Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant in Santa Rosa invites diners to embark on a culinary journey through the rich and diverse traditions of Ethiopian cuisine. With a menu featuring iconic dishes crafted with love and authenticity, the restaurant promises a delicious adventure for both seasoned enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Committed to preserving and sharing Ethiopian heritage, Abyssinia serves as an inspiration for future generations by showcasing the beauty of Ethiopia's culture through its flavorful offerings.
At Abyssinia, we invite you to embark on a culinary journey through the heart of Ethiopia. Our menu is a reflection of the diversity and traditions of Ethiopian cuisine, offering a wide array of flavorful dishes that will tantalize your taste buds. From the iconic injera bread to the aromatic spices and savory stews, each dish is crafted with love and authenticity.
A Taste of Ethiopia in Santa Rosa
This is a hidden gem and well worth the experience. Food is highly seasoned and hits your palate in all the right places. From tart, to sweet to spicy with a zip each dish takes you to on a journey. Very friendly service and accommodating! My first time eating Ethiopian food and it was not a disappointment! Incredible flavors and a great experience overall. Would highly recommend!
Ethiopia is all about robust spicing, and Abyssinia sends the stuff out like a thundering crash of cymbals. This is the hottest, most peppery food in all of Africa, with berbere front and center. The fiery spice mixture is usually a blend of hot red peppers, ginger, cloves, coriander, rue berries, sacred basil, Ethiopian cardamom and Ethiopian ajwain caraway. It’s sprinkled on dry or made with lemon and water into a thick paste rub called awaze.
The friendly staff enhances the experience, helping guests navigate the menu while ensuring a memorable dining experience.
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Menu Highlights
Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant in Santa Rosa offers a diverse selection of plant-based dishes, including the veggie combo featuring various vegetarian specialties such as spiced Ethiopian hummus, lentil stews, and vegetable dishes served on spongy injera bread. Our menu offers a wide selection of dishes using both traditional and modern recipes that appeal to all tastes.
The Special Kitfo is a delicious appetizer adventure, too, in an Ethiopian version of steak tartare ($15.95). Ethiopian steak tartar sautéed in netir kibe and seasoned with mitmita. Tender beef cubes blended with garlic, awaze, and nitre kibe. The raw meat gets a flavor boost from mitmita (ground African bird peppers, cardamom seeds, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, ginger and salt) and a toss of niter kibe. Then it’s plated with homemade cottage cheese and tender collard greens braised with tomato, garlic and a hint of rosemary.
For my favorite signature Abyssinia combo platter, that meant generous tastings of five entrees placed atop a 20-inch round of injera, plus a side salad ($15.95 for single portion, $26.95 to serve two). For the combo platter, the variety of stews melds into a beautiful mosaic of spicy, mild, tender and chewy. That lounges next to yebeg key we’t, immensely tender lamb cubes simmered with awaze and onion for a slow heat that builds at the back of your throat ($14.95 entrée). Then there’s yebeg alecha, delicately stewed lamb strips singing with garlic, onion, turmeric and ginger ($14.95 entrée). We’re not done yet. The platter also includes miser we’t, rust-colored lentils in berbere sauce finished with a deep flurry of Ethiopian spices ($11.95 entrée), plus a romaine, onion and tomato salad doused in an oily vinaigrette ($4 a la carte).
The vegetarian combo brings a flavor parade, too ($12.95 for single portion, $23.95 to serve two).
You can try unique dishes like Shiro We’t, Miser We’t, Tikel Gomen, Yabesha Gomen, and Yater Kik Alecha served on injera.
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Guests can enjoy the aromatic blend of African spices while being greeted with warm smiles and friendly service.
Customer Reviews
Reviewers praise the fresh and flavorful dishes, with recommendations for non-spicy options like fish, lamb, and beef. The combination plates allow diners to experience a variety of intense flavors served quickly by friendly staff. The owner and team are helpful in explaining menu items, enhancing the overall dining experience.
- "I’m leaving a five star for the amazing food and excellent service. Everything is made fresh and lives up to its hype. If you’ve never tried Ethiopian food, you should give it a shot."
- "This place is amazing! Saba, our server was a really nice girl. She helped me pick finalize my drink and I picked the Telba. The food was tasty and flavorful. Definitely coming back and supporting this place 💥"
- "Amazing food! First time here so we weren't sure what to order but the lady helped us out and was very welcoming. We weren't a fan of spicy food so she made sure to point out the dishes that weren't spicy! She also reccomended us 3 do a large single sharing dish and showed us how to eat it with the bread. I highly reccomend the fish, non spicy lamb, and the non spicy beef dish!"
| Dish Name | Description | Price (Single Portion) |
|---|---|---|
| Abyssinia Combo Platter | Generous tastings of five entrees placed atop a 20-inch round of injera, plus a side salad | $15.95 |
| Vegetarian Combo | Assortment of vegetarian stews and dishes served on injera | $12.95 |
| Special Kitfo | Ethiopian steak tartare sautéed in netir kibe and seasoned with mitmita | $15.95 |
| Yebeg Key We’t | Tender lamb cubes simmered with awaze and onion | $14.95 |
| Miser We’t | Rust-colored lentils in berbere sauce | $11.95 |
Know Before You Go
- Visit during off-peak hours for quicker seating as it can get busy during peak times
- Ask for recommendations from the staff if you're new to Ethiopian cuisine or prefer non-spicy options
- Consider trying both meat sampler platters and veggie sampler platters to taste a variety of dishes in one visit
Address: 913 4th St Santa Rosa, CA 95404
How to eat Ethiopian Food (with one hand) - Edible Education - KING 5 Evening
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