Hawwi Ethiopian Cafe & Restaurant

Food was good, didn’t feel any special flavored. They are missing drinks in the menu which is sad. But for first time Ethiopian food — the experience was good.

I really want to like this place buuuutttttt… sorry!
I ordered the fish goulash and just wan any feeling the flavors. The cabbage was sweet and I’m not a fan of sweet cabbage.
But my salad was good. My lentil sambousas were ok… nothing I’d wasn’t to go back to…
Shagga is by far the best Ethiopian food I’ve head… unless of course I’m eating at my hunnies mom’s house!

Had this for a family dinner. On the plus side for those who have religious restrictions, it is halal. I like the fresh injera. But other than that I thought the food (especially the veggie options) was a bit bland compared to other Ethiopian cuisine I had had. Also the beef and lamb tibs were a bit tough as though they used a tough part of the meat that was meant for making stew. Would probably not come back unless I was nearby and really craving Ethiopian. However, I would come back to buy the fresh made injera.

Went there for late lunch. The server has good knowledge on the ingredients of food. Nothing very special about this place but definitely one of the few good Ethiopian places to visit

Hawwi restaurant was the perfect venue for my son’s graduation party. The food was excellent and the service was exceptional.
The owner and her family were most accommodating by creating an experience for our guests. The menu was personalized as my son is a vegan but there were many chicken and beef options available on the buffet. Most of the guests had never eaten Ethiopian food before but they were pleasantly surprised by the wonderful flavors and amazing variety. We were allowed to bring in our own vegan cake at no additional fee.
The restaurant had the perfect ambiance for our guests to enjoy the fantastic food and each other’s company. I highly recommend Hawwi restaurant for your private event.

So good!!! Came and ordered the vegan sampler and it was amAZING and just awesome in general that they had such an array of vegan foods. The service was exemplary. Everything was brought out in appropriate time and also at the end of our meal our waiter asked us which two of all the foods were our favorites, then brought us out brand new portions of those. Very nice and price is reasonable! Definitely recommend.

Love Ethiopian so I was very happy to see they were open for lunch when I was in town for the day.
Wouldn’t say its the best I’ve had, not by a long shot. But the flavors were there and it scratched the itch.

Came here on a Weds night for wife’s birthday, based upon Unilocal reviews and her desire for Ethiopian food for dinner.
Lovely owner/​staff and fresh food that is not over-​seasoned but stands on its own flavors. Saw some reviews that portions were too small, but 3 combo orders (including Vegan mix) was enough to fill 3 adults and 2 growing kids.
Great spot, and will definitely be back again.

A friend and I decided to meet here for dinner the other night after seeing several great reviews. I was expecting it to be a bit busier since it was 7:30 on a Saturday night, but there were only two other tables occupied when we arrived. The ambiance was laid back –it kind of reminded me of a deli (this isn’t necessarily a bad thing). Extremely friendly staff and SUPER QUICK SERVICE. We were given a pitcher of water (brownie points!) and I ordered a cup of coffee (strong, but delicious) while we decided on what to eat. We ended up splitting the Super Combo. I was expecting much more food than what actually came out, considering the dish was roughly $ 20. Aside from the (almost comically) small portions, everything was tasty. Assuming we just happened to show up on an «off» night, I would be wiling to give this place another shot.
Pros: plenty of street parking, super friendly and attentive staff, quickest service ever, clean/​secure bathroom, cool Ethiopian music videos on big screen TV, and our very own pitcher of water
Cons: very small portions (compared to other Ethiopian restaurants in the metro area)

We came here and it was a little difficult to find. It’s a ways off the main street in old town. We ordered the Lamb tips #3 with inerja which is a sponge like tortilla shell. The texture is interesting. The lamb tips came out Luke warm and chewy but the flavor was all there. It includes lentils and potatoes. I requested for the spicy ginger sauce which helped combine the different flavors.
We also ordered the Meat samosa which was my favorite at this restaurant. Warm… Crispy… Flavorful … I’ll be back again for you

This was my first time eating Ethiopian food. I visted HAWWI with a friend that had eaten Ethiopian food while living abroad. I am always open to broadening my palette. We looked on Unilocal and search for Ethiopian food with high ratings. We saw HAWWI, with impressively high ratings of 4.5 out of 5.
We had the Combo 2: Doro Wot, Beef Alicia, Key Wot, served with yellow split pea; cabbage & red potatoes with Injera. The split pea and cabbage & red potatoes were our vegetarian options. Our food arrived quickly and the aromas of the different spices and herbs was extremely pleasant. Kell said that the food at HAWWI was comparably delicious to what she experience while living abroad.
My experience here will undoubtedly be the gold standard for Ethiopian food in the future. To make a long story short, the food at HAWWI was absolutely Delicious and I recommend you try it.

My first experience here was so good that I was back within a week for lunch with co-​workers.
Very friendly staff, amazing food and the rice pudding is to die for. All in all a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to go back again.

The service was awesome! The people are so friendly and helped us order dishes to accommodate our tastes. It was our first time trying Ethiopian cuisine and we loved it. We had the super combo and the beef tibs with rice. The injera was such a unique experience. I’ve honestly never had anything similar — it’s a sour crêpe-​like «bread» that is spongy and it was served chilled. My partner is a picky eater and he raved about the food. We left with maybe half the food leftover and were stuffed. The beef tibs were delicious, but I did manage to have a few pieces with gristle which was unappetizing. The potato and cabbage was my favorite though I do wish everything was a bit spicier. Even the chili sauce wasn’t enough heat for me. Maybe it’s a personal thing but I had heard Ethiopian food was pretty spicy. Overall, a great experience and we’d come back again.

Love it when local businesses are doing their thing and doing it well… and willing to change it up when they feel that they need to do so. This place is considered a hidden gem. If you aren’t able to get into the city to eat at other Ethiopian restaurants, this OT VA café is very good! It’s a few blocks away from King Street situated in a neighborhood with a church, school, and barbershop nearby.
With each visit, the owners (family owned) have taken the time to get feedback from customers to make it better. For example, they have re-​painted recently each wall with local scenes from the home country. Also, they have modified the menu list to cater to customers’ palates. Other minor changes have been done (such as added blinds and colorful tablecloth).
Ate here a handful of times and each visit has been great. The owners/​managers make certain that you are taken care of and want you to have a great experience while you are here. The staff have been very helpful in meandering through the menu list.
The food is very good. Haven’t received a bad meal yet. Fresh. Generous. The right amount of spicy (just alert them about your taste buds). For folks who aren’t fans of injera bread (spongy texture), which is usually served at all Ethiopian restaurants, this place offers rice as an option. If you ask, they will allow you to have both with your dish (es). They offer a veggie combo sampler as well as a couple other meal sampler if you’re new to Ethiopian cuisine or if you can’t decide what to try for your meal. I’ve tried both combo meal sampler 1 and 2, and both combo meals are very satisfying.
Don’t forget to try their desserts, one of the owners makes them from scratch and you can tell she’s very proud of the work made with these sweets.
You wanna try something different from the usual OT King Street area, get out of your comfort zone and try this place.
Looking forward to each future visit and willing to try each item.

Ethiopian food always sounded kind of sensual to me. Unknown spices. Exotic stews and stuff. Tearing off a piece of flatbread to sop up the wonderfulness and leaning forward to eat it like a drippy taco. Hawwi was my first experience with it. I was disappointed but undaunted. I’ll try Ethiopian again, just probably not at Hawwi.
Charming owner and homey service — my favorite kind of start. We ordered a sampler of two meat dishes and three veg. The injera was big, spongy and warm. But no juices of any kind, and certainly no exotic spices. The meat dishes all tasted the same to me. A beef stew in particular (it said stew on the menu) reminded me of dry sloppy joes. Even the lentils were dry. I tasted some tomato and a mild chili, and they all had a the tang of a bottled barbecue sauce. The ginger tea tasted like booming hot horseradish, which is exactly what it is supposed to taste like. A few sips and I knew I wasn’t going finish it. Not my cup of tea, so to speak. Since we went in the early evening everything should have been freshly made, and it may well have been, but apart from the service this particular restaurant experience was disappointing. It may have been the choice of restaurant or a good restaurant on an off night, but it was poor enough that instead of going back I’ll try a different place altogether. Very nice owner, though, and I wish I could have written a more positive review, but the food is what matters and it wasn’t good enough to take me there. Three stars.

Nice little eatery in Alexandria. The injera was delicious. It had that tang from being properly fermented (think sourdough, but milder) and was perfectly spongy and suited to scooping and absorbing the deliciousness that they scooped on top.
None of my choices were spicy, but the sambusa damn near burned my tongue off. The spice level consistency was a little off, which is why I can’t do 5 star, but the flavor was on point.
The employees (Owners?) Were very friendly, but it interior felt sparse and incomplete. Too much open space. I think it could benefit from some room dividers separating the coffee ritual area from the rest.

This is one of my favorite hidden spots in Old Town. Just off King and Henry, this little neighborhood Ethiopian café is nestled between a church and rowhouses and serves up some incredibly fresh, delicious, and generous portions of Ethiopian food.
I’ve come here solo, in a group, and as a couple and have never been let down. Their Lamb (dry fried with jalapenos and onions) is one of my favorite dishes hands down, and with the vegan sampler as a side– makes for a perfect 2 person meal, for just over $ 30 with tip.
The service is super friendly, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE their spicy green sauce.
While no beer or wine is served, you can byob. However, keep in mind this is a family friendly, low-​key joint.
LOVE this place!

Playing a gig on King St., was looking for something not to pricy and different. Hawwi Ethiopian Café & Restaurant fit the bill.
It’s been years since I’d eaten Ethiopian cuisine so I was happy to see that the menu had clear descriptions of the dishes; everything looked great.
I opted for a combo plate featuring a variety of dishes, it came served on traditional bread (which reminded me of a thick crêpe) which I remembered as an important part of the eating process. The bread is used to pick up bits of food, sop up sauce and so eating with the fingers is part of the tradition.
The portions seem small, but there were six piles arranged on the plate, and was more then enough food. Every dish was delicious.
My band mate (a picky eater) was sceptical at first (eating with fingers, really?) but was pleasantly surprised.
Simple décor, simple setting, a motherly matron who served us made us feel special. And the coffee at the end was splendid.
A solid four star experience, I’ll give them five for the extra little love and care that came with the meal and look forward to eating there again.

I was planning an Old Town brunch for friends. One of them is vegan, which posed quite the challenge: are there any traditional brunch items that are vegan? Not pancakes. Not eggs benedict. Not lox and bagels. Not chicken and waffles. Certainly not bacon. (Mmm, bacon.)
I didn’t want to banish him to boring-​salad hell. Unilocal helpfully pointed me in the direction of Hawwi Café, and brunch was a success! There was something interesting for everybody: my vegan friend, my vegetarian friend, my friend who only eats chicken, and cheerfully carnivorous me.
I got the lamb tibs, which were mouthwatering. The spongy injera soaked up the juices, and everything was perfectly seasoned. 24 hours later and I can’t stop thinking about it, so I’m waxing poetic about it on Unilocal instead.
And if delicious, juicy meat weren’t enough of a selling point, the folks running this place are SO DARN NICE, too. Incredibly accommodating and easygoing.
Given that I’m trying to spend less money on restaurants in general, it is incredibly dangerous for me to live walking distance from this place. (Edit: And they have free wi-​fi too? I’m in heaven/​trouble.)
Mmm, tibs.

We stumbled upon this gem after volunteering at out local cat shelter, King Street Cats. We were famished after hours of helping cute cats get adopted and Unilocaled for a nearby and new-​to-​us place. This Ethiopian café popped up and I’m so happy that we didn’t let the décor (inside and out) deter us.
The staff is incredibly nice and we always get the same thing: meat combo platter. The meat is succulent and not chewy at all. The flavors are spot on and you can make it spicier by grabbing some of the fresh chopped jalapeño with each bite. I’ve had better cabbage and greens at Zenibach, but the meat here is much better in flavor and texture. We get the goat, lamb, and beef, though we’ve also had the chicken. The lentils and split peas go well with the meats.
The price at this place can not be beat. We’ve been to Dama which was nicer inside but twice the price for only one meat option. For barely double digits, we always leave stuffed and satisfied. In fact, we can’t finish the platter 100%! There are always those one or two sauce soaked enjera bites that we just don’t have room for, and sadly, go to waste.