I have been to Abyssinia, just right next door several times. I have liked Abyssinia's food, but I find their service very slow, and their servers also do "random billing"! So I wanted to try this smaller place just adjacent to it. At first I found the food to be very very delicious and liked it instantly, but towards the end of my meal, I started having weird unbearable cramps in my stomach, and then for the next 12 hours my stomach was EXTREMELY bloated. I wonder if they used a lot of baking soda in their Injiras or Lentils, because I feel bloated like this whenever I consume food with heavy use of baking soda (or some variant of that)! I wanted to like this place, but now with this experience during my VERY FIRST VISIT here, I don't think I will eat here again. So eat here at your own risk!
(1)
Monica L.
PROS: Tons of food, cheap, comfy atmosphere CONS: Surprisingly bland flavors On one hand, Ethio Cafe serves you tons of filling food with diverse meat and vegetarian selections, especially if you choose their sampler platters. On the other hand, most of their dishes taste unremarkably similar - lightly spiced, sometimes with a bit of vinegar --- a bit too healthy, mayhaps? Their injera is pretty good, but then again --- I've never had bad injera!
(3)
Michael H.
Great service, even on a busy night. Vegetarian meal for three was perfect. New favorite Ethiopian spot in west Philly.
(5)
Jar K.
I live a mile away from 5 Ethiopian restaurant and this BYOB is by far my favorite. Service is excellent and fast. I always get tour of Ethiopian and vegetarian combo with fish supplement.
(4)
Charles M.
Absolutely love this place. We come here just about every month and haven't had a bad meal yet. We go fit the veggie combo abdominal add either the beef tibs or fried fish. Everything is fresh and tastes authentic.
(5)
Brianna K.
HUGE portion sizes, I feasted like a king here. I had the vegan sampler platter and it was too good to be true. Service was fast and the atmosphere is a little dingy but personal and cheap.
(5)
Mario N.
We got the sampler and the fried fish with vegetables. It was good but they had some spicy stuff on the chicken and once I ate that, I could not taste a thing. Overall it was a nice change of pace and super cheap. The wife and I had dinner and I think the bill was only $25 bucks or so. So you cannot beat the price.
(3)
Lenny Z.
We started out as a failed journey to a spot, turned into a very good turn of events. After being chased out of our previous spot by a bug that shall not be named, we stumbled over to Ethio. Ethio was not at all crowded, which we really liked. The place was spotless and wait staff was super nice. Our waitress did not speak the best English, but she tried very hard. The only drawback was it took fairly long for our food to come out. However, if you are in no hurry and are good with enjoying more time for chatter, this is a great choice. Everything we ordered, from the veggies to the popular chicken dish were super tasty. It was as good as any Ethiopian food I've had, and better than some sub-standard places I tried. You get a lot of food for a great price. The sponge bread is perfectly done, and using it to pick up the moist and tasty veggies and chicken was so so good. I love that part of the Ethiopian experience is cultural in how you eat the food. I highly recommend Ethio.
(4)
Ari B.
This is a no frills type of restaurant, both in its decor and food presentation. However, if your main desire is to get a cultural experience, then you will be satisfied. The vegetable combo comes with several styles of lentils, carrots, and kale, served in a large platter lined with injera, a spongy kind of crepe that is always served cold (according to their menu). It was refreshing to have a restaurant so candid about their cuisine including necessitating the use of your hands rather than utensils.
(3)
Brooke L.
I love this place. The food is delicious and reasonably priced. It is quiet, tiny, and I never feel rushed. It is a family restaurant, and it makes me smile that you can hear people watching game shows or doing homework in the kitchen area. The people who work there are very friendly, patient, and hospitable, but are a little too careful not to make you feel rushed. Usually once we ask for the check, it seems like our server disappears for a really long time. I love the collard greens and tibs. So savory and flavorful!
(4)
Shereen C.
Came here a year ago with a large group. Had the vegetarian selection. Food was okay. Some dishes were better than others.' Tastes fresh even if not that flavourful. Better than others I've tried nearby, but still not amazing. (Haven't found great Ethiopian food in Philly yet.) Service: friendly and very nice. Pleasant place to sit, it's kind of homey. 2.5 stars
(3)
Tracy W.
This was my first time trying Ethiopian and it definitely won't be my last! I had the Veggie Combo with Fried Fish. Everything was full of flavor and so delicious, not to mention a bargain. Tons of food for about $12. Service was friendly, but slow. Coffee, that was ordered at the beginning of the meal, wasn't served until the end, due to a problem with the machine. It was not added to the bill. I did not encounter the language barrier that some other yelpers mentioned. All of our questions were happily answered and it was a fun experience.
(4)
Kat C.
The vegetarian combo platter here is way better than all of the other Ethiopian restaurants in the area. I can't speak to any of the meat options, but I like the veggie meals way better than Abyssinia's. The service is extremely friendly and I have never found them to be slow. It's a nice place to meet a friend to chat because it's usually quiet (I'm not sure why they don't get more business!). I frequently pick up carry out from here because it's quick, the portions are generous, and I just enjoy stopping by.
(5)
Sara P.
This is a nice place to have authentic Ethiopean food at an affordable price. The service is very good; our waiter discussed with us the issues between Ethiopia and Eritrea since we asked about it. The place has some relics that give it a flavor of Ethiopia. The food was yummy, some spicy and some not so much. We ate the vegetarian sampler so we had a lot of good choices all in one very inexpensive meal.
(4)
liz l.
this is an update to my earlier review. i haven't had a chance to eat at ethio for a few months, and finally went back over the weekend. it was just as delicious as the last time, and the service just as friendly. i can't rave enough about this place and the incredibly tasty food! so well spiced, so flavorful, just the best. having skimmed a few of the other reviews, i'll just add that the service time at ethio is on par or better than other ethiopian places in philly.
(5)
Stacy B.
When there's the Ethiopian hotspot Abyssinia just a few doors down, one would ask why anyone would consider going to Ethio to get their Ethiopian food fix. There are a few reasons that my friends and I often choose Ethio over its competition but that time may be coming to an end due to constant inconsistencies in quality and service. Though the price of the veggie combo platter is on par or sometimes cheaper than most other ethiopian restaurants around, the difference is that they allow for refills of two of the items and allow you to share a platter for the same price. Let me break this down for you. My boyfriend and I can split ONE veggie combo platter for $10, and get unlimited injera bread, plus refills of two items. If you want more than 2 refills of items I believe that they only charge about 50 to 75 cents or so for each.. At the end of the meal we are relatively full and have only paid $5 each plus tax and tip. Compare this to Abyssinia ($10 a person) or Dahlak ($14 for one person or $26 for two people) where we either have to have separate platters or pay extra for two people to share, and we get no refill of items. So Ethio sounds great in comparison, right??? Well, here's the drawbacks: Although Ethio is almost always empty, for some reason the service is EXTREMELY slow (and perhaps the fact that it's usually empty says something), and the servers really struggle with English which makes ordering and asking questions rather difficult. They also always seem to be out multiple of items. I went there this past Valentines Day when they were experiencing a lot of overflow from Abyssinia and it was as if they had no idea they were going to be busy that day. They were having to run out to the store to replenish some of their items when they weren't even that busy compared to what I'm sure most restaurants in the area were experiencing that day. They only ever have one server (including on VDay) and I'm pretty sure there's only ever one or two people in the kitchen. The last time I was there our table ordered 3 veggie combo platters and for some reason the one my boyfriend and I were sharing looked different from the other two, and a lot of the items were cold. Whenever we order the refill of our items they always come out piping hot, but for some reason they don't seem to be able to manage that the first time around. It is just too inconsistent. We are continually drawn there by the affordability and the fact that we always get seated right away (because no one is ever there), but I'm beginning to grow tired of the blah food and blah service, no matter how cheap it is.
(2)
Vinayak M.
Easily the best Ethiopian food in University city. It is really clean place , with good decor and great service. The servers are very friendly and helpful. Most importantly though, the food is delicious. And the prices are quite reasonable. Love this place.
(5)
Rach D.
I went to this place and I would have liked it if it were clean. There were mice droppings in the bathroom and dirty dishes on the table from the night before. Not the cleanest place but the food was good. I would not eat here again unfortunately beacause it was dirty. Just not clean enough. :(
(1)
Ginger R.
I've dined here twice recently, and both times I have been very pleased with the food and the service. Granted, it is not the fanciest decor, but it is bright and clean. The injera is perfect. All the dishes featured in their vegetarian combo were great--I don't know all their proper names, but I loved the yellow lentils, the spicy red lentils, the collard greens, and the potato and cabbage dish. We gobbled them down to the last morsel. The beef tibs were delicious, too. Portions were fair and the prices couldn't be beat for the quality. ( I should add that I've had Ethiopian food many times in various major cities, and so far none has rivaled what I have enjoyed in Oakland, CA ,but this comes close.) Our waitress was attentive. Her English was not the greatest, but we had little problem communicating what we wanted and she seemed concerned that we enjoy our meal, coming back a few times to refill our water glasses and check to see if we needed anything. A few people came in to pick up their take-out; otherwise both times we were the only party in the place. Once was a late lunch on a Sunday, the other time was shortly after 7 PM on Sunday for dinner. I didn't mind the peace and quiet but I was surprised it wasn't crowded given the quality of the food. We will definitely return.
(4)
Jade V.
Sweet, sweet Ethiopian food! My boyfriend spotted Ethio when he was in the area and we decided to have lunch here on a whim. Nothing pretentious going on here, just nice, hardy Ethiopian food. It feels like you're eating in someone's house, which speaks to the courteousness of the service. We were the first ones in that day, so service was pretty quick, not to mention very polite. Why is it that whenever we go to an Ethiopian restaurant, they always ask if it's our first time having Ethiopian food? Better safe than sorry, I guess. We got a meat dish, doro wot (a favorite) and a veggie dish. The food was solid and delicious, although the menu was a bit hard to understand. Under the veggie delights section, we were unsure which of the "veggie sides" they were referring to. Regardless, I just asked the waiter to have the chef decide. In the end, both the meat dish and the veggie dish had the same veggie sides, which was a bit confusing, but, hey, we lapped it all up anyway. In addition to the injera bread that came UNDER the stews, we got more injera on the side. And they still asked us if we wanted more! A great meal for a reasonable price. I'd definitely return.
(4)
Dave H.
Ethio Cafe left such an impression on my friend that she invited me to dinner here. Walking in, I was struck first by their pleasant orange walls, then by how small it was. (If you plan on bringing a large group, call beforehand - or get take out.) Silk flowers atop table added color to an already colorful space. Wall clocks showed the time and Ethiopia's local time, while (presumably) Ethiopian tunes played from a TV. Ethiopian cuisine seems to be full of strong flavors, and the dining experience is especially communal. Diners are expected to eat with their hands, but can use injera, a sourdough flatbread, to pick things up or to soak up sauce. Since everything's prepared fresh, be prepared to wait. We shared two vegetarian combo platters ($8.50/each), which came with a variety of dishes atop bread. I tried several, including spicy yellow peas, collard greens, and a tasty pico de gallo-like mix. To balance the greens, we ordered kitfo ($10), a rare beef tartar seasoned with herbal butter, red pepper, and cardamom. It came out slightly warm, very red, and very delicious. The highlight of the meal was the yebeg kikil ($9), tender lamb meat simmered in butter with chopped onions, garlic, herbs, and spices. Lemon water helped wash things down, and I left quite satisfied. Dinner was inexpensive. Between the nine of us, it was $8/person including tip and tax. (Service was friendly; a server took several photos of our group for us.) Recommended! Find Ethio Cafe on 44th, between Chestnut and Sansom.
(5)
Rohit M.
Excellent courteous service. Great food. Decent ambience. I recommend the "Tour of Ethiopia", totally worth it. It is enough to stuff 2 adults with hearty appetites.
(4)
Krishnan I.
The best Ethopian food in the city. Their portions are huge as they are near UPenn and the food is great. This is a family run restaurant and you sense a certain warmth when you eat here. The owners have retained their culture while setting up the place and this makes for a nice dinner for two.
(5)
Michelle H.
We tried Ethio and are now hooked. It's not perfect the first time as a restaurant, but since we have been going there for a while now, it has been perfected. We always order the same thing, the veggie combo and a pitcher of water. So now, they know exactly what we are going to order and the service is flawless. I don't worry about the language barrier, since i have lived abroad and am perfectly fine with communicating, even in the absence of language, so I don't really have a problem with the service. The veggie combo, however, is the best!!! Everything is extremely fresh and delicious. And the price is so ridiculously cheap, that you just can't beat it. If you like Ethiopian, make sure you try this out!
(5)
Jordan S.
Only my second attempt at Ethiopian and it went fantastically. A friend and I went here with a Groupon. Did not have any service issues as mentioned in other reviews, but we were the only ones in the whole restaurant the entire time so I probably can't speak for what would happen if more crowded. What to get: Firfir -- great tasting meat dish. It seemed to have bits of injeera already embedded in it and every bite was out of this world. I think it was the best thing on the menu especially for the price. Kitfo -- similar to firfir -- a dish you cannot go wrong with. The firfir is much more sauced though so get the kitfo if you are looking for something a bit plainer but the firfirt if you want very flavorful/spicy meat. Tour of Ethiopia -- I usually hate beef, but I guess I was on a beef kick today because it came with a beef, lamb, and chicken dish and I only enjoyed the beef part of it, the Beef Tibs. They were amazing and in a mouth watering sauce of sorts. Must get this! The lamb in the yebeg wot was amazing, but the sauce it was in was way too acidic for my taste. The doro wot was a chicken bone but with no utensils, I did not understand how to do this. The sauce was unenjoyable but my friend loved it. Conclusion: If you are getting Ethiopian, order a beef dish! You will not regret it.
(4)
Milk W.
Excellent Ethiopian! What this place lacks in decor it makes up in super service and fantastic food. You are greeted by a very generic space, that without the special Ethiopian tables, mesobs, set in a few spots you would never know what type of restaurant you were visiting. The menu is simple and a bit confusing. The owner and staff are as nice as could be. They will explain anything to you, and they will be at your table asking if you need anything multiple times during your visit. The injera is soft, spongy, and superbly soaks up the flavors of the stews on top. They often will suggest that two people share a dinner for one instead of trying to up sell you. On two recent visits, two of us shared a veggie combo. With the extra injera and the two extra helpings of requested stews, included in the already reasonable price, we both left quite satisfied. Recommendation, do not be turned off by the setting if it is a great Ethiopian meal you are looking to enjoy.
(4)
K C.
Don't know anything about Ethiopian food, so I can't comment on authenticity. The food is fresh, the people are nice, the place is quaint.
(4)
Corinne J.
I went here with my boyfriend and our two friends for a double date. We were going to go to Abyssinia, which is basically right next door, but we thought we'd give this place a shot since we had never been here before. Overall, kind of disappointing. I don't want to bash them for the more than obvious language barrier, but it really did make ordering very difficult. The menu seemed easy to understand but they never really explained what the "veggie sides" were. When we asked, it was just really hard to get a clear answer. Also, it seemed like they were operating out of a home, which was just weird to me. That may not be the case, but that was the vibe we all got from it. Just a little weirded out that it wasn't a commercial kitchen. Pros: friendly service, reasonable prices, good food Cons: strange atmosphere, confusing menu, strong language barrier TLDR; just go to Abyssinia next door for better food and service.
(2)
Vega X.
Woohoo, as good as it gets is absolutely correct. I concur with all the reviews here that praise it. I am super impressed with the quality of the food here. I've eaten Ethiopian food at 7 different restaurants including 3 in Philadelphia, and this is the best place in Philadelphia. I am vegetarian and the veggie combo here is fantastic food. You get 7 different vegetables on the injera AND 4 small sides, all for $12. So even if you're a veteran of Ethiopian food like me but haven't been here, I recommend you order the veggie combo. ALL the other Ethiopian places give you 4 or 5 vegetable dishes with the injera, not 7, and there are no sides. So definitely try the ones you may not (or may) have had elsewhere. The veggie combo is good for 2 people. Yes, one downside to this is that you may decide that you like only 4 of the 7 vegetables and find that the individual portions for each of the 7 are too small to really feast on. Which is why I say try the whole thing the way they make it the first time, and then the second time, ask to substitute the ones you don't like. Kaffa Crossing lets me do this, and I see no reason why the wonderful people here won't. The older lady who is the cook is the sweetest! Overall, I'm a fan after my first time here.
(5)
Brad P.
I am sorry to say that I will probably not return to this establishment. I had an opportunity to try the sambusas, kitfo(marinated beef tartare) and the yebeg kiki(lamb in butter sauce with garlic, herbs, etc.) Let me start by saying that the entrees were pretty good. I liked them. The sambusas are like a typical indian veggie samosas except instead of being stuffed with potato/peas/assorted veggies, they are instead stuffed with a ridiculous quantity of lentils. You know what I liked better than the sambusas? Any veggie samosa made anywhere else in Philly. Many cuisines have some sort of edible product(naan, taco shell, pita, etc.) that often serves as a vessel to transport food from your plate to your face. Ethiopian cuisine has injera. Injera is a sour, bitter, porous flatbread that did not appeal to me. If this meal had been served with any other bread product, I probably would have been a big fan. Be that as it may, I found myself preferring to eat my meat with a spoon rather than use the bread to transport it to my mouth. Also, when we ordered a coke, we got a warm can and had to ask for a cup with ice to pour it into. This is not a good restaurant practice. On the action-movie-parallel-satisfaction-scale, this place is Twins.
(2)
Utteeyo D.
The food is delicious. Also the portions they serve are very big.The cleanest Ethiopian restaurant in Philly area. The food did not take unusually long to arrive (about 10 mins or so).
(4)
Jillian L.
I've recently been introduced to ethiopian food, and now I'm hooked. I have no idea really what I'm eating, but I don't care because it all tastes so yummy!!! The menu is small and that makes it very easy to decide. I recommend getting the veggie platter because it's a sampler of all the veggie items on the menu. Then you can pick a meet dish if you'd like. The meat dishes were good, but the veggie dish was still my favorite. The big bonus for us was that we saw the cook/owner bring out a plate of sizzling ribs, so I asked her if those were on the menu and she offered to bring us some ribs to try. Well, 10 minutes later, she showed up with a full plate of ribs for our group and we had already eaten dinner and dessert, but none of us hesitated when the ribs came out because they smelled so amazing, and they tasted even better!! I'm not sure if they'll make these for anyone, but you can definitely ask. So next time I'm going to get the veggie platter and ribs!
(5)
Farhan H.
Great food, go with Ethiopia platter. The platter has all the delicacies they have to offer. The food and service were just great. For the price the quality and quantity of the food was nothing short of Amazing.
(4)
Elizabeth F.
Absolutely fantastic! My hubs and I were there last night, a Wednesday, and until we were almost done eating, were there by ourselves. Considering some of the other reivews, maybe going on a Friday or Saturday night isn't the best idea. I think we were in and out of there in under an hour. I ordered the vegetarian combo with the fish add-on and everything was great! I definitely prefer their collard greens to the ones at Abysinnia, who overcooks them. These collards were a vibrant green with tons of flavor, not overcooked and dark green. The cabbage was yummy and so were the other traditional vegetables. My husband ordered The Taste of Ethiopia which was the traditional chicken stew, lentils, salad, cubed beef and ground beef. The spices, onioins, japapenos, injera - he was in heaven! Needless to say there was nothing left for a doggie bag. A nice treat was that an Ethiopian man came in by himself and sat a table near us. We struck up a conversation about food, culture and the people of Ethiopia. He was a lovely man! I'm guessing he's friends of the owners because a girl from the kitchen came out and sat with him to share in some of his food. So in conclusion, I highly recommend Ethio, maybe just don't go on the weekend if you're worried about service times and go during the week instead. Like I mentioned earlier, we were in and out in under an hour! Can't wait to go back!
(5)
Blaine H.
Finally made it to Ethio Cafe. While the decor was minimal, the womyn who helped with the ordering was friendly. The food was very good and the cost was very reasonable. The portions were as expected, not too large and not too small. The injera was good but a little bit sour. It did, however, compliment the vegetarian combination platter. I still like Rice N' Spice better, but this will do in a pinch, since it is nearby.
(3)
Bill M.
Now I think I can say yet again that I've finally been to all of the Ethiopian restaurants that West Philly has to offer (and if not please let me know!). It took awhile to find at first because it's not actually on Chestnut, and is really on 44th Street. But once I came across it I was welcomed by a friendly lady and had the chance to kick back and watch some Oprah while I waited for my take out (I found that a little out of place in an Ethiopian restaurant too). Since I was living the life of a hardcore carnivore for a few days I decided to counterbalance and go with the veggie combo. It had a whopping portion of collard greens, steamed cabbage, lentil stew, madras curry, and then some and it topped off with two huge portions of injera. The collard greens and cabbage were excellent, but the lentils, and curry were pretty average. I've also had a lot better injera. Ethio would probably excel in a part of Philly that could really use an Ethiopian restaurant. But by the time I get to here I literally pass by 5 Ethiopian restaurants that offer at least a little bit more than what Ethio offers (And when I finally get here I have to fight back the urge to go across the street to Kaffa Crossing). So based on that it's worthy of a solid 3 stars.
(3)
Amy P.
I heard about this restaurant from my Ethiopian friend. He said this restaurant serves very authentic dishes. It was my first time with Ethiopian food. My vegetable combo with fried fish was very yummy. The fish was very crispy and full of spice. This is a great BYOB place. Will definitely be there again!
(4)
Cindy C.
Ethio Cafe is owned by a sweet African woman in her 60s who, after we informed that it was our first time, checked up on us periodically to see if we were enjoying the food. This hospitality is 90% because we were the only ones there. Ethiopian food reminds me of Indian food and actually has subtle Indian flavors. Injera is similar to dosa; it is plate, utensil, and food. However injera is rubbery and spongy in texture and has a sour aftertaste that I quickly grew into. We both liked the lentils and cabbage as they tasted the most familiar; the salad was too sour for me. We felt like babies eating with our hands again. The chicken stew tasted like curry and tasted great with the injera. I agree with a friend who accompanied me that the beef tibs tasted like Vietnamese beef. Looks like it too. The owner offered more injera, but we were stuffed by that time and politely declined. We had Baklava for dessert, and it definitely reminded me of the milk balls with honey I had at an Indian buffet. Both were sickeningly sweet. We were glad it was a small dessert. In all, a very good quality meal.
(4)
Valerie M.
Like so many Ethiopian restaurants the service is slow, so don't go too hungry. We had the all you can eat vegan deal for $8.99 on a Wednesday night. It was mentioned on the website, but I wasn't sure what to order since it wasn't on the menu. I said a couple of times - all you can eat $8.99 and the server pointed to the veggie combo which is listed at $12. We weren't even sure what we were getting. It was served in two or three courses. The first being mostly salad, the second veggies and the last beans and lentils. We were pleasantly surprised! It was all fresh and delish! The server would bring us any dish that we wanted more of and except for a bit more salad, it was plenty of food. They give you lots of injera! I'm subtracting one star for the confusing nature of the all you can eat deal. If I had not seen the website, I wouldn't have realized that it was available. Menu is a bit confusing too and the food brought out to you is not announced or explained - had to ask. The water was never refilled and the drink that I ordered was never served, but not listed on the bill either. Like everything else - getting the bill was slow...had to chase down the server. You may want to ask for it at the end of the meal. The fresh and tasty food make up for the other flaws.
(4)
Thor T.
I used a visit by a friend who has lived in Ethiopia as the impetus to go back to Ethio Cafe and enjoyed the array of typical dishes, all prepared with care. The Vegetable Combination platter is your best bet, consisting of several different wot (stew) dishes: yellow peas (Alicha Kik), spicy lentils (Misir), collard greens (Gomen), and spicy cabbage (Tikil Gomen), to name a few, all lying on enjera, the soft, spongy bread also used to scoop up the various preparations ( the restaurant serves copious amounts of enjera, and I for one, am completely addicted to the sourish-tasting bread). The Chicken simmered in an onion sauce redolent with spices is very good, if a bit pricey for the amount of chicken served (the same is true for the Yebeg Alicha, an herby lamb stew). The meat dishes expand the taste palette offered by the vegetarian dishes very nicely. Eating around a mesob, the traditional basket table of Ethiopia, is a lovely communal affair, best enjoyed in leisure and conversation. I like the spices Ethiopians put in tea and would love to order it already brewed instead of having to dunk my own Lipton bag into the spice water (that Lipton bag somewhat detracts from the general atmosphere of the meal).
(4)
Linda R.
Sadly I cannot in good conscience give this restaurant more than one star. Although the two ladies working were very kind there was almost no service and the food was not as advertised on the website. I am guessing, based on all of the reviews here on yelp, that last night was a huge OFF night for Ethio. When we arrived there were only three other people at one table in the restaurant. A nice young lady came out with waters for us. We waited about another 15 or so minutes for menus. After about 20 minutes we got a wine bottle opener and some wine glasses. Half an hour into our experience we were able to order our apps. I had already previewed the menu online and ordered some hummus and sambusa for the four of us. I knew I was going to order the delicious looking Veggie Combo dinner. About 20 minutes later they showed up and they were good! We ordered dinner - veggie combo for me, Tour of Ethiopia for two for my nephew and his g/f, and my husband asked for a lamb dish- they were out . . . .this was about 7pm on Friday so . . . . he ordered Gored Gored MEDIUM - a marinated beef entree. About 45 minutes later one of the ladies showed up at our table with what we thought were condiments for our dinners. She put the four little ramekins down along with injera (cold) and said enjoy. The tiny little glass ramekins were filled with potato in red beet sauce, lentils, something similar to pico de gallo with jalapeno, tomato, rice wine vinegar and cabbage and what seemed to be a mixture of yellow peas and egg. All of these had good flavor - really no complaint here other than we were confused as to what was being served to us at that point - most likely a kind gesture to compensate for the excessive dinner wait time. After about an hour my nephew's dinner arrived- it was for two and it included two chicken legs, two hard boiled eggs and additional floral spice sauce. About 15 minutes after their food arrived our dinners arrived. Big disappointment. My veggie combo dinner which was to be served on a round platter according to the website arrived in four tiny glass ramekins again - no presentation and the tiniest amount of food possible. Yellow peas, a few string beans, no lentils, cabbage and collard greens. Wow - not what I had expected. My husband's dinner arrived in a small bowl - literally cubed RAW beef. Odd because it took so long to get it and we were the FIRST of the dinner crowd to arrive! Hubby had to wait about ten minutes more to get someone to take it back and cook it to Medium. As we were eating our dinner we looked around to see every table had filled up. People were waiting over 40 minutes for MENUS! It was a little bit funny to watch all these people's expressions go from great anticipation to curious, to agitated, to hunger induced annoyance. One of the ladies had come to our table with food apologized and said I'm sorry twice. I have to say this experience was so far from what we had anticipated based on all of these great reviews. I understand that from time to time things happen - I am almost certain that their chef called out last night . . . . it was that bad. I had really wanted to try some of their Ethiopian coffee but we had about a half hour wait to pay the check and by that point we were really ready to go. Next time we will try the Ethiopian restaurant next door. Very hospitable women but not enough staff and certainly not what is advertised on their website - at least not last night. : (
(1)
Ryan B.
I should start by saying that I had never had Ethiopian food prior to my experience at here. I was greatly anticipating trying out something new thanks to Group On, but I left a little disappointed. The service was fine, but the food took awhile to arrive at the table, which my dining partners told me is typical for Ethiopian food. Just a heads up if you are in a hurry. There were four of us, so we ordered one Veggie Platter and one Taste of Ethiopia meat sampler which ended up being plenty of food ~$40. Both things came with an ample amount of the cold bread that you use to eat everything with. The vegetable sampler was OK, a couple of the things were similar to curry, while others we just pickles. Nothing on the plate was bad, but nothing really stood out either. The meat sampler contained one beef, one chicken, and one lamb dish all of which I did not care for. The chicken and lamb dishes both tasted exactly like Bleu Cheese. I'm not sure if was supposed to taste like this or not, but it was a little off putting with the rest of the flavors. The beef was just kind of dry and bland. I think it is possible that I just don't care for Ethiopian food that much, which is not the restaurants fault. Two of the four people eating seemed to think it was average compared to their other Ethiopian dining experiences, hence the 3 stars.
I love this place. Please eat here. This is the best - THE BEST - Ethiopian restaurant in West Philadelphia (In my admittedly fairly ignorant opinion. I am not Marcus Samuelsson in disguise. I have tried most of the places in the neighborhood a few times, and eaten at a few places outside of this city. But I am learning.) The Veggie Combo is huge and a great deal. Although the prices are higher than the other neighborhood spots, the quality and freshness more than compensate. Each component had different complex flavors, and the veggies were obviously fresh and only lightly cooked and sauced. We also ordered the Shimbra Asa. Our server tried to steer us away from this at first, but I am so glad I persisted. Its a couple of hard flour dumplings in a bowl of hot chili oil, and it's fantastic. The spice level is high, but the flavor is addictive. It pairs well with the Veggie Combo - it seems a bit oily and vegetable-less to order on its own. I never ate at the old location, but this one has a contemporary styled interior and the most amazingly sweet and friendly service ever. The chef, a really nice older woman, came out after dinner to check on us. We told her we loved everything and she seemed genuinely pleased. They also have some Ethiopian breakfast items I might have to try, like the Ful. I am pretty sure you can order them all day.
(4)
Caroline C.
I am not, by any means, a connoisseur of Ethiopian cuisine. I've tried it only a handful of times over the last five years, so I do not claim to be an authority on what makes the best or worst Doro Wot or Kifto. That being established, I will say that while the food here was good, it wasn't the best. I was surprised that our dishes weren't served directly on the injera, as has been my experience at most other Ethiopian restaurants. The veggie combo was a good deal, though not all of the dishes were equal in merit (we liked the chickpeas and tomato/salsa-like dishes). Their 'tour of Ethiopia' meat combo certainly gave us options in terms of food, but none of it was all that exciting. We were one of two tables, and I know that being a sole server/busser can be stressful even with such a small number of patrons. That said, we asked for tea at the beginning of the meal but didn't receive it until we reminded her of our continued desire for the hot beverage. Inspired me to want to try other Ethiopian restaurants more than it inspired me to want to come back.
(3)
Marilyn S.
Definitely worth it! We went on Sunday for the all-you-can-eat vegetarian, and we didn't miss the meat at all. Everything was so flavorful and filling. The lady serving us was so sweet too; I'm not sure why it seems like everyone else gets slow service because she was constantly bringing us more food even before we'd finished what we had. We got our first round within 5 minutes of sitting down, and our glasses were never empty. She explained what every dish was when we asked. I couldn't give it 5 stars because it's definitely not something I could eat very often; I was kind of tired of it by the end of the meal. Probably too much injera.
(4)
amanda y.
I've experienced better. I've been to a handful of Ethiopian places before, and my boyfriend and I used to eat it pretty often. To make this short and straight to the point: - slow service, not enough waitstaff, but they were apologetic and nice. - we never had kitfo cooked before, but it tasted pretty good. but it wasn't "rare" like my boyfriend ordered. They said that day they weren't serving it raw. it wasn't as spicy as other places - beef tibs were too chewy/overcooked - They were out of a lot of things on the menu, like half of the meat dishes were out. We arrived around 8pm on a Friday. - not too many side dishes with our 2 entrees (kitfo and beef tibs). at other places they usually gave us a variety of stuff on our plate. - when we were practically done with our entrees, the waitress brought out 2 more sides. eh, she couldve brought it out altogether. - injera was good - place was clean sorry, but we won't be returning again.
(2)
Susan L.
Not to be mean but now I get why half of their name is "Carry Out." When you first walk in, the place looks pretty nice. I liked the colorful walls and the unique seating. We decided to sit at a regular table and immediately noticed the stickiness of the table. Our waitress was nice but spoke limited English which made me wonder how she would handle complicated [dietary] food questions. She brought out water which was for a lack of a better word, disgusting. It was lukewarm and tasted like it came out of a basement sink. So we ordered mango juice instead and even THAT wasn't good. We wanted to try a little bit of everything so we ordered the Veggie Sampler and the Tour of Ethiopia. It came out in a family plate and it was not impressive in terms of portions and variety. We wished we would have went with the regular entrees. I already knew that some Ethiopian food has a "mush" consistency but everything on this plate was mush except the tiny "salad" and the small handful of beef tips that were the size of my fingernail. This would be well suited for a toddler who still doesn't have teeth. We ate most of it but weren't feeling the leftovers. The waitress seemed to get offended when I declined her offer to doggie bag it because she asked me point blank "Was it not good?" Awkward. Anyway if we were to ever come here again I would probably do take out and pick a real entree. Though realistically I would rather just try the place next door.
(3)
Jessica S.
By far the best Ethiopian restaurant in the area: 1)It's clean 2)The food is delicious 3)There's a lot of it 4)Everything is fresh 5)Everyone (including the wonderful older woman in the kitchen) is kind, caring and attentive (as in, I was hugged before I left) I went there on a Friday night with my boyfriend and while there was large party of loud, wine-drunk Pennbabyundergrads we were still well attended to. The BF ordered the lamb-- they didn't have anymore but she suggested he try the beef tibs assuring him that it would be really tender and especially delicious. My God, she was right. It was all so good and perfectly spiced and the injera wasn't sour and cold like *other* Ethiopian places. It isn't as cheap as the others but the quality of food (and the security that neither rat nor roach will be joining you for dinner) is WELL worth the extra $. yes. yes and yes.
(5)
Edmund L.
My friend recommended me this place when I was in town, and I wasn't disappointed at all. We ordered 3 dishes and I was very impressed with the meat dishes. Kitfo with raw beef was one of the best I have tried - full of spices and flavor. It was quite heavy to split between two, so be prepare to take some of this home when you can't finish it. Definitely good with toasted bread. Beef tibs was good, though I wish I had tried the lamb tips (they ran out of lamb on that night). I can imagine lamb tibs would probably taste even better! The last dish is veggie combo and it was not bad. In my opinion, the veggie combo is not on par with the meat dishes. It doesn't have the spices to compete with tibs and kitfo, but don't get me wrong - it wasn't bad; it just didn't impress me as much. This place is quite small and it is very neighbourhoodish. Staff was friendly and nice. One of the only two critics for this place is the lack of floor area to have large groups of people there, and lack of drink selections. Other than that, I'd say this is a good place to fill your hunger for Ethiopian foods.
(4)
Brooke H.
I love the spicy lentils with collards! Great food, great for vegetarians, great prices, so easy to call in an order and just pop on in to pick it up on your way home from work.
(5)
Sarah B.
Highly recommend this! My fellow vegan dining companion and I scoped out a few vegan Ethiopian restaurants in the area before deciding to try Ethio. We recently moved from Los Angeles, where the fantastic Ethiopian restaurants on Fairfax tantalize and offer unparalleled all-vegan option Rosalind's. As newcomers to West Philly, we are so glad that we chose to dine at the lovely and delicious Ethio! In a nutshell (or should I say mesob?): Ethio served delicious veg cuisine, perfectly crisp cabbage, green beans and carrots, and other veggies and soft, well-prepared lentils and fluffy injera. A great, friendly vibe, and attentive staff, too! I haven't been to other Ethiopian restaurants in the area but I've heard the service isn't the same as it is at Ethio (superb). The veggie combo yielded tons of delicious food, and my dining mate and I ended up with at least half the meal to take home (and we both enjoyed ample portions of the delectable fare!)
(5)
Secret V.
Food was fine, people were nice, but it took an hour (60 minutes) for dinner to come. If you're going to eat here, order ahead, or go up to 44th and Chestnut to Kaffa Crossing for faster service.
(3)
David Y.
Been a little while since i have reviewed anything. BUT i feel this place needs some props. My friend Nafiz (who is eritrean) has been talking this place up for about 2 or 3 weeks now. So last night after we broke fast(ramadan) we went directly to this cozy little spot to gorge. Okay, been to dahlak about a gazillion times and i love it. Been to abysinian liked it. Came to this place? cant say enough good things about it. Food=amazing, service was outstanding and the price was just right. I've never had kitfo this good. I will be returning here again and again and again.
(5)
Miss L.
I only moved here a few months ago and wasn't really sure which restaurant to try first but I decided on this place due to reading Ruth Y's helpful reviews. I'm not an Ethiopian food connoisseur, but I am a total foodie and have a decent palate. I've also eaten at all the Ethiopian restaurants in Toronto, a couple in Chicago and another in Richmond and I have to say, Ethio Cafe is at the top of my list. Four of us stopped by at 7 p.m. on a Saturday night hoping that they would serve us as they close "around 8 or 9" on Saturdays (I called earlier in the week). When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by the super friendly waitress who showed us to the dining area. It isn't a huge place but the cafe is casual, comfortable and extremely laid back -- my kind of place. We all decided on a veggie combo and a side of hummus. Portion sizes (and prices) vary greatly from restaurant to restaurant and I thought that at $8.50 for a combo, it would only be enough for one person. Because of that, we were ready to order FOUR combos when the waitress (who was very friendly and helpful) told us that two combos would be enough for four people. I had my doubts at first, but she was absolutely right! The hummus was the smooth and creamy variety and made to order. It came with warm, soft, fresh pita bread which was perfect for scooping up the smooth chickpea dip. I've had a lot of hummus in my life and that hummus is one of the best I've had. The veggie combo came with two portions of each item and a side of more injera bread. The injera is a bit more sour than other restaurants but I like it that way as it was more flavourful. I want my injera to taste like something and theirs definitely fit the bill. All the items on the platter were delicious and perfectly spiced and the seasoned garlic condiment that it came with was a garlic lover's dream. All in all, I loved this place down to the casual environment and the friendly and helpful staff. The food didn't even take that long compared to other places and the prices were excellent! Four of us ate for less than $40 -- two veggie combos, hummus, four bottles of water. A total steal. While I do plan on trying a few other placese, I know that Ethio Cafe is going to be my regular Ethiopian restaurant. If you haven't been there yet, you must try it!
(5)
Laura D.
I just wanted to update and say that I have been back many many times and they have continued to be extremely kind and hospitable here and have served delicious food consistently! My favorite Ethiopian place in Philly!
(5)
Chris J.
This was my first experience with Ethiopian food. It was great! Family place, sweet friendly workers and most importantly delicious food. We got the meat sampler and the veggie sampler an it was a ton of food. Spicy, flavorful creations. Lots of beans, lentils and chickpeas in the dishes and I didn't taste much, if any, sugar. The injera bread was spongy and soft but very filling! Couldn't finish all the food and I wish I picked up more food with less bread, but now at least I know for next time
(4)
Ruth Y.
Just ate at the new location and it is, as always, amazing! Come see the new and improved place! It is very pretty and cute with a lot more room :). And best of all, an expanded menu :) whoo hooo!!!
(5)
Naz B.
I went here tonight with 3 other people, and it was fine but not great. We just beat the dinner rush, so although the waitress was busy, our food came out in a reasonable amount of time, reasonable for Ethiopian food anyway, which usually takes a while. Things did pick up quite a bit while we were eating, and it took a while for us to get our bill, so if you go during peak dinner time (which started at 7pm tonight), expect to be there for a while. The waitress was very nice and was obviously working hard. We ordered a couple sambusa, which was like a bad samosa filled with cabbage. We also got the Vegetarian combo and the Tour of Ethiopia (3 meat dishes). That was plenty of food for 4 people. It was my first time trying Ethiopian meat dishes, and I didn't like them. My brother liked the chicken, which I thought tasted like blue cheese (weird right?). I don't have anything to judge it against so I can't really say it was bad, but I didn't like it. The vegetables were better, but I have had much better in NY. It was, however, a great deal because we easily could have fed another person (or 2) and the bill was only $38. Overall, it was okay in my book. Since I don't live nearby and Ethiopian food is not at the top of my list, I don't think I will return.
(3)
T. C.
I just discovered Ethiopian food recently. Ethio does a pretty delicious job at serving up decently priced noms. I love their veggie combo, though the Yebeg Alicha (lamb stew) was a little chewy. The injera is fine, not the best i've ever had but it gets the job done.
Nice, clean BYOB. Excellent food, good service. Vegetarian plate and beef w rice were delish.
(4)
Heather A.
DO NOT EAT HERE, YOU WILL BE LOCKED INSIDE! Last night, I checked Ethio Cafe out on Yelp to see how late they were open (11pm) and even called to see if they were open and had room which they answered yes to both. So we got in the car at 8pm, drove down there, found the restaurant which had customers inside, had the outside lights on and an electronic "Open" sign lit up in the window. However, when I tried to open the door it was locked. I called them from my cell phone and asked if they were open (there were customers I could clearly see eating inside!) They said, "No, we're closed." I told them I was outside and could see people inside, and all the lights and signs were still on. They told me again they were full and closed, got off the phone then proceeded to turn off all the lights in front of me. Again, this was at 8:30pm now when it says they're open until 11pm. The icing on the cake is that while we were standing there, a customer inside tried to leave the restaurant. He tried for about 5 minutes, had to go back in, find the waitress (which took him another 5) and she had to manually unlock the door for him with a key so he could get out. I can only imagine the fire violations they were breaking by LOCKING customers inside the restaurant so they needed to get permission to get out! Before she closed the door I said to her "You can't lock your customers inside the restaurant, what if there's a fire?!" She said "yes, yes, I understand" then proceeded to close the door and lock it with the key again! I would highly highly recommend that no one eat inside this restaurant. If they don't know they can't lock people inside, I'm sure they don't know about health codes either! Long story short, I do not wish to frequent this restaurant, if you could, please refund me my money and please do not continue to do business with this establishment again!
(1)
Ariel E.
Food was delicious! The dishes were fresh and even beautiful to look at. Generous portions and lots of injerra. Will definitely go back.
(5)
Elana S.
We love Ethiopian food are are familiar with many of the restaurants in the area. We decided to try some where new and took Yelp's advice. Boy are we glad we did. The food was great! We ordered the samosa and vegetarian platter. We were fighting over the lentils and the greens. The spiced Ethiopian tea was a perfect complement. We can not wait to go back.
(5)
Varun A.
I am a vegetarian and hence I order the veggie combo platter. The food was really awesome and the service was excellent. This place is slightly costlier than Abyssinia (which is also good), but the ambiance and the food makes up for the difference !!!
(5)
gary v.
I called at 8pm to see if they were open, showed up at 830 to see the "closed" sign in the window, as well as a sign stating that they are no longer accepting restaurant.com certificates (which is why we were going in the first place).
(1)
Jake V.
We had two vegetarian platters and they were fine. I don't want to be too dickish with my review as I know that they really, really want to do a good job. I guess I would say that there's always room for improvement.
(3)
Maggie G.
Fresh! Fresh! Fresh! Much fresher tasting than all of the other Ethiopian restaurants in the area. The lentils were firm-- not over cooked or bloated. Their sauce was moderately spicey but with a sweet cinnamony flavor that made them far more intriguing than the average lentil dish. The collard greens are nearly whole leaves which I prefer because they don't end up absorbing enough fat to turn squishy as they are wont to do when chopped up. The injera was delicious. It was definitely fresh and was springy enough to hold up even when doused with rich stews. The only thing that is preventing me from assigning five stars is the atmosphere. It's casually cute. In fact I would probably be quite comfortable eating there. The head chef/owner is lovely to chat with and seems to be honestly interested in what you think of her food. All of this being said, the dining area itself is so like a home dining room, that I have trouble thinking of it as a destination. But, I will certainly return for carryout many many times. Super fresh and delicious and totally affordable.
(4)
Lori S.
Let me preface by saying that this was my first experience with Ethiopian food, so I don't feel especially qualified to give a completely unbiased review. That being said, I knew a couple basics prior to going ie. you eat the food with the injera, the injera is spongy and a bit sour, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I ordered the Tour of Ethiopia which is supposed to come with the Doro Wot, Yebeg Alicha and Kitfo and served with a salad side. They were out of the Yebeg Alicha which is lamb and I was bummed but they substituted some veggie dishes for it instead. It did take quite a while even tough it was only myself and another couple in the restaurant on a Sunday. After the dish did come, I started sampling and found Doro Wot not so much to my liking but the Kifto was pretty good and it went wonderfully with the "salad" which was tomatoes, onions, and jalepenos which tasted just like pico de gallo. They do bring you extra injera for free so that was a plus. The thing that bothered me was that the meal cost me about $20 and on their website it states $8.99 all you can eat on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Quite a big discrepancy if you ask me, esp. on a limited budget. I don't think I would go back, but mainly because I just don't think Ethiopian food is my thing, not necessarily that it was "bad".
(3)
Julie R.
I have not once been compelled to go home after dinner and write a review. I am here writing because Ethio is the best ethiopian food I have had-and I've tried a lot as it is my favorite food. Everything was so fresh; the service was excellent; the atmosphere understated in a way that makes it completely pleasant, homey and comfortable, the cook and owner super pleasant and attentive. And to top it off, it was an amazing amount of food for a crazy-low price. We felt guilty paying so little so we just tipped well. Go to Ethio. Sooooo good!!!!!
(5)
Ai Z.
I think they have just started serving an all-you-can eat for about $9 but only vegetarian dishes. My hubby and i had this one today. The food was very good and very authentic. We totally loved it. But the service was way toooooo slow. we waited for a long long time for some simple appetizer. But i guess the quality of the food made the waiting worthwhile.
(4)
Risa D.
Being a NYC transplant, I often crave meals that are foreign to the typical philadelphia palette. I wanted injera and lentils so badly...and this place delivered like none other. I got the veggie combo, and at 10 bux it was two meals worth of food. I was so satisfied that I KNOW I will be having the same tomorrow. I'm already thinking about trying the chicken! The bright yellow walls, decor celebrating the various cultures of Ethiopia, as well as the price have got me dying to go back. Soccer on the TV, two beautiful servers, and men chatting gave a real homey feel. I can't wait to give them more of my money! And the collard greens were NOT canned!!!
(5)
Beef M.
Pretty good, not the absolute best Ethiopian I've ever had, but pretty good. Dining room was a little awkward, no one else was in there. Staff was very friendly though, but also kind of awkward. Ordered vegi combo and mango juice. Price was great, 10$ for the combo. I think mango juice was like from a bottle and not what i was expecting. Yeah i probably won't be back, but just because there are so many other Ethiopian places in the area.
(3)
Chad K.
Great Food, great price. It has not been busy every time i go, but don't let that scare you away. This place deserves to be busier.
(4)
John R.
I was introduced here on high recommendation from my dance partner and had the wonderful opportunity to have dinner here with her and my uncle. There are a variety of dishes available but the key ingredient is that all food is eaten with the hands. Each dish is served family style in the center with bread also known as Injera (made of teff) served in the center in a large bowl for everyone to take food with. Small chunks of bread are ripped off of this main pancake shaped piece of bread to use as dipping devices to scoop up the food which is served in large globs family-style in the center of the table. The bread is moist and spongy and is gluten-free so very healthy. The bread is called Injera and is a traditional flatbread that accompanies every meal and is traditionally always served cold. While there were many dishes to be had the highlights of the menu are as follows: Samosa: A fried or baked pastry with savory filling such as spiced potatoes onions peas in this case lentils and also minced meat sometimes pinenuts. Samosas originated in Central Asia. Kitfo: Beef tartare seasoned with herbal butter red pepper and cardamom it can be ordered rare, medium or well-done. We ordered it rare because the rareness of the beef as a silky texture which is very nice. It was a bit too spicy for me however. Gomen wot: collard green stew. Served with two veggie sides. Veggie combo: choice from five veggie dishes including spicy split lentil stew, yellow peas, collard greens steamed cabbage, Ethiopian salad chick peas in spicy sauce and green beans with carrots. Steamed cabbage and lentil dishes were extremely tasty. I had to subtract one star however due to the overall spiciness of the food and subsequent gastrointestinal upset. We ordered toned down versions of the food as far as spiciness goes and it was still a bit too much for me. However, I am a wuss. Well I don't think anything was inherently wrong with the cooking it is unusual and if not eating regularly can cause some upset.
(4)
Haji A.
No No No! This was the first time I ordered a veggie platter at a Ethiopian restaurant and didn't want to indulge in it. The injera here was delicious but the vegetables in the combo platter were very bland (there was some kind of corn, kale, lentils, cabbage w/ carrots, and something indiscernible with an unpalatable tomato sauce that may have expired days ago). The spice level was close to 0 and I didn't want to finish the meal. Next time I'll choose another Ethiopian restaurant.
(2)
Philly 6.
My favorite Ethiopian in Philly! Its only downfall is the ambiance. It's sort of decorated like a super casual brunch spot that you would find down the shore. It's really too bad that it's not decorated more like Abyssinia down the street. However, everything else completely makes up for it. I'ts BYOB. Enough said. The service is great, for an Ethiopian restaurant. I always find the service to be slow, and it still is here, but it's done in such a hospitable, friendly way that it just adds to the experience. Where at other restaurants I felt forgotten about, here they'll take the time to chat with you about the menu, being honest about their items and figuring out what's best for your group. The food takes a while, but I imagine that's because it's all freshly prepared. Ethiopian style dinners are some of my favorites for eating with a group. The food comes out on one or two giant serving platters covered in injera (it's so perfectly spongey and tangy here) and the meats/veggies/etc. on top. Everyone just goes at it with their hands, picking up the main courses and vegetables with bits of injera. So fun. They will bring you extra injera here if you need it, but you probably won't. Everything is so deliciously filling. Go in prepared for slightly slow but hospitable service, plain decor and some seriously good and fun food. Don't forget the bottle of wine!
(5)
Emily K.
I've been to Ethiopian restaurants across Philly, and this one is my favorite. Don't except any frills, and the ambiance is a little strange, but don't be put off! The food is worth it. Much better than Abyssinia next door in my opinion. Highly recommend the Veggie Combo. Owners are very nice.
(4)
Lili Q.
Love having dinner here with my fiends and family. we really enjoy the food and atmosphere here.
Food is mediocre and not the greatest in being "clean". The waitress was nice, but it just didn't seem like a place i could be comfortable eating at. Not going to lie.... Ive never had Ethiopian food until i ate here. I really hope my "eh" experience here doesn't account for all Ethiopian places.
(3)
Alex X.
West Philly. I love play food. I love those foods where u get so much different types of things in small portions. It makes it fun for my tongue to constantly switch taste. That's why I love Korean food and those little side dishes they give. Back to Ethiopian food, I found that my five veggie Poo poo's on the take out veggie platter had only two I loved loved loved: LENTILS and COLLARD GREENS. Four stars for these two tasty items! They made those two really good here!! So I can see myself ordering like a pint of them each time. Without the injera and all the other stuff. The search for other tasty items at Ethiopian restaurants continues....
(4)
Tina N.
I've only ordered take out from here, and I'm hoping that most of their customers do the same. I say that because I never see this place busy but I want them to do well. To date, I've ordered the Lamb Tibs, Beef tibs (they were out of lamb that day), Chicken tibs and Chicken Doro Wat. I find the flavors to be superior to that of neighboring Ethiopian restaurants. Actually I dare say it's the best one of the many I've tried. My only complaint is that the while the Doro Wat is tasty, the one drumstick and an egg was a bit unsatisfactory. I think adding a thigh would bring the meal to perfect for me. The doro wat sauce does have a nice buttery flavor that I could just eat with injera, thus saving the dish. The other tibs are very good, flavor and portion. Like everyone says, the ambiance is boring but if you have some wine and good company, that will liven things up for you I'm sure. If you order for pickup, they tend to say 20-25 minutes, but I give them at least 40 minutes so I don't end up sitting around waiting. I do, of course, have the advantage of living within walking distance though.
(4)
Lee H.
Super vegetarian combination plate - and as a former resident of the Adams Morgan section of Washington DC, I've tried many. Friendly and gentle service, quiet in mid-afternoon. I'll be back soon.
(5)
Melanie Z.
The service is so friendly, but also SO slow. Since it's Ethiopian food, it's kind of to be expected that it will take a while though. The food is really good and extremely cheap for how much you get! I would come back to this place.
(4)
Shweta K.
Amazing food! I would recommend the shimbra asa, shiro wot, misir wot and the sambusa. Good service and ambience.
(5)
Tiya B.
Disclaimer: I am Ethiopian, so I have very high expectations; hence the four star rating. Ethio Cafe definitely makes the most authentic and the best tasting Ethiopian food than any other Ethiopian restaurant in Philadelphia - trust me I have tried them all. The veggie combo with fried fish ($12) is my favorite. The manager/owner is a sweetheart and definitely makes an effort to ensure that you are satisfied with your experience in the restaurant.
(4)
Ben W.
Venture out for some new exciting flavors. I came here with a large group a couple weeks ago and was a little hesitant about going to Ethio because all the good things I heard about Abyssinia, right next door. Upon entering, the restaurant had a few other parties, but other than the quiet chatter, it was basically silent, which made it very awkward. It wasn't until halfway through our meal when they started to play music. Also, seating was arranged in a weird way and we had to move around tables before sitting, even though we had made a reservation. Ordering was a little difficult because there was a clear language barrier and it was hard to learn about what the different dishes were. We eventually settled on the Tour of Ethiopia, Gored Gored, and the Veggie Combo. It took about 20 minutes for the food to come out, but given the preparation that goes into it, we were more than patient for our food. The Tour of Ethiopia was beautifully presented on top of a huge bed of injera, but the portions were a little underwhelming. The beef tips were by far the tastiest on the plate and were the first to go. They were cooked to the perfect tenderness, and had that slight burnt flavor which I love in meats. The kitfo was also quite tasty, but when paired with the injera, some of it was lost. The doro wot wasn't too memorable; the chicken itself wasn't too strong in flavor, but the sauce made for great dipping. I'm a huge fan of raw meat delicacies and I was fairly satisfied with the spicy gored gored. The meat wasn't too tough and the spices really cut through the meat flavor and made for a great compliment with the injera. I feel bad for vegetarians because honestly the meat is where the flavor and the substance is at. The veggie platter was a great compliment to the meats, but I can't imagine just eating the veggies. The tastiest on the platter were definitely the collard greens, chickpeas, and green beans. Overall, it was a great dining experience, using our hands and injera to scoop up the food. However, the portions and pricing weren't exactly what I was expecting from a hole-in-the-wall restaurant located next door to a prominent restaurant of the same cuisine. I still have yet to try Abyssinia, but I will keep you updated! Pros: unique cuisine, homemade food feeling, friendly staff Cons: portions, hard-to-understand servers, lack of atmosphere Dishes to try: gored gored, beef tips Dished to skip: doro wot, veggies in general
(4)
Srujana Y.
I agree with the other reviews that although there is nothing spectacular about the ambience/decor here, the food and service are great! My husband and I ordered sambusas for appetizers and shared a veggie combo platter. It came with three different lentils, cabbage-carrot curry, collard greens and a salad on an injera. Injera on the side was a little cold..wish they had warmed it up. But all the sides were warm enough and tasted really good. The quantity was sufficient for sharing between two people. Nice spicy Ethiopian food on a rainy day..what more can you ask for? ;) :)
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
May A.
I have been to Abyssinia, just right next door several times. I have liked Abyssinia's food, but I find their service very slow, and their servers also do "random billing"! So I wanted to try this smaller place just adjacent to it. At first I found the food to be very very delicious and liked it instantly, but towards the end of my meal, I started having weird unbearable cramps in my stomach, and then for the next 12 hours my stomach was EXTREMELY bloated. I wonder if they used a lot of baking soda in their Injiras or Lentils, because I feel bloated like this whenever I consume food with heavy use of baking soda (or some variant of that)! I wanted to like this place, but now with this experience during my VERY FIRST VISIT here, I don't think I will eat here again. So eat here at your own risk!
(1)Monica L.
PROS: Tons of food, cheap, comfy atmosphere CONS: Surprisingly bland flavors On one hand, Ethio Cafe serves you tons of filling food with diverse meat and vegetarian selections, especially if you choose their sampler platters. On the other hand, most of their dishes taste unremarkably similar - lightly spiced, sometimes with a bit of vinegar --- a bit too healthy, mayhaps? Their injera is pretty good, but then again --- I've never had bad injera!
(3)Michael H.
Great service, even on a busy night. Vegetarian meal for three was perfect. New favorite Ethiopian spot in west Philly.
(5)Jar K.
I live a mile away from 5 Ethiopian restaurant and this BYOB is by far my favorite. Service is excellent and fast. I always get tour of Ethiopian and vegetarian combo with fish supplement.
(4)Charles M.
Absolutely love this place. We come here just about every month and haven't had a bad meal yet. We go fit the veggie combo abdominal add either the beef tibs or fried fish. Everything is fresh and tastes authentic.
(5)Brianna K.
HUGE portion sizes, I feasted like a king here. I had the vegan sampler platter and it was too good to be true. Service was fast and the atmosphere is a little dingy but personal and cheap.
(5)Mario N.
We got the sampler and the fried fish with vegetables. It was good but they had some spicy stuff on the chicken and once I ate that, I could not taste a thing. Overall it was a nice change of pace and super cheap. The wife and I had dinner and I think the bill was only $25 bucks or so. So you cannot beat the price.
(3)Lenny Z.
We started out as a failed journey to a spot, turned into a very good turn of events. After being chased out of our previous spot by a bug that shall not be named, we stumbled over to Ethio. Ethio was not at all crowded, which we really liked. The place was spotless and wait staff was super nice. Our waitress did not speak the best English, but she tried very hard. The only drawback was it took fairly long for our food to come out. However, if you are in no hurry and are good with enjoying more time for chatter, this is a great choice. Everything we ordered, from the veggies to the popular chicken dish were super tasty. It was as good as any Ethiopian food I've had, and better than some sub-standard places I tried. You get a lot of food for a great price. The sponge bread is perfectly done, and using it to pick up the moist and tasty veggies and chicken was so so good. I love that part of the Ethiopian experience is cultural in how you eat the food. I highly recommend Ethio.
(4)Ari B.
This is a no frills type of restaurant, both in its decor and food presentation. However, if your main desire is to get a cultural experience, then you will be satisfied. The vegetable combo comes with several styles of lentils, carrots, and kale, served in a large platter lined with injera, a spongy kind of crepe that is always served cold (according to their menu). It was refreshing to have a restaurant so candid about their cuisine including necessitating the use of your hands rather than utensils.
(3)Brooke L.
I love this place. The food is delicious and reasonably priced. It is quiet, tiny, and I never feel rushed. It is a family restaurant, and it makes me smile that you can hear people watching game shows or doing homework in the kitchen area. The people who work there are very friendly, patient, and hospitable, but are a little too careful not to make you feel rushed. Usually once we ask for the check, it seems like our server disappears for a really long time. I love the collard greens and tibs. So savory and flavorful!
(4)Shereen C.
Came here a year ago with a large group. Had the vegetarian selection. Food was okay. Some dishes were better than others.' Tastes fresh even if not that flavourful. Better than others I've tried nearby, but still not amazing. (Haven't found great Ethiopian food in Philly yet.) Service: friendly and very nice. Pleasant place to sit, it's kind of homey. 2.5 stars
(3)Tracy W.
This was my first time trying Ethiopian and it definitely won't be my last! I had the Veggie Combo with Fried Fish. Everything was full of flavor and so delicious, not to mention a bargain. Tons of food for about $12. Service was friendly, but slow. Coffee, that was ordered at the beginning of the meal, wasn't served until the end, due to a problem with the machine. It was not added to the bill. I did not encounter the language barrier that some other yelpers mentioned. All of our questions were happily answered and it was a fun experience.
(4)Kat C.
The vegetarian combo platter here is way better than all of the other Ethiopian restaurants in the area. I can't speak to any of the meat options, but I like the veggie meals way better than Abyssinia's. The service is extremely friendly and I have never found them to be slow. It's a nice place to meet a friend to chat because it's usually quiet (I'm not sure why they don't get more business!). I frequently pick up carry out from here because it's quick, the portions are generous, and I just enjoy stopping by.
(5)Sara P.
This is a nice place to have authentic Ethiopean food at an affordable price. The service is very good; our waiter discussed with us the issues between Ethiopia and Eritrea since we asked about it. The place has some relics that give it a flavor of Ethiopia. The food was yummy, some spicy and some not so much. We ate the vegetarian sampler so we had a lot of good choices all in one very inexpensive meal.
(4)liz l.
this is an update to my earlier review. i haven't had a chance to eat at ethio for a few months, and finally went back over the weekend. it was just as delicious as the last time, and the service just as friendly. i can't rave enough about this place and the incredibly tasty food! so well spiced, so flavorful, just the best. having skimmed a few of the other reviews, i'll just add that the service time at ethio is on par or better than other ethiopian places in philly.
(5)Stacy B.
When there's the Ethiopian hotspot Abyssinia just a few doors down, one would ask why anyone would consider going to Ethio to get their Ethiopian food fix. There are a few reasons that my friends and I often choose Ethio over its competition but that time may be coming to an end due to constant inconsistencies in quality and service. Though the price of the veggie combo platter is on par or sometimes cheaper than most other ethiopian restaurants around, the difference is that they allow for refills of two of the items and allow you to share a platter for the same price. Let me break this down for you. My boyfriend and I can split ONE veggie combo platter for $10, and get unlimited injera bread, plus refills of two items. If you want more than 2 refills of items I believe that they only charge about 50 to 75 cents or so for each.. At the end of the meal we are relatively full and have only paid $5 each plus tax and tip. Compare this to Abyssinia ($10 a person) or Dahlak ($14 for one person or $26 for two people) where we either have to have separate platters or pay extra for two people to share, and we get no refill of items. So Ethio sounds great in comparison, right??? Well, here's the drawbacks: Although Ethio is almost always empty, for some reason the service is EXTREMELY slow (and perhaps the fact that it's usually empty says something), and the servers really struggle with English which makes ordering and asking questions rather difficult. They also always seem to be out multiple of items. I went there this past Valentines Day when they were experiencing a lot of overflow from Abyssinia and it was as if they had no idea they were going to be busy that day. They were having to run out to the store to replenish some of their items when they weren't even that busy compared to what I'm sure most restaurants in the area were experiencing that day. They only ever have one server (including on VDay) and I'm pretty sure there's only ever one or two people in the kitchen. The last time I was there our table ordered 3 veggie combo platters and for some reason the one my boyfriend and I were sharing looked different from the other two, and a lot of the items were cold. Whenever we order the refill of our items they always come out piping hot, but for some reason they don't seem to be able to manage that the first time around. It is just too inconsistent. We are continually drawn there by the affordability and the fact that we always get seated right away (because no one is ever there), but I'm beginning to grow tired of the blah food and blah service, no matter how cheap it is.
(2)Vinayak M.
Easily the best Ethiopian food in University city. It is really clean place , with good decor and great service. The servers are very friendly and helpful. Most importantly though, the food is delicious. And the prices are quite reasonable. Love this place.
(5)Rach D.
I went to this place and I would have liked it if it were clean. There were mice droppings in the bathroom and dirty dishes on the table from the night before. Not the cleanest place but the food was good. I would not eat here again unfortunately beacause it was dirty. Just not clean enough. :(
(1)Ginger R.
I've dined here twice recently, and both times I have been very pleased with the food and the service. Granted, it is not the fanciest decor, but it is bright and clean. The injera is perfect. All the dishes featured in their vegetarian combo were great--I don't know all their proper names, but I loved the yellow lentils, the spicy red lentils, the collard greens, and the potato and cabbage dish. We gobbled them down to the last morsel. The beef tibs were delicious, too. Portions were fair and the prices couldn't be beat for the quality. ( I should add that I've had Ethiopian food many times in various major cities, and so far none has rivaled what I have enjoyed in Oakland, CA ,but this comes close.) Our waitress was attentive. Her English was not the greatest, but we had little problem communicating what we wanted and she seemed concerned that we enjoy our meal, coming back a few times to refill our water glasses and check to see if we needed anything. A few people came in to pick up their take-out; otherwise both times we were the only party in the place. Once was a late lunch on a Sunday, the other time was shortly after 7 PM on Sunday for dinner. I didn't mind the peace and quiet but I was surprised it wasn't crowded given the quality of the food. We will definitely return.
(4)Jade V.
Sweet, sweet Ethiopian food! My boyfriend spotted Ethio when he was in the area and we decided to have lunch here on a whim. Nothing pretentious going on here, just nice, hardy Ethiopian food. It feels like you're eating in someone's house, which speaks to the courteousness of the service. We were the first ones in that day, so service was pretty quick, not to mention very polite. Why is it that whenever we go to an Ethiopian restaurant, they always ask if it's our first time having Ethiopian food? Better safe than sorry, I guess. We got a meat dish, doro wot (a favorite) and a veggie dish. The food was solid and delicious, although the menu was a bit hard to understand. Under the veggie delights section, we were unsure which of the "veggie sides" they were referring to. Regardless, I just asked the waiter to have the chef decide. In the end, both the meat dish and the veggie dish had the same veggie sides, which was a bit confusing, but, hey, we lapped it all up anyway. In addition to the injera bread that came UNDER the stews, we got more injera on the side. And they still asked us if we wanted more! A great meal for a reasonable price. I'd definitely return.
(4)Dave H.
Ethio Cafe left such an impression on my friend that she invited me to dinner here. Walking in, I was struck first by their pleasant orange walls, then by how small it was. (If you plan on bringing a large group, call beforehand - or get take out.) Silk flowers atop table added color to an already colorful space. Wall clocks showed the time and Ethiopia's local time, while (presumably) Ethiopian tunes played from a TV. Ethiopian cuisine seems to be full of strong flavors, and the dining experience is especially communal. Diners are expected to eat with their hands, but can use injera, a sourdough flatbread, to pick things up or to soak up sauce. Since everything's prepared fresh, be prepared to wait. We shared two vegetarian combo platters ($8.50/each), which came with a variety of dishes atop bread. I tried several, including spicy yellow peas, collard greens, and a tasty pico de gallo-like mix. To balance the greens, we ordered kitfo ($10), a rare beef tartar seasoned with herbal butter, red pepper, and cardamom. It came out slightly warm, very red, and very delicious. The highlight of the meal was the yebeg kikil ($9), tender lamb meat simmered in butter with chopped onions, garlic, herbs, and spices. Lemon water helped wash things down, and I left quite satisfied. Dinner was inexpensive. Between the nine of us, it was $8/person including tip and tax. (Service was friendly; a server took several photos of our group for us.) Recommended! Find Ethio Cafe on 44th, between Chestnut and Sansom.
(5)Rohit M.
Excellent courteous service. Great food. Decent ambience. I recommend the "Tour of Ethiopia", totally worth it. It is enough to stuff 2 adults with hearty appetites.
(4)Krishnan I.
The best Ethopian food in the city. Their portions are huge as they are near UPenn and the food is great. This is a family run restaurant and you sense a certain warmth when you eat here. The owners have retained their culture while setting up the place and this makes for a nice dinner for two.
(5)Michelle H.
We tried Ethio and are now hooked. It's not perfect the first time as a restaurant, but since we have been going there for a while now, it has been perfected. We always order the same thing, the veggie combo and a pitcher of water. So now, they know exactly what we are going to order and the service is flawless. I don't worry about the language barrier, since i have lived abroad and am perfectly fine with communicating, even in the absence of language, so I don't really have a problem with the service. The veggie combo, however, is the best!!! Everything is extremely fresh and delicious. And the price is so ridiculously cheap, that you just can't beat it. If you like Ethiopian, make sure you try this out!
(5)Jordan S.
Only my second attempt at Ethiopian and it went fantastically. A friend and I went here with a Groupon. Did not have any service issues as mentioned in other reviews, but we were the only ones in the whole restaurant the entire time so I probably can't speak for what would happen if more crowded. What to get: Firfir -- great tasting meat dish. It seemed to have bits of injeera already embedded in it and every bite was out of this world. I think it was the best thing on the menu especially for the price. Kitfo -- similar to firfir -- a dish you cannot go wrong with. The firfir is much more sauced though so get the kitfo if you are looking for something a bit plainer but the firfirt if you want very flavorful/spicy meat. Tour of Ethiopia -- I usually hate beef, but I guess I was on a beef kick today because it came with a beef, lamb, and chicken dish and I only enjoyed the beef part of it, the Beef Tibs. They were amazing and in a mouth watering sauce of sorts. Must get this! The lamb in the yebeg wot was amazing, but the sauce it was in was way too acidic for my taste. The doro wot was a chicken bone but with no utensils, I did not understand how to do this. The sauce was unenjoyable but my friend loved it. Conclusion: If you are getting Ethiopian, order a beef dish! You will not regret it.
(4)Milk W.
Excellent Ethiopian! What this place lacks in decor it makes up in super service and fantastic food. You are greeted by a very generic space, that without the special Ethiopian tables, mesobs, set in a few spots you would never know what type of restaurant you were visiting. The menu is simple and a bit confusing. The owner and staff are as nice as could be. They will explain anything to you, and they will be at your table asking if you need anything multiple times during your visit. The injera is soft, spongy, and superbly soaks up the flavors of the stews on top. They often will suggest that two people share a dinner for one instead of trying to up sell you. On two recent visits, two of us shared a veggie combo. With the extra injera and the two extra helpings of requested stews, included in the already reasonable price, we both left quite satisfied. Recommendation, do not be turned off by the setting if it is a great Ethiopian meal you are looking to enjoy.
(4)K C.
Don't know anything about Ethiopian food, so I can't comment on authenticity. The food is fresh, the people are nice, the place is quaint.
(4)Corinne J.
I went here with my boyfriend and our two friends for a double date. We were going to go to Abyssinia, which is basically right next door, but we thought we'd give this place a shot since we had never been here before. Overall, kind of disappointing. I don't want to bash them for the more than obvious language barrier, but it really did make ordering very difficult. The menu seemed easy to understand but they never really explained what the "veggie sides" were. When we asked, it was just really hard to get a clear answer. Also, it seemed like they were operating out of a home, which was just weird to me. That may not be the case, but that was the vibe we all got from it. Just a little weirded out that it wasn't a commercial kitchen. Pros: friendly service, reasonable prices, good food Cons: strange atmosphere, confusing menu, strong language barrier TLDR; just go to Abyssinia next door for better food and service.
(2)Vega X.
Woohoo, as good as it gets is absolutely correct. I concur with all the reviews here that praise it. I am super impressed with the quality of the food here. I've eaten Ethiopian food at 7 different restaurants including 3 in Philadelphia, and this is the best place in Philadelphia. I am vegetarian and the veggie combo here is fantastic food. You get 7 different vegetables on the injera AND 4 small sides, all for $12. So even if you're a veteran of Ethiopian food like me but haven't been here, I recommend you order the veggie combo. ALL the other Ethiopian places give you 4 or 5 vegetable dishes with the injera, not 7, and there are no sides. So definitely try the ones you may not (or may) have had elsewhere. The veggie combo is good for 2 people. Yes, one downside to this is that you may decide that you like only 4 of the 7 vegetables and find that the individual portions for each of the 7 are too small to really feast on. Which is why I say try the whole thing the way they make it the first time, and then the second time, ask to substitute the ones you don't like. Kaffa Crossing lets me do this, and I see no reason why the wonderful people here won't. The older lady who is the cook is the sweetest! Overall, I'm a fan after my first time here.
(5)Brad P.
I am sorry to say that I will probably not return to this establishment. I had an opportunity to try the sambusas, kitfo(marinated beef tartare) and the yebeg kiki(lamb in butter sauce with garlic, herbs, etc.) Let me start by saying that the entrees were pretty good. I liked them. The sambusas are like a typical indian veggie samosas except instead of being stuffed with potato/peas/assorted veggies, they are instead stuffed with a ridiculous quantity of lentils. You know what I liked better than the sambusas? Any veggie samosa made anywhere else in Philly. Many cuisines have some sort of edible product(naan, taco shell, pita, etc.) that often serves as a vessel to transport food from your plate to your face. Ethiopian cuisine has injera. Injera is a sour, bitter, porous flatbread that did not appeal to me. If this meal had been served with any other bread product, I probably would have been a big fan. Be that as it may, I found myself preferring to eat my meat with a spoon rather than use the bread to transport it to my mouth. Also, when we ordered a coke, we got a warm can and had to ask for a cup with ice to pour it into. This is not a good restaurant practice. On the action-movie-parallel-satisfaction-scale, this place is Twins.
(2)Utteeyo D.
The food is delicious. Also the portions they serve are very big.The cleanest Ethiopian restaurant in Philly area. The food did not take unusually long to arrive (about 10 mins or so).
(4)Jillian L.
I've recently been introduced to ethiopian food, and now I'm hooked. I have no idea really what I'm eating, but I don't care because it all tastes so yummy!!! The menu is small and that makes it very easy to decide. I recommend getting the veggie platter because it's a sampler of all the veggie items on the menu. Then you can pick a meet dish if you'd like. The meat dishes were good, but the veggie dish was still my favorite. The big bonus for us was that we saw the cook/owner bring out a plate of sizzling ribs, so I asked her if those were on the menu and she offered to bring us some ribs to try. Well, 10 minutes later, she showed up with a full plate of ribs for our group and we had already eaten dinner and dessert, but none of us hesitated when the ribs came out because they smelled so amazing, and they tasted even better!! I'm not sure if they'll make these for anyone, but you can definitely ask. So next time I'm going to get the veggie platter and ribs!
(5)Farhan H.
Great food, go with Ethiopia platter. The platter has all the delicacies they have to offer. The food and service were just great. For the price the quality and quantity of the food was nothing short of Amazing.
(4)Elizabeth F.
Absolutely fantastic! My hubs and I were there last night, a Wednesday, and until we were almost done eating, were there by ourselves. Considering some of the other reivews, maybe going on a Friday or Saturday night isn't the best idea. I think we were in and out of there in under an hour. I ordered the vegetarian combo with the fish add-on and everything was great! I definitely prefer their collard greens to the ones at Abysinnia, who overcooks them. These collards were a vibrant green with tons of flavor, not overcooked and dark green. The cabbage was yummy and so were the other traditional vegetables. My husband ordered The Taste of Ethiopia which was the traditional chicken stew, lentils, salad, cubed beef and ground beef. The spices, onioins, japapenos, injera - he was in heaven! Needless to say there was nothing left for a doggie bag. A nice treat was that an Ethiopian man came in by himself and sat a table near us. We struck up a conversation about food, culture and the people of Ethiopia. He was a lovely man! I'm guessing he's friends of the owners because a girl from the kitchen came out and sat with him to share in some of his food. So in conclusion, I highly recommend Ethio, maybe just don't go on the weekend if you're worried about service times and go during the week instead. Like I mentioned earlier, we were in and out in under an hour! Can't wait to go back!
(5)Blaine H.
Finally made it to Ethio Cafe. While the decor was minimal, the womyn who helped with the ordering was friendly. The food was very good and the cost was very reasonable. The portions were as expected, not too large and not too small. The injera was good but a little bit sour. It did, however, compliment the vegetarian combination platter. I still like Rice N' Spice better, but this will do in a pinch, since it is nearby.
(3)Bill M.
Now I think I can say yet again that I've finally been to all of the Ethiopian restaurants that West Philly has to offer (and if not please let me know!). It took awhile to find at first because it's not actually on Chestnut, and is really on 44th Street. But once I came across it I was welcomed by a friendly lady and had the chance to kick back and watch some Oprah while I waited for my take out (I found that a little out of place in an Ethiopian restaurant too). Since I was living the life of a hardcore carnivore for a few days I decided to counterbalance and go with the veggie combo. It had a whopping portion of collard greens, steamed cabbage, lentil stew, madras curry, and then some and it topped off with two huge portions of injera. The collard greens and cabbage were excellent, but the lentils, and curry were pretty average. I've also had a lot better injera. Ethio would probably excel in a part of Philly that could really use an Ethiopian restaurant. But by the time I get to here I literally pass by 5 Ethiopian restaurants that offer at least a little bit more than what Ethio offers (And when I finally get here I have to fight back the urge to go across the street to Kaffa Crossing). So based on that it's worthy of a solid 3 stars.
(3)Amy P.
I heard about this restaurant from my Ethiopian friend. He said this restaurant serves very authentic dishes. It was my first time with Ethiopian food. My vegetable combo with fried fish was very yummy. The fish was very crispy and full of spice. This is a great BYOB place. Will definitely be there again!
(4)Cindy C.
Ethio Cafe is owned by a sweet African woman in her 60s who, after we informed that it was our first time, checked up on us periodically to see if we were enjoying the food. This hospitality is 90% because we were the only ones there. Ethiopian food reminds me of Indian food and actually has subtle Indian flavors. Injera is similar to dosa; it is plate, utensil, and food. However injera is rubbery and spongy in texture and has a sour aftertaste that I quickly grew into. We both liked the lentils and cabbage as they tasted the most familiar; the salad was too sour for me. We felt like babies eating with our hands again. The chicken stew tasted like curry and tasted great with the injera. I agree with a friend who accompanied me that the beef tibs tasted like Vietnamese beef. Looks like it too. The owner offered more injera, but we were stuffed by that time and politely declined. We had Baklava for dessert, and it definitely reminded me of the milk balls with honey I had at an Indian buffet. Both were sickeningly sweet. We were glad it was a small dessert. In all, a very good quality meal.
(4)Valerie M.
Like so many Ethiopian restaurants the service is slow, so don't go too hungry. We had the all you can eat vegan deal for $8.99 on a Wednesday night. It was mentioned on the website, but I wasn't sure what to order since it wasn't on the menu. I said a couple of times - all you can eat $8.99 and the server pointed to the veggie combo which is listed at $12. We weren't even sure what we were getting. It was served in two or three courses. The first being mostly salad, the second veggies and the last beans and lentils. We were pleasantly surprised! It was all fresh and delish! The server would bring us any dish that we wanted more of and except for a bit more salad, it was plenty of food. They give you lots of injera! I'm subtracting one star for the confusing nature of the all you can eat deal. If I had not seen the website, I wouldn't have realized that it was available. Menu is a bit confusing too and the food brought out to you is not announced or explained - had to ask. The water was never refilled and the drink that I ordered was never served, but not listed on the bill either. Like everything else - getting the bill was slow...had to chase down the server. You may want to ask for it at the end of the meal. The fresh and tasty food make up for the other flaws.
(4)Thor T.
I used a visit by a friend who has lived in Ethiopia as the impetus to go back to Ethio Cafe and enjoyed the array of typical dishes, all prepared with care. The Vegetable Combination platter is your best bet, consisting of several different wot (stew) dishes: yellow peas (Alicha Kik), spicy lentils (Misir), collard greens (Gomen), and spicy cabbage (Tikil Gomen), to name a few, all lying on enjera, the soft, spongy bread also used to scoop up the various preparations ( the restaurant serves copious amounts of enjera, and I for one, am completely addicted to the sourish-tasting bread). The Chicken simmered in an onion sauce redolent with spices is very good, if a bit pricey for the amount of chicken served (the same is true for the Yebeg Alicha, an herby lamb stew). The meat dishes expand the taste palette offered by the vegetarian dishes very nicely. Eating around a mesob, the traditional basket table of Ethiopia, is a lovely communal affair, best enjoyed in leisure and conversation. I like the spices Ethiopians put in tea and would love to order it already brewed instead of having to dunk my own Lipton bag into the spice water (that Lipton bag somewhat detracts from the general atmosphere of the meal).
(4)Linda R.
Sadly I cannot in good conscience give this restaurant more than one star. Although the two ladies working were very kind there was almost no service and the food was not as advertised on the website. I am guessing, based on all of the reviews here on yelp, that last night was a huge OFF night for Ethio. When we arrived there were only three other people at one table in the restaurant. A nice young lady came out with waters for us. We waited about another 15 or so minutes for menus. After about 20 minutes we got a wine bottle opener and some wine glasses. Half an hour into our experience we were able to order our apps. I had already previewed the menu online and ordered some hummus and sambusa for the four of us. I knew I was going to order the delicious looking Veggie Combo dinner. About 20 minutes later they showed up and they were good! We ordered dinner - veggie combo for me, Tour of Ethiopia for two for my nephew and his g/f, and my husband asked for a lamb dish- they were out . . . .this was about 7pm on Friday so . . . . he ordered Gored Gored MEDIUM - a marinated beef entree. About 45 minutes later one of the ladies showed up at our table with what we thought were condiments for our dinners. She put the four little ramekins down along with injera (cold) and said enjoy. The tiny little glass ramekins were filled with potato in red beet sauce, lentils, something similar to pico de gallo with jalapeno, tomato, rice wine vinegar and cabbage and what seemed to be a mixture of yellow peas and egg. All of these had good flavor - really no complaint here other than we were confused as to what was being served to us at that point - most likely a kind gesture to compensate for the excessive dinner wait time. After about an hour my nephew's dinner arrived- it was for two and it included two chicken legs, two hard boiled eggs and additional floral spice sauce. About 15 minutes after their food arrived our dinners arrived. Big disappointment. My veggie combo dinner which was to be served on a round platter according to the website arrived in four tiny glass ramekins again - no presentation and the tiniest amount of food possible. Yellow peas, a few string beans, no lentils, cabbage and collard greens. Wow - not what I had expected. My husband's dinner arrived in a small bowl - literally cubed RAW beef. Odd because it took so long to get it and we were the FIRST of the dinner crowd to arrive! Hubby had to wait about ten minutes more to get someone to take it back and cook it to Medium. As we were eating our dinner we looked around to see every table had filled up. People were waiting over 40 minutes for MENUS! It was a little bit funny to watch all these people's expressions go from great anticipation to curious, to agitated, to hunger induced annoyance. One of the ladies had come to our table with food apologized and said I'm sorry twice. I have to say this experience was so far from what we had anticipated based on all of these great reviews. I understand that from time to time things happen - I am almost certain that their chef called out last night . . . . it was that bad. I had really wanted to try some of their Ethiopian coffee but we had about a half hour wait to pay the check and by that point we were really ready to go. Next time we will try the Ethiopian restaurant next door. Very hospitable women but not enough staff and certainly not what is advertised on their website - at least not last night. : (
(1)Ryan B.
I should start by saying that I had never had Ethiopian food prior to my experience at here. I was greatly anticipating trying out something new thanks to Group On, but I left a little disappointed. The service was fine, but the food took awhile to arrive at the table, which my dining partners told me is typical for Ethiopian food. Just a heads up if you are in a hurry. There were four of us, so we ordered one Veggie Platter and one Taste of Ethiopia meat sampler which ended up being plenty of food ~$40. Both things came with an ample amount of the cold bread that you use to eat everything with. The vegetable sampler was OK, a couple of the things were similar to curry, while others we just pickles. Nothing on the plate was bad, but nothing really stood out either. The meat sampler contained one beef, one chicken, and one lamb dish all of which I did not care for. The chicken and lamb dishes both tasted exactly like Bleu Cheese. I'm not sure if was supposed to taste like this or not, but it was a little off putting with the rest of the flavors. The beef was just kind of dry and bland. I think it is possible that I just don't care for Ethiopian food that much, which is not the restaurants fault. Two of the four people eating seemed to think it was average compared to their other Ethiopian dining experiences, hence the 3 stars.
(3)Teresa L.
Service = talking point for all Ethiopian restaurants? Definitely Ethio Café followed this hit-or-miss trend. Service from table to table varied. My friends of four and I were very flexible and not terribly hungry, but clearly the couple - and their empty glasses - next to us were forgotten. . I really have no other Ethiopian experience to compare this place to, but it's objectively good. As first timers, we started with two piping hot samosas. Tummy happy. Then, instead of a restaurant's typical bread and butter, or nachos and salsa, we were given injeera bread (think pale, spongy, human skin...yep, it's also cold) and various cup-sized tidbits, such as pickeled veggies, hummus varieties, and an unfamiliar paste. Definitely beat out the ol' carby-fill-yourself-up-before-the-main-meal free appetizers. The meat and veggie samplers made me gorge myself, unfortunately. THEY MADE ME. The spices were so new and foreign and EVERYTHING was swimming in a thick, thick sauce that begged a scoop-up with the injeera. Baby food tastes like a good mystery! Oops. I meant the veggie sampler. We used a restaurant.com gift certificate, so hence the go-here motivation. But shall I be coming back? MMmmm...not crazy about the service and the lighting (did they mistake me for a nocturnal animal? a bat?). But sure. After I develop my Ethiopian taste buds elsewhere.
(3)Judith C.
I love this place. Please eat here. This is the best - THE BEST - Ethiopian restaurant in West Philadelphia (In my admittedly fairly ignorant opinion. I am not Marcus Samuelsson in disguise. I have tried most of the places in the neighborhood a few times, and eaten at a few places outside of this city. But I am learning.) The Veggie Combo is huge and a great deal. Although the prices are higher than the other neighborhood spots, the quality and freshness more than compensate. Each component had different complex flavors, and the veggies were obviously fresh and only lightly cooked and sauced. We also ordered the Shimbra Asa. Our server tried to steer us away from this at first, but I am so glad I persisted. Its a couple of hard flour dumplings in a bowl of hot chili oil, and it's fantastic. The spice level is high, but the flavor is addictive. It pairs well with the Veggie Combo - it seems a bit oily and vegetable-less to order on its own. I never ate at the old location, but this one has a contemporary styled interior and the most amazingly sweet and friendly service ever. The chef, a really nice older woman, came out after dinner to check on us. We told her we loved everything and she seemed genuinely pleased. They also have some Ethiopian breakfast items I might have to try, like the Ful. I am pretty sure you can order them all day.
(4)Caroline C.
I am not, by any means, a connoisseur of Ethiopian cuisine. I've tried it only a handful of times over the last five years, so I do not claim to be an authority on what makes the best or worst Doro Wot or Kifto. That being established, I will say that while the food here was good, it wasn't the best. I was surprised that our dishes weren't served directly on the injera, as has been my experience at most other Ethiopian restaurants. The veggie combo was a good deal, though not all of the dishes were equal in merit (we liked the chickpeas and tomato/salsa-like dishes). Their 'tour of Ethiopia' meat combo certainly gave us options in terms of food, but none of it was all that exciting. We were one of two tables, and I know that being a sole server/busser can be stressful even with such a small number of patrons. That said, we asked for tea at the beginning of the meal but didn't receive it until we reminded her of our continued desire for the hot beverage. Inspired me to want to try other Ethiopian restaurants more than it inspired me to want to come back.
(3)Marilyn S.
Definitely worth it! We went on Sunday for the all-you-can-eat vegetarian, and we didn't miss the meat at all. Everything was so flavorful and filling. The lady serving us was so sweet too; I'm not sure why it seems like everyone else gets slow service because she was constantly bringing us more food even before we'd finished what we had. We got our first round within 5 minutes of sitting down, and our glasses were never empty. She explained what every dish was when we asked. I couldn't give it 5 stars because it's definitely not something I could eat very often; I was kind of tired of it by the end of the meal. Probably too much injera.
(4)amanda y.
I've experienced better. I've been to a handful of Ethiopian places before, and my boyfriend and I used to eat it pretty often. To make this short and straight to the point: - slow service, not enough waitstaff, but they were apologetic and nice. - we never had kitfo cooked before, but it tasted pretty good. but it wasn't "rare" like my boyfriend ordered. They said that day they weren't serving it raw. it wasn't as spicy as other places - beef tibs were too chewy/overcooked - They were out of a lot of things on the menu, like half of the meat dishes were out. We arrived around 8pm on a Friday. - not too many side dishes with our 2 entrees (kitfo and beef tibs). at other places they usually gave us a variety of stuff on our plate. - when we were practically done with our entrees, the waitress brought out 2 more sides. eh, she couldve brought it out altogether. - injera was good - place was clean sorry, but we won't be returning again.
(2)Susan L.
Not to be mean but now I get why half of their name is "Carry Out." When you first walk in, the place looks pretty nice. I liked the colorful walls and the unique seating. We decided to sit at a regular table and immediately noticed the stickiness of the table. Our waitress was nice but spoke limited English which made me wonder how she would handle complicated [dietary] food questions. She brought out water which was for a lack of a better word, disgusting. It was lukewarm and tasted like it came out of a basement sink. So we ordered mango juice instead and even THAT wasn't good. We wanted to try a little bit of everything so we ordered the Veggie Sampler and the Tour of Ethiopia. It came out in a family plate and it was not impressive in terms of portions and variety. We wished we would have went with the regular entrees. I already knew that some Ethiopian food has a "mush" consistency but everything on this plate was mush except the tiny "salad" and the small handful of beef tips that were the size of my fingernail. This would be well suited for a toddler who still doesn't have teeth. We ate most of it but weren't feeling the leftovers. The waitress seemed to get offended when I declined her offer to doggie bag it because she asked me point blank "Was it not good?" Awkward. Anyway if we were to ever come here again I would probably do take out and pick a real entree. Though realistically I would rather just try the place next door.
(3)Jessica S.
By far the best Ethiopian restaurant in the area: 1)It's clean 2)The food is delicious 3)There's a lot of it 4)Everything is fresh 5)Everyone (including the wonderful older woman in the kitchen) is kind, caring and attentive (as in, I was hugged before I left) I went there on a Friday night with my boyfriend and while there was large party of loud, wine-drunk Pennbabyundergrads we were still well attended to. The BF ordered the lamb-- they didn't have anymore but she suggested he try the beef tibs assuring him that it would be really tender and especially delicious. My God, she was right. It was all so good and perfectly spiced and the injera wasn't sour and cold like *other* Ethiopian places. It isn't as cheap as the others but the quality of food (and the security that neither rat nor roach will be joining you for dinner) is WELL worth the extra $. yes. yes and yes.
(5)Edmund L.
My friend recommended me this place when I was in town, and I wasn't disappointed at all. We ordered 3 dishes and I was very impressed with the meat dishes. Kitfo with raw beef was one of the best I have tried - full of spices and flavor. It was quite heavy to split between two, so be prepare to take some of this home when you can't finish it. Definitely good with toasted bread. Beef tibs was good, though I wish I had tried the lamb tips (they ran out of lamb on that night). I can imagine lamb tibs would probably taste even better! The last dish is veggie combo and it was not bad. In my opinion, the veggie combo is not on par with the meat dishes. It doesn't have the spices to compete with tibs and kitfo, but don't get me wrong - it wasn't bad; it just didn't impress me as much. This place is quite small and it is very neighbourhoodish. Staff was friendly and nice. One of the only two critics for this place is the lack of floor area to have large groups of people there, and lack of drink selections. Other than that, I'd say this is a good place to fill your hunger for Ethiopian foods.
(4)Brooke H.
I love the spicy lentils with collards! Great food, great for vegetarians, great prices, so easy to call in an order and just pop on in to pick it up on your way home from work.
(5)Sarah B.
Highly recommend this! My fellow vegan dining companion and I scoped out a few vegan Ethiopian restaurants in the area before deciding to try Ethio. We recently moved from Los Angeles, where the fantastic Ethiopian restaurants on Fairfax tantalize and offer unparalleled all-vegan option Rosalind's. As newcomers to West Philly, we are so glad that we chose to dine at the lovely and delicious Ethio! In a nutshell (or should I say mesob?): Ethio served delicious veg cuisine, perfectly crisp cabbage, green beans and carrots, and other veggies and soft, well-prepared lentils and fluffy injera. A great, friendly vibe, and attentive staff, too! I haven't been to other Ethiopian restaurants in the area but I've heard the service isn't the same as it is at Ethio (superb). The veggie combo yielded tons of delicious food, and my dining mate and I ended up with at least half the meal to take home (and we both enjoyed ample portions of the delectable fare!)
(5)Secret V.
Food was fine, people were nice, but it took an hour (60 minutes) for dinner to come. If you're going to eat here, order ahead, or go up to 44th and Chestnut to Kaffa Crossing for faster service.
(3)David Y.
Been a little while since i have reviewed anything. BUT i feel this place needs some props. My friend Nafiz (who is eritrean) has been talking this place up for about 2 or 3 weeks now. So last night after we broke fast(ramadan) we went directly to this cozy little spot to gorge. Okay, been to dahlak about a gazillion times and i love it. Been to abysinian liked it. Came to this place? cant say enough good things about it. Food=amazing, service was outstanding and the price was just right. I've never had kitfo this good. I will be returning here again and again and again.
(5)Miss L.
I only moved here a few months ago and wasn't really sure which restaurant to try first but I decided on this place due to reading Ruth Y's helpful reviews. I'm not an Ethiopian food connoisseur, but I am a total foodie and have a decent palate. I've also eaten at all the Ethiopian restaurants in Toronto, a couple in Chicago and another in Richmond and I have to say, Ethio Cafe is at the top of my list. Four of us stopped by at 7 p.m. on a Saturday night hoping that they would serve us as they close "around 8 or 9" on Saturdays (I called earlier in the week). When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by the super friendly waitress who showed us to the dining area. It isn't a huge place but the cafe is casual, comfortable and extremely laid back -- my kind of place. We all decided on a veggie combo and a side of hummus. Portion sizes (and prices) vary greatly from restaurant to restaurant and I thought that at $8.50 for a combo, it would only be enough for one person. Because of that, we were ready to order FOUR combos when the waitress (who was very friendly and helpful) told us that two combos would be enough for four people. I had my doubts at first, but she was absolutely right! The hummus was the smooth and creamy variety and made to order. It came with warm, soft, fresh pita bread which was perfect for scooping up the smooth chickpea dip. I've had a lot of hummus in my life and that hummus is one of the best I've had. The veggie combo came with two portions of each item and a side of more injera bread. The injera is a bit more sour than other restaurants but I like it that way as it was more flavourful. I want my injera to taste like something and theirs definitely fit the bill. All the items on the platter were delicious and perfectly spiced and the seasoned garlic condiment that it came with was a garlic lover's dream. All in all, I loved this place down to the casual environment and the friendly and helpful staff. The food didn't even take that long compared to other places and the prices were excellent! Four of us ate for less than $40 -- two veggie combos, hummus, four bottles of water. A total steal. While I do plan on trying a few other placese, I know that Ethio Cafe is going to be my regular Ethiopian restaurant. If you haven't been there yet, you must try it!
(5)Laura D.
I just wanted to update and say that I have been back many many times and they have continued to be extremely kind and hospitable here and have served delicious food consistently! My favorite Ethiopian place in Philly!
(5)Chris J.
This was my first experience with Ethiopian food. It was great! Family place, sweet friendly workers and most importantly delicious food. We got the meat sampler and the veggie sampler an it was a ton of food. Spicy, flavorful creations. Lots of beans, lentils and chickpeas in the dishes and I didn't taste much, if any, sugar. The injera bread was spongy and soft but very filling! Couldn't finish all the food and I wish I picked up more food with less bread, but now at least I know for next time
(4)Ruth Y.
Just ate at the new location and it is, as always, amazing! Come see the new and improved place! It is very pretty and cute with a lot more room :). And best of all, an expanded menu :) whoo hooo!!!
(5)Naz B.
I went here tonight with 3 other people, and it was fine but not great. We just beat the dinner rush, so although the waitress was busy, our food came out in a reasonable amount of time, reasonable for Ethiopian food anyway, which usually takes a while. Things did pick up quite a bit while we were eating, and it took a while for us to get our bill, so if you go during peak dinner time (which started at 7pm tonight), expect to be there for a while. The waitress was very nice and was obviously working hard. We ordered a couple sambusa, which was like a bad samosa filled with cabbage. We also got the Vegetarian combo and the Tour of Ethiopia (3 meat dishes). That was plenty of food for 4 people. It was my first time trying Ethiopian meat dishes, and I didn't like them. My brother liked the chicken, which I thought tasted like blue cheese (weird right?). I don't have anything to judge it against so I can't really say it was bad, but I didn't like it. The vegetables were better, but I have had much better in NY. It was, however, a great deal because we easily could have fed another person (or 2) and the bill was only $38. Overall, it was okay in my book. Since I don't live nearby and Ethiopian food is not at the top of my list, I don't think I will return.
(3)T. C.
I just discovered Ethiopian food recently. Ethio does a pretty delicious job at serving up decently priced noms. I love their veggie combo, though the Yebeg Alicha (lamb stew) was a little chewy. The injera is fine, not the best i've ever had but it gets the job done.
(4)Rubén M.
Nice, clean BYOB. Excellent food, good service. Vegetarian plate and beef w rice were delish.
(4)Heather A.
DO NOT EAT HERE, YOU WILL BE LOCKED INSIDE! Last night, I checked Ethio Cafe out on Yelp to see how late they were open (11pm) and even called to see if they were open and had room which they answered yes to both. So we got in the car at 8pm, drove down there, found the restaurant which had customers inside, had the outside lights on and an electronic "Open" sign lit up in the window. However, when I tried to open the door it was locked. I called them from my cell phone and asked if they were open (there were customers I could clearly see eating inside!) They said, "No, we're closed." I told them I was outside and could see people inside, and all the lights and signs were still on. They told me again they were full and closed, got off the phone then proceeded to turn off all the lights in front of me. Again, this was at 8:30pm now when it says they're open until 11pm. The icing on the cake is that while we were standing there, a customer inside tried to leave the restaurant. He tried for about 5 minutes, had to go back in, find the waitress (which took him another 5) and she had to manually unlock the door for him with a key so he could get out. I can only imagine the fire violations they were breaking by LOCKING customers inside the restaurant so they needed to get permission to get out! Before she closed the door I said to her "You can't lock your customers inside the restaurant, what if there's a fire?!" She said "yes, yes, I understand" then proceeded to close the door and lock it with the key again! I would highly highly recommend that no one eat inside this restaurant. If they don't know they can't lock people inside, I'm sure they don't know about health codes either! Long story short, I do not wish to frequent this restaurant, if you could, please refund me my money and please do not continue to do business with this establishment again!
(1)Ariel E.
Food was delicious! The dishes were fresh and even beautiful to look at. Generous portions and lots of injerra. Will definitely go back.
(5)Elana S.
We love Ethiopian food are are familiar with many of the restaurants in the area. We decided to try some where new and took Yelp's advice. Boy are we glad we did. The food was great! We ordered the samosa and vegetarian platter. We were fighting over the lentils and the greens. The spiced Ethiopian tea was a perfect complement. We can not wait to go back.
(5)Varun A.
I am a vegetarian and hence I order the veggie combo platter. The food was really awesome and the service was excellent. This place is slightly costlier than Abyssinia (which is also good), but the ambiance and the food makes up for the difference !!!
(5)gary v.
I called at 8pm to see if they were open, showed up at 830 to see the "closed" sign in the window, as well as a sign stating that they are no longer accepting restaurant.com certificates (which is why we were going in the first place).
(1)Jake V.
We had two vegetarian platters and they were fine. I don't want to be too dickish with my review as I know that they really, really want to do a good job. I guess I would say that there's always room for improvement.
(3)Maggie G.
Fresh! Fresh! Fresh! Much fresher tasting than all of the other Ethiopian restaurants in the area. The lentils were firm-- not over cooked or bloated. Their sauce was moderately spicey but with a sweet cinnamony flavor that made them far more intriguing than the average lentil dish. The collard greens are nearly whole leaves which I prefer because they don't end up absorbing enough fat to turn squishy as they are wont to do when chopped up. The injera was delicious. It was definitely fresh and was springy enough to hold up even when doused with rich stews. The only thing that is preventing me from assigning five stars is the atmosphere. It's casually cute. In fact I would probably be quite comfortable eating there. The head chef/owner is lovely to chat with and seems to be honestly interested in what you think of her food. All of this being said, the dining area itself is so like a home dining room, that I have trouble thinking of it as a destination. But, I will certainly return for carryout many many times. Super fresh and delicious and totally affordable.
(4)Lori S.
Let me preface by saying that this was my first experience with Ethiopian food, so I don't feel especially qualified to give a completely unbiased review. That being said, I knew a couple basics prior to going ie. you eat the food with the injera, the injera is spongy and a bit sour, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I ordered the Tour of Ethiopia which is supposed to come with the Doro Wot, Yebeg Alicha and Kitfo and served with a salad side. They were out of the Yebeg Alicha which is lamb and I was bummed but they substituted some veggie dishes for it instead. It did take quite a while even tough it was only myself and another couple in the restaurant on a Sunday. After the dish did come, I started sampling and found Doro Wot not so much to my liking but the Kifto was pretty good and it went wonderfully with the "salad" which was tomatoes, onions, and jalepenos which tasted just like pico de gallo. They do bring you extra injera for free so that was a plus. The thing that bothered me was that the meal cost me about $20 and on their website it states $8.99 all you can eat on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Quite a big discrepancy if you ask me, esp. on a limited budget. I don't think I would go back, but mainly because I just don't think Ethiopian food is my thing, not necessarily that it was "bad".
(3)Julie R.
I have not once been compelled to go home after dinner and write a review. I am here writing because Ethio is the best ethiopian food I have had-and I've tried a lot as it is my favorite food. Everything was so fresh; the service was excellent; the atmosphere understated in a way that makes it completely pleasant, homey and comfortable, the cook and owner super pleasant and attentive. And to top it off, it was an amazing amount of food for a crazy-low price. We felt guilty paying so little so we just tipped well. Go to Ethio. Sooooo good!!!!!
(5)Ai Z.
I think they have just started serving an all-you-can eat for about $9 but only vegetarian dishes. My hubby and i had this one today. The food was very good and very authentic. We totally loved it. But the service was way toooooo slow. we waited for a long long time for some simple appetizer. But i guess the quality of the food made the waiting worthwhile.
(4)Risa D.
Being a NYC transplant, I often crave meals that are foreign to the typical philadelphia palette. I wanted injera and lentils so badly...and this place delivered like none other. I got the veggie combo, and at 10 bux it was two meals worth of food. I was so satisfied that I KNOW I will be having the same tomorrow. I'm already thinking about trying the chicken! The bright yellow walls, decor celebrating the various cultures of Ethiopia, as well as the price have got me dying to go back. Soccer on the TV, two beautiful servers, and men chatting gave a real homey feel. I can't wait to give them more of my money! And the collard greens were NOT canned!!!
(5)Beef M.
Pretty good, not the absolute best Ethiopian I've ever had, but pretty good. Dining room was a little awkward, no one else was in there. Staff was very friendly though, but also kind of awkward. Ordered vegi combo and mango juice. Price was great, 10$ for the combo. I think mango juice was like from a bottle and not what i was expecting. Yeah i probably won't be back, but just because there are so many other Ethiopian places in the area.
(3)Chad K.
Great Food, great price. It has not been busy every time i go, but don't let that scare you away. This place deserves to be busier.
(4)John R.
I was introduced here on high recommendation from my dance partner and had the wonderful opportunity to have dinner here with her and my uncle. There are a variety of dishes available but the key ingredient is that all food is eaten with the hands. Each dish is served family style in the center with bread also known as Injera (made of teff) served in the center in a large bowl for everyone to take food with. Small chunks of bread are ripped off of this main pancake shaped piece of bread to use as dipping devices to scoop up the food which is served in large globs family-style in the center of the table. The bread is moist and spongy and is gluten-free so very healthy. The bread is called Injera and is a traditional flatbread that accompanies every meal and is traditionally always served cold. While there were many dishes to be had the highlights of the menu are as follows: Samosa: A fried or baked pastry with savory filling such as spiced potatoes onions peas in this case lentils and also minced meat sometimes pinenuts. Samosas originated in Central Asia. Kitfo: Beef tartare seasoned with herbal butter red pepper and cardamom it can be ordered rare, medium or well-done. We ordered it rare because the rareness of the beef as a silky texture which is very nice. It was a bit too spicy for me however. Gomen wot: collard green stew. Served with two veggie sides. Veggie combo: choice from five veggie dishes including spicy split lentil stew, yellow peas, collard greens steamed cabbage, Ethiopian salad chick peas in spicy sauce and green beans with carrots. Steamed cabbage and lentil dishes were extremely tasty. I had to subtract one star however due to the overall spiciness of the food and subsequent gastrointestinal upset. We ordered toned down versions of the food as far as spiciness goes and it was still a bit too much for me. However, I am a wuss. Well I don't think anything was inherently wrong with the cooking it is unusual and if not eating regularly can cause some upset.
(4)Haji A.
No No No! This was the first time I ordered a veggie platter at a Ethiopian restaurant and didn't want to indulge in it. The injera here was delicious but the vegetables in the combo platter were very bland (there was some kind of corn, kale, lentils, cabbage w/ carrots, and something indiscernible with an unpalatable tomato sauce that may have expired days ago). The spice level was close to 0 and I didn't want to finish the meal. Next time I'll choose another Ethiopian restaurant.
(2)Philly 6.
My favorite Ethiopian in Philly! Its only downfall is the ambiance. It's sort of decorated like a super casual brunch spot that you would find down the shore. It's really too bad that it's not decorated more like Abyssinia down the street. However, everything else completely makes up for it. I'ts BYOB. Enough said. The service is great, for an Ethiopian restaurant. I always find the service to be slow, and it still is here, but it's done in such a hospitable, friendly way that it just adds to the experience. Where at other restaurants I felt forgotten about, here they'll take the time to chat with you about the menu, being honest about their items and figuring out what's best for your group. The food takes a while, but I imagine that's because it's all freshly prepared. Ethiopian style dinners are some of my favorites for eating with a group. The food comes out on one or two giant serving platters covered in injera (it's so perfectly spongey and tangy here) and the meats/veggies/etc. on top. Everyone just goes at it with their hands, picking up the main courses and vegetables with bits of injera. So fun. They will bring you extra injera here if you need it, but you probably won't. Everything is so deliciously filling. Go in prepared for slightly slow but hospitable service, plain decor and some seriously good and fun food. Don't forget the bottle of wine!
(5)Emily K.
I've been to Ethiopian restaurants across Philly, and this one is my favorite. Don't except any frills, and the ambiance is a little strange, but don't be put off! The food is worth it. Much better than Abyssinia next door in my opinion. Highly recommend the Veggie Combo. Owners are very nice.
(4)Lili Q.
Love having dinner here with my fiends and family. we really enjoy the food and atmosphere here.
(5)Thomas L.
We went to Ethio Café and Restaurant the other night. We chose this restaurant over its neighboring Ethiopian restaurant because it is a BYOB, which we consider a plus. We were waited on right away and ordered: Beef Tibs and Kitfo (rare) Sides Gomen Wot Tikil Gomen Wot Alisha Kik Wot Misir Wot The food did take a little extra time for it all to come out. We were not in a hurry, which when dining out, you shouldn't be, so we enjoyed the atmosphere and company. When we got our bill, everything was priced reasonable to the point that I over-tipped because the food was delicious and the waitress/owner was awesome. I would highly recommend going there to enjoy a night out and very delicious Ethiopian Food.
(4)Ashley T.
Food is mediocre and not the greatest in being "clean". The waitress was nice, but it just didn't seem like a place i could be comfortable eating at. Not going to lie.... Ive never had Ethiopian food until i ate here. I really hope my "eh" experience here doesn't account for all Ethiopian places.
(3)Alex X.
West Philly. I love play food. I love those foods where u get so much different types of things in small portions. It makes it fun for my tongue to constantly switch taste. That's why I love Korean food and those little side dishes they give. Back to Ethiopian food, I found that my five veggie Poo poo's on the take out veggie platter had only two I loved loved loved: LENTILS and COLLARD GREENS. Four stars for these two tasty items! They made those two really good here!! So I can see myself ordering like a pint of them each time. Without the injera and all the other stuff. The search for other tasty items at Ethiopian restaurants continues....
(4)Tina N.
I've only ordered take out from here, and I'm hoping that most of their customers do the same. I say that because I never see this place busy but I want them to do well. To date, I've ordered the Lamb Tibs, Beef tibs (they were out of lamb that day), Chicken tibs and Chicken Doro Wat. I find the flavors to be superior to that of neighboring Ethiopian restaurants. Actually I dare say it's the best one of the many I've tried. My only complaint is that the while the Doro Wat is tasty, the one drumstick and an egg was a bit unsatisfactory. I think adding a thigh would bring the meal to perfect for me. The doro wat sauce does have a nice buttery flavor that I could just eat with injera, thus saving the dish. The other tibs are very good, flavor and portion. Like everyone says, the ambiance is boring but if you have some wine and good company, that will liven things up for you I'm sure. If you order for pickup, they tend to say 20-25 minutes, but I give them at least 40 minutes so I don't end up sitting around waiting. I do, of course, have the advantage of living within walking distance though.
(4)Lee H.
Super vegetarian combination plate - and as a former resident of the Adams Morgan section of Washington DC, I've tried many. Friendly and gentle service, quiet in mid-afternoon. I'll be back soon.
(5)Melanie Z.
The service is so friendly, but also SO slow. Since it's Ethiopian food, it's kind of to be expected that it will take a while though. The food is really good and extremely cheap for how much you get! I would come back to this place.
(4)Shweta K.
Amazing food! I would recommend the shimbra asa, shiro wot, misir wot and the sambusa. Good service and ambience.
(5)Tiya B.
Disclaimer: I am Ethiopian, so I have very high expectations; hence the four star rating. Ethio Cafe definitely makes the most authentic and the best tasting Ethiopian food than any other Ethiopian restaurant in Philadelphia - trust me I have tried them all. The veggie combo with fried fish ($12) is my favorite. The manager/owner is a sweetheart and definitely makes an effort to ensure that you are satisfied with your experience in the restaurant.
(4)Ben W.
Venture out for some new exciting flavors. I came here with a large group a couple weeks ago and was a little hesitant about going to Ethio because all the good things I heard about Abyssinia, right next door. Upon entering, the restaurant had a few other parties, but other than the quiet chatter, it was basically silent, which made it very awkward. It wasn't until halfway through our meal when they started to play music. Also, seating was arranged in a weird way and we had to move around tables before sitting, even though we had made a reservation. Ordering was a little difficult because there was a clear language barrier and it was hard to learn about what the different dishes were. We eventually settled on the Tour of Ethiopia, Gored Gored, and the Veggie Combo. It took about 20 minutes for the food to come out, but given the preparation that goes into it, we were more than patient for our food. The Tour of Ethiopia was beautifully presented on top of a huge bed of injera, but the portions were a little underwhelming. The beef tips were by far the tastiest on the plate and were the first to go. They were cooked to the perfect tenderness, and had that slight burnt flavor which I love in meats. The kitfo was also quite tasty, but when paired with the injera, some of it was lost. The doro wot wasn't too memorable; the chicken itself wasn't too strong in flavor, but the sauce made for great dipping. I'm a huge fan of raw meat delicacies and I was fairly satisfied with the spicy gored gored. The meat wasn't too tough and the spices really cut through the meat flavor and made for a great compliment with the injera. I feel bad for vegetarians because honestly the meat is where the flavor and the substance is at. The veggie platter was a great compliment to the meats, but I can't imagine just eating the veggies. The tastiest on the platter were definitely the collard greens, chickpeas, and green beans. Overall, it was a great dining experience, using our hands and injera to scoop up the food. However, the portions and pricing weren't exactly what I was expecting from a hole-in-the-wall restaurant located next door to a prominent restaurant of the same cuisine. I still have yet to try Abyssinia, but I will keep you updated! Pros: unique cuisine, homemade food feeling, friendly staff Cons: portions, hard-to-understand servers, lack of atmosphere Dishes to try: gored gored, beef tips Dished to skip: doro wot, veggies in general
(4)Srujana Y.
I agree with the other reviews that although there is nothing spectacular about the ambience/decor here, the food and service are great! My husband and I ordered sambusas for appetizers and shared a veggie combo platter. It came with three different lentils, cabbage-carrot curry, collard greens and a salad on an injera. Injera on the side was a little cold..wish they had warmed it up. But all the sides were warm enough and tasted really good. The quantity was sufficient for sharing between two people. Nice spicy Ethiopian food on a rainy day..what more can you ask for? ;) :)
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