Abay, a restaurant in the East End, is pronounced "uh-bye," and it's a pretty cool dining experience. It opened in 2005 and is Pittsburgh's only Ethiopian restaurant. Thank goodness it's here! The menu claims that Ethiopian is "one of the world's most unique cuisines," and it doesn't disappoint.

The difference between Ethiopian and most other cuisines is astounding, both in presentation and in taste. Ethiopian food is served on one large platter instead of separate plates for each person. Furthermore, there are no utensils: diners eat the food by scooping it up with the Ethiopian injera bread, served with the meal. This could be intimidating for a few, but once you try it, you'll probably appreciate it. The "family-style" dining is fun for groups, and the spongy injera will be the tastiest utensil you've ever used.

In addition, Abay provides small circular tables called mesobs for groups of 2 to 4. They can be a little cramped, but they look very nice. In general, the décor at Abay is warm and inviting, with a welcoming brown color scheme and neat touches, like sticks used to hold the menu together. The walls are a bit plain, but that's forgivable for such a new restaurant.

The restaurant's entrées are about evenly split between meat entrées and vegetarian entrées; most of the vegetarian entrées are vegan, so Abay offers something for everyone. You can bring your vegan friends and your carnivorous friends, and nobody will complain!

I hesitate to mention individual dishes, because you shouldn't order individual dishes. Abay serves combination platters that offer the choice of four entrées with portions scaled to serve one to four people. This is the perfect way to experience Abay; more restaurants should offer it! However, even if you get a combination platter (as we did), you'll still have to choose which four entrées to order.  

Among the meat entrées, the Zilzil Tibs, Kay Wat, and Doro Minchet Abish were all fantastic. If I described them each separately, they'd all sound the same, so I'll just say that they all consist of boneless meat sautéed or simmered with seasonings. The Zilzil Tibs and Kay Wat are beef while the Doro Minchet Abish is chicken. The Doro Alitcha was a little different: it included drumsticks sautéed in an herb sauce. It was the most tender, but probably the least flavorful, of the four meat entrées we tried.

There were five of us, so we ordered a vegetarian platter as well. The Ayib Be Gomen (collard greens with a crumbly cheese) was a little dry, but very flavorful. The Azifah (lentils with onions and peppers) was a little bland. Because it was served cold, it tasted a little like a lentil salad with lime. I liked the Kay Sir Dinich (stewed potatoes and beets) but the beet flavor may have been a bit too much for my companions. The Butecha (ground chickpeas), on the other hand, was well liked by all, due to its smooth, dry texture.

You may not remember the names of these dishes; that's fine. Really, you can't go wrong at Abay. Especially when you order combination platters, even if you don't like one dish, you will probably enjoy the others. And more than just the food, Abay provides a dining experience that you won't find anywhere else in Pittsburgh. If you already like Ethiopian food, Abay is sure to please; if you've never tried it, go there tonight!

Restaurant type: Ethiopian
How to get there: Take a 500 bus from Fifth and Morewood to Highland Ave. It's on 130 S. Highland Avenue in Penn Circle. Parking is also available near the restaurant.
Price for an entrée: $10-13
Rating: 8.5

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