Abugida Ethiopian Cafe & Restaurant

The chicken, beef and lamb tibs dishes here are all great but I lean toward the lamb. This is a different kind of experience as you eat your meal with the bread that's served. There are plenty of vegetarian options for those looking for that. The wine and coffee available here are also very good.

Fantastic food and everyone who works there is so incredibly sweet. We got the Abugida Feast with beef and it was enough food for two people with plenty of leftovers for $35ish. Highly recommend!!

This was our second time trying Ethiopian food, and we were not disappointed! Our favorites were the vegetarian platter, especially the red lentils, chickpeas, and potatoes and carrots. All were very well-seasoned and flavorful. The injera was delicious, and they gave us more than enough of it with our meals. The service was wonderful, and our server had great recommendations. We loved the family-run atmosphere, and you could tell everything was cooked with love. We greatly enjoyed our experience, and we highly recommend you stop here!

This restaurant does not deserve any stars. As an individual who is familiar with and a fan of Ethiopian cuisine, I was excited to bring my family to this restaurant. Unfortunately, we ended up walking out. Upon entering we were greeted so well and our order was taken for drinks and our meal. After waiting nearly 30 minutes the waitress (who seemed to run the whole show) brought out our water. Water took her 30 minutes. At that time we asked about our meal and she mentioned that one part of the meal is coming from another location. I'm sorry, what? Fine, we waited a little bit more and finally my husband said we should leave. We got up to inform her and lo and behold, we see her eating inside of the kitchen. This is absurd. I will not be returning to this place.

The food was pretty good. Not the greatest. Tried the non-veg platter. The Doro wet was great. The service was good. Loved the experience with the coffee. The ambience is okay. The restrooms are pretty neat. A quick stop to have some decent Ethiopian food. Price is more on the higher end.

Selam! I love this restaurant, and staff very nice, welcoming! You will enjoy the food.

Absolutely worth a drive up from Greenville, SC for any and every dish on their menu. I have visited numerous times with one of my best friends and we are never disappointed. My absolute favorite is their lamb or chicken and their vegetarian platter. The love that is cooked into the food is purely magical. The flavors are rich and complementary, with a depth that I simply can’t find in South Carolina. You will never be disappointed going here.

Wonderful service, delicious, authentic Ethiopian cuisine. Taste, and see, so good!

There's something so enriching about sharing a meal with others, and Ethiopian food is one of those experiences where you share this meal with others and use your hands and really get into everything without abandon. I will preface this, the menu can be confusing at first. But don't be afraid to ask for clarification. Our waiter was patient with us and explained what we needed to know. They also have a gluten free option for those that need GF injera bread. We started off with coffee and tea. The tea taste like an autumnal Christmas. The coffee was presented in a beautiful intricate pot and we poured for ourselves, and the flavor and boldness and sweetness was a perfect pick me up. The food itself was quite delicious. We had a hodgepodge of things - with varying textures, flavors, meatiness, colors, bases... so to even write about it would not be giving those dishes the justice it deserves. Try it. The portions were more than enough and they keep refilling you with injera if you run out. Get messy with the food - it makes the experience that much worthwhile. Also - plenty of parking. So no stress about that - and was not busy at all on a Saturday afternoon! They are super accommodating.

This was our first experience with Ethiopian food. Most Americans are not familiar with communal dining. We were a party of 8, and it was my husband's birthday. From beginning to end, we loved every minute of our dining experience. The food was outstanding. We tried the Yesega Sambusa (ground beef filling) for appetizers, it was crisp and crunchy and delicious. My Dad, Mom and nephew shared a Vegetarian Sampler and a Meat Lovers Combination together. My nephew also got an Aybe, fresh Ethiopian cheese. Our friend ordered Kitfo, which was one of the most amazing, melt-in-your-mouth dishes I've ever tasted. My brother and sister in law ordered Lamb Tibs and Yedoro (chicken) Tibs. My husband and I got Doro Wet, one of the most famous African dishes known from Ethiopia. We also got Doro Alecha, Beef Tibs, and a Vegetarian sampler as well. It came with Kik Alecha (lentils or yellow split pea curry), potatoes with carrots, Tekil Gomen - a cabbage dish with carrots and jalapeños, Yemisir Kik Wat (red lentils cooked with berbere), collard greens Gomen, and beans. Each of these dishes had their own unique flavors and it was really awesome food! All of these came laid out on beds of injera bread, which soaked up the flavors of the different dishes and was absolutely delicious! Plenty of extra fluffy injera was also served in baskets. We finished with Ethiopian coffee and Ethiopian tea. The tea was lightly spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, orange and cloves, it was delicious! The coffee was among one of the best coffees I've tasted, they brewed it and poured it from beautiful black coffee pots. When they brewed it, we could smell the coffee and also frankincense in the room, which was lovely. They didn't have dessert, but since it was my husband's birthday, they allowed us to bring in a small cake that was delicious with the coffee. We want to specially thank Yolita and Dawite and their friend who hosted us and introduced us to all this wonderful food!! The service was awesome, the food was incredible, and it was such a delightful dining experience!

Abugida is a standout restaurant, in my opinion. The food was absolutely delicious. To start, I had the Ethiopian cheese with gomen. The cheese had a great amount of salt and the greens were well spiced. I also had the vegetarian platter and lamb tibs. The lamb was a little tough but the flavor made up for it. My favorite dish on the vegetarian platter was Yemisir Kik Wat. I arrived early for dinner. The place was empty but as it got later during dinner time, it filled up. Looking around there were so many delicious dishes. Make sure to come with an empty stomach and be prepared to be stuffed with ingera!

Abugida Ethiopian Cafe & Restaurant is an absolute delight! The food is incredibly authentic and bursting with bold flavors. My sister started with Yemisir Sambusa. My niece, who is usually very picky, ordered the Lamb Tips--tender lamb sautéed with rosemary, onion, and pepper (she chose the mild berbere sauce) and she loved every bite. I had the Doro Wat, a tender chicken leg simmered in Ethiopian herbed butter, garlic, onion, and berbere, served with a boiled egg. The side of yellow lentils was the perfect addition, and I loved the personal touch when they poured the chicken over my injera at the table. My vegan sister had the vegetable platter and couldn't have been happier with her choice. I'll definitely return whenever I'm in the mood for something to awaken my palate. Highly recommend!

This was my second time eating Ethiopian food. We were in Charlotte, and decided to give this place a try. It's a small building at the side of the road that doesn't look much, but serves good food. We were one of the only people eating in, but a lot of delivery pickups were happening, so we knew it was a liked spot and we will have a good meal. We ordered the Tomato Fitfit, which was yummmmy!!! I'm going to try recreating it at home for sure! Then we also ordered the Abugida Feast with Chicken. All the veggies were yum, though I wish they had a little more spice, but that's just the Indian in me talking. Though the chicken gravy was tasty, the chicken itself didn't have much flavour, so I wish it was marinated for longer. But other than that, we had a full stomach with delicious food at the end of our day. So I'd call it a win!

Such a homey delicious perfect restaurant! Went here with someone who was having Ethiopian for the first time and they absolutely loved it. As soon as walked in it felt like we were in someone's home and that is how we were being served. With kindness and love! We got the tomato fitfit and Abugida feast and were left stuffed! The Injera was tangy and light and all the lentils and veggies were super tender and tasty. The chicken felt bland but the curry was super delicious. I wish this restaurant was closer since they had such good service and were ready to answer all questions. It is definitely worth going here if you've never tried Ethiopian before!

The Yemisir and Yesega Sambusa were both really good but also spicy. The lentil one more so than the ground beef. The Lamb Tibs plate is delicious - so much flavor! It comes with tender lamb sautéed with rosemary, onion & pepper with or without mild berbere sauce. The Beef Tibs is equally fantastic. Tender beef sautéed in onions, tomato, jalapeño, rosemary & Ethiopian spiced butter. My only dislike was, I asked for my Lamb Tibs "not spicy" but my mouth was burning halfway into my meal. I don't have a high heat tolerance but can handle some heat... Thinking back, I should have sent it back but I thought it was made "not spicy".

ABSOLUTE deliciousness! Every time I come to Abugida I love it! From the authenticity you feel as soon as you walk in, to the service, to the incredible food. It's such a fantastic Ethiopian spot. This trip I tried tomato fitfit for the first time and I was truly blown away by this dish. It is a cold dish, and I'm glad I asked about that because it would've been a surprise for sure when I bit into it lol. It was sooooooo so good. Amazing flavors and textures. I will definitely order this every time I go now. My friend ordered the yesega sambusa and I really enjoyed that too. For my main dish I the Abugida feast of course. Yes, it was a lot of food for just me LOL. Yes, I had leftovers for a while hahaha. I just really enjoy having a bit of everything. It means I don't have to choose and I will definitely be full and satisfied. The Abugida feast comes with either chicken or beef and all of their vegetables. It's definitely a feast! I can't say enough good things about this restaurant and staff. I also tried the Ethiopian coffee, which was extremely delicious as well. Can't wait to go back!

Talk about FLAVOR! I've had Ethiopian once in Florida and was craving another experience. I found this gem in Charlotte and went with my boyfriend to check it out. The coffee first things first is DIVINE. Beautiful presentation and one of the strongest coffees I've had yet but also smooth. The server was so kind she always checked in on us to refill the bread. We got the sampler and I highly recommend it if you plan to share. So much flavor and super healthy. Ten stars in my book!

What a gem! We weren't sure what to expect when we arrived as I've only eaten Ethiopian food once and my husband never has. We thoroughly scoured the menu before we went and went in with a plan. I'm sad to say I've driven by this place a million times and on Central and never realized it, but I surely won't be forgetting it anytime soon! There's a parking lot out back which is great, and when we came inside we had our choice of tables. We both started with one of the two Ethiopian beers and it was a nice, light lager. We started with the sambusas and tried one of each, it's hard to pick a favorite as they both had a crunchy inside and flavorful filling. I ordered the yedoro alecho and it was so much food! I really enjoyed the flavor and the mix of chicken and onions. We really enjoyed our experience and are excited to try more items next time!

If you haven't tried Ethiopian food yet, wait no longer! Abugida is an absolute gem and must visit! This small cafe packs a punch with delicious dishes filled with so much flavor. Family owned and operated, you can feel the love in each bite. The prices are more than fair; there is plenty on the plate to share amongst family and friends. I recommend ordering a few dishes and going in family style. I honestly can't wait to return. Everyone was so kind and accommodating and more than happy to explain what to expect with your meal. Feel free to dig in and use your hands with the Injera. Or use the forks which they also provide. Come hungry and do try the coffee!

Enjoyed a delicious and super filling meal with a friend. Such a dreary day, it was perfect for a meat lovers platter. Every dish was packed with flavor! So yummy and so interactive. My friend and I enjoyed chatting and eye rolling from all the deliciousness. The folks working were also so helpful and patient when waiting for us to order. There was just so much to choose from, but they were super helpful with pointing us in the right direction. The meat lovers were a great dish to try, and we definitely had enough for an extra person. It was so nice to see so many families and couples enjoying a nice lunch. Definitely more of a casual spot and so worth a try!

Delicious goodness and fun time sharing dishes with my friend! Drove from Columbia, SC to explore Charlotte, NC for the day and found this gem. Great service and food quality and why an experience! They ran o it if Ethiopian beer which I was sad. Would def be back!

Both the food and the service were amazing. First visit there - definitely won't be the last. Everything from the cheese appetizer to the coffee at the end were FANTASTIC!!

Delicious! I had never tried any Ethiopian food before, but came with four experts to Abugida. We ordered three vegetarian plates and wow wow. I'm so impressed with the quality and quantity that comes with each plate. The variety and flavors were just amazing. I will absolutely come back and actually look at the menu. But from what I could see, iI can't imagine anything bad at this restaurant!

Now, this is an authentic African restaurant experience mixed in with the beauty of what we love when we go experience cuisine in the south. Not only was the food flavorful and amazing portions, it came out hot and ready to be eaten. I've been to Ethiopian restaurants Between New York, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, etc. This is my number one choice of all. Extremely excited to go back for more.

If I could give more stars I would! For my first time, they made you feel so welcomed. The customer service was superb, food was AMAZING!!!!!! We were so full! I recommend everyone to try something different, you won't be disappointed!

I've never had Ethiopian food before so was excited to give another cultures food a try. They did not disappoint! Was absolutely delish! And the staff was amazing, I had so many questions and they were so patient with me. I got the beef tibs with cabbage, so much flavor. Also I got the coffee with included ceremony. So so so good! Can't describe the flavor, but just know it was amazing. Yummers! Great experience all the way around.

Service is great and food was delicious. If you love Ethiopian cuisine, stop by and try it.

This is your sign to try Ethiopian food! Abugida will be one of the best places to experience Ethiopian food. The vegetable Sampler is a great way to try all kinds of different vegetarian sides. It's mainly lentils, potatoes and greens! It has Indian influence and you can taste the curry in the dishes. The beef tips are a good way to try a very traditional African meal, they were so flavorful and mixing it with greens was just the bet combination! When you go there ask for the African honey wine. I don't believe it's on the menu! It was so good. If you had Mead before, it will remind you of it.

Great as always love the vegetarian platter! If your looking for a great authentic Ethiopian experience then you will enjoy Abugida and the atmosphere!

Always a pleasure to order from this establishment. I always order takeout but one day I will eat inside. The ambiance is warm and cozy. The restaurant is small and quaint. As far as the food goes, I can only speak on the Vegetarian feast because it's all I ever order. The flavor is always top notch, and I couldn't ask for more. I have tried Ethiopian food at other restaurants all over the country, but when it comes down to the quality of the meal, Abugida is by far my favorite. Try this spot, you will not be disappointed!

Ethiopian cuisine can't get more authentic than this! With Such a friendly and welcoming ambiance! Parking is easy since they have their own lot. If your new to Ethiopian food, they are more than happy to make suggestions and give you descriptions, for reference, it's predominantly vegetarian dishes. Everything was tasty and filling, especially for being vegetarian. We ordered the sambusa and vegetarian sampler. All eaten with you hands which I loved. Finished off with their coffee and boy, did that finish the meal! I felt light and energized! Will definitely be back to try more if this yummy cuisine!

This was my first time having Ethiopian food, so I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I do know it was good! I got the beef tibs and my friend got a chicken dish and we split each. We both couldn't decide which we liked more. Neither of our dishes were spicy. I've heard the injera (the flatbread) can be sour, but I didn't think it was. It complimented our dishes well We were seated right away. Everyone was really nice and helped us choose our meals, making sure we didn't end up accidentally getting anything too spicy. The place isn't too big, probably 10 tables or so. There is parking out back, which is always a nice plus in Charlotte.

Located along a busy road, you can park in the rear but even there, parking is limited. No reservations are required. Food is cooked as ordered. Somewhat dimly lit, I had to use the flashlight on my phone to see the menu. The young lady who was our server was prompt and polite and explained anything we had questions about. They have some alcohol options here. I ordered the Ethiopian tea and enjoyed it. If you've never had it, there is a strong cinnamon and cardamon flavor but I found it to be enjoyable. I reviewed the menu twice and unfortunately, there are no seafood or fish options being served at this time. It could be a simple menu or one that has been simplified due to the ever increasing costs of things. Instead, I ordered the lamb tibs since it was a dish I am familiar with. It wasn't as tender and flavorful as I thought it'd be. To take away from the profile of the food, it was "juicy" so the injera was a soggy mess midway through my meal. For me, when you cook things that render their own "gravy" it should compliment the dish. This was thin as though water had been added as it was cooking and diminished the spices that are normally a stand out in a dish such as this one. Something different here is you receive one vegetable with your dish. In most African/Ethiopian restaurants, you get a tablespoon of different vegetables to accompany the dish. For this dish, I had the collard/spinach mix that was just okay. Clean, enough seating for about 30 people at small tables throughout. Not a horrible dining experience but I was left wanting more from the taste of the food. I was happy with the portion and service. An overall three star review.

The best Ethiopian restaurant we have ver to. Great service. Well worth going out of your way for this exceptional culinary treat. I especially love the red lentils, nicely spiced.

Absolutely love this restaurant. The food is amazing and so satisfying. They are super nice and the culture is humble.

We love this Ethiopian restaurant in plaza midwood. Have been here a few times and it's consistently good food and service. We always seem to get the Abugida feast because you get so much variety with it. This time we also tried the lamb tibs dish was very flavorful. Would definitely recommend coming here if you want to try something a little more adventurous than your average meal.

A great discovery. We love Ethiopian food and this hit the spot. Today we got Sabusa, the Vegetable Platter and the Lamb Tibs plate. The food is served with Engera bread. Fantastic flavors. Good portions. Great value. The service was great as well.

Ethiopian food is so good. It's even better when you can order for 8-10 people. We're visiting Charlotte this week and this place popped up as Yelp's favorite in town. Easy to see why. Even though we were just doing takeout I was impressed with the service. Friendly, warm, and inviting. We got a couple samplers and supplemented them with an extra order of shiro and doro wot. The result was great - so many delicious things to chose from. While normally I'm all about the doro wot, this time the veggie dishes appealed to me most. And the beef or lamb tibs that came with the midrange sampler. If I lived in Charlotte I would definitely try all of the Ethiopian options in town, but I could easily see this place being my favorite.

The best Ethiopian food in Charlotte, to me! Try the tomato fitfit at least once. Very lax environment.

Small unassuming bright yellow converted home offering some really good food! We are adventurous and wanted to try it out and so glad we did! The place is very clean - staff is friendly and short staffed like everyone else but we didn't notice from a service point of view. We usually only do patio dining which they have but no one was dining in when we arrived so we opted to dine in to ask sufficient questions. We tried and liked the tomato salad ( I called it the Ethiopian version of salsa) with their traditional injera bread - that stuff is delicious you could put it on an old shoe and it would make it taste good. We also ordered the sambusa app filled with a lentil mixture which we loved as well. We ordered the Abugida platter with the beef stew and loved it all - the stew had a lil kick but not offensive with injera and vegetarian dishes - a chick pea stew; green beans; collards; potatoes snd cabbage with carrots. It was all delicious! Lil tip they don't serve tap water only bottled.

Simple yet satisfying dishes. We received a warm welcome, and the server answered our questions regarding the spices in the dishes. We ordered the vegetarian feast , collard greens, cabbage and carrots, string beans, and red and yellow lentils served on injera and the lamb served on interactive as well. We enjoyed our dishes. I recommend this restaurant.

This is my favorite spot in CLT and the best Ethiopian food in the city- trust me, I've tried all of them and this one wins by a million. This place feeds me at least once a week.. and sometimes twice a week I'll make an appearance. I highly recommend this sweet spot, great service, great food and a clean atmosphere.

This was interesting to say the least. I have never eaten an Ethiopian meal ever in my life before. However, I will say this. If you have never eaten an Ethiopian dish and you want a great place to try, this is the place to go. We ordered the vegetarian sampler which was full of flavor and protein. If you are not aware of how to eat Africa style I think knowing that eating with your hands and without utensils (silverware) is how you'll eat here. For me it was the cultural experience that made it amazing along with great and friendly customer service. The dishes come with a pancake pita style bread called "Injera". Injera: is a sour fermented flatbread with a slightly spongy texture, traditionally made of teff flour. With the break you grab every bite. We also wanted to try their Ethiopian coffee. The coffee was fresh and tasty however it's served black in a tiny cup with one sugar packages. So if you are looking for creamy coffee that's not the type of coffee they provide. I give the place a nice 4 star for the great experience and flavors associated with the cultural foods. My lentil beans were a little uncooked leaving me to give the review my great respect. Other then that it's a great place to try.

Seems authentic and quite tasty. It's what I expect from a competent traditional Ethiopian restaurant.

Ambiance is amazing! This restaurant has the friendliest staff and the food is incredibly flavorful and with generous portion sizes. The coffee is also so Good. This is a go to place for me when taking a friend out to dinner.

My partner and I love this place! We are vegan and generally get the vegetarian sampler with a side of shiro and end with a traditional coffee service for two. Everything is authentic, consistently prepared, and absolutely delicious. Love this little gem on Central.

The food was really delicious and the portion sizes were great. The server was very attentive. The parking lot is very small and so is the building. You can almost miss. Overall the food is good and I would definitely return.

Really good food small place but takeout orders kept coming brought a family of 6 and another party of 6 was there three/4 additional tables. Busy but good

The food was DELISH as was the traditional coffee... just what we needed after a long day of flights/car rides to make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The service was top notch and our waitress was so helpful in deciding which dish to pick (we were ravenous and couldn't make up our minds haha).

This place is a hit. My wife and I came here hungry and left stuffed. The flavors were amazing and is a really neat experience. I've never had Ethiopian food and the staff helped navigate what to get. We got a lamb dish and a steak dish that ended up being served together. I have no idea what the sides were and had at least 5 different ones, we loved them all. Definitely different to eat everything with your hands but these flavors were unreal. If you're on the fence, give it a shot!

Food and service was great. Staff was very helpful when we had questions about the menu.

Wow! What an experience. I had the privilege to join a new friend for an afternoon of Ethiopian cuisine. Being an African (Nigerian) myself I was so excited to taste something new that my continent had to offer. It was definitely a great experience and the service was great. They are located on central ave closer to the eastway briar cliff side of town. they do have some patio seating available and a good amount of parking spots behind their restaurant. Food: We started with the tomato salad, injera and the sambusa. The tomato salad was delicious! Definitely my favorite as it was so flavorful you would forget you are eating tomatoes. The Injera is a thin sour spongy type patty or dough. I was told you are to use the injera to grab the tomato salad similar to how us nigerians would use fufu to eat with stew. Injera wasn't my favorite as it was cold (supposed to be), sour and had a distinct texture however I did enjoy the experience of eating it together with the tomato salad for a couple bites. The owner brought me out some rice to eat the remainder of the tomato salad. The Sambusa was like a fried lentil patty. Pretty tasty but could only eat one or I'd be full. The tomato salad accompanied with the sambusa was also a good combo. We then had veggie feast that comes with potatoes, cabbage, collards, corn, lentils and the beef stew and lamb tips. All were good but the corn was my least favorite as it was like mashed corn so it was the texture for me. The lamb tips were seasoned very well and the jalapeño and onion trimmings gave it an extra kick of flavor. We finished our meal with the coffee as this is traditional way of eating in the Ethiopian culture. The presentation of the food and coffee is definitely something to mention. You can feel the pride and passion they put in their food and its hard not to appreciate it. The food is served family style so big plates for sharing and digging in with your hands. The only con I would have to mention would be the lack of napkins provided. Some of the food is a bit oily so more napkins readily available are needed. Other than that great great experience and I am happy to say I tried Ethiopian food and enjoyed it. I surely will be returning.

Sips Coffee, in other words girlllll.. giving a new remix meaning to sips tea except im sipping on coffee and taking it to another level of extra. First I want to thank the owner Yodite and her staff for making this such an amazing experience for me this weekend ! A coffee ceremony is a ritualized form of making and drinking coffee . Coffee ceremonies was first practiced in Ethiopia. Mainly for the purpose of getting together with relatives, neighbors,or other visitors. It also aids in digestion after your meal . It involves roasting coffee beans and preparing boiled coffee in a vessel akin. Fun Fact : Coffee was primarily consumed in the Islamic world where it originated and was directly related to religious practices. Africa in general is known for having some of the best coffee. So I'm going to speak briefly on my dish of choice .That moment when you keep calling the chickpeas corn . My first time trying Ethiopian food was a blast . A lot of the dishes served here are definitely recommended for a guest of two. I opted for the beef tibs tender beef cubes sautéed in onions, jalapeños, rosemary & Ethiopian spiced butter . For my sides I choice chickpeas and lentils . If you're a fan of spicy food they are definitely serving it up at abugidacafe . On the sideline of coarse you peep the injera the staple to almost all of the meals. They are definitely highly recommended and thanks again for making my first time trying Ethiopian food great ! I will be back .

New favorite restaurant material right here!!! This was my first time trying Ethiopian food and I was BLOWN AWAY. The flavors are so bold and unique, and the injera, wow. If you love sourdough, you'll love injera. I enjoyed my visit so much that I came a second time within a week! And it's worth mentioning that while I'm definitely not a vegetarian (hardcore meat lover actually) I ended up going with the Vegetarian Feast on both visits because its just that good and extremely satisfying.

If I was getting the death penalty and had to pick my last meal, it would be anything from here. Great service and atmosphere too.

The food is amazing. I get the doro wat with lentils. Spicy flavorful, all around amazing.

Amazing food and amazing service. Half our party had never eaten Ethiopian food before, and now they're hooked- we'll definitely be back!