Le Nil Bleu on St-Denis Street in Le Plateau is a rare Ethiopian restaurant to offer flavourful, yet exotic meals that patrons keep going back for. The cuisine at Le Nil Bleu is composed of lamb, chicken, beef, seafood and vegetarian dishes. Le Nil bleu also offers combo plates which allow diners to sample several offerings. The exotic decor features art, musical instruments and print fabrics. The environment is intimate and relaxing. We now offer delivery!
Le Nil Bleu is described as an exceptional Ethiopian dining experience in Montreal, with flavorful, authentic dishes that showcase rich spices and generous portions, and a tasting menu that allows guests to explore a wide range of flavors. The atmosphere is warm, elegant, and inviting, with attentive, friendly service that makes guests feel welcome. The vegan options are highly praised, and the presentation and quality of ingredients are frequently highlighted. Occasional feedback mentions slower pacing or busy periods, but the overall experience is considered memorable and well worth a return visit, confirming it as a standout in the city.
Friendly service, nice ambiance & delicious vegan options. I have been several times & usually get the vegan tasting menu, it has 5 different dishes & lots of Ethiopian bread.
My friends & I had a great dinner at Nil Bleu. As it was our first times trying Ethiopian food, the waiters were helpful in telling us about the dishes & portion sizes.
As a group of 4 we got the vegetarian sampler for 2, & then ordered two additional meat dishes off the menu. It was more than enough food for us all as there was even some leftover.
I would highly recommend them for their food, & service. Great flavours to their dishes.
Oct 21, 2023
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I really enjoy this restaurant. The vegan combo plate is simply delicious. They have a great menu offering several speciality Ethiopian dishes. The staff is friendly & welcoming. I definitely recommend this restaurant. My friend & I had a wonderful evening eating delicious food & speaking with the friendly waiters.
We passed in front of this restaurant, countless times, & every time told ourselves that we would one day plan to eat there. Well that they came, & it was our anniversary. We shared the platters & enjoyed all the dishes, the chickpeas were delicious, so where the lentils & the lamb was tasty. The decoration inside is very unique & felt like it transported us to another country. Beware that some of the food is quite spicy & as you can see from the pictures, there is a lot of eating with your hands using the fluffy, rolled up, crêpe that you see in the images.
Food & drinks were excellent! Servers were very nice, but not enough staff, so service was a quite slow. We had the two courses tasting which was a great way to try multiple dishes, & the portions were generous. Would definitely recommend it.
Really nice food (be ready to eat with your hands); priced right. I generally have the sharing platter, & either wine (well-priced) or one of their lovely cocktails (many have a special ingredient) however a nice beer also fits, or some Ethiopian tea. Relaxing atmosphere, & relaxed environment - with attentive service. Some dishes are spicier than others - not a problem for most, however if it is a concern do be sure to inquire.
Brilliant as always. Been there more than a few time over the course of 20 years, & it's consistently amazing.
One of the many gems in the plateau, this place offer a unique experience, gorgeous ambiance & great service.
Their menu offers something for everyone; delicious meat dishes & plenty of vegan/vegetarian options that will please everyone at the table. Can't say enough good things about this place.
Jul 14, 2023
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The service was great as was the food; this was our first experience with Ethiopian cuisine & we very much enjoyed all of the dishes that we tried. I would say that the one drawback is the temperature in the restaurant. It's a hot time of year & we didn't feel any AC or fans while we were there, which made things uncomfortable & less enjoyable.
We certainly enjoyed our meal (see below for details), but we have also had the good luck of being able to enjoy excellent Ethiopian food in various other cities (e.g., Dakar, Washington, DC, Atlanta) & have to say that, while the food at Le nil bleu in Montreal was flavorful, it was bland by comparison. Maybe Le nil bleu thinks that it needs to tone down the flavors (&, especially, the heat) for the local clientele. For anybody who is new to Ethiopian cuisine, Le nil bleu offers a reasonable introduction. For us, not needing any such introduction, eating at Le nil bleu whetted our appetite, leaving us hungry for something more authentic. We wouldn't mind eating at Le nil bleu again, but we'll be checking out its competition first.
We had the vegetarian fixed-price menu for two people. The appetizer platter had three items (rather than four as advertised). Our favorite for the entire meal was the yeberdjane (eggplant puree topped with another puree involving a lot of garlic). The yetimatim (tomato) salad & carmelized vegetables were good, if less impressive. The main platter consisted of gommen (spinach), yekik alicha (split peas), yemesser watt (lentils), zucchini sire (zucchini & – a few - beets), & yatakelt watt (carrots, cabbage, & - a little - potato), with a kale salad in the middle. Of these dishes, we agreed that the gommen was the best, followed by the yekik alicha & yemesser watt. The zucchini, presented as somewhat spicey, tasted a little of curry but was very mild. In fact, none of the dishes were spicey in the sense of being hot. The kale salad felt out of place &, while innocuous, didn't add much. The quantity of food was just right for the two of us. In particular, there was enough injera; we didn't need to ask for any extra rolls.
My daughter had the hibiscus ginger drink. She really enjoyed it, despite the fact that it was unexpectedly fizzy & she doesn't like fizzy drinks in general. The flavor of ginger was somewhat stronger than that of hibiscus. My glass of red wine (Vega Tolosa nature) was fine if unexceptional. I was surprised not to see Ethiopian honey wine on the menu.
We chose to eat on the terrace & thus to enjoy a beautiful summer evening. A bus & a couple of garbage trucks reminded us that we were next to the street, but it was otherwise easy to ignore the street noise, at least on a Saturday evening in late June. On the other hand, our table was somewhat wobbly; looking around us, however, the others seemed more stable. Inside, the restaurant has rather low lighting; this could be an issue for anybody with low vision, especially when going downstairs to use the toilets. I noticed some large paintings or prints with generic African scenes (i.e., not particularly Ethiopian) & the zebra-print upholstered chairs.
Ate here with friends before the tour de nuit. Great fuel for a 22km cycle ride! Never disappoints always yummy & the tasting menu is a great way to sample lots of dishes. Will return
Jun 7, 2022
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first of all, a big thanks to Le Nil Bleu for accommodating a party of 10 with less than 2 hrs notice. food is INCREDIBLE, service is 10/10, fantastic value for the money, even the desserts were amazing. the tasting menu was a fantastic choice, & there is a vegan version available. all dishes are made without nuts, as well. can't say enough good things about Nil Bleu, from really great food to warm, welcoming & attentive staff. 5 stars!
A really wonderful experience! Servers were great at helping us explore the menu - we wound up with two tasting menus for our party of 4 that gave us a great mix of different dishes.
This was my second visit. I love the food here & the atmosphere is cosy. We had the tasting menu—a good selection of delicious dishes. I look forward to my next visit.
Jan 10, 2020
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Quite simply, this restaurant is superb. Having been to Ethiopia itself several times, we can say the food at Le Nil Bleu is as good as - & often better than - the dishes served up in the restaurants of Addis Ababa! The decor of the place is calm & charming, the service impeccable & the ambience just right...above all, the food is exquisite &, for us, it's a must-visit destination each time we visit Montreal. A true gem.
Absolutely amazing! We came here for a bachelorette & our party consisted of both vegans & non-vegans & everybody was blown away by the selection & how good the food was.
Highly recommend the tasting menu (both vegan & regular). Incredibly selection of dishes on both & they have a nice balance of protein & vegetables.
Live the Nil Bleu! Lots of flavours & soooo delicious! My favourite dishes are Tatare with 28 spices & the Beef cooked with onions & spices, woww! Highly recommend
Food & service was amazing! I came here for my birthday with two friends. Damien, our server, was awesome! He explains some of the dishes, told us about the Afro-Jazz nights on Fridays. Best service I've ever had! The restaurant is nicely decorated & clean. Highly recommended!!
