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If you love Ethiopian food, this is the spot! (well, considering this is the only Ethiopian for many miles around, we have good fortune). A simple place with simple decor. Outstanding food and really fresh injera. Definitely satisfies the Ethiopian craving.
-t
I think this place is pretty damn good. I've been there twice and have really enjoyed everything I ate. The gentlemen that basically runs the place, is very gentle and friendly.
I recommend the combo platter. They also offer a vegetarian combo platter too.
I wish they played traditional music, I don't think they did.
And try to either play some movies from Ethiopia or t.v. (not American sports)... I want to feel like I totally left Santa Rosa.
I've been here a few times - always very good and excellent service.
My favorite dish was the Foul - a bean dish with lots of spices which used to be served on their breakfast menu. Unfortunately they aren't open for breakfast any more but everything else I've had there was great.
I enjoy eating with my hands :)
This is an absolutely wonderful place. I have loved Ehtiopian/Eritrean food since first going to the Blue Nile in Berkeley when I was a kid. Before this place opened, I had long hoped a place like this would come on the scene here, considering the sizeable Ethiopian-Eritrean community in the region (mostly Eritrean, I think). There was briefly an Ethiopian place next to Pho Vietnam but it came and went. Then this opened on the edge of downtown and not far from my house!
Anyway, the food is excellent. I have not had Ethiopian food as good as this, much less better, anywhere in the Bay Area. I love absolutely eveything here. The Abyssinia Combo and Veggie Combo are mainstays, but individual dishes are wonderful, too. Some dishes are pretty spicey, others not spicey at all, and there is a large range of meatless dishes. Thje place also has a good range of Ethiopian and Eritrean beers one is otherwise hard-pressed to find. Some are quite good.
The people are friendly and the location is pretty convenient - smack in the middle of Santa Rosa, close enough to downtown to walk yet, for those driving, far enough away from the core that there is little reason to complain about parking.
Interesting. I don't have a lot to compare it to, although growing up one of my neighbors was ethopian, and would bring us over interesting dishes from time to time, so I went -- excited to try anything and everything.
That chance came on Tuesday night for dinner with two of my friends. One of us ordered the Combo (#17) plate, another the Vegan combo (#10) plate and another a Chicken dish (sorry don't remember the #)
I also had the spiced tea (yummy)
Everything was fresh, and it was a lot of fun to eat without utensils. I enjoyed the flavors of all the dishes, but didn't find anything to be exceptionally spicy - the lamb dish was my favorite (in combo#17)
I can't say that this is a place that I will lay awake at night dreaming about in an i-must-have-it-now craving sorta way, but I will certainly be back with friends as it's unsual, and tasty.
This would make a great (affordable) date night place.
Service was friendly and prompt and prices were really reasonable.
So good. That's all I have to say. Eat here if you have the opportunity...
I've only had one dish here, the vegetarian combo platter, but it's good enough that I haven't felt the need to try anything else. (especially since I'm vegetarian and won't be trying the meat dishes.) You get seven or so items arranged atop a huge circular piece of injera, the delicious, spongy Ethiopian flatbread, along with another large piece of injera. It's enough for two people with leftovers, which you can then roll up and eat as an Ethiopian leftover burrito later. Yum!
If you like eating with your fingers as much as I do, Abyssinia is worth it just for the experience. They also have some cool imported African beers and honey wine, which is sweet, floral, and very tasty.
I had been wanting to try this place for a few months now and I'm so glad I finally did. As a newcomer to Ethiopian food, I didn't know what to order so my partner and I shared the meat combination plate.
Everything was good but the stand out items (for me) were both the lamb (both kinds) and the cabbage/carrot stuff. We got a hard boiled egg as well which was different and cool. The bread reminded me of what a mouse pad feels like. It tasted good with the food though. Just the combination plate was enough for both of us.
I had the mild honey wine which had a nice flavor. I was worried that it would taste more like mead but it was quite refreshing.
The service was good. The gentleman who was working was very sweet and attentive. I will definitely be returning.
The husband and I shared the vegetarian combination platter, and came away very satisfied. The collard greens were especially delicious. Each item -- there were also lentils, a garbanzo bean stew, and cabbage and potatoes -- had its own character, ranging from mild to spicy, with complex flavors.
You should absolutely try the Hakim stout if you're a beer drinker. It is wonderfully smooth and mild and goes with the food perfectly. The honey wine (I had the sweet one) is also very good.
The decor is very plain, but it doesn't feel sterile or uncomfortable. All the tables were filled while we were there with people enjoying themselves, and that makes for a nice atmosphere.
The food is is pretty good. I've had ethopian food before in Seattle and compared to those restaurants, the injera (flat bread that is served with all meals) is a little thin and not as tart as I'm used to. Overall, the combination vegetarian dish tasted good. For the price though, it was on the expensive side for this type of dish. It was $18.95 for a combination veggie dish for 2 pwople whereas I'm used to paying $12 for the same dish. I would come again!
One of the greatest things about this restaurant is walking through the front door. The first time I went there were two older Ethiopian women sitting on the floor roasting spices over a gas flame. We walked through the spice smoke to get to our table. That was cool. Even this time the restaurant smells amazing.
The people are very nice but the service both times has been terrible. Not because of the attitude it is just that the floor is understaffed with un- trained servers. This time we went it was bad enough that my girlfriend said she didn't want to go back. Thankfully they make food to go.
We had the sambusa stuffed with ground beef to start. It was delicious!! Then we had the Abyssinia Special for two. This was was great too. There are five or six dishes all served on top of injera. So very tasty and spicy. The food is REALLY good. It's really nice to have them in the neighborhood. I just hope they figure out the service problems.
Went here with family and ordered a variety of tasty treats. We had the vegi combo, nibs, and a lamb dish. The three entrees fed 5 of us to the point of being stuffed. The food was awesome!!! We also had the spiced hot tea, perfect! We will be back.
Abyssinia provides fine Ethiopian/Eritrean cuisine at a decent price. Try starting with the combination platter, which is made up of several nicely-spiced stews ("wat" or "tsebhi") served over special "injera" bread. Over and over, I've found their single combination platters (both meat and veggie) are plenty of food for two normal people.
The food is eaten without utensils -- just scoop each tasty bite up in the spongy injera bread. Warm towels are provided before and after the meal.
This is a great addition to the downtown Santa Rosa food scene!
Abyssinia is a solidly good example of Ethiopian fare complete with Hakim stout, a fantastic, ferric "icing" on the experience.
We usually get the combos, one veg and one meat. It is a bit on the salty side, as many Ethiopian restaurants' are, and my husband usually finds the meat to be a bit too hot on the spices.
The atmosphere is fun, often Ethiopian pop-music videos are on tv. The staff is very helpful. Service is initially slow (i.e. drink orders) but never so much time that the experience is bad.
Hearty, yummy - you wont come away disappointed.
First time having Ethiopian/Eritrean food & I'm a fan. Had the Abyssinia Combo with a friend and loved everything but the American-style salad which was nothing special. The two lamb dishes were best with medium hot spice. The Doro We't is a chicken dish that was good if you aren't a lamb lover. That bread is like a sponge & so much fun to eat with.
I agree with others that there is really no decor to speak of, but it's clean & the server & chef were friendly & the food came fast. I definitely recommend trying it - especially one of the combos if you want to try a bunch of the dishes and don't have a big group.
We (me and my wife) were trying Ethiopian cuisine for the first time. Abyssinia was a pleasant experience at a decent price. We tried Vegetarian and Beef Sambusa as appetizer. Delicious! For main course we tried the Meat and Veg combination platter, which is made up of several types of nicely-spiced stews ("wat" or "tsebhi" as they are called) served over special "injera" bread. The food is eaten without silverware, just scoop up the small portions of the stews in the injera bread and relish it.
Warm towels are provided before the meal. There is nice Ethiopian pop-music playing in the background. Burst of flavors, hearty meal and good service. Highly recommended.
I think this location is cursed. If you are a local, you know that this location has not fared well recently. Most recently, this was Cafe Nha Be (Korean food). The restaurant is laid out poorly. There is a small dining area up front, a long thin area of tables for two which runs next to the kitchen, and a cafeteria feeling area in the back near the bathrooms. Decor is sparse. The silverware, plates, glasses, coffee urns, and napkins are on folding tables in the seating area, adding to the cafeteria-like ambiance. Tables are, well, cafeteria like. I can definitely appreciate how much it must cost to start up a restaurant, but eating here also makes one appreciate that some attempt at decor is really necessary for success.
All that aside, I really wanted to try this place because as a new vegetarian/vegan/hypocrite, I noticed there was a large vegetarian section of the menu. Not that I have a thing about eating animals. God would not have made them so delicious if they weren't meant to be eaten. I'm just trying to knock down a few cholesterol points.
My friend an I walked here for dinner last night with my 7 month old son. When we stepped in, the heat of the interior really hit us. It was a cool evening outside, but felt like 80 degrees inside. We stood around at the counter for a few minutes before anyone noticed us and took us to a table. There were 4-5 other full tables in the mostly empty restaurant. If you shop at Community Market, eat at Govinda's, or are from Sebastopol, you'll probably run into people you know here (I did).
My friend ordered the meat combo and I had the vegetarian combo. As a previous review mentioned, food is served on a pancake bread with some extra bread on the side. We were told how to eat Moroccan style (food is picked up with the bread sans utensils), but were offered utensils if we wanted them. Everything was fine. Nothing very flavorful or spicy. I asked the waiter if we could have some hot sauce. He brought a dish of red powder, which he warned us was very hot. It was less spicy than the medium Taco Bell sauce. The meal was filling. I had an Ethiopian beer (stout no less!) which was nice, but small for the price (333 ml for $5.50 [a pint is 450 ml]).
Definitely enough food, but nothing was outstanding. It reminded me of the Indian food you can buy in pouches at Trader Joe's. Good, but not restaurant quality.
I suspect this place will be here another 6 months or less.
I do like african food very much!! It has so many diverse flavors and this place is no exception! I have many friends from all over africa and have tried lots of their food. Abyssinia is a great place to get something out of the ordinary. The flavors are bold and the service is good. I will be going back for more
I've eaten this type of food twice before at other Ethiopian restaurants and was a little concerned about the possibility of it being too spicy hot. The friendly waiter assured me that the seasoning was moderate and when we hesitated over the foreign names and descriptions of the dishes, he suggested that we try both the vegetable and meat combination platters. WOW. Everything was beautifully prepared and presented with plenty of Injera (the pancake-like bread) to roll it up and sop up the wonderful sauces.
This location has been a problem for other restaurants in the past, so I suspect their long term viability will depend entirely on word of mouth. Do your mouth a favor and try this place. If you like it, then tell all of your friends. They deserve any success that comes their way.
My first time for Ethiopian and Eretrian food and Abyssinia did not disappoint. No fancy tables or decor here, just delicious food. We ordered the vegetarian combo for two and loved everything. Sauteed collard greens, curried lentils, green lentils other dishes all placed on a thin pancake type bread to be used as a scooper to eat your food with. Yummy! I also tried the honey wine (mild). Sweet and tasty! BF had some Ethiopian beer- Metti which had a great malty flavor. Very pleasant servers. While the wait is a little longer than I like, I will keep coming back!
Ethiopian food in Santa Rosa...sweet! The vegetarian combo was fantastic (and vegan!) and the staff were super friendly. We'll definitely be going again.
yummy!
Stopped here for lunch last weekend. The service was great and the food was very good.
This place is awesome. I'd never had ethiopian/eretrian food before I tried it out (based on reviews in bite-club and chowhound), and it didn't disappoint. We ordered a combination-type plate for 2 that came with a pork, chicken, beef, lamb, and a couple of other vegetarian things (cabbage, lentils, a salad). This was a great intro to the cuisine. They also have a vegetarian combo plate. The food comes in little mounds on their spongy pancake type bread, and it is absolutely delicious, fresh, filling, savory, flavorful...yum. My favorite was the lamb. It is really reasonable (19.95 for the combo, plenty of food) and the people are very friendly. Try it out! They also serve breakfast!
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