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Awash Market
Categories: Food Grocery Food Specialty Food Ethnic Food Grocery, Ethnic Food [Edit]
2884 El Cajon Blvd(between Utah St & Kansas St)
San Diego, CA 92104
Neighborhood: University Heights
(619) 282-8280
- Hours:
Mon 8:30 am - 12 am
Tue-Sun 8:30 am - 1 am
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
12 reviews for Awash Market
12 reviews in English
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Review from Cherry D.
San Diego, CA
7/27/2011
The guy that works at the counter is very kind and attentive. I've been here twice. First time to get some berbere which was a bit of a struggle since we didn't properly pronounce the name haha he kept trying to give us BEER.
Attention the gluten sensitive!!! I pre-ordered 5 injera breads for $5 made with ONLY teff grains and he took the order no problem! He told me that you just have to let them know 2-3 hours in advance. I asked the Red Sea restaurant (an Ethiopian restaurant) how far in advance and they told me one day before.
I will picking it up tonight and I'm sure it'll be just as good. He told me that they put wheat into their injera mixture to help it rise easier since using pure teff is not only expensive but I guess more difficult. -
Review from Ethan H.
11/13/2007
This place gets more than 3 stars. Any place where you can buy injera to go is worth having in the neighborhood. And I guess it depends how you define "pre-made" if you want to call their injera "pre-made". They're usually making it in the back room while you shop and, if you're subtle about it, you can walk back there and watch. So, while the injera is packaged to take home, it's not like it just sitting around for hours. In the very least, it's a lot less "pre-made" than most of the other stuff you eat all day.
The selection of Ethiopian wine and tej (honey wine) is also quite good.
And if you need a calling card to call anywhere in Africa or the Middle East, these is one of the best bets around.
So, a solid vote of approval for Awash Market! -
Review from Geoffrey K.
San Diego, CA
7/17/2011
Bought 1/2 lb of Berbere spice for $5. It came in an unmarked vacuum sealed plastic bag. I look forward to trying the restaurant.
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Review from Claire D.
1/6/2011
Hours are great, and so is the service. Very friendly and helpful. I got pretty much everything that I needed (teff, berbere, niter kibbeh, cardamom, fenugreek, etc.) and, if my cooking works out, will be back.
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Review from kelley r.
San Diego, CA
1/27/2011
friendly but pricey. i am fixin' up a yummy ethiopian feast and needed a few essential ingredients: berbere, teff flour, and fenugreek. nothing was really labeled so the guy working was sweet and helped me.
the had giant bags of berbere. even the littlest could have seasoned a years worth of meals for an army. berbere is a mix of different spices which can result in different tasting berbere. there's is super duper spicey! which for some of us is great but does not offer any variation for heat in your cooking a.k.a not everyone likes their tongue melting off after a meal.
the teff flour was 10 bones for a medium sized bag. yikes!
would have given 3 stars because the customer service was super helpful but the price just left me dry and my wallet empty. -
Review from ian m.
San Diego, CA
6/16/2008
Small but packed market with plenty of spices, lentils, etc. Mostly stuff you won't find at Henry's or other mainstream markets. This area of North Park is flush with Etrerian culture. Harar is just down the hill on El Cajon Blvd. near Texas and Vision just opened up on 30th near Adams. For those vegetarians out there that haven't tried Ethiopian food, there's a lot of options. A lot of the flavors will remind you of Indian food more than Middle Eastern food (despite the proximity).
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Review from Matt R.
4/10/2007 1 photo
This place isn't exactly taking business away from Vons. But you should go and buy pre-made injera (Ethiopian bread) and berbere powder (Ethiopian spice). YUM!
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Review from Ian Q.
Austin, TX
12/4/2010
Pretty good Ethiopian food in the weird little restaurant in the back; totally fantastic community vibe. I felt super welcome. Open past 8, which is no small thing for a restaurant in San Diego.
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Review from Mari C.
San Diego, CA
2/4/2007
this is mostly a dry goods store. tea, spices, dried beans etc. they do carry two or three kinds of ethiopian beer ($2 a piece, not too bad) and i saw some ethiopian wine, but i'd say this is mostly a place to go if you're familiar with making ethiopian food or want to try it, not a place to pick up pre-made items.
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Review from kim j.
San Diego, CA
6/28/2008
I love the purple bread (what I lovingly call the tasty spongy bread that you can use to eat with your hands, I mean, just the fact you can use your hands to eat is awesome enough, but tasty goodness on top of that? The bestest thing ever!) and the sweet red Ethiopian wine that you can get there!
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Review from Rosario M.
San Diego, CA
6/24/2010
This place looks a little shady from the street as most northpark places, but i came here looking to buy the berbere spice which i wasn't able to find at any store! The guy at the front was super helpful and at first said they only sold it by the pound, but then called the back kitchen to see if they'd bring me 1/4 lb. Only $2.50! He even asked what I wanted to make and gave me a recipe on how to make it! Great customer service!
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Review from lisa s.
San Diego, CA
2/23/2009
So they moved down the street a little bit, and they've added a restaurant! So we wandered in on only their third day, and things weren't quite set up yet. But instead of turning us away, we were welcomed, offered customized meals, extra spices and sauces, free water, tea, and coffee. Needless to say, the service was fantastic! I'm sure they won't be keeping that up as the business grows, but the kind-hearted, generous spirit is something I'm hoping will stay. The food was very good, considering they were still getting up to speed on the dishes. The spicy red lentils were the strongest point of my veggie combo. My boyfriend really enjoyed a spicy beef with a reddish mustard sauce. We ended up buying some of that sauce and some powdered spice to take home...totally addictive. The yellow split peas weren't quite hot, but I have had them served that way at other Ethiopian places in Washignton DC, so I wonder if that is a typical way to serve them in some areas? The cabbage and carrots were quite good, and not overly oily like some places tend to do. They didn't have the collard greens yet, which was a little disappointing, but it just makes me want to come back for another visit to re-evaluate. The injera was quite good, not overly sour or stale like some places I've been to in the past. Everything was very fresh. When they were roasting coffee, they brought out the pan for us to appreciate the scent...wonderfully roasty and almost like incense. The coffee tasted as special as it smelled, though I only had a small taste, so i can't give you a detailed description. The tea was excellent..cloves and cardamom...like a chai, of sorts. Prices were very reasonable for the amount of food we received...unbelievably so. So, my advice is to give it a try now while it is new, expect the details to need some ironing out, but enjoy the spirit of the place and the joy of discovering something done with great care.. Looking forward to seeing how this grows.
