Assab Eritrean Restaurant
2845 Geary Blvd
(between Collins St & Wood St)
San Francisco, CA 94118 (415) 441-7083
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 4:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat 4:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
165 Reviews for Assab Eritrean Restaurant
One of Assab Eritrean Restaurant's Favorite Reviews
I've not had much experience with Eritrean or Ethiopian foods, but this is by far the best I've had. I shared a Veggie Combo platter and Meat Combo platter with my wife so we could have a taste of everything. That was a huge - HUGE - plate of food, all of which was really delicious. It came on one plate - something to note if you don't want meat touching your veg. I won't stoop to "meat touching" puns for fear of being kicked off yelp....but I am tempted.....
The meat options oddly translated to my palate as being similar to Mexican dishes. Many of the sauces were like very nice moles (a little spicy, a little sweet, and deep with rich flavor), and one was very much like Chile Verde. Not complaining at all - I loved them all.
The dishes came with a fresh yogurt - so nice and creamy - as well as a trio of sides: red lentils, brown lentils and a cooked greens. All were fabulous, but I like the red lentils (I'm assuming they were lentils) the best.
On the veg side (the menu was VERY veg friendly) the tastiest options were the spiced cauliflower / potato option (to make another cultural parallel, think Aloo Ghobi) and the zucchini in a slightly spicy tomato sauce.
It all comes with a neoprene like crepe that you use in lieu of utensils. Ask for extra napkins! The crepe is bland, but that's fine, as its just an edible spork.
So good - I'm glad I was introduced to this place. Thanks Veena!
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I love this place whenever I have my cravings for super delish Ethiopian food. I think the service is great, if you take into account the fact that most Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurants are known for taking their time with the service. It's a family-run establishment, the man who usually takes the order is always there with a ready smile. The food is incredible and can be quite spicy, which I love. Their samosas are incredibly good! Now I need an excuse to go there soon!
We went here last night to try an alternative to axum. So far Axum has stood out as my favorite of the ethiopian/eritrian places I have tried in SF. It still is.
I liked assab but the flavors weren't as bold as they are at axum. That said, the flavors and textures were a bit more delicate; they didn't taste like they had a lot of butter/oil in them.
We ordered way too much food to try as much an assortment as possible.
The red/brown lentils came with the order so we didn't get more. we should have; the red lentils were by far the best thing on the plate.
The chicken we had (boneless with jalapenos) was flavorful. The chickpeas were just odd. They were blended to have the consistency of peanut butter, and actually tasted like they had peanuts blended with them. I much prefer the chickpeas at axum.
The food was good but not crave worthy (I want to go back to axum a day after eating at axum. Not so much here).
The service on our visit was warm and friendly. A pleasant surprise after reading the reviews here.
So it's good, not great (3.5-4)but certainly better than average. Much easier parking than at axum.
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Admittedly, I have not been a fan of Ethiopian or Eritrean food in the past. A few times trying this cuisine over many years had failed to make a fan out of me, so I just kind of crossed those restaurants off of my list, as well as any new prospects.
Thank goodness for Green Bunny - she brought me to Assab, and I am so glad I tried it again! My experience there was very, very good - and even my most feared part of the meal (big soggy sour spongy pancake called Injera) tasted good. I don't LOVE the big pancake, but I liked it enough to eat more than I ever dreamt possible. And just so you know, the pancake is all that you get as far as a utensil, so it's either pancake, or no dinner for you. To be correct, eat with your right hand, and put your left hand in your lap. I learned to do this in India so it is second nature for me. Due to this way of eating, your right hand will smell like your dinner for hours afterwards unless you are an expert at not letting any of the sauces touch your fingers.
As far as the food...what is on top of the pancake is magically delicious. I decided to go for the meat sampler, which included lamb, beef and chicken, with sides of lentils, salad and yogurt. The presentation is great - it comes on a big platter all for you! and it's fragrant and colorful and tastes great, with just enough spice but not too much that your head is on fire. The chicken was my favorite - a leg piece with falling-off-of-the-bone tender meat, with excellent flavor.
A glass of honey wine is like sunshine in your mouth, as bright as the gold-toothed smile of our server and just as warming.
The atmosphere is a little sparse, but neat and clean. The prices are very reasonable (around $8-11 per entree).
So, Eritrean food has joined the ranks of "foods from around the world that I love to eat", and I will be sure to visit Assab again soon.
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Thought the food was great! You can get a family platter with whatever dishes you want and it is good and enough to feed 2 or more people at your table. Never had Eritrean or Ethiopian food before, so it was a new experience and a very good one. I had honey beer for dinner, and it was good. Can't go wrong with honey! Would like to come again and try the appetizer.. didn't et to try it.. looks yummy!
Only been to Assab once, not what I expected, but I think it was good. Would like to try other things on their menu next time around.
This place is great for groups. If you want, you can get a family platter with whatever dishes you want and they will serve it in a bigger than big platter for everyone to share.
If you haven't had Eritrean or Ethiopian food, you basically get the Injera, made out of teff, wheat or sorghum, and resembles a spongy, slightly sour pancake and that is your utensil. Get some Injera and scoop up whatever you want with it.
Make sure you wash your hands before you dig in.
It's fun and different. Don't bother getting the beer. Hubby tried the "stout" and the "lager". Both were...hmmmm...bland. The honey wine was pretty good. It's honey wine! Can't really go wrong with that. No, it's not that sweet. Well, it's sweet, but not that bad.
The place was packed by 7 p.m. on a Saturday. We're glad we got there a little before that to get a table quickly. We had a good time and enjoyed our food.
One thing though, I kept eating and eating because I'm a pig long after everyone else stopped. I think my full trigger is off. Then after we got home I kept getting fuller and fuller. I think that Injera was expanding in my belly as the night went on. Here's my advice, don't stuff yourself and pace otherwise you'll get bloated with Injera. Enjoy!
Met a friend for lunch here and the food was delicious. The Veggie Combo plate and the Kitfo are about as good as it gets. The service is slow, and many people here have caught on to that, but that's is just the custom in Eritrea. Not everything can be McDonald's fast and most Americans do not realize that.
Funny enough this was my first time having Eritrean food in the Bay Area, but have run into Eritreans in other cities. My first encounter involved an Eritrean cab driver preaching to me in Vegas about sin after I had committed a few through the night and was on my way to committing a few more. Ineja is more sour than the feeling I got that night in the cab.
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Assab,
I love you so much! Every week I crave to lather my tongue with your delicoius and delicate gravies, dip into your cooling yogurt sauce, and sink my teeth into your pull-off-the-bone meat. Sometimes I wait to see you, and think I can just see you on Sunday, but you're always closed on that day! I think, ' gosh, you're just that hot' you can just brush everyone off and make them wait a little more. And then, when I actually do see you, you make me wait soooo long, even after you take my order, that when I get my dish, I just want to devour you, and eat every last bit.
But even if I can't eat anymore, even if I was ripping at the seams, I can just take you home for some delicious leftovers (and eat with sour cream). I wouldn't dare waste a bite.
I love you so much, that I would come to you hungover.
I would come to you starved and wait forever.
I would stand there in front of everyone staring back at me, right by that door, and wait for my freakin' table.
I love you Assab.
I'll wait forever. I've crossed oceans of restaurants to find you...
All the Best & Forever,
Danielly
P.S. My boyfriend Rich thinks the same about you, he can't stop licking his fingers ;)
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So my sissy kept telling me about this place for a looong time. And so finally we went for her birthday dinner and wow! I have never eaten eritrean food and was skeptical at first but it is certainly amazing foo! Its like your eating at royalty level. They bring you this big round plate full of lamb, steak, potatoes, spinach, etc. with yummy yogurt to dip your magical portions on the soft pillowy cloud-like bread they give you.
If you want your money's worth, great service, a full tummy, and just yummy goodness magical food, you MUST try this place. The one on Irving was just as good, but I recommend this place because of the extra zest and spiciness they add.
I will definitely recommend and will go there again!
Simply outstanding food. Really slow (but friendly) service. We went on a Saturday night and the owner(?) and one other person were all alone to wait on the 30-40 diners - it was painfully slow. We had to basically flag them down to get anything. The food was worth it though. Perfectly cooked with great spices. We all agreed that the mushrooms was the best of five dishes we tried. Five star food, with 2 star service
Their mushroom curry is so good!!!
The food was really good, but the service was very mediocre. The food took forever to come, i.e., we came at 8 and left at 10.
Ethopian food is my NEW FAVOURITE FOOD
When you grew up with your parents telling--sorry, YELLING--"hold your knife correctly, dammit!"
This is the absolute perfect place to do the proverbial flip off and eat with your hands. The chicken and brown/red lentil dish was fricking AWESOME on all these levels of awesome you just can't imagine. Eating ineja, which tastes like the inside of sourdough bread (the best part), is even better. I can't imagine wanting to eat anywhere else.
Unless, of course, you asked me to go with you and paid for it.
That's right. I'm cheap.
Also, honey wine=wonderful dessert wine. YUM! Seriously? Go here. Fuck Mel's diner (the place I went in this 'hood the last time I hungover-ly walked my ass for however long), I want Ethopian food from Assab!
And I really have to quote Matt R., now. "I'd say it's "right" as long as it's not stuck into one of your dining companions. And that's not always wrong, either."
Yes, yes it is. Just don't go with someone you'd like to stab. You'll be wholly disappointed you would have to do it with your hands.
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Looking for a good dining experience? You should probably look elsewhere. After all, we decided on Assab, since it was so highly recommended. However, after leaving, we were only filled with the bitterness described by sour stomachs.
Still curious? Here's the story...
Arrived at Assab on a Friday night (8pm), where we waited with others for about thirty minutes. This was a little frustrating, since there were several open tables available. Anyways, we finally were seated, made our orders, and then waited.... And waited, and waited, until we had approximately been there for OVER AN HOUR AND A HALF!! This is NOT an exaggeration, we checked our watches every time our stomachs growled!
The worst part, was the lack of drink refills, no explanations for their unusual delay, and no bread to tide us over! We started to take it personally until we realized others hadn't received their food either! Even though we weren't too hungry going in, we were starving at this point. Either way, we were done waiting! So we spoke up, explained we didn't have all night to wait for a dish that wasn't coming, paid for our drinks, and went to Mel's diner (where we received our food in less than fifteen minutes, although I would have happily waited twice that anywhere else)
All in all, Assab was an absolutely terrible experience. I don't think I could bring myself to ever go back for their "good cuisine."
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This place has amazing food and amazingly bad service. The staff are all on their own time schedule which doesn't seem to coincide with when people get to their table. I've given this place at least 5 chances because I love Ethiopian food, but I have to say it's not worth the abuse. The only reason for the 2 stars is the quality of the food which is good. Do not come here! There is more than one Ethiopian place in the bay and most of them don't ignore you for excruciating periods of time.
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I have had the exactly same experience as Mark A. from Daly City! When you actually get to eat the food at Assab, it's pretty good, but their customer service just makes you sick to your stomach. My last two times there, it took over an hour after our order for a member of their staff to come to the table. My last time, just a few days ago, after an hour I walked up to the waitress, informed her that my party of four had been waiting at our table for our food for over and hour and we really had to leave. Not only did she avoid any apology, she wanted me to pay for the meal we never were served. Good food or not, their service is terrible on a busy night.
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Went to Assab on my first big date with Justin. WOOF!!! He never had Eritrean food before and I thought it would be really fun if we ate something with our fingers. We got the vegetable combination and the Kantisha (mushrooms). It had everything: Lentils (red and brown), spinach, potatoes, okra, zucchini, peppers... Mushrooms were super tasty. Uber healthy and not greasy like Axum. They put it all on one big plate to share but Justin kept eating the food on my side of the plate instead of the food on his side of the plate. How CUTE is THAT?!?!?!?!?
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I went with some friends to Assab, just on a lark. I don't know much about Ethiopian/Eritrean food (and yes, I know the two countries don't like to be lumped together like that, and yes, I know there's what you might call a bit of a war on, but just breathe in, breathe out, and let it go for the purposes of this review). In fact, I don't really know much beyond what almost anyone would know: it's served in a big bread platter, and you eat it all with your hands, and it's spicy and lentily.
Why do desert countries always have the hot and spicy food? In a logical universe, the spiciest food in the world would be Eskimo food, and food from the topics and deserts would be bland and cool (if cool is a taste). I mean, you already don't have any water, so why pile on the spicy food? Madness!
[P.S.: I know why. I know spicy food makes you sweat, which cools you down in warm climates. And I know water only makes the burn worse, and what you want is milk. But what I said was funnier. Put the smug PM down and just focus on the review.]
The service was really good--a middle-aged guy who was appropriately friendly. The family of one of my friends spent a long time in Ethiopia back in the day, so he pretty much did the ordering for us. I'm not sure everything we had was on the menu, but everything we had was wonderful. I just wish there had been more food, but I guess that goes with the territory when you're eating Ethiopian food. (rimshot)
I did experience a bit (well, more than a bit) of Za Haqle's (Google it) revenge afterwards. Apparently, my Wyoming heritage didn't prepare me for Ethiopian food. Who knew?
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I miss Ethiopian food. There wasn't anywhere to have good Ethiopian food in Boston (last place I lived before SF). I lived in Washington DC before Boston. DC has some of the best Ethiopian food in the country. Zed's, Meskerem, etc.
After reading all the rave reviews on Yelp for Assab, I decided to try it. My first impression. This place is soooo CLEAN! Clean is good, since you would be using your fingers for utensils. I am a recovering OCD, so this satisfies my affinity towards cleanliness.
I had the vegetable plate. Three dishes that really looked like a whole lot more. The spices were mild. A little milder than I like. I like assertive Ethiopian spices. The injera bread was tangy, spongy goodness. They don't use all teff for the injera, but it was still very tasty.
Funny story:
My friend, Tim took his date to have Ethiopian food for a first date. When the injera bread came out all folded in quarters on a plate. The date proceeded to unfold one and place it on his lap. Tim whispered across the table, "Uh, sweetie...that was the bread to have with dinner, not the napkin."
If your looking for good east-African food in the city, look no further. This place is really fabulous. I love item #7 on the menu, the spicy lamb dish. You might have to wait a bit, but it's worth it. The folks that run this place are so nice and friendly that it really feels like a special neighborhood eatery, It's great food for a reasonable price.
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Food was very tasty...except I did not like Sambusa (appetizer) so much. It does not come with any sauce and only has spicy peas and carrots. The place was nicely decorated as well. It took forever to get food though.
Assab is such a little gem of a restaurant! It's places like this that make me even more proud to be a native San Franciscan. Start your meal off with a sambusa of some sort - they're cheap, and always come piping hot and filled with a super flavorful meat or veggie, depending on which you get.
Eating with your hands does take a little while to get used to, but their bread/pancake, injera, is surprisingly solid enough to hold your food and makes for a great experience. Order a side of injera per person also, and you're bound to be stuffed! I swear it expands in your stomach after your meal, so even if you're wary of how small your meal looks - don't worry. We always get the meat combo, which comes with tender lamb, beef and chicken and dollops of yogurt. The veggie combo is also very good, and the mushroom platter is by far my favorite. Get everything family style so you can share and taste a little bit everything. If you're not a fan of spicy food or have a low tolerance for it, ask for a milder version and it's just as tasty.
I've never really had a better food first experience than I have at Assab, and the burst of flavor that everything is accompanied with really blew my mind. Keep in mind, the injera is fermented so it's sour - but also the perfect balance of fluffy and filling. The only tiny downside is that the service isn't very fast - but the family who owns the restaurant and the staff are always so pleasant and sweet natured, it's hard to mind. Come here with good company, time to kill and ready to eat a fabulous meal.
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Awesome Eritrean food. The injera is fluffy and not too sour (which is the problem at most Ethiopian/Eritrean places). The flavors are rich and deep. The mushrooms are incredibly tasty and all of their chicken and lamb dishes are good too. You will leave stuffed!
Absolutely delicious food! The stretchy bread/ pancakes/ sour crepes were much tastier than the ones I've tried in similar restaurants (see my review of Sheba Lounge). The food at Assab was just amazing - I had lamb with potatoes and my boyfriend had some kind of spicy beef. It all comes on one huge plate and you eat with your hands. EVERYTHING on the plate was fantastic - the little lentils on the side, the orange stuff, the green stuff - I don't know what it was but I wanted more! We ate until we were too stuffed to go on, and the waiter still shook his head at us for leaving some on the plate. Sorry! Altogether the experience was top notch and I will definitely be returning for more Eritrean food!
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I am a HUGE fan of Ethopian food and loved this little gem.
Food was inexpensive and the honey wine was fantastic!
Casual atmosphere, I definitely recommend coming here.
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Great place to "test" out a (cheap) date! Will they dig in and eat with their hands without a fuss? And can they do so without making a complete mess?
Very casual atmosphere, with some nice African art to break up what otherwise might feel like a converted fast-Thai-food restaurant. Efficient courteous service with a family-run feel.
Food was much spicier than I expected -- be prepared for your tummy to be doing summersaults -- and although I ordered the meat sampler plate, I was most impressed by the chicken on the bone and especially the lentils.
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I must confess: I didn't want to tell y'all this. However, sharing is caring. This is my favorite place for my favorite cuisine, ever, period.
For a very long time, Massawa was my favorite East African joint around. I looked around the Bay, from Oakland to San Jose, but never found anything close to the deliciousness of that place. I ate there once a week. I told everyone I knew about it. And then one day, the owners sold it (to another family member, I think), and things there changed subtly. Sure, the notoriously slow service at Massawa got faster... but something got left behind in the bargain. Freshness? Heat? I'm not sure what. Massawa is still very good, but it's a shadow of its former self.
Imagine my delight when I moved to the Richmond last summer, and not only discovered Assab in my neighborhood... but also reunited with the former owners of Massawa. Yes, the service is slow as it ever was when you go during peak hours, but good lord I just don't care when I get there -- I want sambusas and injera and zigni and kelwa dehro in my mouth, and I'll be good and patient, and I'll quietly wait until it's time for my mush.
So, in conclusion: just eat here all the time, okay?
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I really wanted to like Assab, but it fell short of my expectations. Reading all the Yelp reviews, I was expecting delicious, amazing food. Meanwhile I found the food decent at best. The food wasn't super flavorful, and it hard to distinguish what was what on the plate. I went with a group of four and we ordered family style: a chicken, a beef, the veggie sampler and spinach. We had sambosas (veggie and meat) to start and above everything, I think I enjoyed those the most.
Go to Assab Eritrean for what I can only assume as very authentic Eritrean food, and be prepared to get down with the scooping of food with the crepe-like bread...with no utensils in sight. Three stars for a new experience.
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My friend was spending his last few days in San Francisco and suddenly had a desire to eat Ethiopian Food. We found this one and decided to give a try.
Food 2 Stars. I saw the menu and the first thing which struck me was the 'Sambusa'. We have a snack called 'Samosa' in India and the Eritrean / Ethiopian 'Sambusa' sounded interesting. It turned out to be something similar!!! We ordered a Lentil Soup and a Vegetarian Combo. The soup was average. The combo turned out to be 4 -5 different dishes on a large plate. We also got side orders of crepes which tasted like 'Appams' from my native state Kerala, in Southern India. The dishes on the combo itself tasted very Indian. I wonder whether the chef is Indian or they really serve such food in Eritrea. Not sure which part of Africa would have food which tasted Indian!! Somehow i felt some concerns about the cleanliness of the place
Ambiance 2 Stars. Nothing great about the ambiance. Pretty chilly in there. Seemed to have turned off the heater
Service 2 Stars. They did not bring us even hand tissues until we asked. The restaurant was crowded but they seem to take forever to bring the food.
Overall a two. You Can try once to get a taste of Eritrea
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Do make reservations if you are going on a busy night (Friday, Sat)! The bf and I went Friday night and it was packed. Since the restaurant is modest sized and everyone leisurely enjoys their food, wine and conversation, the turnover rate for tables was pretty low.
Venue: It was really clean! Assab even passed the restroom test! I mean, it wasn't a fancy lounge space with flattering lighting or anything but it was neat and clean. My only gripe was I couldn't lock the door (anyone else have this problem?) which added an extra edge of excitement and urgency when using the facilities.
Food: Yummy yummy yummy! We got the veggie and meat sambusa - the veggie was much more flavorful and yummy. It was amazingly crispy and NOT overly greasy. The bf got the meat sampler and I got the mushroom for our main course. We both thought the chicken was the most savory literally falling off the bones delicious. The mushroom was super delicious and really yummy companion to the chicken. All the sides were good. The only item that caused us any consternation was the bread you're supposed to eat anything with. There was nothing offensive about the flavor (it's just a means to get the other food into your mouth after all), but the texture was really weird! It's spongy!
On imbibing: The bf liked this Ethiopian beer. The honey wine was ok - really sweet but I guess that goes well with the spicy dishes.
A really fun and delicious experience. Both of us would definitely go back!
I'm kicking myself (ouch!) for not (argh!) discovering Assab before now. Of the 5 or so Ethiopian/Eritrean places I've dined at in my life, this is hands down the best!
I recommend starting with both the meat and veggie sambusa. They are so fresh, and the crust is so deliciously crispy, I could've ordered 10 more and just made a meal out of these.
Here's a tip - go with the server's recommendation. The prices are low enough, that you can afford to experiment. 3 of us ordered the meat sampler, the veggie sampler, and the mushrooms (heavenly), and we had a little more than enough food. Flavoring was out of this world on every single dish item, although I was particularly fond of the eggplant, the red lentils, and the beef.
Also, the injera is delightfully sour and spongy, and even better once it's soaked up all the juices and flavoring from the servings.
Sure, we waited a little while for our food given the small staff, but it was well worth the wait and we didn't feel rushed. If you're in a hurry - pass this place up. But, if you want a warm, casual atmosphere with a great multicultural crowd, try it out!
Best Eritrean/Ethiopian I've had in the city.. "hands" down.
And I eat a lot of it. A lot.
No atmosphere to speak of -- I like the lively neighborhoody vibe at Axum better -- but foodwise it was off-the-charts good. Maybe it was a good night, I don't know, but I've walked into so many bad nights at other joints that it was refreshing to eat a complete plate with nary an overstewed vegetable nor chewy morsel of meat in sight. If you get down like I do with the Ethiopian/Eritrean then you know exactly what I'm talking about.
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Not much in the way of atmosphere but I like this place it is a good place the food is good the ownerwaiter is cool.
I had the Kelwa-Mix (chicken, njera bread, veg, yogurt), tangylicious. Just the right amount of heat. IPA available.
You will not find a burrito on the menu. This is Eritrean food.
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I like this place. The owner used to have a little hole-in-the-wall over by City College, and when he closed down, I thought to myself, "ah, well that's it for Eritrean Food." But lo and behold, a scant year or so later, I discovered that he'd opened a new place - and IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, no less!
The food is fantastic. I mean, finger-lickin' good (with all apologies to the Colonel). I love the little lamb dishes, and I love the vegetable combo - yes, you read that right - I love the VEGETABLE combo. Now, I know some of you will say, "what's the big deal with lentils?" To which I reply, "go to Assab, and you'll see!"
A couple of minor drawbacks, decor is not so hot, so if you address any in your party as "Lord..." or "Lady...." then they may be dissatisfied with the ambience. Also, if you order anything particularly pungeant, you may have to wash your hands a few times to relieve yourself of the fragrance.
Put succinctly, great food, fun to eat.
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I can pretend to wax on the nuances of Eritrean food, but I don't have a clue. All I know is that it is amazing. LIke an African warlord staged a massive coup de tat over the instable government that is my mouth.
I surrender, general, you've totally won me over.
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I really really missed Ethiopian food. While at Cal, I visited Blue Nile as often as I could on a student budget (which wasn't often, but on occasion).
So it had been about 5 years since I had partaken in the delights of Ethiopian food. It's sort of like Indian food, but definitely is identifiable as its own entity. It's also great food for vegetarians - the vegetables are actually my favorite part. Though the spicy beef I had at Assab was delicious. My boyfriend had the veggie sampler, which was great too - I stole plenty of it. We went family style, all the way! :D We also had Ethiopian stout, which wasn't that impressive. Maybe we should have gone for the lager.
It seems like Assab is family run, which is nice, but be sure to be patient with the service speed. Also, I was impressed that people who looked like they could be Ethopian/Eritrean came into the place - I never saw people like that at the Blue Nile. Always college students and white people.
So, if you're prepared to eat with your hands, stop in and give it a try - it's a good experience. Don't blame me when you get cravings, though! Ethiopian food is definitely one of those you really have to seek out - you can't find the restaurants just anywhere!
Went there and ordered two vegetarian dishes, #17 & #18, to share. Everything was absolutely delicious. Couldn't have asked for the food to be any better. The Hakim beer nicely washed it down.
The only thing that could have been better was a little quicker service with respect to taking our order. However, once the order was taken, the delivery of everything was quick, and all of the employees were very courteous and friendly and seemed to be genuinely pleased that we were enjoying their food so much.
I'm so full I wouldn't bend over right now if god dropped a diamond in front of me.
My mom and i go in here on a Friday all sulky and grumpy. We order alcohol, which was a good start. Nice server. We order #7 and 8 family style. We got these bc you they can make them less spicy. Be aware: most of their stuff is spicy! They bring out what look like crepes at first, but I think they were jellyfish intestines or sea-towels... you will see what i mean. Then comes our order served on a huge platter. It was great fun to dig in and get messy with these dishes. This is were the giggles kicked in. I learned that in the former USSR as a med school requirment you had to pluck onions and potatoes for a month or more during the summer......more alcohol.....and you were only allowed 2 showers a week..."thank you for bringing me to america mama and buying me stew in an african restaurant that i am supposed to eat with sea-towels."
I was stuffed, so we ordered the sambusa too. Kinda like a russian "piroshki" a little zesty and really good. At this point my mom and I are hysterical and innovative, as a result stay tuned for a great product from the mind of my very own mother: iBalls. A product that will teach men how to be men and have balls....interesting things happen when 2 girls from odessa eat and drink ourselves silly.
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This is my all-time favorite Eritrean restaurant! Okay, you got me, this is the only Eritrean restaurant I've ever been to. But if Assab is representative of Eritrean cuisine, I may be up for a trip.
In truth, to my untrained eye at least, Eritrean cuisine is very similar to Ethiopian cuisine. My friend and I shared two dishes: the lamb and potato and the chicken with vegetable. Both of them were excellent, although, if I had to choose one, I'd go for the lamb. I also had a specially-imported Eithiopian lager which had a really rich taste.
The place is divey looking, with an ugly tiled floor and cheap tables, but that adds to its charm. There were a number of couples here on dates, which is understandable because eating with your hands is very sexy. Afterwards, my friend and I walked over to see a movie at the Bridge theater (one block away), and we recognized a number of patrons from Assab continuing their dates. (After goint to Assab as Part I of the date, and to "There will be blood" as Part II, you can be sure that there was a Part III!) The service was excellent. Also, there are tons of vegetarian options.
The best way to explain how awesome this place is: There was a couple at the table right next to ours and there was a family which included two young kids at another table. When the family walked by, the couple next to us asked the parents how old the kids were. Then the couple said, we have a 19-month old back home with the babysitter. It says a lot that the couple decided to use their furlough on Assab.