Hawi Etdiopian Restaurant in Itdaca

My favorite restaurant in Ithaca! I love the food so much, especially the large vegetarian platter! Incredible vegetarian and vegan food. And its bring your own alcohol!

Easily one of the best experiences and meals I've had eating out in a while. The food is incredible, the staff was wonderful and the owner/chef is as warm and nice as she is talented. Will absolutely be back.

Certainly one of my favourite restaurants in Ithaca! If you can tolerate their slow service, everything else is superb! My personal favourite is yebeg wat (not sure if this is the right spelling but it's the lamb stew). It's flavorful in a milder way once compared to South Indian cuisine. The injera bread is also unlimitedly refillable here. It's a great place for lunch because their food is really fulfilling.

I met a friend here once and only had a snack, but was dying to come back for a full meal. The food here is really great and a fun experience if you've never had Ethiopian cuisine before. I have no complaints whatsoever.To all the low reviews for this place I saw, complaining about the experience of slow service, I was absolutely amazed to see it actually happen. Was mid afternoon time, so I tbh don't expect full staffing, small businesses can't afford to overdo it. The guy waiting on the entire place alone never once made a mistake on anyone's orders, he kept my water topped off constantly, and was calm and composed despite also handling bussing and settling the bills as more and more people wandered in. This review is for you, bro. May you always be tipped well.

Excellent food! Very crowded, I suggest making reservations. Byob 🙂

The best Ethiopian food you can find anywhere!

Loved the experience... Food was fantastic. Return customer for sure.

So glad there is an Ethiopian restaurant in the Finger Lakes! Ethiopian food is one of my favorites. The food at Hawi is good but it’s not the best I’ve had. The prices are good but the service can be a little slow.

All of the vegetarian dishes were flavorful and delicious. I also really enjoyed both lamb dishes as they were cooked and seasoned extremely well. On top of it all: great service.

Nice ambiance and good food, lots of single person and family options. Food was fresh when I went even though took a bit longer to cook, it's worth it. We got the chefs special combo, replaced raw meat option with a cooked lamb, every item was delicious.

Been to the restaurant several times. The food is good. You can order food with individual size!

Great service, very helpful all around and great food! Loved the Sambusa appetizer and the lamb was amazing.

Delicious food & peaceful, cozy ambiance! This was my first time trying Ethiopian cuisine and I'm so glad I went to Hawi because it was a great experience.

Very, very good Ethiopian food! I’ve eaten at every Ethiopian restaurant in NYC, as well as many others across the country. This one holds up to the best of them! Very reasonable prices too, for the portion size. The combo sampler plates are enormous, neither my husband or I could finish ours. What a gem in downtown Ithaca!

This was my first time eating Ethiopian food, and it was amazing. I had some absolutely delicious spiced tea, and though I forget the names of the dishes I got, they were great. I highly recommend getting a combo platter to try multiple dishes.

Special Tip: I love the way they cook their beets!I love Ethiopian Cuisine and this is definitely the best I've had in the Finger Lakes region. I do wish it was a little less pricey though as it makes me hesitate before returning due to cost.

First time eating Ethiopian food, definitely not the last. We got the Special Combo- everything was delicious. Great dish to try if you're eating here for the first time. Try it!!

We waited for our food for more than an hour. The place was full of tables with dirty dishes on them, and our server looked as if he found our showing up to eat offensive. The place smelled a bit off. The food was interesting, but there was very little actual food, mostly bread. My chicken drumsticks in sauce were a single drumstick about an inch long, with a broken bone, sitting in a mound of sauce. Not a great experience trying a new cuisine for the first time.

A must when you are in Ithaca! The food is sublime. I ate until I was bursting. Fresha and flavorful. Experience something unique and delicious!

Great flavors and wholesome food

Food was flavorful and delicious. The staff was friendly & attentive. Decor is somewhat dated but has a nice cozy feel. Would definitely visit again

So good! The Awaze Tibs and the Yatakilt Alicha are my favorite dishes there.

The food is really good, but the service is really bad. Super slow.

Wonderful lovingly made Ethiopian food. More than comparable to food in the "Little Ethiopia" districts in Washington DC and Los Angeles! Loved the fresh beets in the veggie plate. One of the best restaurants in Ithaca! My friend recommended the peanut tea and it was the bomb.

Absolutely incredible place! Was a lot of fun enjoying the wonderful flavor in all 7 of the vegetarian dishes (all vegan!) in the veggie combo platter. Loved using the spongy bread as a utensil and to wipe my plate clean! The lentils and beets were especially awesome. Such a filling, colorful, and wholesome meal. Nice atmosphere too. Highly recommend

Wait is very long. Lady in the kitchen singlehandedly cooks and the server singlehandedly serves. Food is good. A bit oily. Priced reasonable

Yatakilt Alicha, Yater Kik Alicha,Gomen, Misir Wat, Keysir Alicha and non veg Kwanta Firfir, Gomen Besiga, and doro wat. The food especially kwanta firfir and door wat tasted great.veg dishes are really tasty. Gomen dishes with collard greens didn't appeal great to me. Comfortable place and nice staff. They offer a sumptuous meal when you crave for a change and are too hungry. Combo plates are great. Loved it.

What a gem! First time trying ethiopian food and we were not disappointed. The combo platter for 2 was a great way to sample all of the veggie entrees! We didnt realize that you can bring your own alcohol, so take note of that :) Food was excellent, would visit again!

Ordered delivery. It was super tasty. Enjoyed every bite, especially the Awaze Tibs!

My partner and I adore Hawi! We've always received amazing service, and the food is absolutely delicious whether enjoyed in person (pre-pandemic) or at home. I even ordered Hawi for my birthday dinner! Hawi is one of our favorite restaurants in Ithaca.

Great Ethiopian food - the red beet dish was outstanding, and the red and yellow lentil dishes, the former being spicy and the latter being mild, were very tasty! Good service, and good injera too! Just be aware that this is a BYOB place. We recommend Hawi!

Tasty but NOT authentic Ethiopian food. Not even close. They are clearly missing key spices ie berbera everything just tastes like tomato sauce! Again tasty but as a Habesha visiting from out of town I was pretty disappointed...