San Diego's North Park neighborhood offers a diverse range of culinary experiences, and among them, Ethiopian cuisine stands out. Restaurants like Awash and Addis provide a taste of authentic Ethiopian flavors and cultural traditions.
Awash Ethiopian Restaurant: A Culinary and Cultural Beacon
Awash Ethiopian Restaurant started its business in 2008 with one goal in mind: spreading their love for Ethiopian culture and cuisine to the San Diego area. Thanks to their experience and dedication, they’ve managed to become one of the premier Ethiopian Restaurants in San Diego. Since opening, Awash has been a beacon for San Diego’s sizable Ethiopian culture, recognized with awards and letters and cards for their contribution to the community.
“There are many reasons we eat with our hands,” explains Ethiopian-born Ababu Farise, who along with his brothers Demile and Habtamu opened Awash as a market specializing in Ethopian foods, spices, and culture in 2008. “Your hand knows how much your mouth can take. So it’s a form of reasonable eating, using the human body as its own portion control. “You also make a connection with the food,” says Ababu. “With a fork or spoon there is no connection. Ethiopian food is all about connection. All the family eats together and communicates so you can sleep well. You can’t eat alone and go to sleep. I am fully connected with my food. I have delicious lamb stew on my fingers, running down various appendages, on my shirt. I look like I attempted to put on lipstick while drunk.”
At Awash Ethiopian Restaurant, they serve enough injera with every dish that you could unroll it and do yoga on it. All you need is injera-a soft, tangy flatbread traditionally made with teff flour (a nutritionally dense ancient grain, naturally gluten-free). It has the consistency of a fluffy crepe, light as lace. Ethiopian food is for the hands. Utensils are not only unnecessary, but miss some essential philosophy of the food culture.
Vegan Ethiopia Episode 1: Injera Bread
The Menu at Awash
Most of the recipes at Awash are from their mom. The chef-driven menu highlights seasonal ingredients in simple, handcrafted dishes served straight from their kitchen. Add even more to your experience with a selection from their complimentary beverages, and trust us-save room for dessert.
Read also: Ethiopian Cuisine: Philadelphia Guide
Here's a glimpse of some of the dishes you can find at Awash:
- Yenqulal Firfir: Small pieces of injera diced in spicy Ethiopian stew, served with eggs.
- Ch'e-ch'ebsa: Pita bread tossed in Ethiopian butter and Ethiopian spices (Berbere). Can be served Vegan.
- T'ibs Firfir: Bites of injera soaked in spiced red pepper and tomato sauce.
- Awash Special Tibs: Beef tenderloin bits sautéed in onions and spicy green peppers with Ethiopian butter.
- Alicha Wot: Mild bone-in beef stew, delicately spiced with garlic, turmeric, ginger, and other spices.
- Yebeg Siga Wot: Tender pieces of lamb braised in Ethiopian berbere sauce.
- Yedoro Wot: Tender chicken cooked with Ethiopian spices, berbere sauce, onions, garlic, and Ethiopian butter.
- Yebeg Tibs: Pieces of lamb sautéed with onions and jalapenos, seasoned with garlic and black peppers.
- Kitfo: Lean ground beef spiced with Awaze (Ethiopian hot sauce) and served with homemade cottage cheese (served raw).
- Vegetarian Combo: Lentils, yellow split peas, shiro, cabbage, carrot, and collard greens.
When many San Diegans started eating vegetarian, that got them interested in our Ethiopian food,” he says. “We also do about eight or nine Ethiopian weddings a year. Which is a lot.
Inside, you’ll find Ethiopian coffee, bags upon bags of spices, barley, and teff flour. There is a bookshelf full of Ethiopian literature, a wall of CDs of Ethiopian music, hand-carved wooden tobacco pipes. “People couldn’t get Ethiopian music when we opened,” Ababu explains. “So we found a distributor and brought the real sound of Ethiopia, songs and instrumentals. Now most people can find the music online, but people still get the CDs. We serve the community. When people dine in, they can buy the ingredients on their way out.
Ababu just returned after spending four months with his mom in Ethiopia, where they cooked together nonstop. I ask him about our favorite-No. “That’s Mom’s recipe,” he says. “In Ethiopia you learn everything from Mom.
| Dish | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Yenqulal Firfir | Injera diced in spicy stew with eggs | $11.99 |
| Ch'e-ch'ebsa | Pita bread with Ethiopian butter and spices | $18.99 |
| Awash Special Tibs | Beef tenderloin sautéed with onions and peppers | $16.99 |
| Vegetarian Combo | Lentils, peas, shiro, cabbage, and collard greens | $16.99 |
Addis Ethiopian Restaurant: A Decade of Serving San Diego
Addis Ethiopian Restaurant is centrally located in San Diego on El Cajon Blvd, where Normal Heights meets City Heights. Our family-run restaurant has been proudly serving San Diego’s East African community-along with locals and visitors-for 10 years.
Read also: Authentic Ethiopian Cuisine
Quality spices, fresh herbs and produce, and keeping in good time with heat and fire are how we approach our family recipes. Fresh Ethiopian coffee beens are roasted, grounded and poured daily. Addis will host this beloved community ritual certain Saturday mornings (RSVP encouraged). Follow us on Instagram or check our events page for the next Traditional Coffee Ceremony!
Here, you can savor the aromas of incense, followed by freshly roasted beans. We also serve freshly roasted, ground and brewed Ethiopian coffee during normal business hours. San Diego is abundant in wonderful coffee shops and cafe. We invite you to experience coffee from the country that birthed it. Order by the cup, or share a jebena (serves 2-3). Add Addis to your repertoire of coffee spots.
Read also: A Taste of Ethiopia in South Carolina
