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Axum Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Ethiopian Ethiopian [Edit]
1279 E Hastings StVancouver, BC V6A
Neighbourhood: Downtown Eastside
(604) 253-2986
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
15 reviews for Axum Restaurant
15 reviews in English
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Review from Veronica D.
Vancouver, BC
8/24/2011
This is by far my favourite Ethiopian place in town. We live in Kitsilano and come all the way out here for periodic veg buffets that a friend organizes. This we really enjoy, the food is fresh and you can eat as much as you like.
Tried the vegetarian platter's at Red Sea Cafe and another place on Hastings and it wasn't as good. Usually luke warm and bland.
I really love how they cook their yellow split peas and the cabbage and potatoes. Very tasty. I even started making Ethiopian at home because of this place!
I don't like Ethiopian all the time, because I get really tired of injera and bread in general, but this is the place to go when you get a craving.
The staff are friendly and kind here. Pretty quiet but I think they enjoy our business!
We'll be back! -
Review from Awesta M.
2/18/2012
Wow!! I was totally blown away by this place. Seriously!! Here's the thing, I've driven by this place for years but as they say in real estate it's about "Location, location, location" and I must say this place had that going against it in spades.
But it delivers where it counts which is the food. I've been to my share of Ethiopian places here in Van as well as Seattle and always thought Seattle's Ethiopian restaurants were far superior. Well, I'm here to say Axum has helped shift the tide.
We ordered about a chicken dish, a lamb dish, a fish dish, the cabbage dish and the spinach dish. It was soooooo good!! Oh wow, we were all eating til it hurt. I mean unbutton the top button of the jeans but who cares cause it gives you more room to eat hurt. I'm still craving it. If you go there, get there early and chat with the owner. She's super nice and friendly. On Friday's they also have a singer who entertains and he's really good.
Only complaint but I really do think this is par for the course in all Ethiopian restaurants is the wait time. If you want things fresh, well you're going to have to wait for it. It was definitely worth the wait... -
Review from win l.
Vancouver, BC
4/21/2012
Came here last nite as part of a group dinner for 9 a friend organized. Free parking lot at the front was convenient. This was the first time I tried any Afrikan type cuisine & overall it was a very good experience. A friend did all the ordering so there was about 7 or 8 items of various meat & veg to share. At first we thought there wasn't enough food but it turned out to be just a bit too much bcuz what helps fill u up are the spongy rolls of buckwheat bread used to accompany the food. This bread was used like roti & had a texture more like cake than bread. I expected the food to be flavorful & spicy sim to mid east & Indian cuisine. One item that was a bit of a stand out was the marinated raw beef cubes served with what looked like feta cheese. Very tasty but not as prominent in flavor as some of the other items that were more spicy but all were enjoyable. No utensils are used so make sure u wash hands before eating. Guess that's the traditional way of eating in Ethiopia. Pricing was decent value for the money in my opinion. Only drawback was the live background music for ambience was rather loud so we had to kinda yell our conversations around the table.
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Review from Felicity D.
Vancouver, BC
2/24/2012
Who would have thought such a great restaurant would be hidden in this location. I had heard from a few friends that Axum was the best Ethiopian joint in town and I was not disappointed. Love the injera and the spicing! The atmosphere is the only thing stopping me from giving it 5 stars.
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Review from Peter C.
New Westminster, BC
12/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Owner was very nice and patient hostess, especially since it was our first time eating Ethiopian food. The lamb was tender and the mushrooms were tasty. Took some time getting used to eating the sour bread with just our hands, but afterwards it was no problem. Stereotypical situation of a hole-in-the-wall hiding great food. Definitely will be going back.
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Review from Jessica O.
Vancouver, BC
5/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
My BFF and I had a super mediocre experience tonight at Axum. If this had been my first time trying Ethiopian food (aka magical wonderful yummy Deliciousland food) I would be left thinking "eh?" rather than "YAY!"
Thin, dry injera and slightly bland lentil and cabbage dishes - not enough salt or chilis at all. The spinach was severely lacking - nothing wowed us.
So why three stars and not two? Because Ethiopian food is delicious - like, crazy delicious - even when mediocre. I am planning my next meal already - but at Red Sea or Harambe instead. -
Review from Cyrus G.
3/28/2011 9 Check-ins Here
I would never think to go to an Ethiopian restaurant in this area and the inside and outside aren't very inspiring either.
We still decided to go to this place because of all the positive reviews and the fact that it's so close to the community we volunteer at.
I have to say the food is amazing. Definitely the best Ethiopian restaurant I've been to in Vancouver (there are several). The service and prices are great too.
We've ordered a bunch of different dishes. These are the ones I recommend:
- Bozena lentil
- Beef awaze
- Doro andecha
- Lega tibs -
Review from Richard A.
10/31/2010 3 photos
My friend and I came here on a whim. We had just checked into are hotel, and were cruising around looking for a place to grab a late night dinner. This was the first place we saw that was still open proceeded to try it out.
Neither, of us had eaten Ethiopian food prior to coming here, but left the restaurant as fans. I ordered Tib Wots(sautéed beef pieces simmered in hot sauce) and she ordered Yeber Altecha wot( lamb pieces simmered in a mild sauce). The dishes came with injerea(a flat bread) that you use to wrap the meat in, and it was delicious.
Only warning is everything is cooked from scratch so if you are in rush this is not the spot for you. We were not in a rush so it was not a big deal to wait. -
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
7/9/2009
* Good, but not great *
I had a craving for some Ethiopian food similar to the quality you can find in Washington, DC and starting asking around.
A friend told me one of the better spots in Vancouver was Axum, so I rushed on over for lunch.
This was the cleanest Ethiopian restaurant I have visited. The owner really seems to take good care of the place with nice little touches as well. She is also really friendly.
I had hoped there would be a combo plate that mixed some different wat and tibs to give some nice variety. The only one available was the all veggie 4 wat mixed plate.
But I really was craving lamb tibs and just had to order the lega tibs (lamb shoulder cubes stir-fried in neter kibe (fermented spiced butter) with peppers and spices).
The owner does all the cooking in the nice open kitchen. When things were prepared she came back with the lamb on a hot plate and gave a large platter covered with injera as well as a side plate of additional injera.
For some reason the initial injera was cold on the plate. Wish that was warm - or at least room temp. It ended up being a little rubbery because it was so cold.
The extra injera were nice and warm and much better. Although they were a bit less sour than I am used to.
The lega tibs were nicely seasoned, although a bit milder than I would have expected. The lamb was unfortunately a bit chewier than I prefer.
Overall it partially satisfied the craving, but I get a funny feeling I'm going to have to explore the other Ethiopian places around town to see if they are any better!Listed in: Mary had a little lamb, and I…, Vancouver African Food
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Review from Emily S.
Vancouver, BC
10/20/2009
I had to muster up a lot of energy to visit this place. I never saw anyone go in or out, even though I work two blocks away. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. Clean, open kitchen like Marc said, and it was some good home cooking. I had a feeling that most of the clientele were regulars.
In my little Ethiopian experience, this was better than the food I had in Boston and Philadelphia. I think it was the bread that made the difference.
Arrangement of 4 vegetarian dishes with bread is $10 and the meat dish we got was $12. Expect to pay no more than $14 a person including tip for a full dinner and plenty to take home. -
Review from Rich N.
Vancouver, BC
5/1/2011
What a lovely surprise and what lovely people.
This is probably the best Ethiopian food in Vancouver. Just stopped in yesterday for lunch with a friend and we shared the veggie combo platter and the fish tibs. Absolutely delicious.
Great value and such a nice space. The owner/waitperson was so attentive, kind and warm. It just made it even better.
Can't wait to go back and try everything else. -
Review from Liz M.
4/23/2010
I love this restaurant. I don't even live in Stratchona anymore and my bf and I still find a way to come here every now and then. I love the music, the decor, the food. The owner, Almaz, is friendly and just a wonderful, mellow spirit. The vege platter is delicious. I actually crave it. I highly recommend the fish tips, as well. I am lactose intolerant and I found the menu and staff very knowledgeable about which foods did and did not have lactose.
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Review from Sreekanth B.
Surrey, BC
9/29/2010
This place is awesome. I really love the food here. The menu its small but everything they serve is good. I tried lamb, chicken, fish and vegetable dishes and they are all good. These come with a ethiopian crepe which is really soft. All in all I am very happy with this place and I am regularhere now.
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Review from Oscar H.
5/1/2011
This was my experience eating at an Ethiopian restaurant. I wasn't sure what to expect but it turned out to be an excellent experience. The food was delicious and the service was great!
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Review from annik l.
Vancouver, BC
2/16/2011
axum and fassil are my two fav ethiopian restos in vancouver. i get the veggie platter and it's large enough to share w a friend. yum yum let's go eat there @cat.
