Saba Ethiopian Cuisine

Seattle, United States

3.9

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 206-328-2290
Website:
sabaethiopiancuisine.com
Address:
110 12th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98122
b/t Fir St & Yesler Way
Central District
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
190 ftE Yesler Way & 12th Ave S
440 ftBoren Ave & E Yesler Way
480 ftE Yesler Way & 14th Ave
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Dogs Allowed
No
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Open now
Local time (Seattle) 13:59 Wednesday, 11 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Tuesday 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Wednesday 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Thursday 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Friday 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Saturday 11:00 am – 2:00 am
Sunday 11:00 am – 2:00 am

Description

Specialties

Authentic Ethiopian Food

History

Established in 2000.

We open summer of 2000. 14 years in business.

2009 Awarded Favorite Rest. By Seattle Weekly.

Also Reviewed by The Seattle PI and The Stranger.

Meet the Business Owner

Workie W.

Business Owner

Workie Wubushet is the founder and owner of Saba Ethiopian Cuisine. Open since 2000.

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20 reviews of Saba Ethiopian Cuisine

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Venice, CA
Hands down, best veggie Ethiopian food. And I eat A LOT of Ethiopian. Recently moved back to LA from Seattle, and our Little Ethiopia on Fairfax (like 10 restaurants in a row) cannot compare. Our LA friends who also love Ethiopian totally agreed when they visited.
Service can be painfully slow for ordering, drinks, water refills, etc. It never stopped me from going, though. It’s that good. To be fair, on our last couple of visits, we had a male server who was a lot faster.
Dreaming about their veggie combo…
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
I just got the lamb tips and omg!!! It was amazing and a lot of food. The spicy hot was awesome and the people there were really friendly. This was my first time here and I will definitely be going back.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
veggie combo is so delicious, great portion and very good price
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
Best shiro wot! Everything had the right amount of spice. They messed up our order and waiting for really slow service.
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
I’ve been coming to this place over the years. They’ve gone through several new management and cooks so the taste is not always consistent, but I still consider it to be one of the best in town. Everyone is always very friendly and I love how the middle room converts to a dance floor late in the evening with its very own strobe lights and disco ball.
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
Nice place. Service was good. Food was better than average. Portions were huge. I like that they let you choose which stews you can add to your veggie combo.
Place rating: 4
Memphis, TN
Great food and great portions. Only thing is the volume of the TV is pretty high as in a sports bar.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
Very nice waitress helped me figure out the order. Food quality was excellent and the portion of Lamb Tibs was huge. Cost me $ 20 with tip. Ambiance was nice, though I’m not quite sure why they had Bob Marley playing.
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
I have been here twice now with my Ethiopian friend and Love it! There is no silver ware because you eat everything with your fingers, so it’s definitely a different experience! They have this chicken that comes in a brown spiced sauce with a Harold boiled egg, and it’s amazing!!! The home made kind of feta cheese is super good too! The spices I think are somewhat similar to Indian cuisine. So if you like Indian and curries, you should totally check this place out. I was there on a Friday night once and at 10pm they turn the middle part into a face floor.
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
Great place to eat but sometimes their customer service can be a little slow. Be prepared for loud noises that come from the back room. Other than that they have been my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in Seattle. They have best food and best beer.
Place rating: 3
Athens, GA
Perfectly adequate, but nothing special. Reasonable prices, huge portions, and friendly service. My husband and I shared a large veggie combo for about $ 22-​it lasted for two full meals with some nibbles in between. Unfortunately, the dishes were all bland. The servers brought out a tray of hot sauces and other condiments which definitely helped; I’ve never known Ethiopian food to be need additional spices before and the sauces still couldn’t revive the taste enough for me. My husband enjoyed it a lot more, though, so maybe I’m just picky. There are many other choices for Ethiopian nearby. I was just passing through Seattle and needed a place to stop for dinner and this one was reasonably close to I-​5, but I’d choose another to try before returning here.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
The Doro Wot and Shiro Wot are amazing! Plentiful serving sizes and quick service.
The Doro Wot is way above average in comparison to other Ethiopian places I have eaten.
The Shiro Wot here is smooth and creamy. Definite A+
The staff is really friendly and always gives service with a smile.
I highly suggest this place to anyone if they want delicious Ethiopian food, especially late at night.
Place rating: 1
Seattle, WA
My experience in this restaurant has been very terrible. The food price has been artificially rises to the highest level double than any other ethiopian restaurant. Some people thinks the food is great but as a matter fact the food is the worst one. Unlike the traditional ethiopian way of hospitality, saba charge soup and injira differently, which when you order the Food injira comes with it. This I call it ripped off. I wouldn’t recommend to anyone to dine.
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
Good quality Ethiopian food. My friend did the ordering so I don’t know what we got but it was really good, and I’m usually not a big fan of injera. Some people make it really sour, but it was a good amount. Get ready to get your hands dirty, because it’s customary if not mandatory to eat with your hands. Service was good also.
Place rating: 1
Seattle, WA
When we were served our food it was cold. Horrible food service, took time to get our food. Not the best restaurant for large groups. Never going back there again.
Place rating: 4
Honolulu, HI
A few hours later and my fingers still smell like spicy Ethiopian food… But I’m not complaining!
Everything we ate here was so unbelievably good. We shared a large vegetable plate and a lamb plate. Everything was a bit spicy and I fell in love with the contrast between the spice and the sourness of the bread.
I can’t wait to come back. Minus one star for the (lack of good) service.
Place rating: 4
Mill Creek, WA
First time ever trying Ethiopian food — I went with a few Ethiopian friends who recommended the place.
Besides the slow service and the waitress mixing up our credit card with another table’s (which they fixed), it’s amazing here.
We ordered the big platter with four different types of meat (raw beef, lamb and a few other beef items) for the whole table. It came with lots of sponge-​looking bread (I would compare it to crepes in texture, but not sweet).
Flavor wise, if I had to compare the food to anything else it’s very similar to Indian — highly influenced by spices and spiciness.
It was a very fun experience learning how to eat it as well (with your hands)!
I would definitely come back here again for Ethiopian food. Try it out if you get a chance.
Place rating: 3
Redmond, WA
Very slow service at 9.30pm. Finally left at 11pm; was expecting a quick thing… Did not get it.
Food was good though.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
First time trying Ethiopian food, and loved it. The restaurant is super clean, the server was helpful and attentive, the play reggae music, and the food is bomb.
We ordered the lamb and small veggie platter and it came with sponge bread. Everything has great flavor that compliments each other well. Will be going back anytime I crave Ethiopian again!
Place rating: 3
Seattle, WA
Since Habesha closed, I’ve been looking for my new favorite Ethiopian restaurant.
Saba was fine. The service was lovely — friendly and attentive to our needs. The food was okay. It didn’t knock my socks off but seemed fresh. The lamb dish we had was quite tough with lots of gristle.
I’d go there if I was nearby but it didn’t imprint on me as a destination restaurant. My search continues! Shoot me a message if you have a favorite.