Came here after work on a weekday right after it opened. Sat outside on their quaint patio. Ordered the vegetarian platter and an Ethiopian beer. Both were excellent. Our waitress (maybe one of the owners?) was friendly, helpful, and attentive. The only reason I'm not giving this place 5 stars is because I've dined at many Ethiopian restaurants where you get more bang for your buck when it comes to serving size. Otherwise, we loved it! read more

Abyssinian Kitchen - Vegetarian platter. - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Great Ethiopian Restaurant. Much more sophisticated than the typical Ethiopian restaurant for this area. We found the food to be authentic and expertly prepared. Everything that we ate from the menu is outstanding. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

I've only dabbled in Ethiopian food, so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but I eat out a lot and travel a lot, so I'm an experienced foodie. The food here is really tasty. The teff is spongy and a little sour, which is a great contrast to the pungent aroma and spices. My wife and I have eaten here three times, and thoroughly enjoyed it. read more

we've wanted to come here for awhile, and finally did for dinner yesterday with a friend....i had the ghostfish meteor shower pale lager, and my partner had the shahi...our friend had a glass of red....next, we shared the mixed green salad, and the veggie beyaynetu....he had the sambusa and the awaze tibs....the food is delicious, and the drinks superb....it's spicy too...the staff is great, the ambiance is nice and relaxing...thx so much... read more

Completely amazing food, Can't wait to come back. Bring your family, bring your friends. There is nothing like this in the city.

This was my first time ever trying Ethiopian food and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Although sensitive to spice (I'm working my way up!) I found the spice level tolerable for the food was absolutely delicious. The service was fantastic and the wait time wasn't bad at all! It's a smaller venue, so definitely be aware of that when you plan to go. The food is amazing, so definitely be aware that it fills up fast! Everything was fresh and flavorful. It took around 45 minutes to get our food, but it was so worth it (it was also very busy, so I get it). We will definitely be back! read more

Abyssinian Kitchen - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

So GOOD. My first time having Ethiopian food, so I'm definitely not an expert, but this means this restaurant does it accessibly. We ordered awaze tibs (tender beef) and doro wot (chicken). They were served together in one large platter, with rolls of injera ringing the beef and chicken in the center. Super tasty and very filling for 2 people. The restaurant is located in a cute house and feels very intimate. Low lighting. I highly recommend you CLIP YOUR NAILS and thoroughly wash your hands beforehand - since you will be picking up food with the injera, which is quite spongy and easily tearable, you don't want anything getting stuck under your nails. You also don't want your nails to punch through every time you try to pick something up, which happened to me, lol. read more

Delicious, delicious food. Friendly and attentive service. The restaurant is tucked inside a nicely renovated home ( clean lines) and tastefully decorated. We went on the early side, so didn't have to wait but there was quite a crowd gathering by the time we left (around 7). There was a distinct taste to each dish and the vegetables were cooked just right. Highly recommended the veggie tasting combo for $17. You get a little bit of everything. The lamb dish had just the right amount of spices added to it, Doro Wot was mouthwateringly yummy. The food was served hot, but sweeping it up with the Injera protects your fingers from the heat. Make sure to go with friends who are hand-washers, because no hot towels are provided beforehand :-) read more

Abyssinian Kitchen - A plate of deliciousness - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Very good food. Pleasant people. Nice surroundings. Decent draft beer selection. Limited parking options. We started with an order of beef Sambusa, and another of spinach & feta Sambusa. They came very hot right out of the fryer. But oddly, they came plain. We had to ask for some Amharic hot chili sauce to dip them in. The woman who brought the sauce (theirs was particularly good, by the way, with a nice smoky flavour) said she'd never thought of that, but she said she'd try it. Good on her! When we eat Ethiopian, we usually share a vegetarian combination plate (Beyaynetu), which tends to be plenty of food for two normal humans. For $16, we got fairly small portions of stewed yellow lentils, seasoned collard greens, spicy red lentils, and a mixed stew of carrots-potatoes-cabbage, all served on a smallish piece of Injera, on a smallish plate. We also got two smallish rolled pieces of injera with our platter. All together, we've gotten more food for less money elsewhere. But at least we didn't get any snark or eye-rolls for sharing an entree. And they didn't knick us for extra injera, which we needed just so we could finish sopping up the food. A word of warning. After cruising the area around the neighborhood eateries for 15 minutes, we ended up parking a couple streets up in front of a house. Where the people apparently don't like strangers parking in front of their houses. I guess I get it; if I was stupid enough to pay a half-mil for a house that only came with street parking, I'd probably be irrationally angry too. But kicking the side of our car repeatedly with muddy feet (see photo) seems a bit ass-holish. I mean, if it weren't for outsiders like us to pick up the slack, these dorks wouldn't have these nice eateries within walking distance. TAKE HOME LESSON: If you can't park in the restaurant blocks, go somewhere else. read more

Abyssinian Kitchen - One of the muddy footprints on our car after we ate at the Abyssinian Kitchen in SE Portland!  Neighborhood jerks suck!! - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

As an American with Ethiopian in laws, I am always suspicious of highly rated Ethiopian restaurants in largely non-Ethiopian neighborhoods. Years of experimentation -- and access to incredible home cooked Ethiopian cuisines - taught me the difference between accessible Habesha cuisine optimized for American palettes, and authentic cuisine intended for the diaspora living in the States. You can usually tell the difference right away. Too few spices (aka accessible) and the meat stews and vegan dishes lack structure and nuance. I don't mean spicy vs. mild. I mean a richness of flavor you can't get get with salt and pepper. Injera on the other hand is all about the grains. Injera made with any other grains besides tef, just expands in your stomach making you feel bloated after a few hours. Always ask for injera made with tef. So how is Abyssinian Kitchen? It balances accessibility with just enough authenticity to be a good bet. Located Portland's Hosford Abernathy district, AK looks like a cozy house more than a restaurant. When you arrive, you feel like you're going to dinner at a friend's house. The night I stopped by I didn't stay to eat. Just for take out. I give them props for packing the four dishes we ordered expertly and giving us just enough injera to enjoy every morsel. But I reserve the last word for my wife. The injera was satisfying (ie enough tef) and she liked every dish but one: Gomen and Sega (collard greens with beef). The preparation just felt off. Flavorless collards mixed with grilled beef. No garlic and not diced. Also, too little berbere (Ethiopian-style masala mix) and kibbeh (clarified butter with spices). Our favorite dishes? Beef Sambusa (fried dumplings), Awaze Tibs (sautéed beef with garlic, onions, peppers, in a tomato /berbere sauce), Misir Wor (red lentils with berbere sauce). Three out of four is great in my book. So whether you eat Ethiopian food all the time, or just want to try it, AK is a good bet. Enjoy. read more

Portland is truly full of hidden gems! I found this authentic Ethiopian restaurant in a remodeled craftsman home when I was looking for street parking off Division. A big fan of Ethiopian food myself, I had even cooked the Dojo Wat (chicken stew) dish at home. With that, I'd say what I had tonight - the Kilwa Beggie (lamb chop) was such a delight: tender lamb cubes stewed with a hint of spiciness, and the tomatoes slices in the stew adds a tangy flavor. The portion is HUGE for one person - I packed a full meal amount of leftover to-go. Super friendly staff, and very homy vibe - on a date, celebrate a low key event, or just venture around to try a new cuisine- this is a great spot! *reminder: the typical way to have Ethiopian food is to eat it with your hand. Though there are utensils upon request. How cool is that! read more

Abyssinian Kitchen - Kilwa Beggie - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Go here. Go here. Go here. Seriously... Go here! I can't describe how absolutely fabulous this food is. This is the best meal I've had in a long time and I've had some really great meals! The house made cheese and Miser Wot is not to be missed! Go here!!!!! read more

Absolutely delicious from start to finish. I had the Smoked Fig Boulevadier and it was exquisite. Our table of 4 shared two appetizers and 3 entrees which was a perfect amount of food to leave room for dessert. Really wonderful dining experience with terrific service! read more

I love Ethiopian food and this place did not disappoint! We had the spare ribs with collards, the vegetarian sampler and the cubed beef! So delicious! Cute place in a cool location just off Clinton. Attentive service and very clean. Highly recommend! read more

We had the vegetable combo and the lamb. Everything was pretty good. Service was friendly! For being brand new, not to shabby. The three stars was because I believe there is room for improvement. We will be back though in the future for a second go around. read more

Abyssinian Kitchen - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

This place was great! I get a craving for the injera from time to time and this definitely satisfied my craving. Ordered the Lamb, the short ribs and vegetables. It was a good serving for two people. The lamb was very tasty and I love to eat meat off the bones on short ribs. I usually eat them with my hands at Korean restaurants anyway, so its good that you can eat with your hands here and its totally fine. There was a good spice to the beef . . .not sure what it was. . .coriander? or something which gave it a unique flavor. Also it was only mildly spicy (heat wise) which is perfect for me because I don't like things too hot, nor do I like it too plain. The restaurant used to be a house and I think it ads such a nice charm. The staff are friendly and the place is clean. I really like the nice soap in the bathroom too. Its such a small detail but its small things like that which tells me that the owners take pride in their restaurant. I will definitely be back. read more

Abyssinian Kitchen - short ribs, lamb and vegetable side - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Overall pretty good. The beef in the awaze tibs and zilzil was very tough. The misir wot is good, as is the gomen, and the injera is perfect. The price is a bit higher than the other ethiopian restaurants in town, and food is slow to arrive. On the plus aide, its far cleaner than any of the Ethiopian places we've been to in NE portland. read more

This isn't dining at a restaurant, you're literally a guest in their home. It only follows that the food is cooked with as much love and humility as a home cooked meal. It's all fresh and presented with genuine pride in the culture it comes from. Indeed, looking around and seeing the native Ethiopians dining there, listening to them converse and joke in Amharic, hearing the Ethiopian music in the background, and seeing the decorations on the walls and around the house enhance the experience. We started with the Beet Salad and the Assorted Sambusas. The salad was light and had an interesting flavor. The sambusas came out sizzling from being freshly fried, not greasy at all though. Our main was a combination of all the veggie dishes. The creamy chickpeas were the winner! read more

Food was delicious! We ordered the Key Sir Selata (beets, arugula, & feta) which was so refreshing & the flavors went well together. We also ordered the Awaze Tibs (chunks of tender beef smothered in awaze sauce)..the beef was so tender & it was so rich in flavor..the sauce had the perfect amount of spice. I didn't like Ethiopian food before because when I tried it, the "sponge bread was too sour. It was just right here. read more

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First time I've ever had Ethiopian food and it was pretty good! I got the Zilzil and the beef was cooked just perfectly. I wasn't a big fan of the bread that seemed to go with every dish, but it was definitely interesting. It had the texture of a sponge cake but it wasn't sweet. Overall I enjoyed the food and would probably come back. My only critique is that the service is super slow - I was at the restaurant from 6:30-8:30 pm on a Tuesday night (no waiting time), and this is just something that I can't afford as a student! read more

Abyssinian Kitchen - Zilzil, does it look like the portions got smaller over the years? - Ethiopian Near Me - Portland, Oregon

First visit. The ambiance is good, waiter very nice and patient with all our questions and very able to explain the food and the plating. The injera was nicely done. We liked the food and enjoyed our evening a lot. I would definitely recommend it (and very convenient if you are going to the Alberta Rose Theater for a concert) A couple of minor observations: the Kifto was so spiced up that I couldn't tase anything except spice, the pour of Sangria was mostly ice and maybe 2 or three ounces of Sangria - tasty but VERY small for the $, the pricing for what you get seems kind of high for lentils and other inexpensive ingredients but IDK, prices are generally high these days. read more

Abyssinian Kitchen is hands down the absolute BEST Ethiopian restaurant in Portland. (I think I've been to them all, multiple times.) And because I'm basically an Ethiopian food addict, it's also my favorite restaurant in Portland currently. I am absolutely obsessed! Gobsmacked! In LOVE! Over the Moon! In Rapturous Heaven! Their food is ecstasy and a total delight. Things I *ADORE*: The Siga & Gomen. (OMG!!!) The Asa Dulet. (basically my favorite dish.) The Kitfo. (Spicy!!! But Soooo Good!!) The Hamli. The Gomen. The Atakilti Alicha. Best Part: The 100% Teff Injera. They charge extra for it, but it is absolutely worth it - imho - it is necessary. It has so much more flavor and adds so much subtlety and deliciousness to the food. I think they're the only Ethiopian restaurant I've been to that has 100% Teff Injera. It's Gluten Free! Basically I'm totally obsessed with their food. Is there a 12 step program? read more

Wonderful. Love taking old houses and making them restaurants. This cute little spot has it all-ambience, delightful service, and yummy Ethiopian food. We got the veggie sampler as well as chickpea since the cheese was gone for the day. So good-will certainly be back. read more

I'm not sure how i haven't reviewed this amazing spot yet? So the deal is that we're very fortunate in Portland to have quite a few Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurants to choose from. My husband is Eritrean and it's hard for us to live somewhere where we don't have relatives (homemade is always the best) or where there is no community. We come from D.C. So we didn't expect that level of choice but I am really impressed with Portlands offerings for Habesha food, the term Habesha includes both Ethiopian and Eritrean as these two nations are inextricably connected through culture and history. So back to Abyssinian kitchen we ll starts with the all important food. This is hands down the best Habesha food in Portland. If you try other Habesha restaurants here, that will become obvious very fast. Their food is beyond fresh, the sauces and spices are totally authentic. The Tibs, zigni any beef dish, it melts in your mouth. The doro wot which is the signature Ethiopian dish will have you licking your plate. Every veggie dish is expertly spiced and just as delicious and filling as beef, chicken or lamb. But don't miss the asa dulet. Finely minced fish swimming in irresistible spiced. The spicing is everything in this style of cuisine. It's complex And exotic and Abyssinian gets it perfect. Beyond perfect. The food is really amazing. And the telltale sign of how fresh and well prepared this food is, despite eating everything with Injera (spongy bread) you will get full and it will digest very easily. You will feel dated but not full. Some added extras. This is a family run business and it feel like you are in their home. They are wonderful and hospitable and you will keep coming back. The location is adorable on a cute neighborhood street off of SE division. Plenty of parking. The restaurant is in an old house so outdoor seating is offered and the best is to sit out on the porch. Do yourself a favor and order a Cold Tej (honey wine) with your meal. It will bring out all of the amazing spices and complement your food. Get ready to eat with your hands and Injera and dig right in, no shame in your game. read more

The food was excellent but the service is painfully slow. It took an hour for our door to come so make sure you have time to spare. Parking can be difficult to find. No reservations necessary. read more

This restaurant does not take reservations. They will also curtly turn you away without apology an entire HOUR before their posted closing time. They should make this unusual seating policy clear to customers on their website or inform customers about it when they try to make reservations. The food may be awesome, but we will never know. read more

This is a cozy, intimate space - a converted Craftsman. We met a number of sweet fellow diners during our dinner, which was really nice. The vegetarian platter is solid, and they make an awesome injera. Recommended! read more

Super long wait - almost 1hr! The food was delicious but wow what a wait- it was the longest we've ever waited at a restaurant for our order. We had the combo plate and lamb, enjoyed it but our evening was shot. Want to return but not sure we have that kind of time read more

Wonderfully good lamb. I also recommend the ginger lemonade, I will be trying to replicate at home. The only downfall to this quaint restaurant was the service. We ending up waiting almost an hour for the food. It was worth the wait but still frustrating. read more

I absolutely love this spot. It is the best Ethiopian experience I've come across in Portland. FOOD Everything is good. Everything. SERVICE Expect a wait. This is not an order, eat, and move along type of place. But it's a house, and so it's a super comfortable place to chill. read more

I was really excited to try this Ethiopian restaurant with a friend, but the food was horrible. We had a beef dish and a vegetarian dish, both equally bad. read more

This was my first time eating Ethiopian food and it was incredible! The restaurant was small and intimate, and the waiter helped guide us with what we should eat since we didn't have any idea what to do. The spices of the meat and vegetables were deep and flavorful. The sponge bread was tangy and unique and balanced out the heat in the rest of the dish. It was a great experience! read more

What a wonderful experience! The host greeted, seated, and chatted with us right away. We had a little secluded spot near the kitchen and bar that was comfortable and cozy. The ambiance was lovely too and would surely fit for a family event as much as a romantic outing. Eating solo would not be a bad choice either (because you're worth it!) but you're bound to have leftovers! The Injera was fresh and delicious, not to mention 100% gluten free. Vegan menu items also abounded! All of the food was tasty with a good presentation, so bring all your friends because they're sure to find something they like at Abyssinian Kitchen! read more

Great food. If your gluten intolerant or have Celiac disease this is the place for you. Go with the lamb, beef, or lentils. Also try the Sambosa appetizers. read more

YUM! Really great food and atmosphere. I love the spicy lentils especially.

I'm a huge fan of Ethiopian food. You feel great after eating it. The flavors are unique. Injera is an awesome medium to eat food. Oh and you get to eat with your hands! Abyssinian does a wonderful job with their platters and the service felt like being at a sweet older woman's home. Surprisingly, the St. George's amber beer was good too. It's Ethiopian. read more

Ethically sourced meat, local produce, tasty food, friendly service, clean facilities. A bit different from other Ethiopian food I've had; both the lamb and the beef short ribs arrived bone-in. I liked the collards that came with the short ribs. The lamb dish was red, the beef was brown, the collards green, and the lentils yellow - that combination made a handsome platter. I definitely suggest getting 3 entrees, even if you only have 2 people, just for the variety. There are three types of sambusa (fried triangle with fillings, like samosas in Indian cuisine) and I think you can get a combo order, one of each. The menu doesn't mention that so we just got the lentils. The breading was perfect. The lentils could have used something to bind them together (mashed lentils, potato, sauce, whatever); you had to be careful not to spill them out as you eat them, but that was fine. The injera (spongy bread) was really good. Perfect texture, a bit of tang, and they brought us plenty. Small patio in front with maybe 3 tables. read more

Excellent ethiopian place down on Clinton. Had the Kilwa beggie which is cubes of lamb in tasty berbere sauce, which was excellent.My friend got a lentil curry the Misir Wot which was amazing as well. The owner is very friendly and explains the dishes well. Great addition to the portland ethiopian dining scene. read more

My husband and I seek out the best Ethiopian food wherever we go and this spot was on par with the best! We made up our own sampler platter, which they graciously accommodated, and we stuffed ourselves beyond comfort (in the best way possible). Great location, quiet and quaint, and the flavors were incredible. Healthy, vibrant and delicious, that's everything I look for in a meal and this hit the sweet spot. We will be back! read more

The food here is excellent and can't wait to eat here again. This is absolute favorite Ethiopian restaurant in Portland. read more

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