Awaze Ethiopian Eritrean Cuisine

Fresh., clean, quick, delicious

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food was delicious, though it was a little too spicy for me. I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking for authentic Ethiopian food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Really nice Ethiopian. Injera was awesome, and spice levels were good (hot hot is *really hot)

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious food and coffee, friendly staff. We're lucky to have such a treat in the area!

Recommended dishes: Veggie Platter, Veggie Sambussa

Little bit of a wait, but so worth it. Amazing!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This was the absolute best food out that I have ever had. Finally food that won't kill you and is delicious. The vegetable platter was so good. Service was very good and friendly.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Veggie Platter

Incredible spot close to Downtown Cary! Owners were incredibly kind and gracious to me and my family. The food was excellent and definitely the best Ethiopian food i’ve ever had. Overall an incredible dining experience that I would be happy to recommend to anybody!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Veggie Sambussa, Doro Wot, Meat Dish Sampler, Key Wot

Incredible food, incredible staff, and an incredible experience! This place was my first Ethiopian restaurant. The staff and even owner were very kind, they made conversation with me and my friends. They quickly got us our food. It was fresh, straight from the kitchen. I had the cubed beef and my friend had a chicken dish with egg. They were both delicious! We agreed they were the best meals we had all month (at least). I usually don’t leave reviews but this place was so exceptional that it deserved it. Awaze is a gem in Cary. It’s worth every penny and I believe that everybody should go just to experience how great it is.

As a party of seven, we had a dinner at Awaze. We all liked the food, which is fresh and authentic, and the service. Our greeter and waitress, Eden, was very welcoming and pleasant during our entire visit. She answered our questions completely. I had Asa (Fish) Tips. The combination of white fish and vegetables was excellent. We highly recommend Awaze for a great dinner experience. Thank you, Eden, and Awaze!

Update May 2025: I haven’t been in to dine in a while so I had the chance to last night. I was so disappointed especially since this place used to be my go-to spot for Ethiopian food. The customer service was pretty rude. I was getting the feeling my family wasn’t welcome there. When we arrived, we were pointed to a table by a younger waitress and then waited for menus. We were waiting for another 5min before I noticed a table got seated beside us and the same waitress immediately brought them menus and took their drink orders. Eventually (as I was debating on just leaving since I couldn’t wait much longer because I had my toddler with me) another employee came and gave us menus. I noticed the prices on the menu increased since I’ve last been. We ordered and our food came out. The portions were so small now especially compared to the price! Almost $23 for a veggie platter! The worst part was my husband ordered a fish entree and received a beef entree…he doesn’t eat beef. He notified our server and she proceeded to tell him he ordered that in a stern manner. Then she went back to see if the kitchen even had the fish dish and came back and said they don’t have it and they replace it with the beef anyways. My husband ended up sharing my veggie platter and extra side of gomen with me. The food wasn’t worth that horrible experience.

Don’t bother coming here when there so many other Ethiopian food restaurants in this area with better prices, portion sizes, and nicer staff.

Original Review 2021:

I tried their food for the first time tonight through take-out. It was super easy placing my order by phone and my order was ready 15min later. I ordered two Veggie Platters. The food was so GOOD! Everything was seasoned perfectly and the portions were huge. I really like the injera...I’m usually so-so about injera but this injera was so tasty! My husband enjoyed his meal as well! We can’t wait to try other items on the menu!

Food is great! I always get the veggie platter. Have had the Sambussas a few times and they are good. This time tried the Gomen Sligo Dip and that was really flavorful as well. Be aware they won’t split checks so bring cash if you have a large party.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Awaze. We live a couple hours away but had heard great things. It was worth the drive. It's not a quick in/out place to eat and food is obviously made fresh get an appetizer and get ready for great food and fantastic service.

My finance and I just landed from out of town and wanted to grab some Ethiopian food while we were in Cary. We walked into Awaze and the waiter/hostess was extremely rude. My finance had questions about the menu and the food amount. She made comments about the food is portioned for only one person, and she made joking comments saying “I don’t know how much you eat, the food is only portioned for one person.”
I ended up not ordering and leaving. Definitely will NEVER come back.

Not only the food is delicious and amazingly cooked, the Injara is authentically made with pure Teff (nothing added).

You should look for the health benefits of Teff. Eden the main server is truly one of the best when it comes to customer service.

And guess what? The owner cooks most of the foods in the kitchen. I get a chance to meet her. Beautiful energy.

Awaze is a really lovely place, their food is fantastic, portions are maybe a little smaller than some places, but the quality is absolutely top notch. I love that they have choices for spice levels on some of their dishes as well. Awaze is definitely worth a visit or five!