Abyssinia

Extremely tasty food. Very good ambiance. The Doro wot Chicken and Yebeg Alicha Wot served with Injera were awesome.

The food is good & we were the only customers in the place for a while. The bottle of beer that - I am told - is normally supposed to be served with an accompanying glass and a slice of orange came only in a bottle. The side salad, called Ye'Abbysinia Salad, which according to the menu description was supposed to contain an array of vegetables along with "special Ethiopian dressing" turned out to be nothing but tomatoes and lettuce with some oil and vinegar. It took at least an hour after the salad and the drinks came to get the main meal, even though the place was virtually empty. The meal finally came, and it was enjoyable, however when we attempted to order ginger ale, we were told (after some time) that it was flat, i.e. not available, so we had to settle for Coke. Because the entire experience took so long, we almost didn't order dessert (which strangely was listed under "appetizers" in the menu), but due to my fondness for baklava, we took the plunge. It was the first time I ever had Ethiopian baklava... and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise because it was quite good. A little denser than the Middle Eastern variety, the piece was large enough for 2 people, and a great value for the price. We even overlooked the fact that it only came with one fork even though we made it clear we were sharing :). The decaf coffee I specifically ordered turned out to be the caffeinated variety, and so I came very close to being awake all night (because that’s what very strong caffeinated coffee does to me when I drink it after 2pm). Luckily I thought to double check and was then told that they do not have decaf. The coffee was taken back and I got a Lipton teabag with hot water with some Ethiopian spices, which unfortunately I couldn’t really taste. The only thing that came rather fast was the check. I definitely would not recommend going there if you are on some sort of restricted time schedule because you just never know when you will get your food.

The atmosphere is quite pleasant, no complaints. The food was very tasty but not the best Ethiopian I've ever had. That honor goes to Etete in Washington, DC. The menu at Abyssinia is a bit limited -- for example, no fish dishes are included and many of the items are very similar to each other. Overall, though, we really enjoyed our meal and the price is excellent - $35 for three people including 2 glasses of wine.

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.