Two of us shared the veg sampler for lunch, and it was delicious. The owners are delightful. The ambiance doesn't have a lot going for it, but it's clean and we didn't need bells and whistles.
Moneys W.
Ya know, we wanted to like the place. We love the texture of that injira bread. But here's the situation: Got the beef zigni, for $17 you think you would get more than one small ladle of stew. There was some gravy and about 4 little pieces of gristley meat. Way over priced for what this place is. Which takes me to the second point. When you go in, peek around the back and take a look at the cleanliness of the kitchen. I'm surprised the Board of Health hasn't shut this place down. I'll look to get my Ethiopean food somewhere else.
Valerie Flanagan
Delicious Eritrean foods served by friendly welcoming host. The spiced tea and well seasoned dishes are satisfying and delicious ?
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Timothy Andrews
Wow so tasty! Really good food! Will be my first stop back when back in town!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Injera
Kris Pahel
I've eaten here a couple times. I'm never left. Disappointed or hungry. The food is amazing and the portions are great. The people that are running the place are also very nice and lovely hosts of their restaurant.Parking can be a challenge in this area. We found public parking across the street and down the road a bit. If it's not too cold out this is perfectly fine.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nolan Murphy Whitehead
The spicy lamb was so
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Roque Rios III
The drumsticks are so good I could die and come back to life. The spice here is so flavorful and so good that it cured all illnesses in my body, some of which were lifelong.If you are in the area you NEED to eat here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Danylo Kharmyshev
Stingy with the meat, expect to get full on injera. Decent flavors.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Kathryn Dutile
The food is the best East African in Portland, very flavourful. Owners are very nice! It's great to have this type of variety in Portland. A great hidden gem. Atmosphere is more fast-casual, diner style.
We enjoyed our trip to the Red Sea Restaurant! The owner couldn’t have been more welcoming as he continuously checked in and chatted with us. If you’ve never tried Ethiopian or Eritrean food, this could be a great first experience. :)
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Injera, Veggie Sampler
Jessica Butcher
From the get-go, the staff was so kind and the food was unbelievable! We ordered the veggie sampler and the fül fava beans, which were so warm and comforting (especially on such a cold, rainy day). We live about an hour and a half from Portland but could definitely see ourselves driving back just for this restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
jessicabutcher
While roadtripping up to Acadia, we decided to stop in Portland for dinner and landed on Red Sea. Off the bat, the staff were so so kind. And then the food came… it was incredible, so flavorful! It was a cold and rainy night and the warm meals were sooo comforting. Would 10/10 recommend!
M
Ethiopian is probably my favorite kind of food, so I try it wherever I go. I like to support Ethiopian restaurants, and I'm reluctant to write negative reviews. But this was probably the most disappointing experience I've had at an Ethiopian restaurant.On the plus size, the food was... decent. The injera was fine, a bit on the dry side. The lamb was pretty good. The rest of the dishes (we had the meat sampler) were not great -- a binary between bland and bluntly spicy (and I love spicy). I notice that the other reviewers seem to disagree. We might just have different tastes, but it's also possible that they haven't tried that many other Ethiopian restaurants.The rest of the dining experience was very poor. The atmosphere is nonexistent. The menu is not at all clear -- one of the more confusing menus I've ever encountered -- the service was slow, and the waiter / owner was kind of rude. All of these things could be improved easily, and I hope they are.I should note that this place has a hole-in-the-wall vibe, but the prices are not hole-in-the-wall cheap.Vegetarian options: Not bad for vegetarians
Manfred Bremmer
The ingera were great, the other food (I had) was okay, service could be friendlier (but thanks for the Wi-Fi password)
Two of us shared the veg sampler for lunch, and it was delicious. The owners are delightful. The ambiance doesn't have a lot going for it, but it's clean and we didn't need bells and whistles.
Ya know, we wanted to like the place. We love the texture of that injira bread. But here's the situation: Got the beef zigni, for $17 you think you would get more than one small ladle of stew. There was some gravy and about 4 little pieces of gristley meat. Way over priced for what this place is. Which takes me to the second point. When you go in, peek around the back and take a look at the cleanliness of the kitchen. I'm surprised the Board of Health hasn't shut this place down. I'll look to get my Ethiopean food somewhere else.
Delicious Eritrean foods served by friendly welcoming host. The spiced tea and well seasoned dishes are satisfying and delicious ?
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow so tasty! Really good food! Will be my first stop back when back in town!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Injera
I've eaten here a couple times. I'm never left. Disappointed or hungry. The food is amazing and the portions are great. The people that are running the place are also very nice and lovely hosts of their restaurant.Parking can be a challenge in this area. We found public parking across the street and down the road a bit. If it's not too cold out this is perfectly fine.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The spicy lamb was so
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The drumsticks are so good I could die and come back to life. The spice here is so flavorful and so good that it cured all illnesses in my body, some of which were lifelong.If you are in the area you NEED to eat here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stingy with the meat, expect to get full on injera. Decent flavors.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
The food is the best East African in Portland, very flavourful. Owners are very nice! It's great to have this type of variety in Portland. A great hidden gem. Atmosphere is more fast-casual, diner style.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ttibsi Dorho Chicken Sauteed, Injera, Ftifit Tibsi
Food is good and authentic. We live in town and we are always satisfied after every meal. I recommend the place to everyone.
Restaurantji Recommends
We enjoyed our trip to the Red Sea Restaurant! The owner couldn’t have been more welcoming as he continuously checked in and chatted with us. If you’ve never tried Ethiopian or Eritrean food, this could be a great first experience. :)
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Injera, Veggie Sampler
From the get-go, the staff was so kind and the food was unbelievable! We ordered the veggie sampler and the fül fava beans, which were so warm and comforting (especially on such a cold, rainy day). We live about an hour and a half from Portland but could definitely see ourselves driving back just for this restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
While roadtripping up to Acadia, we decided to stop in Portland for dinner and landed on Red Sea. Off the bat, the staff were so so kind. And then the food came… it was incredible, so flavorful! It was a cold and rainy night and the warm meals were sooo comforting. Would 10/10 recommend!
Ethiopian is probably my favorite kind of food, so I try it wherever I go. I like to support Ethiopian restaurants, and I'm reluctant to write negative reviews. But this was probably the most disappointing experience I've had at an Ethiopian restaurant.On the plus size, the food was... decent. The injera was fine, a bit on the dry side. The lamb was pretty good. The rest of the dishes (we had the meat sampler) were not great -- a binary between bland and bluntly spicy (and I love spicy). I notice that the other reviewers seem to disagree. We might just have different tastes, but it's also possible that they haven't tried that many other Ethiopian restaurants.The rest of the dining experience was very poor. The atmosphere is nonexistent. The menu is not at all clear -- one of the more confusing menus I've ever encountered -- the service was slow, and the waiter / owner was kind of rude. All of these things could be improved easily, and I hope they are.I should note that this place has a hole-in-the-wall vibe, but the prices are not hole-in-the-wall cheap.Vegetarian options: Not bad for vegetarians
The ingera were great, the other food (I had) was okay, service could be friendlier (but thanks for the Wi-Fi password)