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| Julia Wayne
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Seattle (and its penumbra) is among the American cities with the largest Ethiopian diaspora communities, and it shows in the culinary landscape. Scattered throughout the city and its suburbs — Northgate, the Central District, Tukwila, Rainier Beach, Kent — are concentrated pockets of Ethiopian cuisine, where homestyle eateries serve slow-cooked, well-spiced dishes from the Horn of Africa. If you haven't been exploring these restaurants, it's time to start.
Not familiar with this kind of cuisine? Start with injera, an unleavened, fermented flatbread that’s the staple of Ethiopian and Eritrean food. Made from ground teff, the seed of a type of lovegrass, this spongy, pancake-like bread is wrapped around bites of doro wot, misir, and tibs — and eaten by hand. If you’re just starting out, pick a few of the Ethiopian restaurants listed here, ask for staff recommendations once you’re there, and you'll be craving ayeb in no time.
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Named for a native Ethiopian flower that’s symbolic of hope and renewal, this family-owned restaurant has been in the Central District for almost two decades. Adey Abeba serves diverse dishes in big portions at low prices, alongside tej (honey wine) and an array of Ethiopian beers that match divinely with the chicken doro wat. Well known for its traditional coffee ceremony service, the restaurant uses beans that are roasted on-site, and its dining room can be transformed into a dance floor for events, with catering and DJ services available.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62478000/adey_abeba.0.0.0.png "10 Excellent Ethiopian Restaurants Around Seattle (3)")
Unassuming Cafe Selam, osbcured behind the towering grapevine on its patio, is easy to miss amid the cluster of Ethiopian restaurants around East Cherry Street and MLK. Don’t pass it by, though, because it’s where you’ll find what some call the city’s best foul: a stew of fava beans topped with tomatoes, feta, boiled eggs, onions, and spices, served with French bread for scooping. Inside, Amharic-language music videos play on the TV, and that lush patio is a lovely place to have a meal in the spring and summer, with flowers and herbs blooming among the tables.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62478003/foul_cafe_selam.11.jpg "10 Excellent Ethiopian Restaurants Around Seattle (4)")
In Ethiopia, the jebena is the clay pot used to pour the coffee in the traditional coffee ceremony, and as such, the coffee ceremony at Jebena Cafe is a must. Freshness is top priority here, and the veggie combo and meat combo both offer generous portions that are meant to be shared. Make sure to check out the attached market next door, where house-roasted beans, injera, tef, spices, ceramic cups, incense, and other Ethiopian items are sold.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62478004/jebena.0.0.0.png "10 Excellent Ethiopian Restaurants Around Seattle (5)")
If you can't order the whole menu (who could), be sure to order the Quanta Fir Fir, dried beef mixed with injera in a flavorful berbere sauce. The doro wot (chicken) and veggie combo are also great here, and the kitfo (raw meat dish) is the best in town. Consistent food, a wrap around porch for sunny days, and lovely coffee secure Meskel's place as possibly the top in Seattle.
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/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69299482/SeattleFishGuys.7.jpeg "10 Excellent Ethiopian Restaurants Around Seattle (6)")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66599670/1A963DDB_FA5F_469B_89D6_7DBD16FAA89F.14.jpg "10 Excellent Ethiopian Restaurants Around Seattle (7)")
An extensive menu could be overwhelming elsewhere, but the staff goes out of their way to help with questions and make great suggestions on what to order. Combos are unbelievably enormous here, the injera is generally flawless, and you'll be working toward your status as a regular before you even finish your meal.
(206) 722-0342
(206) 722-0342
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62478007/Doro_Wot.12.jpg "10 Excellent Ethiopian Restaurants Around Seattle (8)")
Named after the highest mountain in Ethiopia, Ras Dashen’s atmosphere is vibrant and welcoming, with warm yellow walls and woven baskets and colorful paintings accenting the space. The food is as bright as the environment — the menu features Ethiopian standards as well as some dishes less commonly seen in Seattle, like lamb tibs shinfinfin, a spice-heavy stew. The flaky sambusas go great with a cold glass of mango juice on a warm day.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73386949/Screenshot_20240603_154906_2.0.png "10 Excellent Ethiopian Restaurants Around Seattle (9)")
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The smell of espresso and spicy incense is in the air at this Hillman City mainstay, owned by husband-and-wife team Delish Lemma and Amy Abera. On the tables, you’ll find a guide to the Amharic alphabet and helpful Amharic phrases, plus instructions on basic pronunciation. The veggie combo is exquisite and comes with a rainbow of twelve selections, served upon light, tangy injera.
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/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59339255/IMG_4637.164.jpg "10 Excellent Ethiopian Restaurants Around Seattle (10)")
The food here is excellent in its simplicity, a case in point being the beef tibs. a perfect combo of spice and heat. Zagol is known for its vegetarian options as well, especially the multiple types of misir (lentil) dishes. The restaurant is divided into two sections: a daytime dining room and a bar that gets pretty hoppin’ on Friday and Saturday nights. Make sure to order the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, a steal at only nine dollars.
In a Tukwila strip mall, Juba Restaurant and Café specializes in not just Ethiopian but also Somali fare. Guests are greeted by soccer on the TV and the exuberant sounds of the cooks yelling out orders in the kitchen over a chatty crowd. The beef and chicken suqaar are the menu stars here, and the atmosphere is always energetic — especially on weekends, when it’s packed with families sipping complimentary lemonade as they wait for their meals.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73386950/Screenshot_20240603_134752.0.png "10 Excellent Ethiopian Restaurants Around Seattle (11)")
Tradition is at the forefront at Agelgil, which serves the same ancient dishes that were served to the Queen of Sheba. These dishes are slow-cooked in clay pots for many hours, so the name of the game here is food made with love. What also makes this place unique is its diverse breakfast menu, including spiced omelets, a weekend breakfast buffet, and traditional Ethiopian dishes like tibs firfir: cubed beef sautéed in butter and mixed with spices and bits of injera.
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Named for a native Ethiopian flower that’s symbolic of hope and renewal, this family-owned restaurant has been in the Central District for almost two decades. Adey Abeba serves diverse dishes in big portions at low prices, alongside tej (honey wine) and an array of Ethiopian beers that match divinely with the chicken doro wat. Well known for its traditional coffee ceremony service, the restaurant uses beans that are roasted on-site, and its dining room can be transformed into a dance floor for events, with catering and DJ services available.
Unassuming Cafe Selam, osbcured behind the towering grapevine on its patio, is easy to miss amid the cluster of Ethiopian restaurants around East Cherry Street and MLK. Don’t pass it by, though, because it’s where you’ll find what some call the city’s best foul: a stew of fava beans topped with tomatoes, feta, boiled eggs, onions, and spices, served with French bread for scooping. Inside, Amharic-language music videos play on the TV, and that lush patio is a lovely place to have a meal in the spring and summer, with flowers and herbs blooming among the tables.
In Ethiopia, the jebena is the clay pot used to pour the coffee in the traditional coffee ceremony, and as such, the coffee ceremony at Jebena Cafe is a must. Freshness is top priority here, and the veggie combo and meat combo both offer generous portions that are meant to be shared. Make sure to check out the attached market next door, where house-roasted beans, injera, tef, spices, ceramic cups, incense, and other Ethiopian items are sold.
If you can't order the whole menu (who could), be sure to order the Quanta Fir Fir, dried beef mixed with injera in a flavorful berbere sauce. The doro wot (chicken) and veggie combo are also great here, and the kitfo (raw meat dish) is the best in town. Consistent food, a wrap around porch for sunny days, and lovely coffee secure Meskel's place as possibly the top in Seattle.
An extensive menu could be overwhelming elsewhere, but the staff goes out of their way to help with questions and make great suggestions on what to order. Combos are unbelievably enormous here, the injera is generally flawless, and you'll be working toward your status as a regular before you even finish your meal.
Named after the highest mountain in Ethiopia, Ras Dashen’s atmosphere is vibrant and welcoming, with warm yellow walls and woven baskets and colorful paintings accenting the space. The food is as bright as the environment — the menu features Ethiopian standards as well as some dishes less commonly seen in Seattle, like lamb tibs shinfinfin, a spice-heavy stew. The flaky sambusas go great with a cold glass of mango juice on a warm day.
The smell of espresso and spicy incense is in the air at this Hillman City mainstay, owned by husband-and-wife team Delish Lemma and Amy Abera. On the tables, you’ll find a guide to the Amharic alphabet and helpful Amharic phrases, plus instructions on basic pronunciation. The veggie combo is exquisite and comes with a rainbow of twelve selections, served upon light, tangy injera.
The food here is excellent in its simplicity, a case in point being the beef tibs. a perfect combo of spice and heat. Zagol is known for its vegetarian options as well, especially the multiple types of misir (lentil) dishes. The restaurant is divided into two sections: a daytime dining room and a bar that gets pretty hoppin’ on Friday and Saturday nights. Make sure to order the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, a steal at only nine dollars.
In a Tukwila strip mall, Juba Restaurant and Café specializes in not just Ethiopian but also Somali fare. Guests are greeted by soccer on the TV and the exuberant sounds of the cooks yelling out orders in the kitchen over a chatty crowd. The beef and chicken suqaar are the menu stars here, and the atmosphere is always energetic — especially on weekends, when it’s packed with families sipping complimentary lemonade as they wait for their meals.
Tradition is at the forefront at Agelgil, which serves the same ancient dishes that were served to the Queen of Sheba. These dishes are slow-cooked in clay pots for many hours, so the name of the game here is food made with love. What also makes this place unique is its diverse breakfast menu, including spiced omelets, a weekend breakfast buffet, and traditional Ethiopian dishes like tibs firfir: cubed beef sautéed in butter and mixed with spices and bits of injera.
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