Abugida Ethiopian Cafe & Restaurant

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.

What an experience! This was my first time trying Ethiopian cuisine. No utensils were provided as this is the function of injera. As previous reviews mention, this is a communal dining experience so be mindful of who you bring to share a meal with!! The server did provide us with small plates. Visited on a Tuesday shortly after they opened at 12 PM with a party of 2. Ordered Meat Lovers Combination ($45.00) which comes with 3 vegetables. We selected Gomen, Yemisir Kik Wat, and Kik Alecha. This came with a side of injera (~4). The injera is very light / not filling at all. From the Meat Lovers Combination, key doro Wet and key wot were my favorite. Out of the sides, I liked gomen the best. There is one handicap parking space in front of the restaurant, everything else is behind the building. A small section is available for outdoor seating, but the area wasn't maintained. Server was friendly. This was a nice experience - I'd recommend to others and visit again!

Great Ethiopian food in Charlotte. Very authentic and fresh taste. A lot can be done to increase the ambiance, but it gives a nice family ran business feel. 5 stars for sure!

Delicious food. I haven't had too much Ethiopian, but it certainly reminds me of food back home in India. Had the Door Wet, which was a like a juicy chicken curry. Totally would come back for more.

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!

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!

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!

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".

Friends and I went to Abugida for some Ethiopian food and it was so good! The tea was to die for and we really enjoyed the food. The lady serving us was wonderful. She provided extra Injero for us and kept checking on us. Love where we can support a small business, if in Charlotte area, check this place out!!