St. Paul carries its own Ethiopian table, separate from the Somali and Oromo corridors across the river, and these five rooms cover the range from catering counters to sports bar late nights. Doro wat and misir wat anchor every menu here, but the rooms around them differ sharply in pace and purpose.
№ 01
Bole Ethiopian Cuisine
St. Paul $$
1341 Pascal St, Saint Paul, MN 55108 · +16513302492
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Liga tubs and miser wot lead a menu built for large orders and dietary flexibility, and Bole treats catering as a core strength rather than a side business. Portions run generous and prices stay reasonable, which matters for groups placing bigger orders. The doro wat holds its own too. Bole works equally well for a sit-down plate or a full spread dropped off for a crowd.
What to orderliga tubs, miser wot, doro wat
№ 02
Erta Ale Ethiopian
St. Paul $$
308 E Prince St, Ste 140, Saint Paul, MN 55101 · +16517288182
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Doro wat and misir wat arrive on injera in a dining room built for slowing down, which makes Erta Ale a genuine date night option rather than a quick-plate stop. The pace suits couples and anyone looking to sit for a while. It sits close enough to downtown St. Paul to work as a stop before or after events without feeling like a detour.
What to orderdoro wat, misir wat, injera
№ 03
Agelgil Ethiopian Restaurant
St. Paul
2585 7th St W, Saint Paul, MN 55116 · +16513403291
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Doro Wot and Doro Firfir come out fresh and heavily seasoned, and the room around them runs warm and social, the kind of place that fills with regulars rather than passersby. Group tables are common here. It is a St. Paul restaurant, not a Minneapolis one, and it holds its own in a metro with a deep Ethiopian and Oromo lane.
What to orderDoro Wot, Doro Firfir, Injera
№ 04
Dilla Sports Bar and Ethiopian Restaurant
St. Paul
1625 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55104 · +16514939083
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Doro wat and misir wat on injera share the menu with a full sports bar setup, and Dilla stays open later than most Ethiopian rooms in the metro, which makes it the pick after a night out rather than a sit-down dinner plan. Lunch service runs quiet and unhurried. The combination of late hours and Ethiopian cooking is not common in St. Paul.
What to orderdoro wat, injera, misir wat
№ 05
Demera
St. Paul $$
823 W University Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55104 · +16512246224
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Kik alicha stands out on a vegetarian sampler that reviewers single out as some of the best in the metro, alongside doro wat and misir wat on the standard plate. Demera positions itself for occasions, anniversaries and family dinners rather than quick weeknight stops, and its spot near Como Park makes it a natural pairing with a zoo visit or a walk through the neighborhood.
What to orderkik alicha, doro wat, misir wat
Frequently asked
What is the best Ethiopian restaurant near me in St. Paul?
It depends on the neighborhood and the occasion. Demera and Erta Ale suit a sit-down dinner or a special occasion, Bole handles catering and larger orders, Agelgil leans into a social, group-friendly room, and Dilla is the option if you need late-night hours. Check each listing's Insider Score and location against where you are starting from.
Are these restaurants ranked by paid placement?
No restaurant pays to appear in this guide. Each listing carries an Insider Score built from the public review record, and that score, along with cuisine and price, is what determines placement here.
Which of these restaurants is best for a group or family dinner?
Bole and Agelgil both handle groups well, with Bole built around catering and larger orders and Agelgil known for a social dining room that regularly seats bigger tables. Demera also works for family occasions given its calmer, sit-down pace.
Is there a St. Paul Ethiopian restaurant open late?
Dilla Sports Bar and Ethiopian Restaurant is the one built for it, pairing standard Ethiopian dishes like doro wat and misir wat with a sports bar setup and later hours than the others on this list.
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The data first, then the verdict
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Hodan Abdi
Staff Writer · Top of Minneapolis
Hodan Abdi is a Staff Writer at Top of Minneapolis. Raised in Cedar-Riverside two floors above the Somali mall her aunt worked in, she now lives in Eagan and covers the whole metro ring. She writes the guides, sweeps the suburbs, and covers the Somali and East African tables as the beat she knows best.
