My friend, her mother and I went to try this place out last night after I discovered it on dinehere.ca.

We loved every minute!

They ordered a domestic beer, but I took a chance on the traditional drink with honey and hops. It was refreshing, not too sweet. Very nice, especially with the bit of spice in the dishes we ordered.

The owner came over and was incredibly helpful, showing us which dishes he suggested that we share, and then how to eat with the really yummy soft buckwheat crepes served with the communal dishes. The lamb was really nicely done, and both it and the chicken was well spiced (they give you an option when you order of how spicy to make the dishes). The vegetable combo plate was our favorite- we couldn't decide which of the dishes was our favorite, we enjoyed them all so much!

In terms of ambiance, it's not bad at all for a small family-run restaurant. Everything (even the bathroom) is super clean, the paintings on the walls were ethnic without being kitschy, and the music they played in the background was the perfect level.

I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone to try.

I had heard from a friend about what fun Ethiopian food was so decided that we would give it a try.

The walls are brightly painted with some older type pictures but it was clean and the server was pleasant. She asked if we had had this kind of food before, made some suggestions and as I told her based on other reviews I should try the fish, we decided on a fish dish and the Fassil's platter as it contained veg and meat items.

The food looked interesting on it's big pancake platter with the mounds of the various items. She put the dish of fish into the middle of the platter. When she brought the food the server detailed how to break off a piece of the bread and use it as a scoop. There were numerous rolls of the pancake for the scooping (too many for us to finish). I would have preferred that it be warm, but it was OK and not as vinegary as I had expected. We did eat some of the fish which was delicious just by itsself with our fingers which was a treat as we had never eaten this way at a restaurant. It was spicy, but not too spicy. It was hilarious to see my bf try to fold up part of the pancake that was under the salad and try to make a wrap. It certainly did not work as the spongy pancake had soaked up some juices by then.

Near the end of the meal, the owner??? came out and asked us how we had found out about the place. We talked about the lijeera pancake and she told us that if you had gluten issues(we don't) and called ahead, she could make it without the flour.
She seemed a little disappointed that we didn't want to take home the two leftover pancake rolls so maybe we should have.
We were the only ones in the restaurant until one other couple arrived just as we were paying our bill which was about 7pm. Perhaps it gets busier later in the evening as when the other couple arrived, they were asked if they had a reservation. The bathroom door sticks and there was cardboard on the ground near the toilet which seemed a little strange, but we would go back and try this place again.

This restaurant was great! Amazing value, which works out to around $10 per person if you have enough people for a couple of platters (5 per platter). Its communal dining, so be prepared to get your hands messy. The place is small, clean and relatively nice to hold a small party. The best part of the meal was the history lesson we got fromthe owners, and the wait staff. Overall I would rate this 3.5/5

I called the restaurant last Friday asking them what time they closed... because I wanted to go for lunch... I got there around 2ish and a couple of guys came in about 15 minutes later for a video shoot. Then another 4 people came in for the same shoot... on top of that, they were doing some minor construction in corner of the restaurant... Bad Marks for Ambiance... the owner could have warned me about this when I called earlier. The owner is a friendly sort of guy... told him I heard his kitfo was great but I was going to go with the Gored Gored... Didn't know if this was the name of the dish or how the cow was butchered. Anyway, it a half pound heap of warmed raw beef with ghee and spices. It was delicious but it's a little lacking for a single dish. I wish I could have split three or four dishes with some lunchmates... Too bad there aren't any lunch specials so that a single person can enjoy a variety of food. Lesson learned... next time, bring friends...

I had arranged a surprise birthday dinner for my boyfriend at Fassil with his friends. I had been to the restaurant before after reading the reviews on dinehere.ca, and decided to come again because my boyfriend wanted to have some Ethiopian food. When everyone had arrived, the owner had given us some recommendations for dishes to try. Since a lot of people haven't tried Ethiopian food, it was great that he suggested specific dishes to try. The service was prompt and fairly attentive, with the food was delicious. We had a selection of meats (lamb, beef, chicken) and vegetables (curried chickpeas, cabbage and carrots, salad, spinach, and lentils). Everything came out to around $12 per person (for a group of 10) with a bit of food leftover, including tip and the birthday boy's share. Highly recommended!

I've been to Fassil once, and have fond memories. The owner (who was also our sever) never stopped smiling, and we felt very welcomed and comfortable. I've seen him leaving the restaurant mid-day on a weekend (the restaurant wasn't open), and his smile was still there! He seems like a genuinely happy guy, and it's hard not to wear a smile just thinking about it. It was my first experience at an Ethiopian restaurant, and he was very good at explaining the traditional way of eating the food (no utensils). As other people have mentioned, he disappeared for a while, presumably to cook our meal, but that is a respectable feat in itself. It was a wait that didn't feel like a burden.

Initially we were going to order a few dishes, but he convinced us to try some different things and we were glad he did. We had a good variety of flavors, whereas what we would have ordered was a few dishes that were similar to one another. The lamb was to die for, and the vegetarian dishes were fantastic as well. My girlfriend and I were fighting over the leftovers the next day!

I've never had Ethiopian food before (as it seems with most of the reviewers haha) and I was in for a different experience!

The waiter that served us turned out to also be the chef and the owner! He was a very, very friendly jolly guy but the small issue that this possesses is that when he goes in to cook our food there's nobody else to get us anything else we need (water, napkins, etc.) Me and my friends told him it was our first time here and he was more than willing to explain how everything works! Basically you order whatever you like, choosing between meats and fish. I had no idea what to get so I just asked him to recommend and make whatever is good for the 4 of us!

I can't even remember what I had anymore but it was really good! (Just ask the boss to recommend you the favourites if your not sure either) The sauces and flavours were savoury delicious and the meat was quite tender! The fish was a little dry but improvise by scooping some of the sauce from the other dish (I believe it was the spicy beef) and voila! The sour bread you roll it in was not really my preference but it was still pretty good and I can easily imagine how others would really enjoy the meal! It's interesting that you basically eat everything with your hands only, you can appreciate this different method of dining instead of the regular cutlery you get anywhere else.

The decor was very bland, almost feels family-like but nothing to write home about. There's some pictures framed up along the walls and you kind of see the kitchen.

This is just my personal opinion but it felt pretty expensive for the food that you get and they didn't spend any money on renovations or any other staff that's for sure. It's about $10+ per dish and it's not that big. Our bill came out to over $70 and for a handful of dough and meat.

I'm not sure if I would come as a regular but it's a neat place to take people that have never had Ethiopian food before! Definitely worth a try just for the novel experience!

My husband and I visited this place to give Ethiopian food a try. We were delighted at the service we received. The waitress patiently explained the food to us. When the food was ready she brought a sample out to show us how to eat the food traditionally if we wanted to. After she left, we dove into the delicious spices and stews that she had brought.

I was so full but couldn't help running my injera (flatbread-ish) along the sides of the plate to soak up the last of the flavours. A lentil stew and cabbage dish were our two favourites because they brought a whole new kind of lentil and cabbage to us - but everything was wonderful.

I love Fassil, simple as that.

The food was great, and it was the first time I had Ethiopian food, so the server (who also happened to be our chef), gave us excellent suggestions for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians (the platters, mm!).

Service was impeccable. Humble and very friendly, our server told us a lot about the food, how it's prepared here versus in Ethiopia, and guided us through the meal (how to eat using injera as your utensils)!

The ambiance leaves nothing to be desired, but this is a wonderful restaurant for anyone eager to try authentic Ethiopian food.

I am a big fan of Ethiopian food, and was excited to try Fassil with my sister one evening. We were the only people in the restaurant when we walked in to our delight, but it soon filled up. The "family business" atmosphere was apparent by the waiter spending time with us chatting and joking. He suggested the dishes we try, and the chef came out to greet us after the meal was served. I have tried many Ethiopian restaurants in Alberta, but Fassil surpassed all of them. The portion sizes were just right for two people to share a combination plate plus one entree, the flavour was out of this world, and there was enough Injeera for the whole meal. The ambiance is adorable and clean. And just when you think that it doesn't get any better, the bill arrives and two people who stuffed themselves to the brim had a meal for under $26. I would go back every day to this heart happy restaurant if only I lived in Vancouver!!!