Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant

I have only eaten in once. The place has recently tripled in size. The original place use to have about five tables. Usually I order take out. The food is really good (like someone’s mother OR father made it). It never fails to be tasty and hot. My complaint are more annoyances, first is that they run out of some items often. It is literally a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance they will have it. Second, the wait time is alway 20 minutes when I call, but the food isn’t alway ready in 20 minutes when I show up to pick up the food. Sometimes it’s 10 :) and other times it’s 60 :(But the food is always good. So, I will keep ordering from here. Yum!

Hidden gem of an Ethiopian restaurant. Order the house beer, it’s very similar to red stripe but so much crisper. We ordered the appetizer samosas (delicious!), green lintels with red onion and green jalapeño (so unique and fresh tasting!) and a mix of vegetable and meat sampler served on the famous gluten free root bread. It takes a little getting used to eating everything with your hands, but it’s worth it to get a little messy. Interesting flavors and textures and you can really taste the effort the cooks put into the food. It’s never too crowded for a table for four.

Oh man! After spending mucho time at various other Ethiopian eateries, the sweetie and I finally decided to check out Abyssinia. And if its not obvious, I’m sure glad we did!
After an afternoon in Harlem (Maysles, Studio Museum) a brother was hungry. As a long night lay ahead, something filling was in the calling, and Abyssinia did not disappoint. I had the veggie combo, while the wife had the 2^nd lamb option. Now as a veggie, one of the only things I miss is lamb, so when her order arrived I admit I was jealous, the spices wafting my way (damn fans! — LOL) and the gravy just glistening in my face. Thankfully, my veggie combo was SO GOOD that the lamb became a distant memory. The gomen was solid and not too cooked down, exactly how I like my greens, and the tikil gomen (cabbage, potatoes, carrots) was the best I’ve ever had. The sauce for the string beans was also winning!
Everything was so good!
I have to say that the honey wine was a bit too sweet though. But that’s my only real complaint, and minor at that. I dig the other Ethiopian spots, but this may be my new go to. If it becomes so, expect to see another star.

If you don’t like soggy or damp bread – dont get the yatimatim fitfit. The flavor was phenomenal but I couldn’t get over the injera that was soaked with soggy tomatoes and jalapeños. Blech. We got the vegetable samosas which were okay. The lentils in them had a bitter aftertaste so I wasn’t a huge fan. My date loved the sauce, kind of like a Harissa sauce, that came with if. I thought the sauce was meh. We then ordered the vegetable combo which is def more than enough food for two people. The beets were great and two other items. However, the cabbage & potatoes weren’t that greats and were a bit greasy. Overall, all of the food could’ve been more flavorful. I tried the honey wine but it was to sweet for me. It’d make a great dessert wine but I could never start off my meal with it. Ended up getting the cab which was probably like Yellowtail or Barefeet cab. Didn’t care – it was 6bucks. The service was phenomenal. Sweet server. Knowledgeable. Food came out quickly.

I would give a 5 star if they had gluten free injera. I was told that I had to order gluten free injera 3 days in advance so they can prepare it. Everything else was delicious and fresh and juicy. I eat here whenever I am in the neighborhood and need to get lunch or dinner.

I don’t go out to eat for service — I go for good food and a nice time.
My boyfriend and I are big fans of Ethiopian food and have been wanting to try Abyssinia for a long time. Unfortunately, I would say that our entire experience was ruined by truly bad and neglectful service.
We placed our orders when we arrived, received two glasses of water and two sodas, and then were never checked on again… for two hours. We watched as other customers came in, had their orders taken, and received for their food. When I tried to get the attention of the waitresses walking by to ask what was going on, I was ignored and not one person came to see if they could refill our empty glasses or let us know why it was taking 2 hours to receive our food.
If there was an issue in the kitchen, or something happened with the food, it’s important to communicate that with the customer so they don’t feel that they have just been forgotten.
It was also notable that at the end of the meal, we were handed the check and the waitress stood there next to the table and waited while I got my wallet out to pay and waited for me to give her my card for the bill. I found this to be insulting. No one would refill my glass of water or ask if they could get me anything during my meal but then they hover over your table waiting for your credit card.
If we had experienced standard dining service, I would have given this review 4 out of 5 stars, because the food actually was very good. But I can’t ignore the terrible experience that we had. We will certainly not be returning to this establishment.

Food is amazing… If you get what you ordered after the 3^rd time. I typically have low service expectations a Ethiopian restaurants and chalk it up to culture. However, it was almost a comedy of errors of how bad our service was here. They literally messed up Every possible order. I am vegetarian. We ordered veg combo and veg appetizer. I took one bite of appetizer and realized it was meat, brought it back– to which they told insisted i Ordered– to which I insisted I did not– bc I havent eaten meat in 9 years. Reordered entire menu again. 2 red wines. We received one white wine and one red. Next, never received our veg appetizer. Veg combo finally came after 40 min– was amazeballs! Yes– food here is good. But Finally when check came, we were charged for meat combo, meat appetizer and two wines. Took it back. Received next bill that included the appetizer we never we received. So finally after the 3^rd time we gotThe right Check. Maybe an off night? Or time ?
Food is good, but Im not sure this place is worth it– unless you need a lesson on patience and letting go of expectations. Namaste.

Beautiful service and wonderful food!
We chose the meat combo and one of the lamb options. $ 42 all together but we tipped well so it came out to around $ 50 all together.
Nice clean atmosphere! Lighting and mood was just so nice.
Will come again!

I enjoyed the food here but it was definitely overpriced. $ 5 for a bowl of white rice on the side? Not cool. Also, please let us know in advance if something we order is so pricey but we didn’t see it on the menu. Lipton tea is not authentic and I could have really gone for some special spiced tea so I would opt for water here. Good vegan options and the food was good.

Pretty good Ethiopian food. We got the Meat and Veggie sampler to share for two and it was way more food than we expected especially with all the bread on the side. I do feel that because we ordered the entrees on a shared plate we may have gotten less and more repetitive veggies so next time I will prob ask for separate plates.
The honey wine was very sweet but still delicious. I could not have more than one glass — too sweet for my taste but for people who loooove sweet wines, the honey wine is a must!

I could go on and on about how great Abyssinia is and still not do it justice. Abyssinia is located in central-​ish Harlem across Frederick Douglass Park and is one of my favorite Ethiopian spots in NYC. It may very well be my #1, as a matter of fact. Actually yes, definitely my #1. I love you, Abyssinia.
What’s great about it? Well, once you get past the 15 – 18 $ platters good enough for 2 hungry people (or 3 regular people), the great personal customer service, servers that remember their customers and greet them personally as they walk in there’s still the seriously delicious food to get into.
Get the yetamatim fitfit, which is a pretty common appetizer dish consisting of chopped injera (who doesn’t love injera? Injera for president!) with fresh jalapenos, tomatoes, onion and tossed with olive oil and lemon juice. You haven’t had an appetizer until you have had this.
Next, grab the vegetarian Abyssinia combo platter which has 5 – 6 delicious mounds of awesomeness spread out on a large injera, served with extra injera on the side at no extra cost (they will bring you more for free too if you ask). Can you tell I love injera*? It runs about 18 $ and serves 2 – 3 people easily, especially with an appetizer.
My favorites on here are the sauce they put in the middle, the lentils and the beets. My god… Those beets tho… I have dreams of using their fresh injera to scoop up marinated beets, collard greens and lentil then dipping it in the sauce. Sweet, delicious, sensual dreams the kind with Manilow playing in the background and everything moves in slow-​motion.
*On your way out, be sure to grab some injera for your home cooking since it goes well with pretty much everything. They sell 10 full sized injera for 10 $ (cash only, though you can pay your food bill with card).
PS — Very vegan friendly!

Ethiopian food at its best, served with courtesy — and a smile.
Feel free to eat with your hands, and savour a real piece of Africa right here in Harlem.
I would definitely go there again.

Delicious Ethiopian food that’s not processed within an inch of its life. I never did get why Ethiopian restaurants process the food so it’s like mush. Don’t get me wrong I love the stuff but just never got why. This place doesn’t do that. Cabbage was cabbage, beets were beets and greens were greens. The chickpea sauce type thing in the middle was also delicious! It’s not a strictly vegan restaurant although I only ordered vegan. They have beef and lamb dishes as well. Also if you want gluten-​free injera you can have it but you must call them 24 hours in advance and let them know; in that case, the injera is made with pure Teff flour. (FYI, not gluten free here but the teff only injera is tastier.)

My first time here, and having ethiopian food, was with Mel C and my boo. I absolutely love the Absssinia veggie combo platter, which is more than enough for two people. It’s the perfect meal and healthy too. I particularly loved the beets with lentils. And the Yetimatim Fitfit, an appetizer, is too die for! Combined with injera, fresh tomatoes, onions, lemon & oil… it is the perfect way to start your meal. Service has always been consistent, friendly too. I am so elated to have one of the best vegan meals in our neighborhood: P

Ein kulinarisches Erlebnis. Für alle, die mal was Besonderes suchen.

Great Ethiopian place in Harlem. The service was a little iffy but the food was great. We started with the tasty vegetable sambusas — very similar to Indian samosas — and I partook in a veggie platter and a meat platter. One is great to share between two people, btw. The ambience is nothing to write home about, but the staff is friendly and the food is good and that’s all I need!

This place is ridiculously overpriced for the quality of food. Their injera is mixed with wheat flour, so I asked the server if I could rice instead. I was charged $ 5 for a lame bowl of white rice. In addition, the spiced tea is just lipton with spices — not authentic at all. Given the options in the area, they have a few good vegan options. The lentil salad on the appetizer menu was very tasty.

This was surely a great find! It’s been years since I last had Ethiopian food, and I was excited to find one so close to me. I went Saturday night and they were packed. No wait, as there were a few open tables. I split the veggie combo and veggie sambuca with my boyfriend. Everything was fantastic! Huge portions, great service, and nice ambiance.
The staff here is very polite and professional, it really stood out as a highlight. Highly recommend coming here!

Simply put, the best Ethiopian restaurant in NY. Not only the food is amazing but the staff is super friendly.
Everything is great, but I specially recommend the sambusas, the shiro wat, veggie combo, the lamb and the chicken.

Definitely disappointed with the food. I am Ethiopian so my bar is a bit high for Ethiopian restaurants. I will start with the positives. The wait staff were really friendly and they even let me substitute one of the veggies in the combo (most ET restaurants have a firm rule against substitutions). I really wanted to like this place! But, in all honesty, the food was very mediocre. Not at all worth $ 17 for a veggie combo. I was surprised that the combo didnt come with salad — pretty standard for a veggie combo. I was told that it was an extra $ 6. For some, $ 25 will not seem like too much to spend for dinner, but for a veggie combo at an ET restaurant — that is crazy! If I was in DC, $ 25 would get me a meat combo, veggie combo, coffee and dessert! Aesthetically, I was even more unimpressed. Guess I will continue on my quest to find a good ET restaurant in nyc.

The food at Abyssinia is fantastic. I’ve been several times, and the veggie combo never let me down. I always felt that the owner went out of his way to ensure that diners felt taken care of and comfortable. However, the owner’s actions on my most recent visit were appalling.
I brought my cousin and her husband, who is blind and has a service dog. Though there was a 4-​top available and we were more than willing to wait, the owner refused to seat us, claiming that there was «no space» and we simply had to leave. We explained that dog is exceedingly well-​behaved, and trained to fit into small spaces (like the foot space under a car seat), and also that it is against city and state nondiscrimination laws and the ADA to refuse to allow us in due to the service dog. He insisted that we could not be served.
It breaks my heart that what used to be my favorite restaurant in Harlem would so shamelessly discriminate against a person with a disability.