Addis Ababa Ethiopian Cafe

We were fans of the original Addis Ababa on W 39^th street and were sad to see it go. We quickly became fans of Blue Nile (BN), but I have a few problems with it: 1) 99% of the time, the service is poor and sloooow, 2) for a cuisine that you eat with your hands, using public restrooms at the city market is just not appealing.
We were excited to try the new Addis Ababa (which is run by the same owners as the old one). The location (downtown loop) is convenient for business folks in that area, but decidedly inconvenient for people who drive there to eat… limited parking. In the restaurant, you get a nice view of the green spaces & fountains in front of city hall/​courthouse. There were odd tiki huts inside, but places that allowed for family style eating. Service was pretty attentive, but there were some communication troubles due to language issues.
The food is very comparable to that of BN. I liked some dishes better here, but liked others at BN. The goods: Beef (Watt & tibbs), mustard greens, red lentils (different flavor than BN), green beans, slightly lower prices than BN. The not so good: yellow lentils undercooked, not sure if you’re able to select sides, out of chicken. I’ve never been happy with the beef dishes at BN. The beef is overcooked, chewy, and the sauces seem more butter than herbs. At Addis Ababa, the beef was tender and the sauce was creamy with herbs & butter… not just butter. Mmmm!
In short, it is good and worth trying… but kind of inconvenient if not in the area.

The original location of Addis Ababa Ethiopian Café on 39^th Street was my first experience with Ethiopian cuisine. Since my first taste of it back in 2005, I have made a point to seek it out in various cities — Orlando, Little Ethiopia in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Tampa, etc. None of them have held a place in my heart as my first love of Addis Ababa Ethiopian Café. I was sad to see it close several years ago but am extremely happy that it is has been re-​opened in the Power & Light District about 3 weeks ago.
I miss their warm ethnic décor from the 39^th Street location but I suppose they have to cater to the downtown crowd as well. The waiter was extremely friendly. One of the friendliest I’ve had in the city. The prices at Addis Ababa are also extremely reasonable and they do not charge a sharing cost unlike another Ethiopian restaurant in town.
My fiancée and I ordered the vegetarian combo for one which included all 7 veggie items for only $ 12.95. They also offer combo platters for two, but the platter for one is definitely more than enough for two people. We also got the iced spiced tea (includes free refills) and guava juice. Our favorites were all the lentil dishes, stewed cabbage with potatoes, and the green beans. The injera (a yeast-​risen bread traditionally made of teff flour) was incredibly spongy, soft, and fresh. Definitely some of the best injera I’ve ever had.
If you’ve never had Ethiopian food before, here are some tips:
— Wash your hands before you eat!
— Tear off a piece of the injera, and use it to grab the various stews. No silverware is traditionally used.
— Addis Ababa serves each dish in individual bowls unlike other Ethiopian restaurants I’ve been to. You can spoon it onto the injera or just onto the plate to make it easier to grab.
— Injera has a sour taste that some people can’t get over and the food is typically spiced with berbere. It is very flavorful but not hot.
— Wash your hands after you’re done eating!

Every week for the past few months, I walk my dog past this place and every week, they’re still not open. They looked nearly complete in late November so I figured by late December they’d be open. Nope. Addis Ababa finally opened in mid-​March. It took such a long time for them to open that my hopes for their food reached angelic aspirations.
The husband and I decided to do a lunch date at this place. His first question? «Are you sure they’re open yet»? Well, they were open. We walk in and the place looks kind of nice. Definitely the best ambiance of any Ethiopian restaurant in this city (there are four that I know of). There are a bunch of round tables which is ideal if you have an injera lying flat with all the dishes on it. Off to the left is an area that looks like a tiki hut. I’m not quite sure how the tiki theme fits into this place but maybe I’m missing something. Inside the tiki hut is a traditional food stand (I forget what you call it but I’d recommend that spot) along with stools all around. The idea is that people sit on the stools, drink tea and grab portions of food off the stand.
Anyway, we ended up ordering the lunch special, which was vegetarian items one through five (yellow lentils, cabbage, collard greens and two more) along with yegga tibs (beef cubes). At $ 7.95, it was a pretty good deal for the amount of food. That being said, I really, really wanted to love their food especially after waiting for so long. I didn’t.
Not that it was bad. Just average. The injera was off slightly. It had a stale taste to it. The dishes, while fine, did not make me lust for more. My favorite was the yellow lentils. It had a good spice going to it. But even this dish was only four stars. I would go back there because it’s pretty close to the abode but I don’t know if I’d ever drive out of my way to come to this place again.
Speaking of driving, I don’t know what their parking situation is. It’s located across from the government district so street day parking is non-​existent.
The service was good. In fact, some of the best I’ve ever had at an Ethiopian restaurant, which seems to hire snails as staff (sooooo slow). We were in and out in under an hour.
I’m really hoping that this is growing pains or just their lunch special because they just opened and are still slow. I will be back to try their kitfo, the standard by which I measure all Ethernopian restaurants.