One of the best experiences . Never tried Ethiopian food before and this place beautifully presented us with that with fresh ingredients, nice ambience and atmosphere and at reasonable prices as well.
Super authentic eats. The curry was wonderful, lots of variety, they kept the injera coming, and the honeyed wine went down REALLY easy. Staff was friendly, but not very speedy or efficient.
Great food. Give it a go! Excellent food!!!
Professional Eater Mike
+4.5
A must try for the adventerous. Always high on my list of places to go in Indianapolis are the great ethnic food restaurants sprinkled around the city. I just so happened to be in the neighborhood of Abyssinia Ethiopian during lunch so I figured "why not?"
The place was empty on a Friday afternoon, which suited me just fine. I got to talk at length with my server who told me that she had only been in the USA for 10 years. We talked about everything Ethiopian and about politics and religion. She was really fascinating to talk to. The best part of my meal was actually asking her to share my coffee with me as we talked. You can't get any more real than that.
I could also go on about the food at length because I think the one dish I ordered, the Yebege Wett (spicy lamb), was the epitome of the perfect kind of food from this region. Was it really spicy? And a runny nose coupled with eating with your hands only did not make for a very clean dining experience, but I had fun nonetheless. The lamb was perfectly tender so there was no need to worry chewy pieces or anything like that.
One final note, the place really is clean on the inside, although somewhat mismatched. If you need to wash your hands, there is a sink conveniently located down the hallway to the bathrooms, but not in the bathrooms. But I never quite understood the 3 deer heads mounted on plaques around the restaurant. What does this have to do with Ethiopia?
Great food. I've eaten here a few times, and the service and food have always been stellar. Get a combo, so you can try all sorts of yummy Ethiopian dishes. If you ask for a fork, they'll bring you one, but don't ask for a fork. Eat it with your hands like it's meant to be eaten. Probably not a place to go with your OCD, germaphobe boyfriend.
My only complaint? The price. Lentils and dried beans are one of the most inexpensive proteins on the planet. That's why they are featured so prominently in many world cuisines. I know spices are pricey, and so is rent, but I really think they could up the portion size while keeping their prices the same to little ill effect.
That said, I think the food and service are wonderful, and where else are you going to get Ethiopian food in town?
Awesome!!!!. Super delicious food, at a great price! If you like ethnic food and spicy food this is a restaurant for you! If you are in a hurry maybe come when you have more time. Great service great food!
This place was fantastic! Please go with an open mind if you are not a regular to ethnic cuisine. Yes, you eat with your fingers, the pace is slower, and the meat has bones. That is no reason to skip this restaurant. The cook will come to your table at least once during your visit. The portions are enormous. My wife and I each chose a taste dish, a.k.a. sampler, for one and we took home ample leftovers. Word of caution, the Ethiopian wine is rather alcoholic. However, both the authentic wine and beer were excellent complements to the meal.
Delish!. I highly recommend a sampler if you've never been here before. Actually, we just asked the waitress to bring us what was good and spicy (as we're not picky and will eat ANYTHING), and she brought a veggie sampler, a meat sampler, and an additional goat entree. Yes, you scoop up the foods with your hands and spongy injera bread, and yes, the meat isn't deboned, but that's exactly why it's authentic and fun! Our waitress was fabulous and very accomodating, the food was excellent (ask for spicy!), and the prices were very reasonable. We'll be back!
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Decided to try this when my g/f and I were in the mood for some ethnic cuisine and Abyssinia offered a coupon on coupons for Indy. I don't remember the names of the dishes, but we got #1 and 21, which were recommended by our server. 1 was beef based and 21 was lamb. You can get many of the same dishes with beef, lamb, chicken, etc. The food wad absolutely delicious. I couldn't stop thinking about it all day. I will definitely be coming back here. The experience overall was very interesting. As notes, you eat with your hands here and scoop up the food with this somewhat sour, pancAke thin bread that is steamed. I didn't care for the bread by itself (it feels like a sponge), but that's not how you eat it anyway, and with food it was very neutral. The service was a bit pokey, but I think it was a culture thing You're supposed to spend some time enjoying the food. This probably wouldn't be a good place to have a business lunch, especially because of eating with hands. The dishes are served family style, so you might not want to come here with friends either if you aren't comfortable taking from the same dish with your hands.
Went there for the first time and enjoyed it. Great good and great service!
Great time tonight, with great folks. Love the food & the service.
The More The Merrier. I came here with some friends and we threw down. The more people you have in your party, the more incredibly delicious things you can try at Abyssinia. They offer a large supply of both meaty and vegetarian dishes. And the bread... it makes you never want to use a spoon and fork again. All of the meat dishes seem to be braised and mixed in flavorful gravies and the veggies dishes are just as flavorful. I love the potatoes. Yum.
Consistently good food & great service. My husband and I love to go to Abyssinia for their fresh and tasty dishes. We enjoy the spices used in their food and the Enjera. Because it's so good, we drive all the way from the east side of town for our Ethiopian fix. The restaurant has a family atmosphere and we'll continue to frequent this place so it stays around for a long time to come.
Both Vegetarian and non vegetarian approved. I've eaten at Abyssinaia twice now, once having the vegetarian fare, and once having a beef dish. Both times have been incredibly pleasant; in fact both times on our way out the door we began planning when we would be back. The waitstaff is very polite and attentive, and the food is excellent.
A great discovery. Located in an odd strip mall full of ethnic restaurants and Hooters, Abyssinia Ethiopian is an exotic oasis of delicious food, served the authentic way (no utensils, just the chewy soft bread to bring the food to the mouth). The service is discreet but willing to educate the diner, and the prices are very reasonable. Do try it.
Thumbs up!. Don't come here if you don't like spicy stews, or communal dining. The selection of Ethiopian specialties is good, and the food is prepared nicely.
Delicious and filling!. Don't be fooled by Abyssinia's location, in a nondescript strip mall on the west side of Indy. The food, and the very relaxed atmosphere, are definitely worth the trip! Stews of chicken, beef, lamb and goat are served; vegetarian options are also available. Be sure to ask for some side dishes if they do not come with your plate. The meal is served communally, with entrees and sides on a tray of spongy bread called injera. Diners tear off pieces of injera and scoop the food up with their hands; this is NOT a knife and fork experience! First-timers, be warned - injera is very filling!
The food overall is earthy and the bread was quite tasty. The service was slow, but efficient. The decor is slightly dark, but authentic.
Corey Michael Dalton
+4.5
I’m happy to say that everything was delicious; we didn’t leave one dollop. Be warned that the dishes made with berbere sauce can be very spicy, so make sure you have plenty of Bedele (or water, if you’re not a beer fan) within reach! Also come prepared to get your fingers dirty; they provide you with plenty of napkins, but your hands will probably smell like spices for a day or so afterward. They’ll also bring you more injera, if you need it, so don’t skimp on
This was a fantastic place to go to grab some Ethiopian food. It's quite a bit more exotic than what you typically get in this country, with an entire palette of new flavors to try.
We had the TA2 combination plate, which had a great variety of dishes to try. All of them were delicious and flavorful. We shared a platter among two adults and two children and it was generous to cover all of us.
The wife and I have visited several times. We made our first visit one night looking for something we never had before, and found it. The quality of the cuisine is always good. The consistency in the flavor of the dishes from one visit, to the next, is always spot on. The staff has always been very personable, and provide good hospitality. If you like good, strong coffee. You'll find it hard to not enjoy a cup with dinner. They food here is great. Give it a try
Recent transplant to the Champaign IL area, from the Dallas TX area where we enjoyed really good Ethiopian at different restaurants. Indy is the closest Ethiopian we have and we have had Abyssinia twice now and it’s pretty good. As vegetarians, we always go for the veggie combo.
Delicious food. Especially awesome for vegetarians. The flavors and spices were a welcomed change to American food.
Usually go to Major as it's more convenient when I come down from Lafayette. Tried Abyssinia a few months back when Major wasn't open,
Both are very good!! Great food, service, atmosphere at a reasonable cost. Will definitely be going back to both.
This is the best Ethiopian food I've ever had - no exaggeration. I strongly recommend the red lintels, cabbage and collard greens. The service is prompt and kind. I cannot say enough about Abyssinia! The food is well seasoned and fresh.
This if my favorite restaurant in Indy! Highly recommend!
The food was very good. The portions were enough for one person. The service was late. The coffee ceremony was very unique. The coffee pot was $25 shared by 5 people but was worth it. I would suggest getting individual dishes instead of the sampler. The baklava was very dry don't recommend it.
One of us ordered coffee and we were given the option to try the Ethiopian coffee. The staff brought out the roasting beans for us to smell. Then it was brought to us on this cute platter. On the tray was a pedestal that they lit incense on for us. We ordered the Taste of Abyssinia 2 (a huge platter) and a bowl of vegetarian soup. We finished everything except for a little bread. It was around $50. Phenomenal experience. I will be going back and bringing more people.
Abyssinia is one of the small handful of restaurants we find worth driving an hour up to Indy for. The food is always delicious and the portions are generous. Our go-to is the spicy combo for two (with meat). The injera is superb and we love the variety of vegetable, meat, and lentil dishes. The ambience is also very pleasant. Bottom line: Abyssinia is our favorite Ethiopian restaurant in Indianapolis (and one of our favorite restaurants in Indy overall) — you will not regret coming here!
I liked it. Food was good. If you're ordering multiple items, they ask if you want everything together in a communal plate or separate. Waiters are friendly and quick. A bit of a language barrier to overcome. Especially apparent when asking for suggestions. The kifto is uncooked. I like how they offer a couple different varieties of combo meals. You could potentially get a combo for one and share it among two people. There's plenty of food.
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