Awash Ethiopian Restaurant

As an Ethiopian visiting Nashville, I was genuinely amazed by my experience at Awash Ethiopian Restaurant. I've been there twice now and tried 'Yeawaze tibs' and 'Quanta firfir' - both were incredibly authentic, rich in flavor, and perfectly prepared. Honestly, it felt like I was back in Addis. On top of that, the owner was extremely welcoming. I also had the Ethiopian coffee (yejebena bunna), and it was excellent.
If I could give more than five stars, I absolutely would. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a truly authentic Ethiopian dining experience.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Small place, Great food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I’ve been coming here for over 5 years and have never been disappointed, absolutely delicious food and great people!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food is absolutely delicious however, please customers BEWARE of the business owners terrible business ethics. My family drove from KY after a competition to enjoy our favorite cuisine. We entered and was seated immediately. The aroma was absolutely magnetic. We ordered a veggie and meat plate. I was aware of the veggie plate price, $19.99. I expected to pay no more than $40 for a veggie and meat plate. Long story short, she told us she charged us $20 per person (2 adults and 1 child) totaling $60. What? That was nowhere on the menu or on a visible sign. That was entirely unprofessional and underhanded. After we asked for an itemized bill and expressed our dissatisfaction did she give us a $20 refund. Mind you we gave her a 25% tip. I was very displeased with this owner and her business ethics. I understand economic stresses she may experience but please don't rob your patrons and ruin your reputation over money.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 1

Recommended dishes: TIBS Firfir, Veggie Combo

It was definitely a unique experience! The food was delicious, with small bites spread across many courses. Awesome service, very attentive. If you don't have a varied palate, it probably wouldn't be your thing.

My mom came in from out of town. We had lots to catch up on, had the whole evening and love trying new foods and wines. For us, this place was beyond everything we hoped! Every bite of food was completely new to me. The courses were perfectly paced so we had time to enjoy each bite, catch up on each others lives and pace ourselves on the wine pairings. Each course was fully described to us and the staff responded to every question we had. They were all SO knowledgeable! Beyond that, sitting in front of the chefs my 80-year-old mom found a couple who engaged in playful banter with her throughout the evening, which made her night - probably her year! I am so thankful for getting to experience this restaurant with my mom and create sweet memories I'll cherish always.

We'd been to the restaurant at their old location just before they moved. That entire tasting adventure and 70+% of the course's were WOW courses. The 30% were very good. Alas, our return to their new location Feb. 2026 was underwhelming. No WOW'S except of course their amazing chicken wing. Delicious! It seemed as though they were trying to hard to impress with an excessive amount of different products, textures, seasonings, etc. in each course. Finally, the music during the dinner was irritating. It kept you on edge and nervous the vast majority of the time. This degustation menu experience needs a more accommodating and synergistic music vibe to the very good food. Service was top notch! We'll try again next year and see what unfolds. 🤞🤞🤞

The service was excellent with energetic and fun conversation with each member of the team who brought us a dish. Chose not to get a pairing once seeing the relatively poor value and that they weren't fully aligned to the courses. While I understand the element of surprise of not sharing any menu information before or during the meal, some details of number of courses or pacing would have been helpful with things like ordering drinks. Odd music choice for the venue. We like 90s punk but odd for the dining experience.

This was my first tasting menu experience and my first Michelin Star restaurant visit. Outstanding service, food, drinks, and ambience. My favorite dishes were the scallops, omelette with the chermoula bun, mushrooms, and the black magic cake. Plus the sommelier was amazing as well! Keep doing what y'all are doing!

The best Ethiopian food in Nashville !!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Every dish was so tasty and packed such a punch! Service was amazing. We appreciated the option to do a petite wine pairing instead of a full pairing. Definitely going to be back!

It's no wonder why the Michelin guide looked at them! Everything down to the name of the restaurant was spot on! Truly enjoyed it all.

Great experience all around. Food was excellent, service was great. Thoroughly enjoyed our time.

Every course was delicious and complemented one another perfectly. Went with my Brother and every time we ate something both of us had an “Oh, ****, that's crazy” reaction to the food. The vibe is very well curated, too; very laid back, high-end Nashville hospitality.

Food was obviously good but was more enjoyable with explanation they provided. They made sure we didn't run out of any drinks.