Wass Ethiopian Restaurant

Diner reviews

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• 
  March 14, 2012

  Really likes it

  You MUST try this place!

  by Melisande (3 reviews)

  Considering a move from Toronto to Hamilton, my vegan partner and I were concerned that Hamilton would be lacking in pleasant veg dining experiences - we were so thoroughly surprised at the quality and value of Wass Ethiopian! The owner served us himself - a kind, warm, ebullient man, who clearly takes pride in his restaurant. The vegetarian platter is large enough for two people to dine there, and at great value. Can't wait to return for more! Everyone in Hamilton should give this restaurant a try - I believe it is among the best in the city.

  Oh, also - the service was so prompt that we were barely finishing up the injera when we were offered more, on the house. So kind!

  2 out of 2 found this review helpful
• 
  April 4, 2012

  A Party in Your Mouth

  by David Milmine (1 review)

  Thats the best way to describe Wass Ethiopian. This was our second visit in the last couple of weeks. We thought .... well the first time it was pretty good .... lets see if there is consistency -- and -- we really enjoyed the first time ... so we were really hoping it wasn't just a fluke but that they were really that good.

  Being a Tuesday night there were smaller portions of specials both vegetarian and containing meat. For only $9.55 -- a GREAT dinner. I'm vegan -- the food and veggies were all fresh , colourful, and lots of great spices (hence the party in the mouth comment). My wife had a plate that had both chicken and lamb .... she thoroughly enjoyed hers as well ... with the only comment being that her mouth was on fire with the great taste of the spices .... the service was excellent and the waitress was very friendly and willing to explain what was on the menu and why it was the way it was. Truly a second GREAT visit -- and we will be back I'm sure OVER AND OVER AND OVER again .... Thanks .... and sssshhhhhhhh if we tell tooo many that its really this good it will get too busy and there won't be room for us .... lets try and keep it a secret !!!!

  1 out of 1 found this review helpful
• 
  April 21, 2012

  Likes it

  Amazing food!

  by Magnesis (2 reviews)

  First time having Ethiopian. What an incredible burst of new flavors. Had the vege and meat combo with friends. There is nothing that you can not like.

  Worth a try for sure.
• 
  April 6, 2012

  Really likes it

  Mobile review

  by Ange (1 review)

  Friendly. Tasty. Excellent service. I love WASS.
• 
  April 30, 2012

  Amazing food

  by Jake Thompson (1 review)

  Walked in not knowing anything about ethiopian food and it was absolutely fantastic and I will definitely be coming back here. We got a huge combination of everything followed by the wass special and it was all to die for
• 
  May 4, 2012

  Likes it

  Mobile review

  by Kevin (1 review)

  Being an Ethiopian food virgin myself and 3 of my friends thought we would try it. The food was so delicious and the service from the staff was incredible. They went through the menu with us, explained each food including the yummy honey wine. We ended up getting a platter that had a little bit of everything on it. Great place great food!! A must try
• 
  February 18, 2012

  Likes it

  Mobile review

  by Phoebe (56 reviews)

  This is a great place. All my visits have been positive. Amazing food and very friendly staff! The experience is wonderful.
• 
  March 5, 2012

  Likes it

  Great first experience.

  by valentix (2 reviews)

  LOVE THIS RESTAURANT! such great service, very attentive and AMAZING food.

  I never had Ethiopian before but boy, I'm sold!

  I loved it so much that I sent this note out to the host:

  I dined at your restaurant with a friend last night for dinner. It was delicious!

  I don't know if you remember but we had a brief chat where I told you it was both of our first experience with Ethiopian food! Your food went above and beyond our expectations (and our expectations were quite high by the great reviews we heard of your place!).

  We had the vegetarian and the Wass special, all with injera.It was fresh and all parts of the dishes were phenomenal- my friend who doesn't like beets ate 'em like she never have before! My personal favourite was the Yesemir Wat (I think that's what it is)- the reddish lentil dish.

  Eating with our hands was a new experience and we both enjoyed it very much. Your waitresses were very polite and extremely friendly!

  Thank you for a great dining experience and we hope to return again soon.

  ----

  Like I said, the staff are super friendly and the food is great. I'm already planning to take another friend there!
• 
  February 19, 2012

  Doesn't like it

  Cold, Unappetizing and Disappointed

  by kheintzman (1 review)

  Went to Wass for the first time after reading so many great reviews. Will never go back. Wass is in a cold basement. We ordered the combo platter for two people and when it came there was a SINGLE chicken drumstick. For two people. The injera is gross and tasteless. Everything on our platter was extremely unappetizing. I know there are rave reviews here, but I don't know what all these people are talking about. This place ruined my day.

  • 
    February 20, 2012

    A reply from The Wass Ethiopian Restaurant at Wass Ethiopian Restaurant

    Thanks for taking the time to come into the WASS to experience Ethiopian Cuisine.  In reference to the chicken, the Doro wat with vegetarian is served with two legs while the meat combination is served with one leg.  Injera is often an acquired taste for those new to an Ethiopian dish.  Some customers enjoy having rice as a substitute instead.  As a restaurant, we have regular customers from the Hamilton area as well as Buffalo, NY who enjoy every part of the WASS.  Thanks again for letting us know your thoughts despite your experience.
• 
  January 21, 2012

  Wonderful Food!

  by Dorin Newton (1 review)

  The food here was amazing, with so much flavour! The waitress and the owner were so knowledgeable and warm in their reception and service! Would recommend this to this place to anyone with a passion for food!
• 
  February 5, 2012

  Great veggie option

  by Kaitlin Peters (1 review)

  It's usually pretty hard for me to find good options at franchised restauarants being a vegetarian, but I had a great meal at Wass. I had the veggie combo platter; beautifully presented and so much variety. A major plus was that everything tasted healthy, and like I wasn't about to have a heart attack afterwards. The staff as very knowledgable and went out of their way to help you. I wasn't a huge fan of the bread used to pick up the food (had a sour flavour), but the dishes themselves were delicious.
• 
  February 3, 2012

  Likes it

  Fabulous Fare at Wass!

  by SuperJen (1 review)

  Wass is a very authentic Ethiopian restaurant, right around the corner from St. Joe's! If you think you'd like to try something new, and you're tired of eating at the same restaurants over and over, I highly recommend adding Wass to your repertoire.

  A touch of spice and everything nice, highly recommended!

  *Friday & Saturday nights are very busy, so call first for a reservation and avoid disappointment
• 
  February 2, 2012

  Likes it

  Excellent food, drinks and service!

  by Jen (1 review)

  Food was authentic and the experience was very educating and culturally appealing! My boyfriend and I were looking for a new restaurant to try in town and we were not disappointed! Our server was the owner of the restaurant (his name is Wass) and he was very hospitable to us and explained to my boyfriend and I all about Ethiopian culture. I would highly recommend trying the ethiopian stout beer! Make sure you are ready to use your hands as no utensils are used for the majority of their dishes. Food is very reasonably priced and full of flavour. The food is very eclectic to your palate, in one sitting, I experienced spicy, sweet and salty flavours. This was our first time trying ethiopian food and it will not be our last! I would highly recommend trying Wass Ethiopian Restaurant!
• 
  February 2, 2012

  Really likes it

  First Time Trying Ethiopian. Amazing!

  by Tom (1 review)

  My girl friend and I decided to try something new, and we checked out urban spoon for Hamilton area. Wass Ethiopian came up as a top rated, so we decided to try Ethiopian food for the first time. What a surprise! The food was fresh, full of flavour, and served with a smile. We had the dinner special with lamb and chicken, and both were cooked perfectly.

  Now I enjoy my beers, and make a point to stop and sample any micro brewery I come across. Wass imports an Ethiopian stout beer that blew my mind. It was one of the finest stouts/beers I've come across. Who knew!? All in all it was a great dining experience, and I recommend everyone to try it. Did I mention I was stuffed silly, I just wanted to keep eating the good food.
• 
  October 14, 2011

  Community Engagement Lunch

  by m-malik (1 review)

  Empowerment Squared had the opportunity to work with Wass Ethiopian Restaurant to run a fundraising event for the programs we run as an organization. Empowerment Squared is geared towards empowering local youth to be leaders. Wass Ethiopian Restaurant was a great venue for our event. Our guests had the chance to try some dellicious, traditional Ethiopian food and really enjoyed the unique cultural atmosphere. The owner of the restaurant was absolutely great to work with and really helped us to get our message across.

  Wass was able to set up a buffet for the afternoon. We tried a few different lentil dishes, a beet dish, lamb, chicken and so much more. Everyone had a great time eating together and ended up stuffed by the end of the day ! Wass Ethiopian Restaurant is a great place to go if you want to try something new. Everyone is very friendly and they really make you feel at home.

  It was also great to see their commitment to our cause and passion for community togetherness. We really appreciate their support !

  Thanks so much !

  2 out of 2 found this review helpful

  • 
    November 21, 2011

    A reply from The Wass Ethiopian Restaurant at Wass Ethiopian Restaurant

    Thanks for including The WASS in your fundraising efforts.  We're glad you had a great time.
• 
  October 8, 2011

  Likes it

  Mobile review

  by Bill Carey (6 reviews)

  This is a real find! First visit with my wife, the owner comes to your table and looks after you personally. He gave us excellent advice on what to order (the vegetarian platter and the goat curry.) even showed us the traditional way to eat it, by scooping it up in the very tasty bread. Reasonable prices, will definitely be back!

  1 out of 1 found this review helpful
• 
  December 2, 2011

  Likes it

  awesome

  by Dustin Jurkaulionis (1 review)

  its rare that you find an restaurant owner who has such a great passion about the food and culture. my first experience as Wass was memorable and will be going again. the food itself was incredibly tasty and loaded with flavor. highly recommended!!

  1 out of 1 found this review helpful
• 
  January 16, 2012

  excellent

  by mariana (1 review)

  My boyfriend and I were first introduced to Ethiopian cuisine

  by my brother in law in New York city. We immediately fell

  in love with it and was very surpised to find out that in

  my own city we have a Ethiopian Restaurant as well. Finally

  last night we decided to go and my boyfriend couldn't

  stop talking about it the whole night. We ordered

  the Meat Combo with Vegetarian and the food was

  delicious. The owner, Wassie is amazing. He is so passionate

  and so proud about everything and the food he makes and

  serves. so, yes we would go again and definitely recommend this restaurant to everybody to try.
• 
  October 28, 2011

  Likes it

  Great food great people

  by Yogi (3 reviews)

  You can often tell you are in a great restaurant by the quality of the people in it. The decor is simple but the welcome is genuine and the food awesome. It really felt like a home made meal at a family members house. The new girl with the butterfly tattoo was a great addition to the atmosphere with her enthusiasm. And I understand the owner wass' mom cooks all the food. Highly recommend it.

  1 out of 1 found this review helpful
• 
  July 7, 2011

  Likes it

  Great food with great value

  by Sam (1 review)

  I was in Hamilton for Canada day long weeknd and visit WASS, the food fresh and testy, the value and the quality of the food it worth to dine at Wass. I am from Ottawa and visit almost all Ethiopian Restaurant in Ottawa and Toronto, no one compare like WASS the vibe, quality and service, What Wass unique from other Ethiopian Restaurant, he is the only one have Ethiopian Honey wine and Ethiopian Beer, wish I live in Hamilton so I don't miss my own country beer and Honey Wine. Good Job Wass

  2 out of 2 found this review helpful

  • 
    July 11, 2011

    A reply from The Wass Ethiopian Restaurant at Wass Ethiopian Restaurant

    Hi Sam,  We're glad you found us and look forward to you visiting us again soon.