Cafe Lalibela III

January 27, 2024

   

My last post about Cafe Lalibela, published in 2016, ended with the words: "We really need to go back before 2023 rolls around". Welp. It seems our visits are destined to be rare but they are always relished. This summer we stopped in after dropping some food to COVID-afflicted friends and doing a loop around Footscray Savers.

My past photographs are evidence that the walls have been repainted, but Lalibela maintains the same cosy, family-run atmosphere. We returned to the Beyainetu ($20; up from $14 in 2016 and $12 in 2008) to sample across the vegetarian menu, sopping up misir wot (lentil stew), shiro wot (pea flour stew), yeatakilt (turmeric-stained potato and carrot stew), ater kik wot (split pea stew), and defin misir wot (more lentils) with two huge rounds of injera.

In another blast from the past, Cafe Lalibela was sporting a 'cash only' sign! We and another table were caught short, noticing this only part-way through our meals, but the staff kindly figured out a means of bank transfer. We'll pack our proper wallets next time, whatever year that might be.  

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You can read about one, two of our previous visits to Cafe Lalibela.

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Cafe Lalibela

91 Irving St, Footscray

9687 0300

menu

https://www.lalibela.com.au/

Accessibility: The entry is flat but has a little rail and turn that is probably awkward for prams and wheelchairs to pass. There's a clear path through the middle of the restaurant; furniture is densely spaced sturdy tables and chairs of standard height. We paid at a high counter and didn't visit the toilets.