Abyssinia

Food is amazing, but the best part? You can buy the injera in packs of 8 to take on the go!

Come here for the amazing food. Service is always slow but we don’t come here for service at all. It is a family run business and the Ladies who run this place are really wonderful but attending every customer is a bit overwhelming for them since so few people are running the whole thing. Excellent food accompanied by some wonderful caring people makes this place so special. If you really want to enjoy a great meal without being asked how are you doing at least five times, this can be a great place for you. We (a family of 2 grown ups and a little one) really like this place and will come back there frequently. Special note: ask for their house made coffee, Wonderful!

Delicious taste and wonderful customer service. They allowed us to dine when they were about to close and cooked for us when they didn’t have what we ordered. No restaurant in US would do this I guess !!!

Awesome and authentic Ethiopian cuisine. As good as any I’ve had in DC. Atmosphere is a bit lacking, but great service and prices.

Have been eating Ethiopian food for more than half my life, across multiple states in the US. Now that I have eaten at multiple Ethiopian restaurants in Rochester, I want to update! Everything in my previous review still holds, but what brought me back here is that I can now say confidently that this place has the least oily veggie dishes (and might be highest on flavor!).
It’s nice when your food isn’t swimming in a pool of oil, and when the injera doesn’t bleed oil when lightly touched, eh?

Great lunch spot, and the vegetarian combo is great. The place pretty nice for the most part and the helpings are generous. We will be going back!

Very good food, tasty, good value for money, will definitely go there again.
Ordered combo for 2, food comes in a large tray!, no plates, gotta eat from the tray. A different kind of eating experience .! You will like it.
Servers were polite and friendly, food was served after 5 mts or so.

Great food! We had the dinner for four. There was enough for everyone to eat. We were not happy with how cold the restaurant was, so dress warm and the food took long to prepare but was worth it. The sides and chicken were finger locking good! We loved eating with our hands too!

Abyssinia offers both vegetarian and non-​vegetarian delicious Ethiopian food at very reasonable prices. The Injera (a spongy, sourdough soft bread) is unlimited and yummy, too.
Yes, you eat with your hands, but use use the Injera to pick up the meats and vegetables and eat everything — including the Injera — together in a little wrap.
The meats — particularly the lamb and chicken — are very well prepared and spicy, but watch out for the bones in the chicken. I also really like the collards. The Tej wine is yummy, too.
The easiest way to order is to get the #1 platter with its portion sized based on the number of people in your group.
If you never have had Ethiopian or Eritrean food, Abyssinia offers a great introduction.
Enjoy!

I was actually on my way to see my doctor. In the parking lot, I couldn’t tell what food smells so good. I was dying to get out of my doctor’s office and find the restaurant.

Be prepared to eat with your hands.
The injera was spongy and delicious, the meats were well flavored, the service was good, the tej was flowing freely.
I would say that the portions aren’t huge, but I remember leaving this restaurant stuffed to the gills. It might be because I ate most of it, but it might be because I misjudged the portion sizes due to the tej.
At any rate, check it out. Good Ethiopian food can be hard to come by.

So it’s 9:27 p. m, I’m watching modern family on a belly full of delicious homemade food, and yet, all I can think about, is finding a way to stuff my face with the delicious soft and sour injera soaked in flavorful lentils chicken and beef at Abyssinia.
As a family we love everything about this place, it is clean, neat, well maintained, and managed by a bunch of people who make you feel right at home.
The best thing I find in addition to everything I just mentioned is the fact that the food has turned out to be amazing every single time that we have visited the restaurant.
Even my sister in law who is a pure vegetarian loves visiting this place, the vegetarian platter too is amazing btw (I have tried it).
There is ample parking space, the waiting time is not too long and the injera is unlimited (can’t imagine what we would have done if it wasn’t).
For first timers I would suggest trying alt of the three combination meals suggested in the menu, after that, on your next visit, which btw will happen feel free to order the entrée of ur choice.
I have only one concern, please, please, please, pretty please don’t change

Bu far the best Ethiopian in Rochester. The service a bit slow.
BYOB OK with them.
I have been going there (or their previous location) for 12 years or so.

I had never had Ethiopian food, and this was a great experience. I loved the Tej wine and the specials to share. The service was great and our food cans or really fast. Definitely different to eat with no utensils, but everything was really delicious.

«Wait, we’re eating with our hands?»
«Yeah, wasn’t this your idea?»
«Well, I’ve never had Ethiopian food.»
«Me neither.» (choral echo x4)
And with that, five young American children headed to dinner, 80% with no clue what was going on, but 100% with the right attitude.
The good news is, all you have to do is order a #1 platter for the number of people in your party, and the rest is history. An abundance of injera, savory stews, and quality meats were delivered promptly and politely.
The bone-​in chicken and collards were exceptional, but nothing was a miss. Rave reviews from enthusiastic first-​timers included:
«I’m so full.»
«That was great, tell them the lamb was spicy.»
«We should review this on youtube.»
«Foam pancake wow.»
So there you have it. If that didn’t convince you that this is worth the excursion, I don’t know what will.

I’ve had to Injera lot of turmoil in my life. Including lots of bad Injera. That all changed when I came to Abyssinia. So to speak.
Injera is the antithesis of injustice. It is so addictive you may need to take out an injuction against it. You may injure-​a yourself trying to shovel it down your throat. In fact, practice putting large squidgy things that look like rolled-​up injera down your throat before you even come here, so to speak. But I’ll say no more. This review has been censored — thank you team!
So, wanna do dinner here? Just us? Romantic date? Starting with Injera. Hopefully not ending with ins***nation (hint: missing letters = record label). OK great. How’s 7pm? Cool. Abyssinia in a little while.
What to get: Combo #1 (thanks Breanna)!
I plunged into the Abyss (not *that* sort of abyss), and gave it a try. Oh my goodness. It’s so damn good. First and foremost let me tell you that this is the best Ethiopian I’ve ever put in my mouth, in my life. Even better than my college roommate from Addis Ababa. Seriously, the taste of everything on the Combo #1 is beyond orgasmic. It’s not just the best Ethiopian Food I’ve ever had. It’s one of the best tasting meals of any kind that I’ve ever had.
By the way Abby told me you’re cheating on your partner. And she didn’t hear about it from a friend either. Abby’s-seen-ya with her own eyes.
Secondly, let me tell you that it’s not just a case of Ethiopian food being excellent. It’s pretty good, but the versions I’ve had in DC and Houston and even a couple of the Buffalo ones, were usually 4 star experiences, which for me is kind of average. However this one is the king of the castle, the cream of the crop. I wish everybody could have a taste to see how damn good it is. You may well fall in love.
People swallow strange things. Or put strange things in strange places. But if you have an Abacus-​inya then I honestly could not imagine how pulled that off, so to speak.
Thirdly, if you’re in Buffalo, there is a place that tastes almost this good. It’s called — surprise surprise — Abyssinia. It’s inside the adorable West Side Bazaar, so the décor is nowhere near as fancy. But the food is phenomenal. And you can switch the okay-​ish Injera there for rice, which is tasty, seasoned, greasy and amazing. But that’s not this place, that’s the one in Buffalo. It’s cheaper and nearly as good so make sure you check it out.
My Dad has a lot of issues, but senility only affected him recently. So I Added-​senile to his list of issues.
Fourthly, back to this Abyssinia in Rochester — the best Ethiopian I’ve ever had. It may be more expensive, but the flavours are richer and sexier and tastier than any other, so it’s worth the money. The décor is also a lot nicer than any other Ethiopian place I’ve been to. And the service was absolutely lovely. Wonderful people that didn’t look at all like Marathon Runners. Well maybe a little, but only a little.
If you’re having an affair with a Talmudist, then it could be said that a Rabbisinyou. Whereas if you’re possessed by the Goth chick from NCIS, then Abby’s-in-you.
Fifthly, the Injera! I’ve never enjoyed it before. I usually avoid it. But because of the reviews and because it was the only real option, I got Injera. My goodness! The freshest, moist-​est, luscious-​est Injera ever! Thanks to Abs (I call them Abs because who doesn’t love Abs and who doesn’t want Abs?) I now *get* Injera! Yay me. Yay Abs. Yay Injera. So now in one year I finally «got Abs» in the gym (ish) and then I finally «got Injera» thanks to Abs. Awesome. And you get a ton of it, and it’s so tasty you can eat it by itself, so you can literally go right through the Injera. Speaking of going right through something. Oh never mind I can’t say that.
I asked my teenage brother why he has to act so «gangster rap» and he was like «Ahm-​a-​teen-​yo.»
Now for the negatives. Abyssinia charges too much. Abyssinia in Buffalo is amazing and significantly cheaper. I would eat here more regularly if they shaved a few dollars off the prices, or did half portions or lunch portions.
My sister is a nail technician by day (she always does everyone in Coral even if they ask for something else, although she likes the new color «Back To The Fuschia»). But her hobby is that she prognosticates people’s futures (not people’s fuschias). And she loves it. She’s an «Avid See-​er.» And she asked me to add that while she is a nail technician, she has never nailed a technician. I’m not sure why she wanted that clarified. Guilty conscience probably.
Conclusion: one of Rochester’s very best restaurants. You must come here. You must get Combo #1. You must have foodgasms. Do it. Be champions. Like an Ethiopian Marathon Runner on chemically-​undetectable PEDs.
Speaking of which, don’t ever go in a passageway between buildings with rabid men. Because if you do, they may well Alleytagteamya. I speak from experience. Because I am Thor. (I have a lisp).
There is Norway you saw that one coming. TWSS.

Food: Fantastic! I’d never had Ethiopian until I came here. I get the vegetarian combination and I’m always happy. Their Gomen (collard greens sauteed with onion) are truly a standout, prepared better here than I’ve had anywhere else. I don’t normally like spicy foods but the mesir we’t (lentils in berbera sauce) isn’t too hot for me and it’s really amazingly spiced. The injera is lovely and sour and it’s so much fun to use to scoop up the food.
Ambiance: I love the décor. There’s a lot of handmade items presumably native to the culture about; sculptures, baskets, that kind of thing. Love the music. Lots of open space and a ton of seating.
Service: Extremely friendly. The wait staff have never had a problem taking extra time to help me find out if I can eat safely. As a person with a food allergy, the fact that they do the vegan/​vegetarian stuff on another set of cookware is amazing.

Great place. Close to me so I am happy :)
Can be better at service. Feel sorry for the only lady waiting tables. Doro Wet was great! Injeras are aplenty. The food is good.

Love love love! I had the vegetarian 5 choice combo. This is a small and never too busy family owed restaurant that I’ve been going to for years. The tomato salad is fresh and delicious! My kids brought their own food and the staff have no issues with this fyi

Abyssinia is back in action! And what a wonderful delight it is. I experienced my first bites of Ethiopian cuisine here. Sharing is caring so ordering a combination platter for your group is the preferred method of dining. You also won’t be eating with silverware. The injera serves as your spoon. I was with a large group, which they had more than enough room for in the left side of the restaurant. There’s a small partition that separates the larger tables from the main dining room. It’s a great option for a big gathering as they have the space for it. Although, we made it slightly difficult for them as we each ordered individual dishes, but they tackled the task well considering the situation.
I chose the Abyssinia Special I ($ 12) which comes with Doro We’t (chicken — so tender!), Yebeg We’t (lamb, while it was good, it wasn’t my favorite as it is a bit gamey and sour), Tibs Alicha (beef with their sauce made from garlic, tumeric, and onions — my absolute favorite), Gomen (sauteed collard greens). You’ll also get 2 veggie sides. I went with the Timtim salata (tomatoes, peppers, and onions in a light citrus vinaigrette) and I think the shiro wet (whatever it was, it was super garlic-​y and wonderful with the injera).
I think ordering the combo platters is the best option to sample as much as you can, especially as a new visitor. I really loved the beef dish, it was so tender and hearty. I also loved the warm injera that’s provided — more than enough to go around. Some people said that the injera is an acquired taste, but I liken it to a flimsier, flatbread version of sourdough. I even think the combo platter for one could be shared with two. I was so stuffed I had lots of leftovers that my boyfriend got to enjoy that night.