Ras Dashen Ethiopian Restaurant & Bar

What can I say? If you haven’t been here yet, what are you waiting for? This is the best food I’ve ever had in Seattle. The flavor in every single dish makes you wanting more. In fact, I am pretty sure I am stuffed to the brim because I couldn’t resist taking one more bite and then one more. My favs are the beef tibs, kifto, okra, and lentils (can’t remember the name) but honestly any combo is delicious. Head straight here and thank me later.

Great place for a delicious dinner! Ras Dashen Ethiopian Restaurant is a great place for a group discussion while eating dinner! I usually go there with my friends after an event and the food is always great! The hospitality and the space is A+. Sometimes, I also go there just eat great food in a quiet space.

Ras Dashen is seriously excellent. I ordered the vegan veggie platter and every single item was flavorful, well-seasoned, and clearly made with care. The lentils were rich, the greens were perfectly cooked, and the injera was fresh and soft — exactly what you want. What really stood out for me was that they serve okra. Not every Ethiopian restaurant includes it, and it’s one of my favorites. It was cooked perfectly — tender, well-spiced, and a great addition to the platter. Beyond the food, the staff were genuinely warm and welcoming. Everyone was friendly and attentive, and the whole atmosphere felt inviting and relaxed. If you want delicious Ethiopian food with thoughtful vegan options and truly kind service, Ras Dashen delivers. I’ll definitely be back.

This is the worst Ethiopian food I've ever had. It looked nice from the outside and the ambience was nice but the food was cold and all of the legume items and potatoes were undercooked and it wasn't even very busy when we got there and ordered. I usually love Ethiopian food and have been eating it for years. This was a surprise. It was pretty slow at first so not sure what the deal was. The service was also very slow and inattentive as well.

We live in this area and always have a hard time choosing with so many options. This place was great! Everything was delicious and not too spicy which was great for me (definitely options to add spice too). Will definitely be back and really excited to try breakfast options next time.

I love visiting Ras Dashen with friends and family. It’s such a lovely restaurant with wonderful food and excellent service. The veggie platter is amazing; I love that they have okra! The people who work here are so kind and welcoming too. I highly recommend checking it out!

Look at your bill before you pay!!! They charged us $35 instead of $30 (as is written on their menu) for the Family Combo. And, another $5 for gluten free bread (we never asked for gluten free, and the menu says that bread is included). When we asked about the $10 extra charge that we didn't plan on, they said that they ran out of regular bread and had to give us gluten free. And the $35 instead of $30 was because they have a new menu coming out with the higher price, but "its not yet printed." This is misrepresentation and illegal. They were dishonest. They never told us about the price change in the beginning, when we were ordering. When we wanted them make it right and remove the $10 extra charge, they wouldn't. They just said its now on the "new" menu, which is "not yet printed." A bunch of BS in my opinion. It felt like they knew exactly what they are doing in scamming Americans who come into their restaurant. Be careful! Or just go some places else. There are a lot of other great options in the area.

Super delicious vegetarian combo, extremely flavorful and every dish was distinct. Spring for the shiro wot and the cottage cheese on the side. Communal dinner for three with huge leftovers, and incredibly friendly and welcoming service. Chef/owner came out from the back to check on us. So full now aaaand full of wellbeing.

I ordered their veggie combo ($17 plus tax) for dine-in, which comes with 8 different dishes. The dish came out in about 20 minutes, a little long, but indicative that everything is prepared fresh. The plate itself is minimalistically set-up, with some smokiness inside due to hula. But the music playing is soft jazz, indicating a strange, eclectic mix of vibes. Okay, the food quality: Top-notch for the most part. The misir wot and green bean dish were fantastic, in particular. The gomen was maybe just mediocre, while everything else was solid. The portion was massive, very good for the price. I was stuffed by the end, and couldn't finish all the injera base. Service-wise, my order was taken immediately, and it was easy to get the servers' attention. Definitely an above average Ethiopian spot in Seattle, which is saying something given the standard high-quality here. Very much recommended.

I come here once every few weeks with two hungry friends, and we always get the Family Combo. Multiple kinds of delicious greens, lentils, and meats delight us every time! Their gomen is good, but not the best I've had in Seattle, but their lentils, oh man, the lentils are righteous! I'm not normally a fan of okra, but there is something magical in how they prepare it here; there is never even a tiny scrap of it left by the time we're done. We float out of the place happy and stuffed. The value proposition here is unreal, at the time of this writing, the Family Combo feeds all three of us for $30 before tax and tip. Service is friendly, but this isn't fast food, it can take 15-20 minutes for the food to arrive once you order. This is expected. The ambiance is the reason this is a 4-star review and not a 5-star. The music is not my favorite, it seems like it's often off-brand covers of popular Western songs from the last 30 years; just loud enough where you can't quite ignore it.

There are so many ethnic cuisines. I like them all. However, I also seek presentation and execution. How about the cultures that eat with their fingers? No forks, no spoons, no chopsticks. Now let's talk about Ethiopian food. Ras Dashen is on of those fantastic places. The best order is the communal plate. Everyone eats from it...with your fingers. I ordered the vegetarian combo for 4 people. And added Doro Wat, the famous Ethiopian chicken stew to that combo. Then comes the unparalleled Ethiopian bread, Injera. All of it was superb. What enhanced the experience was a group table close to us singing along to toe tapping Ethiopian music. Food? Lovely. Service? Fantastic.

Great food and service here! I love Ethiopian food so was excited to try this spot! There are a lot of Ethiopian restaurants around here but our friends recommended this one. It has a nice and quiet vibe. Our waitress was very friendly and gave recommendations. We ended up going with the family style meal so we could try a lot of different dishes! I really enjoy the injera as it was flavorful and spongy. It is fun to eat with your hands! I can't say what my favorite dish was but the spiced lentil ones were probably the best. They have yellow and red lentils. I would definitely return here as the price is very reasonable and the food was flavorful!

i could eat here everyday....and sometimes i do eat here everyday haha! everything is so fresh and flavorful. i've never been disappointed at ras dashen!

Overruled by my party it was decided dinner was to be Ethiopian at Ras Dashen. Not normally a fan of Ethiopian, I will say this was definitely the best I've had. Right in the central district and just steps from a few other Ethiopian spots is Ras Dashen. The interior isn't special but the decor certainly spices it up with wall hangings and other cultural charms hung up or displayed. Our hostess was also our server. She was very nice and made decent suggestions which helped the experience. Our party of 4 got the family platter which was a great choice, plenty for all of us with a nice assortment of proteins - chicken, beans and veggie friendly options. Presentation was good and it tasted fresh. So with renewed confidence in Ethiopian cuisine Ras Dashen gets a thumbs up from me.

been going here for years, pretty sure i've left a review before, but i probably eat here at least one time a week. it's the best ethiopian food i have ever had. every time it's fresh, and the portions are unbeatable. the meat is tender, the veggies are fresh, the injera is fresh and the service is always great. i am not kidding when i say i think it gets better each time. 10/10 every time.

The food was amazing and the service was wonderful such a great experience also it was a very calm environment

Great food and service. We tried Doro wat, lamb tibbs and the famous Ethiopian coffee. All of them were delicious.

Ras Dashen is my favorite Ethiopian place of many in the area, their service may not be the best but their food definitely makes up for their it. I am particularly partial to the veggie mix option because when I first stated eating there I was vegetarian but their meat mix is also delicious.

This is my favorite Ethiopian food spot! My go to has been the fish gulash with veggie combo. Their sambusas are delicious and I loved their spiced tea. Injera is always soft and delicious. Great ambiance too!

The statistics class I was teaching went on a Seattle data collection tour. Ras Dashen opened early for our group of 42 and fixed an excellent chicken/beef/veggie option for the students. Many of the kids had not had Ethiopian cuisine before, so this was a great experience for them. Ras Dashen was prompt, courteous, and patient. We are grateful. Highly recommend this place. One of my friends says the fish goulash is the best dish he's had in his life - I'll try it the next time I'm there.

Comfortable, relaxed spot to get some quality Ethiopian food. We came with a group of 3 and got both the veggie and meat combos. Everything was incredibly well-spiced and flavorful, and it was fun getting to sample a bit of everything. The injera bread was perfectly light and spongy for soaking up all the different sauces. We were incredibly stuffed afterwards. Also recommend getting Tej, Ethiopian honey wine, to pair with dinner!

Great Ethiopian food. Highly recommend the veg combo and love the shiro wot. Good portion sizes!

An absolute must!!! I was in love the moment I walked in the door. The smell alone is worth coming for. This is hands down the best Ethiopian I have had. We got the meat combo and the veggie combo. Everything was spectacular. Even the simple salad (lettuce, tomato, onion) in the middle was so good that we wanted to order more. When we were done the bill shocked us. We were expecting it to be much, much more. Dinner of incredible food for 5 was only about $70 with tip. I am excited that I live close enough to have this as part of my rotation.

Love their food and the people are very nice there. The atmosphere there is calm. Enjoy this place a lot. I do takeout and very convenient and ready.

One of my favorite dishes! I've had homemade Eritrean/Ethiopian from friends and I've also tried many restaurants. Most times, we say there's nothing better than home made food. Well-- This restaurant definitely give me homemade food! Taste just like one of my friend who makes one of the best that I've had thus far! And I've tried from many different friends and restaurants. So so flavorful!! I've only ordered from UberEats. But I love how this restaurant listens and make my order right. I always ask for my stew to be separated from my enjera because I like dipping and they do just that. You won't regret! Head there and go get you some good authentic Eritrean/Ethiopian food!

We heard nice reviews about this place ! So we decided to visit ! We ordered the vegetarian combo ! The wait time for the food was approximately 30 minutes! The food was excellent thou! One platter is good enough for two people ! Definitely try the gluten free red injera! It is way more better than the actual injera that they give ! In the picture here we have an order of 2 of the same veg platter! It is a lottt of food! A must try place ! The restroom was neat and the songs they were playing were also so cool.

We went here for the third time the other day and it will be our last time. It was a Sunday and the hours of operation were clearly stated on the door. They open at 11 AM. The four of us were there at 11:07 in the freezing cold and the lights were off and the door was locked! I went to the kitchen door and the woman said something about the waitress not being there and they'd open soon. I asked if we could come in as it was so cold and finally she let us into the ice-cold restaurant. No heat was on. It took forever to have our order taken and even longer to receive our food....like 45 minutes!!!! Three of the four of us order the veggie combo and only my husband and I were served while our friend just stared at us while we ate. HE ORDERED THE SAME THING AS WE DID!!! Finally our friend went to the kitchen to find out why he didn't have any food. After waiting so long, all three of us had food that wasn't hot, but lukewarm instead. NOT GOOD! When we finished and got the bill, I was not happy to see that this place nickles and dimes the customers by charging extra for injera instead of including it in the price like the other Ethiopian restaurants do. How can you eat the food without injera??? You cannot, so why isn't it part of the meal cost???? So stingy. We will not be going back to Ras Dashen.

Ethiopian food is as much about the experience as it is about the flavors. I don't think I've ever been to a bad Ethiopian restaurant, but I've been to a few that were not very comfortable places. This restaurant is the antithesis of the places where I felt uncomfortable. The staff is considerate, prompt, and careful with details. The setting itself is far more like a restaurant than a cafe, and they were very obliging of our eight-person party. I would not hesitate to recommend this restaurant to anyone, whether they were brand new to Ethiopian food, or experienced with it.

Delicious food, reasonable prices, bright enjoyable space! Servers were extremely nice.

Thus isn't my first visit. The dishes here just make sense. Be careful of what you order when you order. I prefer using their numbers system. One thing that also stands out consistently from the rest is also their water oddly enough. Very refreshing.

Been to Ras Dashen twice now and it is amazing!! Highly recommend, it's def a bit of a wait BUT you know the food is fresh and made w so much love. Can't recommend this place enough :))

This is a really good Ethiopian place. I loved the ambience and the music. I personally ordered the Doro Wot and it was amazing! Really good food!

Best Ethiopian in Seattle 100%. We always come here to celebrate the small wins in life it's such a cozy place and the staff are so friendly and THE FOOD. Get the bozena shiro and the kitfo and i don't think it's on the menu but they have this spicy lamb injera soup that's amazing and so flavorful. Please go here and try for yourself

Really enjoyed our lunch here. Food was so good, service was excellent. Had one of the combos so got a good variety of food. Will go back!

Delicious food and great service. Cute spot with fun paintings and cultural decor. Love the meat and veggie combo

Delicious food. The tomato fitfit is a MUST have. It's slightly on the spicy side but full of amazing flavor. I also tried their vegetarian combo and some standouts were- the cabbage curry (forgot the og name sadly), okra curry, misir wot, green beans and carrot curry. For drinks, the Ethiopian honey wine is amazing. The atmosphere is pretty low key, cute clean and functional. The service was great. My friends tried the chicken tibs which they LOVED. A great Ethiopian option for sure.

In the Central District you have at least 8 different Ethiopian restaurants in a 2 mile radius. I have tried most of them and have found that the seating, food quality and service is the best at Ras Dashen. We come here at least once a month and decided this year to come for Mother's Day. I was offered free Ethiopian coffee to celebrate being a mother and had an absolutely beautiful day.

The food was very delicious and the quantity was a lotttt. Requires 2 people to finish one vegetarian combo. The injera was very soft and huge! Overall really good food and good ambience!!

Really enjoyed this! The Goden tibs were excellent and the okra was super tasty. We have the veggie combo with lamb and it was perfect for two with leftovers. The injera has a little wheat in it, I'm pretty sure, but the texture was really nice. Medium sour. Only two Ethiopian beers, Harrar and Meta. Great service! And a very pretty restaurant. We'll definitely come back the next time we're in town.

Tasty Ethiopian food! Service took quite a while, but they did have a large group dining there at the time. I think our meal took about an hour and a half. Good flavors, not as spicy as some Ethiopian I've had. We ordered a lot of food and had delicious leftovers for many meals. I ordered a veggie and meat combo platter to taste everything, and indeed, everything was tasty!

Our experience with Ras Dashen was limited to a delivery order once, but we had never stepped foot inside of this restaurant. When we found out one of our friends hadn't tried Ethiopian food, we decided to take him out here. There's a small parking lot, but it fills up quickly. We were not in luck on our Friday evening visit, but we were able to find adjacent street parking. Upon entering, there were plenty of tables, so we were seated quickly. The four of us shared the Meat Combo and the Dashen Vegi Combo, as well as a bottle of Tej, so our friend could experience a taste of everything. All of our dishes were well-spiced, not too much and not too little. One friend isn't huge on lamb, but found the lamb offering to be so well-seasoned that she could enjoy it with the rest of us. Additionally, the meat wasn't too dry, but not the most tender I've had (Enat up north does this best). Though I wouldn't say they're the best at any one dish, Ras Dashen offers a solid selection across both meat and veggie options, perfect for an omnivore's first sampling of Ethiopian food. We will be back!

We ordered from RD multiple times while living in Leschi. I can't say they're faster or cheaper than any of the other many Ethiopian places around the CD, but I love the consistency and the food is just good. I usually get a may combo and a veggie combo. It feeds a family of four for dinner with generous leftovers. Delivery time is average. I have never dined inside, just ordered delivery.

Stopped by for a late lunch and loved it. We had to wait for a bit for the food to arrive but since it looks like they only had 2 people working the entire place. Great service and flavorful food. We ordered the meet and veggie combo. Definitely want visit again but will make sure to have a snack before the actual meal so we won't end up too hangry.

great great food!! i came here on a saturday night with family. we ordered the veggie combo + meat combo and the variation of veggies & meat combinations was amazing. really rich in flavor & easily shareable. service was friendly too! would also recommend it for those who are in the mood to FEAST! food is cooked to order & comes out smoking hot, authentic spices and a nice bar if you want drinks as well.

Excellent Vegetarian Combo...No Charge for extra Injera....Several Types of Ethiopian Beer served Very Cold...Nice Atmosphere and Friendly Service... RECOMMENDED!!!

Ras dashen was a delight. We had the veggie combo and the beef tibs, all of which was absolutely delicious. They gave us plenty of injera to enjoy alongside the main dishes too. Very covid safe but doesn't take American Express!

This was a really lovely visit. We had a Sambusa, Dashen combo and Dashen veggie combo, which was a bit too much for the 2 adults and 1 kid :-). Next time we would probably go for the meat combo and Dashen veggie. The food was fantastic! Do not miss the Ethiopian coffee at the end! We surely will be back.

We got take out during the quarantine. The food was so good! We had the meat combo, the vegetarian combo, and the Doro Chicken Tibs; all delicious! It's great there is GF Injera, as well. We love this food - each dish tastes uniquely different than the others, the vegetables are are very tasty and nicely seasoned; somewhat spicy, too. I can't wait to go back in and have a family dinner in the restaurant.

Amazing Ethiopian restaurant. The food was authentic and the service was great. I reccomend you order the veggie and meat combos. We will definitely be back!

I think my ultimate fave Ethiopian place is still cafe Salem, but this is a close second! I ordered the veggie combo, definitely enough food for two people or to save for later. Everything tasted fresh and the flavors were amaze. I ordered through uber eats, but I think the restaurant might have a takeout / delivery option on their website. So definitely check their first! No complaints :) definitely would get takeout from here again!

The food seemed well-prepared, and we liked the two combinations we shared (vegetable and meat). However, I've never had such mild food at an Ethiopian restaurant. There was no heat at all in the spices seasoning the various dishes. If you like your Ethiopian food to have some nice spicy heat, this is not the place to go.

Excellent Ethiopian food in this little home-spun family owned eatery. The flavors are authentic, the service is friendly, and the quality of the food is high. If you need an Ethiopian food fix, this is the place to get it. There vegetarian combo is top shelf.

Good food. Terrible, horrific service. Waiting over 90 minutes for a pick-up order. Keeps claiming "10 minutes". Don't order from here unless you have all night.

One of my favorite Ethiopian restaurants in seattle. Clean. Authentic. And delicious.

This is simply our favorite Ethiopian in the area - and we have tried many. Hands-down, we prefer the rich spices and flavor of the Dashen meat and veggie samplers to any other restaurant. The service here is kind and friendly - we've loved dining in pre-pandemic. They've done an excellent job with COVID takeout. It's our quarantine go-to meal!

I know Seattle's known for Ethiopian food but this is the first one I've tried here after recommendations from people who live close by - was not disappointed. I don't usually opt for the vegetarian options at any restaurant, but we decided to get the vegetarian plate - simply amazing, each of the individual curries were unique and flavorful, the injera was the perfect amount of sour and fluffy the service was also something to note, we were greeted graciously into what seemed like a family establishment, our waiter genuinely wanted to know whether we liked our food. I'd come here many times again, especially to try out the meat dish as well!

Really good. Veggie platter brought me here, it's not hard to access. Very clean, TBH I came here last week 1st time. Been back 2 more times since. Very good. Zilzil tibs good too.

It's not particularly fancy or modern inside, and it might be empty when you come, and it isn't that close to downtown... but Ras Dashen is worth the trip. The various beef and lamb dishes are nicely spiced, and though my mouth was tingling after the first bite to the point where I thought be in a world of hurt by the end it didn't build to a roaring fire in my mouth. Maybe the injera bread helped keep things under control I don't know.