Discover good cheap food and live music at this West Philadelphia gem

So my girl Heidi and I were looking for a place to eat… as usual. After some research (read: YELP), we decided to try some Ethiopian fare at Abyssinia on 45th and Baltimore. Neither of us had ever been there before and were slightly confused when we walked in to a bar full of middle aged Ethiopian men chalking it up. Sensing our confusion, they pointed us to the back restaurant area. We walked back there and were greeted by two women, one who showed us to our seat and gave us menus. Abyssinia is essentially a huge house and was so friendly and cozy it felt like visiting an old aunt or uncle for dinner.

Ravenous, we scanned the menu. I was excited by the assortment of dishes; all types of meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes and was even more excited by the prices! Everything was so cheap! We decided to splurge and order an appetizer, plus I was hella hungry… but what else is new? For an appetizer, we started with the Azifa Fitfit (injera bits mixed with whole brown lentils blended with onions, green chili peppers and spices), for only $2.50. We opted to share a Vegetarian Combination which included a huge plate of injera, with Ye’missir Wot (split lentils in berbere sauce, simmered in basil, fresh crushed garlic, onions and herb spices), Ye’atikilt Wot (fresh string beans, carrots and potatoes sauteed with onion fresh tomatoes ginger and garlic in turmeric sauce), Shiro Wot (powdered split peas, lentils and chickpeas simmered in berbere, onions and a combination of seasonings), Ye’ Gomen Wot (collard greens sauteed with onions, fresh tomatoes, garlic and olive oil), Ye’ Kik Alicha (yellow split peas simmered in a mild and flavorful onion and herb sauce) and Azifa (whole brown lentils blended with mustard, onions, jalepeno and spice.

Our food came with a quickness and there was even some extra injera included. The food was absolutely delicious! Everything was seasoned just right and had a lot of flavor and spice. The combo dish was more than enough for the two of us to share and at $8.25, it absolutely did the job! We were both merrily stuffed. Abyssinia also has a ridiculously cheap Brunch menu! Served from 10 - 2, the prices range from $3.00 - $5.75! My fellow brunchers (yes, I made that up) know that that’s just unheard of in any city. I really want to try the Foul Fava Beans (cooked and flavored with tomatoes, onions, hot green peppers and spices) for $4.50 and you should check out the Quanta Fitfit (bits of injera mixed with cubes of dried sirloin beef, onions and tomato sauce) for $5.75.

En route to the restroom, I discovered another jewel of this restaurant. I only checked out this upstairs bar briefly but I researched it and apparently, Fiume is a converted studio apartment and a West Philadelphia favorite. There is a really great selection of beers to choose from and there’s a full bar with cheap drinks. On top of all the goodness, Fiume has live music almost every night of the week including bluegrass, jazz and local musicians.

So really folks, you can’t go wrong with Abyssinia!! The food is bomb and cheap, the atmosphere is lively and cozy and the food is bomb and cheap… oh wait, I said that already. Ethiopian food is better enjoyed with friends, so bring the homies and in case you didn’t know Ethiopian is eaten with your fingers… so make sure they wash their hands! LOL. Bon apetit!