Ekiben — Restaurant in Baltimore

Baltimore Food - Ekiben Hampden

Ekiben was born in 2014, when college friends Ephrem Abebe, Steve Chu, and Nikhil Yesupriya (who left the restaurant industry for a saner career in 2019) decided to start selling their unique spin on Asian + Ethiopian cuisine out of a hotdog cart at the Fells Point Farmers Market.

Since those early days, Ekiben has been fortunate to find a loving and supportive community that has helped us grow across Baltimore, where we now have 3 brick and mortar locations (one each in Fells Point, Hampden, and South Baltimore) and a thriving catering operation.

But the most meaningful growth has been in the Ekiben team. Without these talented, hard-working, big-hearted, fun-loving people, Ekiben simply wouldn’t be possible. They’re truly the soul of this company, and we’re so lucky they’re on this journey with us.

TEMPURA BROCCOLI 9.67 Crispy Battered Broccoli Tossed in Our House Made Vinegar, Fresh Herbs, and Onions.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD BIRD BOWL 17.68 Our classic Taiwanese curry fried chicken topped with sambal mayo and fresh herbs. Served over steamed jasmine rice, and a side of three of our house-made pickled vegetables (pickles, onions, mango-papaya slaw)....

I was told by my brother that Ekiben was a must-go during my last visit to Baltimore, and I'm glad I followed that advice. They have some unique and delicious options and I'm looking forward to going back.

I got the spicy bird chicken sandwich. It was very good -- the mantou is very fluffy and soft and the chicken is perfectly tender, crispy with great spice and curry seasoning. The sambal sauce is quite sweet and I would recommend getting it on the side if you don't like that. This was definitely worth the money.

The crispy shrimp bowl was a lot of food, with 8 big battered shrimp over rice. It was pretty pricey but understandable considering the shrimp. The topping seasoning of garlic, cilantro, and shallot (?) is very very tasty and addictive. The shrimp is lightly seasoned. The crust is a bit thick but definitely crispy. The pickled vegetables are a bit sweet but still good. The shrimp, rice, and topping make a delicious bite. Overall this is a very solid dish -- not a must get, but nice to have.

Overall I would definitely come back for the spicy bird with or without the sandwich -- very well crafted chicken with delicious flavors. Also, the staff were super sweet when I picked...

Customer service was great, very welcoming and super nice. I was confused about the entrance like most of the people who don’t frequent this location but wasn’t too hard to navigate after reading everyone else’s reviews. What was disappointing was the food. I’ve been to another location before but it was years ago. I purchased the tempura broccoli and the Bird bao bun sandwich. Flavors are amazing but the tempura broccoli had 0 texture and all of the vinegar sauce was on the bottom of the container. I thought it was missing something until i reached the broccoli at the bottom. Chicken flavor was great but with such a big cut of chicken, it needs to be cooked longer. I bit into the chicken and it almost had a gritty texture in the bite, maybe rubbery is the better word, i don’t know but i know it being cooked a couple minutes longer would have fixed it. I couldn’t even eat it because i was scared i would have gotten sick. I’ll have to put it in the air fryer just to not waste my money but that defeated the...