Katar River Restaurant

One of the best Ethiopian meals I’ve ever had in Minnesota! The kitfo kochikocha (chili)was absolutely delicious every bite was full of rich, authentic flavor. The tibs were especially outstanding so flavorful and perfectly grilled. On top of that, the service was wonderful! The staff was incredibly kind, friendly, and helpful, which made the whole experience nice. Highly recommend

Katar River Ethiopian Restaurant is a true hidden gem tucked away in a quiet corner of town—and it deserves every bit of praise. From the moment we stepped through the grocery store door, we knew we were in for something special. After walking through the grocery Store, the warm, inviting décor set the stage, but it was the food that stole the show. We began with the combination sampler platter, a colorful array of perfectly seasoned lentil stews, sautéed greens, and creamy split-pea dishes, each piled atop soft, fresh injera. Every bite was bursting with spice flavor. Next came the Doro Wat, rich and tomato-forward, with tender chicken simmers in a luscious red sauce that left us scraping the plate for every last morsel. We also tried the beef tibs, seared to order and tossed with fragrant garlic, fresh jalapeño, and just the right pinch of rosemary. What really elevated the meal, though, was the service. Our server Isaac was patient, kind, and deeply knowledgeable about the menu. When we hesitated over which combo to choose, he guided us toward the perfect balance of mild and spicy dishes—and he was spot on. It felt less like ordering off a menu and more like discovering family recipes. If you’re craving authentic Ethiopian cuisine—fresh, artfully seasoned, and cooked exactly to your taste—make a beeline for Katar River. Whether you’re a longtime fan or brand-new to these vibrant flavors, this restaurant is not to be missed. Highly recommended!

I had an Amazing experience at Katar river Ethiopian restaurant! The service was warm and welcoming from the moment we walked in. The staff was attentive and happy to explain the dishes to us. The food was absolutely delicious and the combination platters were bursting with flavor. I highly recommend this place.

The best Ethiopian food in the Twin Cities! They make their own injera and served us an amazing ginger tea. Service was excellent and everyone was so friendly. They also have an Ethiopian shop attached shop so you can buy injera to take home

Do NOT let the humble exterior and unpolished interior dissuade you from grabbing a seat, ask for a coffee, and ordering something you’ve never tried before off the menu. You really can’t go wrong! Come with clean hands (those are your utensils!), an open heart, and an empty belly — KATAR RIVER RESTAURANT IS SECOND TO NONE! Though Blue Nile had its distinct ambiance and family-style seating and serving, Katar River is far and away the BEST Ethiopian food I’ve ever had! I ordered the Vegetarian Combo and had a coffee — and the food was a divine experience! So very delicious…and that’s not an exaggeration! If my wallet could afford it, I’d eat here frequently. I have a new favorite world restaurant — it’s Katar River!

So delicious. Friendly and warm service, thought the entrance is a bit hard to find through the grocery store. The food was awesome, generous serving size and great variety. The spices used were rich, and the injera made everything super delicious.

Been here twice & tried the katar combo(solo) & the meat combo. They give you a lot of food for the price & most of it is excellent. My TT tibs(lamb) & awaze tibs(lamb) was a little tough & dry. The doro tib, kitfo & zigni key wot are all amazing. Staff is kind however service was lacking a bit during my visits.

Super place to eat , with a great staff, delicious food for a fair price and coffee and tea is free. A comfortable atmosphere to dine in, and l wish l would have had my jacket along, as dining on the outdoor patio looked inviting , but it was evening and too chilly. It was our first time here and l recommend Katar to everyone who desires a great ethnic dining experience .

First time trying Ethiopian food and this did not disappoint. It was a new experience eating a full meal with our hands. Our group of 4 decided on the sampler meat platter for 3 and it filled each of us up with leftovers. We also got two fresh sambusa. An experience to remember. Owners and operators of the business are kind and happy with what they do. Thank you guys for serving up the community with delicious food.

Great Value Ethiopian take away joint. Stopped by here after work to pick up some dinner and tried to use the website to order. Unfortunately I couldn't find an appetizer section for Sambusas it's in the "non taxed" section so I called in. The guy was friendly and took my order and said to pick up after 30min. When we arrived I noticed that they changed the layout. The groceries are in the back now, and they added more seating up front. Got a huge aluminum container and went home to eat. Sambusas - not pictured Vegetarian with lentils. Has a nice thick skin and was crunchy when I bit into it. Very hearty and filling. The lentils were Al dente, personally I like them a bit softer. Was a nice item to snack on, but the filling doesn't hold together, so probably not good for a driver. Katar small combo for 2 You get a lot of food. I think it's probably enough for 3! There was an assortment of lentils, chickpeas, beef, chicken, beets, green beans, collards, and cabbage. The flavors are robust, and typical of Ethiopian cuisine. The variety of textures and items is my favorite part of ordering Ethiopian. You can go for some beans, and then mix it up with some crunchy veggies. The meat texture is tougher than what you'd expect if you're used to American cuisine. But the when you pair it with some veggies, it's a good comparison. Parking and getting in and out can get dicey since it's a corner lot, but it's easy to spot from the road.

This place is for real authentic. Huge meal sizes, the combo for 4 feeds a family of six. For two days. People are friendly.

This unsuspecting restaurant tucked into what looks like an industrial warehouse is an excellent place to experience the cuisine and culture of Minnesota's East African community. The decor inside was a welcome change to sludgy and gray Minneapolis, with colorful woven art on the walls and abundant potted plants. Spicy and sweet tea was served to us in a beautiful pot, and the waiter kindly explained how to enjoy it with our meal. We had the combination platter for two (which could've easily fed four) and the minchet abish, of which every dish was delicious. The injera that accompanied the mains was deliciously spongey and sour. I will definitely return for the hospitality and good food, as well to try my own hand at East African cuisine with ingredients from the well-stocked grocery that occupies half of the restaurant.

I hadn't been back to Katar River in over a decade, but it's still around, it's still good and, if anything, has improved by offering more vegan options. This restaurant is also an Ethiopian grocery store and, oddly, connected to a shipping warehouse. It's easy to miss and not in a place you'd expect, but it has lots of great outdoor seating. I ordered a bunch of their vegan dishes. The key sir ($11) consists of beets and potatoes and tasted great. The kik alicha ($11) is split peas in a turmeric sauce and was mild in taste, but I loved the texture and integrity of the split peas. The misir wot ($11) was excellent with spicy and cinnamon-dusted red lentils. The fosolia ($11) consists of green beans and carrots and was good. I also got lentil sambusas ($1.50 each). These had a thick and layered shell which I found interesting, but the interior lentil filling was dry. It was decent on a whole, though, considering the price. Katar River is a hole-in-the-wall and a super authentic experience for Ethiopian food. If you're looking for slightly better food, I recommend Red Sea in Cedar-Riverside or Agelgil in St. Paul. Dilla (Minneapolis) and Fasika (St. Paul) are also respectable.

First time trying Ethiopian food! It did not disappoint. It was such a great experience. Our group of 4 ordered the meat & veggie platter to share (we got the 3 person platter) and we shared a few of the lentil sambusas. So much food, and even had some leftovers. Everything was tasty and flavorful. Definitely a must-try! Lots of local and Ethiopians here dining, so you know it's authentic!

Nice Ethiopian restaurant that doubles as an Ethiopian grocery store (stock up on Injera, Teff flour, Berbere spice mix etc) Food is always wonderful with *huge* portions. Service can be a little slow but wonderful staff working. Easy 5-10 minute walk from the Lake St. Light rail station. Come hungry.

I've enjoyed the dishes with Ground hamburger and with Chicken cubes. And the Doro Wat was very good. I really liked the spaghetti, but it was a too spicy for my kids. And like many Ethiopian places, they provide enough ingera bread to make a blanket with (I bet it would be warm too).

Vegan options, delicious food, generous servings, and welcoming staff. We went in on a super cold evening (-4) when we saw they were open as we drove by. So happy we went in and will go again!!

Extremely kind people here and the food was great! The sampler platter (meat) for 3 was abundant and tasty! Highly recommend it

Amazing Ethiopian food and warm service. We had the vegetarian combo - massive portions. The gomen and misr wot were particularly good. Will absolutely be back if we're ever back in Seward/Minneapolis.

I ordered takeout. The food was excellent. I ordered #34 and let them choose, although I requested no goat or lamb. They were courteous. I will definitely go back.Katar Ultimate Combo

Awesome place with good and tasty portions of food, owner was pretty cool and even though it took awhile for food to get out it was well worth the wait.

The food is amazing, obviously some food is spicy but overall very good. Vegetarian ComboKatar Ultimate

This unpretentious neighborhood place is for real. It's probably not a great choice if you're an Ethiopian food newbie, but we were delighted by the authenticity. We were adventurous and tried the sample plate for three--which was a great value for only about $31. We liked some of the choices better than others, but everything was very fresh. I really liked the cabbage and the chicken, and I loved that there were two kinds of injera. We'll be back to try the doro wat.

Worst customer service .. did not even get to taste their good . I would be concerned about what they serve here with that kind of attitude . Ordered on grub hub 1.5 hours ago , called restaurant now and rude lady speaks in broken English - " give phone number or I no make order " grubhub customer service is another nightmare .. but this restaurant is horrible . Cancelled order here , no more grubhub no more Katar

Had a weekday lunch here. Service: They didn't have anything ready except for one meat dish on the entire entree. I ordered the vegetable combo instead. It took them 20 minutes to get me a glass of water. It took 30 minutes for my food to be served. There was no customer dining in except for me. Food: Everything lacked flavor including the injera. The only exception was messir wot which unfortunately appeared to have come from the bottom of pot as evidenced by crusty bits... Suggestion: I believe it will be better to post a note that the restaurant is not ready to serve customers if majority of the menu is not available.

Oddly good? Service was a bit off. I will excuse it due to no one speaking fluent English. This made ordering a little dificult. Service was slow, again, possibly due to culture. However, no complaint about the food. Everything was tasty. I'm always up for a new dining experience, and this was it. Eating off the same plate with my bosses was... odd, but good? I guess. I would like to take my wife here, because I think she would enjoy the different culture, food, and experience.

This review is for the food. Ordered the veggie platter and it was EXCELLENT!!!!! haven't had good injera like this on a while. I believe this is a newer spot that just opened. I highly recommend you all stop by!

Another update, only because I gave this place another shot since a rating shouldn't just be based on their service. I came for a second round of the Katar's combination, and not only were the meats just as tough as before, but the items on the plate weren't the same. This time around everything else still on the plate was also less flavorful and only hinted to Ethiopian food, and definitely not the freshest. It may be a "deal" for this amount of food, but I would for sure go to another one of Minneapolis' great Ethiopian restaurants than to come back here. Ethiopian cuisine isn't known for a lack of flavor, and this was truly disappointing. The inconsistencies of what to expect when you order something also adds to the disappointment.

My family favors Ethiopian food above all other cuisine. We have eaten at many Ethiopian restaurants in the twin cities and Katar River is our favorite - it's not even close. It's not easy to find - so what? The service is incredibly friendly , but not "white-linen-napkin" quality - so what? Most of Katar River's clientele are Ethiopian folks. This is not a restaurant that exists to serve a white crowd interested in only dipping a toe into a different culture. The food is fabulous, inexpensive and honest. The atmosphere is not unlike someone's living room. We have 6 kids - I'm sure you can imagine how difficult it is to get 8 people to agree on anything. However, we all agree on Katar River - it is our favorite restaurant in the twin cities.

A hidden gym. I've probably driven by this restaurant tucked in by a bunch of warehouses a million times just figured out to stop by. Food was delightful. I had the veggie combo & husband had a beef dish. We finished with great coffee. As someone else said don't expect white linen table clothes. That's not the nichhe this place fills. There are a few tabless behind the small African grocery store. When we arrived several people were watching the news & sharing afternoon coffee. I loved the casual vibe. Service was friendly & helpful. Food in Ethiopian restaurants does take a bit longer-- those who complained about this probably aren't used to that. I thought the service was reasonably quick. Ethiopian is usuually not my husbandd's favorite but he said convincing him to go Here won't be hard! A great find for us.

Ok, it's a challenge to review this place. I want to love it, but it's not entirely lovable. For a cheap, filling, unique, tasty and pretty healthy dinner, it's great. Everyone should try the food. Four stars, for the food. The atmosphere is different with a loud TV, not very comfortable. Service was super friendly but slower than a typical restaurant experience. Come with the right expectations.

We found this gem of an Ethiopian restaurant and couldn't have been more pleased with the Katar Ultimate Combination for two, which was a tasty and generous selection of vegetarian and meat dishes (we are bringing most of it home).

We were a party of seven people. Of the seven the food was great for six of us. For the seventh, the lamb was very tough and he only ate a small portion of his food. The service was extremely slow and we did not receive refills for the water that was asked for. This was my first time eating Ethiopian so I'm not sure if that is a culture thing or not. When told to split our bill from the beginning, they didn't. When told how to apply the payments, since they didn't split the bill, the application of payment was screwed up. The two credit cards were charged the wrong amounts. By the end, we just said screw it and left. I would give this place another try, the dish I had was great. I just hope they fix their service issue.

Best Ethiopian food I've had in the US. Most reasonably priced, as well. Plan for a 40 min wait for the food, but it will NOT disappoint. The mixed platters are a great way to go.

We had an excellent meal here today. I was a little unsure about choosing this place because of prior reviews, but can honestly say this was some of the best Ethiopian food we've had outside of Ethiopia. The wait staff spoke little English, so I carefully ordered the combination platter with meat and 3 veggies. They were out of my favorite beet recipe. What we ended up with was a large selection of at least 3 meats and many veggies- far more than we expected. All delicious and not too spicy as requested. We'll definitely cbe back!

Tonight we tried this neighborhood restaurant subtly positioned a bit behind CUB foods in South Minneapolis. We had a friendly waiter and really excellent food. I had the vegetarian combination platter and my husband had a really savory Kikel (lamb in broth). The helpings were generous but the prices a bit high than in the online menu. We will definitely go again

good food, good service and the best coffe

Really tasty, healthy and cheap (except the fish, which I didn't like).