Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant

Very authentic experience with original furniture and décor. Delicious recipes with spongy injera. We had a particularly good dish of sizzling beef, it was spectacular. I loved the lentils that came with the injera. Nice service and good prices. I only wish the bar area was less loud, or wasn’t there at all.

First time yesterday. Smells really zen. Food is reasonably priced. Had thr combination for 2. Injera was amazing. Small portions if different sections. Only one i enjoyed was doro wat chicken. Wish i had ordered just that as main meal with injera. Rest of selections did not taste fresh and was not sort of on the cold side. My fav was Ethiopian honey wine. Delish. Careful if driving one glass is plenty, drink 2 if u are not. Will go back.

This place deserves maybe 3.5 stars because you will leave fairly satisfied with the value of the food and the diversity of flavors. The combo to 2 is a great price (at $ 24) since you get your choice of 4 vegetable dishes and 3 meat dishes plus plenty of injera. We also tried the fried Sambosa appetizers which come with 2 pieces of deep fried phyllo dough filled with a lentil mixture if you choose vegetarian. Pretty good!
Back to the main entrée: Most all the dishes were pretty flavorful. The meat dishes perhaps won over the vegetarian ones which is a little disappointing because I was hoping for some really nicely spiced vegetables. The ones that did stand out were the lamb, chicken, and cabbage. The injera seemed to be a little more sour than I’m used to which is why ½ a star is knocked off as well. The ambience is really casual kind of like you are sitting in an extended dining room of someone’s house?
Overall, decent experience. Would recommend for casual Ethiopian food.

This was a decent place– we came with kids, so I know we didn’t make it too easy for the staff. Our waitress was okay– she seemed very busy with other customers, and every time we tried to get her attention, she’d walk right by us (not sure if it was intentional or not). There was a male server (very tall), who was extremely helpful. The food was good. I particularly liked a lamb dish and the lentil dish.

I love Fasika’s food so don’t let the 3 stars keep you away if you too are a fan of Ethiopian… however…
Their website uses the words «Gluten Free» right on their homepage, but their Injera is not Gluten Free. To get gluten-​free injera (made only of teff without the flour), you must call ahead a full day in advance.
I selected this restaurant to take a guest who has a wheat allergy to because Ethiopian (done traditionally) is usually safe. Not so at Fasika. I’ll definitely go back, but those with gluten or wheat allergies need to take note that their website doesn’t accurately reflect their gluten-​free-​ed-​ness.

Great Ethiopian, kind of strange atmosphere. I came here a few weeks ago on a weeknight. Food was amazing, we just told the waiter we wanted a combo platter and let her pick the dishes for it. There was only one other table of people at the restaurant. As it got a bit later, the bar filled up with what seemed to be the owners friends who got pretty loud watching a soccer game. Tip: don’t order a cocktail here, stick to beer and wine. I ordered a cosmo and it was basically a a cup of cranberry juice.

Woo! As my first time trying an Ethiopian/​African restaurant, this was a fun and intimate place. Yes, it took at least 30 minutes for our food to come out, but I love the fact that they have low communal tables where you can focus on each other during the wait, not having this huge table separating you and your date. If you want a place where the waiter is checking on you every 5 minutes to see if your glass is half empty, then I wouldn’t recommend this place to you. In fact, if you want to get to know your date better or enjoy a friend’s company, then this place is for you.
Getting to the food, they have several different types of meats and veggies with varying degrees of spiciness. My boyfriend and I ordered a combo plate where we could choose 3 different kinds of meats and 4 veggies. I especially recommend the kitfo and lamb and the lentils if you’re a bit wary of spiciness. The gored gore and green beans and carrots were a bit too spicy for me but still delicious. All the food were served on top of a large slice of the pancake/​bread (can’t remember the name of it) which filled you up pretty well.
Once dinner is served though, the waiter does check to see if you have enough bread and also will refill you up on the delicious bread if you run out for no extra charge. As for drinks, they serve Ethiopian beer and wine. My boyfriend got one of their eclectic beer and I got the honey wine which was sweet and tasty. I think overall total of the food and the drinks came out to less than $ 40 which was a great deal for the kinds of foods that were served!
The décor inside the restaurant was pretty cool too– they had the traditional low tables and Ethiopian décor with the lid and the regular dinner tables but not so far apart that you couldn’t hear people talk. I liked the fact that even though there were 5 different groups in the small restaurant, I could still hear my boyfriend without having to shout or try to talk over a loud group of people. I’d definitely come back again for another night of fun finger dining!

Nice place, gets crowded on weekends. But worth the wait.

Came here with some friends with a TravelZoo deal and ordered two combo specials for two which comes with 8 veggies and 6 meats. For vegetables we ordered the tegabino, 2 yemiser wot, yekik alicha, gomen wot, yeatkilit kilikil, and 2 tikil gomen, For meats we ordered the kitfo, zilzil wot, minchetabish alicha, doro key wot, yebeg key wot, and yebeg alicha.
Everything was delicious! Our favorite vegetables were the yemiser wot (red lentils) and the yeatkilit kilikil (green beans) while our favorite meats were yebeg key wot and yebeg alicha (both of the lamb dishes) and the zilzil wot (beef). For those of you who aren’t familiar with this style of food — everything will come in one large plate on top of injera. You’ll also get a side of injera to tear apart and use as your scooping mechanism. You don’t get utensils here — you eat with your hands! The injera that serves as the «plate» is the best part — it sops up all the yummy goodness from the veggies and meats which makes it taste amazing.
We also tried the Ethiopian tea which is an herbal, non-​caffeinated tea that comes out with a black tea and sugar. I steeped the black tea in for a brief second, added some sugar, and enjoyed the yummy herbal-​ness. It smells almost like chai, but has a very mild flavor.
This is an Ethiopian restaurant so they take their time. Don’t come here hungry because you won’t get your food right away — that’s the nature of Ethiopian food. And let me tell you — it is oh-​so worth it.

My husband and I were quite excited abt going to fasika cos we had loved the Ethiopian food at Addis and this is very close by to us. But i was a bit dissappointed. We had combo for two which serves 4 veg and 3 meat dishes ($ 22 !!)
1. The waiting period is too long once you order the food.
2. Few dishes were served cold like Ayeb begomen, Fitfit, Injera which would have tasted better if served hot.
3. Though Injera was made of actual teff flour which is good was very sour.
4. All the meat dishes were served hot and was very good in taste (doro key wat, doro wat alicha, yebeg key wot).Lamb and chicken was cooked perfectly.
Also if chicken is provided in pieces rather than one big piece with bone would be better coz while you are sharing your plate with the other person, tearing the chicken would be a bit clumsy.
5. Honey wine was Delicious.

Unfortunately the service totally took away from a possibly good food experience. The food was spicy even after I asked for mild — my kids loved that thanks. Took ages to get the food. Save the time and find another.

How was the food? Nonexistent! Thankfully we could properly accuratize how long we waited for our food because of a text message received when we got there — 45 minutes! We were there for 45 minutes and not only had we not gotten any food but no drinks either! The people sitting at the table next to us who got there 20 minutes after not only got there order taken before us but they got their appetizers and drinks before us! We watched them eat and drink for 15 minutes and then decided to leave! This is the worst service restaurant we have ever ate at! This story is 100% accurate 0% exaggerated and we created a Unilocal account just for this.

YUM! This place is so good. I had been meaning to try it for a while, and then I spotted a Living Social coupon that made it well worth the visit. If you go, you MUST try the honey wine, as it is amazing. I’ve been twice, and both times got the combo for two meal. It comes with three piles of meat and 4 piles of veggies. You get to pick and choose from most of the options on the menu. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve tried so far, including their only dessert option, the baklava (it’s very tasty).
The only thing that prevents me from giving 5 stars is the service and location. The waitresses are friendly enough but they are SO SLOW. Also, I’ve only seen one who speaks relatively OKish English. The others don’t really speak English at all, which makes asking questions about the menu a difficult endeavor. The restaurant itself is kind of a side attachment to a weird, small, dark bar. The first time I went, I thought I had walked into the wrong place. Still, the food is so good, that Fasika is very much worth it, especially with a Living Social coupon to lower the price!

Excellent Ethiopian. I have eaten my way through almost all of the Ethiopian places in Boston and I think I’ve found the one I’m sticking with!
Sampler platter, with 3 meats and 5 veggies. Ordered extra spicy so they put a little kick in it.
The cottage cheese appetizer was outrageous, first time trying the dish and its now sure to be a staple. Service was meh… but the food was so good we didn’t even mind.

I started with the «Kitfo Dulet» and opted for the raw version. To me, it is a deliciously spiced-​up version of Steak Tar-​tar! The mixed-​in onions and jalapenos gave it a delicious crunchy texture!
Next up was «Doro Key Wot», i.e. spicy chicken was was very tasty; the boiled egg added an additional twist of flavor!
Washed it all down with some Ethiopian coffee and then doddered on home in a food coma :-) :-) :-).

My first time trying ethiopian food, and one of the main reasons I wanted to try the East Broadway Foodie Crawl!
I loved the spices on the lentils, but not really the bread. Not sure if it’s always a bit gummy, but I’d try Fasika and Ethiopian food in general again!
I believe the owner was plating up the bread and he seemed super happy to have so many people trying his food.

This is a great way to socialize over a meal. You can choose table or traditional seating and all the food is shared. (Not good for germaphobes!). The food is very different; meat eaters will like the Fasika Special and vegetarians will find plenty of options. The server offered tastes of wine which is a good idea because the flavors are interesting. The price and ambience make this a nice option to home cooking!

My first Ethiopian food experience was a success!
Abe (the bartender) basically picked out our meal and the friendly patrons told us how to eat and what extra sauces to get!!!
The honey wine allowed me to have more of the spicy sauce!
The special lamb dish was my favorite.

I have been here twice, and I will continue to return. I love Ethiopian food, strangely I suppose, it’s my comfort food, I used to get it a lot after bad days. I don’t know if I’m turned off by the location which needs a new ceiling and feels dirty to me, or if the food is just not as good as the food that I’m used to in DC.
I will say though, if you’ve never tried Ethiopian this is a good place to start. the injera is high quality and seemingly made with teff. it’s delicious, and the food and flavors are pretty outstanding. Be aware that kitfo, if you order it is general served warmed but raw… it’s pretty good, but can be a turn off. I suggest the lamb dishes in general, as they’re pretty darn good.
Also service is pretty terrible, but I find this is general true for Ethiopian places.
I think if it were just up to the food to make the place, then I would for sure give Fasika 4 stars. I just don’t like the actual location/​service. HOWEVER, this is the first Ethiopian restaurant that I have seen that does take out, so next time I’ll be ordering take out! One day, when I make it to Africa, I’ll let you all know if this is an authentic dining experience.

Oh… my…goodness…This is my spot!!! My friend’s parents own this wonderful restaurant and let me tell you… EVERYTHING about it is amazing.
From the food, to the service, the wine and atmosphere. Go here for lunch or dinner and try a bit of everything. My friends got the tilapia with collard greens, a beef dish and I got the sweet potato and green bean dish. SO. GOOD! We had to order more Ingera because we couldn’t stop eating haha
Seriously though, best food around =)