Abay Ethiopian Cuisine
(412) 924-8768
130 S Highland Ave
(at Highway 380)
Pittsburgh,
PA
15206
40.4601
-79.925
Neighborhood: Shadyside
Reviews & Ratings for Abay Ethiopian Cuisine
14 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 14 reviews
Exotic, Savory Fare!
by PittsburghFoodie
February 16, 2009
Abay was our family's first introduction to Ethiopian food and we are now hooked! Our favorites are the spicy chicken and spicy bean dishes...but honestly, I'm not sure you could go wrong here. All dishes are served with traditional ethiopian bread (like a pancake), which is delicious. Just roll up your food in the pancake and enjoy--no utensils required! The food is spicy so be careful if you're sensitive to that but I'm sure they can adjust accordingly. It's great to eat it or take out--we love Abay!
Great Food and Great Service by Tokiea F. at InsiderPages
Contributor
November 17, 2008
Looking for a great place to eat with friends? Try Abay! They have traditional ethiopian eating style as well as the American style(meaning plates and silverwar). So whatever fits your taste, they have you covered.
I thought the place was great. I went with some friends and had a blast eating off of a common plate. The food was superb. They had an excellent vegetarian/vegan menu as well as some good picks for meat eaters :)
It was a bit pricy (65-70$ for dinner) but split among 5-6 people, and considering how amazing the food was, I say it was well deserved.
If you have never tried Ethiopian food and are looking for a good intro or if your a regular patron of Ethiopian dishes, you should try Abay.
very very good
by bardotmoderne
July 11, 2008
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
Best Ethiopian Restaruant Hands Down!
by quietriot10
May 09, 2008
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
Disapointed for lack of authenticity :-(
by lady412
April 15, 2008
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
Lucky that Pittsburgh has an Ethiopian restaurant
by desimba
January 18, 2008
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
LOVED the food!
by natsmacks
November 08, 2007
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
Exotic dining
by sanchoman
January 26, 2007
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
Good Ethiopian food
by lgsmith
November 10, 2006
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
Editorial Review by Corliss Lee
by Contributor
November 09, 2006
Authentic Ethiopian cuisine enhanced within original cultural art and artifacts as decor.
