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I’ve had really delicious Ethiopian food (In Washington DC) and unfortunately Dahlak is simply mediocre. Our server was attentive, but the food is overpriced when compared to the portion size and ingredients.

I've been to Abyssinia three times, but I really prefer Dahlak, where we went last night for the first time. Firstly, Abyssinia is great, but a bit dark, and the service is famously slow. Dahlak's decor is really great, very jungle-y, and way cooler. And we were seated within sight of the server station, so that helped getting served faster. As far as prices go, it's very similar to Abyssinia with main meat courses running from $9-11. On the plus side, they give you injera refills. Dahlak also has a larger drink selection (it's not BYOB). Finally, could you really go wrong with a bar in the back of the restaurant? Dahlak wins hands down.

I've been to Dahlak three times now, twice for sit-down meals and once for takeout. The food is delicious and the portions generous. The service is great as long as you're not in a huge rush, and the waitresses are very nice. I ordered the wrong thing once, ending up with a spicier meal than planned, and they gave us a mild chicken side dish at no extra charge to help counteract the spiciness. One thing to note is that the menu on this page comes from the restaurant's website and needs to be updated: It is missing the chicken dishes and the prices have gone up by a couple dollars since it was posted. The quality of the food is generally great. The first time I came we ordered the Yedoro Alicha, chicken in a mild buttery sauce, which was fantastically tender. The second time we ordered Yedoro Wot, made with spicy Berbere sauce, and it was also good and tender. However, when we ordered take-out the Yedoro Alicha was quite tough, so I'm not sure whether to recommend their chicken or not (compared to the two restaurants I've been to in NY, Dahlak's chicken has been better on average). I have also had Dahlak's beef and lamb dishes, which were delicious -- no complaints there. The injera is also top-notch and they don't hesitate to give you refills. I love the variety of their menu, and my only complaints are that their prices are a little high and they don't serve Ethiopian honey wine.