Awash Ethiopian Restaurant and Market

I have mixed feelings about this place after trying it for the first time. I’ve had the good fortune to have eaten Ethiopian food in several places including a couple of Ethiopian families homes here in California.
The staff in the shop and the man running the restaurant are all very welcoming and friendly. Since it’s just the one guy dividing time between the dining room and kitchen the service is a little slow. The dining area is on the loud side because the acoustics of a tile floor and bare walls will always make it hard to hear the person sitting next to you. Add music videos or football on the tv plus the other conversations around the room and you’ll have to practically yell to have a conversation.
My friend and I shared a chicken wot and a veggie combo. The chicken was hot enough (not «piping hot») with good flavor, about a ⁴⁄₁₀ spicy hot, and the veggies were warm-​ish and mild. I’ve never been served lentils and split peas that are still firm before. Those seemed surprisingly undercooked.
Adding to our «authentic rural African experience» was swatting little flies away constantly that kept landing on our food. I looked around and I didn’t see any of the other customers flapping at flies so maybe it was just our plate the pesky insects were intent on spoiling. Silly me and my first world dining standards, right?
We chose Awash to try after I had driven to Red Sea first. My friend was afraid of the «sketchy» neighborhood around Red Sea, and Awash is in University Heights, which is nicer.
I might eat food from Awash to go next time. I still want to try Red Sea to make a taste comparison, but with a different friend.
If I ever want to try cooking Ethiopian food myself, I will definitely come here to their well-​stocked market to buy ingredients.

I came here with my co-​workers for lunch because one of them mentioned this place was a hole in the wall. It really is. To get here, you have to go into the Awash Market on El Cajon Blvd, which is a convenience store like 7 – 11. You then proceed to the back of the market where this restaurant awaits you. The store and the market are both owned by the same owner.
Upon sitting down and looking at the menu, the cuisine was very foreign to all of us. This is an Ethiopian restaurant so you can expect to ditch the utensils and getting down and dirty with your hands. It is all finger food. After much deliberation, I ordered the #7, which consists of tender beef cubes and injera. Injera is like the naan of Indian food. It’s made from sourdough yeast and acts like a tortilla. You basically rip pieces of the injera to dip, grab, or clean your plate and eat it. It gets kind of messy and you can expect your fingers to have a smell of spices. For your sake, hopefully you don’t have to shake anyone’s hands the rest of the day. The wait for the food was pretty long because they cook it right when you order so it comes out piping hot. We probably had to wait around 25 mins for the food to come out so I would not recommend if you only have an hour lunch break.
The beef cubes were in a spice curry sauce and accompanied with a side salad. The injera was very soft and they were very generous with giving us rolls and rolls of injera. It’s quite spongy and very fragile so when you use it to pick up your food, expect it to rip. The taste of the sourdough mixed with the spices of the beef cubes was very interesting and flavorful. However, after eating it over and over again, my taste buds grew numb since the platter was very salty. My co-​worker, on the other hand, had a tough time eating his platter because he ordered the Ethiopian-​style short ribs. I tried some and it was definitely not worth the $ 17. The ribs were VERY CHEWY and was basically fried fat from the bone. No where was there meat that should be falling off the bone. The entire plate was full of fried fat tendons, which made the dish inedible. Furthermore, it seems like the fried fat was overcooked to mask the fattiness of the pieces so that added on to the extra chewy texture. He was very disappointed with his choice, as was I for him.
Overall, this place gives you the feeling of discovering a hidden treat, which is Ethiopian food. Although I was disappointed with the short ribs dish, there were other items on the menu that I would not mind coming back to taking a look. This place can be a hit or miss depending if you’re okay with finger food. For the guys, it’s not a place to take someone on a date.

Mmmmm, super good Ethiopian food in a hidden but cozy restaurant in back of a market. The people were very friendly and cared about the food and service. Food was wonderful and authentic — as good as any East African food I’ve had. Go here!

We’d first eaten Ethiopian in San Diego at Red Sea which did not impress at all, (I actually got sick once from eating there) and then moved on to Harar which was quite good, and became our go-​to place. But it was too cold Saturday night to think of sitting in Harrar’s outdoor courtyard, so we thought, based on Unilocal reviews, that we’d give Awash a try. And Unilocalers were definitely right.
This place is everything you’d want if you love Ethiopian food. The staff really care about their customers having an excellent experience, and it shows in the food, the low prices and the super friendly and helpful service. For five people we ordered two veggie combos, one meat combo and the fabulously spiced (and pretty spicy) Yedero Wat (chicken in berebere sauce). Everything was fabulous and, with lots of injera, was actually a little too much for five hungry people. And the tab, with four beers (Meta Premium, the Ethiopian one is actually quite good, with a subtle taste of honey), a tea and a soft drink came out with tax to $ 12/​person. So if you’re not looking for a fancy dining experience (which neither Res Sea or Harrar are either) and just want super tasty Ethipian food served in the homeist of atmospheres, this is definitely the place to go.
Note: Go easy with the Awaze hot sauce; it’s incendiary.

–Order dish number 1 — This place has blown my mind. First you walk through a tiny supermarket that smells of exotic spices to discover a little restaurant in the back. Most people there were Ehtopian (which is a really good sign).
We were three and ordered three dishes which was slightly too much. We got the meat and vegetarian mixed platter and dish no. 1. The no. 1 dish was the most amazing beef I have had in a long time. Extremely tender and so well spiced.
The service was super friendly, it felt very homey and comfy. Really great. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend and will come back!

Great, authentic, hidden hole in the wall, family restaurant. It’s like you walked into an Ethiopian family’s kitchen on accident but yet they welcome you in anyway, and you question if you’re still in San Diego?
I almost walked past the restaurant, because it’s INSIDE the back of a small convenience store, which sells all sorts of spices, beers and Ethiopian ingredients. They even have incense that smell really good.
Kept walking back and grabbed a beer in the fridge on my left for the meal. There’s NO wait on a weeknight. Good, small-​medium sized restaurant. Im given an extensive menu that could be overwhelming but a friendly waiter gave me good recommendations. I order the vegetarian platter on injera bread, which is a good meal easily shared by 2!
Street parking can be challenging, but again, no wait at the restaurant. The people are super friendly. I’ll be back.

Stellar food, stellar experience. Staff were lovely and friendly. Food was delicious and extremely affordable. Definitely not a place to go if you’re in a hurry but well worth the wait, and there were awesome Ethiopian music videos to keep us occupied in the meantime. So stoked to have discovered this gem!

Authentic market and restaurant, very family style. Shared a veggie combo and meat combo, with two people. Perfect amount, just pace yourself on the injera. Finished the meal with a true Ethiopian coffee, you must try it!

The food here is amazing! We always get the vegetarian platter and flavors are great. The restaurant is located at the back of the market. The location is small and very casual. The focus is on the food

You cannot beat the price for their meat combo! $ 10? Are you kidding me? I tried my damndest to eat the whole thing and I could not! Not to mention that I walked in at 12:50 a.m. I had two Coronas and the meat combo and it came to $ 17.24
I love injera! With the combination of the five different meats was amazing! I would definitely return!

A hidden gem in San Diego!!! The food and service are awesome!!! A truly authentic experience.

Great authentic Ethiopian food hidden behind the market. Enjoy the big veggie and meat combo. The owner is nice and went out of his way to cook rice for my daughter learning she didn’t like injera. The rice was so tasty and my daughter happily finished the everything he cooked!

Unbelievable food and incredible service. The guys who own this place are a class act and they have a true pride in the amazing food they create for their guests. Two thumbs way up!

Came in the other day and I felt very awkward. I was looking for pomegranate molasses but they didn’t have any. I was then pretty much walked out the door. Maybe it wasn’t a great time for me to be there, someone was in the back crying. AWKWARD

What a find! Totally unexpected. This is a local place, a combo grocery store and restaurant. The owners are friendly, informative, and make everyone feel right at home.
The little restaurant at the back of the store serves tasty Ethiopian food — portions are good and prices are just right. You might think you discovered this place, until other North-​Parkers start streaming in and ordering as well. Soccer is always playing on the large screen TV. Homey, simple, unfussy.
In short, this is an inviting, budget-​friendly community restaurant that could easily become a regular home away from home if you happen to live in this ‘hood.

So I have this good friend I grew up with. He is Ethiopian and for some reason he decided not to inform me how fantastic Ethiopian food is!
Indira and I came here after I read some fellow Unilocalers reviews and wanted to try something new. Thank you again Chun for the very informative review! (read his before you come here, I really don’t want to repeat all the excellent info he gave!)
The front of this looks like just a small international market. You have to go through the little store and into the back room where the restaurant is. We grabbed a menu and some agua and sat down. We decided just to split the Meat combination, and trust me, it’s more then enough for two. Although one of the meats was a bit cold, the entire dish was great. The injera, or tortilla like stuff that the meat is on top of, is good although it filled me up extremely fast. It also has a very distinct taste, unlike anything I have had before, but still enjoyable.
The service was fantastic for how small there staff is. The women was friendly and came out repeatedly to fill our water, although the jug was just a few feet away. This is definitely a place I would recommend a friend to try, but my stomach rumbled for the entire day after so it’s not something I would eat on the daily. Awesome experience though!

It’s almost 11 pm and I was able to get my Ethiopian food fix!
We got the meat combo platter and it was more than enough for the both of us.
It was also very flavorful and delicious!
Service is a little slow, but it is also almost 11 pm, but when they do come to the table they are very friendly and attentive.
We had a great, flavorful, satisfying meal for $ 10, not even fast food places can offer that deal.
Good experience: dinner in the back room of a market.

I used to read Cosmopolitan magazine a lot in High School and College… made me the «man» I am today. On that note, here’s my guide so you newbies don’t make the same mistakes I did:
The DOs and DON’Ts of Awash, by Chun P.
DO go straight to the counter, pour yourself a water, grab a menu and some napkins (you’ll need them!)
DON’T just sit at a table hoping a waitress, busboy, or Maitre’D will come greet you. Hint: there are none!
DO ring the bell at the counter to summon the kitchen lady when you’re ready to order food.
DON’T order beverages from kitchen lady, just grab whatever you want from store and take it back to your table. Bottle and wine openers are on the counter.
DO be patient for your food, its a masterpiece in the works. I think the Kitchen Lady is also the cook. If this was a full service restaurant, I’m 99% sure they’d have to charge more than $ 10 for my delicious, hearty meat platter.
DON’T be an impatient jerk. Go to Carls Jr or McDonalds if you’re a jerkk. I think it took about 25−30min, there was only one other table
DO scoop up your food with injera and savor all the unique delicious African flavors… you can even pretend you’re lion, zebra, or flamingo. JK!
DON’T be a snobby first world wimp and ask for silverware.
DO go pay the clerk at the liquor counter when you’re done.
DON’T wait for the kitchen lady to come back with itemized bill.
If you can’t handle all this and need a classy ambiance with more service for your African food fix, go eat at Muzita instead, just expect to pay 50−100% more in price.
Awash is all about great food for super cheap prices… don’t expect anything else… and you know its LEGIT because all the customers, except wife and I, were African immigrants speaking entirely different languages… ENJOY! :)

If you’re into something totally different than average meal offers in town, you gotta check out this backroom of this Ethiopian market.
The food is very diverse, and comparable to Indian food but less heavy seasoned. I enjoyed the veggie dished the most, and loved how the server took care of us, and made a sampler by combining the meat combo, and veggie combo together.
Honey wine by the bottle is inexpensive (7 $) since they grab a bottle out of the store, and I walked away for 2 under 30. Pretty good for authentic food, and bunch of injera bread to go.

I can’t believe that I haven’t reviewed this place yet. It’s my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in San Diego, and one of my favorite restaurants PERIOD in San Diego.
The food is good. I cannot emphasize this enough. It’s really, really good. I recommend the veggie platter and the dark injira (which they consistently have, and it’s wheat free. Not totally sure if it’s fully gf though). The people are absolutely lovely. Kind, welcoming, generous.
This place is a total hole in the wall, but of the best kind. No white tablecloths or super attentive service. You’re gonna wait a minute for your food because it’s seriously like, one lady back there and you’re getting a bunch of food. The place is a little cave-​like, and the tv is always blaring (generally sports or super old movies). If you go in expecting something fancypants, you’ll be bummed. But if you go in with the understanding that you’re about to basically be welcomed into someones living room like you’re the well liked neighbor that comes over a little too often, then you’re in for an absolute treat. Come hungry, because you’re about to get a whole heck of a lot of the best Ethiopian food you can find in town.
I could eat here every day and not get tired of it.