02/11/09

They should close the door!

by BabyBoop

Ambience, NO! Good food, NO! Good service, NO! Friendly service, OK! No sound of pots, pan and cooking utensil being used. They pulled the leftover food from the fridge and the warmed it up and served it. Save your money and time and go to Cook Out down the street...cheap, clean, and Fresh!

• Pros: Location
• Cons: All else

02/09/08

Not Good, Terrible Service, and Take-Out Style seating

by 21ja

This is not good Ethiopian Food. I think it may be the best in the triangle because there isn't any competition here. I can deal with the complete lack of ambience and service if the food is amazing, but the food wasn't even very good. Rather than being a nice blend of different spices and flavors that almost dance in your mouth (which is good ethiopian food), this was attacking my palate. If you have had good ethiopian before then don't even bother coming here because you will be very disappointed. If you have never had it and decide to ignore my advice and try it anyway then remember-- this is not a good representation of Ethiopian food and if you have the chance to eat it in NYC, DC, etc try it there! The service also was so bad that the only thing that kept me from walking out after 20 minutes of waiting for our drinks was the thought of the amazing reviews this place received. The staff sat around talking to their friends in the restaurant and watching tv at the bar rather than waiting on the few patrons in there on prime time saturday night. The seating was horrible... more like a chinese or pizza take out joint that doesn't really invite people to sit and stay. Again, annoyances I would endure for good food and inexpensive food, but this food was not good nor inexpensive.

• Pros: none
• Cons: food, service & ambience

08/15/07

Best African Food in the Triangle!

by clauren

Best Ethiopian in the Triangle!!! I've been to each of them including the much revered Queen of Sheba which serves a watered down version of the originals. Obviously because of the surroundings so I do not blame them. However, I love Abbysinian, anyone that loves Ethiopian food will agree, it's very similar to the place we used to frequent in the northeast, and I love the service. Know ahead of time that the food is made to order and it will take some time. It's NEVER a fast meal, because it isn't supposed to be. And I yes, there really isn't any ambiance but who cares when you're eating the best african cuisine available in the Triangle. We've taken several friends of ours and it's not everyone's cup of tea but then again what is? You can't please everyone, be prepared for a taste adventure!

It's a little known fact for the "newbies" but you'll have the best experience if you order a meat combo and a veggie combo. If you do this you'll have the best of everything and you'll have PLENTY of food. And order the Ethiopian spiced tea, also very delicious and makes for a more authentic meal.

• Pros: Food!! Friendly Service
• Cons: Ambiance

02/05/07

Overpriced for what you get

by supersusan

This past Sat. night, my husband and I and another couple went to Abyssinia. It was our first experience with Ethiopian food and it was not a good one. First, the place is dingy and drab and the bathrooms are a little scary, like what you see at a gas station rest stop on the highway. We ordered our food a little after 6:30, and by 7:40, it still had not arrived. We had to be at a hockey game at 8:30, so it was getting to the point where we were afraid we would have to leave. When ordering, we were informed that we would be charged $3.99 because we were only ordering 3 dishes for 4 people, even though the food is meant to be shared. When the food finally arrived (after my husband had to go ask for it), it was beyond disappointing. We ordered a beef dish, which consisted of a very small pile of beef with some onion and peppers ($13.50), a lentil dish ($12.50), which was three small piles, and by far the worst, a chicken dish, which for $11.99 came with (I'm not kidding here) one tiny chicken leg in a thick sauce. There was also supposed to be a side served with every meal (so we should have gotten three). What we got was three small piles of salad and one small pile of collards. The food was tasty, but not enough to justify the price and to charge a plate charge for such skimpy servings. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone unless you enjoy spending lots of money for little food and poor service. You can buy some lentils for 50 cents a pound and find a recipe on the internet and make the same stuff at home much cheaper!!

• Pros: None
• Cons: Poor service, Small portions, Overpriced for what you get

11/06/06

Excellent Food

by hembart

For a vegetarian like myself this was an excellent food experience. The ambiance could use some improvement, and I was a little surprised at the notice on the menu that there is a surcharge if you split an entree, but besides that I recommend it!

10/21/06

BEST ETHIOPIAN FOOD around, but dont go if your in a big hurry

by fightfortruth

AMAZING FOOD....I've been a regular for years and am very fond of the place. It's never very crowded and always very friendly service. However, the meals they serve are time consuming to make- be sure to have enough time for a leisurely dinner- honestly the wait really isn't all that bad but its not a place to go if your in a hurry.

08/21/06

Poor service, Food OK

by bbyes

It took 30 minutes for the waitress to take our orders. Took another 45 minutes for food and beverage to arrive. No checking up on drinks or anything what so every. You are out of luck, if you need more beverage, etc. Once done, it took another 45 minutes to process the check. Food is OK but portion was very small for the high price. We have been to several Ethiopian restaurants (small upscale) all over the country. This is by far the worst Ethiopian restaurant. I would not recommend, unless you want to waste your time and money.

• Pros: None

08/16/06

Great food, slow service

by aneeta

I've been to Abyssinia several times since the time the place has opened. I feel that the speed of the service has progressively slowed down (and the prices have gone up!) Still, I do enjoy the food there. If you go, make sure you have plenty of time because you don't know how long it'll take for you to get your food. (Could be an hour at worst). They definitely need to improve their service quality, but as I said before the food is excellent and very fresh.

• Pros: Excellent food
• Cons: Slow service

10/16/05

Go for the exotic flavor not the atmosphere

by in10s

This is traditional Ethiopian. Eat with your fingers in a very casual environment. It's not the best Ethiopian I have ever eaten, but Since there are only 2 such places in the Triangle it's hard to beat. My wife and I love exotic foods. Indian is our favorite. If you like Indian you will like Ethiopian. It is all spiced with hot red peppers. Everything is served with a sauce form. The restaurant is a bar/nightclub/meeting place for the Ethiopian community. The service is one very nice waitress. This looks like a small family run business. We really enjoyed the spiced Ethiopian tea. If your a "foodie" you will enjoy the place. I wouldn't recommend it for a date place. Unless you have been together for awhile.:)

• Pros: Spicey food, Cheap Prices, Tea, yum yum
• Cons: atmosphere, slow service

09/10/05

Overpriced, tacky decor, extremely slow

by webster7

Slow, overpriced. Took 1 hour from time food was ordered for arrival of first morsel. Salad (about 2 pieces of lettuce) & main dishes (3 little piles of what looked like Dinty Moore stew) came together on one platter. Spongy bread reminded me of carpet padding. All dishes tasted the same. $25 for one platter of about 6 oz. of meat & 3 oz of sauce. Tasted like Indian food, only not as much of it. Decor was dreary. Only one waitress & one cook working on Saturday night for entire dining room. Worst dining experience in past 10 years in Raleigh.

• Pros: Not crowded, No utensils, Simple menu
• Cons: Extremely slow, Overpriced, Depressing meal