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"This is the best Eritrean/Ethiopean food in SF. Hands down. I think you just have to try it for yourself. I'm not going to give you any…" read more »
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i didn't care much for their injera bread. it tasted really sour and it had an odd after taste.
we ordered the platter for 4 people and everything was fine, but there wasn't much of a difference in the flavors of the foods.
I must start by saying this was my first experience with Ethiopian food, and was sadly let down. Maybe Ethiopian is not for me, but I think this was just sub-standard Ethiopian food.
I ordered the Vegetarian Sampler for $9 which consisted of my choice of three "dishes" a small salad and injera bread. The salad had a wonderful dressing but everything else was quite bland. Everything tasted like the main ingredient and nothing more. The bread also had a very sour flavor that took some getting used to and didn't really add to the flavor of the foods, but rather took the spotlight due to the lack of other flavors.
I really wanted to like this place. My waiter was a very young boy, probably the owners' son, who, by the way, seemed almost surprise when I told him of my satisfaction with the food. There was a family feel to the place and I was happy to be supporting their business, but am sorry to say I will not be continuing my support. I will however give Ethiopian food another try.
I've been coming here since they opened and I just went back last night after several years away. It's still worth a trip for the vegetarian dishes, especially the spicy mushrooms -- yum!
The not-so-good: both the chicken and beef were overcooked, chewy and tasteless with some fat and gristle. I would not recommend the meat here, which used to be really good and now has fallen by the wayside - another recession casualty?
Stick to the vegetarian combo!
My first time with Ethiopian food. I found it tasty and well made, but not something to kill for. It is good as an experience, but I wont probably come back often.
On the positive side I have to say that the owner is a super-nice guy and that eating with your hands from the same plate of your group can be nice, if you send everybody to the restroom first to wash the hands :D
By the way, if you're a scientist and want to try to convince the owner that Darwin was right when he probed the evolution theory and that the man comes from the apes, well ... go there man, and good luck. I decided to don't even try, and I had to bite my tongue. That, of course, enhanced the flavor of the spices.
Been here at least 5 times and all of them have been good, service can be improved but the food in general is great.
Whoever cooks there likes to add a good amount of spice to their food so you have been warned.
The injera is not as spongy as other Ethiopian places I've been before.
I've read that the reason behind the sponginess of the injera is relative to the amount of time they let it ferment.
But in general it's a good place to go if you are in the city and want to try something new.
And don't forget a full bottle of honey wine!
I've been living 2 blocks from here for nearly a year and half and finally made it there. Ethiopian food is bizzare. I think if the bread was not as sour i might like it more, but that would probably not be ethiopian any more...
I'd try it again, extremely flavorful. I really don't have a lot to compare it to though.
I first had Ethiopian back in Miami and I am a big fan of eating with my hands and food packing tons of spices. We had tried Assab before and our stomachs disagreed with it and we had been meaning to try what most people tend to agree is the best Ethiopian place in the city.
Ambiance (3): Small, homey, whole in the wall. Good to go.
Food (4): The amount of spices was good, the portions were good, but the injerra was just ok, which to me is critical for Ethiopian. I don't remember the exact names of the dishes, but we had a lamb, the lentils, chicken, and beef. The lamb was the best as usual. The Ethiopian beer was pretty good and it was the first time I had the opportunity to try it. It's a little sweet FYI.
Service (3): Dependable, friendly, and timely.
Value (5): Great food for a very low price.
Overall: Best Ethiopian place in the city so far. We are going to try the place on Divis soon and see how that one is.
I'm a big fan of Ethiopian food. From the ubiquitous vegetarian options to the all-your-can-eat injera to the eating-with-your-hands-even-if-you're-on-a-first-d ate novelty, I'm all about East African delicacies.
So I was pretty stoked to come to Axum with my fellow Yelper Alyssa G., whom you might remember I introduced to Ethiopian food at Enssaro in Oakland. I was also excited because although I had seen Axum many times while walking by on Haight Street, I had forgotten or ignored the fact that it was Ethiopian. Club Waziema is much closer to where I live, but there are times I don't want to eat in a bar, even if it's a bar/restaurant.
Axum's food is good, definitely four stars. But the service is so so, and I was disappointed by the atmosphere. Now, I've been to many an Ethiopian place with a drop ceiling, and I've still enjoyed the atmosphere. But we were here in the middle of the day, and besides the funny scenes on the lampshades, I really didn't like being in here. Maybe it was the cases of Coke stacked up near our table, but I just felt like I was in someone's basement, and there wasn't even a pool table with ripped felt or an old collection of 45s in the corner.
I'd definitely come back for the food, but then I'd rather do takeout, and since Waziema is less than a block from where I live, why would I walk all the way to the Lower Haight?
I think a negative review reflects badly on the reviewer not the business...
whatever to scnizmjismwhateverlearn
about it...i'm a fan just because i hate snivelers that don't like the truth...
I wish the spice fairy would come and give Axum its flavors back. This place has so much potential, primarily as the restaurant closest to my place.
I'll give any place 2 stars just for the fact that I can show up there in my house slippers. Axum is pretty much pajama-wearing distance from my house, so it hurts to not love it, but...the food tastes like baby food.
1 extra star because my nephews say the hot chocolate is "the best hot chocolate, ever".
You always gotta respect the Ethiopian. I mean, where else is it acceptable to eat without utensils (besides Chucky Cheeses)? Axum's injera (the sour sponge-like bread used to pick up the food) wasn't up to par.
Vegetarians love this place, and for a good reason. The vegetarian platter is quite good - a tray bearing an array of lentils and veggies. I have had a better Ethiopian platter. Where's all the flavor?
Overall, this place is worth checking out for its uniqueness and interesting flavors. I will not, however, make this place a regular eat-out spot. As they say: Ethiopian food isn't for everyone!
I only starting eating Ethiopian a year ago and have since been to Axum on four different occations. I love bringing people here who have never tried Ethiopian and those who have but have never tried Axum specifically, the reviews are always the same: pretty solid service and great food. Its perfect for a group, I usually get two veggie and two meat platters and lots of good beer which is all pretty cheap.
I live pretty close and will continue coming here over Waziema everytime. I've only been when the guy is working who is very attentive and nice-- once it was a friend's birthday and he went next store to get little debbies and candles for dessert. Nuff said.
We live pretty close to Axum Cafe so thought we'd give it a try.
The owner is adorable. The food is decently priced but nothing about it was particularly memorable or tasty.
It wasn't bad but nothing stood out. In a city with so many delicious food offerings this place needs to step it up.
Good food, good honey wine.
But service rubbed me the wrong way. We accidentally got the lamb on our platter, after we all decided that none of us liked lamb because of the "gamey" flavor.. so we try to tell the server, who completely doubts us... he even comes back after going to the kitchen and says, "no that's chicken."
Yeah, no. We're not idiots, we know what LAMB looks and tastes like.
So we have to tell the main server, who also goes back to check to make sure we're not lying. Then she comes back, grabs our platter (i saw her thumb stick into one of the veggie curries when she picked up the plate), takes it to the back, SCRAPES OFF the lamb portion, brings it back to us and it's just so unappetizing... almost like someone ate the curry off our platter.
And what exactly is she using this bit of lamb curry for? That has already been served to us, and that we had already eaten bites of???
I don't know, for me, it's always made sense to just bring the food that we had originally ordered on a separate plate, and leave the wrong order there, just leave it, ESPECIALLY if it's on the same big platter as the rest of our food.
All around, service was frustrating. It's too bad, this place is just down the street from my house...
Good for groups, as long as no one's picky - nice big plates of food and not much waiting. The environment has kind of dark lighting, so a great place to bring an ugly date. I recommend the honey wine.
SF's affordable, diverse ethnic food options are staggering. Axum Cafe is a family run Ethiopian restaurant that was crowded with locals and tourists the night we went. I sipped honey wine with my vegetarian combo platter-- mountains of lentils, chickpeas, and mixed vegetables atop spongey injera. The service is attentive and polite, and at $9 for the platter, this is a huge bargain.
Dumb-dumb hostess lip
Cheap beer, lots of spices here
Wash your hands first
I HAVE A NEW FAVORITE TYPE OF FOOD NOW! Ethiopian. OMG, the deliciousness level was wayyyy better than I expected.
I met a girlfriend here for dinner and had reservations about some of the photos and someone's review who said their entree looked like baby poo.
I obviously told the waiter I'd never had Ethiopian food before and that we would love some suggestions on how/what to order. He told us that we should get the veggie combo and one meat entree, so that's what we did. Ordered a spinach dish, a chopped mushroom dish, a cauliflower/potato mix, and a super spicy lamb.
The lamb was to die for. My only complaint is that it could've been a bit more tender. My other favorite was potato/cauliflower veggie. The flavors were outstanding. I guess I would compare it to Indian food maybe?! I don't know, but it was awesome.
Environment was friendly and clean and the food was fabulous. I can't wait to try another Ethiopian restaurant! Yums.
Wow bad food experiences-o-rama!
I had been craving Ethiopian, and got the vegi combo- mushrooms(best part) yellow lentils and cabbage carrots and potatoes. I was so sad. The flavors just weren't there. I need to go back to Oakland and have corrective Ethiopian :( sad.
As far as Ethiopian food goes, this is good for the veg platter for two people or more. Sizable amount of food for two hungry people allows eating of all five veg options at 9.30 a head split down the middle. Owner is nice and atmosphere is calm, pleasant, peaceful for a beautiful weekend afternoon or dinnertime. Injjera here soaks entrees up more/quicker than others and gets the rating down to a 3.5. Definitely good and definitely cheap; needs soak-resistant injera. Been here for 14 years and hope he sticks around :) Nice.
I'm actually in love with this place.The food is incredible, the service is sweet and the location is pretty cool, too. You can't get much cheaper and yet the quality is oh so fine.
I've only had the vegetable combo plate to share. If you're eating with 3 other people, it's actually worth it to order for 6 instead because it's so cheap and the left overs are deeelicious! Actually, Axum's 5 Veggie combo plate left overs make for an awesome after concert snack as well as dinner.
The Veggie plate is wonderful for even your die hard meat eaters, too. It's basically a please all.
My only beef with this place is that even though they post their hours, you never really know when they will be open. I always call in advance. They seem to have actually nailed down the usual hours lately, but still.... call first.
The outside is fairly plain and uninviting, but this is great Ethiopian food, make no mistake.
Very reasonably priced, the service is prompt, and the sauces/spices are excellent. The lamb dish I got was quite spicy, but I liked that. Very friendly service too.
It's a bit small/cramped/dark on the inside, but the food more than makes up for it.
Solid 3.
Good food but not as great as Addis Red Sea in Boston, MA (my standard).
OK honey wine.
Amazing server. One gentleman for all of us. He was so busy but he remembered everything perfectly.
17 for veggie combo of 5 different vegetarian options and salad
+ 5 for a glass of honey wine on VALENTINE'S DAY!
Quick service. No reservations needed and 100% clean record by the city.
We found street parking pretty easily. Oh, and the toilet was stopped up but not in an uber gross way. The rest of the bathroom was clean and yeah.
We'll prolly be back, but not definitely.
Popular spot for Friday night dinner. The place never had a wait for a table, but there was a constant coming and going of patrons.
We ordered 3 veggie dishes (we loved the mushroom dish the best) and the Kitfo. The Kitfo is meaty and quite delicious. The Ethiopian bread is tangy and was really fun to eat with. The beers are tasty as well.
I love eating with my hands, so three stars for letting me be the hungry piggy who can't be bothered with a fork.
three stars also for the food. . . which was kinda good but was the color of baby poo. you eat with your eyes first right?
so maybe it wasn't the best idea to order the raw beef (which was good but i was weirded out because i kept reminding myself it was raw beef). the spinach and the mushroom appetizers were pretty good, but again, the greenish brown colors laying on an open flat pancake reminds me of a diaper (you know, like when you open a burrito from taco bell....)
the chickpea puree was good but i probably won't go back even though the service was good. i even had leftovers but decided not to take it. i mean if it looks like baby poo when it's fresh, it's not going to be appetizing a day later.
Very good selection of Ethiopian food - the veggie combo, along with chicken drumsticks were an excellent combination.
Would have been 5 star had the waitress been a little happier and more patient.
It was my first time trying Ethiopian food and it was delicious. I went there with my sister and 2 old friends and the shared the vegetarian platter for 4 and added the fish to it. All the veggies were good with great spices and flavor. The fish was amazing. The service was great...very patient considering that 2 of us sat there for a half hour waiting for the other 2 people in our party. The price was pretty cheap for the platter for us to share. I definately cannot wait to go back and eat there again.
When it comes to heights and dogs -- especially big ones -- I would say it is so, but never am I fearful of food. The greater the exoticism, the greater the adventure. Although one could argue that Ethiopian can no longer claim its rarity and mystique in pretentious San Francisco. Why, there's also another one just a few blocks up on the Upper Haight, and surely the Mission is replete with them. However, my much needed stop to Safeway assured my decision to dine at Axum Cafe.
My friend and I haven't had Ethiopian food and was most curious. I must admit, lacking prior knowledge, I was intimidated; ever nervous of any social function wherein I might, out of ignorance, commit a breach of manners. A self-consciousness most people (left-leaning, Liberal, wannabe-"creative"-types) daren't admit to, but I theorize to be a fundamental social truth. We are hierarchical animals. And although careless of its imposition on ourselves, expect a fair amount of etiquette on others -- for the sake of our appetite! Observing others' tables stealthily, I got a sense of how one lays the table where Ethiopian is served, and quite blindly, we ordered away!
I was in for quite a delicious surprise! The food was fantastic! I had the Tibsie Fish, and it was absolutely scrumptious! With my indiscriminate and erudite taste-buds, I wouldn't say that the flavors were all that foreign, but that injera was just absolutely amazing.
The ambiance too made quite a modest impression. Of course one could expect motherland relics and decorations, even when it borders on the tacky, but the feel of the place was comfortable, casual and serene. People came as they are, and I've noticed, left exquisitely satiated.
Axum Cafe definitely deserves several more visits to fully take in its concept. But what with my fantastic first impression, my exuberance cannot be held still. I will definitely frequent -- and highly recommend -- this place. And I am more than enthusiastic to sample other Ethiopian restaurants in the city.
Of the Ethiopian places I've been in San Francisco (four of them - on Geary, Divisidero, Valencia and here), this is my favorite.
The food here is not only ample (most Ethiopian/Eritrean places are), it's authentic. Or at least compared to the food I've had in the Horn of Africa. The spices are well proportioned, its not TOO greasy, and generally it's yummy.
I know the Ethiopian is good when I get to the too-full feeling, and still want to eat just a little bit more. Ahhh... I miss Hebesha!
I love eating food with my fingers, and I dig Ethiopian...I do, however, hate that the other person eating dinner with me ALSO has to eat with their fingers. I'm bringing a fork next time I eat Ethiopian.
The atmosphere was quiet and laid back. The service was also fine- the server was sweet, our water was filled twice, and the food came out quickly.
The food was just okay. The injera was thinner and saltier than at Waziema, which I didn't like. We ordered a chicken dish and the 5-veggie combo for two. The chicken and all of the vegetables just weren't up to par-everything was bland and tasted...like...americanized Ethiopian food. There was a pickled, gingered taste to everything.
I'll stick to the spicy fare and fun atmosphere of Club Waziema.
Don't waste your money here. This place is perhaps the most bland, tasteless African food in the city and not very kid friendly either. A sure bet would be the African restaurant on Irving. A world of difference in terms of quality, service and flavor. Two stars because there prices were much more reasonable than the other places.
It's not awful food, but just rather greasy. The food (especially the combo platters) are an unbeatable value. The injera (Ethiopian flat bread) is pretty good and not too heavy. I found the vegetarian dishes to be tastier than the meat dishes.
Service is pretty poor, especially when the restaurant is near empty. They have 'red' and 'white' wine on the menu, but must use industrial wine since they didn't know the varietal even after checking the bottle. The tej 'honeywine' is an interesting drink, and resembles a slightly brandied sweet white wine.
Literally across the street from a favorite hangout of mine, we decided to finally try Ethiopian food. The place is charming in a dive-ish sort of way, the service terrific, and the food outstanding, and a great value.
We ordered the veggie combo and were met with tasty mushy treats and a salad. I think the lentils were my favorite, oh, and the alicha, so yum. The chickpeas I think were a little hotter than I expected and maybe would have liked, but overall a savory meal.
We were thirsty, and like I said, some things were kinda spicey, so we drank a lot of water, and our cups were never empty.
Loved it. There was a group having their book club meeting up front, and I would say this is a perfect place for any group to come, or for a date like I did.
Way to go Axum, WAY TO GO.
The first time I had Ethiopian was a few years ago in D.C. I don't know what I ate but the combination of being on vacation and eating exotic food made me love it. However, as I approached Axum I wasn't sure if my love of injera had been a lie. Ok, not so much a lie as a mirage. Something that sounds and look goods from faraway but is slightly less enchanting close up. I don't know what they eat in Africa and who knows what was going through my head when I thought Ethiopian food was good. I mean, isn't there always a famine there?
The sampler platter was awesome. Slowly simmered legumes swam through their respective opaque sauces. I'm a devoted meat eater (see Patio Filipino review http://www.yelp.com/bi...) but I didn't miss the meat in the least. How does a handful of garbanzos and lentils fill a person up so much? They don't really but the skin-like bread sure did. It started to expand before it reached my stomach and stayed there for days, like chewing gum stuck to the insides of your intestines.
The only thing I didn't like about this meal was the lack of utensils. I've never thought of myself as a princess before but if not wanting to eat with my fingers makes me a princess, then I am. Yes, I'm slightly embarrassed of that fact but I'm a person not an animal. I know others love pretending to be wild and forsaking all utensils but I could pass on that. I've found other places than restaurants to be primitive. *wink wink* Next time I'm bringing at least a spork.
I spent most of my time at Axum wondering how it got such a high rating on Yelp. The only conclusion I could come to was that the reviewers must have never had Ethiopian food before.
I've eaten at multiple Ethiopian restaurants in Dallas, Houston, Seattle, and the Bay Area. This was not only the most tasteless food but the worst atmosphere as well. I don't understand how you can make Ethiopian food with so little spice, but they've invented it at Axum. I will never go back.
Actually, I did like the herb sauce on the salad. But a teaspoon of sauce is no reason to give them any more of my money or yours.
I would have never thought that I'd get cravings for Ethiopian. But I do. And this is where I go. The portions are big, the prices are cheap, and we always get great services. I used to come here a lot when I lived closer (I'd even stop and get it to go once in a while) and, even though I don't go nearly as often, the waitress (who may be one of the owners) always remembers me and chats a bit. I don't love the fact that my hands smell like Ethiopian food the rest of the day but am willing to overlook that little fact ...
I can't quite put a finger on it, but I really enjoy eating here. Simple, cheap food, served on linoleum tables, that's never bland. Engaging to eat, and interesting drinks like honey wine.
This place blows, as far as Ethopian food is concerned. I ducked in here with a friend to enjoy a quick dinner. I couldn't find the place I originally wanted to eat at, so we stopped here. I chose...poorly.
We were seated quickly (Sunday evening), and given menus. We both ordered the "2 person platter," which was billed as 5 different dishes with bread. The food sucked. Five really washed out dishes; tastes were very bland, and I found myself struggling to figure out which vegetable I was eating. The honey wine that we ordered was also crappy, which is saying a lot for honey wine.
Service was good up front, but very poor towards the end of the meal (as more people poured into the restaurant).
All in all, this place wasn't terrible -- at least the food was cheap ($12.00 per person). I would never, though, recommend it to anyone.
These guys just went up a star because they had Hakim stout last night. I don't know if they always had it and I never asked or if it's something they run out of, just started carrying or what. I've been here a few times and always enjoyed my food but it never became a place to crave until last night.
I like the mushrooms and the chickpeas. Yum yum! Sometimes the spinach is spot on, other times it's a little off. I have heard really good things about the lamb if you like that kinda thing.
I've never had the injera be dry or thick always nice and moist and tangy the way I like it!
I'm not a big fan of Ethiopian food, but one of my good friends loves it, and I'm part of a dining club that visits various places each month. On Saturday, Axum was the chosen one and so Cal and I happily met up with the dining club to see what this place had to offer.
Overall, the food was alright. Cal and I shared a platter with a potato entree and a beef one. It was decent, but nothing too exciting. Cal and I pretty much cleaned it up, which isn't saying much because we were really hungry and we'll eat anything. ;)
There was only one bathroom, and it wasn't very clean. The lady who served us seemed nice at first, but she quickly became impatient with our big group. Maybe it wasn't the best place for dinner club. I think we might have had a better time if there were less of us.
And I tried the honey wine. It was pretty tasty, but I prefer Japanese plum wine. It has almost the same flavor but a better aftertaste. $40 for me and Cal, but I think we threw in a couple of bucks extra. I might take my good friend who loves Ethiopian food here someday, but I wouldn't come back otherwise.
Neighborhood: Haight-Ashbury
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Ethiopian
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
Category: Ethiopian
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