Harambe Restaurant

I've already mentioned that when I moved back to Vancouver from DC, I feared I would be deprived of the Salvadoran and Ethiopian foods I had come to love there. How lucky I felt when I moved near the Drive, and found that both those cravings could be amply served across the street from one another, at Rinconcito Salvadoreno and Harambe.

I eat here a lot, pretty much always sharing the vegetarian combination with my companions. (The Ethiopian Orthodox Church requires members to "fast" from meat two days a week, and throughout Lent, so unlike so many traditional cuisines, veggie dishes are authentic, not an invention for the sake of carnophobe Westerners. There are usually an assortment of legume dishes, as well as some leafy greens - spinach or collards - and a tasty blend of carrots, cabbage and potato. YUM!)

I recently went with some carnivore buddies of mine who were visiting from out of town, though, so we added the fish tibs and some doro wat (chicken stew with hard boiled egg) to my usual order. It was all fantastic.

And I learned something! One of my friends grew up in Kenya, and it turns out that Harambe (actually Harambee) is a Swahili word, meaning "all pull together", not an Amharic word at all. I wonder how often that happens in Vancouver, without most of us noticing...I remember a friend of mine being profoundly amused by a now-defunct sushi place with the Mandarin name Sui Sha Ya...

At any rate, the name may not be authentically Ethiopian, but the food is deliciously so. Go forth and feast!

Good food and very nice art.

I got the veggie sampler plate and everything was delicious. The injera was nice and fluffy and tangy. Unfortunately my friend got a chicken dish and said the chicken was badly overcooked.

There were no seasonings or condiments on the table.

The service was okay. The waitress showed up a couple of minutes after we started eating and asked how everything was, which to me is the most important thing. However, I expect wait staff to start by offering drinks and appies and end by offering dessert and coffee and there was none of that. At one point I flagged her down and asked for an orange juice and she said they didn't have any and just walked away without offering soft drinks or tea or anything.

There's a lot of art on the walls that was for sale and if I was looking for a colourful painting with lots of red in it I would definitely swing by and have a look.

Slowly working my way through the Ethiopian options in town. Finally tried out Harambe Ethiopian Restaurant. They're a few doors down from Grandview Lanes.

We dropped in on a Friday for lunch (noon) and were the only customers. The inside is tastefully decorated but incense wafts throughout. The street patio looked spacious. Food came out within 15 minutes, the quickest I've experienced at an Ethiopian restaurant. Someone came in to buy their "best spice" bag but it wasn't available.

- Injera - didn't taste any fermented flavour.
- Veggie lovers combination ($16.50) - tekil gomen (cabbage), miser wot (red split lentils), yatekilt alitcha (carrot and string beans), kik alicha wot (yellow split lentils) and gomen (spinach). Favourites were the red lentils and spinach. Cabbage always solid, yellow lentils were bland.
- Chef's choice combination ($22.99) - yebeg wot, doro wot and alicha wot. Lamb and beef were overcooked, chicken was okay. The onion with berber sauce was tasty. Same vegetable dishes except no spinach.

Okay eats but stick to the vegetarian offerings.

Ethiopian Eatery situated in the hustle bustle of commercial drive! Harambe means "all put together" and that is exactly what this place is. No matter how big your group size is, expect to eat in one big plate and increase the bonding experience.

Their combo options come with 5 different types of sides on a very unique flat bread. They also give you extra bread on the side. The bread has sort of a spongy texture and is super filling!!!

Things to know: most of their combos have an option for 1 person, 2 people .. all the way to 6 people. The price doesn't change, the only thing that's different is that you get one big plate instead of individual plates.

The staff are super friendly and make sure to meet any allergy requirements. Overall good experience!!

I've been here so many times! Almost always get the vegetarian platter and gluten free injera. It's always excellent and served by lovely people. Maybe one day I'll try something else but those veggie dishes are so damned good!!

I love the feel of the place and many of the original art pieces are awesome.

Great ambiance, delicious food, amazing service. I would recommend this as a good place to for a fancy dinner. It can get a bit noisy inside sometimes with a crowd but usually it's very chill. Be prepared to eat with your fingers. Always wash your hands right after you're seated. The sweet wine is very sweet. The chefs platter for one is enough for two. Extra teff is a good idea. It tastes even better the next take if you take it home.

The best Ethiopean food in town. Their service is fine, and so is the ambiance. Food is what is great here.

Dinner at Ethiopian restaurant on Commercial Drive called Harambe.

Since we are not familiar with Ethiopian cuisine, we decided to have the Chef special sharing plate and Muriyebo soup.

Definitely will come back again. Lots of good food and at a reasonable price.

We weren't sure what to expect...but the warmth of the serving staff and the delicious food made our evening a wonderful experience.

The small appetizers were more tasty with the sauce-and fun-when we bit in to the little triangle, the round lentils popped out and rolled across the table, providing spontaneous fun.

The mains were tasty and tender. Fragrant spice wafted up from each platter. The platter arrives first, with the holey, spongey textured injera awaiting the mains, which arrive in small pots, and are then spilled onto the injera. We ordered the chicken, beef and fish-and the fish was buttery and warmly spiced-the sauce from each main soaked in to the injera, changing the taste and texture to a moist and delicate sensation.

The vegie platter for two really serves four easily as a side. Yellow lentils, caramelized cabbage and onion (so delish), green beans and some potato and carrot, all naturally sweetened and very tasty.

Warm ambience, lots of choice for seating arrangements for your group size, all customers seemed happy and chatty, nice!

Located on Commercial Drive, lots of street parking, bus stops in front, easy walk from Commercial SkyTrain station.

Really good food, I love all of the vegetarian options that they offer.
I like how flavourful the food is. Really good service, great staff.

This is one of my favourite restaurants in BC. I highly recommended trying this place if your curious or have the opportunity.

Had veggie platter today. I must say I'm disappointed.
For $16, i was served only half portion. This is bad compared to the other Ethiopian restaurants which serve full portion for the same amount.

Taste was good but nothing exceptional. So I'd rate it 3/5