I would recommend this market, cafe and restaurant to any person with an openmind and heart to culture. The food is always fresh and served with a smile. I learn something new every time I'm there. read more

Awash market & restaurant is a delightful surprise. While the outside is unassuming, they have everything you need! Super friendly service, vegan/veggie options, ALL the spices, and delicious food. I came from Los Angeles, where we have a little Ethiopia area and I have been looking for good Ethiopian food. Glad I found this hidden gem! read more

Best Abyssinian food in San Diego. There are fancier, trendier places. None of them come close. Get the mixed vegetables and a couple of meat dishes. Wash them down with beer from there. read more

Some of the spices didn't have labels or prices and some came only in huge bags. So I asked the staff for help and they were extremely nice. I didn't need a pound of berbere spice mix so they opened one of the huge bags and poured some into a smaller ziploc bag which is what they sold me. They even offered to grind for free the whole spices I purchased but I respectfully declined. I like to grind my own spices. :) And if you're looking for baking yeast, as I heard it's been out of stock at grocery stores during the lockdown, then look no further. They have a ton. read more

Awash Market & Restaurant is one and only authentic Ethiopian food in San Diego period. They are super friendly and know their customers need. I love their Vegan/Vegetarian platter the most. We ordered half meat platter & Vegan platter. It was delish, finger leaking good. Ababu is so gracious and very nice human being. He takes good care of his customers. Can't wait for next week... yummmm A must visit!!! read more

This place isn't exactly taking business away from Vons. But you should go and buy pre-made injera (Ethiopian bread) and berbere powder (Ethiopian spice). YUM! read more

Just from waking past this place, you'd think it would just be another market/liquor store! They do cater to many Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurants in town (injera is made in house) but there is a restaurant in the very back! Portions here are massive! I'm talking about loads of meat, meat and meat! You'll be good just sharing one dish with a friend because you'll be stuffed and super bloated from the overdose of injera that is expanding in that belly of yours. I've tried many joints all around town and each one of them is good but this by far is the best bang for you buck because of the portions. Their meat is well marinated and full of flavor that'll make your taste buds happy. Trust me, the moment it hits your tongue, your mouth will immediately water up. If this is your first time (I'm sure it won't be your last either), go for either their meat combo or veggie combo (if you're a vegan/vegetarian). You'll get a taste of all their popular flavors. Share if you're not a big eater because this will make you stuffed beyond contentment. Please be open-minded and try out new ethnic food if you're one that sticks with the familiar. SD is a melting pot of cultures, especially on El Cajon Blvd. You won't be disappointed! read more

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Wow, this place blew me away. It was awesome. Everything about this place is authentic. Our waiter was the most friendly and awesome guy I've ever met. He took so much time with us helping us out with what we should order. We ordered the vegetarian plate, and it was great. It came with different lentils and collard green and injera which you use to pick up the different lentils. When we were done eating, we talked for an hour or two, and there was no rush whatsoever. I literally have nothing more to say... this place is just awesome. read more

Awash Market - Vegetarian plate! - International Grocery Near Me - San Diego, California

I love this little place. It's a family-owned storefront with some fun Ethiopian things to browse through. As you proceed the middle of the store, there are freezer/fridges to the left with drinks and other chilled items. On the right there are mounds of spices, herbs, flour, etc. Unfortunately not all are labeled as the are 'hand-packaged' into ziplock bags sometimes with a label (sometimes not). The gentleman the manages the front is extremely friendly and it's easy enough to just ask. Fresh injera is $3 for 5 pieces. I can understand why some people may be turned off as it's more of a convenient store (think 7-Eleven) then a WholeFoods. The small restaurant in the back is a bit outdated. I've tried their meat combo and didn't care to much for the quality of the meats. Recently I dined there with my daughter and order the Doro Wat (chicken) and Awash Beef Tibs. The cook noticed my 7 year old with me and brought her a dish of Alicha split peas on the house. It was delicious and very thoughtful, despite my daughter surprising them all when she chowed down on the chicken and beef tibs... yeah! Doro Wat is my all-time favorite Ethiopian dish and I make it at home often enough. At Awash, there was good depth to the sauce but for $10.99, it only included 1 small drumstick and an egg. I personally preferred the doro wat at Muzita. Finally, the Awash Beef Tibs were fantastic and I like that they offer a small and large portion. The quality of the meat really came through even after re-heating the leftovers. read more

This place gets more than 3 stars. Any place where you can buy injera to go is worth having in the neighborhood. And I guess it depends how you define "pre-made" if you want to call their injera "pre-made". They're usually making it in the back room while you shop and, if you're subtle about it, you can walk back there and watch. So, while the injera is packaged to take home, it's not like it just sitting around for hours. In the very least, it's a lot less "pre-made" than most of the other stuff you eat all day. The selection of Ethiopian wine and tej (honey wine) is also quite good. And if you need a calling card to call anywhere in Africa or the Middle East, these is one of the best bets around. So, a solid vote of approval for Awash Market! read more

Finding parking a major pain in the butt (which is why it's 4 and not 5 stars). But the proprietor was VERY friendly and VERY helpful. (THE Story: I told him I needed Teff to make injera, and he hesitated and said, "why don't you just buy some injera from the restaurant?" And I thought "A-HA! Trying to promote the restaurant is he? NO - I will make my OWN injera!" and marched home with a 5 lb bag of teff. Fast forward a week, and piles of really, really scary "injera" which no-one [including me] would touch... and I realized that the dude WAS just trying to be helpful. Sigh.) Want to go back and try the restaurant. :0) read more

The guy that works at the counter is very kind and attentive. I've been here twice. First time to get some berbere which was a bit of a struggle since we didn't properly pronounce the name haha he kept trying to give us BEER. Attention the gluten sensitive!!! I pre-ordered 5 injera breads for $5 made with ONLY teff grains and he took the order no problem! He told me that you just have to let them know 2-3 hours in advance. I asked the Red Sea restaurant (an Ethiopian restaurant) how far in advance and they told me one day before. I will picking it up tonight and I'm sure it'll be just as good. He told me that they put wheat into their injera mixture to help it rise easier since using pure teff is not only expensive but I guess more difficult. read more

This place is AWESOME! Came in today to get some ingredients/spices for the dishes I was cooking and this place had it all - all of the ingredients I bought were divine and top-notch. The people here were super friendly and happy to help. Definitely recommend! :) read more

This market has Shiro and Berbere spices that I needed. Our dishes came out amazing! First time cooking Ethiopian food. I will be back again. read more

Hours are great, and so is the service. Very friendly and helpful. I got pretty much everything that I needed (teff, berbere, niter kibbeh, cardamom, fenugreek, etc.) and, if my cooking works out, will be back. read more

This was definitely out of my culinary zone, but it was exhilarating to venture into the unknown especially into Awash. As an annual event, my bestie host a thanksgiving pizza making party and every year we change up the challenge. This year everyone got assigned a specific country/foreign city and I got Djibouti. Of course I did some crazy research and learned about the cuisine, spices, techniques of making Djibouti food. Trying to yelp "Djibouti grocery" was not giving me results, but African grocery did and this is how I discovered Awash market. I'm not saying they specialize in Djibouti cuisine and it may be my own ignorance to assume they are similar...but I wanna win this pizza challenge. Oh my gawd, if I only knew what to do with all the spices! I walked into this little shops and the air filled with this heavenly spicy richness that didn't burn my nose. I noticed the ijenri (I completely spelled that wrong. My bad) but after the warm fully bread, I was a lost dog In a squeaky toy shop. Hidden in the wayyyyy back of the store is a tiny cafe where they cook and serve food...and I got two entrees and they give ALOT of food! And good food. Simple yet flavorful and not too spicy. A good kick. Yes in a way you can say I'm ch-eating but it never said in the rules everything had to be made by scratch. Shoot... read more

I have a special place in my heart for Ethiopia and this store definitely helps me get my Habesha fix. There is a plentiful selection of authentic Ethiopian products. I drive all the way here from Oceanside just to stock up on their fresh roasted coffee, berbere, and injera. The owner is always very friendly and chatty and he even gave me some suggested ideas on how to prepare a shiro recipe. There is a little restaurant hidden in the back and the food is always delicious, quickly prepared, and cheap. I will continue to support this store as long as they are around! read more

I love Ethiopian food so I decided to check this place out. I went into the market and was greeted immediately and they asked if I was looking for something specifically. He toik me to the cart right where the injera was held and I grabbed a pack. 5 large pieces for 3$. He told me there was a restaurant in the back, so I decided to look there too and order something. I got the #9 which is the special: beef cubes with onions, jalepenos, and seasoning served with injera. I ordered it to go and it took roughly 30 minutes which was really long. Since it was my first time at this place, I was nice because I'll probably be back and most likely they would remember me . The food was really good, but I am still wondering where I can get a plate with the meat being saucey instead of just dry beef cubes. So I'll be back to look at the menu. read more

Awash Market - The special 9 - International Grocery Near Me - San Diego, California

This is the best restaurant not just Ethiopian restaurant in San Diego, maybe California. I miss it a ton, my wife and me used to live in the area and went there about twice a week for two years. Owners treat you like family and it feels like eating at a friends home. We will be by soon, it's a drive but it's worth it. Love this place , best food and coffee in all of San Diego read more

Small but packed market with plenty of spices, lentils, etc. Mostly stuff you won't find at Henry's or other mainstream markets. This area of North Park is flush with Etrerian culture. Harar is just down the hill on El Cajon Blvd. near Texas and Vision just opened up on 30th near Adams. For those vegetarians out there that haven't tried Ethiopian food, there's a lot of options. A lot of the flavors will remind you of Indian food more than Middle Eastern food (despite the proximity). read more

Well I called a few times to ask if they have lamb. Got hung up on. It's a shame, because we buy lamb regularly and this is conveniently locked for us, but why would you shop where no one speaks English enough to even know what lamb is, so they hang up on you? Learn English. read more

The food here is amazing. The portions are generous and reasonably priced. We had the vegetarian combo and it was so flavorful and very satisfying. The food was deliciously aromatic and not super spicy. The chef definitely knows how to balance strong flavors. They also sell spices and injera if you want to try making it at home. The place is not fancy but truly a hidden gem. read more

I felt like I was in Ethiopia! Such nice, kind people and great food! Wish there was one in Solana Beach! read more

I love Ethiopian food but I'm never going back here again. I ordered the "shorba" which is like curry but with macaroni, carrot, and your choice of meat (lamb or beef). It costs $8.99. I ordered lamb and I ordered it to go. The cook said "it will take long to prepare, about 45 minutes." I replied "it's alright, I'll head to the thrift store across the street to kill time." 45 minutes Iater, I returned and the cook handed me my order. It was just shorba and rice. I was surprised by the rice, I've never eaten rice here or at an Ethiopian restaurant before. I've eaten take out here many times and I was wondering where the injera was. The menu even stated that it includes injera. I told the cook to please give me injera and she agreed. She just put the injera in a plastic bag, no take out box whatsoever. I was mad that they messed up my order but I needed my Ethiopian food fix. There was no extra "wot" or anything like that, which is something you'll always find in an Ethiopian restaurant and they always gave me wot here. They just gave me shorba and white rice What really made me more upset was that the cashier was trying to rip me off. He asked me to pay $15 due to the rice. I said that I don't want the rice then. He said "never mind, you can keep the rice." So I paid $8.99 plus tax which is what the menu stated The fact that they messed up my order and tried to rip me off made me so mad that this Ethiopian market and restaurant is now my least favorite in all of San Diego. If I could give it a zero I would but 1 star is just too nice read more

Easy to miss as the front looks like a quik-stop grocery mart, but the restaurant in the back has amazing food. The locals eat there too, making this a great cultural immersion experience. I recommend the meat or veggie sampler plate, and the Meta beer is tasty. read more

Bought 1/2 lb of Berbere spice for $5. It came in an unmarked vacuum sealed plastic bag. I look forward to trying the restaurant.

Amazing food, every time ! I am impressed every time that I go to Awash...both the food and the service are amazing. The tea is fantastic, the Kitfo is a great choice and the vegetarian platter is both colorful and delicious. read more

I have been eating authentic Ethiopian food regularly ever since I discovered it. I especially like to splurge on good Ethiopian eats when I find myself in this neighborhood. The first time I visited Awash was on a sudden whim. I was hoping to break the monotonous American/Mexican/Chinese food chain as I was craving something different, flavorful, and perhaps a bit more exotic than the standard norm. The two older male employees who worked at the counter made me feel like I was inconveniencing them just by being there helping out their business. One of the men who took my order was rude and standoffish the whole time presumably due to the fact that I am not Ethiopian nor do I speak Amharic like the majority of their clientele. It was very off putting. But then again, the employees aren't all to blame because if you're only getting paid minimum wage what do you expect? Having said this, with the lack of professionalism and basic skills involved to do the job at hand right it seemed like business as usual for these employees. I ordered the vegetarian sambusas and lentils w/ injera. I was met with disappointment as my entire order was cold. And note, not lukewarm but cold! The sambusas were cooked in a rush apparently as the pastry shell tasted overcooked and was in fact burnt at the bottom. The lentils were also cold and the injera was not fresh as it smelled musty and tasted like it was at least a day old. I was at a total loss. I recently decided to give Awash a second spin. I ordered the exact same thing. Once again, it was cold. Both of my visits were around prime dinner time 7 PM. Truth be told, the food here is not nearly as good quality or authentic as Red Sea on University Ave. Which brings me to the last point: The overall mood/atmosphere at this place is best described as nondescript, unflattering, and not very high class. The next time I crave outstanding Ethiopian food served with a warm friendly smile, I will simply go to Red Sea. If you do find yourself at Awash, be prepared for awkwardness, blatantly slow rude customer service, and cold mediocre food. read more

this is mostly a dry goods store. tea, spices, dried beans etc. they do carry two or three kinds of ethiopian beer ($2 a piece, not too bad) and i saw some ethiopian wine, but i'd say this is mostly a place to go if you're familiar with making ethiopian food or want to try it, not a place to pick up pre-made items. read more

This place looks a little shady from the street as most northpark places, but i came here looking to buy the berbere spice which i wasn't able to find at any store! The guy at the front was super helpful and at first said they only sold it by the pound, but then called the back kitchen to see if they'd bring me 1/4 lb. Only $2.50! He even asked what I wanted to make and gave me a recipe on how to make it! Great customer service! read more

Pretty good Ethiopian food in the weird little restaurant in the back; totally fantastic community vibe. I felt super welcome. Open past 8, which is no small thing for a restaurant in San Diego. read more

good food, nice people, homey environment, nice cooks, delicious food, and the market has some gr8 things like ethio beer, spices, and try the ethiopian ghee or spice butter. they dont use the word ghee, just ask for the ethiopian butter wit hspices. its in the meat section behind the glass, they cook a trainload of spices in clarified butter. its spicey, but not hot. no chile in it. read more

I love the purple bread (what I lovingly call the tasty spongy bread that you can use to eat with your hands, I mean, just the fact you can use your hands to eat is awesome enough, but tasty goodness on top of that? The bestest thing ever!) and the sweet red Ethiopian wine that you can get there! read more

I find Awash market to be very complete in its stock of supplies for cooking Eritrean/Ethiopian food. It's a great environment to shop, have a meal or coffee. The staff goes out of their way to be friendly , welcoming, and helpful. I love to visit and grab a meal or bring some injera home. read more

This place was great! It was very chill and low key and I felt relaxed. We got the veggie combo and the meat combo and everything was really good. It wasn't as much of a flavor explosion as some of the other Ethiopian restaurants that I've eaten at in the Bay Area but I definitely will be back to eat here again. It was only like $22 for two combos, not including drinks and it was a generous amount of food. I recommend it. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego, both because the food is great but also the staff is so nice! The prices are also very reasonable, $8 per person. I often take people here who have never had Ethiopian food and they always love it, even if they're meat and potatoes type people. The service can be slow, just because it's basically a restaurant in the back of a convenience store, so it's not exactly your local Applebees or whatever, but I just as long as you're not in a hurry you shold be fine. read more

If I can put zero stars I would. We always make our own injera, but we decided to go buy it this one time.. Nd we made a horrible choice. My mother and I found two flies made in with the injera. Just gross read more

I think this place should get 3 and 1/2 stars. The food is really good but i don't think it is consistent. I always come in and order the same thing and it never comes out the same unless it the vegetarian dishes. I keep coming back here because its the most authentic Ethiopian food with in a twenty mile radius. I feel like they don't take shortcuts with the food like other Ethiopian restaurants in the same neighborhood. I'm giving it 3 and 1/2 stars because the food is the bomb but i don't think the service is up to par sometimes. read more

We love Awash Market. Great food, very authentic. Great, friendly service. We eat at the restaurant once a month and always have a great meal. The staff always has time to chat up my kiddos. read more

So they moved down the street a little bit, and they've added a restaurant! So we wandered in on only their third day, and things weren't quite set up yet. But instead of turning us away, we were welcomed, offered customized meals, extra spices and sauces, free water, tea, and coffee. Needless to say, the service was fantastic! I'm sure they won't be keeping that up as the business grows, but the kind-hearted, generous spirit is something I'm hoping will stay. The food was very good, considering they were still getting up to speed on the dishes. The spicy red lentils were the strongest point of my veggie combo. My boyfriend really enjoyed a spicy beef with a reddish mustard sauce. We ended up buying some of that sauce and some powdered spice to take home...totally addictive. The yellow split peas weren't quite hot, but I have had them served that way at other Ethiopian places in Washignton DC, so I wonder if that is a typical way to serve them in some areas? The cabbage and carrots were quite good, and not overly oily like some places tend to do. They didn't have the collard greens yet, which was a little disappointing, but it just makes me want to come back for another visit to re-evaluate. The injera was quite good, not overly sour or stale like some places I've been to in the past. Everything was very fresh. When they were roasting coffee, they brought out the pan for us to appreciate the scent...wonderfully roasty and almost like incense. The coffee tasted as special as it smelled, though I only had a small taste, so i can't give you a detailed description. The tea was excellent..cloves and cardamom...like a chai, of sorts. Prices were very reasonable for the amount of food we received...unbelievably so. So, my advice is to give it a try now while it is new, expect the details to need some ironing out, but enjoy the spirit of the place and the joy of discovering something done with great care.. Looking forward to seeing how this grows. read more