(212) 961-1416

947 Amsterdam Ave (nr. 106th St.)
New York, NY 10025 40.8007 -73.9653

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Neighborhoods: Upper West Side, Midtown

Hours:

Mon-Sun: 12:00pm-11:00pm

Price:

$$$

Last updated 10.17.11

Category:

Restaurants, Catering

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Fine Dining

Cuisine:

African, Ethiopian, Vegetarian

What People Are Saying About Awash

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

Ethiopian restaurant serving vegetarian, lamb, chicken and beef dishes in Harlem; also has a sister East Village location.

ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. Very good place with nice ambiance.
  2. Service is always attentive and the restaurant is simple, quiet and cozy.
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. now you get only the potato beet, one spiced bean, then your entrees (now on a much smaller plate than the huge pizza pie sized tray formerly used), lined with only 1 injera, and only 2 injeras to use (formerly 4).
drinks
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. There is a range of delicious, hard-to-come-by African beers to go with the chow, and dinner for two comes in at around $25-$40, depending on whether or not you go for the beer.
  2. The fritters are stupendous; the mixed platters are filling and tasty and perfect for sharing; the wine by the bottle is decent and cheap.
  3. we walked in awash resturant with my family and freins for the labour,1st we were standing at the door to bre seated for almost 20 minutes and i decided to walk towards the bar I asked the girl ,if someone can seat us she was very rude did not have the co
food quality
88.99999618530273% positive
  1. now you get only the potato beet, one spiced bean, then your entrees (now on a much smaller plate than the huge pizza pie sized tray formerly used), lined with only 1 injera, and only 2 injeras to use (formerly 4).
  2. There is a range of delicious, hard-to-come-by African beers to go with the chow, and dinner for two comes in at around $25-$40, depending on whether or not you go for the beer.
  3. Vegetarian food was excellent and at a reasonable rate.
  4. The food is distinctive, and better than Ethopian food I have had elsewhere.
  5. good food, bad service
  6. The service was helpful, friendly and prompt and the food was spicy and flavorful, without being overpowering.
  7. All meat and vegetables were tasty, though not necessarily memorable (after all, this is peasant food--cheap, appetizing, and satisfying).
  8. food was okay not bad but did not get enough injera so we have to wait 10 minutes ,by then everybody was frustrated nit a good experience such a negative energy in the whole restaurant
  9. The best dish on the menu is their beef.
  10. I'm so happy this place is in my neighborhood -- sometimes the service is a bit slow, but it's always friendly and the food is always fantastic.
  11. Wonderful food, great neighborhood restaurant
  12. With such a rich cuisine, there is no need to hold back.
  13. the dishes taste very fresh and the sampler comes with a very generous number of dishes.
  14. The fritters are stupendous; the mixed platters are filling and tasty and perfect for sharing; the wine by the bottle is decent and cheap.
  15. Not coming back here, even though the food was good.
  16. We came expecting a nice meal, and we did have one - but the service, frankly, sucked!
  17. food remains tasty, but no longer good value.
  18. The bread wasn't as bad as the other place, a little softer and not gritty.
  19. I'm not a big fan of Ethiopian food, my first time was forgettable, and I just knew it wasn't for me.
  20. Good food but.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. while nyc's ethiopian choices aren't as good or plentiful as dc or sf, i think this restaurant is the best ethiopian in town.
  2. The best dish on the menu is their beef.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. My favorite restaurant in the city.
  2. Since the Blue Nile closed on 77th Street and Columbus, we have been looking for a replacement for our favorite Ethiopian restaurant and we think we have found it.
  3. Very good place with nice ambiance.
  4. Wonderful food, great neighborhood restaurant
service
59.670000076293945% positive
  1. The service was helpful, friendly and prompt and the food was spicy and flavorful, without being overpowering.
  2. Because of the prior reviews citing poor service, we went with great misgivings and low expectations on service.
  3. Service is always attentive and the restaurant is simple, quiet and cozy.
  4. we walked in awash resturant with my family and freins for the labour,1st we were standing at the door to bre seated for almost 20 minutes and i decided to walk towards the bar I asked the girl ,if someone can seat us she was very rude did not have the co
  5. good food, bad service
  6. the service is friendly but slow and negligent, if you care about that.
  7. It's not THAT great to be expecting customers to put up with higher prices and the poor service.
  8. I'm so happy this place is in my neighborhood -- sometimes the service is a bit slow, but it's always friendly and the food is always fantastic.
  9. We came expecting a nice meal, and we did have one - but the service, frankly, sucked!
  10. Good service should not be a gamble.
value
85.71000099182129% positive
  1. excellent value.
  2. food remains tasty, but no longer good value.
  3. All meat and vegetables were tasty, though not necessarily memorable (after all, this is peasant food--cheap, appetizing, and satisfying).
  4. The fritters are stupendous; the mixed platters are filling and tasty and perfect for sharing; the wine by the bottle is decent and cheap.
  5. the dishes taste very fresh and the sampler comes with a very generous number of dishes.
  6. now you get only the potato beet, one spiced bean, then your entrees (now on a much smaller plate than the huge pizza pie sized tray formerly used), lined with only 1 injera, and only 2 injeras to use (formerly 4).
  7. It's not THAT great to be expecting customers to put up with higher prices and the poor service.
wait time
65.99999904632568% positive
  1. we walked in awash resturant with my family and freins for the labour,1st we were standing at the door to bre seated for almost 20 minutes and i decided to walk towards the bar I asked the girl ,if someone can seat us she was very rude did not have the co
  2. understand when you are busy it is hard but you can actually talk to the customer with respect not with the attitude of if you want to eat here you have to endure all the abuse from us so I am actually boycotting the restaurant in Colombia university c
  3. the service is friendly but slow and negligent, if you care about that.
  4. food was okay not bad but did not get enough injera so we have to wait 10 minutes ,by then everybody was frustrated nit a good experience such a negative energy in the whole restaurant
  5. I'm so happy this place is in my neighborhood -- sometimes the service is a bit slow, but it's always friendly and the food is always fantastic.
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

04/01/09

Great Ethnic Food

by Nativeater

My boyfriend and I live on the UWS and are big fans of this place. The food is distinctive, and better than Ethopian food I have had elsewhere. There is a range of delicious, hard-to-come-by African beers to go with the chow, and dinner for two comes in at around $25-$40, depending on whether or not you go for the beer. How great is that?

  • Pros: Delicious food, great prices, friendly service
  • Cons: Ambient candlelit decor, though no design showcase
4 Star Rating: Recommended

09/09/08

Tasty Exoticism at the Right Price

by clowwwn

In 20-30 years, African restaurants may fill out the hip downtown streets. For now, you can enjoy Awash's Ethiopian standards. I chose one of the meat combinations, which feeds 2 and is served on the large, spongy pancake (no fork/knife allowed). All meat and vegetables were tasty, though not necessarily memorable (after all, this is peasant food--cheap, appetizing, and satisfying).

  • Pros: Tasty, cheap, exoti
1 Star Rating: Poor

09/04/08

the rudest waitresses and service ever

by nilaye

we walked in awash resturant with my family and freins for the labour,1st we were standing at the door to bre seated for almost 20 minutes and i decided to walk towards the bar I asked the girl ,if someone can seat us she was very rude did not have the cortesy to even look at me ,she was filling glass and stated ''well you are not the only people waiting look at this customers seated on the bar waiteing foor open seat''in a very rude tone while ther was towo separete tables open ,my father inlaw staed lets just put these table together and we did he had ankle surgery could not stand long ,okay we sat ourselves and waiting to get some water or a waiter there were two girls for the resturant ,whenever they pass by no eye contact or sorry for the delay or no word ,total time to get water 220 minutes to give order another 10 minutes and by the time we get our food30 minutes total waiting time from the door to be served over an hour .food was okay not bad but did not get enough injera so we have to wait 10 minutes ,by then everybody was frustrated nit a good experience such a negative energy in the whole restaurant .i understand when you are busy it is hard but you can actually talk to the customer with respect not with the attitude of if you want to eat here you have to endure all the abuse from us so I am actually boycotting the restaurant in Colombia university campus ,please do not go there unless you want to be treated with so mush rudeness and pay the big paycheck,by the way when we asked our bill it took them less than 2 minutes to bring to us so sad ..

4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/15/08

Setting the Record Straight

by YUnicorns

Since the Blue Nile closed on 77th Street and Columbus, we have been looking for a replacement for our favorite Ethiopian restaurant and we think we have found it. Because of the prior reviews citing poor service, we went with great misgivings and low expectations on service. Our fears were put to rest and it appears that the service has caught up with the food, and we found both to be excellent. The service was helpful, friendly and prompt and the food was spicy and flavorful, without being overpowering. The menu offered an array of diverse selections, each capturing the distinct character of Ethiopian cuisine. If there is a criticism, it would be that the spices could be used more assertively. With such a rich cuisine, there is no need to hold back.

  • Pros: Excellent and unique food, friendly and attentive service, very reasonable prices
1 Star Rating: Poor

04/19/08

Absolutely rude

by lewisall

This restaurant compares somewhat to other Ethiopian restaurants. The service is usually satisfactory. But on the evening of April 19th it was below average. Having to wait is one thing, so is being ignored, but rudeness is just unnecessary. We were waiting for a while when we noticed that other patrons, that had just arrived, were being served. I?m sure that many people that go out to eat have experienced this, I know I have. What I have not experienced was the blatant rudeness. I caught our waitresses? attention by saying ?excuse me miss,? to which her immediate reply was ?You ordered an appetizer, that?s why your food is taking longer?.Get it?? I purposely paused after getting her attention to give her the chance to explain. By her immediate reaction it was clearly evident to her that we had been waiting a while for our food. This was the first time we had asked. Soon after that, a different waiter brought out or food, but they didn?t complete the order correctly. Given that there are several Ethiopian restaurants in the neighborhood, and the only charm of this one was the space, I will not be going back. Good service should not be a gamble.

  • Pros: Same quality of food you can get at another Ethiopian restaraunt
  • Cons: Service

The Details on Awash

Place Categories:

  • friendly service
  • good vegetarian food
  • excellent value
  • decent wine
  • favorite ethiopian restaurant
  • filling mixed platters
  • best ethiopian
  • big fan
  • very fresh dish
  • tasteful entrees
  • wonderful place
  • favorite neighborhood restaurant
  • delicious african beers
  • reasonable rate
  • great low expectations
  • like feels
  • great misgivings
  • nice meal
  • nice ambiance
  • not as bad bread
  • huge pizza pie
  • especially recommend vegitarian combo
  • especially recommend honey rum
  • stupendous fritters
  • big paycheck
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