Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant
“*On your way out, be sure to grab some injera for your home cooking since it goes well with pretty much everything.”
“Feel free to eat with your hands, and savour a real piece of Africa right here in Harlem.”
“Love the beef tibs (sauteed beef cubes), as well the tikil gomen (cabbage with potatoes, carrots, and onions).”
Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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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.
Probably my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in NYC. Well-priced, not too far from the A line, and the service is friendly and not terribly slow.
Love the beef tibs (sauteed beef cubes), as well the tikil gomen (cabbage with potatoes, carrots, and onions). When my husband and I come for dinner, we usually get the Veggie Combo ($16ish) and an order of meat. It's the perfect amount for two! Plus, when all the sauces soak into the injera (bread)…it's heavenly!
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 😛
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!
Surprisingly, non-mediocre Ethiopian food in NYC is actually hard to find. Forget midtown entirely! For me, it's a toss-up between Abyssinia and Zoma, but here are some things I like about Abyssinia.
First, Abyssinia wins BIG in the price-to-portions ratio (P2P). I'm big on P2P, and I've docked both fancy and not-fancy places for unpardonable P2P, no matter how good the food. (Selling a quarter-sized slab of meet for $30 — check your conscience, man!) Abyssinia serves huge plates more than enough for TWO, though, and they'll bring you as much injera is you need.
Second, the menu and the food itself are just phenomenal. I scarfed the whole thing down like an addict — because I am an Ethiopian food attic — and fell asleep an hour later as soon as I got back. There's also a good mix of spicy food and milder stuff for wusses like me who don't like spice.
Third, the service is very attentive. At some Ethiopian restaurants, you have to make a huge effort to get the check. The "I'm trying to freaking GIVE YOU money!!!" ironic problem.
So why a star off? I had mild drymouth after, and I think it's because there was just a little too much salt. So many perfectly good places these days are over salting their dishes because they're paranoid about not having enough flavor. These places need to relax. The discerning diner does not need the salt gimmick to feel he or she is eating something delicious.
Still, I'll be back.
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 $5 for a lame bowl of white rice. In addition, the spiced tea is just lipton with spices – not authentic at all. Given the options in the area, they have a few good vegan options. The lentil salad on the appetizer menu was very tasty.
Oh man! After spending mucho time at various other Ethiopian eateries, the sweetie and I finally decided to check out Abyssinia. And if its not obvious, I'm sure glad we did!
After an afternoon in Harlem (Maysles, Studio Museum) a brother was hungry. As a long night lay ahead, something filling was in the calling, and Abyssinia did not disappoint. I had the veggie combo, while the wife had the 2nd lamb option. Now as a veggie, one of the only things I miss is lamb, so when her order arrived I admit I was jealous, the spices wafting my way (damn fans! – LOL) and the gravy just glistening in my face. Thankfully, my veggie combo was SO GOOD that the lamb became a distant memory. The gomen was solid and not too cooked down, exactly how I like my greens, and the tikil gomen (cabbage, potatoes, carrots) was the best I've ever had. The sauce for the string beans was also winning!
Everything was so good!
I have to say that the honey wine was a bit too sweet though. But that's my only real complaint, and minor at that. I dig the other Ethiopian spots, but this may be my new go to. If it becomes so, expect to see another star.
I could go on and on about how great Abyssinia is and still not do it justice. Abyssinia is located in central-ish Harlem across Frederick Douglass Park and is one of my favorite Ethiopian spots in NYC. It may very well be my #1, as a matter of fact. Actually yes, definitely my #1. I love you, Abyssinia.
What's great about it? Well, once you get past the 15-18$ 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!