1) Get the coffee!
We go when I get an overwhelming craving for Ethiopian. All the items on the veggie combo are good, but the red lentils in particular are what I crave. And I really like the injera bread made with real teff, not some other flour. But the best part is the coffee. Granted you really have to like black coffee (which we both do). Coffee is originally from Ethiopia, so it's a nice treat to have them perform the coffee ceremony. They bring the roasting beans out for you to smell, they light incense and bring the coffee in a clay pot. You get little cups of black gold!

written by:- Sonja and Dirk

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2) VEGGIE PARADISE COMBO SPECIAL
Maybe one day I will be able to make vegetable curries that taste as good as those served at Rahel. Maybe. One thing I know for certain I will never be able to replicate is their tasty injera. These are the reasons I will be returning very soon. 

The VEGGIE PARADISE COMBO SPECIAL for two was our dinner order. 9 different curried vegetables and red and green sauce on the side. They replenished the injera as needed. Everything was fantastic. My favorite of the veggies was the zucchini, which had a nice cinnamon touch to it that was absolutely addictive. 

I hope to come back and take advantage of their daily $8.99 all you can eat lunch buffet. I will clean them out of their supply of zucchinis and that is a promise. 

I'm curious to try their 3 homemade "juices" too. The besso barley shake tasted like oatmeal, so I was a fan. They also combine all three of the drinks (sunflower, flaxseed, and barley) and add agave syrup to create a drink they call the 3-D. That is on my checklist as well.

With a nice, quiet, intimate environment and a friendly staff, I have yet to find a better Ethiopian meal. )

written by:- Eric T.

3) Ethiopian style
Very nice. The ambience was low-key and I appreciated that they offered two ways to eat: "American style" at a table, or "Ethiopian style" served on a rattan table/large plate. 

Regardless of where one sits, the meal comes out the same. But for people wanting to have the "full experience", the little rattan tables are a very nice touch.

I enjoyed the food, but I've had better at a couple of other establishments. I'm going to give it another shot, though, because I saw other people's plates, and they appeared to have a greater diversity in their dishes as well as some heartier-looking entrees. We ordered the Hudade Special, but I think we should have stuck with the Vegetarian Paradise.

I'd definitely recommend trying it out - I'm going to go back and sample some other dishes. I suspect that the rating can easily be boosted to a 5.

The service was fantastic and the restaurant was spotlessly clean.

written by:- Oceanside, CA

4)  very impressed!  Vegan lemon cheesecake
Met Dave for the first time here and was very impressed! I'm not one to be very "adventurous" when it comes to food being Vegan and all but this place is so damn good. They give small portions but several and I couldn't finish because I was so full. I was a little cautious trying too much the first time because I didn't know how my stomach would react (first date jitters, too) so I passed on the very interesting drink list. I however, did not pass up the wonderful Vegan lemon cheesecake that was to die for! 

Next time I will definitely be more adventurous and try one of the drinks especially now that I'm more comfortable around Dave so no worries of nervous stomach. ;) I highly recommend this place for any Vegan who wants to try something different.

written by:- Long Beach, CA

5) Little Ethiopia
Vegan dining out in Los Angeles is becoming easier and easier with a rash of vegan restaurants opening in recent months. Debuting in January 2005, Rahel Veggie Cuisine is the only all-vegan Ethiopian restaurant in L.A.'s Little Ethiopia, a huddle of Ethiopian restaurants that occupies the one-block area of South Fairfax between Olympic Boulevard and Whitworth Drive.

The comfortable surroundings offer the diner an intimate, warm, and relaxing experience. The walls are dressed in two-tone beige and sprinkled with paintings and African artwork. A grass hut style roof divides the restaurant from the small spice shop at the rear of the long, narrow room.

Rahel Veggie Cuisine is truly a welcome addition to the growing list of vegetarian restaurants popping up in Los Angeles. And Rahel knows just how to pamper her customers who will find good value, reasonable prices, and scrumptious creations made from scratch.

written by:- A Los Angeles Vegetarian Web Magazine

6) Genuinely interested and tickled 
If I could review the food and setting separately it would be 5 stars.  I LOVE the food and asked if anybody minded if I shared a bit with my 10 month old daughter without paying extra for the buffet.  How much can a baby really eat?  Not only did they bring her her own plate but the waitress seemed genuinely interested and tickled that she was willing to try so much of it.  

I would eat there all the time if it were closer to home, fresh delicious and possibly the best, least salty injera in town.
written by:- Snoopygirl A.

7) Very budget-friendly!
his is my favorite place in Little Ethiopia. The food is incredible, fresh, and consistent, and the staff is warm and welcoming. I won't eat meat, so I appreciate that I can order/eat whatever, and even if I'm not 100% sure what it is, I know it's not goat or something. I also have some meat-loving friends who appreciate Rahel because they find others on the block to be too meat-heavy. Their injera is heavenly.

I recommend hitting up the buffet (very budget-friendly!) so you can sample a number of dishes, or ordering a combo/sampler platter during dinner hours. If you go for the buffet, they offer a choice of soup or salad to go with it; I chose the soup, and it was SO good. It was a rich lentil soup that I couldn't get enough of. 

Also, they recently expanded their space, so if it's been a while since you've visited, the dining area has more than doubled in size. 

written by:- Lisa B.

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