Toronto’s Ethiopian community has deep roots. The city is home to what its congregation describes as Canada’s first Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church: Medhane Alem, now known as Keraneyo Medhane Alem, was established on 23 July 1972 at the request of a newly arrived Caribbean community, met first in a basement and then at a church on Avenue Road, bought its first building on Vaughan Road in 1980 and moved to Denison Road East in 1999, according to the church’s own history. The Ethiopian Association in the Greater Toronto Area and Surrounding Regions has served the community from its base on Danforth Avenue since 1981, the association says.
The restaurant scene has changed over the years. In January 2014 Toronto Life reported that Dukem on the Danforth had closed and that Addis Ababa, a fixture on Queen Street West for about 20 years, was struggling (Toronto Life); both are now marked closed in this directory. Long running places remain, including Ethiopian House near Yonge and Wellesley, which describes itself as a long standing Toronto institution, and Lalibela on Bloor Street West.
For a closer look at four of the restaurants below, with what to order and how we checked them, read our guide Ethiopian Restaurants in Toronto: A Local Guide.
This hub covers listings in the City of Toronto. Use it to find Ethiopian restaurants, groceries, churches and community organizations. Phone numbers and opening hours can change, so please check with a business before you visit.
Know a place that deserves to be here, or see a detail that needs fixing? Tell us about it. The directory gets better every time someone in the community adds a business or shares an honest review.
Ethiopian restaurants and cafes in Toronto
- Ethiopian House Restaurant (Irwin Avenue, near Yonge and Wellesley)
- Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant (Bloor Street West)
- Rendez-Vous Ethiopian and Eritrean Restaurant (Danforth Avenue)
- Wazema Ethiopian Restaurant (Danforth Avenue)
Ethiopian groceries and markets in Toronto
- Piassa Ingera (Dundas Street East; injera, spices and coffee, with a small cafe)
Run or shop at another Ethiopian grocery or market in Toronto? Please add it for free.
Churches in Toronto
- Keraneyo Medhane Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (Denison Road East)
Other Ethiopian listings in Toronto
Travel agents, cargo services, salons and other Toronto businesses will appear here as they are added. Add one.
Browse all listings in the directory.
Related guides
- Ethiopian restaurants in Toronto: a local guide
- How to send money to Ethiopia
- Ethiopian businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Ethiopian businesses in London
Own an Ethiopian business in Toronto? List your business on Ethiopialist for free and connect with customers who are already searching. List your business.
Featured image: A platter of meat and vegetable dishes served on injera at NUNU, a restaurant in Toronto, in May 2014. Photo: Tibor Kovacs, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
