Asmara

Consider this fair warning that the Asmara experience probably isn’t for everyone.
I appreciated the service here, mostly, though I would have loved the opportunity to order dessert before being given my check, but the food was very disappointing for me.
I ordered the #6, Alitcha Derho or chicken stew, which costs about $ 15 for a dinner portion and comes with bread, a salad and a side. I wasn’t given the option of which side I wanted, but was served the red lentils. When my food arrived, most of it was cold. The chicken curry stew was bland and the lentils were so spicy that I couldn’t eat them (admittedly a problem with me, not the food, but I would have liked the opportunity to pick the other cabbage and potato side when I ordered). The bread was cold and fell apart under the weight of the food, making it difficult to eat with. The texture and temperature of everything made me feel like it had been pre-​cooked and then just microwaved to warm before service. Additionally, the portions of everything but the bread were small given the price tag.
The one element of my meal I did enjoy was the honey wine, which was unfiltered, sweet and strong.
I thought about going back again to see if this was just an off experience before writing this review, but honestly I can’t see spending this amount of money to be disappointed again. You may well love Asmara, it may be that it was simply «not for me,» but I’ll pass.

This was a wonderful dining experience. This is definately a place to fix those spicy food cravings. (althought they do have mild options) The service was absolutely excellent. They were so attentive, friendly and accomadating. They
provide wet cloths to wash your hands before serving your meals.
The food was an entirely new and exciting experience for my taste buds. The injera (bread that the food is seved on) was light and held up well to scooping up the food, until the center gets soggy. They will provide plenty of extra injera to sop up all the deliciousness. The veggie somosas had a crispy exterior and a medley of veggies inside. I ordered the spicy chicken dish with the cabbage and potatoe side. The chicken does come on drumsticks and im not a fan of bones but it was tender and bursting with spicy flavor. The cabbage and potatoes were so good, I definatly would have ordered a larger helping. The salad was fresh and simple with a wonderful vinagerette dressing.
The house made mead was wonderful, with a delightful taste and smooth sweet honey finish. I would come back for this alone. They also offer soda and kenyan beers. I would definately like to come back and enjoy a coffe ceremony.

I LOVE Eritrean food, having studied abroad in Asmara in college, I can say with strong support that this restaurant offers a very authentic experience! The spicy smells, decorations and hospitality bring me back to Asmara (the capital city) every time I eat here.
There are many vegetarian options (sometimes called ‘fasting foods’), but ALL are utterly delicious! I could eat here daily, or at least weekly, if I had the funds and friends who’d join me!
To get the best vegetarian experience bring a friend or two and share the vegetarian sampler platter. It comes with 2 lentils dishes, beans, okra, potatoes & cabbage, spinach and salad. You can make hundreds of flavor combinations — all amazing! The red lentils are spicy — not for the faint of heart. Other dishes are simply full of flavor and Eritrean goodness.
Eating is very communal, everything is served on a large plate of injera, a sourdough pancake made from teff flour (a grassy wheat). Don’t go to any Eritrean (or Ethiopian) restaurant with folks you don’t want to literally break bread with!
The staff here are so friendly, kind and accommodating. Having visited here a few times, I am always impressed with the great customer service. The menu pricing is a little high, but everything is made fresh, in-​house and with love! They do have a lunch special — anything on the menu for $ 8.95.
Can’t wait to go back and get another fixing of such fabulous food, in a warm, welcoming place!

To start I had no idea what to expect when walking into the doors of this place. Was I going to be sitting on a pillow on the floor? Will there be anything on the menu I like?
I came here with a pretty big group and was surprised how fast the staff took drink orders and had them delivered. People in the group ordered the honey wine and it seemed to be a big hit.
My wife and I split a dinner and I’m glad we did because it was big enough for two. We ordered the spicy chicken. I was a little surprised that the chicken was still on a bone even though it was covered in sauce and the closest silverware was located at the restaurant next door. The flavors were great, the sauce was spicy and had a nice kick, it wasn’t as spicy as I imagined but still very good flavor.
I would recommend this place to anyone looking for something new to try.

Asmara has been on my radar for sometime, but it wasn’t until recently I finally had the opportunity to go. A large group of us came for a Supper Club series. The owners were abundantly thoughtful and accommodating. When they realized the table they had seated us a wasn’t large enough, they rearranged their whole restaurant to make sure we could fit comfortable. We appreciated this!
Asmara is a very small, family operation (I believe the daughter was doing homework on her laptop at another table). So when you’re here: be patient. Waters, drinks, and food come out one by one by one. One of our servers (who also happened to be the cook) allowed us to do separate checks, which was a blessing. She had a great sense of humor and was very knowledgeable about the menu.
Things to know if you’ve never come:
1. Warm, damp towels are passed around before the meal for your hands.
2. Dining with someone? You will be asked if you want to share a plate (your food, plus your partners food served on the same injera). Word to the wise: this does NOT work if you’re a vegetarian eating with a meat-​eater.
3. There are no utensils, you’ll be eating with your hands. Rip off a piece of injera, scoop up some of your protein, enjoy! I do!
4. Take a Zantac if you’re one of those «I’m getting older and everything spicy bothers me lately» kind of people like I’ve become.
5. This place is GREAT for vegetarians.
Now, what I ordered:
+ Housemade honey wine ($ 8 for a large): D-​A-​N-​G-​E-​R-​O-​U-​S. This stuff is dangerous. It’s a golden colored, thick, honey-​flavored alcohol that sneaks up on you without warning. It’s delicious, sensual (can alcohol be sensual?), and one of the best adult beverages happening in the city of Portland right now that no one knows about.
— Veggie Sambusa ($ 1.75): It was pretty underwhelming both in appearance, presentation, and flavor. Overly fried thick dough with a scant filling of potatoes and peppers. I wouldn’t order this again.
+ The Vegetarian Sampler ($ 40.95): Samples of the Spicy Okra and Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach (we had two scoops of this), Birsen (red lentils in a red curry sauce), Alitcha (cabbage, carrots, potatoes in a yellow curry sauce), Fou’l (fava beans, tomatoes, hot peppers, and onions), and two scoops of salad fit fit (chopped lettuce and tomatoes with house dressing) on top of two inerja (which, as others have mentioned, is this bubbly, sour pancake-​like bread). It’s enough to feed three people, but I wouldn’t say more than that. It was definitely the perfect thing to get though, for those of us who had never had experience with Eritrean food. The injera under the food does get damp to the point of unholdable, so be sure to ask for me (which they’ll give you complimentary) if you need it.
Next time I go (which might be at lunch when everything on the menu is $ 8.95), I look forward to trying the Shiro ($ 12.95) which comes with roasted, ground chickpeas and red pepper cooked with fresh garlic and earthy spices. That just sounds like happy belly food.

Injera, berbere, keyi, alitcha… all part of the everyday household lexicon, right?
I learned a lot on my first trip to an Eritrean restaurant, which I understand is close to, or actually is, Ethiopian cuisine. I can’t seem to get a straight answer, but whatever — this food is delicious.
Asmara is a tiny place heated to about 270 degrees, so tip #1 — don’t wear a sweater. (The restroom is heated to torture chamber levels. WTH?)
Tip #2: Order some of that delicious honey wine. You won’t be disappointed. I’m more of a beer guy (and I ordered the Tusker lager from Kenya, and it was awesome), so I didn’t order it. But one of my dining partners was kind enough to give me a taste. It was a perfect balance between sweet and quaffable, and not an extreme alcohol kickback like many meads I have tried. I could wander in here during a snowstorm (in a bathing suit) and drink a handful of those puppies down. Tasty.
The food here is the real reason to come (along with the service, which I will get to). I wasn’t terribly impressed with the veggie sambusa appetizer. I found the outer fried shell a little too hard, and the inside a little bland. The American in me craves a dipping sauce of some sort for this kind of appetizer.
But the dinner — wow, this was good. You get a choice of injera or rice (the injera comes by default if not specified.) What’s injera? It’s about as large as a Dutch pancake with a slightly thicker consistency and a wheat-​colored tone. On top of that injera are three portions — the main dish (basically lamb, chicken or beef with different veggies, spices and/​or sauces mixed in), a side dish (choice of three) and a salad. You rip off a piece of the injera and do your best to estimate how much you can fit inside it, awkwardly grasping at food without trying to make a huge mess. Sounds awful, but it’s a neat experience.
The flavors were intense. I ordered the Lamb with Spinach, which is sautéed with onions and berbere. What’s berbere? No clue, but it’s hot and it’s tasty. Not unbearably, meathead-​nuclear-​wing-​eating hot, but very spicy hot. The Tuskers went down quick. So did the food.
I would say the big surprise of the meal was the red lentil stew side dish, which I absolutely loved. On next visit, I may order this as my main dish. (Yes, there are a few vegetarian options.) This had incredible flavor and beautiful consistency, with a scrumptious red pepper sauce swimming with the lentils. Highly memorable. But beware — this is a very filling meal. I advise you eat slowly (unlike me).
Final note is the wonderful service. Very nice folks who own this place, checking in to make sure we enjoyed our meals. All pleasant demeanors and it felt like they were welcoming us into their home. If you’re unsure about Eritrean (Ethiopian?) food, give this place a shot. Worth it.

What a cool new experience! This was my first time eating Ethiopian food and I did not know what to expect. I came with a group of 12 – 13 people and I felt the restaurant did a good job of accommodating us. This place has a great family owned feel that I really enjoyed. I felt like they really wanted us to enjoy ourselves and have a good experience.
The dinner entrees ranged from about $ 15-​$ 17 and come served on a large piece of injera. (Which I would describe as a thin sourdough bread pancake). I ordered the spicy beef stew with a side of cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. It came served on the large piece of injera and not as a traditional bowl of stew. Just like the description says, it is spicy! Very delicious! The reason for 4 stars and not 5 stars is I think the dinner prices are a little high for the portion. However, I did notice that they were advertising a lunch special that was 8.95 for any meal on the menu! This would definitely be worth returning for.
I also tried the house made honey wine. I loved this! It tasted like a honey mead. I also loved how they serve it! See my picture below.

Great food… everything we tried was delicious. Amazing honey mead too. Friendly service!

We were excited to try this place after seeing the great reviews. Ultimately I felt a little let down though. I like trying new foods, I just found the flavors to be a bit off for my tastes, the curried chicken and injera particularly. (I didn’t realize injera was literally sourdough). I did like the chicken with onions peppers and tomatoes though. I may come back for lunch and give that particular dish another shot, with rice. The dinner price for the portion size was a bit steep too. I left feeling like I could have had a better meal for the money elsewhere. It was a new experience though.

The vegetarian platter for three is great! I would highly recommend this place. The owner Asmeret is great to talk to.

It’s like an Ethiopian style café/​diner. Authentic owners, with an Ethiopian menu. I’m sure the menu is based mostly in family traditions. Asked the waiter (who was possibly the owner or a relative of) what he would recommend, stating I have no preferences over meat type and that I like all kinds of spiciness), I got a humble ‘it’s all good, do you like chicken, spicy’, sure, let’s go with that. I know it’s probably a cringe worthy question, but secretly I was hoping he’d say ‘I love xyz I have something I’m sure you’ll like. It’s not on the menu but for those that are open to something different, this is what I recommend’ :) alas, it wasn’t to be, but close enough answer. Asked for Mango juice and got a can of Goya Mango. I get it, but maybe it would have been better poured into a glass behind the counter so as to kinda fake better quality. Asked for the appetizer that ended in Fit Fit. Really zesty, light salad. Good flavor. Then the entrée came 3 mins later. Not sure the name, just a huge 12″ fluffy pancake with spicy marinated chicken on the bone (I shredded it with a spoon it fell off the bone), spinach and some other stuff. Felt bad I started it all before they bought the towel to wipe my hands first. Oh well. Very polite owners. Chill atmosphere. All in all I paid $ 26 which was reasonable for Portland. Will come again.

Great find! I have been to a few Ethiopian Restaurants in a few States but the food here was Superb, has the Lamb with okra and could not stop eating:)))
Great experience!

Ethiopian in Portland? Yup, Portland has this too, and it’s really good! Don’t let the inside fool you into not coming in. It’s not hipster, it doesn’t have exposed wood or brick walls, and that’s okay. The food speaks for itself, and the flavors are intense, the way that good Ethiopian food should be. All highly authentic, and the best part is it doesn’t break the bank. I like to come with friends that are more adventurous eaters, because they can appreciate it more. Wouldn’t recommend it for people that don’t really like spicy food.

Never would have guessed that I’d find a great Ethiopian restaurant in Maine. I was even more shocked to find that the food was just as good, if not better, than any Ethiopian that I’ve had before, even in D.C. We had the vegetarian sampler and each dish was nothing short of amazing. It just felt like all the food was made with love. However, I was a bit taken aback by the price. It was about $ 32 for the lunch portion. My local restaurant only charges $ 14 for the same thing. This wouldn’t stop me from eating here again, just something that surprised me a little.
Service was good. I’ve only been a few times because I’m not local to the area. One of the times we went, they had a small group come in and it seemed like they weren’t used to serving so many people at once. I’m assuming this is family run, as there seemed to only be one or two people cooking. It took a while to get the food, but once our food got to the table, it was entirely worth it. This is definitely a rare gem in meat and potatoes Maine.

Delicious Eritrean food. Spinach and potatoes in berbere, red lentil stew and injera. The honey wine was refreshingly different. Great wait staff too.

The amount of food was great. I am so full. Getting to eat with my hands was fun. The taste of every part of the meal was the best. First time eating Ethiopian food. Highly recommend you try it. I will definitely be back with friends.

Cozy hole-​in-​the-​wall with a family-​owned vibe.
Came in on a Wednesday night with my lovely accompaniment and we had the place to ourselves.
Sat at the window booth and had a nice view of Oak street on a rainy night.
Not your normal «Maine» fare, however totally worth making a trip to Portland for.
It was more of a dining experience as compared to just ordering and eating.
Thought the honey wine would be painfully sweet but was just right. Strong honey flavor.
The highlight of the chop-​chop salad was the dressing and torn bits of Injera.
Chickpeas were flavorful, delicious and creamy.
Meal was serve communal, without utensils. My new favorite utensil? Injera!
Think of a pancake made with sour dough.
Meat served next to vegetarian entrée.
Strict vegetarians who would be offended by this, be warned!
Went back with a friend to try the vegetarian sampler. Menu says serves 3 – 4 people for about $ 41 but we were able to finish almost the entire platter. Perfect amount left for lunch the next day.
The chickpeas remain my favorite, although everything was delicious.
Tried the Tusker Ale this time around, a traditional beer in Africa and although I’m no beer-​connoisseur, I really enjoyed it.
The very friendly and thoughtful owner served our food and engaged in interesting conversation.
He even remembered me the second time I went in.
I find myself wanting Asmara over and over and over again…

Eat with my hands? Why not. Not to worry they will give you a spoon or fork if you aren’t dexterous enough to shovel the grub into your pie hole with your paws. And shovel it in I did.
This place is my favorite sort of place, a small hole in the wall next to a more popular café. They won out since my friend and I didn’t have cash and Asmara takes plastic.
We walked in around 130pm and were suddenly worried, it was empty, just us and the waitress and owner (mother and daughter.) Those worries were calmed by walk in lunch take away. We ordered and the food was to our table quickly.
I felt bad that my friend and I had to have separate plates, she’s strict vegetarian and I ordered meat. But they accommodated us without issue.
The food arrived quickly and man, it was good. There was enough that I couldn’t finish my meal (Chicken stew) and my friend left feeling that she’d eaten too much. The food was flavorful and delicious. Prices for lunch are extremely affordable, with dinner prices being a little more expensive.
I left here wanting to take all of my friends for lunch, too bad I don’t live in Portland. A spot I’ll remember for the next time I’m traveling through Portland.

Really can’t beat this place if you’re into Eritrean/​Ethiopian food. I don’t have too much to add to the glowing reviews, but I’ll highlight a few points:
1) Food is extremely tasty and varied — the veggie sampler has items such as okra and ful which you don’t see everywhere
2) Extremely pleasant and thoughtful owner/​chef — she saw that we had kids who were craning their necks to see SpongeBob on her television behind the counter (for her little nephew); she turned the tv so they could watch it too!
3) Great kid’s menu — basically, a few items in a tomato sauce w/​o the spice, but still served on injera, so I can say my toddlers enjoyed Eritrean cuisine!
4) Best salad dressing — usually the salad is a thrown on in the sampler, but this was the best salad I’ve ever had
5) Cool photos on the wall — waterfalls, picturesque sunsets, runners, you really get the vibe

Ethiopian food is good stuff and this place is good. The injura was tasty as was the lamb, salmon and chicken.
Overall, however, it was a bit under whelming compared to other Ethiopian I’ve had elsewhere. I would recommend the food if you want some.
The atmosphere was a bit less than great. There was no music, some regular tables and photos on the walls, unlike all the other places which were much more traditional. The staff was pleasant and attentive.