Authentic EthioAfrican Kitchen, Bar & Cafe

We love this location and are thrilled they are opening in Scottsdale and trying to get into Ahwatukee. Hey landlords of Ahwatukee….. let these guys in! We love them and need more delicious restaurants around here!!! The food is delicious and since we are new to Ethiopian cuisine they are always so patient with us as we learn the menu! Huge bonus. Their coffee is wonderful and we were excited to learn they are opening a coffee shop next door and even a retail shop!!🙌 The restaurant is always clean and the energy is so fun! Lots of families, people out on dates, and good music! We just love it here!!

The interior was decorated beautifully and traditionally. The food was amazing and had a good selection of options. The service was okay, nothing special or overly welcoming.

My mom and I like to come here for dinner dates on occasion and it never disappoints. Have been to a few Ethiopian restaurants in the valley and this one is by far the best. We got the veggie and meat platter and shared which gives a good amount of food for a great price. The interior is also beautifully decorated and service is always warm. Pro tip for beginners: get the Dora war, greens, and butternut squash. My faves!

Delicious Ethiopian food! We truly felt welcomed here and had a wonderful meal. The two person sampler was the perfect size Looking forward to coming back

Neat experience! The restaurant is nice and the atmosphere cozy and inviting. Service was excellent as well. I’ll say I don’t think I’m a huge fan of Ethiopian food, but the execution was good! They don’t use silverware here which I thought was so fun!

This… is definitely an experience. The esthetic is Nigerian/American and interesting. The music was an eclectic mixture of American jazz. The food…is traditional “eat with your hands and injeria”. Definitely keep an open mind and be ready to try new things.

Loved this place. First time here. The person who waited on me was part of the family that owns the place and couldn't have been more helpful and engaging. I enjoyed all the dishes in my vegan 4 sides plate. Plus a piece of the carrot cake for the road. The ambiance is really cool too.

So pleasant from start to finish. We walked in after lunch and before dinner, and were welcomed graciously. The atmosphere is cozy and the decor transports you away. So many beautiful Ethiopian touches- cool carved wood backed chairs and huge straw woven baskets— so nice! We ordered samosas, the vegetarian sampler for four and gluten free injera, the layered fruit drink (yum!), carrot cake, and coffee. All delicious. The gentleman who helped us was the owner and so attentive, his son also served the food. I love to support family business! The coffee is roasted on site and the subtle cardamom and other spices made it an experience. I’ve been wanting that coffee ever since! Sorry this pic of the sampler is AFTER we destroyed it, but gives you an idea of the size anyway. 😊

My friend's bday was Valentine's Day so I asked her to pick a spot so we can get together and celebrate the next day. We decided to go to this spot at 11am Saturday which is when they opened! We were seated and greeted right away which was awesome. Entering this restaurant transports you to another place! The decor, the seating, everything was so authentic to who they are and what they serve. We absolutely loved that. We sat down and ordered drinks. It looked like there was only one server so it did take about 20 minutes to get our drinks but they were absolutely delicious. Then we asked what she would recommend to eat as we had never been there and she recommended the sharing platter of vegetable and meat. We got two veggie and two meat, spicy and mild and a side of rice. Let me tell you, it was flavorful and it did not disappoint. We were there for quite a while cause we just enjoyed the whole atmosphere and took our time with the food. We ordered another round of drinks and those came fairly quickly. Next time we will order dessert as well! Definitely a spot to check out! Worth it!

I came here this day with a meetup group of 6 people. Other Yelp reviewers were right. Service was really slow..... to meeeee. Menu came 20 min after I sat down. Took half hour after that for someone to come take our orders. I was life must be that slow in Ethiopia. I ordered meat combo $19 to share with one other person. Menu says to be shared for two people, but nothing to divide 1 drumstick, and one HB egg. Comes with beef Sega wot , Chicken Doro wot and Gormen Besga . The injera was really quite cold, like from refridgerator and very rubbery! I was expecting it to be warm. Baklava was good! Large piece for $5. Took forever for the coffee to come, we were leaving. This place, not my thing ..... See my other reviews.

Have eaten here many times. Atmosphere very pleasant Excellent food every time On this last visit, service was very very slow Not crowded when we walked in, still it was slow placing orders. Feel sorry for those that came later when it got really crowded

Went yesterday, and the food is still delicious! I also appreciate the reasonable price.

We came here for lunch, and we very impressed. The food was authentic, flavorful, and reasonably priced. I liked how we could build our own plate and mix and match vegetarian and meat dishes. My cocktail (The Afro) was also good, although I would have appreciated more unique options. The inside was beautifully decorated and the servers were all very nice. I'm only rating it a 4 star instead of a 5 star restaurant because they were out of quite a bit of food, which was disappointing. We wanted to get coffee and dessert, but they were out of the carrot cake I wanted. Other than that, we would definitively recommend this restaurant and will be returning ourselves.

I have been to the McDowell Rd. spot several times on my way to The Phoenix Theatre or the Phx Art Museum - so I was thrilled to try their latest location in Scottsdale, closer to home. 6989 N Hayden Rd - in the Albertsons/Indian Bend square on the Indian Bend side. The decor is warm and interesting, authentic music piped in, attentive but chill service. We're talking Ethiopian food (I'm a huge fan) with some unique and delicious choices for the vegetarian platter. If you are new to this cuisine, you'll get a helpful orientation to the menu --which also includes several chicken, lamb, fish and beef options. Reasonably priced. I highly recommend this place, so give it a try. I'll be back often!

Talk about authentic!! If you want ethnic food, you came to the right spot. I love this place and the food is tasty, and some of the best service you can find. Every single dish I've had is delicious. Definitely a regular!!

We loved our experience dining here! We got the vegetarian combo 10 sides and the meat sampler and enjoyed all of it very much. The food was very fresh and flavorful. The restaurant was clean and welcoming too. Customer service was amazing. Highly recommend!

First, the food is really nice and filling, but I typically enjoy Ethiopian food so I expected the food to be filling. The atmosphere was nice as the aesthetics matches and highlights Ethiopian culture overall. However, we waited so long for our food and reminded them about our orders. They need to fix their customer service and waiting time moving forward.

Came here day after V day with Sherpa and it was a nice experience. I've been wanting to come here for some time as I follow them on other social media channels and liked what the posted. Very solid Ethiopian food here and we ordered the 2 veg + 2 meat sample platter. Lentils and doro wat dishes. Price also very reasonable! They also have tej honey wine here and it was nice to have some after a long time! Nice experience with Ethiopian art displayed throughout. I would love to come back for the teff carrot cake and ceremonial coffee. Service was really friendly and prompt. I will definitely be back!

An exceptional place with great Ethiopian food & ambiance. The owner and team are extremely friendly and welcoming. I highly recommend their event space for medium size gatherings.

We've had Ethiopian a few times at other restaurants and finally had the chance to go by Authentic Ethio African while we were in Phoenix! The interior of the restaurant is quite nice with wood on the walls and comfortable seating. We had gone on a weekday evening and it wasn't too busy but there were a few others dining in. My husband had wanted to try a variety of items so we went with the vegetarian combo with 10 sides. It was just me and him, so this was quite a bit of food for two but I enjoyed being able to try many different dishes! The sunflower one was unique and interesting; that was my husband's favorite item. I think we liked pretty much all of them though. I am interested in trying the doro wat next time though, that's always one of my favorites. Overall, we were happy with our experience here and look forward to dining in again soon! They have parking behind the restaurant, very convenient.

Great decor and food. Reasonable prices. The bread was made in house as was the cheese. Wished we lived local as would definitely recommend and return.

The service at this place was amazing, I haven't been to an Ethiopian restaurant in a while so forgot a lot of the options available to me and the waitress was extremely knowledgeable and helped us. The food here was great and I would recommend getting a combo plate to be able to try a lot of the food. The ambience was amazing and they did a great job decorating the place, it's tucked away in a hard to find spot especially because the parking is in the back of an alleyway.

This cute establishment was such a fun time for a new experience, the man working there was able to recommend some really good platters and was really nice! Restaurant was super awesome and had some exciting art and really cool furniture. I would suggest some good music to go with the fun culture. Other than that the food was extremely flavorful!

Tried this spot for lunch over a weekend. There is plenty of parking in the back. We were seated promptly and our waitress was very helpful in helping us order an array of food for us to try. We did a mix of vegetarian dishes and ones with meat and overall, great taste! The bread was spongy and absorbed all the yummy sauces. We ordered a few cocktails as well which were good. You can sit at either regular booths or at the low tables.

Really enjoyed eating here with our family. I love their selection of food although they are usually out of the fish option every time we come. I've really been wanting to try this. The flavor of their food is extremely delicious. The service is always great and I love how they had decorated the restaurant inside. So much natural wood and artistry in the chairs they have. We are vegan and we had plenty of things to eat. Woohoo! I definitely recommend eating here. Also parking is available in the back. FYI

Meat sampler platter for 2 for 19 bucks, great deal. Baklava was mildly sweet which we liked. Server was very nice, he helped a lady carry her to go order to the car- all of the staff seemed to really care.

Food was really good here! Staff was really friendly and they offered good recommendation. The area is a bit sketch but it's safe enough. Parking on the side and in the back.

This was my first dining out experience in Phoenix. It delivered! I am a longtime fan of Ethiopian cuisine and a longtime vegan. At Ethiopian restaurants I usually always opt for the veggie combo. The drill here is you can order a two item or four item veggie combo that comes with salad. The two item or four item veggie combo both come with a choice between two or four of the 10 veggie items. I asked for my server's recommendation. He suggested shiro wot aka chickpeas, mesir wot aka red split lentils, tikel gomen and keyser aka the last two were beets and potatoes and cabbage and carrots. I appreciated the recommendation for when the food came out everything was quite alright and delivered. It was tasty and both the chickpeas and red split lentils were spicy. I loved how the meal came with no silverware, only napkins and the injera bread to eat the meal with your hands as is traditional without silverware. The ambiance could have been better aka perhaps the only room for improvement. The walls were wooden and some art on the walls yet some more color or a plant or two would have been nice since it felt a bit dark. The meal and service provided plenty of light though. There are plenty of wonderful Ethiopian restaurants in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. I live in San Francisco and used to live in the East Bay. I have high standards for Ethiopian food and they deliver here. I especially like the 10 items to choose from and the variety and authenticity of the cuisine aka served with no silverware. In a word...Yes! Check them out!!!

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!!!!! I had the vegan 4-side sampler: string beans/potatoes, red lentils, chickpeas and beets/potatoes. I was in heaven! Hubby had the two meat/two veg sampler. Then he had the carrot cake....WOW! Don't sleep on it! Also had the baklava...the best I have ever had! Definitely recommend this restaurant! We came from San Tan Valley...WELL worth the drive!

I'm trying out Ethiopian food.. it's a first for me but so exciting. I came into a magical surprise, enjoying the chill vibes and the interior design. The seating and the decor takes me to another place. Beautiful carvings etched into their seats and the wooden slab walls were creatively thought out! The decor and the wall art create a story like I've entered into Ethiopia. The nice piano calming music creates a relaxing environment and on a weekday like today. I came in on the perfect time where I had the place to myself. The bar is nice with the flatscreen tvs available for people to watch sports. My server Aduale was so nice to help me choose an item on the menu, finding an entree I would like with it being my first time experiencing their flavors. I got the lamb tibes which came with lamb, peppers and onions with mild spices along with their bread and salad. I enjoyed my first bite of Ethiopian food. Next time I've got to try more.. I love how airy the flatbread is and how it absorbs all the flavors. I'd have to try more sides to get a taste of everything. I seriously enjoyed my lunch here. For a $20 meal it was well worth it and it feeds two people for sure. They have dishes that are worth sharing!

10/10. Food was delicious. We got the wings, lentil sambusas, then two meat/veggie combo plates (chicken, beef, cabbage, butternut squash, and green beans). I honestly can't pick a favorite, all was amazing. I think I'd want to get the 10 veggie combo plate next time so I can try all the vegetable options. We also got the juice (very good, not very sweet) and the baklava (MUST TRY). Only small complaint is there was no changing station in either bathroom for the baby, but that isn't a deal breaker. Service was a bit slow so prepare for that, but it looked like it was just a family of 3 running the whole operation and still putting out top quality food and were all so nice and welcoming. Definitely will be coming back.

Service was excellent and place was clean. Food was delicious and savory. Good portions and variety of vegetables and meats.

I love Ethiopian food and have tried every Ethiopian restaurant in town and this is my favorite. The waitress was extremely nice, food was delicious, and the location super beautiful and clean. Will be going again and would recommend to anyone!

Amazing food and Ambiance. Loved the spices and the authentic taste in food. Awesome host , makes it very vibrant.

Wow. This place is amazing! We stopped by last night and loved the food! Service, prices, and ambiance were wonderful. We each ordered the vegetarian plate which comes with two entrees, a house salad, and injera. For $2 they will make gluten free injera for you and it was delicious! We will definitely be back!

This is the best place ever. Great prices and food is out of this world. Great healthy comfort food and the owner is so sweet and kind. Overall great service!

Licking my saucy little fingers every time!!!! Apparent this review is "a little too short" according to Yelp but there's really not much else to say. I guess my favorite is the beef with the spicy sauce. But it all rocks, just get a bunch of stuff.

I am on a quest to try out different cuisines! Luckily my friend Travis is just as open to trying new things as I am, as he happily came to try out Ethiopian food with me. I again have tiktok to thank for this recommendation as I would have never known if it's existence without seeing a tiktok about it. When we walked in, we were mesmerized by the decor. You really feel like you've entered into the culture and we were happily greeted and seated by the worker. What made this place worth trying was this Meat and Veggie sampler they had in which you get to pick two meat entrees and two vegetarian entrees off their menu choices and are then given this dough to eat everything WITH YOUR HANDS! An experience indeed. I'm a girl of crunch, so along with all the mushy food I just had to order a side of crunchalicious sambusas. We were greeted with these first as the server presented it and they were savory and thick! Shortly after the main star entree sampler came and it was beautiful. Theres a spongey like wrap that comes with this meal that you would use to scoop up the entrees and it is essential you eat with your hands only! Thats what gives you the true experience of it all. And believe me we demolished that thing. It was the perfect balance of not too spicy and not too bland. I loved it.

The lentil sides and injera are so good. Proportions are good to share between 2-3 people.

I loved the food! It had so many flavors, sweet, acidic, sour, and creamy. I knew I was eating quality food that was beneficial to my body. The staff was so nice and the beer on draft paired really well with my meal. U got the vegan platter for 4, and it was HUGE! I ate it for 3 days!

We got take out but the guy who answered the phone was very helpful in helping us decide what to order. I haven't had Ethiopian food in almost 30 years so I needed a refresher. Everything was fresh and high quality. Delicious. My whole family of 5 loved everything, even the picky eaters. The only "complaint" or recommendation I have (and this is my own fault) is if someone orders part gluten free pancake and part regular, don't place the food on the regular pancakes, and put all of the pancakes (injero?) on the side, clearly labeled GF or not. Otherwise everything was perfect.

Authentic Ethio African Restaurant is located in Phoenix. This is a small full service Ethiopian restaurant and bar. Their hours might run slightly latter than hours posted. We had to wait for them to open and when I called to find out when they were opening they didn't answer the phone. We drove away and noticed they were opening so we returned. We were going to start with a sambusa pastry appetizer but they weren't made for today yet. So we went for our main digs. A meat sampler plate and a vegetable sampler plate. I also ordered a hot tea. The food and the hot tea arrives about 45 minutes latter. We both liked some things better than other things. Off of the meat plate my favorite was the chicken called doro wot. It was flavorful, tender and delicious. My husband also liked the beef stew called sega wot. It was tender and tasty. Both of didn't really like the beef collard stew called gomen besga....Maybe because it is for an inquirerd taste. For the vegetable sampler you get to pick four vegetable offerings from a list of around ten. Some of our vegetables were served cold and only the squash or pumpkin dish was served hot. This one was the most flavorful, complex, and spicy of what we picked. I thought that the beet/potato, and the yellow split peas were tasty. The only vegetable side that I wasn't sure about was the mustard greens because they were extra strong tasting with a spicy bitterness about them. Interesting and different! Worth a Try! Lunch takes around 2 hours. Parking is easy behind the restaurant.

The ambience is, well, authentic! Beautiful decorum, makes me feel in touch with the culture. For two people, we had the four vegetarian sides and still had leftovers - all for only $16! A great steal. The food itself was so flavorful and unique, and they were able to have gluten free injera, which is greatly appreciated. The carrot cake dessert was moist and dense and the icing really made it taste yummy. The service was a little slow but you're meant to enjoy your meal. Friendly staff!

First, the customer service here is great! The inside and outside seating is very beautifully set up. They have booths, high tables for two, bar seating, and tables in the center. There's also outside seating. There was one waiter, and she was handle the four tables very well. The sambusas were very good, and I think they were cooked fresh. It was hot and yummy! It comes with a dipping sauce that was spicy. I tried to save a little for the Sambusa that I saved for later. I order the meat and veggie sampler, but with double doro wat, greens and yellow lentils. I highly recommend this combo! The lentils and greens were also very good. I would have wanted the doro wat to be a bit spicier, but the meat was tender and juicy! Didn't disappoint!

Love every part of this place!! Food was great! Service was great! Atmosphere was great! I'm gonna try their breakfast next.

Food is great healthy and at a good price. Our server Kirby did a great job was friendly and helpful

I came here for my birthday & it was a HIT with my mom & boyfriend whom both had never been here before. They got the meat sampler platter & I got the veggie platter. Everything was fantastic & despite the slower service, it's still a 5 outta 5 for me. We got the coffee at the end & it too, was fantastic. Highly recommend!

The food here was very good and reasonably priced. We had a combination platter with both meat and vegetable dishes. Everything was delicious. We will definitely come back.

Absolutely delicious. I was just in the neighborhood. I had never had Ethiopian. Mom made some recommendations. The waitress also made recommendations. Lentils and beet potatoes were delicious. I was the only person there as they had just opened so it was quiet. It sits right off a busy street so if you go to fast you'll pass it, and did. nice and relaxing and enjoyed my lunch .

First time having this type of food. I have to say the flavors blew me away. If you're ever in the area and in need of an authentic African dining experience. This is the spot!

Food was terrific! Yummy yum yum! Staff was friendly and the food was tasty and it hit the spot!

Went here or lunch when I visited family, and I would go back every time. This was my first time ordering ethipian food and I am not a honorary fan. The food was very fulfilling and flavorful. The chicken was cooked to perfection, the vegetarian options were nicely prepared, and even the boiled egg that came with one of the dishes was cooked perfectly and paired so nicely with everything. The service was great! Our waiter was the owners son, and he did great job at recommending dishes, explaining, and working efficiently when the establishment was mildly busy. The coffee was amazing, get it! It is a full pot of traditional coffee so keep that in mind. There is so much culture in this space, on the walls, the seating, and everywhere. It makes it all come together.

Stopped by to try African food for the first time in a long time. Servers were friendly, but not very attentive. They explained they were out of many items (rice?!?!). I had to ask about missing items when they delivered food; they then explained they were out of those items, too. Food was decent and prices were very fair. Maybe we caught them on an off day (Saturday!?!?).

Authentic Ethio African was our first experience with this type of cuisine. Our friends invited us to join them and have eaten at similar restaurants while they lived in the Washington DC area. We had them order for the table and we're not disappointed. The flavors of each protein and side were spot on. Had a nice bit of heat on them as well. We are looking forward to returning and sharing this incredible restaurant with other friends and family.

Nice ambiance, Interesting and fun presentation for the platters of food we ordered. Unfortunately Lamb & beef were dry. Chicken was moist & tasty and the vegetable dishes were amazing. Service was good but food came out slow., Cocktails were above average. The whole experience was nice. The tough and dry meat was unfortunate but it was a fun alternative to normal American dining. We will go back and give them another try.

Very good Ethiopian food. I really enjoyed it. Very generous with the injera bread. I got the combo of veggie and meat.

Loved the decor, music and food was delicious! I will definitely be be back to try out more of the menu.