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    Abyssinia Restaurant

    3.7 (94 reviews)
    Open 3:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

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    Donyiel C.

    First time here was last night (reggae night). I enjoyed seeing Ras Slick and the Dutty Bus crew perform! My friend and I were here a little after 8:30 and luckily were able to get some drinks in before happy hour ended at 9 (yes 9 and it's daily)! This place is much bigger than I thought. The front is the restaurant and we didn't eat, but I'll be back (I love Ethiopian food). The back area is a bar with an extra room at the very back and there's outside space available for hookah and drinking. Service was great and I was really enjoying the laid back vibes! If you want a chill evening without the hassle of getting dressed up or paying a cover, then this might be the place for you. Check em out!

    Derek Tibs
    Eileen S.

    My niece and I decided to go to this Ethiopian restaurant on a Friday night and we expected to wait for a long time but was pleasantly surprised. The wait staff was friendly the food came out in a timely manner. The food was absolutely delicious. Everything was hot fresh and was not too spicy. I also will recommend the Honey Wine that went well with our dinner. If you dine in just fyi, we were a party of two and was charged (18%) gratuity on the bill. Assuming that's how much the standard is.

    Beef platter(L) and veggie platter (R)
    Beza G.

    The goosebump font of the restaurant facade, darkly tinted windows, and neon bar lights were not at all promising. Had it not been for a community event, I would have never dined here. I am so glad I was obligated to try their food because it's DELICIOUS. (note: I didnt pay nor parooz the menu) I came for a team meeting held in Abysinnia's meeting/event space upstairs (11 min walk from Silver Spring metro). As culturally expected, my Ethiopian crew dribbled in randomly through the night, our server managed the traffic impeccably- popping in for tea orders, and corralling our group of 14 to come to a consensus on a food order. Food (Ethiopian-Family Style) We ordered a veggie platter and 2 meats platters which satisfied our group of 14 Beef tibs- excellent Fish tibs- excellent, best i've ever had seasoned with light spices which placated any strong fish smell/taste without dousing it in oil. kitfo/steak tartare- good, wish it had a bit more butter Veggie platter was standard to other Ethiopian eateries came with; lentils, yellow split peas, cabbage, potato & carrots, tomato salad; all of which were cooked to the right consistency. Most Ethiopian restaurants pulverize their veggies. This place did not. Overall very happy with the quality of the food! I hope to return and get more comfortable with the menu.

    a plate of food
    MacKenzie G.

    My partner swore by this place so I decided to check it out with them and I was blown away! Immediately I was captivated by the vibrant energy of this place. Beautiful decor, live music, lively people. Just all-around good vibes. Then to make matters even better, the food was amazing! And there were so many Ethiopians eating there, which is always a good time. The service was amazing too, and you can even have some hookah with your food. 11/10!

    Habesha Beer
    Kellen C.

    Great place to enjoy Authentic African Cusine from Ethiopia and Habesha Beer. Service is very good stay for a whole you're home

    Mixed Platter & Abyssinia Lamb Tibs
    Phi N.

    So for a long time now, all the ethiopian cab drivers have told me they love coming here. So what do I do? Come try it out, of course! I was not let down. We ordered the mixed platter and the abyssinia lamb tibs. The lamb was bomb! This is actually the only lamb tibs I've thoroughly enjoyed at any ethiopian restaurant. I was also very satisfied with the meats on the mixed platter. The only thing I was let down about was the vegetables. They lacked much taste. The basic tomato & lettuce salad actually had more flavor than the others. I've never been to ethiopia but I sure feel like I'm in another country coming into this restaurant. From the table set up & decoration to the music, it just feels right. And the swarms of ethiopians just chillin' here, make me know that I am at the right place for ethiopian food.

    Michael S.

    Decided to try a different location today. Had a taste for tibs. Man was I highly impressed. When I walked in the place was empty. Normally a red flag but I tok the risk. High risk, high reward! Ordered the Derck ribs, savory lamb chunks (diced), with onions, jalapenos and special seasonings. They were prepared nicely, even though they were small pieces it wasn't too dry. It came with 2 sides, I got collards and cabbage. The cabbage was soft and well seasoned also. Overall the food and atmosphere were delightful. The waitress even encouraged me to try the lunch specials next time to save on money, lol! The manger waited on me and was very knowledgeable. I would definitely come back.

    Vegetarian combo for 2, or I must say 3-4 :).
    Kenneth K.

    There are other great Ethiopian restaurants in Downtown Silver Spring, but this one tops my list so far. I got a Groupon for a vegetarian combo platter for two during two occasions with different family members in town. The platter for two, is probably big enough to serve three or even four. As a result, I had ample leftovers both times. You do want to make sure the box with leftovers is closed well, as the injura dried out both times but the vegetables/lentils/etc. was still amazing. Everything in the platter was high quality and beats that of the other several restaurants I have been to. They are also open really late, so this is a good place to go to if you are hungry late at night and most other good places are closed. I look forward to coming back!

    Flavorless lukewarm messob platter for 2. ($40) Dry meats, limited veggie options. Not worth it.
    Jess C.

    Came here for lunch after purchasing the Groupon for the veggie/meat Messob platter for 2. Originally it is priced at $40, but the Groupon was only $22. This was the most disappointing Groupon I've bought and one of the lowest quality Ethiopian place I've been to in the DMV area. First, this restaurant has a gnat problem. There were so many gnats flying around our food and restaurant that we were distracted by trying to shoo them away the whole time during our meal. It was not an enjoyable experience having to do that throughout the meal. It was unpleasant. There is a large TV screen so it is a good place to watch games I suppose. So I would not recommend it for an intimate date, even though the restaurant is really dark even in the middle of the day (very minimal and low lighting..not romantic lighting, just dark). The messob platter (feeds two) original cost of $40 is not worth it. I thought it would be good to try their spread, but I realized their was barely any veggie dishes (one potato dish, cabbage, and greens dish) that I usually am used to when it is supposed to be a meat and veggie combo. And it felt like they just divided the portion of meats (a chicken dish and some other meats that were indistinguishable) in two around the dish so it looked like there was more variety, but there wasn't. The meats were really dry and lacked flavor and not warm enough. I'm not sure how they prepare it but it just didn't taste very fresh. I would have preferred ordering a la carte for a real veggie platter (elsewhere) and one meat dish. Lastly because we had used the Groupon, I think it was odd that our server emphasized what the original price was (which is the few words we exchanged during the entire dining experience). I'm guessing it is because she wanted to remind me to tip on original price, which I would have known and did tip accordingly. However, I must day, for being the only party in the restaurant, I thought she did minimal work and did not refill my water until I asked at end of meal nor were adequate napkins provided. Overall pretty disappointing meal and unpleasant dining experience. Maybe try another Ethiopian place down the street instead. There are tons to choose from in Silver Spring.

    Combo platter (for 1) with lamb tibs in the middle.
    Jacinda T.

    My friend and I came here for an early dinner and were sat at a cozy little table that sort of looked like a basket. We ordered the combo platter for 1 person and lamb tibs, which ended up being more than enough food for the two of us. The table had just enough room for the platter, but luckily they set up little side tables around our chairs for drinks, etc. It's a bit unconventional but comfortable. and seems authentic? The service was great and the atmosphere was pretty chill. The food itself was alright. To be honest, I thought it had a lot less flavor than other Ethiopian places I've been to. I was pretty disappointed, but my friend liked it. Different palates, I guess. I'm definitely glad they had honey wine though! I love me some honey wine.

    Abyssinian Kitfo, Grilled beef with spices and jalapenos.  Veggie platter for 2.  I'm new to Eth food, but the flavors were really good.

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    14 years ago

    The ambiance was neat, and the food was very good. Particularly the fried lamb dish that we had.

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    11 years ago

    Enjoyed the Keyena Alicha: combo of Yebere tibs, Keye wat and Baklava. Also the live music by Maurice, Philippa, & Friends.

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    10 years ago

    The kitfo that I had was really good and I thoroughly enjoy the karaoke on a weekday night! I'll definitely be back soon.

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    Ask the Community - Abyssinia Restaurant

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