• Hawwi Ethiopian

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  • White Veg-options
Lacto
Ovo
Take-out
Honey
African
Ethiopian
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Ethiopian cuisine includes a variety of vegetable and lentil based dishes. Here you could get a vegan platters with stewed greens, lentils, spiced vegetables, all served with injera bread. Also has salads. Open Mon-Sun 9:00am-9:00pm.


Venue map for Hawwi Ethiopian
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22 Reviews

First Review by cookiem

edav344

Points +1477

Vegan
19 Aug 2023

Lovely family owned restaurant

The vegan sampler was amazing. It was so much food I couldn't eat it all. I wanted to try the falafel and hummus too, but was way too full 😅

Pros: Family owned, Vegan options

D’Artagnan

Points +30

Vegan
14 Aug 2023

Great vegan options with home-style service

A friend of mine and I had dinner this evening at Hawwi Ethiopian, and we were glad we did! Great, and many, vegan options. We had the vegan sampler, spinach pastry, and falafel/hummus. All were excellent. The falafel was particularly exceptional if you like your falafel less oily (as I do). The only reason it gets only 4 stars is because non-veg restaurants max out at 4 stars. And if you like strong coffee, don't miss the Ethiopian coffee at the end - a great finish!

bigHUNGRY

Points +22

Vegan
15 Jul 2023

Amazing

The vegan sampler was slammin. The falafel hummus was slammin. It was all slammin.

tyhou

Points +57

Vegan
12 Sep 2022

Great vegan options

They have a vegan sampler, and a great vegan mushroom dish. Both were excellent.

Updated from previous review on 2022-09-12

Pros: Great vegan sampler

Cons: Expensive, but worth it.

thefont372

Points +48

Vegan
10 May 2022

Try their vegan sampler platter it’s absolutely fabulous.

Everything was very fresh and tasty. We order the vegan sampler plate and split it and it was plenty of food.

Pros: Plenty of vegan dishes, Super clean and neat

Cons: Very reasonable prices

lorik1

Points +29

Vegetarian
02 Jan 2020

Meat in mushrooms

Split a vegan sampler and added the mushroom dish, which was under the vegan section and called "veggie". There were multiple bits of meat (some small, one about an inch) in the mushrooms, which makes me think they aren't particularly careful to ensure that vegetarian food is actually vegetarian. Must have been lazy about reusing a dish to heat up the mushrooms, which was disappointing and gross. The rest of the vegan food was okay but pretty lacking in spice or flavor. Have been to other, better Ethiopian restaurants in the area. Was a shame because I used to like Hawwi.

malexander07

Points +139

Vegan
23 Aug 2019

Quality Ethiopian

This was a quality, tasty Ethiopian meal. The Price was reasonable, service was good and flavors were there. Not best Ethiopian I’ve ever had but certainly not the worst either. I left satisfied and enjoyed my meal thoroughly. Would definitely recommend it. My favorite was the chickpea purée.

Pros: Tasty Vegan Sample platter , Good service

Cons: limited options

HeatherSullivan

Points +50

Vegan
21 Jan 2019

Yummy

The vegan sampler is really great. The staff is always super nice! The atmosphere of the restaurant leaves a little to be desired, but you can't go wrong here for a fast and good meal.

AshleyPeters

Points +109

Vegan
21 Nov 2018

Authentic, friendly and delicious

A little hidden gem in Old Town. Friendly welcome by the staff (and I believe family) who own the restaurant. The food is delicious and authentic . While the price may be a little more than other Ethiopian restaurants nearby the sambusas are larger and everyone’s meal includes water, salad and desert. Deserts vary,(not all vegan). Even without all the extras it’s reasonable and delicious . They also deliver through 3 rd party organizations.

Pros: Lots of options , Friendly , Delicious

Holtlauraj

Points +44

Vegan
09 Nov 2018

OMG!!! This place is phenomenal, service was amazing and the food is incredible!

My husband and I had the vegan sampler and the mushroom dish. Absolutely delicious! The hummus and falafel appetizer was amazing.

Pros: Plenty of vegan options

RichardAoun

Points +439

Vegan
03 Oct 2018

Excellent vegan sampler

Very tasty authentic Ethiopian food! The vegan sampler is the bomb!

rhymeswithtwee

Points +95

Vegan
22 Sep 2018

Delicious food + large portions

Whenever I visit my family, I try to hit up vegan or vegan-friendly spots I haven't been to. This was my first time trying Hawwi and I will definitely be back.

I called in my order for pickup and they were so nice. No frills in the restaurant but it smelled great in there. Got home and dug into the feast. Only one of the greens dishes was just alright but everything else was so good. My husband and I polished every single thing off and were stuffed so truly a great value. ❤️

Pros: Good date night for vegans, Friendly staff

dpmammalfree

Points +6

Non Veg
11 Aug 2018

Great food, mostly vegan

I’ve eaten there several times. I’ve gotten the vegan sampler each time. The place is a little quirky (water is severed in a plastic bottle). Not sure if this is standard, but a salad and dessert were given complimentary. The food was great! Expensive when compared to fast food but cheaper then many restaurants in the area. Leftovers made a great breakfast.

Pros: Lots of clearly marked Vegan Options , Great taste, Nice people

ssluchansky

Points +478

Vegan
06 Jun 2018

Not good enough to justify the price

Unlike most Ethiopian restaurants in the DC-MD-VA area, Hawwi had only two veg options on the menu (not including a couple veg appetizers): a vegan sampler and a mushroom dish. The non-veg options were plentiful. We immediately noticed how pricey these options were: $21.95 for the former and 19.95 the latter (at both lunch and dinner). A vegan sampler usually costs less than $15 at area Ethiopian restaurants. We ordered both dishes for two persons to share. The sampler included a wide variety of items: lentils, split peas, cabbage/potatoes, green beans, pureed chickpeas, collards, spinach, and a few others. A small mixed salad for each customer is included, as well as a bottle of spring water for the table. Unfortunately, the food was not as interesting enough to justify the price. Unfortunately, there is so much excellent Ethiopian food in this area, I wouldn't be inclined to return here. Service was quite pleasant and attentive.

Pros: Friendly service, Spices served on the side to customize spice level, Injera was good (see #3 below)

Cons: Price, Limited options, Extra $ for actual teff injera

MelissaSon

Points +34

Vegan
30 Jan 2018

weird service

Food was delicious but limited options and the best way i can describe the service was...weird. We only got a complementary plastic bottle of water which was never refilled or replaced... there was some haggling over priced for restaurant week... it was weird. But memorable and delicious!

veggie666

Points +618

Mostly Veg
21 Jan 2018

expensive

Clean dining area. Extremely friendly Staff. Limited vegan options. Ordered three vegan sampler $21.95. Was barely big enough for 2 people, decent but not worth that much $. Staff says that baklava is vegan but I have my doubts. Wouldn't return due to price.

Pros: very friendly, clean

Cons: VERY expensive

GMUGrad2002

Points +267

Vegetarian
04 Feb 2017

Flavor Town!

Tried the vegan sampler after seeing all the recommendations. Very flavorful. Not sure what was what, but it was all good.
Very nice owners.

XOXO

Points +1760

Vegan
22 Jan 2017

Good option

100% teff enjira as a plus. They have a vegan sampler with 9 different dishes.

EdanMiller

Points +24

Vegan
01 Mar 2016

so stupid happy cow only allows 4 stars on non veg. this spot is vegan heaven.

happy happy haopy, this food is heaven. give it a chance and u will love. amazing vegan options.

Pros: lots of vegan options, heaven.

shoppingviv

Points +22

Vegan
14 May 2015

Happy Belly!

Chosen on short notice to accommodate 3 hungry diners commuting from 3 different locations on a Wednesday night. One vegan, one sort of vegetarian, and one omnivore. Something for everyone. Relaxed atmosphere and easy parking (or a longish but walkable hike from Braddock Metro). The very friendly staff/owners patiently explained each of the dishes we inquired about. In the end, the vegan platter won the night as well as the tomato salad and lentil soup! The omnivore ordered something non-vegan but ended up eating all the vegan dishes we ordered instead! We'll definitely be back.

Pros: Knowledgeable & friendly staff, Good value, Nice variety of dishes

jel172

Points +178

Vegan
23 Apr 2015

Delicious...

In town on business and thought I'd give this place a try. I've only had Ethiopian a couple of times, but can say this about Hawwi:
1) Delightful owners
2) Delicious dinner
3) Satisfied stomach

I highly recommend the Vegan Sampler.

Pros: good portion, good price, friendly staff

Cons: not sure if they have vegan desserts

cookiem

Points +5865

Vegan
13 Aug 2014

Vegan Sampler

The price is good here, but the portions are not as large during lunch as dinner. So, this can help you figure out what to do for leftovers: to have or to not have? Go for lunch, and you may be able to eat it all; go for dinner, maybe unlikely to eat it all? The vegan sampler (about $10) comes with a central serving of misir wot, which has a berbere and tomato based spiciness. Around it, there will be yellow split peas that taste like split peas, not over seasoned by any measure, in addition to cabbage with potatoes, green beans with carrots, a tomato/ parsley/ onion/ jalapeño salad and collard greens.

This cafe also has coffee and tea, but no soy milk or nondairy milk. The menu also has lentil sambusas that are passable and lentil soup - 2 more vegan choices. They have also expanded to add in some Egyptian/ Middle Eastern foods like falafel, fatoush (salad with tomatoes, cukes, onions, lettuce, pita chips and seasonings) and others. I wonder if that's why the salad in the sampler seemed less like the Ethiopian salads in most samplers in the DC metro area and more like a tabouleh flavor absent the bulgur…?

Overall, the food is fresh and filling. Some Ethiopian restaurants use frozen greens, but the collards here wet definitely fresh, and the cabbage, too. Because there is no option to order the vegan dishes separately and the spices/ flavorings for the collards, green beans and cabbage dishes were minimalist, 3 out of 4 cows. However, the service is stellar and the people very kind. The parking is easy. The ambiance is relaxed. So…. maybe 3.5 cows.

Pros: Vegan sampler, Fresh veg ingredients, Easy parking

Cons: Nondairy milk unavailable




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