Axum Restaurant

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

This is our go to Ethiopian place — 3^rd time there this past weekend and it never fails to disappoint. Usually get the veggie combo and either chicken or beef. Always delicious.

Honestly can’t find better Ethiopian food in Vancouver and at a reasonable price. I LOVE this place. Anytime someone tells me they want Ethiopian, I send them here. I give the typical «Yeah it’s not near your place and it’s out of the way but it’s totally worth it» speech.
The injera is delicious. It’s always soft and spongy and deliciously sour. Haven’t had better injera ever. Yes, ever.
I’m a sucker for the kitfo. I’ve ordered other stuff but it’s my «go to». I often get it cooked medium but lately have been enjoying it rare. Their veggie combo is delicious. I always get that for my girlfriend because she likes a good variety. I’ve never eaten here (or had take out) and been left hungry. It’s so filling and is absolutely delicious, perfectly seasoned and just YUM!
Come here. Give it a try. Tell me what your thoughts are.
PS: sometimes they’re a bit slow cooking the food, so bear with them — trust me, it’s worth the wait!

I spent six months in Ethiopia as a child and loved the cuisine, which my family learned to make with varying degrees of skill over the years after our return to Canada. I came to Axum with high hopes, having already tried Nyala, Harambe, Addis Café, and others in Vancouver (those experiences are for other reviews). Here’s my take: Axum’s vegetarian dishes are excellent, except for the hyper-​pureed, hyper-​salty split pea dish. Both the Doro Wot and the Tib Beef Wot were also overly salty, which disappointingly overshadowed the more interesting flavours of the spiced butter, cardamon, fenugreek, etc. Also, the portions of meat in both wots were ridiculously tiny: The Doro Wot at $ 12 should have had more than one small drumstick (it was erroneously described in the menu as a «chicken leg», which to me implied an attached thigh too!). Anyhoo, I have made much better Doro Wot myself: It is a laborious process to find, assemble, and process all of the ingredients for Ethiopian spiced butter and Berbere sauce, which form the basis for all the dishes, but well worth it. Check out, if you can still find a copy, Jeff Smith’s «The Frugal Gourmet: On our Immigrant Ancestors» (1990, New York, William Morrow & Co.). The Ethiopian recipes in this book yield amazing results.

First time ever eating Ethiopian food and I’m quite satisfied.
I don’t really have anything to compare to it, but I was so excited I was able to get a taste of Ethiopia. I love the sponge bread — so delicious and a new form of carb! Every dish we ordered was made to perfection. I had nothing to complain about and the owners were too kind.
If only this place was a bit closer to the main city, I would definitely come here more often. But if you are venturing out in Vancouver and have available transportation, check them out — seriously some great eats!

Get the veggie combo! It’s amazing and SO filling. I’ve ordered it a few times and each time I’ve had to take some home. In effect, the veggie platter alone is good for 2 light meals/​lunches or one big meal and a snack for one person. I just wish they had more options.
The Injeras here are incredible, super soft and spongy, I’d love to make a mattress out of them :)

This is my favorite restaurant in the entire world. I started coming here because it was the favorite of my East African friends. I’ve tried other Ethiopian restaurants but this one is by far my favorite. Their injera is consistently great, not too thin and not dry or crunchy around the edges. Their spices are just perfect, it is so addictive. I really would eat here every day if I could. I always come here for my birthday and all of my friends love it as well! The owner is super nice, all of the staff are, great at answering questions and making recommendations. The restaurant is nicely decorated and clean, also fairly large if you have a big group.

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

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!
The freshest Injera I have ever had at any Ethiopian restaurant anywhere in North America. On a scale of 1 to 10. The food here is a 9. Not perfect, but pretty damn close! And let’s face it, perfection is a mirage after all…
Support your neighbors, your local small businesses! This is exactly how you do that! These people deserve every damn nickel you spend here. It’s very affordable, delicious, nutritional and has free parking! I will be back many, many times. :-)

I was looking for something extraordinary and new and this place completely fullfill my exceptations! Area isnt the best, but if you get somewhere near its worth it visit!
There is an open kitchen, so everything is cooked (almost) in front of you.
We got huge plate with injera — with lega tibs (lamb legs) and mushroom, veggie combo. Food was yummy — mushrooms were spicey, but not that kind when it is too much.. We also got full plate of additional injeras, I just wish they were little warmer.
I kinda expected more colours, more diffrent things on plate– menu is really simple — now I would definitely go for veggie combo for nice 12 bucks.
Overall food was good, not pricey, I might go again

One of the best Ethiopian restaurants in Vancouver. Don’t let the location (Hastings at Clark) fool you. The chef also makes a delicious mushroom based dish for those of you who crave an alternative to the usual vegetarian offerings at Ethiopian restaurants. Service can be a little slower than at other Ethiopian restaurants, but the payoff is that this food is FRESH!

Somebody (who had been there before) arranged a meal here. I’ve never tried Injera before (The bread that is used to pick up the food with your hands). Unfortunately I can’t say it was to my taste. The sort-​of puréed food that accompanied it was, while interesting, not to my taste. The place itself is way out of town in a parking lot.
I think this must be the type of restaurant people who know and love this kind of food must return to all of the time. I won’t be one of them.

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

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

I went to Axum last night as part of a meetup for Meatless Meetup Group. I have tried ethiopian food once and I thought it was very good. Axum is very loyal to this cuisine. I found the same «bread» (I feel like it’s more like a crêpe, more fluffy and with more holes in it) and the same dishes. Lots of dips to eat with your bread. Some dishes are a bit too spicy for my taste but I enjoyed the dishes called Atikilt Wot (Fresh Green Beans & Fresh Carrots Simmered in Flavoured Mild Sauce), Tikil Gomen (Cabbage, Carrot & Potatoes Simmered in Mild Sauce) and Kik Alicha (Yellow Split Peas Simmered in Mild Sauce).
The restaurant is a bit out of the way and to be quite honest, the area is a bit sketchy, but you don’t come to this part of town for the scenery. :)
The service was good. There was always food (it was an all-​you-​can-​eat buffet) and when I asked for more cutlery, the server gave us some very quickly.
I have a great time at Axum. I recommend it if you want to try Ethiopian food.

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

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

I am addicted to this restaurant! I’ve attended vegan buffets there with the Meatless Meetup group and been able to try all their veggie dishes and I can vouch that they are all so delicious, never too salty, never too oily. The injera is also excellent. If going on your own, I particularly recommend their vegetarian combo platter where you can choose 4 dishes for $ 10, a great value.
The only bad experiences I have had have been with one server, with whom I’ve had repeated difficulty communicating. No problems with any other staff. The owners are wonderful, really trying to offer quality at affordable prices.
I wish there was an Axum in Kitsilano!

I’ve tried several other Ethiopian Restaurants in Vancouver before trying Axum. I’m going to stick with this out of the way gem.
What it (occasionally) lacks in service, it more than makes up for in flavour. For two of us we typically get the Shiro, the Miser Wot, and another veggie dish. It never disappoints. For the price of a share plate for two at other Ethiopian restaurants (that will probably leave you hungry) you get a huge feast here, and leftovers.
Tip: I don’t bother with sample plates any more because I’m usually left hungry and without any knowledge of which blob was which.
So, head on down to Axum for probably the best Ethiopian you’ll have in this rainy city.

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