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Addis Red Sea
Category: Restaurants Ethiopian Ethiopian [Edit]
544 Tremont St(between Hanson St & Milford St)
Boston, MA 02116
Neighborhood: South End
(617) 426-8727
- Nearest Transit:
-
Tremont St @ Waltham St (43)
Tremont St @ Union Pk (43)
Tremont St @ E Berkeley St (43)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 5 pm - 11 pm
Sat-Sun 12 pm - 11 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
401 reviews for Addis Red Sea
Review Highlights
-
"Their honey wine makes a great finish to an amazing meal." In 54 reviews -
"I love the spongy bread they serve all of the dishes on." In 27 reviews -
"Injera was light, fluffy, and tasty." In 66 reviews
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- A Yelpy Insight: Vegetarians go nuts for this spot. See more places they like.
401 reviews in English
-
Review from Alan Y.
Boston, MA
5/7/2012
I've had fairly decent experiences at this restaurant. The dining experience is unique in that the food is all shared and eaten without use of utensils. All of the food is eaten with bread on small, circular "tables" that resemble african drums. The food itself is quite good, if a bit heavy and soporific. The portion sizes of the dishes are quite small, but since the food is so heavy and so much bread is provided, I was able to get full pretty easily. Too full, in fact. I have never felt so lethargic after any meal, including Thanksgiving. I also tried the honey wine, although interesting and quite sweet, might have contributed to my torpid state.
The one downside about this restaurant was the service: it took FOREVER (it felt at least an hour) for the food to reach our table. However, considering how well-marinated and pungent the food was when it arrived, it wasn't a big deal for me. -
Review from Alex R.
Boston, MA
4/9/2012
Eh.
The good:
Entrees were good. I would suggest the lamb wot. The bread served with the dishes was plentiful.
Atmosphere was cool and it was fun eating with my hands.
Our waitress was nice.
The bad:
Stay away from the apps. They are extremely overpriced, small portioned, and not that great. The lentil sambusa was ok, but bland. The beef patties (dibulbul tips) were dry, small, and not very flavorful. I've had better frozen meatballs.
Additionally, we didn't order the tips. But we got them anyway and were charged for them.
After our initial interaction with our waitress (which entailed a whole bunch of confusion about an extended groupon which wasn't accepted) it took a very long time to get our order in.
I probably won't go back. That's a shame because I was looking forward to going and thought it might be a place I'd revisit often. -
Review from Sohini M.
Brookline, MA
4/1/2012
This is an Ethiopian place we keep revisiting with anyone who wants to try the cuisine. I would NOT however go their other location in Cambridge. They have the worst service on the planet!
This South End location has always been excellent although not the speediest service. If you have to be anywhere in a hurry you might want to avoid eating here.
Its great for a leisurely weekend meal with friends. -
Review from Astra G.
3/13/2012
I've been to many ethiopian restaurants but have never gotten to sit in any of the traditional wicker seating. So I was so happy when they seated us here at a traditional table and stools. However, since we had the corner spot I had to sit and then turn myself to face the table. I got a little tired of sitting in a sideways manner. They have a nice downstairs area which is where we were seated.
Our food was good and satisfied my Ethiopian craving. The hot injera was spongy and our wats were plentiful. I left feeling really full.
Besides my sideways seaing, the atmosphere is really nice. There were a lot of other people there but not overly crowded. -
Review from Catherine Y.
Boston, MA
3/23/2012
I give the food 4 stars. We got the Doro Wot combination and the experience of eating with your hands is always fun. Their injera was not sour, which is great because I've had really sour injera and it just ruins the whole meal. Everything was super tasty here.
BUT, I have to give the service 1 star.
How can service be that incredibly slow? It wasn't even busy!
The waitresses purposely ignore you and avoid eye contact.
If service improved, Addis would be golden. -
Review from Sarah S.
Roslindale, MA
4/23/2012
The atmosphere is spectacular. We ordered the vegetarian combination, and the servings initially look small, but then neither of us could finish. The giagantoid plate is deceiving. Their injera is spongy and fresh and perfect. We avoided the dishes labelled spicy, and I was a bit disappointed that the other dishes were a little too un-spicy, but that could have been our own ordering mistake. As another reviewer stated, the appetizers are overpriced for what you get. Decent selection of wines.
-
Review from Jenny S.
a REAL ethiopian experience!! and i don't just mean the food but also the table, chairs, decor & waitresses/waiters!!
WARNING: if you aren't comfortable EATING W/ YOUR HANDS.. this may not be the restaurant for you! but don't worry they start you off with hand towelettes!
APPETIZERS
----sambusas w/ ground beef: i liked the crispy texture but the meat was bland
----Ayib Begomen: cottage cheese mix eaten w/ injera, not bad
MAIN COURSE (got the combinations since they come w/ 3 vegetarian dishes)
----doro wot combination: the chicken was flavorful!!
----kitfo: i liked the spiciness of the steak tartar
----the vegetarian dishes: together we tried six of them, which were all pretty bland except the Yesmsir Alcha (lentils)
ODDLY their injera (bread used to scoop up your food) is not sour like at other ethiopian restaurants!
i've had better vegetarian ethiopian, but if you're more concerned about the meat then Addis would be a good choice! -
Review from May W.
Mountain View, CA
4/24/2012
I've definitely had better Ethiopian food. The bread was not fresh at all, and the servings seemed small. Some of the flavors weren't that great, and some of the meat was too chewy.
-
Review from Leanne C.
1/30/2012 1 Check-in Here
The atmosphere with regards to authenticity gets a thumb up in my book. But at the end of the meal I kept thinking "eh, I've had much better".
If you're a handsy couple who think you're edgy and adventurous by trying ethnic food places out you'd fit right in here (based on the patrons I saw outside of our Yelp group).
The service was pretty good but the food pacing was a bit slow. The drink orders were provided right off the bat- I ordered the Ethiopian red sweet wine; it tasted like a sugary table wine that lacked any sort of aroma. As for food, we didn't get the opportunity to put in our order in until 30-40 minutes had passed.
When we did receive our food, most of the items were between lukewarm and cold. The spice was nonexistent for almost everything I had and their injera was a bit different than I was used to (it had a very thin, crispy, pancake-y edge and was much lighter in color). As for what I had: you name a Vegetarian option, I probably had it (except the two with butter in the description).
Really, everything (aside from the company) fell up short for me. If you have expectations about Ethiopian food, I wouldn't recommend here. -
Review from Annette M.
Cambridge, MA
3/10/2012
I am always happy to walk down the steps from Tremont St. and enter Addis. The scent of cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom sizzling in butter relaxes me instantly. I love Ethiopian and Eritrean food, and I've eaten at the houses of several Tigrinya and Amharic speaking friends. Addis Red Sea is pretty good if you order right.
Get the yebeg wot (lamb stew with cardamom and ginger). It's the best. I encouraged everyone in my party that we should get two orders of it. But NOOOOOO... we had to branch out, try lots of stuff, have some variety. So we just got one order. Sure enough, everybody gravitated towards the one order of yebeg wot on the common plate, and it disappeared the first, leaving everyone wanting more. Learn from my tragedy.
One of my tablemates ordered the lamb riblets (goden tibs), and I have to say, they were not all that great. I was the one who ended up eating them. Waste not want not.
Also, be sure to order bread that is all teff. This costs extra but is well worth it. I am not sure if this is on the menu--I had to ask the waitress. The teff bread is much lighter and less filling than the wheat bread and tastes much better.
Don't forget to order tej (mead) to drink.
I really like the fact that Addis Red Sea does not play music in the background. There is a bar downstairs. If I lived across the Charles in Boston, I might make it a regular haunt, so I could sit in the odor of cloves and cinnamon and drink tej. There was a cute guy handsome as Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum with a lovely beard who was sitting all alone there. Had I been alone myself, I would have made a move. -
Review from sato h.
Boston, MA
2/4/2012
I am new to Ethiopian food. I just tried it out for the first time a month ago in Chicago and loved it - the skin like bread that soaks up the sauce, concept of sharing a one big plate with few other people, and you eat everything with your hands!
Being that said, Addis had all the things that I liked from my first Ethiopian food experience and even better because they have those traditional tables and ambiance is so nice and cozy.
Then why two stars?
Service is SO slow. If you read my other reviews, you'll quickly find out that I don't mess around when it comes to service. And slow service is my biggest pet peeve.
It's annoying when I have to wait for 10min to get seated when the place is empty. And another 15min until the waitress takes your order.
Food was not so good either. My meat dish was not hot, warm.
My friend is vegetarian and he got a vegetarian combo. One of the dishes had a potato in it that was completely undercooked and almost raw. He was trying to find the waitress - but she was nowhere to be found. Ugh. She finally came by to check in on us when we were all pretty much done eating. My friend told her that the potatoes were not cooked properly and her response was an awkward smile. No apologies.
I won't be back. -
Review from Rachel T.
2/10/2012
I don't understand all of these reviews. This was THE restaurant that de-flowered me to the food of Ethiopia and set in place my adoration of all things mesobs, wots, kitfos, and injera. Addis is one of my must-gos if I'm ever in town. I've always left full and happy. I also leave giddy because whatever unknowing dining companions had to eat 1.) out of a big basket -like bowl 2.)without utensils and 3.)communally, with everyone's hands all over everyone else's food. Think about it this way, giant party, ONE dish to clean. How awesome is that?
OK, so the mesob may be slightly tacky but damnit it makes the whole experience that much more special. The hosts and servers have always been sweet, and on top of shit.
The food is insane. The timatim salad is simple but has so much flavor. I'm a huge fan of the combination of cold and spicy, and this does it for me, every time. I also highly recommend the Tikle Gomen, Yesmir Wot (lentil stew), and the gomen wot (collard stew). The veggie dishes are always the best to me, the meat dishes are less unique and comparable to any slow cooked meat.
You feel like you're in a different world when you're inside, and they feed you delicious, unique food. No other Ethiopian place has ever come close.. (yet) -
Review from Michelle J.
Cambridge, MA
1/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
This was my first time at an Ethiopian place. So I'm not sure if some things were customary. The service was actually good in my opinion. The waitress explained everything we asked and was really nice to return and take drink orders as our group gathered. But I have to say I was expecting better in terms of food. When the bread is the best part of the meal something's wrong.
First off everything was served cold. Is that normal? And if it is then why did the main course take so long to come out ? The raw beef and the chicken were tasty but the rice was just terrible. It was hard and grainy. If the food was good we wouldn't have had so much left on our plates. But it was just disappointing. -
Review from Michelle K.
Boston, MA
2/28/2012
SERVICE - seated around noon with only 2 other parties and did not get food until 1 pm. If you enjoy looking across the table at your dining partner's agonizing-in-hunger-face for a substantial amount of time, then this is the place for you! i'm pretty sure everything is just reheated so i'm thinking maybe the bread is made to order and is what takes up so much time?
FOOD - that kind of wait would have been worth it if the food was out of this world. it wasn't. it was very much of this world. ordered lamb (yebeg wot) and chicken (doro wot). Both were tasty, but lukewarm to cold. Also got three veggie dishes: butecha (chickpea paste...would not get again), yeshmir alcha (stewed lentils...pretty bland, but paired with the flavorful meats was fine), and attempted to get the gomen wot (collard greens) but when the food came out was told that they did not have this so was substituted with the atakilt (potato/carrot/onions)....I was a bit irked that she took the liberty to substitute it with the very last thing I would have chosen, but there you go. and yes, my instincts were right. don't get the atakilt.
All in all, would not come back again. If anything, call in an order so that you can avoid the painful wait and reheat your food.
PS. they have a 10 dollar charge minimum which is not posted anywhere. -
Review from Samir K.
Smithfield, RI
4/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
I think the only bad part about this place is that it is not open for lunch too.
I have eaten ethiopian in London, providence and NYC. Addis is the beat of the lot.
I am vegetarian and have been accommodated every time and it's been hassle free.
The food and ambience is amazing and if your in the area do stop by and enjoy a great meal. Recommend you get the combos since you can try many things.
Food is not too spicy but flavorful at the same time.
Great job guys ! -
Review from Joanna H.
Chestnut Hill, MA
2/7/2012 2 photos
Need a breather from the fast-paced world we live in? Addis Red Sea is the place to go. This place is one word: CHILL. The lighting is dim, the space cozy and intimate. Not the most comfortable seating (I seriously almost tipped over on the stool once but just sit tight and you'll be fine.)
FOOD IS DELICIOUS. Never had Ethiopian food before but we ordered two combos: Doro Wot Lite (chicken) and the Kitfo (steak tartar). Each came with three vegeterian sides. Tried 6/8 of the vegetarian dishes and all were yummy, so I would say you can't really go wrong with whichever you choose. I did really enjoy the Butecha (chickpea paste) and the Yekik Alicha (Split peas) though. Portions didn't seem that much but with the plate of Injera that comes with it, you'll find yourself surprisingly full.
Service is good, but a bit slow. Very amiable place overall. -
Review from Cecile B.
Boston, MA
4/7/2012
We really like this place, the food is great and how fun is it to eat w your fingers!
Staff is really friendly, but the service a bit slow.
Repeat costumers. -
Review from Eddie G.
Boston, MA
12/20/2011
A few weeks ago i decided to make reservations for a party of 7 at Addis Red Sea for last Friday night. I wanted to have dinner with some good friends in a spot with some mood lighting and good food. Well, let me tell you, this place rocks. We were seated even though our entire party was not there at 8pm and it was not a problem to add an additional person to the table. Right away, we were offered water and then a few minutes later they took out drink order. I really do recommend the honey wine. It was sweet but not cloyingly so and paired well with the spicy food. I also had a bottle of the Harar Beer which was refreshing and topped off my honey wine buzz nicely!
For dinner we ordered the Special Combination plate which was pretty amazing and great for those who like spice. The beef stew was YUMMY and the lentils again, were SPICY. That is always a plus in my book.
I wish the bathroom had been cleaner and the service was slow. But with a few drinks in me, I was able to catch up with my friends and just take in the scenery. It was a pretty mixed crowed but most people seemed to be in the 20-30s age range.
No one left hungry and for a party of 8, the meal with drinks amounted to about $30 per person. Pretty amazing for a Friday night in the South End :) -
Review from Todd F.
Woburn, MA
1/28/2012
Yuck!! I consider myself a pretty open minded person when it comes to food, but this place was the worst. Let's start with the fact that our server...and every one else who attended to our table had horrible body odor. Disgusting.
The food, whatever it was we ordered, came on a large tray in what I can only describe as piles of yellow, white, and red goo. The waiter didn't bother explaining what was what.
The worst part was the "bread" that we were supposed to use to eat the food. I was especially excited for this as I thought it would be an interesting concept, and it would have been, if the bread wasn't completely nasty. It had a spongy, wet texture which put it so far away from what I consider bread, it ruined the entire meal.
I'd stay away from this place. -
Review from Jessie H.
Waltham, MA
1/27/2012
My husband took me here for my birthday, which was a really nice treat since I have eaten lots of ethnic foods but never before Ethiopian. Not that this is the restaurant's fault but WOW does parking suck in the South End if you aren't a resident. Ok, got that out of my system.
The service was very friendly and prompt. The setting was decorated with all kinds of Ethiopian relics, as in , lots of goat skins stretched and painted. You sit at very low tables, with little 3-legged stools for your hungry bum. This is the first reason I deducted 1 star. I know this is supposed to be all about the experience of eating like they do in Ethiopia, but I was uncomfortable. It's especially difficult to maintain your balance on those 3 legs if you have enjoyed a couple of the South End's finest cocktails. Fortunately, I did not fall off my seat, but another man in the restaurant did, proving my point.
The food here is delicious! We ordered the Red Sea dinner platter for 2 which came with a great assortment of salad, veggies, stewed chicken and beef, all atop that spongy bread. It was a fun way to eat your food (they give you hot towels to clean your hands) and all of the stews were full of tender meat and fragrant spices. Pretty much everything is good here if you aren't a picky eater.
The 2nd reason I had to deduct 1 star is because there were very large fruit flies buzzing around. One actually landed in my glass of honey wine...gross. The other prominent location of the flies was in the ladies bathroom. Gross.
Other than those 2 minor drawbacks I had a great time, and will probably go back when I have out-of-town guests to entertain. Oh, and they do offer proper chairs if you really need one. -
Review from Shannon S.
Quincy, MA
12/12/2011
The man-friend took me here for my birthday dinner and despite it being packed (a lot of grouponers cashing in almost expiring deals) we only waited about 15 minutes for a table. I didn't realize until we were led downstairs that the place had 2 levels of seating.
Though it was only my 2nd time having Ethiopian food, and the first time was takeout, I was tremendously pleased. The food was delicious, I ate my weight in that bread they give you to eat your dish and I left with a super full belly and a happy birthday girl. -
Review from Clay K.
10/24/2011
This was my FIRST experience with Ethiopian food. If you're like me, the first time I heard about Ethiopian Food, I was all like, "Uhhh....like, bags of flour and rice with "U.N. stamped on it? Nothx, srsly." Those of us who grew up in the 80's remember the news footage and the infomercials begging for pennies a month to sponsor a kid. Turns out that Ethiopia suffered a famine largely due to its agricultural/food system being largely based on cattle. When the drought hit, they didn't have grazeland. Thus, food shortage.
Well, Sally Struthers was sitting on a secret: AWESOME FOOD.
I was on vacation in Boston with a few friends, and we found this gem. We dug it SO MUCH that we ate here TWICE in a ROW for dinner. It was a new experience all around. For the uninitiated thinking about taking the plunge: the food is essentially a collection of meat and spices stewed together and ladled onto a soft, crepe-textured bread. The bread itself has a subtle hint of vinegar in the flavor, and you tear pieces of it and scoop the food up. (Think, "make your own burritos/fajitas," and you've got the idea.)
Here's what to get: Kitfo. Get it raw. It's steak tar-tar, and it is amazing.
Ayib Begomen - Cottage cheese mixed with mitmita and gomen. I haven't found this stuff SINCE Boston, and that is a damndirtyshame. What is it? Cottage cheese, served warm and savory with spices. I'd never in my life even THOUGHT of cottage cheese as anything other than this cold, pasty crap you mix with pineapple when you're on a diet. I liked this stuff so much that I attempted to make my own at home, with mixed results.
Any of the lamb entrees. We tried em all, and they were phenomenal.
This place is top-notch, and I hope to return. -
Review from Elizabeth R.
Newton, MA
3/23/2012
I've eaten here about five times over the past 12 years or so. I would have given it five stars about six years ago, but my last two experiences bring it down to three stars.
Food: The food is good to excellent. I'm a vegetarian and typically order the veg plate for two. The collard greens, lentils, mixed veggies, and salad are outstanding. The chick peas are kind of boring and cold.
Wine: Lots of comments here about the honey wine. I didn't love it.
Ambience: The upstairs has a great ambience---low lights, traditional furniture, very exotic and cozy feeling. It is nice to just sit there and drink it all in. The downstairs---not so much. The floor is hard white bright tile and although the furniture is traditional, the tables are packed together very tightly with a lot of stools and chairs around each one making it very hard to get comfortable. I was seated with a view of a lot of cast off furniture and other items stacked next to the bar. Interestingly enough, we were two women eating together and I noted that all the customers on the lower level were female, while the men and mixed parties were seated upstairs. Sexism? Perhaps. Would recommend you ask for the top floor only if you are going to eat here.
Service: Kind of slow. I wouldn't have cared if I wasn't looking at a pile of discarded furniture! -
Review from Jenn H.
Boston, MA
11/10/2011
Customer service: Terrible. Servers are friendly to offer you a seat, but as soon as they take your order, they don't care to check up on you at all. I had to ask several servers, several times, for a dessert menu, for a refill of my water, and for the check.
With their recent Groupon promotion, I'm sure they got busy with more customers than they are used to, but they need to train their waiters and waitresses so they know how to handle serving a lot of tables. Or just hire more servers! They have to do something about the customer service.
Prices: They aren't bad for the amount of food offered. Pretty big portions and I left full.
Food: The food itself is typical Ethiopian cuisine and was just so-so. The sambusa was okay, but I've had better. The injera (bread served with most entrees) at Addis Red Sea was too soppy. I've had better. Maybe it was an off day for them, because apparently other people do like their food. The fish entree I had was good and the sauce was paired well with the type of fish.
In summary: I wouldn't go again. -
Review from Jackie S.
ALLSTON, MA
11/28/2011
This is my second time coming to this restaurant and the food is always delicious.
Pros: The food was delicious. The injara (spongy bread) filling, the beef succulent and the chicken properly spiced. The honey wine was awesome and I usually dislike white wine.
Cons: They screwed up our appetizer but were nice enough to fix it and bring us a new order of it. Also, the service was quite slow. We waited 15 minutes just to place our order but then our food came pretty quickly.
I would definitely return here because it has a fun atmosphere where you sit on traditional Ethiopian chairs with a traditional table. The food is always delicious and filling. A good date spot especially if you want to try something new together! -
Review from Marie D.
Brooklyn, NY
10/1/2011
Whoa, y'all. I am really perplexed about how this restaurant came about getting a four-star rating on Yelp.
My dining experience was two hours total. This included approximately thirty minutes of eating time and then maybe ten minutes where we waited for the check. So that leaves an hour and twenty minutes of:
Waiting forever to be seated while most of the tables were open.
Waiting forever for our server to take our order.
Waiting even more forever for our food to come.
Now I know that two forevers and a "more" forever do not equal an hour and twenty minutes, but when you're hungry the gap between ordering your food and ingesting it can feel long and miserable. When the food came it was lukewarm, bland and dissatisfying. The only reason I gave them two stars was because they accommodated my dorky food allergies, even though I wound up getting sick in the end. -
Review from Luke P.
Boston, MA
4/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've been here twice now and both experiences have overall been good. The ambiance and decor of the restaurant are its best features; it definitely has a unique, foreign feel to it with interesting seating arrangements around a round, bowl shaped table - I have not seen this setup at other restaurants. The food was decent although I think I've had better Ethiopian in Seattle. Personally, I also much prefer the sour, darker colored injera. Addis gives you a little bit of this style but the majority they serve is lighter colored and doesn't have that tangy, sour-dough like taste. The staff have always been friendly and accurate, but they do not check in often and you will likely wait a long time for your bill, initial drink/food orders, etc. unless you flag them down. Definitely don't come here if you're trying to have a quick dinner. If you've never tried Ethiopian and are into ethnic foods, this is a good place to be introduced to the cuisine.
-
Review from Nicole K.
Cambridge, MA
2/9/2012
LOVE the food, love the staff, ambiance, et al. I've seen comments about the slow service, but I get the impression it's intentional. I've been eating here for 10 years, and I have always had the same experience, and it seems to me the idea behind this communal eating is to slow down, enjoy each others company, and savor the food.
So, try #4 on the app list (Ayib Betmitmita), anything in Wot sauce, and the Baklava. Don't expect to eat in an hour then catch a show across the street. Enjoy! -
Review from Nadia B.
11/7/2011
Nice ambiance!! It will be a wonderful cultural experience, so go if you're in the mood for an interesting festive evening, full of great ambiance.
Food: If you're a vegetarian, although there are a number of options, don't expect a culinary WOW factor. I wish it had a little bit more of the basic salt and pepper in some of the items..
It's good food with not MUCH pow flavoring if some people are worried with whether their flavors would be overbearing... it was a tad underbearing. I ordered a tilapia in a spicy sauce.. not fishy.... but the spicy sauce wasn't MY cup of tea. Three of my friends with me DID like it though.
Their hot sauce is really a chipotle sauce without the zing or spice to it.
My favorite was the lentils--- so order a lentil dish if you're there.
We also ordered collard greens, cabbage and mixed vegetables (which is exactly just that, no sauce, it seemed to be steamed and had some salt). It really just might be the way ethiopians eat, and when in Rome.... you get it. I'll just add salt and/or lemons for acidity for my personal liking, and that is never a big deal for me.
We had a groupon but the portions were VERY tiny.... basically, if there was more, in front of us, we had room to eat it . I know one of my friends was full, but I didn't feel like the appetizers and entrees were the same size between the menu items and the groupon sizes. It sounds more like the "tasting menu" some other reviewers discussed, but I feel lilke they could have mentioned portions would be tiny and we would have went OUTSIDE our groupon deal to order some additional things.
It's very basic, decent cuisine. It's clean, the "bread" they give is NOT too heavy, but the opposite... airy and light but filling as well.
Service: our waitress was VERY nice and helpful, but it was getting slow. I believe they waited for the second waitress to come in and she looked more available. For a friday night, eight tables, one waitress and another was late made it very difficult. However, ALL our questions were answered and waters by the staff was provided. Our waitress was definitely patient with all our questions, and smiled the entire way through.
Final words: Go for ambiance and for a light supper. We WERE hungry after a bit, but we had a wonderful time sharing out of the "mesob" -
Review from Maura C.
2/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
So I know this place has been open for a very long time now and WOW the line was still way out the door, down the hall, and into the basement! I felt very privledged to bypass the crowd and get a table at a place that doesn't take reservations. My suggestion, call ahead and put your name on the list!!! The food is so amazingly delicious! I love that you get to share with your friends and family... the best way to eat. Definitely check it out when you get to Boston and try as many dishes as possible. The veggie dishes are particularly fantastic
-
Review from Ella B.
Los Olivos, CA
10/4/2011
Very cute and romantic setting, but I was with my hubby and a good friend of ours - still, the atmosphere made for cozy conversations.
We ordered an appetizer of the cottage cheese, it wasn't the one we wanted, but it was the one recommended to us and it was delish!
For our main courses we ordered the fish in red sauce, lamb in a brown sauce and cabbage.
The fish had a little spice to it which was nice. The lamb was good, but nothing exceptional. The cabbage was cooked with potatoes, also good. All was served with lots of the fluffy kind of Ethiopian bread (they only serve one type here - for those of you who like the "thinner" type of Ethiopian bread - sorry, they don't serve that here).
The service was friendly and relatively fast - not like super fast, but good when you're catching up with friends sort of thing, or say, a romantic date sort of thing, which it seemed the crowd was either on a date or groups of friends. Everything topped off with a nice glass of honey wine. :)
We walked home very happy and full.
The entire meal for 3 was $65 not including tip. -
Review from tavia m.
Jamaica Plain, MA
11/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
I like Addis Red Sea a lot! It's a unique change from the usual dining spots around Boston. There are many, many options on food, including at least 8 vegetarian entrees.
The thing that makes me give this place 3 stars instead of 4 is the service. Man, are they slow. You'll wait forever to order and then it's a long wait to get anything else you need....drinks, more bread, food, the check, and so on. I always plan longer than usual to eat here due to that factor. I've encountered rudeness at Addis Red Sea, just slowness.
A few side notes, the honey wine is GOOD. Pretty sweet but tasty and different. You can request the more sour-tasting wheat bread if you want it. Also, the house salad, which a tomato salad, is so tasty--so order two!
I will keep coming back here because I like the food and the atmosphere, but make sure you're aware of the slower pace of Addis Red Sea before you dine there. -
Review from Justin P.
Boston, MA
3/5/2012
Excellent food, great service. I love this place.
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Review from Kirs P.
Jamaica Plain, MA
Updated - 10/6/2011
It's been five years. Time for an update.
I'm a much wiser and experienced food eater and restaurant goer now. And while Addis is not bad, it also is not super awesome 5-star worthy. It's perfectly acceptable, white-ed up Ethiopian food. Perfect place to take non-adventurous eaters on an adventure. Although they will likely stil complain (Why do I have to eat with my hands! This is too spicy! I don't like things that are outside my white-bread American life!)
The pluses:
Convenient and cheap: The prices really are reasonable and it's super easy to get to because it's right smack dab in the middle of the south end. I can actually walk there from work if I wanted.
Pretty okay food: It does not have the appropriate spice level for real Ethiopian food. Ethiopian isn't crazy spicy, but it should still have some bite. It's often hit or miss here- for every one time I get a properly spiced mittin shuro wot there are 10 other times it comes up bland as porridge. I will say, however, that their gomen wot is not spinach, which gives them a heads up on most other Ethiopian places. I prefer my gomen wat made with collard greens and the like, which is more traditional. Spinach just gets too mushy.
Ambiance: Not something I usually take much into account, but they've done a pretty bang up job of doing the Ethiopian thing on the top floor. Mesobs, and low slung stools, with cool Ethiopian art and schiz adorning the walls. It's cozy. I like it.
Take out! This was recently discovered. Ethiopian surpsingly takes well to take out- they know how to package it up. I have my friend pick it up before she comes over and we sit and watch Toddlers and Tiaras while drinking wine and eating Ethiopian. Pretty fabulous.
The not-so-pluses:
Service: So hit or miss. Mainly miss. There's one waitress who is awesome. The others? Not so much. Really long waits and you often feel ignored. I wouldn't mind the wait if at least the service was a bit more friendly (occasionally it is), but you are often met with a scowl instead of a smile.
Pretty okay food: Yes, I'm repeating myself. But it's a restaurant, for chrissakes, food should probably be better than "meh, it's okay." Again, this is beginner's Ethiopian. For some, this is going to be awesome. For me? I want some more complexity.
The wait: See service. See backlogs. See really crowded front entrance way with asshats refusing to move or wait outside (even if it's nice out). And sometimes you wait even if there are open tables. Lots of confusion about seating parties. Very frustrating.
Overall Assessment: While I complain, I still keep going back. The convenience just outweighs a lot of the cons. And even subpar Ethiopian is better than no Ethiopian in my book.Listed in: Your Unofficial Guide to the…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/7/2006
My favorite place to eat in all of Boston. It's reasonably priced, the service is always wonderful,… Read more »
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Review from Hubert H.
Cambridge, MA
10/10/2011
I have to bump this place down a notch due to some other recent Ethiopian experiences I've had in Malden and in California. I went to this place prior to the most recent visit 15 years ago!
We ordered the beef tartare, the meat combo, and some veggies. My main criticism was: a) the tartare was not rare enough; b) the injera bread wasn't sour enough, and also on this visit not warm enough either.
On the plus side, most of the dishes were fairly tasty, well marinated (in particular the lamb), and their berbere (red pepper flavor) was an effective flavor zinger.
Oh - there was a little critter on the plate of food - it wasn't dramatic enough to merit attention, but just a note worth mentioning. -
Review from Nikhil S.
Boston, MA
2/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
My experience here was quite miserable. Was looking forward to good Ethiopian food. Service was quite terrible. Food was alright.
For starters, we were ready to order (in the middle of the afternoon - empty restaurant) and the two women working upstairs decided to ignore us and have us wait for several minutes to finish their random conversation about nothing important before they would come take our order.
For our meal, we got a vegetarian combo for 2 (I think) and were told we couldn't adjust the spice levels because they were pre-made. It's easy to make something spicier. Really? Alright, whatever...
We asked for peppers on the side with our food and they forgot to bring it out with our apps. No biggie. It was fine besides that.
After we finish appetizers - in an empty restaurant, mind you - about 15 minutes later (30+ minutes after we first ordered), we ask where our (pre-made) food is. After about 2 minutes, our food is brought to our table. Seems like they forgot to get our food. Slightly obnoxious.
We dig into our food.......and it's COLD! What's their solution? Oh, we'll take it downstairs, microwave it for 30 seconds and bring it back up. Seriously?!? Once slightly warmed up, the food was alright.
Last time I had been to this place was about 8 years prior, and I never went back because it was bland food and I didn't really enjoy it. After this experience, I don't know if I'll ever go back since the service was terrible. -
Review from Michelle T.
Boston, MA
6/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
After I was traumatized in college by Ethiopian food - my room mates and I ended up throwing the sour-dough like pancakes and catching them on our faces (real mature, I know) - I was real hesitant to try Ethiopian again.
In my mind, the concept of Ethiopian food is really similar to Indian. Dense carb "wraps" for you to dip into strong-flavored (many curry-like) "entrees". Except...not as refined. The meal is heavy on fat and carbs, low on vegetables, which probably explains why most of us left feeling like gas was gonna explode out of every one of our holes and crevices.
DON'T BRING YOUR DATE HERE IF YOU'RE A "FARTER".
Overall, the flavors were great. We were happy with our 3 dishes, which was recommended by our server.
3 Entrees between 4 people (3 females, 1 male) was just enough. It came out to be $14 per person. I would recommend the:
1) Doro Wot (Chicken) - $11.95 - Super spicy but juicy and tender
2) Yasa Wot (fish) - $10.95 - More sauce than fish, but still delicious. Tastes like Buttery buttery fish.
+ and some of the lamb dishes.
The portions actually look really small but since they were so heavy, it was filly. Each entree comes in a small, fist-sized bowl) and is poured onto the doughy wraps, which gets super soggy toward the end.
You can request extra "bread".
Our party of 20+ people left with full (gassy) bellies and happy mouths. Service here is wonderful - so friendly, efficient water filling, and great for large parties. On a Wednesday night, there was no wait for all 20+ of us. However, we had to wait a REALLY long time (an hour) after placing our order until the food came.
Why 3 stars? Its a matter of personal preference. I'd rather go Indian, pay a little less, eat a little more food that's a TAD on the lighter side. -
Review from Meagan F.
Boston, MA
10/12/2011
I love this place. The service can be a little slow, and you have to ask to get your water glass refilled, but the food and atmosphere make it all worth it.
At Addis Red Sea, you sit on small benches close to the ground and eat out of a communal African Basket with your hands. Candles light each corner of the room, which is filled with interesting African art. The staff is in traditional garb, making the experience not just a culinary but also an aesthetic one.
We have been here countless times, and we like to try something different every time. This time we tried Sambusa with spiced meat and lentils, Yesmir Wot (lentils in a spicy Ethiopian BBQ sauce), Doro Wot (chicken in a red pepper sauce), and Yasa Tibs (fried fish). We had a Groupon this time, so we also received a couple of salads.
Everything is so fresh, the stew sauces are packed with flavor, and the bread is perfection. I've tried other places, and the bread can taste strongly of baking soda, but not Addis Red Sea. It is just wonderful.
A solid dining experience every time, if you don't mind a relaxed pace when eating. -
Review from Katherine W.
Arlington, VA
1/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
Cooks in olive oil and canola oil. Totally reasonable prices...
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Review from Matthew P.
Boston, MA
I have been meaning to try Ethiopian food for the longest time. This was my first time trying it and I'm SO happy it was at Addis Red.
First off, it's located in the basement and looks very unimposing. You have to know where it is because it won't really catch your eye. When we arrived my date and I were greeted with beautiful smiles and happy hosts and waitresses. We were immediately seated in the back corner where the ambience was completely from another country. I was in love.
We were seated closely with another table. It's very cramped in but it's nothing too obnoxious. The seats have no backs and it's essentially sitting on an upside down bucket with a nice cushion. Granted, it's must more pretty with a brown wicker material. Our table was named "Mesops".
We ordered the Addis Red Sea Special Combo for two and it was out of this world. We were handed a wet hand towel that is scented with Eucalyptus right before you are served because there are no utensils. Instead, there is this delicious spongy bread that you pick up the food with. The food was just outstanding. All the flavors worked so incredibly well. The spices are very unique. It slightly reminds me of Indian cuisine but it's definitely in a realm of itself. I also want to highly recommend the Meta beer. It's a local Ethiopian brew and it was a smooth sweet taste to it. Very refreshing and it complements the food nicely.
The service was spot on. The waitress we had was incredibly friendly and very attentive. Our water glasses were always filled and anything needed was promptly given. I can't wait to come back!
