Awash Ethiopian Restaurant on Postcard

"This classic Manhattan Valley spot blends white tablecloths and stunning paintings with a relaxed atmosphere and perfect sambusas, which is why it’s one of our favorite Ethiopian spots in NYC. It’s a great option for special occasion group dinners when you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on an outstanding meal, but still want to have a memorable night—though Awash is equally food for lowkey date nights or solo dates with an order of their outstanding kitfo. " - carina finn koeppicus, hannah albertine, nikko duren

7 Great Ethiopian Spots in NYC

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@infatuation

"Awash makes our favorite sambusa we’ve had in NYC - theirs is a crispy triangle filled with ground beef and onions that’s been fried to golden perfection. You can get these sambusas at either of Awash’s two locations in Manhattan - one on the UWS and one in the East Village. Other than the appetizers, Awash has a more extensive range of lamb, fish, beef, chicken, and tofu options than most Ethiopian restaurants in the city. They also serve some crunchy steamed collards that have the ideal level of acid to go with all the spicy and savory flavors in the rest of the meal. If you don’t want to choose one dish, try the meat sampler combo with your choice of four Ethiopian stews for $20, or the vegetable sampler with your choice of five stews for the same price. The East Village location is open for in-person dining outside and inside, but they also offer takeout and delivery which happens to travel really well." - hannah albertine

Where To Eat Ethiopian Food In Downtown Manhattan

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@infatuation

"Awash makes our favorite sambusa we’ve had in NYC - theirs is a crispy triangle filled with ground beef and onions that’s been fried to golden perfection. You can get these sambusas at either of Awash’s two locations in Manhattan - one on the UWS and one in the East Village. Other than the appetizers, Awash has a more extensive range of lamb, fish, beef, chicken, and tofu options than most Ethiopian restaurants in the city. They also serve some crunchy steamed collards that have the ideal level of acid to go with all the spicy and savory flavors in the rest of the meal. If you don’t want to choose one dish, try the meat sampler combo with your choice of four Ethiopian stews for $20, or the vegetable sampler with your choice of five stews for the same price." - Hannah Albertine

Awash Review - New York - The Infatuation

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@ericalee

my go to ethiopian spot - great combo meals that are v affordable and SO delicious

ny eats

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J Y

Google

Long wait time for food to be served and not so great service (not very accommodating, didn’t have many clients but asked us to sit at a very small corner table). Authentic, chewy injera. The kitfo was good, spiced well. The meat sampler was very underwhelming, chicken undercooked, and meat in general not flavorful nor fresh. You can tell the sauce was separately prepared and then mixed with the meat.

Siena WD

Google

(Once again I'm asking that you don't allow my horrible photography skills to color your impression of the food I review, but anyway) This place is great! Ordered online and it was ready the minute it said it would be. The man who gave me my order was very nice, the space is beautiful, as is the food. Ordering extra injera was overkill on my part, but it's delicious, so I'm not complaining. Ethiopia has truly mastered vegetarian food, and Awash has a great selection. A true celebration of spice and seasoning and all the best things vegetables can be. Don't miss the Gomen, their collard greens were absolute perfection. I can rest easy knowing I've found my go-to spot for NYC Ethiopian food.

Acacia Lawson

Google

I’ve been coming here for 15+ years since I found Awash when I first moved to the city. It is consistently the best Ethiopian food and friendly service I’ve had anywhere in the USA. I’ve tried it all over Harlem and other NYC spots, in Vegas, in SF, etc…. The flavors are always top tier, the meat tender and veggies beyond tasty, and I just love this place!! Always a friendly smile from the staff and I’m really just grateful for this restaurant and the food they serve 🙏🏼 it feels like the food is cooked with love and they want you to be happy! Today I got the meat sampler - special tibs (beef), chicken Awash, gomen (collard greens) and the yellow split peas. Soooooo delicious!!

Subeesh Kumar Padikkale Kandathil

Google

It may look like your average neighborhood restaurant, but the food is amazing!I wandered in with two friends on a Sunday afternoon, and was immediately greeted by the friendly staff. Restaurant was not that crowded. We ordered Meat Sampler with one Premium Sampler Item and three boiled eggs (For three members together) You can get it individual plate. But we thought of eating Ethiopian way. The service person really explained everything about the ,menu and the quantity go the food. So we were not at all confused with anything. Food was so tasty and we could not stop eating. You can get Ethiopian beer in this restaurant. Only one negative thing I noticed is the washroom. It was not that great and may be its NY. So we need to adjust.

Angel

Google

Good vegan options, injera NOT gluten-free I enjoyed the vegetarian platter immensely, well spiced, but nothing was spicy this was a positive and a negative as I enjoy spicy things. The beet dish was hyped on the menu, and I thought it was solid. I don’t eat meat but my companion enjoyed the chicken dish. The portions are huge if you get a platter for 1, probably more normal if you get a platter to share. Expect to spend $25/person minimum One bathroom for the whole restaurant, so competitive and awkward. No mirror in the bathroom, not wheelchair accessible but if you can go down a couple stairs it’s doable.

GAURAV SAVLA

Google

Good food but it’s a little pricier than what other Ethiopian restaurants provide. We ordered a vegetable platter for 2 which costed us $39 bucks and the quantities weren’t great. We were able to eat the full platter and still had some more room to eat. Other places I have been to provide way more food for the price. Overall it’s a good place with good music but nothing extremely exhilarating. Probably worth a visit if you are around LES and need an Ethiopian place to eat.

Swetha Y

Google

This is a little place in the lower level of the street, hard to notice. Food is good and service is okay. We enjoyed our mixed combo. However, the prices seemed ridiculously high. For the two person combo you see in the picture below, we had to pay $45+tax+tip. Ethiopian meal is supposed to be shared with others and these restaurants in NYC tend to charge more if more than one person eats the same meal. This is just taking advantage of the situation where people come to these restaurants to get the experience of sharing a meal with friends and family from the same plate. When there is a limit on the quantity of food (not the injeras but the other curries), why do they care how many people share a dish, they’ll order more if they want more. I just wish all the Ethiopian restaurants in the NYC make changes to encourage food sharing in accordance to their culinary culture.

Julia Li

Google

Second time trying Ethiopian food and the injera (the Ethiopian flatbread) blew my mind again! Absolutely love the soft, elastic (almost rubbery), porous texture and the mildly sour taste. The injera adds an additional flavor to the bites. For such a big portion of food and all the samplers the total was only $26 each person with tip! Very decent price for east village. We ordered: Meat Sampler For 2 with Beg Alicha, Doro Wat, Key Sir Alicha, Gomen 1. Beg Alicha(lamb in the middle) More like a curry-style dish. The lamb stew was so well seasoned and the meat was easy to chew. Although it was well-seasoned the flavors were more earthy and weren’t too strong (not spicy)👍🏼 Loved the turmeric and ginger seasoning 2. Doro Wat (red chicken) Favorite sampler out of all 4! The chicken thigh was so juicy and tender, and the flavors were nothing like I tried before. The stew was so rich and thick, yet not heavy. The rich flavors of the Ethiopian bebere spice blend (that contains ground fenugreek, chiles, paprika, ginger, onion powder, cardamom, coriander, nutmeg, garlic, cloves, and cinnamon) really stood out! No wonder it was praised in a food article 3. Key Sir Alicha Beets and carrots with red onion. Definitely a very light dish. The sampler didn’t go that well with the injera because the chunks were so big so it was harder to wrap. The dish was slightly sweet but overall wasn’t that interesting. 4. Gomen The collard greens were well seasoned with ginger and garlic. But overall wasn’t really interesting either, reminded me of home cooked Chinese stir-fried chopped veggies Restaurant itself has a very nice and quiet atmosphere. The set up is quite sophisticated and romantic.

J Y

Google

Long wait time for food to be served and not so great service (not very accommodating, didn’t have many clients but asked us to sit at a very small corner table). Authentic, chewy injera. The kitfo was good, spiced well. The meat sampler was very underwhelming, chicken undercooked, and meat in general not flavorful nor fresh. You can tell the sauce was separately prepared and then mixed with the meat.

Siena WD

Google

(Once again I'm asking that you don't allow my horrible photography skills to color your impression of the food I review, but anyway) This place is great! Ordered online and it was ready the minute it said it would be. The man who gave me my order was very nice, the space is beautiful, as is the food. Ordering extra injera was overkill on my part, but it's delicious, so I'm not complaining. Ethiopia has truly mastered vegetarian food, and Awash has a great selection. A true celebration of spice and seasoning and all the best things vegetables can be. Don't miss the Gomen, their collard greens were absolute perfection. I can rest easy knowing I've found my go-to spot for NYC Ethiopian food.

Acacia Lawson

Google

I’ve been coming here for 15+ years since I found Awash when I first moved to the city. It is consistently the best Ethiopian food and friendly service I’ve had anywhere in the USA. I’ve tried it all over Harlem and other NYC spots, in Vegas, in SF, etc…. The flavors are always top tier, the meat tender and veggies beyond tasty, and I just love this place!! Always a friendly smile from the staff and I’m really just grateful for this restaurant and the food they serve 🙏🏼 it feels like the food is cooked with love and they want you to be happy! Today I got the meat sampler - special tibs (beef), chicken Awash, gomen (collard greens) and the yellow split peas. Soooooo delicious!!

Subeesh Kumar Padikkale Kandathil

Google

It may look like your average neighborhood restaurant, but the food is amazing!I wandered in with two friends on a Sunday afternoon, and was immediately greeted by the friendly staff. Restaurant was not that crowded. We ordered Meat Sampler with one Premium Sampler Item and three boiled eggs (For three members together) You can get it individual plate. But we thought of eating Ethiopian way. The service person really explained everything about the ,menu and the quantity go the food. So we were not at all confused with anything. Food was so tasty and we could not stop eating. You can get Ethiopian beer in this restaurant. Only one negative thing I noticed is the washroom. It was not that great and may be its NY. So we need to adjust.

Angel

Google

Good vegan options, injera NOT gluten-free I enjoyed the vegetarian platter immensely, well spiced, but nothing was spicy this was a positive and a negative as I enjoy spicy things. The beet dish was hyped on the menu, and I thought it was solid. I don’t eat meat but my companion enjoyed the chicken dish. The portions are huge if you get a platter for 1, probably more normal if you get a platter to share. Expect to spend $25/person minimum One bathroom for the whole restaurant, so competitive and awkward. No mirror in the bathroom, not wheelchair accessible but if you can go down a couple stairs it’s doable.

GAURAV SAVLA

Google

Good food but it’s a little pricier than what other Ethiopian restaurants provide. We ordered a vegetable platter for 2 which costed us $39 bucks and the quantities weren’t great. We were able to eat the full platter and still had some more room to eat. Other places I have been to provide way more food for the price. Overall it’s a good place with good music but nothing extremely exhilarating. Probably worth a visit if you are around LES and need an Ethiopian place to eat.

Swetha Y

Google

This is a little place in the lower level of the street, hard to notice. Food is good and service is okay. We enjoyed our mixed combo. However, the prices seemed ridiculously high. For the two person combo you see in the picture below, we had to pay $45+tax+tip. Ethiopian meal is supposed to be shared with others and these restaurants in NYC tend to charge more if more than one person eats the same meal. This is just taking advantage of the situation where people come to these restaurants to get the experience of sharing a meal with friends and family from the same plate. When there is a limit on the quantity of food (not the injeras but the other curries), why do they care how many people share a dish, they’ll order more if they want more. I just wish all the Ethiopian restaurants in the NYC make changes to encourage food sharing in accordance to their culinary culture.

Julia Li

Google

Second time trying Ethiopian food and the injera (the Ethiopian flatbread) blew my mind again! Absolutely love the soft, elastic (almost rubbery), porous texture and the mildly sour taste. The injera adds an additional flavor to the bites. For such a big portion of food and all the samplers the total was only $26 each person with tip! Very decent price for east village. We ordered: Meat Sampler For 2 with Beg Alicha, Doro Wat, Key Sir Alicha, Gomen 1. Beg Alicha(lamb in the middle) More like a curry-style dish. The lamb stew was so well seasoned and the meat was easy to chew. Although it was well-seasoned the flavors were more earthy and weren’t too strong (not spicy)👍🏼 Loved the turmeric and ginger seasoning 2. Doro Wat (red chicken) Favorite sampler out of all 4! The chicken thigh was so juicy and tender, and the flavors were nothing like I tried before. The stew was so rich and thick, yet not heavy. The rich flavors of the Ethiopian bebere spice blend (that contains ground fenugreek, chiles, paprika, ginger, onion powder, cardamom, coriander, nutmeg, garlic, cloves, and cinnamon) really stood out! No wonder it was praised in a food article 3. Key Sir Alicha Beets and carrots with red onion. Definitely a very light dish. The sampler didn’t go that well with the injera because the chunks were so big so it was harder to wrap. The dish was slightly sweet but overall wasn’t that interesting. 4. Gomen The collard greens were well seasoned with ginger and garlic. But overall wasn’t really interesting either, reminded me of home cooked Chinese stir-fried chopped veggies Restaurant itself has a very nice and quiet atmosphere. The set up is quite sophisticated and romantic.

Awash Ethiopian Restaurant

Awash Ethiopian Restaurant

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Highlights

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