Abyssinia in Brighton and Hove

Amazing food for sharing and lovely helpful staff. Will definitely go back again

absolutely amazing place one of my favourite places to order food from, it always tastes amazing. I went back home for the end of term at university and all I've been thinking about the last week was ordering food from them as soon as I came back

The food was fantastic. From the outside, you could easily walk past, but this is a real gem! Not one to be missed. So glad we have it a shot. Cash only

The food at this place is absolutely sensational. Incredible and unique flavours, clearly very authentic, the sour spongey bread is just awesome and I loved the way the platter is served and eaten. Service was average but kinda liked that. A change from being doted upon. The atmosphere for this kinda place is exactly how I like it, just chill and low budget - no shiny sheen to trick you. This place focuses on the food and it shows. Highly recommend.

We had a great experience at Abyssinia! Everything from the warm friendly welcome and lovely service, to the meal was perfect. This is definitely the best Ethiopian food I have ever eaten and I’m a big fan! I highly recommend Abyssinia to anyone looking for a delicious and affordable meal, in a friendly and relaxed environment.

Absolutely delicious food and fantastic value. We absolutely love the vegetarian special; the tangy injera and wonderful range of flavours with the toppings. Heartily recommend.

Unfortunately they only open when they feel like it. Been there 3 times during open hours and they were closed. Amazing food and experience, feels like you're instantly transported to a little restaurant in Addis Ababa.

Omg amazing food. Vegan plate was so tasty. Best ethiopian food

We've got takeaway from here a few times, and the food is consistently magnificent! The vegetable platter is great for sharing, super rich and delicious. Highly recommend!!!

Authentic Ethiopian cuisine, best in Brighton!

I've been to Abyssinia several times but I always forget to take photos because I always immediately dig into my food. This place is THAT good. I usually get the vegetarian selection platter for "sharing" but I usually order it just for myself 😭😅 However, it is a perfect sharing dish. I like that it comes with a variety of Ethiopian veggie dishes with injera. The staff is very friendly and attentive and that just adds to the welcoming atmosphere. Definitely recommend eating here. Oh and important to note- this place is CASH ONLY! There's an atm on London Road at the WH Smith.

The food was delicious and it had an authentic feel. It's really nice to discover places like this in Brighton! I'd highly recommend it!

The vegetarian platter was absolutely delicious and it's my favourite. My partner had the meat platter which was also very tasty and far too much for one person so definitely a share platter! We found the volume of the music a little bit intrusive and it got in the way of the conversation but that's probably just a personal preference. We will go back!

Lovely place with amazing food!

Loved this restaurant - great food and a novelty way of eating. Recommend getting the veggie platter and ceremonial coffee. Can't wait to go back.

Love it. Best Ethiopian food in all of Sussex Great use of spices. The food is delicious 😋

Very welcoming, family atmosphere, home cooking at its best. Don’t leave without enjoying the coffee ceremony , just excellent.

Some of the nicest food I have ever eaten in my life. I cannot explain how incredible the flavours are. Our first time having Ethiopian food and absolutely will not be our last. Thank you!

Really delicious food, cannot recommend enough!

This small back Street cafe is an absolute find. The food is brilliant. Go with an open mind, come out with a new favourite food. Ethiopian food deserves wider recognition. The stews and other dishes we ate were rich, savoury, refined and so so moreish. It's a small place, with a big heart.

Had a nice evening trying out this unique Ethiopian restaurant. Vegetarian meal served on large tray with several lovely different dishes and salad served on and along with a special bread. Meat dish served separately, together with a bread. All food very tasty. Our server very pleasant chap. Restaurants decor a bit tired looking but atmosphere nice as well as authentic. If you are looking for something different would say give this a try!

Our favourite takeout for a lazy Netflix night.

I've eaten at Abysinnia plenty of times now, and personally I absolutely love it. The food is brilliant, and it's not difficult to fill yourself up for a fairly modest price. If it's your first time, I strongly suggest going for the sharing platters so you can get to know which dishes you love the most. Don't do this on a first date though, or with anyone whose personal hygiene you have suspicions about (as you'll be eating with your hands). My favourite is the Misir Wot. I eat this with my hands with no qualms or discomfort now, I barely even need the injera as a scoop so that gets eaten as a starter and pudding either side of the main event. I could honestly eat this dish every day and not get bored. Service is slow, even if you're the only people in there. The staff don't seem to have much business acumen, and the premises are tired and run down... but what the staff do have is an astonishing talent for creating amazing, reasonably-priced food and honestly everything aside from this just adds to the atmosphere and presumably explains why they can offer such great food at great prices. Don't go here if you want a proper 'restaurant' experience. Do go here if you love good food and can forego some pleasantries.

This restaurant is not for everyone as Formica tables with a more cafe than restaurant feel and you eat with your fingers. We both enjoyed the food and I enjoyed the experience. I will never go to Ethiopia so liked to be able to experience the food and have it served authentically. My husband said the food was good but was less comfortable with the basic decor of the restaurant and eating with his hands. I’m sure we could have asked for cutlery but for me I enjoyed the experience. Can’t think of anywhere else locally I would get this. I’d be happy to eat here again but with like minded people. Would leave husband at home!

We sought out this local restaurant to revisit lovely Ethiopian cuisine. Ordered the veggie sharing plate of spiced lentils, fresh veg dishes and salad. Tasty and freshly cooked, a good portion for 2, plus a couple of beers, great value. Will visit again when in the area. Fab.

Very good meaty & vegan spicy Ethiopian dishes which you eat with your fingers & injira (a delicious fermented flat bread). There are only half a dozen formica topped tables & it's popular so you need to book. Wine by the glass & various beers - including 2 Ethiopian ones. Service is friendly & prices very reasonable.

Yummy Ethiopian food, very reasonably priced too

Exceptional food at such a reasonable cost for the portion sizes. The staff are lovely and it’s one of our favourite restaurants in brighton!

We came in a little late but they were more than happy to make a meal for us! We ended up getting a vegetarian sharing platter that was absolutely delicious, and had it with the spiced tea and honey wine. Best meal I've had out in a while.

Authentic food, good service and great value for money

Delicious food and really affordable price! It was great

Fantastic food and service - I’ll definitely be back!

Amazing food, good atmosphere, all round 100% worth visiting

Fab veggie selection, would recommend!

Delicious food! A real gem. Get the veg platter and share with a friend, or the doro wat if you're feeling some meat. The vibe can be a bit loud in here.

We're regulars here - delicious food, good value for money, and a nice chill but buzzy vibe in there 💪🇪🇹

This was the best Ethiopian food I’ve ever had! Even better than the food I had whilst travelling around Ethiopia last year. As always the people are so friendly and made us feel incredibly welcome. I fully recommend this restaurant

Always wanted to come here and so glad I did. £26 for 2 people and massive portions. Will be back!

Got the appearance of a bit of a canteen, with formica mix and match tables and chairs, and all a bit basic, and laminated menu.....but don't let that put you off cos the food is great - yemisir wot and shiro, served with white rice and injera - it was all eaten very quickly. Only disappointment - no tef injera available (it's on the menu ☹️ - additional+ points - it sells Sheba beer and the price offers great value!

First time trying Ethiopian cuisine and oh my god it didn't disappoint at all! super friendly staff and a really lovely environment to just relax and eat. Portions were great and the prices were amazing too!! Will come back here next time we're in Brighton:)

One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time, couldn’t recommend more! The service was great and all the staff are very lovely:)

We love this place! Great find in Brighton with amazing authentic Ethiopian food. Would highly recommend.

Very good meaty & vegan spicy Ethiopian dishes which you eat with your fingers & injira (a delicious fermented flat bread). There are only half a dozen formica topped tables & it's popular so you need to book. Wine by the glass & various beers - including 2 Ethiopian ones. Service is friendly & prices very reasonable.

Best restaurant in Brighton. Amazing food and reasonably priced too!

Food was really tasty but the people in there were having some crazy row about plastering with the local smack head. It was also really smokey. Made us want to leave before dinner arrived. Never eaten and left so fast in my life. Will order delivery next time.

We had a Sunday roast which was delicious, I couldn’t have faulted the food but the service was awful. We ordered wine and a roast. The food ordered before the wine, we had to remind the staff that we were waiting on the drinks. We then asked for some condiments to go with the roast, we never received these and again had to ask staff again… the waitress Abbey then brought them over and said ‘ohh I forgot’. We were sat for over 20 minutes with our empty plates in front of us, staff would look but didn’t clear the table. They were not attentive. There was also a couple sat next to us who ordered there food on the app (which it said you could on the menu)… the waitress then came over and said that they shouldn’t have ordered on the app and it was table service only. The couple then said to us that they felt like they had been ‘told off’. It was very unprofessional. Sunday roast was amazing but wouldn’t return due to service.

Every time i come here I am greeted and served with the friendliest attitudes. The food is fast, hot and delicious and i’m not even vegan whatsoever, I enjoy having plant based meals every so often to try new things, and do something better for the environment. If you’re skeptical about plant based meat/burgers/food in general, give this place a shot. You won’t be disappointed!

Sono capitato in questo posto per caso con degli amici e ne sono stato attratto subito dalla semplicità e dal clima "casalingo". Buona scelta di piatti della tradizione greca come Moussaka, Souvlaki, Hummous, insalate con feta e Mese varie, molto Mediterraneo, prezzi assolutamente accessibili, buonissimo, ci ritornerò!

I live near Brighton and have wanted to go to the Walrus for sometime. My son and I went for Sunday lunch yesterday and had the first sitting. Staff absolutely lovely, relaxed style but very on point. Our meal came almost immediately. The plates worryingly were cold (odd) I have subsequently seen the other reviews on here about cold Sunday lunch..... my roast chicken was amazing, warm and tender. My son had the lamb. However the potatoes were hard i.e. cooked and microwaved. I asked for some 'hot gravy' which came in a boat which was luke warm. The vegetables were not a plenty but lots of potatoes! By this time the restaurant was hideously busy. I actually tried to get a waiters attention (we were in a lovely corner seat) and that was impossible. The food is very well flavoured, but I thought if I finally got someone to take my plate away and heat the food (my son said his was 'ok' temperature wise' - my son would have been finished with his food. It became a silly conundrum! Overall, beautiful venue, could be good food but really not hot or even warm and I could kick myself for not sending it back. It would have created the wrong vibe with my son and I didn't want to do that.

Every dish was delicious on the vegetarian platter. The lentils were especially tasty. Great beer and friendly vibes, can’t wait to return!

Hearty authentic food, great little find

Great experience trying Ethiopian cuisine. Works best if you order sharing platters with a larger group. Would definitely recommend both veg and meat options. We used our hands to eat. Staff was helpful and made us feel at home.

Amazing food and a great beers. Can’t wait to go again!

Amazing food, great atmosphere (with nice music to suit) and lovely staff. The traditional spiced tea was great as well.

Delicous food! Really good value aa

Amazing Ethiopian food. Price is pretty good for the quality and quantity.

Fantastic food and so nice to have something different to the usual takeaway. It's like Indian but better....Highly recommend the vegetarian sharing platter if you like lentil and bean dishes and it gives you opportunity to try everything

A must visit place to try some Ethiopian food and end the dinner with filter coffee.

So glad to be able to give this 5⭐, it's everything I was hoping for and more. Super relaxed atmosphere with beautiful fitting music. Helpful staff doing their best to be accommodating. Food, I think was authentic and just fantastic, some spicy dishes some not. If you are not familiar with Ethiopian food, be prepared to share. Meat dishes will often contain bones but it is so well cooked the meat will just fall off. But what I always love is you can really eat a lot and feel full, but not uncomfortable and bloated. Absolutely try the Asmara beer! Cash only.

Very wonderful place and amazing food

I liked it . I thought good Ethiopian food . But a couple of my Ethiopian friends said Teff was not used . So ask the restaurant for Teff . Teff again not available today . Next time I will drop a star each time teff is not authentic

The food is really really good, and looks authentic. I ate Awabe Tibs (or something like that) and it was really good. Definitely five stars. The place struggled to capture the home feeling, but i still found it pleasurable. However, the service I received was very mid. The person in charge forgot to give me cutlery, and free Wi-Fi had no password written anywhere. Still, i recommend this place for it’s food. Strong four stars.

Great food, intimate, friendly atmosphere, and very decent prices. This place is underrated, should definitely get more clients.

Great food, amazing beer and lovely employees!

Was recommended to come here by friends , what a disappointment. The service from the get go was appalling , Half hour wait for our drinks orders to be taken and a hours wait for or food to arrive . When the food did finally come to our table we received small oily portions of meat and a injera that was too sour that over powered the flavours of the dishes . I definitely won’t be recommending this place to anyone .

Great spot, relaxed vibes, delicious Ethiopian food.

The vegetarian sharing platter is so tasty!

Intense flavours. Best enjoyed without cuttlery.

Great tasting food, first time I tried Ethiopian cuisine, loved it , great value and very friendly 😀 I'm coming back 😀 😊

Lovely restaurant and the team are friendly and helpful. Most importantly the food was delicious. Three of us ordered the mixed sharing platter and it did not disappoint. Tasty authentic food that is good value for money. We had a beer too which was also lovely. My only small dislike was the furniture. Very cheap looking. Otherwise do visit as it's all about the food and that is fantastic.

Truly awesome and delicious Ethiopian food. Friendly place, not fancy, but completely authentic. Will definitely return.

I cant recommend this place enough! fantastic food, lovely staff and extremely friendly and calming atmosphere. Clearly marked vegan dishes and very accommodating to different preferences. This is a great place if your looking to try Ethiopian food or if your already a fan and would like some authentic food. 10/10

Amazing food! Would love to go back 🥰 was so full after the sharing platter. Thanks for a lovely meal 😊😊

The vegetarian/vegan sharing platter was a delight, the coffee ceremony smelled amazing and the coffee scooped us out of our food coma with an aromatic punch. No fancy decoration, but friendly atmosphere and comfy enough chairs.

A very well kept and clean restaurant with really beautiful decor. All it was missing was that authentic homely feel that we didn’t get from the staff. We ordered the doro wot and the key wot to share. It was full of salt and really oily. On top of that, we had to pay £3.50 extra for a small salad because it arrived without salad. Quite expensive overall.

Important to mention is that there is a good selection of vegetarian food. Didn’t check if it was vegan as not sure what oils they use. V friendly and accommodating. Casual and relaxed. Excellent food. Had the large sharing veggie plate with a selection of dishes to savour. Especially recommend their Wot dishes of spicy lentils etc. Yum. Enjoy

Always great food! Never disappointed

Excellent authentic Ethiopian food that is great value for money, really enjoyed the whole experience!

Had the vegetarian platter, absolutely amazing food, so tasty! friendly staff, laidback and welcoming environment, perfect for vegans and meat eaters alike

Meat dishes are nowhere near as good as the vegetable platter! Defo go in for that as it’s absolutely delicious.

Wonderful food and service every time. Authentic Ethiopian vibe and always smells great in there.

Delicious Ethiopian food, venue would benefit from a refresh

The food was authentic and amazing

Tasty food and good experience.

My son paid over £80 for this take away. Far too much bread that was like foam rubber. Salad missing. Supposed sharing platters of meat and vegetarian dishes that were not nearly enough for the six people it was intended for. This was academic however, as everything was swimming in oil, sloppy and totally inedible.

This is the first Ethiopian restaurant I've been to, but the food was SO delicious!

Second visit here and as good as I remembered. Great choice of dishes and some African beers. Had the vegetarian sharer, each element was very tasty and satisfying. A hands-on experience (encouraged to use the pancake base to scoop food). Chilled, little cafe/ restaurant simply decorated. Busy on a Monday evening so may be book to guarantee table. Highly recommend.

Delicious food, great prices, wonderful music. Going back soon because this time they'd run out of tej and I really want to try it!

Got this from Deliveroo, £21 for one portion of slop and another with just 2 bits of chicken. Flavourless, unappealing and unappetising. The most disappointing takeaway I’ve had in Brighton in 13 years.

I’ve only ever had takeaways from here. They’ve always been freshly prepared and carefully boxed plus wrapped in cling film to avoid leaks. More importantly the textures and flavours are exceptional. Really want to go in person one day to thank everyone for the fantastic food. This evening’s Gomen Besiga, Key Sir and Shuro Wot we’re tremendous. The honey wine is also sensational - very unusual and genuine.

Wow...been about a year since last time. Still amazing and thanks for catering for gluten free request 😀 Thanks 😊

We were really keen to try Ethiopian food again after having it a few years ago in London. This place is simple but perfectly comfortable and the food is really nice, the platters are a good side and fairly priced.

My absolutely favorite restaurant in Brighton. The vegetarian sharing platter contains a little of all their amazing traditional Ethiopian veggie dishes, some spicy, some not as spicy, on a 'tef' plate. Tef is a gluten free grain, or rather, a grass seed, ground up, fermented, and made into a sort steamed flat bread, used scoop up the food. Simple decor, unpretentious, good prices and great food. Highly recommended!

Truly fantastic Ethiopian food, and nice staff. Well worth the trip from anywhere!

Relaxed restaurant, the food is good, interesting flavours, loved it.

The veggie platter was honestly one of the most delicious things we have ever ever eaten - Ethiopian or otherwise! Incredible value, so much food and a perfect pairing with the injera bread. We paid £13 for a portion of chicken stew and to be given just 2 tiny half wings (so ONE CHICKEN WING FOR £13) was insulting and so disappointing that we’d have given one star if the platter hadn’t made up for it.

We sought out this local restaurant to revisit lovely Ethiopian cuisine. Ordered the veggie sharing plate of spiced lentils, fresh veg dishes and salad. Tasty and freshly cooked, a good portion for 2, plus a couple of beers, great value. Will visit again when in the area. Fab.

We love the food and we love the service. Yohannis even came in on Boxing Day to get a big meal ready or us to collect. It was, as usual awesome.

Really delicious food, freshly cooked and a great change from the norm. Meat was tender and portions very plentiful.

I finally went after walking past many a time and tried Ethiopian food for the first time with my house mate and loved it. It’s always interesting to try something new and this time was very rewarding, the guy was very nice too. He let me try a glass of their honey brew wine ✌🏽🇪🇹🇪🇹🇪🇹🇪🇹