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I have been to Abysynnia many, many times. I lived a block away. The food is consistently great! Service has it's moments, but well worth the wait. I could just eat the injera for a meal! It's that good. I would highly recommend this place for anyone who loves Ethiopian or even if you haven't. It's a no brainer!

Sure the service could be a little faster some days, but the staff is always friendly, the prices are completely reasonable, and the food is always amazingly delicious and spicy. And you can always go to the lo-fi hipster bar upstairs for a drink afterwards. Don't get suckered into going to one of those way overpriced and much less authentic places on Baltimore!

I have been here a few times now. My husband loves it so I figured I'd give it more than just a try but it is at best disappointing. This is how a typical evening there goes. The waitress (you see, there is just one for the whole restaurant) is not what you would call friendly and you have to wait on the door for her for up to 10 minutes, unless you decide to just grab a table and ignore manners -which is sometimes the only option when your legs start hurting after all that standing. The moment she finally arrives she looks like she'd really prefer to be elsewhere and that's never the best of starts. The menu is pretty simple, with some staples of Ethiopian cuisine and although you are not thrilled, you figure you'd order and feel better. You have to wait another 10 minutes to do so, regardless of whether the place is packed or empty. You also better come prepared in advance because you really can't count on the waitress suggesting anything to you (I once made that mistake and asked for some side vegetable not overly spicy and ended up with mixed greens which set my mouth on fire). Then you have to be patient. Very patient, in fact, because the food takes up to an hour to come. 50 minutes is the average, I'd say, but I have waited even longer than an hour. When the food eventually comes, the bread is cold and the actual dish warm, if you are lucky. Since the bread does get soggy pretty quickly, you get a dish which tastes nice but who have tasted much better if it had been served 30 minutes prior. Which is really a shame, because it could have been truly good food. The prices are, however, pretty reasonable. You pay and rest assured, no matter how much you tip, the waitress will give nasty looks. Maybe if she was a little nicer to customer she'd get better tips. In short -it'd be excellent food and a great place if they got a new waitress and a faster cook (or if they just kept the food warm!).

This place is definitely a local hang out. Don't make a special trip to dine there unless you live close by. The food is decent for the price and very flavourful but it is very spicy! By the time I had neared the end of the meal my entire mouth was on fire and that's saying something because I am a lover of spicy foods. Don't go there unless you are used to eating hot stuff . The downstairs bar plays bad music too loud but the crowd was chill and comfortable. Make sure you visit the upstairs bar to for a completely 180 degree experience. Do not order take out unless you are prepared to get there and wait another 20 minutes for your food. They are very slow. They won't start cooking it until you turn up and pay and only tell you about the extra wait once you've paid.

I think I offer a unique perspective in that I actually don't like Ethiopian food. You may find that this makes my review more valuable, or less so. The fact is that I find most Ethiopian food bland and overcooked, and I don't enjoy eating with my hands. Nonetheless, I have tried four different Ethiopian restaurants because apparently, everyone else in the progressive, semi-hip, somewhat veggie-oriented social circles in which I travel loves the stuff. I am here to report that this the food at Abyssinia is the least bland of the bunch. I got the vegetarian combo, and was pleased to find that the collard greens retained a slight "bite," one of the lentil dishes was pleasingly flavored with mustard, and one of the other stews had a uniquely spiced flavor that I could not specifically identify, but was very good. The yellow pea thing was as bland as at any restaurant, but apparently, that's how it is supposed to be. Also, the service was incredibly slow, and my dining companion confirmed that this was typical of the place, but we were not in a hurry, so it caused no problems. The bar in the front of the restaurant is also a decent, relaxing place to get a drink. On the Tuesday evening I visited, there were just a few middle-aged, Ethiopian men drinking and chatting. The service there was fast enough. I would not make the bar a special destination, but it was an ideal spot to have a cheap glass of wine, check email on my phone, and wait for my friend. The bar upstairs is supposedly more exciting, but I didn't visit that.

Abyssinia is delicious and a really great value. The Doro Wot, Yedoro Alicha, Qey Wot, Special Tibs and Yebeg Alicha were all absolutely fantastic. The chicken was perfectly tender (this has become one of my main criteria for good Ethiopian food, because when the chicken is tender it'll be the best chicken you've ever had). A friend ordered the veggie combo and said it was delicious, too. The injera was nice and sour and spongy. The prices on the menu here are accurate, so this is a GREAT deal -- much cheaper than any other Ethiopian place I've been in the US, and with even better food.