Kibrom's Ethiopean & Eritrean Food

I've been going to Kibrom's ever since they first opened a vendor spot at the international market that supported refugees' businesses - over a decade ago! Seeing Kibrom's transition into a permanent location and transform has been an incredible privilege. Their food has always been comfort food, I would even risk being late from my lunch period in high school to pick up a take out order The ambience is vibrant and lively - the food has always been consistent with quality and flavor. It's perfect for people with different food preferences given their wide variety. I'm truly obsessed with Kibrom's, it's one of my favorite restaurants i've been at.

This was the first time I have ever tried to eat Ethiopian food. Our daughter requested it for her birthday. We went to the restaurant and we were the first ones to be served. My daughter had chicken curry. I had lamb. And my wife had beef. The food was extremely good and I even had an Ethiopian beer. The food is wrapped in a Teft. If you are not used to eating with your fingers, it might be a little difficult for you. With that being said, this was a very good restaurant and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Thank you for a wonderful meal and a great experience.

I so wanted to give this place a 5- but the bread flavor was just not quite right- almost a lemon vinegar but other than that wow! Loves it- we did takeout so u can't comment on the location but the rest of the food was good.

Visited this restaurant after many great reviews and recommendations. Be aware of the spicy dishes but the waitstaff will recommend which plates are non spicy for those of us that cannot handle the heat, like me. I highly recommend this yummy restaurant for date nights or a quick lunch.

This was our first time visiting Kibrom's and it was a treat. The family managed business on state street has been on my list to visit for a while and I'm glad I had a chance to stop by for dinner. I really enjoyed the veggie samosas and the Selsi. The Selsi is Selsi is spicy onion, tomatoes, garlic, butter or oil with berbere spice. Note that the staff if very conscious and knowledgeable about vegan, vegetarian and gluten free. In the case of my Selsi they used oil instead of butter. The Ethiopian beer was a nice way to finish my vegan meal. When I come back I think I'm going to have the veggie 3 combo. Just having a serving of the Selsi was not enough variety for me and that's okay. Next time I can be even more adventurous and try several other veggie options. We were the only patrons there but little by little but the dining room began to fill up. It was nice to see the love and support from the Boise community.

Sometimes you get tired of eating the usual fare of burgers, pizza, and pasta. For those times, you can only hope that you are fortunate enough to live in a place that has a restaurant like Kibrom's. From the minute you walk in, the aromatic fragrances of Ethiopian spices intrigues senses. I tried the beef Red Tibs. Wow! Every dish we had was served with an Ethiopian tortilla-like pancake called a Injera. It's spongy and soaks up all the flavors of the beef dish. The injera is high in protein and filled me up fast. The service was a little slow but the food was certainly worth the wait.

I'm surprised by these positive reviews. My experience was quite the opposite. I'm very familiar with Ethiopian food and restaurants. Unlike other Ethiopian restaurants in other parts of the USA, these folks were not friendly at all. I kept smiling and being nice, it didn't help much, lol! They were cold and standoffish. They made me feel unwelcome and unwanted. Injera was not tender. The food afterwards gave me heartburn and been burping and far*ing all night! The taste was ok but not as good as Ethiopian restaurants in Vegas and L.A. This was certainly not an Ethiopian restaurant experience. Not coming back!

Amazing Ethiopian food. Very fresh and tasty The lamb and beef were quite tender I highly recommend

With the knowledge of never traveling, to Ethiopia makes for a fun experience of culture and tasting food of somewhere around the world I'll never be. The dishes appear to be very authentic fun hand food. The owners are from Ethiopia.

We stopped for dinner. The food was fresh and delicious! The teff was soft and portions were generous.

Love the food here, but the service really needs some work. Our waitress spent her time in the kitchen, talking and laughing with other staff. Never checked on us. We walked to the counter to ask for more water, then later for our check. Any other place and I wouldn't go back. Gave her a $5 tip on a $71 bill, so hopefully the message gets through. If the manager reads these reviews, start training your waitstaff.

This was our first Ethiopian food experience and it was so delicious! The food had so much flavor and high quality. The spices they use bring the food alive. It was an amazing cultural experience, you use the bread to eat with, no silverware needed! Great vegan and vegetarian options!!! We will definitely be back with our friends!

Kibrom's is a great place to go when you're looking for some Ethiopian food. The service is good because the food came quickly and when it did, it was warm and tasty. One thing to improve on though is the gluten-free Injera because it tasted sour. Another thing is that it's family friendly. It also feels authentic.

I don't know why I've been slacking on writing a review for one of the best restraints I've experienced in my life. There is a reason this unsuspecting place has gotten the attention of the James Beard folks! For real. kibrom is the bomb! My first ever Ethiopian experience. After years of being told that I shouldn't try it because I have a pepper allergy. It was not an issue and they specifically made a few dishes without peppers for me. We had a group of 20+ people and they took great care of us. The shared plates of food make the experience very economical and enriching interpersonally and socially. Don't sleep on this place. They will treat you like family.

Inside out: it's not the most glamorous looking place, but it has ample parking. The inside is warmly decorated and comfortable. They seem to have ample seating for groups if you wanted to bring quite a few. Service: everyone was polite and charming, they easily kept us informed on what was going on with the food and had great suggestions. Food: The food was delicious and unusual, nothing we've had before. My parents are both in their 60s and my 90 year old grandma really enjoyed their meal. I got the red bean vegetarian dish and it was amazing, a little difficult to figure out how to eat if you're not practiced and I wish I would've watched video ahead of time but it was tasty. Over all: I highly recommend checking this place out, it would probably be a great place for a first date to try something new that you're both not so familiar with. They have some interesting cooking ware available for purchase that I was intrigued by but didn't go for. Try something new and be pleasantly surprised!

Eritrean-Ethiopian food served here by husband and wife owners, she in the kitchen and he at front of house, who are natives of Ethiopia and so cook with heart and skill these dishes that are not served elsewhere in Boise. The modest space reclaimed from another kind of restaurant and sitting right on busy State Street shows pride of place in the best way for neat and orderly inside. YES, YOU DO USE YOUR FINGERS TO EAT: It is helpful to know a little about how to eat Ethiopian food using the thin and slightly ferment tasting injera bread between your fingers to pick up and eat the food. If you take the time to watch a youtube video in advance I'd wager you'll enjoy knowing some of it in advance. On our first visit in when the host had to attend to other tables as soon as he set down our food and he said he would be back to show us how to do it. But we "came prepared" and were already tearing off the injera and using it to eat when he returned to the table which resulted in a smile and "you know!" from him. MENU & FOOD: Forks will be provided, I think, if you ask. I may do that sometime as I am less a fan of the sort of sour quality and springy-flexible texture of injera, which is made with teff flour on a sort of huge griddle like one might make very thin pancake and this couple make their own every day, than my husband who really likes it. In the meantime, we are fans of the flavors in the food, and in particular the berbere spicy lamb red tibs ($17), doro-wat - a spicy chicken stew like dish that I think is considered the national dish for Ethiopia ($14), vegetable filled samosas ($5) and tikel gomen ($13) a mild spiced mix of cabbage, carrot, potatoes and onions. Service can be in individual dishes or, and the way we prefer, ordering multiple dishes in a combination plate or platter to share at the table which will arrive arranged appropriately sized injera. In plate combos of 2 items to 6 items and with total price of roughly $14 to $21 these feed both of us for a shared meal and pricing is a true bargain. There are also family sized service options in the 2 to 6 item choices options, so larger quantity of all items, ranging from about $40 to $60 which feed 4 or more. If you're uncertain on how to round out your choices, ask your host and he'll make great suggestions including some delicious lentil options. Vegetarians and omnivores will both have many things to try. SERVICE: can sometimes take some time given these two good people are doing everything themselves. Go with that known up front, relax and enjoy. SPAGHETTI?: The first time we ate at Kibrom's I was surprised to see spaghetti, with and without meat, on the menu ($12 - 14). Subsequently doing food history sleuthing I discovered that spaghetti and some other Italian dishes, like lasagna, were introduced in Ethiopia by Italians who occupied and colonized the country beginning in the early 1900's and over the decades became popular with twists introduced to make them part of local cuisine. In this case, spaghetti with berbere spice. I learned that an Ethiopian version of lasagna is considered a family celebration meal in the country. https://tastecooking.com/ethiopian-diasporas-long-history-lasagna/#:~:text=Lasagna%2C%20as%20prepared%20by%20aunts,with%20just%20a%20simple%20salad. A CONCERN: Fair to share that from time to time the County health inspection reports, including this most recent one for August 23 - 29 2022, call out multiple food safety issues needing attention and garnered the headline in local paper "Six Violations for One Restaurant" for the most recent findings reported. ACCESSIBILITY: The small parking lot was resurfaced in roughly 2021 and still no ADA compliant, marked, parking added. The law is 32 years old and so is the state access chapter in the building code. Whomever owns the lot is responsible for the failure. It is level into the restaurant from the lot, standard height seating throughout. I didn't check the loo.

I've eaten at Kibrom's more times than I can count, both for lunch and dinner, with small groups and large groups. I always try to arrive hungry so that I can try everything and not get full too quickly. Meals have always been excellent and service is friendly and usually swift. My mouth is watering thinking of it.

Try it! It's so good and worth a visit. I ordered way too much, it was that good. Friendly staff and amazing service.

Looking for an exotic experience? This could be it. And if you don't know what to pick (I didn't), Ethiopian food is often served in a sampler platter fashion, with different tapas portion sized offerings served on Anjara bread (thin, crepes like bread). I ordered the six items meat and veggies combination, with black lentils, yellow lentils, cabbage & potatoes, beef, ground beef; a little bit of everything. The food was flavorsome, spicy but not overwhelmingly so. Overall a good experience, an opportunity to try something different.

I asked the server to choose a lunch that was slightly spicy vegetarian and gluten free. He did, and it was exceptionally delicious. The place is exceptionally clean and pleasant. I would highly recommend Kibrom's as a place for inexpensive high-quality whole food

The best ethiopian food that I have found in the US. The family style plate setup is always the best to have a great variety. Highly recommended!

Amazing flavors. Great service. Top 3 foods of all time. 10/10 Recommend. Lovely authentic ambience.

We had the 6 course family platter. Three spicy beef dishes, one spicy chicken, red lentils and rice. The flavors were amazing! About $55 for the mixed veggie and meat platter. More than two of us could eat, could easily feed 3-4 depending on how much you eat. I'm a big eater and left well past satisfied! Can't believe it has taken us this long to find this restaurant, but will become a staple.

Terrific. I was excited to find Ethiopian while visiting my niece. Service was fast and the restaurant was comfortable. I had a vegan sampler and loved everything, as did my niece who never had Ethiopian before. They also had "normal" offerings such as spaghetti and meat sauce if there's a person in your party that won't try Ethiopian. Our waitress was very attentive.

Kibrom's was one of those restaurants I had always heard was amazing, and I finally decided to surprise my partner with reservations this past Friday. Not only did Kibrom's live up to what I had heard, it exceeded my expectations. The food was unbelievably good (the Kitfo was amazing) but the atmosphere and service was wonderful. We are already planning our next visit to Kibrom's and I am looking forward to trying even more of the menu.

This is my favorite restaurant in the treasure valley. I have had Ethiopian food in about a dozen restaurants across the country, so while I'm not an authority on the cuisine, I know it well enough to say that Kibrom's is up there with the best of them. I eat here regularly and have tried everything on the front of the menu, and it's all good! The restaurant injera is made with teff grown locally and is the perfect texture. The berbere is perfect (and they have their spices for sale on shelves in the back). The service is attentive and clearly family owned and operated. I truly have nothing negative to say about this place.

The food and the service is beyond delicious! It is a hidden gem - definitely worth a visit.

My family loves this spot! The food is so different than anything else and the staff is so kind. Minton does a whole lot for the refugee community here in Boise and we love to support him.

What a great place! Food and service were too notch. Enjoyed the whole authentic experience.

Wonderful place to get flavorful, spicy Ethiopian/Eritrean in Boise. They have a variety of meat dishes, but I went with a combo plate of several different veggie options. It arrived piping hot with a huge injera and I absolutely inhaled it. The young man who waited on me was friendly and very helpful with recommendations. My only critique of my whole experience was that there was no way to tip when paying with a credit card! I'll happily come back again next time through Boise, and will be sure to bring cash!

Good food, nice people and service in a humble setting. If you like to try different cuisines, Ethiopian/African cuisine might be among the oldest in the world inspiring Indian food recipes and many others as well. They do have gluten free and vegan friendly options. Just ask if you want one. The rice is fragrant and well prepared. The bread is fermented and could be requested as per the need. We took a veggie combo, and they have family combo or individual items to pick from as well. We ordered vegetarian sambusa (lentil filled samosa) however they do have meat filled sambusa to pick from as well. Be careful while dipping in the sauce as one may find it spicy. There is a variety in their menu and overall it is pocket friendly. I would recommend them if you want to try Ethiopian cuisine in Boise area.

Visiting Boise from the Bay Area makes rating interesting... This seems to be the only Ethiopian restaurant in the area. The restaurant is nothing fancy and located in a strip mall. Service is terrible but the people are nice. There is just no sense of urgency and probably not enough cooks & servers. The food was good and prices were cheap. Beer and wine only and no house honey wine, unfortunately. I would say check this place out if you are a local and wanting to expand your horizons, and / or if you're visiting Boise and looking for some good food but are not in a hurry and want to experience the most diverse Boise has to offer. I'm sure I've had more authentic Ethiopian but not in Boise...

Passing through and wanted a place to stop for lunch. It's a delicious, classic Ethiopian spot. My partner and I were so grateful to find this place because they have great meatless options. Would return again!

We ate at Kibrom's for the first time in over a year and it was even better than I remembered! The six item combo plate is the perfect amount of food for two people to share and allows you to try a variety of items on the menu - great for first-timers or those who can't choose between all the yummy items on the menu. Our favorites were the gomen (kale and potatoes) and dero wot (chicken with boiled egg), but you can't go wrong with any dish!

Wowah, momma, yes! Ethiopian food is one of my favorite foods to eat. There are so many flavors and who doesn't like eating with your hands?! I know that no matter what you order, your taste buds will thank you. I often order more veggie items than meat but if you aren't against meat, make sure to add a few options to your plate. You have several options to choose from from two items, to three items to more items! Usually it is just me venturing out into food land so I often stick with two items. I lied, sometimes three, OK, usually five items, leftovers never hurt. I figure for a dollar more per item I better. Red tibs and Keywot (beef options) are often my meat choices. I sometimes dabble in Dero which is tender chicken gently simmered in berbere sauce and a boiled egg on the side. IT FALLS OFF THE BONE and into my mouth. For your veggie and lentil options I always go with Alicha which is a combo of potatoes, cabbage, onions flavored with chili and alicha spice. I love tators! The lentil options are great as well! (Red and Black Ades.) If your eating habits are getting a little boring, spice up your experiences with Kibrom's! It is a perfect place for a date and amazing food. If you haven't eaten Ethiopian food before, you will be talking about it for weeks. If you are like me, you will talk about it forever! For-ev-ERRR! (Service is always great but dishes can take a little bit of time, so be patient, great food takes time.)

Always a fan of ethnic cuisine, Kibrom's was a natural choice for lunch on a road trip home (side note, I always thought Boise was kind of lame, because, well it's Idaho (and before y'all start fussing I can throw shade 'cause I was born here!) but it turns out Boise is filled with a plethora of cool restaurants and businesses). I did not check where specifically Kibrom's was located, and it is not (even close to) immediately off the highway, so do not assume this will be a quick stop if you are on the road, too. But I don't regret my decision, even if it did lengthen my time in the car. Kibrom's is Ethiopian food, with a generous menu featuring all manner of delightful-sounding entrees. What seems to be most popular, and if I could have talked my husband into sharing, I would have ordered, is their Family Meal, highlighting a diverse assortment of dishes. As it was, I opted for a variety plate, and ordered Dero Wot, White Tibs, Menchet, and Shiro. The price differs just slightly depending on if your choices are all meat, vegetarian, or a mix. Entrées are served on a giant platter over injera, with a simple acid-heavy salad in the center. I enjoyed everything, although was not blown away by any one particular item, in fact the salad was probably my favorite! My husband and I also shared a beef samosa, which we both LOVED. I do not eat a lot of fried food, but if I visited again, would order at least a couple of 'em. My husband also had a coffee, which was really more like espresso, being incredibly dark and strong, but he enjoyed the small serving, and felt that even with those characteristics it was not too bitter. Service was brusque, though not unfriendly. It took about 25 minutes or so to receive our meals, even though there were no other diners present, and that felt a touch long. The interior is not much to look at, but was clean, and it is a large space, so would be a good spot for groups (not to mention then you could order EVERYTHING and try it all). You'll pay your bill at the front counter, and make sure to grab a couple of the candies up there, which are like fruity taffy things and yummy!

The flavors will blow you away, even simple looking items are loaded with variety and deliciousness. My wife and I love to split the family plates, everything has been delicious! A small is probably a good size for two hungry people :)

The food is awesome! Flavorful. Perfectly cooked. Served family style in the Ethiopian way - no utensils. Rip off some injera, lay it on a dish and pinch to collect. So, so good. Flavors are amazing. We avoided the "spicy" dishes, but next time we'll be hitting them hard. Love this place!

Value was not there For the price of the meals I should not be still hungry after eating

I have never had this food before but I like to try new things and food from other countries. I liked the service, everybody smiles and its patient with you while you decide what to order. I looked for non-spicy (hot) items and they were OK. Prices are fair and if you don't mind eating without silverware... This is going to be fun! You can look at my picture, you'll see my order: Beyaynetu combo plate Clockwise, starting at 12: Salad, Alicha Dero wot: chicken with Alicha spice and an egg, white tibs: beef& onion, Kae Mesir: red lentils with barbere spice, Gomen Beh Siga : kale & potatoes, white tibs lamb + onion, white rice with onion and turmeric all over Injera bread But my favorite was the beef Samusa! I wish o can take a dozen home with me!

Probably some of the best ethnic food you'll find in Boise. I find myself craving this restaurant every other week. And I'm literally driving 50 miles to get to Boise for this restaurant. And it's for sure worth it! Not only is the food amazingly unique, but it's also clean, healthy & doesn't leave you feeling sluggish and regretful, like most other restaurants that just "flavor" their items by deep frying everything. 10/10 would recommend Kibrom's. Great place for a date!

The service was quick and the food was scrumptious!!! We got a combo plate to share and it was delicious and super filling. I love that there are so many vegetarian options!! The price is also super affordable, our whole meal was only $30!! Make sure to get the veggie samosas if you go!

So many words come to mind: delicious, hospitable, prompt, inviting, unique. I found this restaurant on Yelp last week while looking around for new places to try. The photos of the food immediately stood out to me and sparked my interest. Aside from that, the fact that this place has an overall 5-star rating really got me curious. Last night my roommate and I stopped in around 6 pm and were able to get a table immediately. There were a few other parties in the restaurant, but it wasn't packed out by any means. It's open seating, so you grab whatever table you like. We snagged a booth and were instantly greeted with waters and menus. Food: After looking at the menu for a few minutes, we both decided to get Samosas for an appetizer and the Beyinetu combo plates with six items for our main dish, we wanted to try out as much as we possibly could! (Side note: the fewer items you get, the bigger the portions are--likewise--the more items you order, the smaller the portions are.) We had a hard time remember the name of six items, so we made lists to help us when we ordered (this amused our waiter). With all that said, here's what I ordered- 11. Red (Lamb) Tibs 14. White (Chicken) Tibs 20. Kae Mesir (Red lentils) 22. Shiro (Bean & chickpea dish) 24. Tikel Gomen (Potatoes, cabbage, onions and carrots) 28. Rice (Tumeric flavored) (The Beyinetu also comes with a salad in the middle) YOU GUYS- I ATE ALL OF IT. I am not exaggerating. It was THAT delicious. And you know what? I didn't even feel bad about it. The bulk of this meal is meats and veggies, so even if you go a little overboard and eat a lot of food here, your body won't get mad at you for it (at least mine didn't, hehe). I felt (VERY) full and satisfied after this meal, but without the feelings of remorse that come along with finishing something heavy like a giant bowl of pasta--ya know what I'm sayin'? Aside from the guilt-free attributes of this food, it is just flat-out tasty. The spices they use, the textures, the flavors, the smells. All of it is delightful. Savory and full of flavors that will make your palate do a happy dance--that's how I'd sum up this food! Service: So kind and hospitable! The staff was quick to take care of us and answer any of our questions about the menu. Also--talk about fast--we got both our samosas and Beyinetu within 5 minutes of ordering. When they saw that our injera bread was disappearing from our plate, they brought us a little basket with some extra. My favorite part? You eat this all with your hands...no forks, no knives, no spoons! It feels a bit awkward at first, but after 2 minutes of this, your memories of utensils are long gone. #DitchTheFork

Love the food! It took me a little bit to get used to the teff, but now I love it! Especially when it's soaked up the juices from the meal. It's very reasonably priced and so delicious! We always get the combo for 2 and try as much as we can. Highly recommend!

Having lived in Seattle's international district, I have been very spoiled when it comes to Ethiopian food. I'm so, so happy that Boise has an Ethiopian place and they do not disappoint! I've never had anything disappointing here. I've never dined-in..the atmosphere isn't anything special, but these days it's safer to get takeout anyway. That said, it seems like they were doing a pretty good job in terms of sanitizing, mask-wearing and social distancing. Sometimes the service isn't the greatest, which I feel bad saying because everyone I've interacted with there is very nice. They seem a little understaffed and the language barrier can make it difficult if you're ordering over the phone. Small stuff compared to the quality of the food though!

Of any Ethiopian restaurant I've tried in the United States, this was my most enjoyable. I wouldn't miss this place when in Boise. The interior is simple, non pretentious, with welcoming and helpful staff. No wonder Eater.com lists Kibrom's number 1 on their 27 Essential Boise Restaurants.

Best food! So glad this place is in Boise. Highly recommend. We got the meat and veggie platter

I did a daring thing and met two other moms here with our offspring to try and have an enjoyable lunch. We called ahead just to give them a heads up and they put together tables for us and even turned on Peppa Pig to distract the young humans. I was immediately impressed. The smell is strong and delicious when you walk in. Kind of spicy and earthy. As it was my first time, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the options, but my buddies helped me pick. We got the Veggie and Meat Combo Plate and ordered the Gomen Beh Siba (Kale, potatoes, beef) and the Shiro (Chickpeas). It is served on a big Injera (like a fermented pancake), which you rip off and use to pick up your food. "Hungry" is pretty adventurous, so she tried everything and liked it. The injera was her favorite. But the real miracle was getting the baby, "Hurricane" to eat! She gobbled up the pancake and the soft potatoes and beef. I wanted to kiss our chefs. :) Overall, I was impressed with the restaurant, the staff and the unique food. I feel so lucky to have places like this in Boise and I love supporting them!

Small business. Local people, Great food and service! Family owned and run. Supports community. Fresh ingredients. Injera- Vegan friendly. What's not to love? Come eat and share!!