Awash Ethiopian Restaurant

While the atmosphere is just a little harsh — the music loud and the incense potent — the food here is most definitely worth it. For a family of three, the vegetable combo for two and the meat combo for one was plenty. The flavor was outstanding, and meat very tender. The service was prompt and polite. And best of all, the food was inexpensive. I left feeling comfortably full and very satisfied.

When I first ate here ten months ago, I said, «This is the best Ethiopian food I’ve ever had. It’s just that the ingredients are so fresh.» And then I said, «Maybe it’s just me.»
So I took my friend here tonight, and she said, «This is the best Ethiopian food I’ve ever had. It’s just that the ingredients are so fresh.»
I dream of the lentils, the like of which I have never had. So flavorful, so colorful, so fresh.

One of the two best in the city, I think — along with Den Den. Fantastic

Isn’t it amazing how a potential calamity can either go up in flames… or you can stumble into Utopia? We were attending a wedding at the U of C and we had an hour between the ceremony and the reception… what to do? The local bars were closed… but I happened to notice Awash’s front window (with what looked like the picture of a woman sipping a beer). Jackpot! We ordered some tasty treats to go with our beverages (Sambusa and Doro Wat)…and it was absolutely wonderful. The owner couldnt have been nicer… and absolutely spoiled us (as my Big Gulp sized Gin and Tonic can attest to). To tie a nice little bow on everything, the atmosphere was quiet and charming and the bill was so reasonable… what more could you ask for? Bravo, Awash!

Great food and service. The Sambusa and Doro Wat was the best we’ve had in sometime. We are planning to go back soon. its smaller than the competition, but definitely something special.

Authentic Ethiopian food. So tasty, flavorful. I craved the fava beans with the red sauce for an entire week after eating there. They did an all teff injera which was nice since we are gluten free, and so many meat and vegetarian items. Highly recommend.

We had dinner at Awash tonight and left feeling ripped off. The portions were smaller than in the past and things were seriously overpriced. We ordered the Yebeg Alecha, which ended up being about 1 cup of food (including sauce). That cost $ 13.75. We asked about a fava bean dish that we had enjoyed there perviously and were brought a side of it. That cost over $ 14. I’d love to hear their explanation for how a fava bean side costs more than a lamb entrée. The food we got was all less flavorful than on previous visits. $ 80 for a forgettable dinner that didn’t fill our appetite. We won’t be back here again.

As a lover of Ethiopian food, and frankly all food, I thoroughly enjoyed Awash. We went there late on a quiet Tuesday evening. Many restaurants are not at their best when business is slow, but that was not the case here. We had a warm welcome and friendly, helpful service as we selected our dinner. I asked a ton of questions and our waitress was patient and respectful. The food was absolutely delightful and authentic. The flavors that chef Mercy uses are fresh and imported directly from her home region yielding a delightfully different result than the typical Ethiopian standard palate. There were dishes like the fava beans that you don’t find any where else. Amazingly creamy and difficult to pinpoint why it was so delicious. The yebeb tibs were tender and plentiful unlike some other restaurants so I could not finish the portion. I took my leftovers home and they were just as scrumptious later. I will definitely be returning to Awash!

Outstanding food. Tasty. Fresh. Great staff and service, too! Authentic dishes not seen in other Chicago Ethiopian restaurants.

So, have eaten here before a few times and the food was good. But recently the quality and taste has gone down to. 0… it does not taste good. Staff act like their doing me a favor by taking my order. lol
Better to go somewhere else like Ethiopian diamond.

I love, love, LOVE Ethiopian food — it is a pleasure that is not like any other. So when hubby asked where I wanted to go — it was hands down Ethiopian — just a matter of figuring out where. I love Ras Dashen, but we had it last on our rotation (over 2 months ago) then there is the Diamond, I think their food is some of the most flavorful in the city, however I always feel a certain way over the small portion size. Den Den is not exactly Ethiopian — it is Eritrean — so the flavors are not what I was seeking, but it has its place as well.
Okay so we couldn’t remember if we ever been to Awash — so it won by default. When we stepped inside we remembered that we indeed had been to Awash — just it was so very long ago.
What we had:
King George beer — hubby is a beer nut — and loves to try different brews from the micro to the exotic — he liked it
Tej for me — it was a little sweeter then I was expecting — but it is honey wine — so I can’t complain too much — it was good and drinkable
Lentil sambusas — they were good — not better or worst then any other place — not really a standout
Veggie Combo (written Cambo on the menu) — it had a couple of great features — one being there was two portions of all dishes — which is a real plus by not having to finger fight over the last of the split peas and lentils with the hubby, they were generous with the portions and I love that! —
As far as the flavors — I do miss some of the spice — but the portions and the garlic fava beans with the spicy «gravy» in the middle make up for that
We finished the meal stuffed opting to go coffee for me and tea for him — both nice and strong and a great compliment to the experience.
This is truly a happy Chicago Eats!

I Love this place. I go here all the time. Its not a 4 star restaurant but service is good and food is even better. I would recommend this place over any of the other Ethiopian restaurants in this area.
I always order the fried fish (not on the menu) and the veggie plate options.

I been a regular at this place for a while, going there every weekend but this weekend I took a big group for lunch. I have talked abt the place and how good the food is to my friends.
Once we ordered the food and it came tho, it was below our expectation and we mentioned that to the server. The server goes back to the kitchen and tells the owner how we felt abt the food and one of my friends over heard the owner say «they didn’t like the food? Let them suck it up!» We were shocked and went to confront her and surprise surprise she left! In 2 mins! Not only did she insult us but also she was hiding in the kitchen! As a business owner that was a cowardly move. Never going back there!

Beyond the shadow of a doubt, the best Ethiopian food in Chicago, and honestly, one of my favorite restaurants period. If I lived in the area I would go multiple times a week, I’m sure! I have been to at least five other Ethiopian places, including Ras Dashen, Demera, Ethiopian Diamond and the food here outshines them by a landslide and it is exclusively where I now go. It is fresher, better quality, and comes in enormous portions! The only problem is that I always leave uncomfortably full because I can’t stop eating such deliciousness!
The pace of the service is slow, but I like it… because I appreciate the time to conversate with friends, eat an intimate meal and have never felt rushed out of here (unlike many American restaurants). I can wind down, digest, and sip on a cup of dark, delicious Ethiopian coffee or a glass of their homemade Tej (honey wine). The staff is wonderfully friendly, I feel like I am eating a family dinner whenever I go. I have come here many, many times and have always been accommodated no matter how large the group. If I want to introduce a friend to Ethiopian cuisine, this is where I take them, and none of them have been disappointed!
Tip: The veggie combo platter has a white creamy bean dish topped with a rich, dark sauce in the center of the platter that is SO good!
Thank you to everyone at Awash for always making me feel welcome!

Omg… Where have I been? Lately I feel like all the Ethiopian places gave been slacking. New owners. Microwaved food. Small portions. Different food than what you ordered. Etc. Then I went on Unilocal to see if there were anymore Ethiopian places that I might of missed and Awash showed up. Seriously I think the best food I have ever had from this country. Hands down if I had to choose a last meal this would be in my top 3. Please dear God let this place stay this amazing for the rest of my life. On top of all that, they are so nice. Thank you for your generosity and love you put in your food. We can’t wait to go back.

This place is spectacular. Wonderful service, the people who work there are very friendly. I actually went here two days in a row, if that says something. I’ve eaten Ethiopian many times, and this place is among the top. I’ve gotten the meat and vegetable combos both times since I was with a couple of people. The sauces for the watt and tibs are excellent, and the meat itself is fresh and most importantly, not too fatty. For the vegetables, I love all of the lentil dishes, and the already mentioned fava beans that you’d think were something creamed is AMAZING. and they have another red bean that goes on top, seriously the best vegetarian Ethiopian dish I’ve had.
Also as a side note the homemade wine is sweet and delectable, and their tea is amazing. Its so fragrant in flavor and smell. All in all this is definitely the Ethiopian place you want to try out.

LOVE this restaurant. I have been here several times and the food as well as the service are always wonderful. The owner and staff are so warm and caring. They have this really great chickpea dish that looks like a white paste but it rocks!
This restaurant is also great for special occasions. For instance, a friend actually rented out the place and proposed here/​had his engagement party here a few months ago and the restaurant was VERY accommodating.

I was somewhat skeptical about trying this restaurant based on other reviews but I had a feeling that it would be a good experience based on some other reviews.
I’d passed by this place several times and was put off by how dark it appeared to be inside. Upon entering I was shocked to see how light and nice it actually was on the inside. Either my idea of what constitutes light and nice is polar opposite of what others are describing as dark or they’ve done some work inside to make it more inviting.
The restaurant was very nice and clean and I was immediately greeted by the young lady who was working there. The service throughout my meal was nothing short of perfect. She made sure I was attended to exactly when I needed her and made sure I understood she was there to serve me and encouraged me to let her know if she could do anything for me. Definitely 5 star service from this nice young lady!
As far as the food goes I had the beef sambusa for an appetizer, and for my main course I had the doro tibs which is a chicken dish. My main course came with 3 sides and I chose the cabbage, carrots and potatos as one side, and also had spinach and a salad.
The sambusas (2 of them for $ 3.95) arrived 8 minutes after I placed my order. They were large and tasted kind of bland. However, they came with a dipping sauce that brought them up a couple notches to being a very good appetizer. Sorry I can’t tell what the dipping sauce was made of but I can say it was very tasty and just the slightest bit of spiciness to it. When I say slightly spicy keep in mind I can not handle any type of spicy heat in my food so those that like a bit of kick to their food would find it not at all spicy.
As far as the main course (the doro tibs) goes I found it to be unappealing to my eyes and I thought I’d be lucky to eat a few bites just based on the appearance alone (it was pretty unappealing to the eyes which I think was caused by the tomatoes in it breaking down during cooking). However, when I tried it I was pleased to find out that it tasted almost as good as at my favorite Ethiopian restaurant Abyssinia which is also nearby on Broadway. By the way my main course with 3 sides cost $ 12.95 which seemed very fair considering the portions were large. It tasted good enough that I would not hesitate to order it again. The main course with 3 sides arrived 15 minutes after I placed my order so I did not experience any of the slow service that others have mentioned.
As far as the sides go they were all large portions and without exception they all tasted very good. The only thing I didn’t care for in any of my sides was in the salad there was 2 pieces of jalapeño pepper. The first one I accidently ate and after that I searched through it and removed the other piece of jalapeño. Once the offending peppers were removed that too was very good.
For one person eating by himself it really was a huge amount of food and I shouldn’t have eaten it all. However, since it did taste so good I pigged out and did eat everything on my plate. So I guess it’s safe to say unless you have a large appetite you probably will want to get an appetizer and a main course and share it between 2 people.
While this restaurant hasn’t knocked Abysinnia off it’s pedestal as my favorite restaurant I’m sure I will stop in from time to time. Go ahead and stop in if you’re wanting a really good meal with exceptional service. Thank you Awash for a very good meal and a great experience!

There is something about, or in Ethiopian cuisine that just slows the world around me down. Then again, maybe it’s just me who slows. Next thing I know when asked about the food I go with a… Food… Good.
I love Ethiopian so I find it strange that most Ethiopian restaurants are dead around ⁶⁄₇ at night. Whenever I go there is maybe two other tables. Do people not get how good this food is?! Or am I eating dinner at a strange time?! Either way I drove by to see empty table at all times of the day. I mean come on people, if you like Indian, it’s fairly similar. You have your meats, vegetables, sauces, and bread. Spices and flavors are different but if you have a palate for Indian you should for Ethiopian. Plus it’s more fun, you get to eat with your hands!
As for Awash, the service is excellent and the food is some of the best I’ve had. Service is slow but it is not because they are being mean, you’re supposed to take you time and relax. We tend to want to be in and out, but it doesn’t work like that here or any Ethiopian restaurant matter of fact. Actually, I thought the service was a bit faster then most places. Regardless of speed the service here was super friendly. The food is so good I almost want to say it’s the best Ethiopian I had so far. Everything was cooked perfectly, you got strong flavor with every bite, and the serving size was nice. It’s really hard to compare but the flavors here just seemed so much stronger then most places. I think more «research» is needed to make this decision, anyone want to join me?

I can’t believe that I have lived in the A-​ville/​Edgewater area for the past seven years and never experienced Awash. Talk about true Ethiopian experience!
As we walked in, we were greeted by incense burning and several locals talking about their day. We were greeted quickly by the hostess/​waitress and were sat immediately.
We decided on the lentil samosas (a food item very similar) for an appetizer and had the vegetarian dinner for two. The lentil appetizer was very tasty and the three dipping sauces were great! As for the dinner?!? Double yummy! Each vegetarian item was extremely fresh and varied in spiciness. We could not stop eating; and physically had to hit our «pause» button, so we would not get too stuffed.
The waitress was always in arm’s length if we needed anything, but was not overpowering.
We ended up chilling here for almost two hours on a chilly February evening and enjoyed relaxing for the time at Awash.
I am so glad I finally experienced a dining adventure here and could see myself eating here again!