Awash Ethiopian Restaurant

Unfortunately this location is no longer opened.

Good food and a nice place. Unlike other reviewers I found the service pretty attentive. Perhaps that’s because we were there on a Monday night and it wasn’t very busy.
So why only three stars? Partially price (a little cheaper and I’d be much more inclined to go back) and partially because they add wheat to their injera. I know that’s somewhat common in the US (is it becoming common in Ethiopia, too?), but it’s still disappointing.

Not a big fan of this place.
The Service was SO SLOW! We came in at 8pm. The place was super packed but luckily found a table by the door. For a table of 3 we received 2 menus, had to flag down the waitress to place an order after waiting for 30 mins. Didn’t order appetizer. just wanted to get one Veggie Platter and the Meat Combo for two to share. It took them 1 hour plus to get the food out!!! We had to ask the waitress for water, they didn’t even ask if we wanted any soda or wine. 2 waitresses running like headless chickens the entire time. Don’t come here if you want any kind of service!
The food was okay but I don’t think will crave it much. Pretty Forgettable! I probably won’t return.
Its an intriguing cuisine will try another place in the future and hope for a better experience.

Solid Ethiopian food.
The service is great. Love the traditional tea. The food isn’t too spicy and it’s always fun to eat with your hands.

I came here for a late birthday dinner with 8 of my friends. The ambience was good. The place was small and cozy.
None of us had ever had Ethiopian food before so we didn’t really know what to expect.
The food was OK. No one really enjoyed the injera. I guess it’s an acquired taste.
Overall, the place is actually really cheap and is good for sharing. We couldn’t even finish all the food. Sadly, I won’t be coming back here since I don’t think Ethiopian is my thing.

When my friend suggested Ethiopian food for dinner, I was totally intrigued. How have I never had it before? Quick check on Unilocal showed a few spots right in my neighborhood too. Sweet.
Our first choice had been Meskel but they were closed when we showed up so we walked over to Awash. The restaurant is fairly small and cozy, with not much going on in terms of décor.
We decided to try some honey wine, the veggie sumbasas as a starter and split the meat combo for the main.
The honey wine (I got the blackberry) was very sweet, doh. I normally love sweet wines but this was more of a dessert wine. The sumbasas were excellent. So crisp and flaky with a generously filled center of flavorful veggies. It came with some spicy sauce that I happily double dipped in.
The meat combo (beef, lamb, chicken) had some hit and misses. I enjoyed the flavors for the most part but the meat itself was very dry, for all of them. I much preferred the veggies on the plate, especially the lentils. The injera bread was also.interesting. Spongey, moist and sour. Not sure if I’m a fan.
My friend mentioned that he has had better Ethiopian food so I’m def. down to give it another shot. Will prob stick to a veggie platter though!

I really enjoyed my meal and the low-​key atmosphere at Awash. We split the combination patter with awash chicken, lamb, lentils, chickpeas, and more lentils. The bread has a delicious, complex sourdough flavor. It is airy, but has enough weight to pick up the food and sauce. The lamb was delicious — very tender and cooked in an addictive butter sauce. The lentils and chickpeas were also good, but I kept coming back to the lamb. Typically, I like to order new dishes at restaurants, but upon returning, I will likely order the combination platter again. Yum!

Average tasting Ethiopian food. Service was average as well. Have had better tasting and cheaper Ethiopian food else where. We had the vegetarian combo. Probably not coming back here again.

We liked Awash. They have generous portions and the food is really good. Plenty of space in the restaurant so there was no wait.

After pregaming dinner at SkyIce with the matcha dessert, I finished it in time before my friend saw me and we entered. It was spacious and dim. We placed our orders:
Two appetizers — vegetable sambusa and Yater kik fitfit (corn and peas dish): The yater kik fitfit was a «what the heck am I eating» dish. Do not get this. Not only is this bland but you will basically have this in your entrée so there is no need to pay more for it. I hate wasting but we did not want to touch it anymore. The vegetable sambusa was the only highlight to this restaurant. It wasn’t to die for but it was okay.
Veggie combo for two: Food for 1 is enough food for 2. The portion is large. in a bad way. The veggies weren’t bad but it was not to our liking. It’s hard to explain the taste. I think it’s one of those meals that requires an acquired taste for appreciation.
I had Ethiopian once in Knoxville, TN and I had a great experience so I figured a second time wouldn’t be bad. Especially since I’m in NYC and the food is usually better; I’m bias. Well, that was a mistake and my friend was not a happy camper. She likes to play it safe with cuisines unless I convince her otherwise. Sorry!
BTW, the service is extremely slow; the restaurant wasn’t half full either.

Beware of Cockroaches! Nothing quite like a two inch cockroach crawling up the wall a couple feet away from you. While I understand this happens in NYC, I would expect the restaurant to do more than offer to move us to another table. I can’t comment accurately about the food quality as I was quite distracted by worrying about other cockroaches coming to my table.

My friend and I shared the combination meat platter for two. It has two types of beef dishes, a lamb and a chicken dish also. And then you pick three vegetable dishes. We chose the collards, the red lentils and the cabbage. We were very pleased with our selection. My friend had a hot tea. The service was very professional & friendly. At one point the restaurant was full and the service stayed consistently attentive. I’d definitely return here for another Ethiopian meal. The total price was $ 40.25

It’s something that’s not for everyone. I always wondered what ethiopians eat and based on the food here, it’s somewhat similar to indian food with their use of spices. I had the the combo for 2 with awash chicken, one of the beef tibs dish, and the veggies. It’s interesting to eat at first, but towards the end, you may get tired of the taste… or I did. I liked the chicken the most! The bread is interesting in texture, somewhat spongy and flat… and SOUR. I’m not a fan of sour breads so it was definitely hard to take it in. The spice profile lingered around hours after eating it or at least in my case it did. It’s definitely something cool worth trying to say you tried it, but not something I’d opt for again. Bön appetito.

Probably one of the most fun experiences I’ve had eating in New York.
A friend and I went, thinking that we wouldn’t be enough to share. Turns out they have combos for two! We had the meat and vegetable mix, including the Tibs wat (beef), a lamb dish (the best of all the dishes), split peas (I didn’t like this, but my friend loves split peas so she did), beets (amazing), and a potatos/​carrots mixture.
And the bread… god, I’d eat anything with that bread. Who needs utensils?
My only complaint is that the wait staff was really inattentive and my glass wasn’t refilled often enough. That’s kind of an imperative for spicy food!

We came here for a Valentine’s day dinner for two reasons —
1) I wanted to try a different cuisine
2) I hate doing prix fixe for V-​day, overrated and overpriced (almost always)
The service was on the slower side (albeit they were fairly packed), the seating itself was a little crammed, the ambiance was mediocre at best (not really the intimate environment I was hoping for).
One of the main reasons that we came here for was to try the injera (typically GF bread made with teff flour). Upon coming here, they told me apparently their injera is NOT gluten free, and can only be made gluten free if ordered a few days in advance. I was quite disappointed learn that because I was not told this at the time of making the reservation.
I ultimately ended up ordered the veggie combo with the red lentils (my personal favorite — flavorful and spicy), yellow lentils, cabbage (little bland) and the collard greens (meh!). I also got a glass of their honey wine, which was delicious and potent!
I would personally pre-​order the injera next time and take my meal to go.

Awesome Ethopian food! The food takes a while to come out but it is fantastic. This place has the best beets I’ve ever had!
My complaints are that the enjira always seems to come out cold, maybe because the restaurant itself can get very cold, and the food is a little pricey for me. Other than that the place is great. Awesome service, awesome ambiance, and phenomenal food.

Four of us came to Awash during a cold, rainy evening. One of my friends had already come here and had a brilliant time, but I was feeling pretty skeptical. Eating with your hands? Sharing a plate together? With spongy flatbread? Thankfully, Awash put my fears at ease and then some.
We decided to order the four-​person build-​your-​own combo, which consists of two meat dishes and three vegetable dishes from the menu. While the lamb with collards was amazing, the star of the night was the Tibs Wat, sliced beef with a heavenly spicy and tangy sauce. We also ordered red lentils, yellow chickpeas, and cabbage and potatoes. It comes all piled on different sections of a hooge platter of injera bread, which was the best accompaniment for the various sauces and dishes. They also give you lots and lots of rolls of injera to pick up the food as you go.
The staff were completely friendly and made us all feel comfortable when we needed help with the mechanics of eating. The food was so delicious that we all left completely stuffed and waddling out the door. Definitely a place worth visiting if you have a large group of people that need feeding!

«I feel like you need to visit Ethiopia since you like this food so much,» my friend said to me as we stuffed our face in the East Village the other night. Unfortunately, Africa isn’t the easiest place to get to.
You see, Ethiopian food has long been a favorite of mine. Since my days as a youngin’ living in Washington DC, I fell in love with the stuff. Maybe it’s the fact you eat with your hands; maybe it’s the fact it’s not quite mainstream; or maybe it’s simply the fact it’s so darn delicious that keeps me coming back for more.
Unfortunately (and I mean really unfortunately), Miami does not have one single Ethiopian joint in the ENTIRE city. Rumor has it a couple spots were around previously but have since closed down. For that reason, an Ethiopian restaurant is always on the top of my must eat list when traveling to a new city.
Enter Awash. With the cooperation of a few friends, we headed to this spot on a very rainy day. We were promptly seated and it didn’t take me long to decide what to order for the table (sometimes it pays to be the expert). Between five of us we shared meat sambusas and a vegetarian combo for two and a meat combo. We sampled their two honey wines, picked one, and thus began a great meal.
We all agreed the vegetarian plate was a hit. The meat had it’s stars, more specifically the lamb called yebeg alicha, but also some misses. We all agreed that a second trip back would warrant just a veggie plate and extra lamb instead of all the other meat offerings. Service was very attentive and they were happy to dole out injera until we dropped dead.
My friends will admit that I’m usually the only person they eat Ethiopian with. Thankfully after this meal, they were all happy I rolled back into town to give them a reason to try out this place.

Full disclosure Ethiopian cuisine is usually not on my hot list of choices. I feel like it has been neglected by my food palette. I remember those days while living in DC with the thriving Ethiopian restaurants in Adams Morgan. It just never caught on with me.
A friend was having his birthday dinner party here as he recently rediscovered the cuisine. I have to commend the waitress managing 12 guest dinner party can be tough be she did a terrific job. We let her recommended the dishes for half Vegetarian and half carnivore. The choices that came out pleased everyone at the table. The honey wine was really good also. I could probably drink too much of this. I need to find a bottle of this actually. I think what I’ve really never liked was the non-​leaven sour tasting bread that looks like my loofah sponge eaten with the meal. It probably still not a favorite but has definitely grown on me. It works with the different dishes and great for mopping up the sauces.
Post thoughts. I’ve come to appreciate this cuisine. It has great flavors and full of spices. It is good for Vegan friends if you just don’t want to eat alfalfa sprouts for dinner because it always ends up on what THEY can eat. Here both can eat whatever they want. I pleased to say I’d be happy to come back again.

My favorite Ethiopian restaurant. The vegetarian combo is amazing. The vegetables are rich and spicy served with the best injera bread I’ve had so far. The combo for two is plenty of food to share :)
The waitresses are very kind. They will check on you often and are always smiling. In the evening they turn down the lights and put candles on the tables for a touch of ambiance.
It has always been clean with an A rating displayed on the window. (They have a sanitary rating system in NYC for restaurants «A» being the best)
I don’t like the bathrooms as they are a little small and cramped but that’s certainly not a deal breaker ;)
Great for vegetarians and a casual date. Also, they stay open late :)