We've been to Awash a number of time and we'll keep coming back. The quality of the food is always…read moreconsistent solid. Their veggie combo is a must have. The diversity of lentils, veggies and salad is always so satisfying and quite healthy. We also really like their beef dishes and the spicy lentil dish called shiro wot (not pictured here). The space is small and cozy and the service is always warm and friendly. We have 3 or 4 Ethiopian places we like to frequent around the city and Awash is one of our favourite. It's also very accessible for people who may not have tried Ethiopian food before.

There was a time when Ethiopian food was once an enigma to me and I can easily see how it might…read morefeel that way if you've never tried it. However, after you've familiarized yourself with the world of wots and tibs you will soon learn why this cuisine is so beloved. The flavours are bold and the dining experience is special. Edmonton has several options for Ethiopian dining but the most popular these days (after Langano Skies sadly closed their dedicated space) is now Awash which has been open since 2017. Edmonton Journal named them Favourite African Restaurant 2022 and Favourite Ethiopian Restaurant 2022, while EDify Magazine awarded them Best Ethiopian 2023. I'd never visited myself and was very interested to try this highly favoured east African restaurant. Interestingly, Ethiopia is the only African country that has never been colonized, therefore the food has essentially remained uninfluenced by other countries. As such, the cuisine has retained its unique taste, style and tradition. I absolutely love that we have the ability to take part in this beautiful culture right here in our own city. You'll find Awash located in Sherbrooke, right at the traffic circle. In fact, you've probably driven by it a bunch of times. Named after a town in central Ethiopia, the restaurant itself is very cute and you'll notice it right away with their obvious signage and lovely patio area out front. Inside, the atmosphere provides a wonderful taste of Ethiopia with bright, earthy coloured walls in red and orange. Decor items have been thoughtfully selected to reflect the region and there is plenty of greenery as well. I noted that there are several large TV screens around the space, each showing something different. I found this a bit distracting but otherwise the vibe was on point. There was only one server working in the entire restaurant and she was very friendly. However, as more customers began to fill the space on the Saturday evening I did find that her attentiveness slowed considerably. There were a few instances where we had to approach the front counter ourselves to ask for a glass of water or to order dessert (which they do not have even though the menu lists two dessert items). Ethiopia is quite famous for their coffee (and coffee ceremonies) but I generally try to avoid getting ultra caffeinated during the tail end of the day. As such, I was pleased to find the Spiced Tea ($2.50) on the menu as an alternative. The tea arrived steeped to perfection with nothing else added to it. The server suggested that I could add sugar (which was on the table) if needed. This tea tasted exactly like the Bengal Spice blend from Celestial Seasonings and I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what it was. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable cup filled with the warming aromas of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and clove. As an appetizer, Awash offers Sambusa (Choice of lentil or beef. Thin dough shells stuffed with a blend of minced lentils or minced beef, green chili and herbs, lightly fried in vegetable oil - $2.95) which is a very common Ethiopian dish that you'll see on most menus. I love them and was even more pleased to see that theirs are stuffed with lentils - my favourite type. My co-diners wanted to order the beef version but we were told that they didn't have any. This was okay by me because as I said, the lentil option is my preference. These triangular pastries are similar to an Indian samosa but with an African flavour profile. The golden shell was perfectly fried however I did find their dough to be different than other sambusa that I've had in the past. Awash's pastry is a lot fluffier and soft on the inside compared to the very crispy types that I'm used to. It was interesting to see that the preparation can vary depending on who is making them. The menu described the filling as "minced lentils" however the lentils were certainly not minced - they were whole. The flavour and texture was enjoyable but maybe not the best sambusa that I've ever tasted. If you've never tried Ethiopian food before the menu may seem overwhelming what with all of the wots and tibs up for grabs. My opinion is that you should just wing it! Try a few dishes and soon enough you'll get a feel for which items you like best. The enticing flavours will surely win you over! Another aspect of note is that there are no forks, knives, or any flatware at all. Everything is eaten with your hands and it's all a part of the experience! Awash boasts that their food is prepared using homemade spices and of course all meals are served with injera. Injera is a sourdough-risen Ethiopian flatbread that is made out of teff flour and barley. It's a lot like a spongy crepe. I've said this before but injera is like if sourdough, a crumpet, and a crepe had some kind of a weird three-way baby. Injera is used as a utensil of sorts in the absence of forks, similar to the use of naan in Indian culture. The menu features plenty of choices and I was easily drawn to the She

Must try coffee ritual. Communal eating. No Utensils. Delicious african food!…read more A locally family run business with a great showcase of African style food. The decor in this place was beautiful and the paintings and decor really were nice and visually appealing. I knew it would be eating sort of family style. So I was prepared to share. Eating entirely with my hands was a different experience all together. It was neat at first but the mess was kinda hard for me to handle. The food was top notch and I really loved all the meat dishes. So flavourful with each bite. Not too spicy at all. The yogurt at the end was very palate cleansing which was filled with fresh fruits. My favourite part of the night was the coffee ritual. It was very cool to see them roast the coffee beans on a open stove. Served beautifully with bread and popcorn. It was a perfect ending to a fun socializing night out. I HIGHLY RECOMEND COMING HERE FOR THE COFFEE RITUAL!

I understand that this is a fairly new eating establishment. That made it a great choice for our…read moresupper today. We've been meaning to eat at an African restaurant because it's been years since we have last done so. In fact the last time was at an Ethiopian restaurant that is long gone. This is an Eritrean dining establishment. It's an African tradition to eat with your hands, using the rolls of injera which is a bread like food that comes in rolls and is used to pick up the food from a common plate. I think that if we were better at this technique we could have finished the plate without asking for more of the injera to pick it up with. The food was flavourful but not as different as I had anticipated. That's neither good nor bad as the food just didn't taste unusual to me. After the meal we had a light dessert which was ideal to cleanse the palate. Then we received a real treat, coffee from beans roasted just minutes earlier. The coffee was superb. The owners clearly take a lot of pride in what they create and it shows. This is a family run restaurant. Woe be the day that there are Eritrean franchised restaurants! If you are looking for African food you can't go wrong with Mesobena.

I just moved downtown and after a morning of unpacking I was starving - so I decided to treat…read moremyself to lunch. Turns out Bete Africa wasn't far away, and I love Ethiopian food, so easy choice. Late lunch time on a Thursday was super quiet, I was the only one in the restaurant till nearly the end of my meal, but they were open and super friendly. I ordered the shiro wot with beef, which came with some of the best injera I have ever had. Thick and spongy and unbelievably fresh - wow. I complimented it and was told they make it fresh on site, which I can definitely believe. The shiro wot was delicious too, I was expecting it to be a bit spicier but I didn't actually state a preference and they may have just assumed I would prefer it mild. It was very tasty though and served sizzling hot in a clay pot. I think this is the fourth Ethiopian restaurant I've tried in Edmonton and definitely my favorite so far (the others being Blue Nile, Walia, Langano Skies). All this and a fruit drink came to $20, and there were lots of left overs for lunch the next day. I will be back!

A hidden diamond in downtown Edmonton. A labor of love run by Jamila, the owner, chef, and server…read more Food made fresh everyday you may even catch some items off the menu. A restaurant that takes you outside of Edmonton. Stop by for a freshly roasted coffee experience, meal, or shareable platter - make sure you ask for some beef tibs and come with an appetite!

Again really good food. The tables could use some cleaning though. We went to sit down and all of…read morethem had stains of previous meals on them. However service was quick and prompt and the staff super friendly. Loved the complementary soup they give and a banana! I don't have a sweet tooth so this is a great finish for me for dinner. It is great for Somali food. The rice is perfectly cooked and both meats we had were really tasty. Hubby had the goat while I had the fried fish. The only complaint is there was a lot of fat on the goat. He probably wouldn't order that again. We both ordered chai which was delicious and welcome on the chili night. An interesting note is they have a seperate area for woman to eat than men. Perhaps this is a cultural thing? However we were not made less welcome sitting together and eating. Really try it. It is really good price point, friendly atmosphere, and large portions. And it feels like trick or treating when you get a banana for free!

I have ordered the beef stew with rice. The food is so good and the portions are great and lots for…read moreleftovers

This place is about a block south of the Italian Centre on 97th, and it's easy to walk past without…read morenoticing if you're not paying attention - it was clearly originally a residential house that was converted to a restaurant later. Even now when you enter, you're stepping into what looks like someone's front hall, and then you go through a door on the right to get to the actual restaurant, which may once have been a living room. The decor isn't anything fancy, but the owners are friendly and the food is delicious. I was recommended this place as one of the best in town by the folks serving at the Abyssinian booth at HeritageFest last year, so I had to check it out. The injera is fresh and soft, and the beef tibs I tried was excellent although not as spicy as I'd expected (they probably dialed back the spice for the newcomer). I was sad they were out of lamb the day I was there, but hopefully can go back and try some of the lamb dishes another time!

inexpensive and excellent food. I wish they were a bit more web savy so I could find a menu. Kay…read moreWot is my favourite, and we always get the mixed veg dish (lentils, shredded beets, and I forget the other two). Among the half dozen or so Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurants that we've gone to, this is our favourite.

Tripolitania has incredible pastries! I tried the baklava, and it was rich and delicious.read more

We met a friend for supper at this restuarant, and because it was on the weekend we decided on the…read moreMoroccan Experience which included 1 Tangina (a traditional Moroccan dish which was slow cooked lamb, cooked with spices), 1 lamb tagine with with prunes, 1 Moroccan couscous, and one chicken tagine with olives, and harira soup. The food was massive and tasty. The tangina was the standout..but everything was good. The soup was also amazing. My only complaint is the Moroccan couscous had no real meat in it. It was 3/4 cous cous and really nothing else. I would not order this again. It is pretty inside and rather large. They have a seperate room for special parties etc. Service was good. The owners gave us complementary tea and baklava which was tasty and appreciated. The tea was lovely. I woul like to come again on the weekend and try other things on the weekend menu.

My first time trying out this type of cuisine. I can honestly say it was absolutely delicious, and…read moreI am excited to go back! Make sure to try some of their signature house made hot sauce! It was amazing.

This is new restaurant on 118 Ave. We saw them on Skip The Dishes and ordered to pick-up ourselves…read more I've never had African food before so I had no idea what to expect. Everything was prepared fresh and tasted great. They ran out of dough for the chapati and the owner's mom (who is the chef) made it from scratch from her own recipe. It was delicious. We also got the chicken stew, fried tilapia, donuts, and fried plantains. Everything was flavorful and crisp. Usually my husband doesn't like tilapia but he liked mine so much he says that's what he'll get next time. It was deep fried but not heavy, and the fish was fresh, moist, and not soft like some white fish can be. The donuts aren't anything like a donut you'd get elsewhere. They are more savoury and reminded me of fried bannock. We took our order to go and drove it home, but I definitely recommend eating in if you can. The drinks look refreshing and delicious, and the food benefits from being eaten hot.

Awash exceeded expectations! The outside and the location are very unassuming but the inside is…read morewelcoming, quaint and clean. The food was very tasty - I highly recommend the Zilzil Tibs. The Doro Wot came with one chicken drumstick and one hard boiled egg. We also tried the Beef Sambusas and they were full of flavour. We ordered water to drink and it came in a bottle so be prepared to pay extra for that. Overall, a good experience.

Excellent food and great service from this cheerful restaurant. Welcomed with smiles and allowed to…read moreself seat. Service was prompt but not over bearing. I'm a vegetarian so I can only comment on the veggie platter, it was amazing and came with the perfect amount of injera for scooping. Great price for all the tasty variety you get. I will be coming here a lot in the future.