Abyssinia Restaurant and Cafe

Abyssinia Restaurant and Café is a small Central Phoenix restaurant specializing in traditional Ethiopian fare. The menu offers vegetarian and meat dishes expertly prepared with typical Ethiopian seasonings like red chile-spiced berbere, spiced butter, ginger and cardamom. The veggie combo platter, featuring heaps of misir wot (spicy red lentils) and tikel gomen (stewed cabbage, carrots and potatoes), is a crowd-pleaser. Meat highlights include zil zil tibs, strips of beef lightly marinated in red wine and sautéed in ghee, and doro wot, a chicken curry that is as complex as it is delicious. The restaurant offers a short Ethiopian coffee ceremony that is a touch exotic, but will remind you of the simple pleasures of enjoying a strong cup of joe in good company.