The Kimchi Diaries

Abyssinia Ethiopian Bar & Restaurant

Dear Diary,

Though you are dedicated to Kimchi, our tour of Koreatown begins, curiously, with Ethiopian food. We’ve all been avoiding Abyssinia as it often looks dim and empty inside, like a classic front for the Ethiopian mafia.  

The advertisements on the widow for “Pasta, Burgers and Subs” didn’t help either.

A.J. and Beth were skeptical of the menu…

But when our vegetarian platter for two arrived, we were pleasantly surprised. Dan couldn’t believe it!

The lamb dish we ordered on the side was nothing special…

But the more we ate of the platter, the more we liked it! The red stuff was nutmeg-y and nostalgic, the yellow stuff was caramel-y and delicious, and the pancake-y stuff was less tart than most Ethiopian places, which was just what our ignorant palettes desired.

And when they surprised us 10 minutes into the meal with their homemade red wine hot sauce, we lost our shit. “Don’t drive a car home”, they warned.

This shit is gooooood!

The food was tasty, the service was friendly and quick, the price was okay (we spent $15 per person, less if you skip the meat). On the downside, A.J. didn’t get as much water as he wanted, Beth couldn’t find the light in the bathroom, and neither could Dan (nor could he find any toilet paper, which prompted an abrupt end to lunch). All in all, we were pretty impressed: 3 and a half stars snowflakes out of 5!