Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant

This restaurant was always a favorite of ours from back in the day when an older Ethiopian couple ran it. A few years ago, they sold it to a younger couple who have served also as maitre d’ and chef, respectively. My wife prefers mild food, but the new style is pretty uniformly spicy, so she has stopped coming. However, as a fan of spicy, I am still a big fan. My selection is nearly always kitfo, made the old fashioned home style way with raw beef and peppers. They also have tilapia and tuna on the menu, as well as a vegetarian selection. The injera is very flavorful and the pot cheese (dry cottage cheese) is always tasty. The menu also provides gomen (greens) on request, and they are delicious. You can also BYOB, so I bring my own wine. The owners keep halal but do not object to customers drinking. This is not the only Ethiopian restaurant in Memphis, but it is still the tops in flavor, if you like intense food.

If you enjoy spices, lentils, stews, slow cooked meats and vegetables you will love Abyssinia. I go to get a to-​go box from their lunch buffet on my lunch break about once a week. The injera is an experience unto itself– it is a sourdough sponge bread made with teff (a high protein very tiny grain). It is used as a serving platter, and the utensil (torn bits to scoop the stews etc) itself. The contrast of textures is fantastic. The guy who runs the place always has a great smile on his face, and it makes me happy every time I come back. At 8 $ (or 10 $ for takeout like I often do) the lunch buffet is highly affordable and a great way to ease in to the Ethiopian dining experience if you are a first timer!

The food here is absolutely fantastic. I make it a point to stop here when I am on those side of town.

I tried their food for the first time at a retreat. It was sooo delicious! I haven’t tried any of the dishes with meat yet, but I didn’t miss them with the veggie platter. It’s definitely worth the ride if you’re looking for a exotic meal that is flavorful healthy and extremely tasty!

I was parking and the manager scared the begeezs outta me by abruptly opening the restaurant door and yelling at me. He was RUDE AS HELL. I didn’t even get into the restaurant before he yelled at me about parking in one of 5 empty spots. I was coming to get my makeup done upstairs and I was going to grab food there before I headed to my next appointment. NOPE!
Anyone who yells at potential patron about parking will never get my business.

This is a very very good place to have any meal, I had eaten there several times before taking my family and they loved it. Eating with your hands is such a divine experience puts you personally in contact with your food on another level that using utensils don’t give. I have tried another similar restaurant but this is hands down the best. The food is fresh delicious and filling the restaurant is clean and friendly. I love it and when I crave Ethiopian food, I make the trip here.

Great authentic Ethiopian restaurant, I love this place, it’s like a secret. never too crowded!

A friend of mine from out of town wanted to experience a different cuisine from the average American diet so I suggested Abyssinia Restaurant as an alternative. She agreed and we went there. We went through the motions of the typical ordering and she was going to order a lamb fitfit dish, but the owner suggested she try the yebeg t’ibs. After some heavy thought she’d decided to give the yebeg t’ibs a try. So, as soon as she tasted a few bites she looked highly dissatisfied with her dish and I told the owner that she did not want her order. He looked at me and said that she ate her food. She responded she tried to eat it, then the owner had the nerve to walk away without an apology, without offering another item, and without considering her displeasing dining experience. She still had a plate full of food on her plate. She complained that her stomach was hurting after eating it.
So, we got up and I was about to pay for my food. He charged for the food she was displeased with and was charging a whole twenty-​two dollars in all. We both work in the customer service industry and we tried to explain to him that his customer service skills are below standards and his behavior was unacceptable. He looked of to his left staring at the sports game on his tv with a nonchalant look on his face ignoring everything we were saying.
Then, since she’d paid for her meal she decided to take it to go and to give it to someone else. He then made a sly remark as she walked away, saying, «You want to go for bad food, huh».
I have never in my life been so disgusted with a business like this. Thus new owner of Abyssinia Restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee is tarnishing the founders of this establishments legacy.
One thing that I have learned working in the customer service industry is that you do not walk away from dissatisfied customers, you do not ignore customer concerns, you do not force them to pay for meals that are dissatisfactory, and you do not make sly remarks to them or about them. I will not patronize him ever again and I will be tell a hundred of my other friends to beware of his establishment.

There are several Ethiopian restaurants in Memphis and Abyssinia is BY FAR the best!!! Owner Khalifa and his staff are very friendly, courteous, and professioabl. The food is very affordable with HUGE portions, even when you don’t order the buffet. I also love how well seasoned all of their food is, even the veggies. This restaurant is also very vegetarian friendly and as everyone keeps metioning, the lentils are THE BEST!!! I have had Ethiopian food all over America — including DC — and Abyssinia is by far one of my favorites!!! So check it out and tell Khalifa hi. You won’t be disappointed.

Sat for 35 min no water or anything Service was bad and nonexistent all at the same time, we left

A friend from Memphis recommended this place to me so I decided to check it out during my visit this time. First thing first, this place can be hard to find! The restaurant is located on Poplar and tucked between Collins and N Bingham St. It is hard to find because it is tucked in this office/​apartment looking building. There is parking in front of the building or behind its building.
There wasn’t many people when we walked in and we were immediately seated. The man serving us (I assume he’s the owner) was very nice. My boyfriend and I ordered the Gored Gored, Yefesekbeyaynetu, and white tuna saltata so that we could get some variety. The portion they give you is really large (especially with the inerja, which really fills you up) and comes in a ‘family style’ (which basically means they put all the dishes on one large plate). The leftovers were enough to feed my boyfriend and I a whole other meal!
The gored gored was like chucks of steaks, this was one of my boyfriend’s favorite dish. The meat was tender and very well seasoned. Actually, all the dishes were very flavorful so it’s nice that every dish comes with a side (veggies or lentils) to switch up the flavor. My favorite was the white tuna saltata. IThe flavoring is the combination of saltiness with a little hint of sweetness which really gives it a nice finish. The yefesekbeyaynetu, the combo meal, was also pretty good. But I’d definitely get the white tuna saltata if I came back next time (or maybe try something different).
Lastly, I have to really recognize the owner and his kitchen staff. I think it was just him serving the food, seating the customers, taking orders, and checking out customers and it seems like there was maybe only one or two people in the kitchen cooking. FOr having so few staff, they really had quick and friendly service. I would definitely recommend this place, not to mention they have AYCE lunch buffets for only 8 bucks!

I had lunch here today, and it was my first time being there or having Ethiopian food. My friend has talked about this place forever, so she and I had the buffet lunch.
The place is a hole in the wall, very simple and basic décor, and the entire front end was being run by one man.
We did the $ 8 lunch buffet. The various salads were SO good, spicy chicken dish was delicious and the red lentils were really good.
Definitely not somewhere I will go often, but I will absolutely go back. I’m glad I gave it a shot.

I have given lot of thought before giving this review. I would never give such a bad review had it not been the torture we had to go through after having food at this place.
This place is awful !!! We both, me and my wife were sick for almost 5 days. My wife is still recovering from the effects of this misadventure. The food looked good but there was no taste, we could not even finish our portions and it still managed to seriously affect our gastric system.

Lunch buffet was a great bargain ! Lot of veggie options, and there was a chicken stew. Good, mild flavors but the Injera was a little sour.
Food — 3.5÷5 Buffet had enough options, À la carte had huge portions.
Service– ⁴⁄₅ It was a one-​man show. Quite responsive though!
Price-​5/​5 Value for money
Ambiance– 2.5÷5 No frills ambiance.

I liked «The Ethiopian» restaurant on N. Germantown parkway (closed now) better than Abyssinia. However, this is the only Ethiopian restaurant we currently have in Memphis besides Derae which served East African cuisine as well.
I had a lunch buffet here for $ 7.99+ tax. The only meat option was chicken. The food overall is good. They have 3 different kinds of lentil preparations. The chicken curry was spicy and had a great taste. Their injera (bread) is so soft and tasty that you cannot get over it. They had only one dessert option which was lemon cake and probably they didnt make it. (My friends told me that it looked like its bought from Kroger)
The ambiance is ok. The parking lot is small and you might not find a spot. We parked in the neighboring parking lot.
It is a good place to go for lunch, as it is closer to midtown/​downtown. But they can make it better.

MEMPHIS’ MOST AUTHENTIC ETHIOPIAN CUISINE
It wasn’t till the 1400’s when Portuguese traders ibreached this land locked country and introduced Indian curry and chili pepper. It’s a culture that fast two hundred plus days a year. The lamb, goat, beef, chicken and vegetarian dishes are off the chart superb. Simple recipes that are the oldest in the world. It’s clean, wholesome and healthy. Definity one of my most favorite ethnic cuisine.
Abyssinia is the historical name of Ethiopia.

I visited here with a large group of 12 girls.
Here are some of the highlights:
1. It is a little squished for large parties, it’s a long narrow space so getting a table pushed together is complicated.
2. You can bring your own wine and no corkage fee is required
3. Choosing an item was a little complicated but they have many combos so you can try multiple items
4. Some of the food is pretty spicy but it’s all wonderful
5. Parking is limited and the stores close by can be someone nasty about parking in «their parking spaces».
Overall I’d visit again but maybe not with a large group.

Had been to this place twice before and liked it. Then somehow forgot about it. Today went there for lunch buffet with a friend and o boy, it was some real gooood food???
I took away one star for the lazy staff. I remember they were very alert and attentive when we went there for the first two times.
But this time, I was surprised at their behavior. I wanted them to explain to us all the food in the buffet, but they seemed too lazy to do that.
But I have no complaints coz the food compensated for everything. The injera bread was good, loved the green and red lentils. I don’t know how authentic Ethiopian food tastes like, but whatever this is, it’s pretty good.
Will go back!

Holy moly is this good food!!! And great service!!! And cheap! Quite the trifecta.
This is my first time dining here and my first time having Ethiopian food… in Memphis. I have to say this because I was dubious about how good it would be… but it exceeded my wildest expectations.
I don’t really have anything other to say except reiterate the fact that you should go here. Oh, and you can bring a bottle of wine and there is no corkage fee. Woot woot! Love. And if it is your first time there get the meat or vegetable combo.
So why 4 not 5? The parking lot can be a pain and it is a teensy bit run down. I just think they could make the atmosphere way cooler than what it is…

It has been at least 3 years since I visited Abyssinia. However, it was lunch time and I decided to check them out again. I used to crave their food. The place has been renovated and updated with new tables and flooring, however still kinda dark lighting mixture.
Well, I decided to get take out from the bar and fixed my own plate. There was only chicken for meat and a good variety of vegetables at $ 9.86 with tax. However, I was quite disappointed with the taste and quality of the foods seasoning and temperature. Service was very friendly, but I won’t be back.