The Red Sea Ethiopian Restaurant

During a recent trip to Minneapolis, I went there for dinner on a Sunday evening in July. They are located close to a train station, which made it easy for me to go there. I was greeted warmly. I ordered a chicken dish, injeera, and spinach---they were glad to accommodate my request--the menu does not include spinach. The food came pretty quickly, was warm, very tasty, and plentiful. And the food was relatively cheap. I would gladly go there again.

As much as I thought they had economical options, their food was overall sloppily made and didn't contain enough flavor. I believe they toned down the seasoning a bit to potentially serve people that couldn't handle spice, which resulted in their food overall on the plain side relatively. There are still some highlights worth pointing out, though, which I will try to do. I thought the ater kik and the shiro were overall well made, and one bite with a chunk of injera offered a traditionally tasty experience. Miser was okay, and could use more seasoning in my opinion. The doro wot also didn't have enough spice, and the chicken didn't necessarily have an "off the bone" quality like I would have loved. The lantil alicha was pretty good because lentils, which wouldn't normally be considered tasty, were pretty tasty. Both the yabesha gomen (kale) and tikel gomen (cabbage) were unfortunately bland as well in comparison. Spending just around $13 for a veggie firfir, which was a veggie sampler for one person, was a good deal, though. I think those who are around the Cedar area can still have a good time here.

Service was stellar - even at 11 in the evening. Food was amazing - a little heat & so much flavor. As a vegan, it's not often I have so many choices - especially without any customizations. Will definitely be back!

this was my first time trying Ethiopian food and it was great! Our server was super patient and kind. The mango juice is great and I got the half and half

Haven’t had Ethiopian in quite awhile so I was excited to visit MSP. The Red Sea was near where we were exploring so we decided to stop for an early dinner. The food was excellent and the service was polite.

The food was incredible but the service was even better! Titi was nice, attentive, and gave us great food recommendations.

My favorite place in the Twin Cities to eat out. I especially recommend the kitfo. The vegetarian options are also great, and the veggie platter can feed two people.

Delicious food and wonderful service! Our server, Matias, was very responsive and helpful in answering questions and making recommendations. Prices are reasonable. Location is good - close to the University in Minneapolis. The space is small; cozy but nothing fancy. We will definitely be returning.

This is our first time having Ethiopian food. I'm not a huge fan of spicy food so I requested less spice. The flavors were nice but they must not use any salt so without all the spice we thought the flavor was flat. Hard to explain I guess. We ended up salting some of the dishes. Overall we enjoyed our taste of Ethiopia. The server we had was nice and helpful. We had the place to ourselves and were quite comfortable in a booth looking out onto the street. Parking on the street or behind the restaurant. The location is a little iffy and run down but safe enough.

I was in town for work and, knowing there is a substantial Ethiopian community in minneapolis, and having not eaten Ethiopian food in a few years, I had my heart set. The Red Sea was recommended by two different people as well as by Yelp. The location is very convenient, in a cool neighborhood, and with easy parking. I actually walked from my hotel a few blocks away. Right next door is a bar with music where I understand some of the customers go. Inside, the decor is classic Ethiopian restaurant vibe, and that was perfect. It was very clean, great Ethiopian music, and plenty of customers eating and drinking and enjoying company. The two servers who traded off helping me were so very friendly and knowledgeable. I orded a kitfo and sega wot combo, an Ethiopian beer abd baklava, and dinner was more than enough for one person and the price was very reasonable. The kitfo, I ordered rare, was average. It was missing some flavor. The wot was a little bit spicy but not much, and it was hot, flavorful and with tender enough beef cubes. Traditional salad cane with it, and that fresh. Unfortunately, the injera was not very good -- it lacked flavor and body. For dessert, the slice of baklava was big, fresh and full of flavor. I would return to the Red Sea and just hope that the next time around the food is a little more flavorful and injera a little better.

My first take at Ethiopian food and I wasn't disappointed at all! I had friends that knew just what to order! Awesome place to try it or to get if it's your thing! It wasn't busy and the food was well priced. And I absolutely ate well and it wasn't heavy

Stopped by the Red Sea with a group of 4 friends a few months back and had one of the most incredible eating experiences I've had since moving to the Twin Cities. We decided to go for a feast and order the Tour of Ethiopia which came with a huge platter of vegetarian and meat dishes atop a big piece of injera, and preceded by a roll sampler (which is included in the tour of Ethiopia). The roll sampler started off strong with their being the perfect number for one piece for each of them for each of us. The rolls were savory, and flavorful and a great way to get the meal started. Then the huge platter came out and WOW - everything hit! The meal was absolutely perfect. Everyone was so full and happy afterward. If you have not had much Ethiopian food before (which was my boat), this is the perfect way to be introduced to the cuisine and try a whole lot of everything! Even if I was more familiar, I think this may still be the best thing to order! The place is not super large inside, but it is definitely comfortable. I think that it would definitely be a great place to stop to hang out and eat with friends, or even go for a date! They have great music playing the whole time and the vibes are really enjoyable. The staff were super friendly and when they saw that we had gone through all of the side injera, they kindly brought us out more which was super appreciated! Will 100% be retuning here!

This place was so good!! Loved the food and the service! Will be revisiting for sure!!

This is a small joint, but it feels homey. Large menu of choices but my friend and I decided to get the meat combo. We chose correctly! Server helpful with choosing our veggie sides. It was a delicious platter of so much food--the doro eat was my favorite. Left stuffed and I love that there was a full bar to order drinks with dinner.

A small but a cozy and clean place. Made the reservation for 11 the day before and they were ready for us. You probably couldn't get more than 14 people at their largest table. Food was out within 30mins of us sitting and ordering. Service was very good and fast. We were very sad to find out they did not have any sambusas that evening. Never the less we ordered the following for 11 people and it was just the right amount of food. 2 tour of Ethiopia's 1 misir wat entree 1 awaze tibs (doesn't come with tour of Ethiopia but could have done without - replaced with a doro wat) 6 extra injera Everything was amazing. I loved the doro wat and others loved the Alisha wat (lamb). The siga wat was not as spicy as i would like it to be. Everything was hot when it came out and had great flavor and spice. These plates were clean at the end.

We read good things about Red Sea and it lived up expectations. We ordered the assorted meat Platter which comes with 2 vegetables dishes. The plate had beef, chicken (leg) and lamb. The first two had a bit of a kick to them. Staff was very friendly. Definitely will return on next visit to Minneapolis.

Sooooooooo good! Def will be back again! Great service, lots of options for vegetarians.

Today was my first day trying Ethiopian cuisine. I was recommended to this location by friends and colleagues. My sister is also a regular customer and brought me along today. The food and service was above and beyond of what I expected. Titi warm welcome and hospitality made a life long customer.

The service is excellent! Mango juice fantastic. The lamb is exceptional and the server was kind.

Ordered from here multiple times via Uber eats. The awaze ribs were great, really flavorful and worth a try. The zilzil tibs were overcooked and rubbery, not that flavorful so I wouldn't recommend them. The semere gored gored is a raw meat dish , didn't like as much, seasoning was good but nothing unique about it. Definitely try the awaze tibs , was hoping they have awaze lamb dishes. They put the meat in injera so by the time it's delivered, it's soaked and the sauce is no longer there, they need a better way to deliver dishes but leaving at 4 stars for how authentic and flavorful the awaze tibs were

I love Ethiopian food so I have to try to be unbiased. The food here was great and so was the service. The ambiance isn't very fancy but still worked as a nice date spot. We sat outside which was very enjoyable though the seating isn't in the comfiest of chairs/tables but that's tho be expected when dining outdoors. There was parking in the back. Overall, I'd definitely come back for the food and the service.

Even though I have lived right next to Cedar Riverside for a few years, I just tried Red Sea for the first time a few weeks ago...and I'm glad I did! I liked it so much, I came back for another round a week later. I'm not usually into Ethiopian cuisine, but the dishes here are really, really good. I particularly like the samplers, which offer two people's worth of either all vegetarian or meat and veggie dishes for a great price. I've tried basically all of the veggie dishes, and I like them all...the meat dishes are good too. They have a descent happy hour, although they are generally out of all but one or two beer types. Service is nice and they have outdoor seating. I will definitely be back!

We visited The Red Sea, an Ethiopian restaurant in Minneapolis. We ordered the 1/2 Veggie and 1/2 Meat combo and was able to choose 4 veggie options such as shiro, Yabesha gomen, Tikel gomen and miser. It came with the siga wat and yebeg alicha meat dishes. Parking can sometimes be tricky, I usually end up looking for street parking which can be hit or miss.

Was visiting and a friend recommended this place. We shared the meat combo. Very tasty. Enjoyed it and I am now am super full. Would recommend.

8/10 - If you're going out for dinner with a group of indecisive friends that don't mind sharing food or eating with their hands, this place is a must! We got the Tour of Ethiopia and it was definitely more than enough for the 5 of us. It came with a little bit of everything and everything was well flavored and balanced. The best part of that platter for me was the Zil Zil Tibs - it was delicious, not to fatty or chewy, and there was a nice char on it. You can't go wrong with the Veggie combo. My only complaint was that there's not enough meat! For a platter that serves 4+ people, I think it would've been nice to offer us 4 drummies rather than 1 drumstick for the 4 of us to share. Otherwise, I love the atmosphere. They were also very accommodating and sweet. Lastly, I love that they have a sink to wash your hands just outside of the bathroom - I think more Ethiopian restaurants should offer that, considering that it's finger food.

By far the best Ethiopian restaurant I've been to in Minneapolis in terms of food.. 10/10 Ambience perhaps a fair 5/10 Service was friendly and attentive with our waitress making helpful recommendations

Tasty, but not stellar -- would stop by again if I were hungry and in the area. The injera was a little weak / dried out, making it harder to pick up stuff. I enjoyed the Tour of Ethiopia (56.95$), which came with a diverse set of meat and veg stews, along with an appetizer of rolled injera with stew. The stews were not as complex and flavorful as other Ethiopian places I've gone to, but tasty enough. Extra injera was 2$. The rolls, the veggie sambusa (13.30$ for 8), and the veggie firfir (10.45$) were all a little dry, but otherwise tasty. I especially liked the firfir, which was spicier.

Superb food. We got the extra injera, veggie combo and yellow lentils. Everything was fantastic. They're open for dining in too. The lady was super nice and my food was ready on time. Can't wait to go back.

OMG. Never really post but needed to for here. In Minneapolis for the weekend and wanted some authentic Ethiopian food. This place did not disappoint. The food was delicious and the service was great. We had the roll sampler, doro wat and Yebeg Alicha. They were gone in a second. If you happen to visit the Twin Cities you should definitely stop by. Yum yum.

Titi was our server, amazing food and service by her will be back in the future for sure!!

First time having Ethiopian. Great food, great service and great atmosphere!!! Highly recommend:)

While traveling with Child of God and Star Child we hit Minneapolis for fun a Twins game and Little Somalia! Not only did I Yelp search but asked around and everyone pointed me to, The Red Sea.

I like trying this new Ethiopian restaurant. I was a little sad though that a lot the menu items they did not have when we went. We did go later in the evening so maybe they stop serving certain things at certain times. However, What I did get I enjoyed it. The server was nice and she did a wonderful job. They have the paid parking lot right next-door. It cost us three dollars for two hours. I like that they had a night club attached to it. We got there too early so there wasn't really very many people. So me and my friend ended up leaving. But I definitely want to try and go back in the summertime when it's a little warmer.

They are offering decent Ethiopian food here! You can customize the vege sampler so that you can have more you want. And Asa goulash is so crispy and the sauce is legit. My personal favorite for vege are miser and kik. Their shiro is a bit watery and less flavorful compared to some other spots'. But overall, great food and a good deal.

Came in on a cold winter evening. We asked our server to have the chef recommend choices for the sampler plate and every dish was better than the last. Our server told us they have live music and shows on the weekend on the other side. The vibe was GOOD

It's been so long since I was here but it's just as good as ever. We came for dinner as a take for five. If it's busy you can expect to wait a bit since most of their booths seat up to four. It was a gorgeous warm night so the place was packed. Music was bumping and it was a fun atmosphere to walk into. There were five of us so we ordered the group platter which had both the vegetarian platter, the meat platter and the tibs. The hostess was really nice as well. There was music playing which was a little too loud for my mom to hear the conversation and she switched the speakers so my mom could hear. The food came after 15 minutes or so and it was huge. There was of course your standard injera underneath along with a small platter of additional rolls. We finished the entire plate and with the women and two dudes it was the perfect amount of food. I'm looking forward to returning and recommend you check out the red sea.

We visited Red Sea restaurant, and it had been an excellent experience I have had in a long time. Shoutout to titi she has taken care of us on multiple occasions. 10/10 experience! The food was amazing as well! The ambiance built within the house was great overall. I can't say i have had service like this in a while.

The food was amazing and Titi was the best server! She was very kind and helpful in providing a great experience!

Just the worst run restaurant ever... 1. Fish Tibs: the menu says it comes with rice but it just came with that thin sponge bread they have. 2. Doro Wat: came with just one smallish chicken leg for meat. 3. They were out of Meat Sambusa. 4. Getting into the restaurant was difficult as someone parked their bike right in front of the door. 5. Food, such as it was, took 10 minutes longer than they said it would. The haphazard and ad-hoc nature of everything that happened there was like going to a 3rd world country. Maybe that was the point? If I find out that was the intention, I will change my rating to 5 stars as they completely nailed that.

Located just around the corner from Riverside Plaza tower The Red Sea offers a tremendous choice of traditional Ethiopian dishes. I had the sega wat with injera and it was delicious! Service was good and the place is clean. I look forward to visiting this cafe again.

Okay, I went to the RS to support my friends boyfriend who had a set during a comedy show set. Red Sea is a hole in the wall bar spot, community treasure, with amazing Ethiopian food. Parking: off street or pay lot behind the establishment. Have your i.d. ready, you will be i.d'd upon entrance. Bar is the first thing you see. Service can be slow, it can get crowded, there is a pool table there (that's always claimed) and restrooms are located on your right, upon entering. The show room is on the other side if the bar. Limited seating, mainly a dance Hall. There is a door in that room that will take you to purchase the amazing Ethiopian food they have on deck.

Absolutely delicious food and lovely, warm service. We got the veggie sambusas and a sampler that was half meat and half veggie. Everything was delicious and spiced differently-it did not all taste the same. Our injera was very fresh. If we didn't live in California, we would definitely return. If my daughter goes to school there, we will!

Had lunch at The Red Sea while attending a conference at the U of M. Enjoyed the vegetarian buffet with a side order of meat sambusa. Sambusa was very spicy. Normally, I don't enjoy spicy but I ate it all and was completely satisfied I can't say I'm the best authority of Ethiopian food nor do I think I have the right palette to fairly asses the quality, so I can only say I enjoyed the spices, temperature, texture and flavors. I sat at a two top facing the street,. The place was quaint and clean with good light coming in from the windows. The prices were reasonable and the customers varied in ages and cultures. I think the daughter might have been my waitress. She was sweet but the service was very slow.

Remarkably good service and mostly authentic Eritrean/Ethiopian style food, with more accessible options for those unfamiliar; the prices are very reasonable too, even with everywhere else becoming quite exorbitant.

This was my first time trying Ethiopian food-- I was introduced to this restaurant by a friend who spent time in Ethiopia. He highly recommended this restaurant for an authentic experience, and I was not disappointed! I tried the vegetable/meat platter with injera. The vegetable dishes were called Miser, Yabesha Gomen, Ater Kik, and Shiro and the meat dishes were Siga Wat and Yebeg Alicha. The dishes were full of flavor, and the platter was more than enough food for two hungry people. I loved the food and will certainly be back for more!

Very interesting Middle East cuisine. Tasty, complex flavors. Friendly service. Definitely a repeater.

Ordered to go on Grubhub and they were efficient and timely. The food is delicious and the injera is fresh. I got the veggie platter/combo. Excellent choice for authentic Ethiopian food and a great first experience. Looking forward to trying other dishes on the menu.

Definitely one of my top 5 favorite restaurants in the Twin Cities. My go to dish is the Half and Half which includes beef ribs and kitfo. However, I have sampled other dishes and everything is really good and authentic. I have lived in the Horn of Africa so I feel like I am qualified to recommend good Ethiopian restaurants in the area. The manager/owner is one of the most genuine people you will ever meet. He is always cheerful and tends to remember the regulars...ahem...ME! The venue is small and quaint and has a welcoming vibe. The music in the background makes everyone cheerful. In the Summer, outside patio seating is available, as well. Parking is provided in the back for $3. If you provide the voucher, Red Sea will reimburse you by taking it off your bill. Hence, remember to tell the waitress before your bill is provided.

The food is absolutely amazing. My favorite is getting a combo platter with vegetarian and meat dishes. Of what I've had, they are each superb. Make sure you get cabbage. The flavors are beyond description they are so good.

The Best Ethiopian Food I've had My friend and I stopped by Red Sea for dinner on a Saturday night. We ordered the Cedar Special and the Chicken and Tibs. Our server was kind and attentive. She also adjusted our order to make our dishes more spicy. Both entrees came with salad and injera. Everything was flavorful and very delicious! The owner also came over to greet us and introduce himself. He was very nice and even brought us more spicy sauce to give our dish another kick. Definitely try out this awesome restaurant!

Came on the 4th of July after a day on the Wisconsin wine trail. The restaurant was not expecting very much business but it was half full so the employees were dashing around! I had been craving Sambusa. They ran out of the meat option so we tried the vegetarian version. It took 45 minutes to get our order. The table next to us sat down after us and ordered the same thing and they got their sambusa first! I'm thinking they mixed up the orders because we were just staring at the other table wondering where our food was. The sambusa was not as crunchy or flavorful as others I have tried. While we waited for our food and bill, I watched the table in front of me. 3 parties of people came, sat down, waited to be seen, and then left because it took so long. That's a healthy number of customers in a 2 hour window that were not helped. I tried yebeg Tibs (lamb). The meat was delicious but I was not a huge fan of the bread that comes under it. I would rather have rice personally but that's also because that's what I'm used to. If you're wanting Ethiopian or just something different, I would definitely suggest this place. Just be prepared for very slow service and a lot of waiting.

Outstanding, fresh and flavorful! If you like Ethiopian food, a must try. To be honest, we have intentionally not eaten here in years as my husband recalled it being so-so. Tired of the usual suspects we frequent to get our fill, we decided to read more recent reviews of the restaurant and found out that ownership changed hands a few years ago so we decided to give it a try. We tried the half veggie, half meat platter. One of the owners (who took our order) asked our food preferences. Even though the platter usually is served with lamb, he offered to replace that part of the dish with chicken dorowat. And because we told him we like our food spicy, it came out exactly as we like it. Oh my goodness, the flavor a were deep and unique. There was nothing on the platter that we did not thoroughly enjoy. Wow!!!!

Excellent food and service at a great price. The vegetarian platter is delicious and served two easily.

Great food! Great service! There is street parking and a parking lot in the back. If you park in the back and bring your receipt, they will deduct the price of parking from your bill. I had the lamb tips. Delicious!! One of my friends had beef tips. One had the chicken and rice. I will definitely be back.

One of my favorite restaurants in the twin cities by far! The food is ALWAYS flavorful and savory and the service is always friendly and provided with kindness. Titi is always so gracious, kind and attentive and she has a smile that can light up the entire world. I look forward to coming here after a long, hard workout at Los Campeones to feed my body and spirit with authentic food that is satisfying, healthy and tasty. WELL DONE to The Red Sea staff and ownership!!! I salute you!!!

Honestly my worst Restraunt experience ever. There is a first time for everything and today it was a first for Ethiopian Restraunt. I've tried a few dishes here and there when I've been over at Ethiopian peoples home and have generally liked it. It's exotic and a different way of eating. This experience would be an embarrassment for Ethiopian people so I won't bring it up to them especially how unprofessional it was. We come in and all the tables have red cloth tops with grease stains. We find the one with the least grease mess and sit down. Next to us we're some friendly drunk and high people that talked to us but I enjoyed the conversation. The were loud, obnoxious, and clumsy but I honestly don't mind they shared what tribe they were and some politics with a bit of regional history, just some people having fun mid day on a Sunday. The food was good but when I was finishing drinking my coffee I though I felt a raisin in my mouth from the bottom of the coffee. I thought to myself "is this some kind of Ethiopian way of making coffee?" So I pulled it out of my mouth to observe it and good thing I did because it was a FLIPPEN COCKROACH! About an inch long and brown marinated in coffee. Yum yum I guess protein is in everything here. I brought it up on the plate to the back and didn't make a scene to scare buisness away as there were people taking to go orders. I should of taken a picture of it but I was stunned and the server quickly took the plate and apologized many times. That's a good start but she brought the check didn't give us a discount or atleast not charge for the coffee. I told her " you didn't charge the coffee right?" And she said "I did I can't find the manager so..." and I thought I'm not going to argue over $2-3 and we still tipped just because whatever. But screw that place we are not going back everyone else I know in the area will know that they can enjoy the last of our money they will recieve. They obviously can't live without it. This didn't ruin my day but did give me a different experience so I'm greatful for it. Lol honestly it will be something to remember.

A little hole in the wall place, the Red Sea has some good Ethiopian food for the TC area. I tried the Vegetarian Sambusa and a vegetarian dish with cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. My husband tried one of the chicken dishes. If you don't like spicy food, definitely ask what's more on the mild side because some of their dishes are very spicy. The vegetarian dish was well seasoned and served with spongy bread (you don't get silverware unless you ask, otherwise you use the bread to eat the veggies). It was a bit oily for me, but it was good and I ate it all. The Sambusa was spicy and you got a fairly big serving. Portions are a bit on the smaller side so I would get an appetizer for sure. The place seems small, but they took a reservation for our large group of 11 and they fit us in the back. Service was good, although a little bit of confusion with splitting the checks. Definitely more of a divey vibe, but good food. Prices are a bit high for the amount of food you get. Great place to go before catching a show at the theater around the corner.

Do not cater from here. Scant on portions while excessively overpriced and greasy. Ordered food for a company dinner of 40 people and the doro wat had eight pieces of chicken and ten eggs. Yellow lentils maybe served six people. $600 for something that was worth $150, at most. They got the pick-up time wrong so it was far from hot and fresh when picked up; seven-hours too early, to be exact. Also, they forgot the injera and we had to drive back for it.