Ambasel Ethiopian Restaurant and lounge

What a great discovery! My husband and i are usually skeptical about trying new Ethiopian restaurants and love sticking to what we know- home cooked food or our other favorite spot. But I am so glad we decided to check Ambassel out with our visiting guest !!! Beautifully decorated with authentic Ethiopian artifacts, Ambassel also has really good food! We had sizzling tibs and kitfo and nothing was left on our plate after 10 minutes! If you like authentic Ethiopian food, this spot should definitely be on your list of eateries to check out!

I've Always been skeptical about trying other Ethiopian food, and I should always trust my instincts. This food was terrible, overpriced, and he touched my food with a glove that I'm not sure was totally sanitized.

They have the best DJ in the world! He has a playlist filled with Habesha music, Caribbean music, and West African music! I was dancing all night as I smoked my hookah and drank my pineapple juice. We stayed until closing and it was totally worth it! The waitresses are very friendly and helpful they always approach all of their customers with smiling faces it makes you feel at home! I love the atmosphere of that place. Even the customers are nice and friendly too! They also have charging stations near the bar if you need to charge your phone. It took them no time to bring me my hookah they have speedy service but it's still good quality. Although they only have 3 flavors for hookah the 3 flavors they have are the most common/important ones. The hookah is affordable only $15.99 which is much cheaper than places like Zaaki's which will charge you $20+. I love the way their hookahs look they're so tiny and cute. You must check this place out it's the place to be on a Friday night!

Duke and Effi have a hit in Alexandria. Best customer service amazing food. Try the fresh alicha it really makes a difference.

This restaurant is incredible! The food is authentic and delicious and the woman who runs it is so sweet. My boyfriend and I loved it and can't wait to return! So so good!

We found this place at the suggestion of restaurant.com. Their restaurants are a mixed bag, but this was a good one. Our party of three (plus a toddler) ordered the veggie combo and one of the tibs (beef cubes). (Sorry, don't remember the exact name as listed on the menu.) Veggies came out first and were a nice assortment -- one greens, one potato, several others that we didn't recognize (though we're not Ethiopian food experts). Meat a bit later, sizzling hot, and the waiter moved the meat right to the center of the veggie platter where it looked great and was easy to access without burning ourselves.We ate every bit of food, including extra bread when requested (no additional charge). Toddler enjoyed it too. Not one bite left on the plate when we finished.Free easy parking in the lot just outside. TV was on which isn't our preference but I guess folks vary. Restaurant was empty when we arrived, midday on a weekday, but several other parties came in later.Restaurant.com voucher was honored politely and without incident.

Came here using a Groupon. Would not come again the food is okay not he best I've had in NoVA. Without a Groupon I think it's very pricy. I ordered a Diet Coke can and it was for $3... that's a little ridiculous for canned soda. The service was slow. I came here with another person at 3:15. Our food didn't come out until 4:00p and the place was empty.

This was a fabulous experience. We had the meal for three. Everything was delicious. The owner is a beautiful woman who was great to talk with and share in the beautiful cuisine of Ethiopia.

Great service! I have heard about this place for a while am so glad I finally came. Duke is an awesome! The entire staff was very attentive. Great music and hookah! Highly recommend this place.

This review is purely based on the service as we never got a chance to see the menu. This was the worst experience ever! Me and my girlfriend was told by the waitress to sit anywhere and the first thing she asked us was if we were using any coupons. She told us they no longer accepted groupon due to new management but went back to the manager to go ask, but never came back. The waitress just ignored us after that and went to wait on other customers that came in after us. We waited there for 10 minutes, didn't even get a menu or water. This has never happen to us before. We've been to restaurants with bad service, but this place is just beyond terrible. Never seen a waitress so incompetent.