Ambassel Ethiopian Restaurant

Check health inspection records before dining here. Since 2010, has been cited for insufficient hand washing facilities so it’s no surprise that it is also routinely cited for improper hand washing. Hand washing is essential for food preparation.
Business name has changed.
New link to King County inspection records:
Written 3÷15÷2013. Updated 5÷14÷2013.

This is the link to the report about King County shutting down this place recently for e. coli food poisoning.

Shared the super veggie combo with a side of shiro. All the lentils were fabulous, cabbage was our favorite of the vegetables. Really delicious misir wot. Husband liked the shiro, I wasn’t a fan, very watery. Lots of salad, very yummy and fresh. Plenty of food for two, and very cheap.

I had a stressful morning at work, and was seriously craving Ethiopian food.
Thankfully, Unilocal came to the rescue. This place is about 10 minutes walk from where I work! I ordered a mini veggie combo, and was told it would be ready to pick up in 15.
On getting there, I waited a short time before it was ready. The «mini» veggie combo was huge. For $ 10.50, it was enough to feed me for 2 meals! Everything in the container was well seasoned and amazingly spiced.
Don’t be put off with the seedy restaurant front or the interior, the food is awesome! I highly recommend it.

MUCH better than Zobel across the street, and better than any of the other Ethiopian restaurants I’ve eaten at in the area (and there are quite a few in Little Ethiopia).
The lamb tibs and beef tibs are both amazing and a steal — one order of Injera and tibs can fill two hungry people for $ 11 total.
The service is excellent and Mona and Teddie behind the counter will do their best to provide a quality experience. Open well into the morning as well.

Great sampler platter! Really laid back atmosphere.

I went with friends after the Russian Karaōke at Waid’s Place Friday night. Service was friendly and attentive. The place is clean, warm, inviting, comfy, and gave me a feeling of being somewhere other than in the USA with the people hanging around both places. My first time in this neighborhood. I could feel the community spirit. We were there till they closed at 2 a.m. — how many places here in Seattle will feed you that late, I wondered. I moved here from Texas just a few years ago. I will go back here. I’m predominantly vegetarian and the mini-​combo platter was substantial — fresh with seasoning and cooking just right. As the other reviewer mentioned, the delicious salad in the middle was unexpected. Like other Ethiopian restaurants, a particularly excellent value.

I love Ethiopian, and while the service was great I thought my chicken wot was just okay. So I never went back.
Lucy’s Ethiopian was literally out of three menu items including chicken wot. Service was glib, I almost walked out; but I asked for an exception platter with lamb wot and veggies and it turned out to be so good I thanked them and tipped over 25% upon leaving. I would become a regular if I lived/​worked closer.
Maybe I need to try Ambassel for veggies. I would love to find great Ethiopian close to Seattle or Bellevue. I’ll try Meskel.

i think we got #16 and 17.
one was the trio of lentil beans. the other collard greens.
both were delicious.
the yellow lentils were mild. the green were spicier. and the red ones were curry-​flavored?
the collard greens were cooked to a soft, wet consistency with hints of garlic (not overpowering). it was soo good. who knew these simple ingredients could be so tasty?
food aside, the restaurant itself was clean and spacious. our server was nice and smiley. she even offered to crank up the heat (or turn on the heat) seeing as i was already in many layers and took my friend’s jacket to wrap around as a blanket.
will return if in the area!

I live within spitting distance of about 5 Ethiopian places, okay. a very long spit, but they are all a short walk away. Mesob had been my favorite for awhile (only in the back room, mind you), then I was into newcomer Zobel (they have some breakfast options that are tasty and served anytime). And Meskel on Cherry is great for their outdoor patio and a bit nicer than the others nearby. Ambassel is not as nice as Meskel, and often seems to lack patrons, but several trips here have made me a fan. The Doro tibs are very spicy, with a few too many jalepenos for my liking. Even the salad was spicy with chopped Jalapenos. Large portions, but the injera bread isn’t quite as thick/​absorbent as some of the other places. A wider selection of Ethiopian beers than some of the other places too. A must try.
NOTE: the owner is NOT accepting
certificates! I had purchased one that was supposed to be good for $ 25 a few months ago and we tried to use it on ³⁄₃ to no avail. They are still listed on the website, but I would not recommend buying one!

This is the best Ethiopian food I have ever tasted in my entire life.
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That’s it. I have nothing else interesting to say about this place. Absolutely delicious. Ordered Miser Wat, which is usually just a slob of [delicious] red lentils on a plate. This one was three different types of lentils — red, yellow and green. The green and red were so good that I ate them too fast and couldn’t get to the yellow.
They also gave a small amount of salad. Most of the time that is only available when you order the mixed plates. The salad had jalapenos on it making it even spicier. This food was a treat to eat.
I’m probably ruining it for them too by letting Unilocalers in on the action, since this business didn’t exist on this site until I entered it in just now. Yet they still had business — all of them seemed to be friends from the area, ordering their usuals. Every customer was greeted by name. At least I assume it was by name since they were speaking in Amharic.
Two final thoughts:
— If you go here because of Unilocal,and you love it, you owe me big.
— I didn’t get to check in since the place wasn’t on the Unilocal app, so even though it’s not official. I’m the duke of this place. Write that down somewhere so you remember.