Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

Abyssinia, beloved Ethiopian restaurant in West Philly, is up and running after car crash damages front door

After a truck rammed into the restaurant's front entrance, Abyssinia's owner said the restaurant remains open for business.

Owner Tedla Abraham outside the front door of Abyssinia Bar and Restaurant, after a car rammed the bar’s front door off its hinges.
Owner Tedla Abraham outside the front door of Abyssinia Bar and Restaurant, after a car rammed the bar’s front door off its hinges.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

Rest easy, Abyssinia fans.

Despite a car crash that rammed the restaurant’s front door off late Tuesday afternoon, beef tibs and miser wot, the spicy red stewed lentils, are still on the menu of the West Philadelphia Ethiopian staple.

“[Customers] don’t have to worry, Abyssinia is OK,” owner Tedla Abraham said as he surveyed the damage Wednesday morning.

Abraham had landed from a Denver flight to Philadelphia at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday when his phone was inundated with missed calls and texts about a crash at the restaurant that had taken place about 10 minutes prior.

A 2012 Dodge truck was heading northbound on 45th Street at a rapid speed when it ran a stop sign, hitting a 2022 Tesla, which then hit a 2012 Honda that went on to hit two parked cars, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.

The Dodge crashed smack dab at the restaurant’s front entrance, its hood crumpled. By the time Abraham arrived at the scene about half an hour later, tow trucks had cleared the intersection but shattered glass remained and the scene remained chaotic.

“L&I was here, police was here, fire was here, there was a lot of us, and everybody was confused,” said Abraham.

Yet even as authorities tried to sort out the accident, dinner service continued in the back room, Abraham said, though many people opted to get their food to go.

Police said a passenger in the Tesla was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center for minor injuries. Abraham said his staff and customers were fine, if not shaken.

No arrests have been made in connection with the crash. Police said the people in the Dodge fled on foot.

In the meantime, fans of the restaurant took to social media in an outpouring of support.

Abyssinia was the first Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant in the city, opening in 1983 as the Red Sea. It was renamed in 1994 and taken over by Abraham and a former partner.

All things considered, Abraham said, he and the staff consider themselves lucky there weren’t additional injuries or greater damage. Right now, he’s dealing with insurance to figure out a timeline for fixing the front entrance.

If people want to support the business, they can pop in for kitfo, he said. Just make sure to use the side door, on Locust Street.