Alem Ethiopian Village

This was my first time ever trying Ethiopian food and I was so impressed. The food was delicious, the honey wine was tasty and the experience overall was something you won't want to pass up. Traditionally the food is service family style, on one big "plate" and you all share food, eat with your hands and sometimes even feed each other! It was so fun to learn about the tradition and have tasty food with people I loved. I'd definitely recommend. The fish was fantastic. Also, I am typically not a fan of lentils, but the lentil soup was to die for. I'd definitely come back, and share the experience with new people.

I loved the beef samosa here. Also I have tried their food and which was a different experience. Also there we tried doro wot and awaze tibz. Doro wot chicken was delicious compare to beef curry.

Kind people serving delicious food. We had a great experience taking our younger nieces who have never tried Ethiopian. They loved it and we will all be back.

Sitting here, still at the restaurant, reveling in the nearly divine taste of this meal. The flavors were just right, the bread perfect. The only thing that left me wanting was the beer, though no fault of the restaurant. Drop what you are doing and come here asap.

Amazing Ethiopian food. We love Ethiopian food and this restaurant is much better than the several others we went to in Chicago. This is very much like “home-made”. Looking forward to revisiting soon.

Update, 5 years later I returned to this place again. It's confirmed as one of the very best Ethiopian restaurants in the country. The flavors are so great! This is one of the best Ethiopian restaurants that I have been to. Every type of food that I tried was delicious! The service is fast and friendly. The prices are very reasonable, you get a lot of good food for your money. I've never left feeling hungry! There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options to check out.

The food was well seasoned and delicious, with just the right amount of injera to finish everything. It was fun eating with hands rather utensils, and I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for something different than standard American fair.

We ordered some takeouts a few nights ago. The two salads were really refreshing. I loved the vinegar sauce. The taste of Ye Tibs Firfir and Doro Wot was amazing, but there was only a single drum stick in the Doro Wot. It was too little chicken for full size chicken entree in my opinion. They give a huge amount of injera, which is good. However, the proportion of the overall dish is off for Doro Wot. The owner was really nice and the food was delicious, but slightly disappointed with the Doro Wot. Otherwise, I would have rated this place 5 stars.

One of my absolute favorite Ethiopian restaurants. The food is top tier in terms of quality, authenticity, and overall taste. My family and I have frequented this restaurant for many years for different occasions. The owner and his family are great people and generally make dining here such a great experience.

Alem Ethiopian Village finally opened for dine-in. I'm not sure when this happened but I finally had time to come in. When I first moved to the area, COVID restrictions were still in place. The ambiance was everything. Ethiopian music (Zema) was playing in the background. The food is always amazing. I'm a huge fan of the doro wot. It's a nice mix of spicy and sweet. I had the spinach (quosta) and lentils (yemiser wot) as my sides. Everything came out plated on injera. Their injera is my favorite. They give you enough to eat with unlike some restaurants I've been to. Before my entree came, I started off with the sambusas. I highly recommend using the sauce that comes with the sambusas.

Got one chicken leg with a egg for 19.00 The greens or cabbage were not good. Very disappointed. Doro Wot was so disappointing from what I've eaten so many times at other restaurants.

We ordered the vegetable combo which included a collard greens, beans, corn, and onion/carrots. The bean dish was are favorite, it had a great savory/acidic flavor. Additionally we ordered the Doro Wat Chicken dish which included a chicken leg and a hard-boiled egg covered in what was described as a "pepper sauce". This dish was savory and delicious. Lastly, eating the food with the injera bread was a fun experience the bread had the texture of a spongy crepe and tasted sour like sour dough bread.

4.75/5 The energy of Alem Ethiopian Village is vibrant; I mean, as soon as you enter, it's the engaging colors, the lovely couple that runs the business, and the smells of authentic Ethiopian dishes. We catered from here for an event, and we're so grateful that we could support a local business like Alem's. FOOD: We ordered trays of zilzil, doro wat, yemsir wat (spicy lentils), gomen (collared greens), and injera, all of which had felt like a home-cooked meal when served together. The chicken was the 9.9/10 from individuals that attended the event and the yemsir wat, or lentils were a huge hit. Yemsir wat was pretty close to what a bowl of dal, or lentil soup would taste like in Indian cuisine. VIBES: Cozy. Comfy. Sincerely, felt like food from the heart. SERVICE: The couple cheffing up the food and serving it were extremely passionate about their work and only speaks highly of their service as well. They ensured that our catering order was processed smoothly and quickly.

Stopped by for dinner on a Tuesday night. It didn't look like they were doing dine-in but they let us come in. We ordered the chicken and lamb which was very tasty. The owners were very welcoming and nice. They checked in on us and talked with us about our first time having Ethiopian food. Will definitely be back!

I was delighted to find out that Alem finally reopened their doors for dine in. It wasn't widely advertised for some reason which explains why they were half empty on a Friday evening. Waiter was very knowledgeable and pleasant and prevented us from over ordering which is rare. This was my first Ethiopian food experience and I loved that no utensils were provided as you are expected to eat with your hands. Very authentic. And the food was out of this world delicious! Bold flavors, aggressive seasoning, meat falling off the bone! I did enjoy Ethiopian steak tartar but I prefer the European version more as it was a bit too acidic for me. Otherwise, top notch experience and I see myself becoming a regular!

I wasn't impressed. I'm guessing things may have been "off" due to COVID. I really wanted fasolia but the worker said it's only available for dine in (which is ridiculous, for one. It's literally just string beans and carrots). The restaurant was carryout only, so... just say fasolia isn't available? Plus, she had an attitude about me even asking. The vegetable plate only came with gomen, tikil gomen (cabbage, carrots and potatoes. Which means you might as well make the fasolia too.), misir wot, and alitcha. The food was good, but nothing memorable. There was more injera than there was food, which is a far cry from the hefty portions you get at many Ethiopian restaurants. Also, most other Ethiopian restaurants include fasolia with the veg plate, so... I do like that they didn't charge extra for gluten-free injera though. So overall it was an ok experience. However, I wouldn't go out of my way to return.

I would have written this review earlier but I was so full ana pleased with this meal I just wanted to bask in the moment. This food was so good! When I visited they were only doing take out only, so I ordered take out. When I picked up the bag it was so heavy, they were not stingy with the food. The food was well seasoned, not too spicy, just enough to give it a kick. I may have to do one more visit before leaving town, they are a great vegetarian option.

food came out so quickly! everything was really good and the injera was perfect. Only wish they gave us more napkins

Don't try to eat here order takeout instead because the dining area is closed. The food is really good. I had chicken greens and rice. The bread is very filling and I couldn't finish everything but I found myself still hungry about 10 minutes later. So I guess the advice is to pace yourself if you don't eat this type of food often.

So flavorful! Got take out here, and I got the V1 (yemiser Wot). The spice level was fantastic! The dish was hearty, and I had enough for lunch the next day. The dish came with plenty of injera. Injera has a slightly tart taste, maybe kind of like sour dough? It soaked up the yemiser wot perfectly, and it has a nice texture to it. When I went at the end of April, the place was still take out only. I hope to go back and try some of their other dishes!

No frills restaurant in here the food is the star of the show. A different dining experience, where utensils aren't provided by default. Instead a pancake-like flatbread is used to scoop up the entrees. Plentiful plant based options.

We got beef sambusa, doro tibs (chicken), yebeg tibs extra juicy one (lamb) with collard greens, yellow split peas, spinach and steamed cabbage. The extra juicy lamb were so good and super flavorful . It didn't have the lamb smell. That's how you know they are good. I asked to make it less spicy and that was spicy enough for me. The chicken one was okay. I wish it had more sauce to go with it. For the vegetable side dishes, I was not a bit fan of the yellow split peas. The spinach was a bit too mussy for me. The steamed cabbage had carrots along with it. Additionally, the beef sambusa was so crispy. The filling was savory. The Injera was not too sour. I hate it when the injera too sour because you wouldn't able to taste the tibs well. Definitely would go back again.

I am huge fan of Ethiopian food from when I lived adjacent to a large Ethiopian community on the west coast. I was so stoked to find Ethiopian cuisine in Milwaukee. I'd say: it's not nearly as spicy as the Ethiopian food I enjoyed on the west coast, but still delicious and the portions are huge. I recommend everyone try Ethiopian as a unique group dining experience where everyone eat with their hands.

We visited Alem Ethiopian Village for the first time early on a Saturday evening. We were promptly greeted and seated, even sans reservation. The restaurant was about half full when we arrived, but quickly filled up by 7PM. We started off with the sambusa as an appetizer, requesting the beef. I think we received the lentil, but were still happy with them. Nicely fried and crispy, with good spices. For our entrées, we ordered the lamb L2 (fantastic, deliciously spiced but not too spicy, in a wonderful red pepper sauce), and vegetarian V1 (lentils in red pepper sauce - my favorite), V2 (steamed collard greens - pretty good), and V3 (yellow split peas in sauce - good, although definitely strong on the garlic). They have a decent selection of mostly imported beers, as well as some wine. Opting to have our entrées served on the same platter with injera worked well, and the injera itself was delicious; probably the best I've had. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was welcoming, and the service was very pleasant. However, only two people were serving the whole (full) dining room, and they probably could have used at least one extra person. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, and plan on returning to check out some of the other options on their extensive menu.

Mostly a reminder to myself to order V1 or V3 for the next time I eat here because I can never remember. I welcome eating meats... but here I go vegetarian. Their lentils are to die for! Well seasoned and balanced. I've heard a few comments about the injera being a little too sour from others I dine with but I've had it elsewhere where it's overdone so I've preferred their injera! Lots of injera to share. It was cutely wrapped in a To-go box which I wasn't expecting.

Such delicious, fresh tasting ingredients, I was pleasantly surprised! We got an order for delivery (which is a first, never gotten Ethiopian via delivery) and it was nice to enjoy this in the comfort of my own home. This review is solely based on the food and not the service since I have not physically dined in (May update if I dine in).

We enjoyed an assortment of entrees for my take-out birthday dinner: spicy lentils, collard greens, yellow split peas, spinach, and chicken and fish tibs. Everything was delicious! I've been spoiled by the amazing Ethiopian food in Oakland, but Alem's offering were comparable. The injera was outstanding! We had leftovers for days! I'm looking forward to dining in to enjoy the ambiance as well as the traditional shared eating experience. Can't wait!

If you are looking for TRUE ETHIOPIAN FOOD, SEARCH NO MORE. Wow just wow. Since you arrive the hostess has the best smile and the ambiance is so nice and relax. The food: we got combo 1 and 5 and it was Plenty for 2 people. Tips: don't ask for utensils, use your hands embrace the culture. The price was super reasonable for the amount of food we got. WE ARE COMING BACK!!!!

We finally made it here for the vegan buffet. Amazing food--and a great deal as well. We especially liked the potato dish and the spinach. The service was friendly and attentive. Our server even assured us that they would fill up the buffet, which was running low, which they did, Immediately. Update (four years later). Another wonderful meal on a rainy Thursday night. We had the vegetarian sampler, which was fantastic.

This was my first time eating Ethiopian food so while I have no benchmark, I do know this place has food PACKED with flavor and the portion sizes are amazing! I got it with my roommate on a weekend and I think she got it another 3 times in the next week and a half if that says anything about how good the food is I got the lamb, it was really flavorful and not gamey at all, and nice and tender! I've tried all the sides and you really can't go wrong with any there! I also got the baklava and OMG it's SO good. Super light and crispy and deliciously sweet. This is one of my go-to's in Milwaukee now!

I went to this restaurant with my boyfriend for the first time and it was also the first Ethiopian food experience for both of us. We ordered Sambusa in lentils and beef (3 in total), Yetematim Fitfit and the meat plate. Although we felt lost when we looked at the menu, our server was friendly and patient enough to explain everything to us. The food was delicious! Fun and great experience. Note that the size of the plate is definitely big for 2 or 3 adults to share. If you order other appetizers as well, be prepared to ask for some to-go boxes lol!

The food is good. Indoor seating isn't available- unless you're family. On 3 occasions I've gone there to pick up my order and I saw a few people seated at a table. I said , ' oh you're finally open for seating!' The guy who gave me my food said 'no thats family.' That disappointed me. The food was good but I couldn't get that out of my mind.

Great option for tasty Ethiopian. I really only eat downtown prior to attending shows at Pabst/Riverside/Turner Hall, and don't much care to eat anywhere else.

No doubt about the deliciousness of this restaurant. We ordered a vegetarian platter for pick up (during Covid-19 times), and they had the food steaming hot and ready to go when we arrived. The platter included ample injera for two of us, as well as 4 dishes - yekik alicha (yellow lentils with that smoky flavor), atakilt wat (cabbage carrot and potato, slightly sweet), yemisir wot (spicy and deep in the palate), and gomen (collard greens always mustardy). I can't express how grateful I am that places like Alem are still offering food during this time. Affordable and absolutely perfect. Thank you for existing and can't wait to come back when we are in Milwaukee again.

V1. Yemiser Wot - spicy/Splits lentils slowly cooked in Ethiopian red pepper sauce and assorted spices V2. Gomen/Collard greens steamed, delicately seasoned and cooked with fresh garlic and pepper. V3. Yater Alitcha/Yellow split peas cooked in specially flavored mild sauce. V5. Yatakilt Alitcha/Steamed cabbages cooked with onions, fresh garlic and ginger. V14. Any of four Vegetable Entrees/Portions of V1, V2, V3 and V5 This place is beautiful and can't wait to return to dine in. I ordered a four item vegan platter. So delicious. The best way to try different entrees. Generous helpings. My favorite was the Yemiser Wot. Looking forward to trying more!

Went for lunch on a Thursday at noon... it was busy but still we were able to get a table for a group of four. We all ordered the vegan lunch buffet and diet Coke's. Vegan eaters and non-vegan eaters at the table were all delighted. They kept replenishing the buffet as items ran out as well. $44 total for our group of four... definitely will be back to try again!

On my last three visits, the food has still been very good with robust flavors from the seasoning in the sauces of the stews, but the temperature of the food has been lower than expected for the meat stews especially. Also, the temperature of the injera on last night's visit was as if it just came out of the refrigerator. I prefer that the injera is no colder than room temperature and the meat stews should be well above room temperature. There was a group of 30 or more last night which may have impacted quality control in the kitchen, but that needs to be addressed. I will still visit again, but I hope these issues are resolved.

The food is healthy and tastes reasonably good, however it is far from outstanding being the least tasty Ethiopian food I've had. Of course the many other Ethiopian restaurants I've eaten at were mostly in Washington DC and New York City where there is a lot more competition than in Milwaukee where I think there is only one other Ethiopian place. We had the vegetarian combination for two which comes with ten selected dishes.

I met a friend here for dinner on a Tuesday night. He'd never had Ethiopian food (nor had I) and knows I'm an adventurous eater so he invited me to join him. After perusing several other Yelp reviews, I was thinking a sampler would be the way to go. After revising the menu, I ended up deciding to get my own entree. The next thing with the entrees is that they also come with your choice of 2 vegetarian sides. I went with the C2 was chicken thighs cooked ginger and garlic, so good! For my sides I picked V1 and V3, one was spicy lentils (delicious) and the other split peas (also quite good). As this was my first experience here, I was glad to have read in reviews that there are no utensil, you use the spongy bread to scoop up your food. I thought this would be messier but actually was relatively easy. I've made more of a mess with forks and spoons. We both went with Ethiopians beers which are premium lagers. Service was great. Our server gave us some recommendations, checked in on us, all in all a good experience. The only disappointing aspect of this place is the restrooms. The dining area is bright, colorful, welcoming and spacious. The restrooms are rather drab and could use some sprucing up. When I went to grab the toilet paper, the roll home fell off at just a slight touch and I had to put it back on. Not the end of the world but just interesting in comparison to everything else. I still plan to return for another meal.

A solid five star experience, start to finish. I braved the 17F windchill in nothing but a light windbreaker to walk the less than a mile from my hotel. The walk ended up at a much brisker pace than I anticipated, I didn't think to look at the windchill when I originally set out, and the 29F didn't seem that scary. Well the service, ambiance, and food did a great job of warming me up. The injera, chicken, and veggies were all excellent. Huge portion sizes that I inhaled and completely over ate. On the way back, I jogged because of the cold. This is the sort of restaurant I don't mind eating at a few times a week. The food is fairly healthy, lots of veggies, the price is reasonable, and the service is great. This is a business I like supporting.

Hands down, amazing. Delicious and great service. Highly recommend sampler, great way to try ten options at once. Tea and coffee are amazing and flavorful.

Milwaukee has a couple of good Ethiopian food locations and this is one. I have been here a few times and enjoyed their food to quite an extent. They have several options in meat and fish as well as vegetarian options making it attractive to almost anyone. They have a vegan lunch (with an option to add meat). The food is simple yet delicious. Very flavorful and unique to Ethiopia. I typically get the Doro Wot (chicken drumstick option with egg) and that's been a great spicy option for me. It comes with 2 veg options. They have plenty of side options but only restrict you to get 2 when you choose an entire such as the Doro Wot. The injera bread is very soft and delicious as well. The buffet itself may be good for vegetarian folks but it becomes too expensive if you add the meat option, that's why I typically just order the meat entrée directly from the menu. What I am unpleased about at this place is the wait time and service. I think the servers don't attend to you as often as you would need them to, for example no one came to refill our waters. The second time around, we had to wait a very long time for our bill once we were done with food. Since it was Buffet during lunch time, the servers weren't busy attending to other guests since they served on their own. I am not sure why it took long. After we got the bill and gave our cards, again no one was there to check on us and take the cards. We waited a very long time for this. Then we ended up going ourselves to the counter and paying for it. Go there for food but expect wait times!

I took an overnight getaway trip to Milwaukee from Chicago and with less than 24 hours to sightsee, we decided to just "wing it" and wander around a few areas. I'm glad we did, because we literally ran into this place to get out of the rain. Now maybe it was unfair of me to have low expectations of a restaurant in Milwaukee in comparison to Chicago, but I was pleasantly surprised. I love Ethiopian food so we ordered every vegetarian dish on the menu. Everything was delicious and reasonably priced. Better portions than I typically get at other Ethiopian places. The service was pleasant. No real ambience but that ok. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. It was the perfect way to end a fun little getaway.

Absolutely wonderful! They only do take out but they allowed us to sit in the restaurant area until our food was ready! The food itself was positively delicious; the best food I've eaten in months! we got Sambusa (lentils), the combo of four vegetable entrees, and the Juicy Spicy Tibs. All were amazing and I will definitely be getting food here again in the future!

One of my favorite casual dining spots in the city. The food is truly authentic Ethiopian and never disappoints. While the service could be a bit more timely, this is easily overlooked when food arrives quickly, hot, and delicious. The fish on Fridays and Saturdays is a MUST TRY. Hands down my favorite protein. I also recommend a glass of the honey wine if you're a fan of sweet wine.

Tried them for lunch and dinner. Their food is pretty good and quality consistent. Their lunch buffet has a good amount of vegetarian options which is always convenient while going out with vegetarian colleagues. Loved their injera bread! Service has been good.

If you look behind me, somewhere way far off in the distance, you'll see a very blurry line that marks my comfort zone. We are WAY out of it here in an Ethiopian restaurant where they have goat on the menu, they serve the food "family style" and there's no cutlery (they will bring it if you ask). Spice levels are going to be big question marks. When my planned Sunday night restaurant was closed (so many closed restaurants on Sunday nights!), I found Alem was open and welcoming and surprisingly not busy. The hostess let me sit anywhere and the waitress came up to me a few minutes later. I told her that I had no idea what I was doing and asked her what I should have. And uh, I have no idea what she brought me. I know one of the piles was beef and the other two piles were beans of some sort. And it was tasty and spicy and really really unique. On a scale from ketchup to jalapeno's, this fell in the middle of the scale. It's hot, but it's not burning hot. And it's spicy, but you can actually taste the food and the variations in the spicy. It's... yummy! So the big deal here is that they don't have cutlery. Probably because they didn't have much metal in the Ethiopian part of the world or not enough wood to fire up and melt to shape into knives and forks. You don't *quite* eat with your hands. Instead, the food is served with a spongy bread. You tear off 2 inch square bits of the bread and use it to "pinch" the food. If you do it right, the stew manages to not only stay on the bread, but you're also able to keep it off your fingers and out of your lap. Good luck. Tasty meal, good service, a really different sort of experience. Try it. You might like it!

Incredible Ethiopian food. Beautifully packaged to-go. Love the presentation. I hear is on point. Big portions. All delicious. Don't sleep on Alem.

The taste: A favorite Milwaukee restaurant of mine, by a mile. Service used to be a bit slow, but in the past year has gotten much better. Usually get the veggie combo platter - there are a few of the veggie dishes that aren't my personal favorite, (the collard greens) but all of the other dishes, mixed with injera is just delightful. Also love the pot of tea. The place: Nothing too amazing, but you do have the option of sitting at a stool (no table) to experience a more authentic Ethiopian style of eating. Also, make sure you wash your hands before going, as you're not given utensils. My face: Stuffed, contented. Seriously love this place. Never had a bad meal, and have been at least a dozen times.

I went here with two friends and none of us had ever had Ethiopian food before. The food was great and the menu was really clear for folks like us who had no idea what these dishes were. The service is the only reason I didn't give 5 stars. We had empty water glasses for at least 5 minutes (and some of the dishes are rather spicy). If I lived in the area, I would definitely return.

Straight up, some of the better Ethiopian we'd had outside of Ethiopia! The first place I've been that will actually serve proper Kitfo (raw meat with cheese). Kitfo was incredible and a must if you go on Friday or Saturday. The injera was done very well (harder to find than it should be), the shiro was amazing, tibs were excellent and the Honey wine was heavenly as if you were in Lalibela sipping it! The traditional art on the walls is very reminiscent of the art seen in the country and the baskets we ate from in the back room further heightened the experience. One of the best Ethiopian spots we've been from coast to coast. A must go for those who love it or those who don't yet know they love it!

My first time trying Ethiopian food and I feel in love. If you are in Milwaukee you must go. I didn't know what to expect but what I had blew my mind. There were three of us and we got the stew sampler for 2 (meat) and the vegetarian sampler for 1. It all came on one large plate to share. It was wonderful. We loved everything. This is the type of food that is best when shared, so don't be shy. It's very rich and full of wonderful spice! The staff was so kind and so friendly. Since we didn't know what to order our waitress helped us by selecting her favorites with the samplers. It's a nice atmosphere inside too. Please check this place out. I will definitely make the trip out from Chicago again...I loved it that much!

The food and service are great here. My wife and i went after a play nearby and we had the vegetarian platter for two. They have standard tables and chairs for the rookies , but we like the traditional small round tables they have. The dish arrived quickly and it was very good. They gave us so much we had leftovers, which is rare for us at Ethiopian spots. We plan to make this a regular location after plays

One of my favorite restaurant... Hands down really nice spice and flavor to the food... Love the buffet which has all the veggies options. The potatoes are the best along with a different taste to the hummus...

I try to come here every time I'm in Milwaukee! I love their vegetarian lunch buffet! So affordable and many different options. Unfortunately with covid they're doing take out only. It's still good food though! And the serving size is still more than enough! The bread is just amazing. I talk to people about this restaurant all the time haha

Love the food. Tried afiza for the first time. Absolutely love. Everything was so very good. Yes I will be back.

We ordered for delivery curbside today. Wasn't sure how they would package this and it truly was amazing - the packaging and the food. We had a vegetarian sampler and the flavors and the tastes were wonderful. The curbside delivery was also awesome.