Cafe Abyssinia

I walked in here at 11am, feeling like taking a risk with my bowels. The restaurant itself is pretty basic, with some special traditional seating that looks like a children’s table at first glance.
The food was amazing. We got beef Derek and a chickpea Shiro. This was my first experience with Ethiopian food, and it hit the spot so hard that tears came to my eyes. We ordered the same thing for takeout the next day.
Fun fact: the Ethiopian crêpe that is used to eat the food is generally gluten free.

We love this place. Traveled 3 hours and had a great dinner. This is the way we should eat everyday. Wait staff was friendly. The injera was great and the food was seasoned appropriately for the family.

Awesome food! Verrrry friendly service! A little slow if there’s alot of people but the awesome food makes up for it! Decent prices as well

I went here last week with a friend of mine it was great.
The collard greens with seasoned very well and the atmosphere was very delightful.

This is great Ethiopian food! I really liked my lamb tips, but I also loved the lentil and the chicken dishes. All our dishes came out on one platter, which helped us share and taste all the dishes. Friendly service too!

I love coming here to eat, but they no longer serve food on top of injera like they used to. I remember the red lentils being amazing when I first started going, but lately they have just been ok. Nevertheless, I will continue recommending this place to friends, because while it used to be better it is still pretty good. Some dishes are a little spicer, so be aware.

Great service and food! We had a vegetarian amongst us, and our server managed to put together a large sharing platter that had plenty for everyone. Amazing variety of textures and tastes. Every dish was incredible, and I think the collards won the day. Definitely open and worth a visit!

I have been eating at café Abyssinia for about two years now, and never had a bad experience. I am drawn to write a review tonight because I just had an exceptionally good meal AND they are not permanently closed and I think this mishap on Unilocal is hurting their business a bit!
Full disclosure, I’ve never been to Ethiopia. That being said, this food tastes good every time and that matters a lot, yeah?
The staff is so friendly and knowledgable and can help you order if you’re not sure what you want but know what you like ie. Chicken/​beef/​lamb, spicy/​mild, etc.
if I am in a group, big fan of ordering a meat and the veggie combo. Lots of different flavors and such a generous amount of food.
Lamb tibs & wot both very good
Awaze tibs (beef) also very good
You can’t go wrong if you know what you like and let them help you.

One of my favorites in New Orleans — definitely the best Ethiopian food. Staff treats us like family and the food is amazing. Prices are unbelievably fair. Sit outside under the lights and bring a good bottle of wine (BYOB) — order the Doro Wot, Misir Wot, Gored Gored, or special shiro. You won’t be disappointed.

First time in New Orleans. First time eating at an Ethiopian place. Best place my wife and I have eaten since being here!

Great authentic Ethiopian for vegetarians and meat lovers alike. I ordered the vegetable combo and my husband ordered the lamb tibs. The portions were very generous and unlike other Ethiopian restaurants we’ve been to, they refilled our injera when we ran out. I thought it was weird that the meat dish was served on the same plate as the vegetarian dishes, but we made it work. The veg dishes were great; I couldn’t make my mind up as to which was my favorite, but I eventually settled on the lentils. My husband thought his lamb tibs could have been bolder with more flavor, but was still very good. The injera was good as well, not dry like some we’ve had. The only downside was that the restaurant was empty when we went, which never makes for the best of atmospheres.
Say hi to the very friendly resident cat outside the restaurant when you go!

We called ahead to see if the injara was truly made of teff and therefore gluten free, and we were assured that it was. the food was good but I am
wildly sick now. Please don’t assure people you can deal with their food restrictions of you cannot.

BLUF: I don’t know Ethiopian food well. The place is pretty good for a change of standard New Orleans food and the food is pretty good. Good crowd of people. 4 star originality; 3 star food; 2 star service/​atmosphere. BYOB
Of set from Magazine so has a less busy feel but it can get crowded. Inside atmosphere is not terribly interesting nor ethnic feeling. This could and should be an easy fix for them but doesnt seem like they are going to do anything. Why is their NOLA art (brass band in swirling colors) in an Ethiopian restaurant?
I let my lady order cuz she knows her stuff. We got the national chicken dish and the veggie combo.
The chicken dish was fantastic. I have no clue what it was called or what was in it but it was really good. The veggie combo had yellow and red lentils. The yellow were not bad but not much to them; the red were great with a little kick. The potato/​carrot was good but also not exciting. The greens and cabbage were also a tad blah. I feel like none of the veggie combo had much flavor but tasted good overall. Might benefit from adding together or mixing with a meat. The bread stuff (I dont know how to spell it) comes on the side and not underneath which I believe is more common.
Overall the place is good for a different meal and originality. The food doesnt knock your socks off though. Again, that could just be the ethiopian style of food but my New Orleans taste buds want a little more zip.

Since I moved to New Orleans, the restaurant I find myself frequenting the most is Café Abyssina. Yes, of all the places in NOLA, my go-​to is an Ethiopian restaurant. At this point it’s my comfort food away from home.
Café Abyssinia is located on Magazine Street, where they have a cozy outdoor patio perfect for gatherings and wine nights (another plus — they’re BYOB!). They’re also very flexible and can accommodate large parties. They helped me host a 20+ person event once, and the bill came down to less than $ 20/​person and there were plenty of leftovers. This food is meant to be shared, so bring friends!
What’s not comforting about Ethiopian food? There’s hearty stews, carby injera*, and lots of flavor. Here are some of my favorite dishes to order:
— Doro wot — a spicy chicken stew seasoned with berbere spice and served with a hard boiled egg
— Lamb tibs — lamb meat sauteed with onions, garlic, and pepper
— Doro tibs with spinach — cubed chicken sauteed with spinach and onions
— Fish goulash — white fish in a tomato based stew
— Kitfo — lean beef sauteed with Ethiopian butter and mittmitta spice
— Shiro — ground lentil and chickpea stew with berbere spice
— Yamisr wot — red lentils and onions in a spicy sauce
And if you don’t know what to order, ask the sole waiter. He’s not too talkative, but he’s young, handsome, friendly, and will recognize your face the next time you come back.
photos:

AMAZING!!! This was the first time we tried Ethiopian food and I will definitely try a resteraunt like this in our area. We had some veggie roles and chicken stew. The injera is delicious… Very impressed!!! The place is set off the road and doesn’t look like it’s going to have awesome food, but it does! The staff were super friendly and overall this is a must go if your in the area.

You’re not going here for the décor, which is that of someone a day away from moving out, but with a lot of dining tables left over. Nor are you here for the music, Muzak set to what must be Ethiopian Restaurant played through Logitech computer speakers on a counter. And finally, you’re not here to be seen, the restaurant hidden from the street like an unwanted stepchild.
The food. That crazy mess served on a giant plate with the delicious rubbery-​yet-​soft spongebread and you eat it with your hands and you just know that Doro Wot (Doro Whuuuuuuuuuut?) is leaving a stain on your new shirt.
Why would you wear a new shirt? You are eating with your hands, silly.
Seriously, though, it’s refreshing in the wave of turbo-​hip restaurants with fresh coats of paint and built-​in Smug, there is this little cave, unassuming, humble-as-sh*t, serving damn good Ethernopian food that you will always walk away from groaning, groaning in sweet overstuffed agony.
And maybe you wonder.
Do they eat that well in Ethiopia?
THEM DETAILS: Patio, no booze (no BYOB fee), quiet ninja-​like server, window unit AC set to Arctic Chill, very daring price structure, that sweet muzak, a pastry case that is always empty, get anything with Wot sauce, Alichi (?) Sauce kinda bland.

This was my first time eating Ethiopian food and it was quite an experience! My husband and I shared the doro wat with a side of red lentils. The chicken had a great flavor and the boiled egg was an interesting combination. It was too cold to sit outside, but I’d like to return with friends and use the outdoor space. The inside is small, so when it gets crowded it can be loud and hard to talk to your table.

If you still think mac ‘n’ cheese is comfort food, you haven’t been to Café Abyssinia.
We used to go about once a month. The food is really super. I recommend ordering the veggie sampler and one of the meat dishes and going to town on that feast. Our faves are the Doro Wot and Fish Gulash. Lamb and raw ground beef have an off-​putting texture to me but that’s just my personal taste — definitely try them if you’re looking for something out of the ordinary for dinner.
I’ve had Ethiopian food at a couple of other joints in the U.S. and Europe, and I like Café Abyssinia’s injeera the best of any of them.
Minus one star because sometimes some of the veggies come out at room temperature, and for adding a corkage fee without giving a heads up anywhere. Plus half a star because they finally got around to painting over the ethnic slur in their bathroom.

This was a dice shoot discovery. I wanted something that wouldn’t exactly fill me up too much and a relatively healthier choice than anything fried and this little spot came up under a «vegetarian» search. Convinced by a once-​over of some surface info. (Star rating/​number of ratings) and swiping through a few pics, this was set in the sights.
Note, the restaurant does not sit exactly on Magazine, it’s just off the street. There’s a snoball stand up front and an adjacent driveway, the restaurant is just down the driveway.
The place appeared authentic, and when I say that I mean it’s one of those places you walk in and think/​hope that where not much was put towards asthetics, they make up for in food; well this place does.
I ordered the yebeg tibs: deliscious, juicy morsels of lamb, garlic, rosemary onion and green pepper. It also came with this weird bread like helping, i tried a bit of it but I could do without. The lamb itself was so amazingly juicy and flavorful, the rosemary onions really set them off. The plate also came with a serving of these beans I’m not exactly sure what they are but also tasty, it all made for a great combination.
I could see myself back here for lunch or some pickup when I’m in the area and looking for a healthier choice.

I came in about a week and a half ago with a group of friends (3 friends, so we were a party of 4). 3 of us showed up at 6:30 when the place was empty, no customers. The waiter seated us and let us order drinks while waiting on our friend.
Once he showed, we ordered a lamb dish, a beef dish, a vegetarian dish and a chicken dish, and kind of shared. I really like that we had a table (my first experience in 2001, in DC, we were seated on the floor), and that everything was clean and neat. By the time we ordered food, the place was getting pretty busy. I love the spongy bread that you eat with. I do wish that I had asked for two glasses of water instead of just one, but now I know. The service was prompt and the food was awesome and reasonably priced.
I will definitely come back for more, with or without friends!

Eating Vegetarian in New Orleans requires planning ahead & as we researched possible veggie options before our latest getaway, Café Abyssinia was a must
We arrived around 8pm & were practically the only ones there but by the time we left, the place was hopping
Started w/​the Sambusa — spicy mix of cabbage & carrots in a Samosa-​like pastry shell. It was outstanding!
Dinner consisted of the Veggie Combo — just the 1 & we split it — glad we read the Unilocal review ahead of time about this dish being enough for 2 people b/​c it was huge…& delish!
Mild Yellow & spicy red lentils, collard greens w garlic & onion, cabbage & carrots, & potatoes & carrots… loved how the milder veggies paired perfectly w the spicy & the injera bread was the perfect vehicle with which to eat it
Very laid back & nice neighborhoody kind of feel — this will def make our list of repeats for our next trip!