The flavours are insane! This restaurant is legendary! Date night with my partner... must be well known by those that come often. Never been here? Ethiopian food unknown to you??? Go!!!! The food comes out on a robot too read more

Incredible service and food, love the young lady that greeted us and helped us all evening. A genuine gem. I would love to go back and try the other dishes. This day brought me so much joy. I love the vibe in the restaurant, lovely atmosphere imo. read more

Axum Restaurant - The veggie sampler plate was a must imo Then we tried one from each meat, except fish. I personally could not pick a favourite. - Ethiopian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

As a self-proclaimed expert on Ethiopian cuisine, I am very critical when it comes to flavor. This place delivered. Great menu with flavorful meat and non-meat dishes. It compares well to good places in LA's Little Ethiopia or Oakland. Definitely worth a trip to this side of town. The area appears a little out of the "tourist way" but once inside you will have a warm welcome with great service. read more

Stopped for a late lunch at Axum Restaurant, an Ethiopian restaurant that we'd never heard of. It's located beside a couple of auto garage shops. We dropped in on a Sunday afternoon (around 2:45pm) and there was only one other group inside. The inside is bright and colourful but outdated. The banquet style chairs are very old school and not the comfiest. The umbrellas hanging on the ceiling were a cute touch. Service is friendly but the one waitress disappeared once our food came out. The menu is split into vegetables, poultry, lamb, beef, fish and drinks. Stick to their vegetable offerings. - Spicy tea ($3.00) - spicy is misleading. Tea is on the sweeter side (cinnamon and cardamom notes). - Injera - they're generous with the injera. We had more than enough for the two of us. - Vegetable combo ($15.00) - choose four (out of five) options. We went with the miser wot, gomen, tikil gomen and atikilt wot. Split lentils were tasty from the spicy hot sauce. Spinach (with garlic) was my favourite of the four vegetable options. Cabbage & carrot were tender and the green beans & carrots also hit the spot. - Yebeg tibs wot ($16.00) - cubed lamb sauteed and simmered in hot sauce. This was disappointing; lamb was dry and tough, clearly not fresh. The sauce couldn't save the meat. Wouldn't get this again. Decent spot for Ethiopian food. read more

See all

Came here for the first time with some friends last night. Incredible place! Very strange location, sharing a parking lot with Mr. Lube on Hastings Street. The outside is nondescript and not particularly welcoming, but inside we were greeted by a few staff members with smiles and hellos. Service was as quick as it could be considering I think there was only one server for the whole restaurant. We ordered the vegetarian combo with four out of the five veggies dishes listed above it, fish tibs, and yebeg tibs wot (lamb). The only thing that was kind of bland was the gomen (spinach). Everything else went from flavourful to exceptional (the miser wot). The injera was plentiful and very tasty. The decor was very nice but not fancy. The bill was extremely reasonable - you can't find prices like that anywhere else in Vancouver. We will definitely return! Highly recommend. read more

Tried this Ethiopian place while on holiday in Vancouver. It did not disappoint. While it shares a parking lot with Mr Lube, it has parking, which is generally difficult in Vancouver. We ordered kik alica, miser wat, gomen, and lamb tibs. The injera was tasty, the food amazing, and the value was very good! Will go back for sure. Give this place a try. The lamb tibs had perfect spicy flavor. Try it!! read more

See all

Trying Ethiopian food for the first time at Axum Restaurant . Pic: Side:Atikilt, Gomen , Tikil Gomen and lentils. Middle: Lega tib(lamb chunks) Food is tasty.. we ordered everything mild just because we have never been here before.Glad that we did Service is reasonable. Lots of tables occupied. Will be back to try different dishes . read more

Axum Restaurant - a plate of food on a table - Ethiopian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Great food! The injera is tender and not too sour, the veggie combo is delicious, and the awaze tibs are amazing. So much butter omg. Not for vegans. read more

Amazing Fish and Vegetable dishes! I cannot wait to try the rest of the menu in time. The service was fast and amazing! read more

Visiting for a wk, my friend asked me to meet them here... what a pleasant surprise. Food was amazing and service was kind. Didn't take photo but we order 3 dishes, mushroom, lamb and chicken. Tasty, filling and appreciated. read more

I was worried at first because it shares a corner lot with a car service shop. But I'm grateful we went in. We were early so the place was empty. Out of the 4 of us, 2 had never had Ethiopian food. The injera was tangy delicious. The sides were varied (get those red lentils for a little kick). I don't remember what the lamb dish was called but it stole the show. read more

The most authentic Ethiopian restaurant I've experienced. I am so glad we discovered this during our annual Vancouver trip!

This restaurant is just wonderful. We go for lunch any time we are in the area. The food is always great, as is the music and the service. The injira was the best I've had anywhere. I'll add detail when I can... read more

Had no idea there was an Ethiopian place here until now. Parking is available in the nice large lot beside the building, especially outside of business hours. The place is very cozy, and the interior is quite classic. I can't speak for the authenticity of the decor as I've never been to Ethiopia, but the room definitely had an exotic feel. I would agree with Marc D. about the cleanliness of the place. Definitely the cleanest feeling Ethiopian place I've been to so far. The staff (looks like a mom and pop operation) were very friendly and helpful. One cool thing about traditional Ethiopian cooking is besides eating with your hands, you also share a common plate. Makes for a good bonding experience. We tried 4 different types of wat (Ethiopian stew) - beef, pork, chicken, and fish. Everything was very good. No complaints. The dishes look a bit on the small side, but once you start filling up with injera, you and your friends will leave stuffed. After wrecking ourselves, the bill came to only $14 a person. Beautiful. Recommended. read more

See all

Their injera is the best I've had in the city - I can't imagine how good it would be fresh ( we did pick up) It's fluffy, thick, tangy, just absolutely delicious. I could NOT stop eating it, it is so addicting. We got the spinach dish, the mushroom dish and Shiro (Pureed split peas cooked with red onions and garlic (spicy) all very delicious. I liked them all equally! The portion size was good, I believe we ate it for 3 meals. The restaurant is nice and the restaurant owner was nice too. Ordered for pick up online, the process is fairly straight forward on their website. However, when we got there, the order was not ready, so they did have to make it on the spot and we had to wait for a while. Their tables are set up for dine in and it looked pretty spaced out, which is good! They are open for dine in right now. One last thing is that the to-go packaging, although it is "made with corn starch" it is a bioplastic so it's not compostable or recyclable, this is super common and not their fault, I just wish it was more public knowledge that these containers only solved the "no styrofoam" problem half way, and I would recommend more restaurants to either be open to filling containers consumers can bring, or aluminum foil packaging. I really really enjoyed the injera and all the food, and was utterly impressed with how everything tasted! read more

It was a friends birthday and she and here partner wanted to try this place, so we did. I have driven by it hundreds of times over the years and never gone in, it's kinda in a weird location with an auto shop and an oil change place in the same small strip. I shared the veggie combo, WOW, what flavour, delicious! My partner had the fish, again, Wow! So good I went back the next day and tried some more fares, again so yummy, its been about a year since our first visit and we have gone back many times, whenever friends or relatives are visiting from out of town we bring them here. It's a hidden gem, I love this place and will continue to be a regular. Great Service, wonderful staff read more

Ordered take out via phone instead of online (didn't want to sign up for another website). Answered right away and was happy to take my order. Picked up 30 minutes later. There were about 5 occupied tables, but we're not ready for indoor restaurant dining just yet. No partitions. Our Vegetarian Combos were DELICIOUS. We've been to Axum before but I don't recall it being so tasty. Well worth the $15 price tag as we couldn't finish so had leftovers for the next day. Yum! We will be back. read more

This was the only Ethiopian restaurant in Vancouver I had yet to try and now I'm kicking myself, as it's one of the best. We ordered takeout throughout their online system and everything was ready within half an hour. We each got the vegetarian combo (vegan) and got the Inguday Tibs (a marinated mushroom dish) to share. Everything was delicious, especially the miser wot (the red lentil dish in the top left of the photo) and the mushroom dish. Huge portions with tons of injera for dipping. We had enough for a lunch each the next day. Really impressed with this place. It's not in the best location but is well worth the try. Highly recommended. read more

Axum Restaurant - Inguday Tibs - Hot (Mushroom) - Ethiopian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

See all

Tried this place last night for the first time. As other reviews stated, yes the service is slow. We waited about 40 mins to place our order and get drinks. But it was busy earlier and there was only one server so I understand and it was not her fault. Would be helpful if another server were working. Ordered the veg combo and tried all 5 options. The cabbage one had lots of cardamom in it and was everyone's least favourite. The split pea was very yummy. It was good, I wasn't really blown away by anything though. I'd give it a 3.5 Overall, it was a fun experience and I'm glad I tried it :) read more

Axum Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

One of the best Shiro's I have had! Great portions and super friendly staff. Absolutely recommend! :)

Support Black owned businesses! If you have never tried Ethiopian food this is your chance. Don't be deceived by the size, it will fill you up. Injera (sour fermented flatbeard) really goes well with everything and the sourness helps balance the richness of the lamb. This is definitely a "mom and pop" shop so support local and try a new cuisine! read more

My friend and I came here on a whim. We had just checked into are hotel, and were cruising around looking for a place to grab a late night dinner. This was the first place we saw that was still open proceeded to try it out. Neither, of us had eaten Ethiopian food prior to coming here, but left the restaurant as fans. I ordered Tib Wots(sautéed beef pieces simmered in hot sauce) and she ordered Yeber Altecha wot( lamb pieces simmered in a mild sauce). The dishes came with injerea(a flat bread) that you use to wrap the meat in, and it was delicious. Only warning is everything is cooked from scratch so if you are in rush this is not the spot for you. We were not in a rush so it was not a big deal to wait. read more

See all

The food was really nice. The only nit picking that I can do is that the injera had an excess lemon tinge to it

Oh my goodness! It was more than just dinner with a friend. It was an EXPERIENCE! I decided I wanted to try out-of-the-ordinary things and having dinner at this place certainly provided that opportunity. I brought my friend along and it was new to her too. We got in and there were three tables occupied with the Commercial Drive crowd (if you lived in Vancouver long enough, you'd be able to identify these guys!); we were definitely not one of them! Although traditional injera is made from teff flour, the injera at this establishment is made from barley. Teff flour is expensive in Canada as it has to be shipped from Africa. Being that I am gluten-free, I called ahead to request buckwheat injera (if you have gluten sensitivities, ask at least four days in advance so the dough has time to ferment and ask for at least two ). My friend had the normal injera. I ordered a vegetarian stew while my friend took the lamb (both to be presented on the same injera platter). Our food arrived (it does take a bit of time) but they got us at first bite! I was amazed as my friend was too. There was a bit of a learning curve picking up tidbits with torn pieces of injera but it was FUN! You can even dip pieces into the sauce too.I love that there were no utensils!!! The stews obviously have a very complex blend of spices and herbs and flavors all blended but balanced out. We just loved it! If you are looking for a unique dining experience, Ethiopian is a great way to go. It was fun but very satisfying as well. read more

See all

Consistently great service & value. Like their new website, made reservations and offer takeout too. read more

Best part about living in Vancouver is the ability to try a large varitety of authentic ethnic foods. Ethiopian is one of my friends favs so I suggested this place after reading the reviews. Boy did they not dissappoint. We had 2 platters, each for 3-4 of us. The platters are lined with a large injera then topped with whatever we order. The first platter had the veggie combo (spit peas, spicy lentils, cabbage &carrots, spinach), lamb tibs and spicy beef tibs. The 2nd had 2orders of the veggie combo, a curry-like chicken and a very spicy chicken. They also give your rolls of injera that you use to pick up the food. everything is eaten with your hands. I loved everything they had. They use a variety of spices that aren't the same in each dish so you tastebuds are always hit with new material. It wasnt pricey at all for an ethic place. We spent about $10-12 each and were stuffed. They have a cute seating section with what looks like woven seats and a basket for the injera platter. Next time we'll request to sit there. Clean washrooms, the restaurant is small but comfortable and they share a parking lot with a car wash place. Great place to try if you love Ethiopian or want to try something new. read more

This is a tough one. The food is very, very good but their Covid precautions were not great. The owner/chef kept pulling his mask down and we could see into the kitchen that he had his mask off while preparing the food. There was one other table in the restaurant that was maskless and up and down from their table. At no point we're they asked to wear masks. So unfortunate. I love their food but will not be returning during the pandemic. read more

Axum had a chance to redeem my average-to-poor experience with Ethiopian cuisine. It did it! I took the 15 minute bus ride out of downtown Vancouver and my buddy and I easily found a seat. As expected, the restaurant had Ethiopian/traditional music videos on repeat. This added to the experience. Think of it as a moderately educational conversation piece. Anyhow. The food was great. We got a beef tibs order and the vegetarian special. They came, with enough inches of separation to satisfy my vegetarian friend, on a large injera bread. We kept it simple and that worked out for us. Will visit again. Wash your hands folks, this one's all about eating with your digits. read more

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but I can tell you that it surpassed my expectations. Great place to go with friends and try different things. Every item we tried was a hit but especially the seafood option. All the food was exceptional as was the presentation and flavor. We really enjoyed the service and the live music! I don't know the gentleman's name but he is very talented & it was a great surprise. It's an interesting location sharing the same parking lot as Mr. Lube but lots of parking and easy access. They have decorated the interior quite nicely in Ethiopian themes. It's a very busy place for takeout and fun to watch the open kitchen. read more

* Good, but not great * I had a craving for some Ethiopian food similar to the quality you can find in Washington, DC and starting asking around. A friend told me one of the better spots in Vancouver was Axum, so I rushed on over for lunch. This was the cleanest Ethiopian restaurant I have visited. The owner really seems to take good care of the place with nice little touches as well. She is also really friendly. I had hoped there would be a combo plate that mixed some different wat and tibs to give some nice variety. The only one available was the all veggie 4 wat mixed plate. But I really was craving lamb tibs and just had to order the lega tibs (lamb shoulder cubes stir-fried in neter kibe (fermented spiced butter) with peppers and spices). The owner does all the cooking in the nice open kitchen. When things were prepared she came back with the lamb on a hot plate and gave a large platter covered with injera as well as a side plate of additional injera. For some reason the initial injera was cold on the plate. Wish that was warm - or at least room temp. It ended up being a little rubbery because it was so cold. The extra injera were nice and warm and much better. Although they were a bit less sour than I am used to. The lega tibs were nicely seasoned, although a bit milder than I would have expected. The lamb was unfortunately a bit chewier than I prefer. Overall it partially satisfied the craving, but I get a funny feeling I'm going to have to explore the other Ethiopian places around town to see if they are any better! read more

I had to muster up a lot of energy to visit this place. I never saw anyone go in or out, even though I work two blocks away. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. Clean, open kitchen like Marc said, and it was some good home cooking. I had a feeling that most of the clientele were regulars. In my little Ethiopian experience, this was better than the food I had in Boston and Philadelphia. I think it was the bread that made the difference. Arrangement of 4 vegetarian dishes with bread is $10 and the meat dish we got was $12. Expect to pay no more than $14 a person including tip for a full dinner and plenty to take home. read more

We went to this restaurant for the first time last night, with the Veg Meetup group. This allowed us to try several selections at the same time. We were given all of the $8 dishes in a buffet style, and they did not skimp on how much was provided -- anyone who wanted seconds could get it, and the injera was plentiful. You are supposed to eat with injera and your hand but, for anyone who wanted (most people), forks were provided. We had the following: cabbage with carrots, split peas in mild sauce, spinach, split lentils in spicy sauce, and green beans with carrots. Initially I liked the mild split peas, but after trying the spicy split lentils by themselves (not on a plate with the other food), they are my favourite along with the spinach. As mentioned, the above dishes are $8 on the regular menu. You can order a combination of 4 for $10, and they also have two $10 dishes -- very affordable. There is free street parking, and also a small parking lot in front of the restaurant, shared with an autoshop during the day. Very convenient. I don't know if they usually have this, but for our group there was a guy doing live music. Decor is fairly standard, pleasant though. They were very attentive to refilling water, and the guy just helping out for the evening did his very best. Liked this place, and will keep it on our list of good veg-friendly restaurants. Can't comment on the omnivore dishes. read more

Ordered a veggie sampler, fish tibs, and the mushroom tibs for takeout. Got a 10% takeout discount, so it was a good value, and everything was packed well with plenty of injera. I preferred the vegetarian dishes to the fish, but everything tasted great. Restaurant was in kind of a desolate location, but it was easy to find and lots of parking options. read more

The food is so good here that we now eat here once a week (sometimes twice). We eat the vegetarian platter with the mushroom dish and it is outstanding! We have brought many people here since we found this gem and they all say how delicious it is. And besides the food being fantastic, the service and warmth from the family that own and operate the restaurant is hard to find these days. Thank you for existing Axum!!! p.s. we have tried all of the other Ethiopian restaurants in Vancouver and this one is the best :) read more

Axum Restaurant - Vegetarian (Veganj) Option w/ the Mushrooms - sooooo good!!!! - Ethiopian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

My BFF and I had a super mediocre experience tonight at Axum. If this had been my first time trying Ethiopian food (aka magical wonderful yummy Deliciousland food) I would be left thinking "eh?" rather than "YAY!" Thin, dry injera and slightly bland lentil and cabbage dishes - not enough salt or chilis at all. The spinach was severely lacking - nothing wowed us. So why three stars and not two? Because Ethiopian food is delicious - like, crazy delicious - even when mediocre. I am planning my next meal already - but at Red Sea or Harambe instead. read more

Update: I was just informed that I foolishly gave Axum 4 stars when it clearly deserves at least 6 stars. Since Yelp doesn't allow 6 stars, I've settled for 5. I would never think to go to an Ethiopian restaurant in this area and the inside and outside aren't very inspiring either. We still decided to go to this place because of all the positive reviews and the fact that it's so close to the community we volunteer at. I have to say the food is amazing. Definitely the best Ethiopian restaurant I've been to in Vancouver (there are several). The service and prices are great too. We've ordered a bunch of different dishes. These are the ones I recommend: - Bozena lentil - Beef awaze - Doro andecha - Lega tibs read more

The food was exceptional - my partner and I devoured a vegetarian platter and added the mushroom curry to the mix. Absolutely amazing. Standouts: yellow split pea curry, lentil curry, and mushroom curry. Special shoutout to the spicy tea. read more

21/100 Wow, that was not only filling but delicious as well. A group of about 20 of us went down and the owner/chef prepared us huge platters of food. My friend and I were the first to leave because of a prior engagement and the chef looked a bit confused why there was food left. I had to explain to her that although it was very good, we just could not finish it all. One of the sampling proved to be quite spicy as well. I would definitely go back the bread that is used to eat with was so fun and different. There was all sorts of bubbles along one side and it was thin and very soft. http://www.yelp.ca/biz_photos/axum-restaurant-vancouver?userid=ZCD-1Fif43ALxX2KT6WYrA#LBz4pugOAtAe2e61siDfEQ Unfortunately there was no dessert, I would have paid more for dessert, but that is just because I am accustomed to having something sweet after my meal! I would love to go back for lunch if I was out that way. read more

Axum Restaurant - Vegan Sample Platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

See all

This is by far my favourite Ethiopian place in town. We live in Kitsilano and come all the way out here for periodic veg buffets that a friend organizes. This we really enjoy, the food is fresh and you can eat as much as you like. Tried the vegetarian platter's at Red Sea Cafe and another place on Hastings and it wasn't as good. Usually luke warm and bland. I really love how they cook their yellow split peas and the cabbage and potatoes. Very tasty. I even started making Ethiopian at home because of this place! I don't like Ethiopian all the time, because I get really tired of injera and bread in general, but this is the place to go when you get a craving. The staff are friendly and kind here. Pretty quiet but I think they enjoy our business! We'll be back! read more

Wow, we were really surprised how good the mushroom and veggie combo was at Axum's. Pretty cool place! On a sleepy Friday night at 6pm, just when the owner came into the kitchen with a new stack of injera and the live percussionist was just setting up, we were the only guests. We waited patiently for our order and all of a sudden like 10 parties stumbled in, some with kids, some larger groups of 6, some mates meeting up for a weekend kick off - the place lit up immediately! The food was really spicy and flavorful. We loved the spicy mushroom (worth ordering as your main entree) as well as the lentil, carrot and cabbage, and spinach dishes. Injera was perfect and finished the whole platter somehow, basically lapping up every last bite. Slightly dodgy corner but worth the trip. Plenty of parking in the lot out front. read more