Marathon Ethopian Restaurant

This is my favorite place to eat in KC. The service and food couldn’t be better. The prices are SUPER cheap, especially for the serving sizes. The décor is simple – it’s definitely a hole-​in-​the-​wall kind of place, but it really is a diamond in the rough. The owner is really sweet and he and his wife always try very hard to please. The tea is magic.. .make sure and try it. I loved the tea so much, that the owner said if I came and worked sometime he’d teach me how to replicate it (it’s totally worth washing some dishes for.) It’s in a rougher area, but it’s safe in the day and parking is never an issue. I can’t tell you how many times a week I crave this place. Make sure you take cash, because they don’t take cards. The first time we went there, we asked if they took cards and the owner told us «no worry,» so we thought that meant they did. When it came time to pay, he told us not to worry about it; we could pay for it next time. He genuinely just wanted us to have a good time and not worry about how to pay. We’ve been back a number of times since, and we always leave a good tip. I haven’t been for the breakfast, but believe me, it’ll happen sooner or later. Marathon blows Blue Nile (where the «spiced» tea is just spiced Lipton) out of the water. No, it’s not in a cute little kitschy area and the prices and décor are not exclusive, but if you want a full tummy and some heartwarming hospitality, this is the place to go. This restaurant is like stepping into a better world with better people and better food. Please go, you’ll not regret it.

The food and the service at Marathon were both stellar. The owner sat down at our table with us, explained the menu, and was really quite delightful. The food (we ordered the vegetarian platter) was great– and incredibly cheap. If I lived in KC, this place would become a weekly staple.

Go to Marathon Ethiopian Restaurant if you like interesting bright spices. Their food is Amazing! The owners are probably the nicest people I have ever met. They greeted me so warmly on my very first visit and explained their menu choices and recommendations. I got the Marathon sampler platter. It was huge and SUPER great! I have been to other Ethiopian restaurants in Kansas city but the food does not hold a candle to Marathon. I will be back… SOON!

This place had just opened and was already adjusting prices, menu, and hours.
They offer huge servings. Great service, which is very rare for Ethiopian restaurants (they are typically slow and don’t come over often). The staff was very friendly. The food was average. I enjoyed the veggie combo much more than the meat combo. We got a huge amount of food for the price. I ate everything in front of me and was nearly sick from eating too much LOL.
They have a pool table which you can play with. It’s hole in the wall sorta place/​dive with very humble setup. Those are the best aren’t they?
I’m sure my wife will get me to try it again as we love Ethiopian. I’ve fallen in love with the Vegetarian dishes over the meat.
CASH ONLY!

In my daily drives around KC, I happened to stumble upon Marathon Ethiopian. I ended up making a sharp U-​ey to see what it was. How could I have missed it before on all my drives up Independence Ave?
Well, there’s a reason. They had just opened that week. I spoke with the owner for a good half hour and he was so excited and passionate about his new business that I promised to come back and try his food.
It was a few weeks but I finally returned. Since we were there on a Saturday, they were out of some stuff. They tend to have more every other day of the week. We ordered the meat combo and the veggie combo to try what they have.
The meat combo was ok… not that great but not bad. We had some chicken dish, maybe doro wat… it was a drumstick in some sauce that was pretty good. The other dish, a beef dish, was a little too watery for us.
The vegetarian combo was out of this world delicious! Everything was super tasty but the lentils and the cabbage were especially phenomenal.
One weird thing, and I’ve found this to be a cultural one in super ethnic restaurants, is that when you ask for water, they give you a bottle of water rather than tap. I think it has more to do with the lack of quality of water in their home countries more than anything else.
Our main complaint was that there was sooooooo much food. I guess not a real complaint. At $ 20, for both combos and a couple sodas, it was truly a bargain. I’d say go as a group of three and just order two dishes. It will fill you up and then some.
The space is nothing to brag about. It’s a real ethnic hole in the wall. A big room with some tables, chairs and oddly enough a pool table.
If you’ve ever been to Blue Nile and really enjoyed it, you should definitely check out Marathon. It’s far more authentic. The injera is made on premises and they even brought in some Ethiopian ladies to cook all the meals, unlike Blue Nile, where the kitchen staff is anything but Ethiopian. A hole in the wall but it’s always a good sign when you see primarily Ethiopians in the place.