Addissae Ethiopian gets 5 stars for being the only Ethiopian spot in all of Asheville. The menu is complete with the usual fare, and it is also the first time I've seen tempeh on the menu as an additional option. The veggie messob included another newbie to me: beets! The tea service was elegant, and the server was genuinely pleased to serve us. Authenticity abounds in this downtown gem in the wall--a top choice for a brisk day. (I did not try any meat options) read more

The wait staff was very kind and courteous. Ordered and Enjoyed the misir wat- it did not disappoint!

This place is simply amazing. The staff is friendly and attentive and the restaurant is clean. Just go! :) read more

Addissae - Meat platter for 2 people - Ethiopian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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So good! Exactly what we were craving. There's a family-casual-vibe here. The food was fresh and the service was excellent.

We are so happy they decided to reopen the restaurant. We missed eating delicious Ethiopian food! Go ahead and support this wonderful family restaurant. The new phone number is: (828)417-7189 read more

Sooooo delicious!! If you like Ethiopian Food or if you've never tried it and have an adventurous palate, this is a must go to!! The best Ethiopian restaurants we've ever tried from Tampa to Washington DC. The Vegetable platter is simply awesome! Just be mindful that you eat it with your hands on delicious injera bread. read more

Addissae - DORO KEY W'AT (CHICKEN) - Ethiopian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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I am in love with the vegetarian sample plate. I am pleased that this restaurant exists in Asheville and wish that it continues to do so.

Wow, this place was supper delicious, especially if you like spices like cumin, ginger and allspice along with lentils and chickpeas!! And, if you are a vegan and gluten free, it's a dream come true because all the food is gluten free anyway, and they cater to vegans. This is b/c the orthodox Christians in Ethiopia fast often twice a week, so most restaurants have vegan options. We ordered the family style meal for two. They have two options: vegan or with meat. The flavors were delicious, and even the collard green side, Gorman Wat, was out of this world. We also ordered the tempeh tips as an appetizer, even though it's a meal on its own. It's a shame that you can't get them as an appetizer, but they were definitely worth ordering, and we had a lot of leftovers. It's a little hard to find because it is on the back side of the main drag, but once you come around the corner from Cox to Commerce Ave, it's right next door to the back door of the Thirsty Monk. You it's hardly a few steps around the corner. This place is definitely a gem! read more

This place has been amazing! The best meet in Ashville for sure and the service was awesome ! Very very clean! Highly recommended read more

Great authentic Ethiopian restaurant. The restaurant was very clean. I ordered the vegan sampler platter. It was very filling and enough to bring home leftovers. I would recommend to anyone wanting to try something new. read more

Non-descript, off the beaten path FANTASTIC restaurant in Asheville . Probably the cleanest restaurant I've ever been in. Delicious Ethiopian - probably my favorite I've ever had. The staff could not have been kinder and it is super affordable. No alcohol service right now, but we did not miss it. read more

UNBELIEVABLY GOOD!!!!! Delicious food, quiet and calm atmosphere. Great people. Try the lamb tibbs! The injera is unrivaled. Expensive but ABSOLUTELY worth it! read more

Came here for a bday celebration for my husband and our dear friend. There were 4 of us and we ordered the veggie plate for 2, a tempe dish and another lentil dish. We ate A LOT and went home with a bunch of lentils. It was all vegan and incredibly delicious. Cocktails and coffee were OK - we will be back!!!! AMESEGENALEHU!!!!! read more

Addissae - Ethiopian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Wow, just wow! Stopped in with my girlfriend and had the family style meal and it was fantastic! It was called Addissae Meat Messob it's a sampling of all the meat and vegetable dishes and I will be getting it every time! Definitely will be back again and love that they make everything celiac or gluten free friendly!!! If you are thinking of stopping in, do it! read more

I wish there were more Ethiopian restaurants around the country! This place was off the beaten path but still walking distance around town. Had i not ask a local and read the reviews we probably would not have eaten here just because of the location but it was so worth it. We had the vegetarian sampler and it was awesome. If you have never had Ethiopian food watch a YouTube video on how to while you wait Also your hands may smell of curry for a day or so and make you hungry all over again!! Great service too read more

Addissae - Vegetarian sampler - Ethiopian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Tori surprised me with a trip to Asheville for Valentine's Day but she isn't a big planner like I am. Honestly, when I found out we didn't have dinner reservations in downtown Asheville on Valentine's Day weekend, I got a little anxious. I thought we would end up at a Waffle House or something (no offense to Waffle House). But boy was I wrong! We ended up randomly finding Addissae while walking around. We had both wanted to try Ethiopian food for a long time but never ended up doing it, so we figured this would be the perfect time! Addissae is incredibly clean inside and the decor is modern, bright, and cheery. They incorporate the color red in both their interior design and their logo. Not to mention, we were seated at a glass table filled with coffee beans! Super cute and unique. The staff is super friendly. We waited for a table for about 30 minutes, but the hostess was very cheerful and updated us a few times about our waiting time. While waiting, we tried a popular Kenyan lager that tasted kind of like Peroni to me. I highly recommend trying that beer. I got one of the vegetarian platters and asked for extra spicy sauce on the side. The food was really flavorful. I really enjoyed the meal. Our bartender at Hookah Joe's recommended that we try the dessert menu here. I'm not a big dessert person, but the tiramisu here is heavenly. It's actually made with Ethiopian coffee beans. To keep this long story somewhat short, Addissae was honestly the perfect place for our Valentines Day dinner. I cannot recommend it enough. If there is a wait time, don't let it discourage you because the food is totally worth it. Pro-tip: They sell the super rad Addissae pint glasses as pictured for $4. We bought one to take home as a souvenir! read more

Addissae - Tusker: beer brewed and bottled in Nairobi, Kenya. - Ethiopian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Awesome server Betsy.. Served us the fam style sharing plate. .true depth of spices.in everything..chicken melting... .great music and some history from the owner about the queen of Sheba!! Def. Worth a try for sumthin different.. read more

Addissae - Love hapoiness and coffee!!! - Ethiopian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

I will preface my review by stating that before last night, I had never eaten in an Ethiopian restaurant. Since I moved to Asheville in 2005, people have been screaming about the need for one, and when I met my fiance she lamented that she missed the amazing Ethiopian place she frequented in Baltimore. When I discovered Addissae was opening, I made reservations as quickly as I could both to score points with my lady and have a chance to try something new and different. Obviously, I'm no expert, but every single thing that I ate last night was phenomenal. The injera was soft, light, and tasty; the tibbs were cooked perfectly; the lentils were deliciously spiced; the greens weren't soggy like they tend to be at so many restaurants; and the chicken that was on the meat tray was quite possibly the best chicken I have ever tasted. Seriously, the food was amazing. I ate well past that comfortably full point and didn't regret it for one second. The restaurant is cozy, and it was packed last night. The service was very friendly. The food came out promptly and was the proper temperature. Any newly opened restaurant will have kinks to work out, but other than having to wait a little past our reservation time, last night went incredibly well for us. The only thing I would say against this place is that the beer is slightly overpriced, but that doesn't even matter. The food prices were reasonable and the food quality so incredible it easily makes up for having to drop an extra dollar or two on a beer. We will absolutely be eating at Addissae again, and will be recommending it to our friends, family, people in line at the grocery store...whoever. Hell, we'll probably even tell people we don't like because while they may annoy us, they still deserve to experience food like that. read more

Having only been here once while they were doing take-out only, I must say the food was delicious, albeit expensive. We are looking forward to going back when we can dine inside and better understand the offerings. (The only reason I'm rating 4 stars is the price.) read more

My boyfriend and I are visiting Asheville from the Midwest and we were looking for something different than what we could get at home. We had a great experience at Addissae and highly recommend it. The meal, coffee, music, ambiance, and service were all great! read more

We ate here last week because we had the AIR card and thought we would try it out. I had never had Ethiopian food and will say that it was quite unique. The presentation was very nice but the food was interesting. It took about 45 minutes for order to come out and honestly I was not all that great. Definitely a cultural experience but not sure if I will go back. I have no idea if the food was bad or I just don't have a taste for Ethiopian cuisine. Give it a try though if you enjoy Ethiopian Dining. read more

Addissae - Ethiopian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

My first experience with Ethiopian food was great but then my second was terrible so I wasn't really up for it again but it was free so I figured, why not..it was free because we traded food at the vegan festival. I tried their number 1, which had collard greens, miser wat, and gomen. In other words, greens and two types of mushy flavored sauced. All 3 options were appetizing as well as the "bread." I was quite stuffed by the time I had this but I wanted to try it and I am so glad I did! read more

Addissae - Menu - Ethiopian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Soooo delicious! Pick-up was super easy and the food was fantastic. I will be returning every time I'm in Asheville! I got takeout but the inside of the restaurant looks beautiful. read more

I've tried Ethiopian food all over the country from Chicago to Houston to DC to Denver to all over the bay area. No kidding, and my gosh this is right there in the lead for one of the best I've tried. It's already the tastiest food on the planet- the veggie combo is vegan and brilliant- but they do it perfectly here. I hope they thrive because Asheville wouldn't be the same without them. read more

We went for a late-evening dinner and shared the messob, lamb tibbs, and a bottle of wine between three people. The food came out promptly and was served on one large platter to share. Everything was flavorful and well seasoned. Everything is served traditionally, so you eat without silverware. read more

Addissae - Meat messob and lamb tibbs - Ethiopian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Ate at Addissae last night. Service was excellent - our waiter advised us what to eat, as it was our first time eating Ethiopian cuisine. We ordered the lamb and vegetable platter. Outstanding! read more

Amazing tempeh was soo good.. great hospitality .. Cultural Homely Nice iced tea with spices Eating some of these veggies after a long time read more

Ok, so here's the deal. I sort of swore off Yelp for a minute, because I don't go to all that many places, and I really wanted to spread a bit of appreciation for all the lovely and positive experiences here in Asheville by making my first Yelp review after hiatus be a well-deserved rave review for something awesome. Like they say in the bible, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof (or, as the Ethiopians might say, nägä lärasu yč'änäqalna länägä ätč'änäqu: läqänu kfatu ybäqawal). And who am I to spread negativity and ignore the lovely things in life... And then, there's Addissae. I really wanted to like this place. I wanted to love it and give it an enthusiastic 5 stars and have it be my new best friend. I was willing to cut it some slack, too. I know not every place can be freakin' Dukem in DC, or that little outdoor cafe at Seven Olives in Lalibella, or even a decently crappy Ethio-Rasta place in Atlanta. I knew going in that it was probably not going to be authentic. I was ready to be a loyal enthusiast despite all that. The bar I'd set was quite low, I assure you. And lemme tell you, I was craving some shiro like a motherfucker. I was ready to give my right arm for a bowl of shiro in a little (ok, big) puddle of spiced clarified butter with chopped onions and tomatoes and some nice warm, fluffy Injera. I wanted to submerge in a nostalgic haze of Ethio jazz horns and charcoal smoke and linger over spiced coffee with ever-so-slightly charred popcorn. And I knew I couldn't get it, or anything close to it. And I was willing to give Addissae a gentleman's try anyway, and love on it as hard as I've ever loved on anything. So here's why the three stars: they messed up my shiro, bigly, in a uniquely Ashevillian style. The vegetarian plate is not just veg, but frickin' vegan. No butter. Minimal spice. Everything tastes as virtuous as that person who lectures you about a vegan lifestyle while you're at the bus stop tryina do a crossword puzzle and mind your own business. Metaphorically speaking, I mean. I don't actually eat those people. They're too stringy. I might be a fuck ton more healthy for having eaten this sorry excuse for shiro for dinner, but I'm a few dozen bucks poorer and a big measure sadder. I'm sad because my angry three-star rating is going to make people think that Asheville just isn't ready for an Ethiopian restaurant (it is ready, but this is not an Ethiopian restaurant in anything but name). I'm sad because it takes a lot of arm twisting to get people to try Ethiopian food at all (and inevitably involves a bunch of old, wrung out and tasteless jokes about beri beri, kwashiorkor and scared/nonexistent chickens), and feeding people at Addissae will give them no grounds to rethink their prejudices. I'm sad because everyone who worked at that place seems extremely nice, and I don't like to say unkind things about good-hearted people. I should have turned and run when I saw tempeh (?!?!) on the menu. I shoulda honored my doubts when I saw they served neither coffee nor actual tej. This place is ideal for a certain subset of Asheville. The folks who want to "try something new" while sticking to a high-fiber, low-fat, vegan, gluten free lifestyle. The people who wanted to go to Laughing Seed but found out the hard way that it's impossible to get into on a warm and sunny Saturday when the leaves are just starting to change. For white people with dreadlocks. For all you people, go to Addissae and love on it. It's a perfectly warm and welcoming place for you to enjoy a meal with the kids. For people who crave a nice bowl of shiro wat, though, you're SOL. It's 4 hours to DC. I guess I'll meet you there. read more

I love trying new cuisines. My girlfriend knows this, and she found Addissae as a potential dinner spot while we were visiting Asheville. It is "my new" standard suggestion for anyone visiting Asheville and wanting a culinary adventure. If you have never had Ethiopian cuisine, you are in for a surprise. Be ready to eat with your hands! (They have flatware if you need it, but the food is best experienced as it would be natively consumed.) We tried a meat and vegetarian platter. Different meats, vegetables, and a salad all go on top of injera, which is a bread made from teff that is used as the utensil for picking up the rest of the meal. The flavors were amazing. We couldn't stop eating. Of course, this meant we left feeling incredibly full, but just like the owner said, the food doesn't sit heavy for long and we were soon feeling very pleasant as we walked off our meal. I will say that the bread is a different taste than anything I have had before, but it isn't bad at all. Don't be afraid of the fact that it is fermented in order to cause a sourdough taste. read more

Addissae - Platter of awesomeness! - Ethiopian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Oh my gosh! I'm so impressed! I am a total Ethiopian food snob; and because I'm originally from Denver, Colorado where they have a dozen or more Ethiopian restaurants, I was fully expecting to be disappointed. Not so! Everything was on par with the best Denver has to offer! Plus, they're Beef Kay Wot is better than any I had in Denver. Another plus is that, even though they are located downtown, there is a very reasonable $2 an hour parking lot just across the street. Since they are off the main drag a block or two, I would call this a hidden gem for sure. And finally, it's reasonably priced with very nice and appreciative staff. Go, just go!! read more

Eating Ethiopian food is such a treat! Absolutely loved it ! The flavors were on point, (could have done with more "heat") . The traditional platter was very satisfying and filling! Waiting staff was good too. Would have liked some cool music in the background .... overall great experience and I recommend it! read more

Addissae - Ethiopian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

I love this place and visit every time I come to Asheville. Delicious food, fair prices, yummy drinks, super friendly staff, and a sacred feeling. Highly recommended. read more

I absolutely adore this African gem. Upon crossing the threshold you are bathed in the appetizing aromas of their unique spices. The staff is so welcoming and attentive. Perhaps the most unconventional thing to note on would be the cleanliness. I would eat off the floor of this place. The food is absolutely incredible. There are many options ranging from vegan to Omni. We shared the lentils and also the tempeh and it came out a huge platter with more than enough bread and also three different vegetables. They give out seasoned popcorn at the table as you wait which was both unique and delicious. I will definitely be back as soon as possible. read more

Lovely restaurant, a hidden gem in Asheville! Ethiopian food usually gets a bad rep, or is overlooked. This lovely little place was empty on a Friday afternoon. We had great service and had all of our questions answered about the different dishes and what was in them. One huge vegan platter and one huge ox tail platter later and we were stuffed! A filling and affordable meal with lots of great warming flavors. Perfect for winter or any time of year really! read more

Four of us loved everything. Lots of great food for the price. Fun and different. Place is plain but new and clean Highly recommend

Had been looking forward to trying this place. Check reviews, open/close times etc. When we arrived we found a note on the door stating they were closed for a month. My suggestion is if you shut down for a month to take vacation at least advertise your planned closure. Dunno if the food is as good as advertised, but I won't be trying to go back anytime soon, if ever. read more

We love Ethiopian food and try to eat it often when traveling. To say that this restaurant is underwhelming would be a huge understatement. Upon entrance there is a very strong smell that makes it seem like there is no circulation, but worse than that was the service. There was no appearance of host or wait staff and we stood in the entrance wondering if they were open. Finally we were told to sit anywhere and things only went downhill from there. We had to ask for everything (plates, napkins, etc, )and when we did, the waitress had a terrible attitude and responded with a passive aggressive "ok". The food was mediocre at best. It was all one tone, the injera was dry and the waitress didn't bring enough for the dish. The meat was overcooked and the vegetables were all seasoned the same. In a city with excellent choices for dining, we would not recommend Addissae. read more

Food was phenomenal. Great flavors, beautiful presentations, and a wonderful ambiance. Loved all the add pieces for decor. read more

Addissae - Our menus and mango margarita - Ethiopian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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As someone who is well versed in Ethiopian cuisine, I have to say this place is very authentic and just so enjoyable. I am never ever let down by the food out to me. It is probably the most consistent restaurant I have ever been to. The atmosphere is amazing, very full of soul. The owner is very sweet and you can tell he cares tremendously about what he puts out. If you've never had Ethiopian food, this is a great place to experience the rich flavors that the cuisine presents. A hidden GEM in Asheville, and I can only hope they come back after Covid-19. It's first on my list when this is all over read more

We came here for lunch while visiting Asheville. I hate to say it, but the food was terrible. We eat Ethiopian food frequently and this was not it. The vegetarian platter only had four different stews and they were incredibly bland! Not spicy or even flavorful at all. Even the injera wasn't good. The texture was stiff and taste wasn't right. I'm so disappointed and it was twice the price I usually pay in South Florida. Never again. read more