suck? Well, Horn of Africa's lunch buffet is eight buckets-ful of awesome. Of course, I don't know much about Ethiopian food, but this place was great.
(4)
Wendy C.
WC: Hey Small Child, do you like lentil stew? SC: Yeah! WC: How about gigantic, table-sized pancakes? SC: Yeah! WC: And is your preferred method of eating with your hands? SC: Yeah! WC: Hey Small Child, try this Ethiopian food! SC: AAAAHHHHH! That's disgusting!!!! Although Small Child disparaged the cuisine of an entire continent, mom and I had quite a nice dinner at Horn of Africa. The restaurant just moved up MLK recently to a new spot in Vanport Plaza - it's a cool, vertical space and nicely decorated. The mango lassi and chai tea were excellent. The veggie family platter was pretty good. I don't know if they toned down the spice since Small Child was in the party, but a lot of the dishes were a little bland. The standout was the fava bean stew with olive oil and tahini - excellent. Maybe the meat dishes fare better? The service was good, but sloooow. They weren't busy at all on a Friday night but we were in there a good 90 minutes for dinner, which translates into 72 hours in kid time. A nice addition to the block, I'd definitely give them another shot. Oh: and thanks to whoever the landscape architect for Vanport Plaza was. Someone unintentionally designed the most perfect kiddie play area with some boulders and a bioswale in front of the restaurant.
(3)
Aaron H.
Interesting place. The food was good. Although I have never been to Northeast Africa the food presented to me looked as if it could have come from there. I have to agree with some other comments below regarding taking a while but that encourages conversation which is always good. I am not sure I will be going back anytime soon but was worth the visit.
(3)
Diane K.
I was pretty much treated like garbage here. As per the instructions printed on my groupon I told them right away that I would be dining there using this coupon that I had paid for, and more importantly THEY had signed up for. The waitress who was seating us made a big deal and said we couldn't eat there... the owner showed up and told us they were out of food. OUT OF FOOD? It was about 7 pm. Whatever. Oh, the owners daughter was an antagonistic brat.
(1)
Nick V.
This is the reply received from Horn of Africa: Hi Nicolas, Thank you for information and I will work on this issue to investigate more and get rid off bad person. Today Morning I had a meeting with my staff , my chef is well trained and he has thirty years experience. I read the review and try to analyze it. First of all our forks were in a brand new African Basket, I was there forks were not dirty 100% I am sure about that. second we don't put chicken on the grill until we make other foods ready because of its amazing smell customers will come and order, therefore we must have stuff that goes with it this person fail to prove it. Third we had lavender chicken, lamb with lavender, lavender Rose marry lemonade , we offered 3 items with lavender when the festival requires one menu with lavender. We sold 25 gals of lavender lemonade on Saturday. Last but not least, I was there I am the owner there is no way some one tells customers Right there in front of your these kids are school kids, they love customers because of the tips they make. I ask them to smile and provide the best customer service to make more tips. Finally, one of the girl was my daughter. this reviewer did not even explain what the three people look like, conversation in the booth is not allowed that proves this person is liar. I have been in business for 16 years , I have experienced some rude people but no one tells his/her customers in front of your and that is what we have never. This person tries to discourage customers not to support Horn of Africa I can tell this writer was not there physical it is just hatred. Again thank you so much for information and I will work on it not happen again what ever it is. I really appreciate your concerns and supports. All the best wishes Mohamed yousuf
(1)
Jennifer L.
Dare I say it? I will. Horn of Africa is better than Blue Nile in Berkeley. *gasp* Our wonderful doctor-teacher took all us loser baby-doctors out for a holiday dinner spread here last Friday, and I was taken aback at how flavorful and varied the dishes were. I unfortunately don't know the name of anything we ate because it was ordered ahead of time - but I could recognize a number of old familiar favorites. As an appetizer we were served meat and veggie-filled triangles that looked like samosas. Crispy, not too greasy, delicious. When the main courses arrived on a three-foot in circumference platter any semblance of restraint vanished. Potatoes, lamb, chicken (huge chunks! Just huge!) and vegetables were incredibly spiced and very different from one another. Some Ethiopian places seem to use the same spices for every dish, making them all taste like one another. Not Horn of Africa! I should also mention their injera isn't too sour so as to get in the way of what you're scooping up. Sour injera is something I just can't get used to... I need to return very soon and learn the names of the incredible foods I ate. Sure, many probably had "wat" at the end, but that's not very helpful.
(5)
Abe I.
Horn of Africa has, in my opinion, the best atmosphere of Portland's African restaurants, which granted, may not say much, but it's something. Also unlike the others, the Horn serves dishes from Somalia and Kenya, in addition to the usual Ethiopian fare, and there's a bit more emphasis on organic and vegetarian food here than at other African restaurants. There's also a small market adjoining, where you can get ingredients for your own Sambusa-fest. What else do you need?
(4)
Katie K.
This is near my 'hood, so when the Groupon came up, I thought it would be a great opportunity to try this restaurant out. My overall impression? The staff are friendly--especially the owner. He came out and chatted every so often, which was pretty great. However, It should not take 60 minutes for food that is essentially stewed to reach my lips. Though there seemed to be plenty of waitstaff, I'm not sure what exactly it was they were doing. When we walked in, we were asked if we wanted to eat there. Um....yeah? After we were seated, it took 10-15 minutes to get our drink order in--and we rushed in our food order at the same time because we figured we probably wouldn't see them again for a while. The boyfriend and I each had a bottle of honey beer (pretty refreshing and not overly sweet), and 20 minutes later, the appetizer combo of sambusas and a fried lentil thingy arrived, both were delish....though maybe not quite worth the wait. Another 15 minutes later, the entree arrived. The bf and I split the combo platter for two, which was definitely more than enough food--we have a huge hunk of injera waiting for us at home. This was just okay--we ordered the lamb in curry sauce, and I have absolutely no idea what the rest was, as it didn't say on the menu and our waiter didn't tell us. Some was a little bland, but none of it was bad. The lamb was good, if heavy on the rosemary (though I love rosemary!!) There was one veggie dish that had mushrooms in it---I was surprised, as I didn't know that large mushrooms grew in Ethiopia, but it's not like I'm an expert. It was okay. The red lentils were good. It has a pretty great location in the new Vanport Square, with outdoor seating for the glorious summer days (when they come). The interior was colorful and spacious. I'd say that this place is good in a pinch, but not if you're really craving Ethiopian--if nothing else, you'd probably die of starvation before you got served. I am a little curious about their brunch, but their hours seem to be a bit capricious--we'd stopped by last weekend, and found a sign that said they may or may not be open on Sat/Sun. heh.
(2)
Julie M.
If you are returning, be aware the Horn is now a few doors up MLK. Did you know there are at least 6 Ethiopian Restaraunts in Portland? I generally prefer Queen of Sheba - for eatmosphere - also nearby on MLK. Sometimes there's a strolling Violinist. If you want QUIET however, go earlier, weeknites, or come to either the old or new Horn of Africa address...at either, the food is very good. If you cook Eithiopian at home - INVITE ME! I'll bring good beer, Chai, or wine. All you regular Americans who like Mexican and Thai foods are invited to venture out to give yourselves a taste of some food you truly deserve. You're in for a treat...with Ethiopian and Somali food. Ttry ALL of Portland's excellent and spicy East African eateries. We have lots! If you go only to Jarra's, ornever get off Broadway, you're missing a LOT. For North African food - Egyptian dishes - I like Mummy's downtown, and it's a 2 for 1 dinner with an Entertainment Card - but it's SO distinctly Mediteranean, in comparison. The food is nowhere as stunning, nurturing, and memorable as any Ethiopian specialities. The favorites usually presented are inspired by spices historically traded by Ship (and Camel caravans) between hemispheres, The spices are highly prized and traded between all Asian nations...including India. Visiting Spice Markets is a great thing to do when traveling. Ethiopian is excellent take-out food; but I like eating in. The simple, gentle-spirited hospitality settings are peaceful and your Hosts enjoy seeing you discover the superb flavors. The beauty and serenity of the Hosts kind of goes with this comfort-food. But don't be fooled - thar's genuine spunk behind those smiling eyes, I'm certain. Blame the spices. Consider taking an order of Doro Wat home to serve over rice. That way it can go a LONG way. IMHO, Injera is better at presenting flavors than Tortillias, and can be used with a nice variety of Foods with rich sauces, including Indian and Malay curries. Chicken Tebbe here is tender, juicy, spicy and flavorful. 'll be back for more. I confess I ate more than my fair share. Entertainment Coupons no longer work here, with the name/Owner change; but go anyway - you can still get ample meat dishes & injera and a small, crip salad for $7.50 per person. Leave a bit to roll up in some remaining injera - to take along for a quick microwave snack at home. Take all gooey peices too. They're great! Nearby, next to the former H of A cafe, is still an African store, so visit to buy a few things, and try the eats at the former location - which begins w/a B. Linger for Tea and conversation after dinner. Enjoying tea and sharing smiles are African traditions. How to eat it: Spoon a generous portion from serving bowls - onto the tray lined with Injera (if it's not already that way) - in the middle of the table so all can share. Eat with your clean right hand...by tearing a small piece of soft bread first. Use it to scoop a modest bite,, and tap an edge of bread in a skiff of sauce, so that's first to touch your tounge. At Jarra's and one on Broadway - ASK for Family Style - or you may get a boring western plate and fork presentation...which is just NOT Ethiopian eating. I promise you'll like Family style better.... unless you are trying to keep MY hands off your food! Feel free to use a fork at home, however, as the juices in your leftovers may be mushy in the Injera, and you'll still want to eat it all, even if it's falling apart. (I leave NO sauce-infused Ijnera on the serving tray, no matter how gooey or messy. It's just TOO good!) Use the #6 Bus. MLK Blvd has it going on. Where else to get great Ethiopian... In Washington DC. Great Ethopian cafes were near my former Howard U RowHouse. You'll find several in Adams Morgan. notably The Red Sea, and another right across the street (go upstairs in both) Also I like U Streets - Twins. They do lovely Saffron Rice dishes, downstairs, with flavors more delicate than the hefty Ethiopian Berbere spices. Live Jazz, and an oddly-Americanized bar menu are in the upstairs bar...if you are too boring or too cheap to buy a full dinner, $12-20. Enjoy some of East Africa's best on every trip to NE Portland or the US Capital. And often, in Portland.
(4)
Lauren G.
I had a restaurant.com coupon for here so my boyfriend and I decided to give it a try Saturday night. What a let down! We were the only ones in the restaurant the entire time. The only other person I saw was the hostess/server, who was very friendly. However, given that we were not competing with other customers for our food, I expected it to arrive in a timely fashion. Taste was mediocre at best. My favorite thing was dessert- Ethiopian donut holes.... which tasted exactly like American donut holes - gooey and sweet and delicious and served hot. However, I won't be going back- not since I've heard there is much better African food in Portland.
(3)
Abigail S.
I so wanted to like this place, but yikes. First time I went by, they were closed when their hours clearly showed they should be open. I'm pretty forgiving, so tried again today and actually got in. All that so I could wait for over an hour (in a nearly empty restaurant) for bland food. Bummer.
(2)
Joanie L.
Food was excellent. We ordered a platter for 3 for the 4 of us, used our Groupon coupon - and were pleased with everything - food, waitress, kindness of the owner. The beri-beri sauce is really yummy - pretty much all the tastes were yummy. I have also eaten lunch here with a friend - all you can eat from a food bar - which is also excellent.
(4)
Jeremy M.
After reading a wide variety of reviews for Horn of Africa, I didn't know what to expect when my wife and I decided to use our restaurant.com certificate. Yes, the service was a little slow at first even though we were some of the only customers at 6pm on a Tuesday. But eventually it evened out as the waitress turned out to be pretty entertaining with her Cuban accent and beer recommendations. Between the two of us we ended up trying 3 different kinds of beer and their honey wine. My favorite beer, whichever one is in the short, squat bottle. It's imported from Ethiopia and written in either Swahili or Arabic, I really couldn't say. Either way, good stuff. When ordering the entrees, opt for the rice. Golden, slight butter flavor, hints of spices I'm not even sure how to pronounce. I'm thinking our next move is to take a long lunch and enjoy the buffet.
(4)
Robert K.
I haven't been to the restaurant yet, but I've had there food from their cart at saturday market a lot of times. Actually I have gone to saturday market just to get food from them. More than once. And its always been good.
(4)
teresa m.
we visited the horn of africa again, this time at the mississippi st fair. we shared a falafel sandwich. so delicious and fresh. the staff were very friendly and appreciated our business. always love their falafels.
(5)
Mark H.
Horn of Africa has been part of Portland for many years. I have loved visiting there with friends and being in the family atmosphere that the owner/chefs Mohammed and Khadija and their children have created. Wonderful lamb dishes. Fuul is very good. They can make food that is very flavorful without making it too spicy to eat. It's a great place for vegans and meat lovers to go, and lots of their food is organic.
(5)
Susan C.
The African food is delicious, but service on more than one occassion has been puzzling and almost humorous. Tough to enjoy the dining experience when you barely get served in an hour.
(3)
Emily H.
The food was just alright. I've definitely had better Ethiopian. We had the platter for two and an appetizer. The main course was lukewarm and pretty uneventful. The service was great, though.
(2)
Carrie A.
Their website says they are open till 9:00. I call at 8:20 to get some take-out. They tell me they have stopped serving food at 8:00. Really? Business is that good, huh? It's called being in the service industry, folks.
(1)
Ed H.
We went here with a restaurants.com gift certificate. The (presumably) owners were very friendly. The food was yummy. We would recommend this place and come back again. Similar food to Queen of Sheba. However we felt the interior and ambiance is far nicer at Horn of Africa. The food might have been one notch higher too.
(4)
Frank F.
A-OK. It really was. I want to drum up business for this area of MLK. It needs it. The chef came out mid-meal and checked to see if everything was alright. It was really good food.
(3)
Damien S.
Do NOT go here, especially if you're in so hurry. The service is so unbelievable slow.... And the good food is not worth the hour plus wait... I felt that the waitress was rude. Don't tell me how I'm going to have my food! I'm the one that tells you how I'm going to have my food!!! I wish there was a no star option. If there was ever a place that deserved it, it's this place...
(1)
Jessie G.
My fiance and I wanted to try something new so we gave Horn of Africa a shot. We loved the food and received great service. We got the 2-person veggie and chicken platter and wow was it delicious. We also got a hummus plate, but were not as impressed by the dish. Stick with the African food here. I would have given it 5 stars, but the beer and wine selection is lacking. I hope that they include some additional choices in the future.
(4)
Nicole N.
The food was great, good variety and the pre-set meals on the menu allow for some selection while getting a great bargain. The biggest drawback is that the restaurant (after bring open a year) still doesn't have a liquor license.
(4)
Larry T.
I love this place. It has the feel of a family run mom-and-pop restaurant and has some of the best Ethiopian food I have ever had. The service is very friendly and personal. We felt very welcome with our toddler aged son who enjoyed the bread immensely. You are given the option to have your meal served family-style which added to our experience as well. You can't go wrong with this place.
(5)
Angela P.
I'd like to give it 0 stars but it doesn't appear to be an option. Groupon stated CALL FOR RESERVATIONS, so I did. Tuesday night about 9 pm for a Wednesday dinner. The man who answered said they were "Very busy, could you call back tomorrow?" I asked what time, he said between 11 and 5. I called about 1 and was told by the woman who answered "we are very busy, you call back in 20 minutes". I got busy myself and called about 2 hours later. When I said I wanted reservations for that evening, she said "we are booked". Holy Cow. How long does it take to write down my name and party size? With thousands of restaurants in Portland, I won't be making a trip to this place.
(1)
Bill R.
Great friendly service in a clean atmosphere. The owners takes pride in what they offer and it shows. We had the lunch buffet and was surprised to see a mix of food that I would also see at a Mediteranian restaurant plus other dishes new to me. Many healthy options too which was very nice. A great Portland restaurant and food adventure!
(5)
Melissa W.
Discovered their food @ the Portland Saturday Market...Walked around looking at all the goodies for sale in the different booths----all made me smile, but did think that most of the vendors were a little too 'proud' of their wares....Had a shop on Melrose for 14 years so I totally understand 'retail'... But ! this review is about Horn of Africa---- checked out the food stalls looking for something unique----found a few contenders, but chose the Horn of Africa.....WOW !!! it was awesome---- I am ALWAYS up for 'different'-and of course EXCELLENT 'DIFFERENT'..... Kept it simple because we were going to have lunch later on.....had the BEST and most interesting ice tea !!! Spicy (NOT hot) and thirst quenching---wanted to drink gallons of it !!! (hoping I can find something like it in LA)....asked if the Sambusa was like a samosa----was told 'no'....so I tried it----filled w/ lentils and was asked if I wanted the 2 sauces that were optional----OMG !!! sooooo unusual and mouthwatering ! My husband does not like beans unless they are totally blended (like hummus), but he even thought the Sambusa was amazing and the price was unheard of ! the Sambusa was $2 and the tea was $1 !!!!!!! I plan on telling the world to eat there !!! this could be the price at the Saturday market-----and Bravo to Horn of Africa for having insanely delicious and REASONABLE food------sooooo many vendors had high priced merchandise....... The 2 women (mother and daughter perhaps? ) were very nice and patient..... Next time we will go to the restaurant and try more dishes....If there is no restaurant, would go to the Saturday Market JUST for the Horn of Africa food...even if parking was impossible, would still spend time hunting for a space just to go there..... just one more special entry on Jim and Melissa's Excellent Pacific Northwest Adventure.
(5)
N P.
Unbelievable! A great hidden gem on MLK. Cheap, delicious, and wonderful staff. Try this place!
(5)
T V.
Had dinner here last night. I would love to give this place a higher rating but two things drop the score. First, the wait for the food was unbelievably long. We waited an hour after placing our order for our food to arrive. When it did arrive there was no african bread as promised. When we inquired about this the server gave us attitude. Her explanation was "we make our food from scratch and it just takes longer". Seriously, for the injeera bread? That's like a mexican restaurant making you wait for tortillas. The food actually was pretty good but I don't think it was worth waiting an hour for. The other thing that takes the score down was our rude server. The young hipster girl that works for the family that runs the place needs to be canned. She was exceptionally snotty. On a positive note, the owner personally came out to see how we were liking the meal. He made a big fuss over my friends three year old and gave her a little treat. He was classy and nice.
(3)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
Address :5237 NE M L King Blvd
Portland, OR, 97212
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Street, Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Kain B.
This is my first review but my second time here. I must say the food is very good. Prices are more than fair for the quality of food you get. We always seem to show up at a very slow time. The owners are very polite and friendly. We had chicken kabob and a gyros also an appetizer of samosa and bajiya. The lime and chili dip was dynamite! I recommend this place to everyone I will be back, even though its an 80+ mile drive.
(5)J R.
Had the Hoe-Dra veggie combo at their Saturday Market booth. Good, but not quite as flavorful as Ethiopian food I've had previously. (Horn of Africa is apparently food of "Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and the Middle East.") I meant to order the Caravan Plate, which includes a bajiya (apparently a Somali black-eyed pea fritter) and a sambusa (a triangular pastry filled with something savory), but by the time I got to the front of the short but slow-moving line, I forgot what I wanted. I'll have to try their restaurant, too.
(3)Bret B.
I came here using a Groupon. I'll admit that I was a bit hesitant at first, because their website said that they opened at 5, and I wanted to come at 5, but when I called to make a reservation, I was told I should come at 6. Fine. I've eaten a lot of African food over the years. In fact, I wrote the African chapter for the Slow Food Guide to Chicago. I was very excited to try Horn of Africa's cuisine. I was told that the food was from all around the geographic Horn, but in truth, I think the emphasis is on Somali cuisine. I started with two appetizers, a bajiya (seasoned fried patties of mashed chick peas and split peas) and a chicken sambusa (like an Indian samosa, with chicken, cabbage, green pepper and other flavors); excellent start. Next I had the yellow lentil soup. Very tasty, it reminded me of the Ethiopian lentil curry, kik alitcha. The soup was served with bideena "bread," which seems almost identical to Ethiopian injera, a spongy sourdough flatbread/pancake. My entree was the Foon Hoolaa Diimaa, lamb stewed in beri-beri sauce (comparable to Ethiopian berbere). The flavor was exceptional. My only complaint was that it seemed as though the meat had not really been stewed in the sauce, as it was rather tough, and had not taken on the spicy flavors as one would expect from stewing; this might be a difference between Somali and Ethiopian cultures, but I doubt it. More bideena was served with the lamb stew. I will add that service is extremely friendly, and food is delivered very quickly, and freshly prepared. I had only once before eaten Somali food, and I can say without any hesitation that Horn of Africa is far superior to that prior experience in Chicago.
(4)Victoria W.
We did the $9.95 lunch buffet and loved it! The restaurant has a nice, airy interior. Service was great. The buffet had four meat dishes, six hot veggie dishes, cold salad, hummus, and pickles. For carbs you had a choice of injera, rice, or a naan-like flatbread which was very good. Dessert included these incredible hot fried cinnamon balls and rice pudding, and they had a great hibiscus drink. Sadly, the rice was very dry and clumpy - must have been at least a day old. But that was literally the only bad thing. Everything else was delicious!
(4)Lorne S.
Great service, and the sambusas were amazing, the spicey lime dip was awesome! We had the gyros, which were delish, and that means a lot coming from a gyroholic. Our waiter (also the owner) was very pleasant, and was very nice to our 2 yr old son. We will be coming back! One thing to note though was we used a resaurant.com certificate, and he requested we tip 20% because we were using a coupon, is that legal? Didnt mind, because service rocked, but just a heads up to any other patrons using a gift certificate from restaurant.com
(4)Peter T.
Met my pal here for the lunch buffet today, it's a bargain at about $8, and enough variety to satisfy whatever kind of "vore" you are. I had curried goat, the minced beef casserole common to that region, greens, hummus, bideena bread, hibiscus tea. Picked up a cup of soup and the falafel plate to bring home to Mrs. BurgerDogBoy, which included bideena, pita, hummus, tabouli as well. It's obviously a kind of a hybrid menu, with both African and Mediterranean dishes, they do have some offerings which are more "family style", if you want to go the whole sharing route. I really enjoyed it. Ample free off-street parking in back, as well. My plate runneth over.
(4)Katherine V.
The Horn of Africa wasn't very busy on a Friday evening at 7 pm. I don't really have an insight as to why...simply an interesting observation. We choose to start with the appetizer sampler. This consisted of one beef sambusa, one chicken sambusa, and two bajiyas all served with a spicy, fresh, green sauce. Note that the combo is the same price as ordering these items separately. Not to worry though, because this dish was amazing. Each item tasted as though it had just been made. Highly recommend. We also ordered the Marakha Lukku and the Lukku Hurdi, both with medium heat. The chicken in both of these was cut very similarly into chunks and was unfortunately a bit dry. We both thought that the flavor wasn't as developed as it could have been, although honestly we haven't ever tasted these dishes before, so maybe the flavor was intentional. Overall they tasted okay and very filling. The rice that came with each dish was tasty. We ended with Mutabaq (African donuts). These were okay as well. I have no idea if the inside is suppose to be a bit raw and sour...maybe it's intentional but it seemed a little off. Had a Groupon here that only saved us $5 in the end. Not huge savings but obviously enough to entice us over here. Another thing of note: We were one of two tables in the restaurant. The appetizer came out very quickly but the dishes took a significantly long time...over 30 minutes. The server was very friendly and even let us try the house bread before we decided on bread or rice with our dishes. Prices were reasonable.
(3)Darin T.
Had this authentic Ethiopian food at the food truck at the Saturday market downtown. I can say this was truly authentic as I lived in Ethiopia for a year and this food brought me right back The samosa was my favorite part and follows traditional Ethiopian street food style. They did charge extra for injera which was annoying but it was so fun to be able to find real quality African food-- especially on a food truck!
(4)Ken W.
I went to the food cart at the saturday market, and the food was interesting but the quality was not there. The chicken, the rice, whatever it was, it was all very dry. The flavoring was dried out of the meat, and my friend and I had to heavily use to cucumber sauce and salsas to make it somewhat enjoyable. If you're going to have a side food cart outside of the restaurant, it is important to maintain the quality. I have not tried the restaurant myself yet, so I'm not sure if the quality is any different (I'm hoping so), but after this experience, I am turned off and not interested in trying the restaurant out.
(2)J K.
So many vegetarian and vegan options. All fresh and good prices. The appetizer sampler is great with the lentil sambusas and bajiyas. You can get a big falafel sandwich for $8 or a plate full of falafel, hummus, salad, tabouli, and a basket of pita for $10. By the way, the hours here on yelp are incorrect. Check their website. hornofafrica.net
(4)NORELL D.
One of my favorite places to eat in the crowded Portland's food market place . Such a variety of flavors and textures combined for a wonderful dining experience. Vegan, Vegetarian or meat (Chicken, goat, and fish) prepared with their Delicious African and Middle Eastern spices not common in my native Caribbean Island of Cuba. Great customer service (courteous and very friendly) I highly recommend this place!
(5)Karli H.
My husband and I visited Horn of Africa for the first times with a Groupon certificate in hand. We were warmly greeted and encouraged to pick a place to sit. The menu is not expansive, but for once that wasn't a bad thing as everything on it was new to us. Since we were first timers, we were encouraged to try the appetizer sampler of sambusas and bajiyas (spiced garbanzo/chick pea patties). That was a great way to wake up our palates to the delightful array of spices. We opted to try the Sampler Platter for 2 with the Foon Hoolaa Diimaa as the meat entree. The spongy bread, Bideena, was fun to use as a tool to sample each item. We chose well with the sampler because we could try more than one entree/side. The food was served on top of a giant piece of bideena. Our host shared with us that the best part of the whole meal is the bideena after the juices/flavors soaked into it...and boy was he right! My husband will be lucky enough to take some leftovers to work tomorrow and make all of his coworkers jealous.
(5)Amy L.
Having eaten at many Ethiopian places from PDX to Seattle to San Francisco. This is the one place I would never go back to again. The food is completely mild not strong on flavors. Portions are small for the price. Most of the items from the veggie combo were pureed. It essentially felt like I was dipping injera into baby food. We ordered the stewed chicken, it was okay. Injera was average. Place was dark, parking was difficult. Service was okay.
(2)Andrew H.
I ate dinner here a couple months ago due to being intrigued. I haven't eaten too much African food in my life. I ordered plantains and tabouli salad, which were both delicious. I definitely want to come back sometime and try some of the other vegetarian options on the menu.
(4)Jenny P.
I came here for dinner. We used a Groupon. We both ordered the vegetarian platter. There were only 3 warm veggie options, plus some plain collared greens and lettuce with beets. It was extremely underwhelming and bland. I would definitely check out Enjoni or Bete Lukas. You get a lot more for your money, and both are delicious. I would not return to Horn of Africa.
(2)Daisy R.
Horn of Africa is a family run business with delicious food. We are always served quickly, generously with the best Ethiopian food in Portland! Love this place.
(5)Nichelle M.
The food was really really good me and my boyfriend went there a few days ago and went to there buffet but the one star is for there customer service skills they suck!!! The lady mean mugged me as I went to the buffet which by the way was only my second time and rudely came up to me and asked me to not to much because she doesn't want me wasting any food! Like how dare you? It's a buffet first of all and second of all it's a damn buffet like there food is amazing but there customer service skill are sad and I will never be returning there again
(1)Nichole K.
This was my first ethnic food experience ever...4 years ago! To this day I compare all of my middle eastern/african food meals to it. To my dismay nothing has met the expectations Horn of Africa set. I can't recall what I ate, but I do know the flavors were perfectly blended, portion size was just right, and the service was splendid. Although I have to admit at first I had no idea what to do with the fermented bread, but once that was solved...amazing!
(5)Corey K.
This place is delicious! We came in because I had heard so many good things I had heard about it from street fairs, etc. and the Chinook Book coupon. I didn't realize all the food is organic! Great, fast service, yummy house-made chai, and large portions! Oh, and the plantains were the perfect finish!
(5)Megan M.
First off, extremely slow service. Our waitress was not what I would call friendly. Food was okay, I've definitely had better. I was with friends who had a restaurants.com certificate, and if you've perused the rest of the reviews, you can probably already tell what I'm going to say. We noticed a 20% upcharge on our bill once we presented the certificate, asked what it was about, the owner came over and gave us a sob story about how they don't make money when people use certificates. I understand the logistics of that, but don't offer up these coupons if you're basically not going to honor them! Bottom line, I won't go back, there are much better places in the area (Enjoni, Sengatera) with better service and better food.
(2)Nachomama C.
I have mixed feelings about this place. This was the first time my family ate Ethiopian food and upon arriving we were extremely excited and everything seemed great until...We had to wait over an hour for our food to arrive. Besides my family there were 2 other families there and so I was not sure as to why we had to wait so long for our food. The only thing I could have thought of was we did provide him with a coupon from Restaurants.com and he seemed a little irritated that we brought a coupon. When the food arrived it looked great however it was warm. We ordered a #23 which was a famliy sampler, an appetizer and a Gyros. The total cost for our meal was $50.85. Keep in mind it was my husband and our two children that shared the platter. We went up to pay for our food and the owner started to complain"We don't make money when people bring in coupons" My thing is why offer coupons if your going to complain. FYI that would not make a person want to visit your establishment because of your attitude and this made me feel uncomfortable. In additional to all of this he charged us a $12 Gratuity! The service was not good, the ice in my water melted because we had to wait over an hour for our food and we were hungry. I will never return again and I highly suggest they get a person that is more people friendly to help their business grow. Why should I spend my money again if I can go up the street to another Ethiopian restaurant and get great service?! I did give this review 1 start but I did change it because the wife was extremely nice.
(2)Robert H.
Portland is a small town. When you operate in certain creative circles, you are sure to run into people you know at the usual hangouts. But sometimes you are working on a plan, idea, startup or brainstorm you don't want overheard by your crowd. You don't even want them to know who you are meeting with, know what I'm saying? This is a place where Julian Assange could meet with Mark Zuckerberg and no one would find out. So if you have a big plan you don't want to get back to your Etsy rivals, the ad agency types or the paparazzi this is the lunch spot to talk. I'm on a quest for African food, including Ethiopian, Somalian, Kenyan, Eritrean and the food of Djibouti - North East Africa. Horn of Africa has a unique take with their lunch buffet; a mix of what I would consider North East African and what I would consider Indian. So this place combines both ideas, a private place to meet with tasty food and it is very inexpensive. The buffet, when I stopped by, had a healthy looking salad of lettuce, tomatoes, kalamata olives and red onions. There was a sauted onion pepper chicken dish, berbere ground beef with peas, collards - not overcooked, a coconut turmeric hominy, potato-carrots, organic navy beans in a yellow sauce and sibling organic lentils in a red sauce and a few other dishes. There was a saffron biryani rice and injira. Indian condiments accompanied including chutneys - not the sweet type - and Indian pickle. Unique was the berbere goat. It has some tomato in addition to the spices, and bones as clearly stated on a note by the dish. I think first time goat for me. It's game-y a little chewy and works well with the spices. I spent some time talking with the family who own and operate the restaurant. We talked about spices. We talked a lot about goats. What they eat, anything, but they relish blackberries. Their love of climbing. I learned, though I thought goats were not too bright, that they respond to their name and know their goat family. Yes they are stubborn. I guess goats have selective intelligence. The owner used to process goats to meat in a previous location, and reports that goat livers are a high demand item. You are not going to get that much goat intelligence elsewhere in Portland. We talked about East African farming and farm animals. I learned that ostrich oil is a great treatment for muscle pain and skin ailments. Wow! I've been for just lunch. All you can eat lunch. Great family restaurant, a variety of food with a few organic dishes, India-related dishes, a few vegetarian/vegan, but not mostly, and some healthier salad options to go with. A bargain and goat too!
(4)Laura M.
We had goat with bereberi red sauce. It was so delicious; the flavor explodes in your mouth and you want more. Also the curry chicken was yummy too.
(4)Cornelius V.
I brought my lady here for some tasty cuisine and it was very delicious!! The buffet was closed when we came in but the owner let us eat it anyway such a lovely man and his wife! I will definitely be going here again and again!!
(5)Bm F.
This place has become my Jam. Moving on from my first breakfast review, Ive been eating the more traditional dishes for breakfast mainly in search of something that makes me feel good after eating. I love traditional breakfast food but its a bit heavy sometimes and when your not using it as a hangover cure especially. My followup is being written as Im sitting here eating Fuul for the second time this weekend, with homemade ghee and a fresh hardcooked egg. I ate that and another been dish yesterday and felt good and full all day. the biggest thing, it tastes great. Its weird, this is one of those places thats so close I somewhat ignored it for a while, Now Im wanting to eat there constantly. Every time Ive been in there recently , theres someone if not me taking about food quality. The quality of meat and where it comes from. we know so many portland restauraunts focus on this but I dont know much about the ethnic food scenes being super conscious about where the animal protein comes from. makes me feel good knowing that these guys care about that.
(5)Erin C.
Loved the red lentils with rice and chapati! Just what I was after. Service/food was kind of slow but that's because the food is made fresh. I'd love to come back with a larger group. Worst part is that we were the only ones in there.
(5)Laura C.
I cannot speak for the food - since we did not eat it. I am basing my rating on the restaurants extremely poor customer service. They advertise on Restaurants.com , but will not honor the certificates they sell. Luckily, the customer service rep at restaurants.com replaced the Horn of Africa certificate with another restaurants' and said they would contact the owner for not honoring their certificates - which they said they are contractually obligated to honor.
(1)Olivia T.
Try anything that you normally like at a Mediterranean or Indian restaurant (just don't expect large portions). For fans of elephant ears (the fried, flaky, sugary, carnival treat, not actual elephant ears because that would be yucky) definitely try the mutabaq for dessert! Mutabaq (moo-tuh-bak) are fried African donuts that are comparable to elephant ears and are just a little more dense and chewy. The food is similar to Mediterranean and Indian food and is not bad, but not great. I really wanted to like the food because the owners are nice, but my taste buds left feeling unsatisfied. The owner mentioned how their Sunday buffet is the best way to try their food so maybe we'll go back and give Horn of Arica another review. For now, we stick with just A-OK.
(3)Eva G.
The food was very good. The waitress appeared to be bit distant/reserved at the beginning, but warmed up eventually and I end up having great time at the restaurant. The falafel, tabouli, hummus and mango yogurt were excellent. I will definitely return for more. P.S. They do not accept American Express.
(4)Raja S.
The place has nice food... their appetizers (sambusas: both chicken and particularly veggie, bajiya) were really good. The entrees (Lamb with berri berri sauce) was great. The chicken (with berri berri sauce) was good and the chicken kabob was good as well. Nothing to complain about the food, it took more than 45 minutes for our order to come (even after the appetizer showed up). The quantity of the food was also less... one entree is definitely enough.
(4)Christy W.
This was our first time at Horn of Africa and all I have to say is wow. The food was yummy and best of all was our server Ruby! She was awesome. She was so cheerful, kind and personable. It was a lot of fun. The food did take a little bit to get out to us but it was well worth the wait. Everything was so fresh. The dough balls and rice pudding we had for dessert were just as good as our meal. This is definitely a place we will be returning to.
(4)Reed W.
Three stars when the food is good. It's been shaky a few times that I've been here. Flavors are not too interesting and the dishes that they do have are somewhat blah. They used to almost always have a really good humus available in the buffet but the last 2 times I've been there it was not to be found. Unfortunately that was one of the main reasons I liked the place. Don't care for their meat dishes.
(2)Erich S.
Delicious! I just walked there for lunch and the buffet was fresh, tasty and had a nice variety of perfectly spiced stews/curries. Also, their hibiscus tea, while a bit sweet, is delicious!
(4)Jasmine L.
I'm surprised Horn of Africa doesn't have way higher reviews. This place has DELICIOUS food! My favorite thing to order are the beef patties with a spicy, green sauce - which is one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten! Just writing this review is making my mouth water - if you have the chance - this is definitely a must eat at spot!
(4)Jessica S.
They do brunch now on sat and sun and it's really great; quite a wide range of offerings. It hit my brunch tooth. And there is no crowd. I had the Eggs Benedict and my husband had something with sausage and hash browns. The serving size is large and the for us the service, from the owner, was so friendly. Come here for Brunch!
(5)Max L.
Fresh, delicious food, coupled with an inviting atmoshpere and friendly, knowledgeable staff made for a dining experience we'll return for.
(5)Curtis C.
Nothing horrible about this place, but nothing really stood out. I went to the lunch buffet with my partner. There were some interesting choices, a lot more meat than I'm used to at Ethiopian restaurants. I like the bean/chickpea/lentil purees that you often see, and these were nowhere to be found. The one dish I liked, and that I even recall is the lamb stew. Flavors were really good, and I'm not even sure what the spices were... Definitely not something I'm familiar with. All in all I think I will try some other places in town before I return to H.O.A.
(2)Lara G.
Amazing service!! such great people! and the food was delicious! never had African Food and now I can't wait to go back. Definitely recommend it!!
(5)Claire S.
I love Horn of Africa! Some favorites are the maraka lukkhu (chicken in berre berre sauce), sambusas (a delicious appetizer, kind of a like an Indian samosa), collard greens, lentils, yellow curry, chicken kabob and African donuts for dessert... I just moved back to California and I'm going to miss this place. Horn of Africa packs a lot of unique flavor compared to some of the lackluster options in pdx. Added bonus: friendly owners and customer service!
(4)Richard M.
Take two- the story gets worse. So, I already reviewed Horn of Africa poorly because I thought I was misled when I called in a Groupon order for takeout, and when I arrived to pick up my takeout (which allegedly had been prepared and was ready), I was informed that they wouldn't take the Groupon, even though it did not say as much on the coupon. Today, I returned to physically eat a meal there with my wife, as per the apparent rules. My wife was there, and informed me a waitress had told her that they were out of lentils. Tenish minutes later, a waitress asked if we had gotten our order, and I remarked we hadn't even gotten to place an order, and we only got one water glass between us.When she saw the name on my groupon on the table, I was asked if I wrote the bad review. I acknowledged I did, and this was their chance to sway me into writing a good one. I was informed they WOULD NOT SERVE ME, since I gave a bad review, and that's bad for business. I chuckled, and noted that kicking me out wasn't going to get a better review, and it would be even worse for business. The waitress seemed stressed, as if she saw the logic of "The customer is always right", or at least the customer gets to write a bad review when treated poorly. She said she could have the owner come talk to me. I agreed, thinking we could work something out. The owner immediately started lecturing me about how the point of Groupon was to get me in to have delicious food and to get me to come back. I noted that I didn't get to try the delicious food, and he'd have to serve me for me to try it. He refused, and was clearly getting agitated. I noted that if he wasn't going to honor the certificate I paid for, he should reimburse me for what I paid. He replied that he doesn't actually make any money, and that I should talk to Groupon, and that I shouldn't write bad reviews. (The waitress reiterated now was the chance to get me to like the food and write a good one, which I agreed with, but he had none of it.) I didn't get emotional, but I did use my old stage vocal training to let the other customers know I was being kicked out for having written a bad review, and wasn't allowed to get what I had essentially already paid for. One woman noted she hadn't complained, but she had been waiting for her food for 2 hours. (Heresay, I know). My advice for the owner- if you don't want bad reviews, don't do things to get bad reviews, don't provoke outspoken people, and if you're shouting at a customer, you've already lost.
(1)Marty B.
Lunch buffet was delicious. Everything tasted fresh and homemade. It was well stocked and dishes were replaced if they ran low. A yummy mango drink and iced water was included in the buffet. I would definitely return.
(4)Leandra C.
This place is owned by a very friendly family. The food is obviously hand made with a lot of care and the atmosphere is calm and usually pretty quiet. The couple that owns it are charming and friendly and won me over immediately. Their daughter is great too. She was professional and gave us genuine answers to our questions about the food. My favorite dish is the big plate of food on the sponge bread for two, plus a mango nectar. I love supporting local, independent, family run businesses and this one has wonderful food.
(4)Casper I.
I went here today with my daughter for lunch. The food was so so - not worth the drive out from Beaverton. I had a coupon for 25. - because of this, they ADDED 20% tip to the bill, for just 2 people, for LUNCH! The food was not that good, the service was middle of the row, and I feel like I was ripped off as we were not told there would be 20% added, nor is it posted ANYWHERE. When I asked about it, he said it was because we used the coupon! BEWARE!
(1)Ariana M.
I was really excited to try some of Portland's African food, after moving here from L.A. With a toddler in tow, we figured it would be a fun, easy meal out. We were sorely disappointed on several counts. First of all, we were seated and waited on by a young girl who was not friendly and didn't seem to be listening to anything we said. We placed our order for a family platter, and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. They came by to refill our waters, but never offered an explanation for why our food hadn't come. The longer we waited, the more the staff avoided even looking at us. After an hour, we got up and asked someone if they could at least please bring us some injera for our super-hungry three year old. They did. Finally, our food came, and it was... OK. We had ordered a three person plate, but it was very skimpy, and some of the dishes only contained a couple of table spoons worth of food. A lot of it was barely warm, and the lentils were really dried out, they had probably sat in the warmer all day long-- they should not have been served. A few minutes later, the friendly owner came by our table (for the first time) and asked about how everything tasted. I told him that it wasn't worth waiting over an hour for. He apologized and said that something had gone wrong in the kitchen, and that NO ONE had ever had to wait this long for food before EVER in the history of his restaurant. Hmm... I said that someone should have said something, anything, to us and at least brought a bite for our daughter. He also said that was true, and apologized again. Then he brought our table some dessert. Interestingly, we were CHARGED for the injera that we had asked for while waiting over an hour for our food. Sure, he was nice. But it in no way made up for the super-crappy service, the mediocre food and the insane wait. By the way, the restaurant was not very busy while we were there, so all of this seems even harder to justify. I think the waitresses may have been family members, but they were young and didn't seem to want to be there, and completely unskilled in handling difficult circumstances or customer concerns. We won't go back.
(1)mya j.
Food was good. decently priced. The owner is friendly. The service however is not the best. They forgot our silverware. I would go back again for the food. They have good vegetarian options
(3)Mark T.
Tasty, healthful food in a comfortable, modern, clean space. The sunday evening buffet ($10.95) includes some pretty scrumptious variety, and I'd highly recommend giving it a try. Great injera, tasty rice pilaf, decent hummous and dolmades, awesome green chutney, and wickedly complex pickle. The African-centric items excelled over those of middle eastern derivation. Have to share numerous other concerns about indifferent service. I don't require someone hovering over my shoulder, but I'd rather not be subjected to a "OMG, I'd rather be anywhere but here right now" attitude. Also, is the whole "key is over there" for privileged access to the (albeit clean) restroom really necessary?
(4)Paula W.
Okay, if there's one thing I can't stand it's having to ask for more water, coffee, etc. I mean what's the point of having a server if they aren't serving you? Might as well save the tip money and go to a buffet. I was with a group in the upstairs Africa room and while the vibe was kind of cool with the couches and low stools, it was a bit of a pain to eat. If sitting on the couch you had to bend way down to eat at the low table. I guess I just prefer to eat my food at waist level. There were seven people in the group and we were presented with three menus to share. It was at least 30 minutes before a server came back to take our order. And though the server was helpful she kind of had an impatient air about her. We asked for more water and it was at least another 20 minutes before a different server came in (without water) to bring the appetizers. This younger server was even more impatient and very offput by our request for more water. Long story short, the food was okay but the servers seemed to have a problem coming up to our little secluded oasis for any reason, including bringing more water, bread, or even our meal. And the biggest surprise was when cashing out, learning that an additional 25% was added to the bill for the use of this room. We don't know if it was a communication problem with the one who organized our group or if they just didn't tell her about the fee. It ended up being an extra $30 for seven of us. It took about 30 minutes just to try to get the bill divided up and straightened up mostly because the staff kept arguing with each other about what should or should not be on the bill. I think there are many other african places in the area that I will try before coming back here.
(2)Erika B.
I really, really wanted to like this place.....but I didn't. Much of what I ordered was served to us off of their buffet and the temperature was barely warm. I felt like I was eating leftovers at home. The flavor was really lacking as well. On the plus side, the staff was very friendly.
(2)Inga B.
I love African food, especially bideena and having a groupon made this visit all the more sweeter. Ordered the chicken breast stewed in house made beri-beri sauce, the marinated beef and red lentils. I really enjoyed the lentils, that was by far my favorite dish. The chicken breast was a bit over cooked but the sauce it was stewed in was delicious. The marinate beef was very good as well, I just preferred the flavors of the other two dishes more. That along with 2 glasses of honey wine and a cup of coffee totaled $35.00. Not bad for a night out.
(4)Madame M.
I recently tried Horn of Africa for the first time. I ordered a beef dish and when it arrived, I was wildly underwhelmed. There was a tiny amount of meat accompanied by a mere cup of very dry unappetizing rice. The meat itself was very overdone and so salty it seemed like a practical joke. From all the wonderful things I have heard of African cooking, this was not one of those dishes. Did the cook have a bad day, does African cooking resemble a salt lick? I don't know. All I know is that Horn of Africa needs to tune up it's instrument cause the food is off key.
(2)Dan P.
You know when you go to an Indian buffet, there is like one thing you kinda like, another one or two things you could eat, and then 6-7 things that just suck? Well, Horn of Africa's lunch buffet is eight buckets-ful of awesome. Of course, I don't know much about Ethiopian food, but this place was great.
(4)Wendy C.
WC: Hey Small Child, do you like lentil stew? SC: Yeah! WC: How about gigantic, table-sized pancakes? SC: Yeah! WC: And is your preferred method of eating with your hands? SC: Yeah! WC: Hey Small Child, try this Ethiopian food! SC: AAAAHHHHH! That's disgusting!!!! Although Small Child disparaged the cuisine of an entire continent, mom and I had quite a nice dinner at Horn of Africa. The restaurant just moved up MLK recently to a new spot in Vanport Plaza - it's a cool, vertical space and nicely decorated. The mango lassi and chai tea were excellent. The veggie family platter was pretty good. I don't know if they toned down the spice since Small Child was in the party, but a lot of the dishes were a little bland. The standout was the fava bean stew with olive oil and tahini - excellent. Maybe the meat dishes fare better? The service was good, but sloooow. They weren't busy at all on a Friday night but we were in there a good 90 minutes for dinner, which translates into 72 hours in kid time. A nice addition to the block, I'd definitely give them another shot. Oh: and thanks to whoever the landscape architect for Vanport Plaza was. Someone unintentionally designed the most perfect kiddie play area with some boulders and a bioswale in front of the restaurant.
(3)Aaron H.
Interesting place. The food was good. Although I have never been to Northeast Africa the food presented to me looked as if it could have come from there. I have to agree with some other comments below regarding taking a while but that encourages conversation which is always good. I am not sure I will be going back anytime soon but was worth the visit.
(3)Diane K.
I was pretty much treated like garbage here. As per the instructions printed on my groupon I told them right away that I would be dining there using this coupon that I had paid for, and more importantly THEY had signed up for. The waitress who was seating us made a big deal and said we couldn't eat there... the owner showed up and told us they were out of food. OUT OF FOOD? It was about 7 pm. Whatever. Oh, the owners daughter was an antagonistic brat.
(1)Nick V.
This is the reply received from Horn of Africa: Hi Nicolas, Thank you for information and I will work on this issue to investigate more and get rid off bad person. Today Morning I had a meeting with my staff , my chef is well trained and he has thirty years experience. I read the review and try to analyze it. First of all our forks were in a brand new African Basket, I was there forks were not dirty 100% I am sure about that. second we don't put chicken on the grill until we make other foods ready because of its amazing smell customers will come and order, therefore we must have stuff that goes with it this person fail to prove it. Third we had lavender chicken, lamb with lavender, lavender Rose marry lemonade , we offered 3 items with lavender when the festival requires one menu with lavender. We sold 25 gals of lavender lemonade on Saturday. Last but not least, I was there I am the owner there is no way some one tells customers Right there in front of your these kids are school kids, they love customers because of the tips they make. I ask them to smile and provide the best customer service to make more tips. Finally, one of the girl was my daughter. this reviewer did not even explain what the three people look like, conversation in the booth is not allowed that proves this person is liar. I have been in business for 16 years , I have experienced some rude people but no one tells his/her customers in front of your and that is what we have never. This person tries to discourage customers not to support Horn of Africa I can tell this writer was not there physical it is just hatred. Again thank you so much for information and I will work on it not happen again what ever it is. I really appreciate your concerns and supports. All the best wishes Mohamed yousuf
(1)Jennifer L.
Dare I say it? I will. Horn of Africa is better than Blue Nile in Berkeley. *gasp* Our wonderful doctor-teacher took all us loser baby-doctors out for a holiday dinner spread here last Friday, and I was taken aback at how flavorful and varied the dishes were. I unfortunately don't know the name of anything we ate because it was ordered ahead of time - but I could recognize a number of old familiar favorites. As an appetizer we were served meat and veggie-filled triangles that looked like samosas. Crispy, not too greasy, delicious. When the main courses arrived on a three-foot in circumference platter any semblance of restraint vanished. Potatoes, lamb, chicken (huge chunks! Just huge!) and vegetables were incredibly spiced and very different from one another. Some Ethiopian places seem to use the same spices for every dish, making them all taste like one another. Not Horn of Africa! I should also mention their injera isn't too sour so as to get in the way of what you're scooping up. Sour injera is something I just can't get used to... I need to return very soon and learn the names of the incredible foods I ate. Sure, many probably had "wat" at the end, but that's not very helpful.
(5)Abe I.
Horn of Africa has, in my opinion, the best atmosphere of Portland's African restaurants, which granted, may not say much, but it's something. Also unlike the others, the Horn serves dishes from Somalia and Kenya, in addition to the usual Ethiopian fare, and there's a bit more emphasis on organic and vegetarian food here than at other African restaurants. There's also a small market adjoining, where you can get ingredients for your own Sambusa-fest. What else do you need?
(4)Katie K.
This is near my 'hood, so when the Groupon came up, I thought it would be a great opportunity to try this restaurant out. My overall impression? The staff are friendly--especially the owner. He came out and chatted every so often, which was pretty great. However, It should not take 60 minutes for food that is essentially stewed to reach my lips. Though there seemed to be plenty of waitstaff, I'm not sure what exactly it was they were doing. When we walked in, we were asked if we wanted to eat there. Um....yeah? After we were seated, it took 10-15 minutes to get our drink order in--and we rushed in our food order at the same time because we figured we probably wouldn't see them again for a while. The boyfriend and I each had a bottle of honey beer (pretty refreshing and not overly sweet), and 20 minutes later, the appetizer combo of sambusas and a fried lentil thingy arrived, both were delish....though maybe not quite worth the wait. Another 15 minutes later, the entree arrived. The bf and I split the combo platter for two, which was definitely more than enough food--we have a huge hunk of injera waiting for us at home. This was just okay--we ordered the lamb in curry sauce, and I have absolutely no idea what the rest was, as it didn't say on the menu and our waiter didn't tell us. Some was a little bland, but none of it was bad. The lamb was good, if heavy on the rosemary (though I love rosemary!!) There was one veggie dish that had mushrooms in it---I was surprised, as I didn't know that large mushrooms grew in Ethiopia, but it's not like I'm an expert. It was okay. The red lentils were good. It has a pretty great location in the new Vanport Square, with outdoor seating for the glorious summer days (when they come). The interior was colorful and spacious. I'd say that this place is good in a pinch, but not if you're really craving Ethiopian--if nothing else, you'd probably die of starvation before you got served. I am a little curious about their brunch, but their hours seem to be a bit capricious--we'd stopped by last weekend, and found a sign that said they may or may not be open on Sat/Sun. heh.
(2)Julie M.
If you are returning, be aware the Horn is now a few doors up MLK. Did you know there are at least 6 Ethiopian Restaraunts in Portland? I generally prefer Queen of Sheba - for eatmosphere - also nearby on MLK. Sometimes there's a strolling Violinist. If you want QUIET however, go earlier, weeknites, or come to either the old or new Horn of Africa address...at either, the food is very good. If you cook Eithiopian at home - INVITE ME! I'll bring good beer, Chai, or wine. All you regular Americans who like Mexican and Thai foods are invited to venture out to give yourselves a taste of some food you truly deserve. You're in for a treat...with Ethiopian and Somali food. Ttry ALL of Portland's excellent and spicy East African eateries. We have lots! If you go only to Jarra's, ornever get off Broadway, you're missing a LOT. For North African food - Egyptian dishes - I like Mummy's downtown, and it's a 2 for 1 dinner with an Entertainment Card - but it's SO distinctly Mediteranean, in comparison. The food is nowhere as stunning, nurturing, and memorable as any Ethiopian specialities. The favorites usually presented are inspired by spices historically traded by Ship (and Camel caravans) between hemispheres, The spices are highly prized and traded between all Asian nations...including India. Visiting Spice Markets is a great thing to do when traveling. Ethiopian is excellent take-out food; but I like eating in. The simple, gentle-spirited hospitality settings are peaceful and your Hosts enjoy seeing you discover the superb flavors. The beauty and serenity of the Hosts kind of goes with this comfort-food. But don't be fooled - thar's genuine spunk behind those smiling eyes, I'm certain. Blame the spices. Consider taking an order of Doro Wat home to serve over rice. That way it can go a LONG way. IMHO, Injera is better at presenting flavors than Tortillias, and can be used with a nice variety of Foods with rich sauces, including Indian and Malay curries. Chicken Tebbe here is tender, juicy, spicy and flavorful. 'll be back for more. I confess I ate more than my fair share. Entertainment Coupons no longer work here, with the name/Owner change; but go anyway - you can still get ample meat dishes & injera and a small, crip salad for $7.50 per person. Leave a bit to roll up in some remaining injera - to take along for a quick microwave snack at home. Take all gooey peices too. They're great! Nearby, next to the former H of A cafe, is still an African store, so visit to buy a few things, and try the eats at the former location - which begins w/a B. Linger for Tea and conversation after dinner. Enjoying tea and sharing smiles are African traditions. How to eat it: Spoon a generous portion from serving bowls - onto the tray lined with Injera (if it's not already that way) - in the middle of the table so all can share. Eat with your clean right hand...by tearing a small piece of soft bread first. Use it to scoop a modest bite,, and tap an edge of bread in a skiff of sauce, so that's first to touch your tounge. At Jarra's and one on Broadway - ASK for Family Style - or you may get a boring western plate and fork presentation...which is just NOT Ethiopian eating. I promise you'll like Family style better.... unless you are trying to keep MY hands off your food! Feel free to use a fork at home, however, as the juices in your leftovers may be mushy in the Injera, and you'll still want to eat it all, even if it's falling apart. (I leave NO sauce-infused Ijnera on the serving tray, no matter how gooey or messy. It's just TOO good!) Use the #6 Bus. MLK Blvd has it going on. Where else to get great Ethiopian... In Washington DC. Great Ethopian cafes were near my former Howard U RowHouse. You'll find several in Adams Morgan. notably The Red Sea, and another right across the street (go upstairs in both) Also I like U Streets - Twins. They do lovely Saffron Rice dishes, downstairs, with flavors more delicate than the hefty Ethiopian Berbere spices. Live Jazz, and an oddly-Americanized bar menu are in the upstairs bar...if you are too boring or too cheap to buy a full dinner, $12-20. Enjoy some of East Africa's best on every trip to NE Portland or the US Capital. And often, in Portland.
(4)Lauren G.
I had a restaurant.com coupon for here so my boyfriend and I decided to give it a try Saturday night. What a let down! We were the only ones in the restaurant the entire time. The only other person I saw was the hostess/server, who was very friendly. However, given that we were not competing with other customers for our food, I expected it to arrive in a timely fashion. Taste was mediocre at best. My favorite thing was dessert- Ethiopian donut holes.... which tasted exactly like American donut holes - gooey and sweet and delicious and served hot. However, I won't be going back- not since I've heard there is much better African food in Portland.
(3)Abigail S.
I so wanted to like this place, but yikes. First time I went by, they were closed when their hours clearly showed they should be open. I'm pretty forgiving, so tried again today and actually got in. All that so I could wait for over an hour (in a nearly empty restaurant) for bland food. Bummer.
(2)Joanie L.
Food was excellent. We ordered a platter for 3 for the 4 of us, used our Groupon coupon - and were pleased with everything - food, waitress, kindness of the owner. The beri-beri sauce is really yummy - pretty much all the tastes were yummy. I have also eaten lunch here with a friend - all you can eat from a food bar - which is also excellent.
(4)Jeremy M.
After reading a wide variety of reviews for Horn of Africa, I didn't know what to expect when my wife and I decided to use our restaurant.com certificate. Yes, the service was a little slow at first even though we were some of the only customers at 6pm on a Tuesday. But eventually it evened out as the waitress turned out to be pretty entertaining with her Cuban accent and beer recommendations. Between the two of us we ended up trying 3 different kinds of beer and their honey wine. My favorite beer, whichever one is in the short, squat bottle. It's imported from Ethiopia and written in either Swahili or Arabic, I really couldn't say. Either way, good stuff. When ordering the entrees, opt for the rice. Golden, slight butter flavor, hints of spices I'm not even sure how to pronounce. I'm thinking our next move is to take a long lunch and enjoy the buffet.
(4)Robert K.
I haven't been to the restaurant yet, but I've had there food from their cart at saturday market a lot of times. Actually I have gone to saturday market just to get food from them. More than once. And its always been good.
(4)teresa m.
we visited the horn of africa again, this time at the mississippi st fair. we shared a falafel sandwich. so delicious and fresh. the staff were very friendly and appreciated our business. always love their falafels.
(5)Mark H.
Horn of Africa has been part of Portland for many years. I have loved visiting there with friends and being in the family atmosphere that the owner/chefs Mohammed and Khadija and their children have created. Wonderful lamb dishes. Fuul is very good. They can make food that is very flavorful without making it too spicy to eat. It's a great place for vegans and meat lovers to go, and lots of their food is organic.
(5)Susan C.
The African food is delicious, but service on more than one occassion has been puzzling and almost humorous. Tough to enjoy the dining experience when you barely get served in an hour.
(3)Emily H.
The food was just alright. I've definitely had better Ethiopian. We had the platter for two and an appetizer. The main course was lukewarm and pretty uneventful. The service was great, though.
(2)Carrie A.
Their website says they are open till 9:00. I call at 8:20 to get some take-out. They tell me they have stopped serving food at 8:00. Really? Business is that good, huh? It's called being in the service industry, folks.
(1)Ed H.
We went here with a restaurants.com gift certificate. The (presumably) owners were very friendly. The food was yummy. We would recommend this place and come back again. Similar food to Queen of Sheba. However we felt the interior and ambiance is far nicer at Horn of Africa. The food might have been one notch higher too.
(4)Frank F.
A-OK. It really was. I want to drum up business for this area of MLK. It needs it. The chef came out mid-meal and checked to see if everything was alright. It was really good food.
(3)Damien S.
Do NOT go here, especially if you're in so hurry. The service is so unbelievable slow.... And the good food is not worth the hour plus wait... I felt that the waitress was rude. Don't tell me how I'm going to have my food! I'm the one that tells you how I'm going to have my food!!! I wish there was a no star option. If there was ever a place that deserved it, it's this place...
(1)Jessie G.
My fiance and I wanted to try something new so we gave Horn of Africa a shot. We loved the food and received great service. We got the 2-person veggie and chicken platter and wow was it delicious. We also got a hummus plate, but were not as impressed by the dish. Stick with the African food here. I would have given it 5 stars, but the beer and wine selection is lacking. I hope that they include some additional choices in the future.
(4)Nicole N.
The food was great, good variety and the pre-set meals on the menu allow for some selection while getting a great bargain. The biggest drawback is that the restaurant (after bring open a year) still doesn't have a liquor license.
(4)Larry T.
I love this place. It has the feel of a family run mom-and-pop restaurant and has some of the best Ethiopian food I have ever had. The service is very friendly and personal. We felt very welcome with our toddler aged son who enjoyed the bread immensely. You are given the option to have your meal served family-style which added to our experience as well. You can't go wrong with this place.
(5)Angela P.
I'd like to give it 0 stars but it doesn't appear to be an option. Groupon stated CALL FOR RESERVATIONS, so I did. Tuesday night about 9 pm for a Wednesday dinner. The man who answered said they were "Very busy, could you call back tomorrow?" I asked what time, he said between 11 and 5. I called about 1 and was told by the woman who answered "we are very busy, you call back in 20 minutes". I got busy myself and called about 2 hours later. When I said I wanted reservations for that evening, she said "we are booked". Holy Cow. How long does it take to write down my name and party size? With thousands of restaurants in Portland, I won't be making a trip to this place.
(1)Bill R.
Great friendly service in a clean atmosphere. The owners takes pride in what they offer and it shows. We had the lunch buffet and was surprised to see a mix of food that I would also see at a Mediteranian restaurant plus other dishes new to me. Many healthy options too which was very nice. A great Portland restaurant and food adventure!
(5)Melissa W.
Discovered their food @ the Portland Saturday Market...Walked around looking at all the goodies for sale in the different booths----all made me smile, but did think that most of the vendors were a little too 'proud' of their wares....Had a shop on Melrose for 14 years so I totally understand 'retail'... But ! this review is about Horn of Africa---- checked out the food stalls looking for something unique----found a few contenders, but chose the Horn of Africa.....WOW !!! it was awesome---- I am ALWAYS up for 'different'-and of course EXCELLENT 'DIFFERENT'..... Kept it simple because we were going to have lunch later on.....had the BEST and most interesting ice tea !!! Spicy (NOT hot) and thirst quenching---wanted to drink gallons of it !!! (hoping I can find something like it in LA)....asked if the Sambusa was like a samosa----was told 'no'....so I tried it----filled w/ lentils and was asked if I wanted the 2 sauces that were optional----OMG !!! sooooo unusual and mouthwatering ! My husband does not like beans unless they are totally blended (like hummus), but he even thought the Sambusa was amazing and the price was unheard of ! the Sambusa was $2 and the tea was $1 !!!!!!! I plan on telling the world to eat there !!! this could be the price at the Saturday market-----and Bravo to Horn of Africa for having insanely delicious and REASONABLE food------sooooo many vendors had high priced merchandise....... The 2 women (mother and daughter perhaps? ) were very nice and patient..... Next time we will go to the restaurant and try more dishes....If there is no restaurant, would go to the Saturday Market JUST for the Horn of Africa food...even if parking was impossible, would still spend time hunting for a space just to go there..... just one more special entry on Jim and Melissa's Excellent Pacific Northwest Adventure.
(5)N P.
Unbelievable! A great hidden gem on MLK. Cheap, delicious, and wonderful staff. Try this place!
(5)T V.
Had dinner here last night. I would love to give this place a higher rating but two things drop the score. First, the wait for the food was unbelievably long. We waited an hour after placing our order for our food to arrive. When it did arrive there was no african bread as promised. When we inquired about this the server gave us attitude. Her explanation was "we make our food from scratch and it just takes longer". Seriously, for the injeera bread? That's like a mexican restaurant making you wait for tortillas. The food actually was pretty good but I don't think it was worth waiting an hour for. The other thing that takes the score down was our rude server. The young hipster girl that works for the family that runs the place needs to be canned. She was exceptionally snotty. On a positive note, the owner personally came out to see how we were liking the meal. He made a big fuss over my friends three year old and gave her a little treat. He was classy and nice.
(3)