Abay Ethiopian Cuisine

07/11/2008 Posted by bardotmoderne

Abay reminds me of my great-grandmother's cooking. I love it so much. This town has a real treasure to have Abay.

Pros: cozey, friendly delicious

Cons: none

05/09/2008 Posted by quietriot10

Okay, first I need to say that I live in the D.C. metropolitan area where there are so many Ethiopian restaurants you could eat at a different place daily and not get to them all in a month. The previous diner that went to Abay must not know Ethiopian cuisine like he or she thinks. The food at Abay is delicious. The atmosphere is very calming and you want to just sit there and hangout and eat all night. The various spices that they use in their food make you feel like you are back in the "Ethiopian Motherland". Even though I live in the D.C. area, I would rate Abay #1 in my book for Ethiopian restaurants . The food, cool atmosphere, and outstanding servers make the experience superb. I will continue to drive 5 hours one way almost every other month to get my Ethiopian cravings met at Abay. I have also tried Tana and it can't compare in authenticity, taste, and service like you get at Abay!

Pros: Portion Size

Cons: None

04/15/2008 Posted by lady412

Why do these reviewers perpetuate false raves of Abay? Being a lover of Ethiopian food, i was disappointed to find Abay lacking in taste, portions, price, service, and authenticity in general. I went there because Pittsburghers raved about the food (which just proves they don't know better). I can honestly say that i gave it a shot, after dining there 3 times. After doing my research, i found that the place WAS authentic when they first opened but the cooks have traded hands since. Abay is not bad food, rather, a disappointment if you know Ethiopian cuisine. FORTUNATELY.... Tana comes as a second Ethiopian restaurant to the burgh, and this is not Abay's little sister folks. TANA is the real mamma. The address is 5929 Baum Blvd and it comes recommended from true Ethiopian food enthusiasts. if you like Abay, you'll love Tana.

Pros: BYOB (but a 3-4$ corking fee, per state laws)

Cons: overrated by Pittsburghers

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01/18/2008 Posted by desimba

The two other cities where I have had Ethiopian food are New York and San Francisco. I am glad that we in Pittsburgh also have an Ethiopian restaurant and I am even happier that it is within 2 miles of my primary residence in the Highland Park area. I was here for a date in January of 2007 and I would give it two thumbs up. Food: great; sufficient portions; the platters make it easy to select a number of entrees. My friend and I ended up having a platter for two in which we could choose 4 different dishes and we ended up choosing two chicken preparations and two vegetarian preparations. All of them were very well prepared and none were excessively spicy. Service: Good. Could have been better but the restaurant was also extremely busy that Sunday evening and I can understand why it was less than exceptional. The one thing which I missed (especially compared to my previous experiences of having Ethiopian food) is that in both those instances the food was served by people who looked Ethiopian enhancing to the atmosphere and ambiance. That was not the case with Abay. Overall a great value for money. I would also suspect that consuming Ethiopian food is a great experiential thing which everyone should consider giving a shot.

Pros: Awesome food; out of the ordinary

Cons: None really

11/08/2007 Posted by natsmacks

I live in Chicago where there are tons of Ethiopian places but we heard good things about this one so we decided to try it when we were in Pittsburgh. It was fantastic! BYOB is always great and on top of it the food was so delicious! We sat at one of the small tables on stools and the experience was fun! I would highly recommend this place... get a combination plate!

Pros: Good food, BYOB, great service!

Cons: No reservations and there was a long wait when we walked in

01/26/2007 Posted by sanchoman

I've never had ethiopian food before and was pleasantly surprised with its simplicity. Essentiall each dish is served with flat bread (no utensils here!). The best way to go for dinner is to get the combo meal, where you can choose 4 different dishes (meat or veggie). These dishes come out with the flat bread, nice and spicy! We had Doro tibs, Shrimp Tibs, Zilzil, and a Lentil-based dish which I forget the name of. These were very tasty, each with a different set of spices and textures. Dessert was fantastic! The pumpkin sambusso was great with brown sugar and cinnamon ice cream....BYOB!

Pros: Great value ($25 for the combo for 2)

Cons: Parking can be tricky and Friday Nights are busy

11/10/2006 Posted by lgsmith

Abay has good Ethiopian food and great service helpful service. Pleasant bright decor. It is very clean and is a great place for a group of people to share family style. I would say great Ethiopian food, but I was spoiled in DC.

Pros: value, ethnic experiance, service

Cons: none

11/07/2006 Posted by mr_savvy

There are very few Ethiopian restaurants in Pittsburgh, and this is notable for its consistent quality. The food is very good, accented by a warm decor and pleasant service. All of the dishes were prepared well, with fresh ingredients, and extremely affordable.

10/02/2006 Posted by rcastel

Words are not enough to describe this cuisine so go try it out for yourself!You wont be dissappointed!!

08/11/2006 Posted by rw_from_ne

Nice to have an Ethiopian restaurant in town finally. Too bad it couldn't be Meskerem. Still, everyone in town should give it a try at least once. Eating Ethiopian is a different experience, from the flavors to the service way food is eaten. On the food - the injira's OK. The rest seems uneven somehow, either it's right or it's too spiced or not spiced enough compared to Ethiopian eateries in DC or NYC. Hard to explain the details since there isn't anything to compare it to. Just try whatever choice on the menu gives you the most different tastes. Need to point out that there are meat/chicken options. Possibly the worst thing any reviewer could do to a relatively new place is pigeonhole it as vegan - that will be sure to keep the crowds away. Don't worry. There are plenty of options and different tastes.

Pros: It's Ethiopian. In Pittsburgh.

Cons: It's not as good as the better Ethiopian places in DC.