Hidmo Eritrean Cuisine

I Miss and love this place SO Much, that I want to get «20^th and Jackson» tatted. Its sad that places like this seem to disapear. I wouldn’t be the being I am with out this place. Thanks Hidmo!

The food is great, the music is excellent. People are really nice, and it’s cool that they’re set up to be a community center. One word about the service — people on here have complained about it being slow. Fair enough. But just for perspective, after having lived in Africa and having met many Eritreans and Ethiopians, I would say that the pace of the culture is much more relaxed and yes, that translates into slow. Don’t take it personally — it’s just a different style. So give yourself some extra time to relax and bring a newspaper or good friend, and enjoy this place! It’s good.

This place is terrific. I’ve had Ethiopian and Eritrean in other places before, but this place is fantastic. Their portions are huge. The chicken cooked with Spinach is terrific and the lamb dishes are very good as well. The waitstaff was very nice. The food comes out quite slowly so plan ahead when you come. The reason I suspect why the service is slow is because the lady in the back is preparing your feast fresh to order instead of merely reheating and as a result the quality is very good.

This isn’t my favorite. although it’s one of the only Eritrean spots in Seattle. While a very close family-​like member was visiting from overseas (he is Eritrean), we decided to bring him here so that he could have a taste of home.
…perhaps not the best idea. items inquired about weren’t presented as they were stated would be. But overall, the food was decent and we left with full bellies.
The word of advice I received was to just go for some of the Ethiopian restaurants, if I wanted to try something a bit more authentic. Oops?

While visiting Seattle, I was craving ethiopian food. While researching Seattle’s options in that area, I came across Hidmo, which has Eritrean cuisine — very similar to ethiopian. So me and my gal headed on down.
It was a Sunday night and they were playing live music. It was very good. The food (when we got it) was very good.
The problem? The service was abysmal. It took them forever to notice we sat down, forever to get menus, we had to go find the waitress to tell her our order, and it took them an hour to get it to us. Interestingly, people who came in after us were DONE before we even got our food.
The ambiance was nice, the food was nice, but the service stunk so bad, I can’t see myself going back. I can get good food elsewhere

This little gem of a restaurant may not look like much from the outside, but just walk in and soak it in. Brightly colored walls and local as well as African artwork makes it quirky and fun. I came with some friends on a Saturday night. At 8:30 there was only one other couple dining. The party here doesn’t start until 11! We ordered our food and were very glad to split dishes — one is more than plenty for two people. The food was absolutely delicious! I got the vegetarian plate and was very pleased.
Later we went to the dj/​dance area of the restaurant. There wasn’t a large crowd when we arrived, but everyone was very welcoming and friendly. The music was great, and unfortunately we had to leave early before the rest of the party arrived — I hear it keeps going ’til 3 :)
Enjoy!

This place is part restaurant, part performance space, part community center and it does most of it well. Hidmo is affectionately labeled as «hoodmo» by those who frequent it and they really serve as a meeting place for most of the cities activist community. The owner is for-​profit, but they do so much for the local non-​profit/​grassroots activist community it’s crazy to think they make much money. Hidmo has tons of free live events and most are really good. Great place to grab a beer and chill with some friends.
The restaurant portion is good, but not great. The food is filling and great for sharing. Most everything is served with injera and you get to eat with your hands (fun for me, maybe not for everyone). Waits can get a bit out of hand once you’ve ordered as they usually only have one person in the kitchen and they are very laid back. That said, if you are laid back too and want to support a Central District institution and pseudo-​community space, check Hidmo out.

I have performed here a couple of times, but did not get a chance to enjoy the food until this past weekend. Excellent food! They host shows and have youth programs, so the times that they are open, they may have an event going on as well. Be prepared to wait a bit for the food, but it was worth waiting for!

WOW! As an avid Unilocaler for nearly 2 years now I have never been soo compelled to write a review as I am right now (this should say something considering its my first review). This «restaurant» should be re-​categorized as «dinner theater.» The gist of the place is a single dinner serving and if you happen to get there nearly two hours before dinner is served you get screwed…
To paint a picture I had an awesome 3 hour rock-​climbing experience and was starving afterwords. I saw 4.5 stars and thought «I love east African food and I can probably eat a water buffalo!» I sat down and ordered. It was about when my stomach started eating itself I realized that no one else had food on their table and nothing was coming out of the kitchen! After waiting 45 minuted I asked the waitress if my food would be out soon and she said about 15 more minutes, as it is all cooked together and will be served at one time… Nearly 45 minutes later they started bringing food out to the tables. As I watched the plates come out one-​at-​time I again asked if mine was almost ready and was told «they are plating to food now, it will be out soon.» Push comes to shove they must have had a quadriplegic using their mouth and a spoon because it took nearly 5 minutes per plate for the food to leave the kitchen. (yes i timed it… at this point I was gnawing on the corner of the table. ps how hard is it to spoon out slop when its all cooked in a big pot in the back?). The gentleman next to me noticed my disconcerted look and told me «this place is awesome, but to be honest an hour long wait is short for the norm.» It was at this point I realized what I got myself into. When a regular tells you to eat before you show up to a restaurant for dinner there is a problem.
With that out of the way the food was amazing! Perhaps it was the fact that I was sooo frickin hungry that a terd from the water-​buffalo mentioned above would have been good, but who is counting…
I think if I was in a different state of mind and expected a nearly 2 hour (yes that’s right, two whole hours after I ordered) wait for my food and some African music, I might have written a different review but I wasn’t. All I wanted was some food and was SORELY let down. Hopefully my single start will knock down the overall rating some so others like me wont be disappointed too.

A friend celebrated her 40^th birthday here. I had no idea that there was such a hip place so close to my Church and the Franz bread outlet I go to about twice a month! Haha… this neighborhood is growing on me. This place has a nice little salon area for parties. We were groovin’ to R&B, a tiny bit of salsa, Michael Jackson, and other stuff. Overall, I had a great time. There was only one bartender, but, I’m sure that was a cost thing; I totally understand. Cool place. Another great Seattle neighborhood.

Food and service: we waited literally 2 (yes, 2) hours for our food, which was mediocre. The service was nonexistent. However, if you tracked down the server, she was delightfully sweet and friendly.
The atmosphere was fantastic, hence the three star rating. Incredible live music for FREE! happy people dancing, chatting, laughing. A wonderful community experience.
Summary: essentially self-​serve w/​regards to drinks. Eat beforehand and then show up at 8 for some amazing African music.

I forgot to review this secret place.
They catered food for about 50 people twice for lunch for diversity trainings. The group and I loved the food. The staff was so friendly and helpful and professional with their service. I can’t wait to get there on a Sunday night or get to another catered training or go eat there!
My friends go there to dance Sunday nights. I have not made it lately as I am not a night owl!

Hidmo is my first Ethiopian/​Eritrean dining experience and I LOVED IT! My friend and I went and it was a great enviroment to start. You can tell they help support local business as well as owning one themselves. The owners are great and very friendly. As I sat down there was the smell of garlic in the air and I knew whatever that was… I wanted it. The food was brought out on a huge plate covered in a piece of Injera bread, I believe that is what it is called. I had never seen anything like it. The Garlic chicken and salad and sides that came along with it where all around the plate. I ripped off a piece of the sweet and sourish spongy bread and loaded it up and took a bite… and it was heaven. I have yet to make it to Sunday nights for the live music, but I plan on going very soon. Thanks for the great food in the C. D girls!

Yeaaah! This place is awesome. If I had more days off, I’d be here all the time. Unfortunately my only day off is Monday… The same day they are closed. Laaame.
The waitresses/​owners are the friendliest people in the world. I think they could hold a conversation with anyone about anything.
The food is also amazing. My first time here was also my first time ever trying Eritrean food. I am not a very adventurous eater, so I was kind of scared of the spongy bottom, but daaaaang, I’m glad I went for it. Awesome!
It was happy hour and my drinks were so cheap it was scary, AND I got to surf the free internets. That makes me happy.

I can’t remember a time I felt so warm and fuzzy and communal with total strangers. I went to Hidmo on a Sunday night with 4 friends and a hankering for live African music. Ok, so the portions wer small. Yeah, maybe the service was spotty. Alright, they happened to be out of almost every beer on the menu… but the love in the room made up for every tiny misstep. I was so impressed by the middle-​aged woman dancing alone for everyone’s entertainment that I grew a pair and joined her. Soon the entire restaurant was dancing and I was getting winks from the band members. Some of the most lovable things about Hidmo are the warm staff and the long family style tables that contribute to the feelings of inclusiveness and «no worries» that I experienced through the entire meal. I’m almost worried to post this as I’d like to keep Hidmo a secret Sunday night treasure.

I’ve only been here once for takeout, so when I go again, I’ll update this review. The food I got (the vegetarian plate) was very tasty, although not a big difference from other Ethiopian restaurants in the area (maybe I need to develop my palette more here).
I was really impressed by the bright interior and by the friendliness of the gentleman who helped me (maybe Rahwa the owner?) It’s great (and rare) that you go to a place and someone there really makes you feel like they’re happy you ordered from them – I felt that here.

My friends had a craving for Eritrean food, and a google search later we ended up at Hidmo.
The food was just OK (I think I prefer Pan-​Africa Café near Pike Place Market), but the ambiance! I can’t decide whether I should add or subtract stars on account of the «Flavor of Love Charm School”-quality fight that the patrons at the next table were having. There was swearing, accusations of disrespect, water-​throwing, more accusations of disrespect, more swearing, and so on. After a while of this I started to fear for my safety, which I guess pushes me into the «subtract stars» camp.
But our waitress was very nice, and I felt bad that she had to put up with all this.

Hidmo is not only a great local Eritrean restaurant — it’s also the unofficial hub of Seattle hip-​hop. Stop by for huge portions of tasty meats and veggies accompanied by the tasty and spongy injerra bread. Stay on the weekends for live local DJs spinning some great hip-​hop!
This place is a Central District institution!

What a great place!
I suggested Hidmo for a family birthday dinner only because I knew they had African music on Sunday nights and I’d heard pretty positive words from friends.
As it happens, my daughter in law is allergic to onions, so I called ahead to make sure that they could feed her SOMEthing good, They were responsive and really helpful both on the call and when we arrived, accommodating her situation.
There were 5 adults & a toddler for dinner & we were plenty satisfied with an appetizer and 2 entrée platters. The food was really tasty, the staff were all friendly, helpful & pleasant and the music was dynamite. Our dinner, which included 5 beers & a soft drink, was $ 34 for 5 people, plus tip. That is a screaming deal for a quality meal folks!
I understand that there are different programs each night of the week, but I can assure you I’ll be back for the Sunday night African thing again. Everybody was having a great time dancing & mingling enough that I think I shall have to add Hidmo to the coveted Freeze Free Zone group. My grandson was out on the dance floor and hanging with the drummer (yeah. its in the genes!) and the overall feeling and music was a lot of fun.
No se habla «Seattle Freeze» here!

Hidmo was my second exposure to Ethiopian food and it maintained my appreciation for the unique flavors and spices of the cuisine. Like most of the reviewers on this site, my first experience with Ethiopian food was at Queen Sheba on Broadway and by contrast the food here was cheaper and not nearly as spicy (contrary to many reviews of Queen Sheba as being «bland») — but equally enjoyable in its own right.
Hidmo (like most Ethiopian restaurants in Seattle outside of Queen Sheba, from what I can tell) is set in an unassuming and simple building, frequented by people who are at least descendent from the same *continent* as Ethiopia and makes no presumed efforts to inaugurate patrons to the cuisine; it is a local hole-​in-​the-​wall popular with the surrounding community. Within a few blocks are several additional Ethiopian restaurants which appear (from the outside) to share many characteristics in terms of environment and audience. For some, these traits may lend an impression of authenticity and perhaps that reasoning is not inaccurate.
Being relatively new to Ethiopian food and reasonably ignorant of the both the dishes and the languages can make ordering a bit of an adventure. In this regard, perhaps the most notable aspects of Hidmo was the wait staff. While the menu made no concerted effort to introduce those unfamiliar with the dishes, our waitress patiently assisted with pronunciations, described the difference between Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine and language, made recommendations and helped bridge the knowledge-​gap inherent in trying new food; this accommodation is welcome for people who may be intimidated of trying food outside of popular Americanized staples. (Queen Sheba offerred comparable information, although the introduction was volunteered as an assumed part of the wait staff’s process).
My visit to Hidmo was on a Wednesday; I’d like to return on a Sunday to hear the live music and also to see how much the crowd varies from the night I visited.