Axum Ethiopian

Axum was my first time eating Ethiopian food. It definitely is on one of the sketchiest corners of Las Vegas, but I didn't feel unsafe inside or outside the restaurant. When we walked in we waited for a table but two men at the bar told us to sit anywhere we wanted. There was one other group seated when we got there, and throughout our meal a number of other groups came and went. Everyone seems to know each other and visit the other tables to say hello or goodbye, so this is definitely a locals spot. As another reviewer mentioned, the entire clientele seems to consist of Ethiopian men, mostly drinking beers and having fun catching up. Although I'm sure the waitress knew we'd never been there before, she didn't give any intro or ask if we had any questions. That's okay, thanks Yelp for giving me a brief intro on what to expect here! They didn't have any Ethiopian beer despite it being on the menu, so we settled for Newcastle (all bottles). We ordered the vegetarian combo and tibs wot. We were also served two baskets of injera aside from the injera the meal is set on. The pictures really don't do these dishes justice: they are humongous! I know you wouldn't think that a few mounds of lentils on a plate of bread would fill you up but it does. The plates have to be 12-15" in diameter and we could barely fit two of them front to back on the table. The tibs wot was delicious. It was slightly spicy and the meat was similar to a stew meat with a hearty sauce, not too soupy. We ate all of this dish. The vegetarian combo was also really good and I wish I knew what all of the dishes were. I'd say my favorites were the red lentils and the other red colored dish followed by the yellow (potatoes I think?), the green lentils, and the collard greens last. There's also a salad in the middle with hot peppers that added a nice kick. I wish we could have finished it all because I felt bad for leaving food, though the waitress did offer a to-go box which we accepted. We finished the meal with Ethiopian coffee which, for $1.50 is making me wish Axum opened earlier in the morning. Overall I really enjoyed the experience and I have to say Ethiopian food is now one of my favorite cuisines. The closest comparison I can make is to Indian food in terms of the depth of spices. My only reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is that I now see Axum has been on Dirty Dining twice in the last year (most recently in January) and that makes me pretty squeamish. I may wait a little longer to return and explore the west side Ethiopian restaurants but I'm hoping they can keep everything under control and I will gladly return.

Decent Food. Bad Neighborhood. (Star rating based on restaurant, not location). The food was decent, especially for my friend's first time eating Ethiopian food. One of the lentil dishes was slightly under cooked, but everything was delicious. The service was good. The owner wasn't there when we arrived, but was there as we were finishing and was extremely hospitable and welcoming.Rating not dependent on location, but if you are visiting, you should know this info. Our major issue was the location. Our taxi driver questioned why we would ever want to go there, we should have inquired further. We had great difficulty getting an Uber or taxi back to our hotel. A female Uber driver canceled our pickup because she wouldn't drive into the area. We felt safe & secure early in the evening, but we would not have later.

We came in mid-day and we're waited on by two people. Both were incredibly attentive. The cook recommended the spicy beef stew, so we got that work a veg platter. The stew was spicy and flavorful, with so many flavors melding together... It was pretty amazing. The veg platter was good with an array of veggies and flavors.We were given extra bread before we needed it and didn't have to ask for anything. Refills, extra ice, extra bread.... All brought as we were running low, but we never ran out.Great food & excellent staff. I highly recommend this place!

Prior to going vegan, I had never really tried other cuisines. I was afraid of the unknown but I soon realized that this fear came from my own mind. As a relatively new Vegan (7 months feels like forever) and a new resident of Las Vegas we have been all over the city eating foods from all cuisines that provide vegan options. My girlfriend found Axum and I have to say this place blew our minds. The veggie plate was huge and fulfilling, with lentils red and green, corns, beans etc...Axum knows how to put it all together. I'm the food didn't take too long to prepare and the environment was that of a family environment and they welcomed you as their own. Although they are located in a part of town that isnt very aesthetically pleasing, they still manage to be awesome hosts and provide excellent food. Their customer service is what made this place our one and only Ethiopian food home for us. The ONLY reason this place gets four stars is the area that it is located in. I wouldn't want my girlfriend and her friends to go there alone as the establishment in itself is nice, but outside of their doors is the REAL world as it exists in its unforgiving littered streets of the lost of Las Vegas. Other than that.....we have been there about three times and it's not close to where we live but the journey is worth every mouthful. Enjoy!

This was probably the most awkward dining experience I have had in Vegas. A coworker suggested it for lunch, and I should have done my research (Merkato across the street has 18 reviews; Axum had 1)...We get there, the open sign is off. Someone let us in anyway. A few patrons smoking at the bar. Even weirder, the lights in the restaurant were off. I am convinced they were not really open and just had friends in smoking....seriously. The tables were not really ready for meal service.The nice lady behind the bar is also the waitress, and she hands us menus. They do not serve tap water here, so we got bottles. The menu only has maybe 8 things on it, I am not sure if it was just lunch or not. I decide on a chicken dish - she says they are out. So I order 1 beef and my coworker orders 1 lamb. She asked if we want 2? She did not really understand or speak English except for "thank you." I was not sure if she meant 2 each or what, but when the food came, I realized she meant we could have split one.Each plate was massive, and had the flat, soft bread on the bottom. Mine had a salad, a paste, and then she poured my meat dish on it and provided a side of bread. My friend had the lamb in the same set up but with some mashed yellow lentils.The meat and sauce itself was good and had a nice spice, and the salad was fresh with chillies too, but the paste is what killed me. I dipped some bread (this is all eat-by-hand, no utensils here), and it tasted like toxic ground coffee....I thought I was poisoned. It was horrible. I covered it with some extra bread and just ate a little more beef, but then a giant flying bug landed on the table and I lost my appetite. Plus I was still eating in the dark and dipping my hands in an oily beef dish.Honestly I think I am turned off from trying any Ethiopian restaurant now, and I would never go here again. My friend felt bad and paid for me and took my leftovers. I am fairly adventurous but I prefer to eat in restaurants that are open for business, have the lights on, and have someone who can explain in my language what the food is about so I can order correctly and know what I am eating.

It was alright. The ambiance is poor, the food was alright at best. We got the vegetable plate and was unfortunately not terribly impressed. I'm used to Ethiopian food having much more flavor, unfortunately, it was lacking in the flavor department. I doubt I would return here. Also, the area isn't the best. Food prices are reasonable.

Another Meet-up of Poly's Adventures in Dining. About 70 people at the event.You know you ain't eating at a normal place when the first thing they give you when you walk in is a few shots from a hand sanitizer container !The meal is basically served on a platter - there are about 5 different "stews" made with different meats ( lamb, chicken, pork beef ) small salads, lentils and a basket of rolled up geez, i guess we'll call them pancake/ crepes that you use to scoop up the plattered stews.prior to the platter, they serve you an appetizer that after taking a bite i forgot how to breathe for about 3 seconds - it was a chili filled with lord knows what - one bite and my mouth and throat went numb from the heat !! a gallon water later - i survived !i even tried one of the stews that was actually raw lamb - called gored or goret - it was a little too chewy for me, but not bad and my stomach survived that experience.The meal ended with a ceremony prior to serving a very, very, very strong coffee - a little sugar and it was ok by me.A nice change of pace. the owner and staff are very accommodating and very receptive to sharing the culture and food of Ethiopia.

This place was a regular place for my boyfriend and I until, #1 their hours are completely incorrect. They really aren't open late so don't even try, (we wasted our gas to go there when they were supposed to be open, and of course they weren't)#2 the last time we were there they serve us some old and stale injera, they continued to tell us it was fresh and clearly it wasn't. None of the waitresses understand proper English. They don't appreciate customer loyalty. I won't be back. There are way better places in town to go to.

Don't come on Sunday drive all the way there and it was close. It's says on line open and on the door they have open 7 days a week it's a lie so inconvenient

The food was bland. Where were the Ethiopian spices? It was extremely disappointing. Good injera but ice cold from the refrigerator. We got a mixed meat and vegetable platter. The order was entirely wrong and took 30 minutes despite only one other table of two in the restaurant. The service was apologetic but the food was not worth the effort of getting there.