Abyssinia - (215) 387-2424

I have been a long time customer of Abyssinia. In my mind the food and service have always been top notch. However, in the last couple years, the waiting time for food did migrate to the ridiculous. Well, Good News. In the last couple months, sanity has been completely restored. Once again, teaming heaps of the finest Ethiopian offerings to be found in Philadelphia arrive with near alacrity. The dining experience has resumed its' all round excellence. Once again, I'm a thoroughly satisfied patron.

My first experience with Abyssinia was very pleasant. I sat in the bar area and was entertained for the wait of the food though was over 20 min I expect that from any restaurant with ethnic foods. When I tell you i was an ethiopian food virgin you would never had guess the way i ate. I crave this food everyday and would eat it for dinner everynight if i could. Its also great you can call for pick ups if you dont like to wait order from home then pickup when ready . I recommend this place to anybody with patience. I find in better to eat in the bar area then the seated area.

A lot of reviews on here seem to say that even though the service is bad, the food is worth it. Well, they're right about one thing - my group honestly waited an hour and a half for our food, and that was after waiting half an hour to order. When we finally did order, they were out of 3 of the dishes we wanted (although they didn't tell us that until 45 minutes later). As for the food, I would have to say that it is mediocre at best. It wasn't terrible, but it was the worst Ethiopian I've ever had. I honestly don't know whether the place as undergone significant changes since someone wrote that the food was "exquisitely prepared," because we found the dishes poorly spiced and often too liquidy to even pick up with the injera. The injera itself was cold, as was a green pea dish that tasted only like yellow mustard (may have been a little more palatable if it was warm). If anyone knows where to find good Ethiopian in Philly, please let me know! But skip this place - the wait is DEFINITELY not worth it for the crappy food.

Awesome Food. Awful service. I love the place for its food although that has deteriorated over the past few months. Service is THE worst ever I have come across. I have always had to wait at least 40 minutes for the food and last time I was taken aback when the waitress asked for at least a 15% tip. I rounded up the amount to a couple of dollars to make it close to to 15% but slightly below - turned out it was 13% - and the lady started doing calculations to let me know out how much I had paid and how much I "should" have paid. Granted the food is good but it is a sure way to spoil an evening. Not worth it!

I'm not covering any new ground here if you've read the other reviews. Anyone that's been to Abyssinia will tell you the service just flat out isn't good. If you're looking to eat in a hurry this is not the place for you. If you've got some time to spend though then by all means give Abyssinia a shot, because the food is exceptional. If you're looking to have a few drinks though, I recommend ordering them two at a time unless you're content with the slightest buzz. It's also a great spot for breakfast, I forget the name of the dish some friends ordered for me once, it was soupy with sour cream and you ate it with rolls. Really the perfect breakfast; hearty and filling to get you started on your day. A glass of mango juice on the side is strongly recommended. This is a tough area to find a good parking spot most of the time, so if you're driving allow some time to hunt for a spot as well. Basically, if time and patience are on your side, then by all means have a wonderful meal at Abyssinia.