Awash Ethiopian Restaurant

YUMMY. I love this place. They might get your order wrong, but in order to avoid a longer wait I just take what is served. The steak tartare is pretty good. I like the beet side.

I’ve had Ethiopian food before so I had some notion of the food. This food was cold and the bread they serve with it was not great and on top of that the price was out of range for the quality of food.

A very good Ethiopian place. Have very good lamb and beef.

OMG so good I love it.

Awash here is similar to the other one in east village but I think this place has slightly larger portions. For a party of 2 you will be perfectly fine with doing a meat platter (2 – 3 meats 3 vegges or something like that). We were STUFFED afterwards — dont judge based on the pictures, its a lot of food. The meats are good, one of them is spicy, and the vegges you have lots of options to choose from. I enjoyed the cabbage, lentils, and something else I forgot. Lots of room here and the restroom is clean. Nuff said.

All you need to know is that this place has been here since the early 90s and it only gets busier.

I was a little disappointed with this restaurant. I love Ethiopian so I was looking forward to trying it. However, between inattentive service and the fact that we received the wrong order, it just wasn’t a great experience. The food was ok. Not the best Ethiopian I’ve tasted but definitely not the worst. I would not go out of my way to return here.

Yay for lunch specials! The lunch special here includes even combination platters, so my friend and I got a combination platter each consisting of lamb, chicken, beef and four other veggie dishes I cannot remember (collard greens, red lentils, cabbage, yellow lentils).
My friend and I were the only customers at the restaurant when we arrived on a Friday at around 12:30PM. Although it was her first time trying Ethiopian food, she liked it. I wished they had hand sanitizers at the table (as some other Ethiopian restaurants do), but I’m just being picky.
The beef was the tastiest for me; I loved the spicy, sharp flavor. The lamb was the worst as it was not only boney (along with the chicken), but not at all tender; unless you like your meat very tough, do not get the lamb. The chicken wasn’t all that good either as it was mostly bone that was incredibly difficult to pick at. And no boiled egg? (I’ve had boiled egg at all other Ethiopian restaurants I’ve been to?!)
Though I have had better Ethiopian food elsewhere, I’m still thankful Awash is nearby enough that I can just walk over and get a quick fix. The food is very reasonably priced and service is friendly:)

Food is awesome here. Definitely recommend a combo dish so you can sample as much stuff as possible (what I recommend everywhere). They also don’t pander to neophyte taste buds, so be sure to request things mild if that’s going to be an issue for you. I’m not a neophyte here but more of a wuss and can’t take a lot of spice.
Only problem is that the service can be really lackadaiscal (sp). You really have to make an effort to get water re-​filled, an extra napkin, the check, etc. Again, to protest wage theft in waiter salaries, I always pay 20% tip, but here I was seriously tested.

Awash is a very good Ethiopian restaurant. Additionally, it’s a very, very vegetarian-​friendly location, so if you have a bunch of people who can’t eat meat in your group, definitely consider this place. It’s great for groups.
Their Shiro is delicious, though I also like the Gomen, and to be honest most of their dishes were just plain good when I had them. I typically get the veggie combo when I go here, and I’m never disappointed. I haven’t tried any of their appetizers yet, which might entice me to go again soon. The food is a little pricey, but Awash has made me really like Ethiopian food, and I think that was worth the price.

Review for delivery only
I love love love Ethiopian food, so whenever I have the chance to try out a new place I go for it. While on the UWS I ordered the vegetarian combo to be delivered to a friends place about 15 blocks away. Delivery was easy, but it was difficult to figure out what exactly was going to come in my combo so if you’re very picky you’ll have to call and ask. Was quotes 45 minutes for delivery, and it took about 90. Not immediately a deal breaker on a Friday night, but I would rather be told 90 and have it take 45 than the other way around.
When the delivery guy hands me the bag it’s HEAVY, like it felt way too heavy to be what I ordered. I check and it is what I ordered. It’s just that this place gives you triple the amount of injera any other place does. I love injera so +1 star for that.
Immediately I notice that all of the food is very oily. I used an entire roll of injera just soaking up the excess oil. Not exaggerating when I say there were pools of oil. The injera that all the beans and veggies were on was disgusting because it had disintegrated in all of the oil.
The flavor itself isn’t bad, some of the things were over spiced (chickpeas I’m looking at you), and some were completely flavorless (split peas). Definitely disappointing.
The kicker was that there were tons of lemon seeds left in the food. Not just one or two, but a handful. I spent 20+ minutes picking out the seeds after I accidentally bit into one.
Definitely won’t order from here again.

Best ethiopian in the city! We used to live here and come all the time. Now when wr vome visit is our first stop. Great quality and owned by a great family. They have 3 locations.
We now live in florida and theres nothing close to this perfection

It’s not terrible, but I’ve had far better Ethiopian food. Got a combo which allowed limited choices. What I got was lamb, beef, red lentils, chick pea/​lentils and beets/​carrots/​potatoes.
Everything came out looking pretty…
The red lentils were by far the best of the grouping. They were delicious!
The beef was very good however was mostly sauce.
The beets/​carrots/​potatoes were underwhelming and virtually all beets
The lamb was anything BUT tender. Dry, stringy, difficult to recognize as lamb. Reminded me of the first time I had goat. In a Nigerian restaurant with a Nigerian friend who was mortified at how horrible the goat was! (BTW…I have since had absolutely delectable goat… but I digress)
The ground chick pea/​lentils was over spiced… NOT spicy though. It had the same spice as the beef dish, but with far too heavy a hand and as a result was inedible. Perhaps this is not usual for them.
Overall, I was disappointed. As the lentils were do good, and there are so many other good reviews, maybe it was an off night? Hence 3 instead of 2 stars.

One of the things I love most about living in New York City is the tremendous variety of available cuisine. I discovered Awash in 2009 when I moved to Manhattan, which was my first experience with Ethiopian food. It’s safe to say I’m hooked! I’ve eaten here (and ordered delivery) many times. As a vegetarian, I LOVE the wide array of delicious veggie options. I also can’t eat gluten, so I was thrilled to discover their gluten free injera bread! I love the communal style of dining and sharing this experience with friends. I would recommend Awash to anyone who is looking for an authentically delicious meal!

Such a wonderful little place! It was my first time having Ethiopian, and I’m glad it was here! It’s a dimly lit restaurant with a romantic feel. I loved that there was Ethiopian videos playing on the television, really adds to the ambiance.
The service was awesome. I believe it was a mother and daughter serving us, both really friendly.
Now on to the food!
I got the doro alicha dish, which was delicious. There was the chicken plate, and two vegetable sides served over injera, a type of bread. The chicken was tender and for someone who doesn’t normally like chickpeas, they were amazing! The great part about it is that in addition to the injera your dish is served on, they come out with plates of more bread! If you finish it, they bring out more injera. We also tried the honey blackberry wine, which was amazing. Sweet and goes so well with the food.
Overall Awash gave me a great first experience with Ethiopian food. Definitely enjoyed myself and coming back here!

We got the three-​person combo: you pay per person and get to choose a bunch of different things from the menu. It’s served on injera*, with a side of injera. Later in the meal, our server brought us extra injera at no charge.
All the dishes we tried were good, but the ‘special tibs’ was easily the standout. It’s pieces of beef in an incredible, super-​flavorful sauce. Awash had good service and it’s pretty reasonably priced for Ethiopian ($ 18 each for just food after tax and tip) and it made for a fun group activity. 4 solid stars.
*Injera is an Ethiopian bread with a texture halfway between a pancake and a crêpe. You use injera rather than a fork to eat Ethiopian food. It’s delicious.

Really, really good food! This was the second time I’ve had Ethiopian food so I’m no expert, but the food we had was delicious. We had a couple different lentil dishes along with some chicken, beef, and beets. All very flavorful and tasty. I also enjoyed my honey wine (which I’ve never had before – but wow!).
The interior is dimly lit, so it can be romantic. Great place to go if you’re feeling adventurous in your cuisine choices. I definitely recommend this place.

This is my first time trying ethiopian food and I was blown away! My friend and I came to awash not knowing what to expect. But we will definitely be back. We ordered the all you can eat brunch for $ 19.95. You get to choose from 8+ delicious vegan friendly options– ethiopian eggs, pancakes,
Couscous. We ate til we couldn’t eat any more! The waiters were super friendly, smiling and attentive. This is my new favorite place!

Nice Ethiopian place. First time trying this kind of food. Delicious!
The samosas/​spring rolls are the greatest. So yummy, with a lot of filling.
The vegetable platter over their amazing injera (kind of bread) is insane.
Some things are a little bit spicy but not overwhelming and I’m getting use to spicy food so this was perfect.
Every type of dish is so different from the other one. Great flavors!

Best Ethiopian Restaurant in New York City, bar none. Without question, the best berbere sauce in the city. When dining, go with what my friends jokingly refer to as the Frank Leon Roberts special:
Combo for 1
Tibs Wat + Special Tibs
Cabbage + Kik Wat
2 Boiled Eggs.
Thank me later. :-)