DonRocks Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 I don't know good Ethopian food from bad, but as an FYI a new restaurant appears to have opened in the spot (briefly) occupied by Sangam on Columbia Pike a couple doors down from Thai Square. I have no idea how long it has been there, but sign says Ethiopian food so there you have it. I hope they have better luck then previous tenants. Sangam had a pretty good run, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saf Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Wow, all suburban. Anyone got any in-town thoughts, or must we go to the burbs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty L. Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Wow, all suburban. Anyone got any in-town thoughts, or must we go to the burbs? Keep hearing good things about Zenebech -- haven't yet been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexC Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Keep hearing good things about Zenebech -- haven't yet been. Is there a German word for that feeling where you want to tell someone to go somewhere and do something, but you like that thing so much that you are terrified of telling people about it, especially on some sort of open internet forum, because then the tiny thing will be overrun? Get the fish. Get the kitfo. First rule of Zenebech is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saf Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 First rule of Zenebech is... Thank you both - we'll give it a try! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hersch Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Is there a German word for that feeling where you want to tell someone to go somewhere and do something, but you like that thing so much that you are terrified of telling people about it, especially on some sort of open internet forum, because then the tiny thing will be overrun? Get the fish. Get the kitfo. First rule of Zenebech is... Das Tollerplatzerdrückendenschrecklichkeitsgefühl? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 We've really enjoyed our visits to Enat in Alexandria. Good food, pleasant staff, and a nice relaxed atmosphere with maybe 60/40 Ethiopian/Anglo clientele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Why did the Ethiopian scientist lack energy? Not enough wats. I'm sorry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted August 9, 2013 Share Posted August 9, 2013 Is there anyone here who likes another Ethiopian restaurant more than Zenebach Injera right now? If so, what are your preferences? My single favorite Ethiopian course in the area (although I've surely not had them all) may be the raw kitfo at Abay Market (with a hat-tip to Tim Carman). It is one hell of a dish. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vuvq Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Is there anyone here who likes another Ethiopian restaurant more than Zenebach Injera right now? If so, what are your preferences? My single favorite Ethiopian course in the area (although I've surely not had them all) may be the raw kitfo at Abay Market (with a hat-tip to Tim Carman). It is one hell of a dish. . My favorite is Enat. Their food is top-quality, the prices seem to be the most competitive, and their service is always very friendly and can even be endearing. I frequented the place many times over the course of a couple years. The owner is frequently there to maintain operations, which I appreciated. He always greeted me with a slight bow and thanked me for my patronage. I took my girlfriend and her parents to dinner here a few months ago. It was her parents' first time trying Ethiopian food. He made his personal suggestions on the menu, including some items which were not on the menu. The staff is always attentive. No one has ever tried to upsell me. I enjoy that their offerings are usually not swimming in clarified butter, which creeps me out. I find this to be a problem at many Ethiopian restaurants, including Ethiopic. I also think, aside from the overwhelmingly positive responses on Yelp, that the consistent patronage of local Ethiopians can be a strong indication of the quality of this establishment. I also enjoy that it is never a hassle to dine here-- it always seems that at least one table is ready, or one will be within a five or ten-minute wait. Their coffee is excellent. Now that I'm living in DC, the best place for me is Habesha Market. Don, I'd be curious to know how you would compare the gored gored (kuart, as they have it on the menu, - I think this is the same thing) or kitfo at Habesha Market to that at Abay Market. I have yet to check that place out. I enjoy the casual, easygoing environment, the relatively quick preparation of the high-quality, authentic dishes offered here. My Ethiopian coworkers are also convinced that this is their favorite place in DC. I always need lots of awaze and mit mita to go with my food and am always frustrated with how little most restaurants give you when you request extra (however, this hasn't been a problem at Enat). Habesha Market never frustrates me. Ethiopic seems to get really great reviews as well, both on Yelp and in the papers, but I don't enjoy that this place is about 50% more expensive than Enat or Habesha Market. Portions are definitely much smaller. Their dry tibs were swimming in butter on the three times I visited. It's still definitely a good Ethiopian restaurant, and when I don't want to go further than across the street to satiate my kitfo craving, I go here. I also used to like Zenebech Injera. They offer a half kitfo/tibs with a bit of veggies (IIRC) for $16 or so after tax and tip. But their kitfo isn't as high-quality as Habesha Market. Dukem/Meskerem/Etete/Little Ethiopia and some other places I've been to just blend together to me and don't stand out. Watch out for Dukem because it might be difficult to get a table on Friday or Saturday. I get tired of dinner having to be an orchestrated event that requires coordination and reservations. There's Warka Ethiopian Restaurant in Herndon off Herndon Parkway across from where I sometimes work. That place sucks. Their injera isn't fluffy or elastic because they don't use teff. I just ate that because there weren't many options in the area as far as flavorful ethnic cuisines. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smita Nordwall Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 I think we need to get the Mayor of Springfield on the job here. South Pickett St. seems to be turning into "Little Addis" of its own. A couple of Ethiopian markets and at least two new restaurants. I know, that's not a lot.. but hey.. it's a small street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBag57 Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Our neighbors and we have a reservation for Tuesday evening (New Year's Eve) at Meaza, as we were all recently reminiscing about having enjoyed Ethiopian food several (many) years ago. It appears, though, that Enat may now be the frontrunner in the Virginia suburbs. Has anyone eaten at both recently and have an opinion one way or the other? We are not trekking into DC on this occasion, so it comes down to these two, unless I have overlooked somewhere else in Northern Virginia. Ambiance is secondary to food quality and taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMatt Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Our neighbors and we have a reservation for Tuesday evening (New Year's Eve) at Meaza, as we were all recently reminiscing about having enjoyed Ethiopian food several (many) years ago. It appears, though, that Enat may now be the frontrunner in the Virginia suburbs. Has anyone eaten at both recently and have an opinion one way or the other? We are not trekking into DC on this occasion, so it comes down to these two, unless I have overlooked somewhere else in Northern Virginia. Ambiance is secondary to food quality and taste. At the moment I tend to go to Enat more than Meaza mainly because I always order the vegetarian sampler, and I think Enat does a better one (more variety). As I rarely order the meat dishes, I can't really say about those. But, you say that ambiance is secondary to taste, but do you actually want some ambiance? Because Enat is, essentially, a sports bar. A sports bar that serves food, yes, but a sports bar. Meaza actually feels more like a restaurant (and has a bit better parking situation, not much better, but anything is better than Enat's). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catharine Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 I agree with TheMatt's comments. In addition to preferring the vegetarian platter at Enat, we also really like their beef dishes. I would choose it over Meaza for the food. However, Meaza is much larger and nicer. Enat is tiny and loud. Enjoy your evening! Happy New Year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Hmmm. Now wondering if we have a current Ethiopian thread somewhere, with the operative word being current? A thread where DanielK the more seasoned dad might have commented or where 14th St denizens reported on newer places? May be unrealistic? We haven't gone for Ethiopian in over a year. My way of taking full blame for Meskerem I guess. But, looking to redeem ourselves. It's a great cuisine. My current preferences are Zenebech Injera in DC, Sheba in Rockville, and Addis Ababa in Silver Spring. --- Bati (MSDCX) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hersch Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Hmmm. Now wondering if we have a current Ethiopian thread somewhere, with the operative word being current? A thread where DanielK the more seasoned dad might have commented or where 14th St denizens reported on newer places? May be unrealistic? We haven't gone for Ethiopian in over a year. My way of taking full blame for Meskerem I guess. But, looking to redeem ourselves. It's a great cuisine. The food truck Lilypad on the Run has a killer yebeg wot. Sorry to hear about Meskerem. I hadn't eaten there in years, but I liked the place. My introduction to Ethiopian food was The Blue Nile, which was inside the Chastleton apartment building on 16th St. That was a long time ago, probably before 1980. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hersch Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Cool! I hand the baton to you then. It's your fault Meskerem has closed. I was wracked with guilt but no more. :-) Is The Blue Nile my fault too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkstar965 Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Is The Blue Nile my fault too? Much tougher call for me. Not at all familiar with the place so no guilt there I need to slough off on someone else. Maybe someone else here can give you a hand with that? TH, hopefully blindingly clear this is all in jest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hersch Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I do believe the Blue Nile was the very first Ethiopian restaurant in Washington, so being responsible for its demise could be a crushing burden to bear. As it happened, though, the Chastleton kicked them out, I think, as part of a massive renovation of the building (which may have been as part of a conversion; I think it's a co-op now), so I guess I'll have to be content with having closed Meskerem down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I do believe the Blue Nile was the very first Ethiopian restaurant in Washington, so being responsible for its demise could be a crushing burden to bear. As it happened, though, the Chastleton kicked them out, I think, as part of a massive renovation of the building (which may have been as part of a conversion; I think it's a co-op now), so I guess I'll have to be content with having closed Meskerem down. Are you sure the first wasn't The Red Sea on 18th Street? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookluvingbabe Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Red Sea is definitely the first place I went to. Meskerem was always a distance second. I was in Adams Morgan for lunch about 2 weeks ago and ended up at Awash for lunch because Meskerem was was only open for lunch on weekends. (No signs indicating it was closed/for lease at that time.) I've got to get the family over to Sheba. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hersch Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Are you sure the first wasn't The Red Sea on 18th Street? Actually, according to this, it was Mamma Desta on Georgia Avenue in 1978. I remember being aware of a restaurant of that name, but I never ate there. There was a review of the Blue Nile in the Washington Post on August 26, 1979, but I've been unable to find an opening date for the Blue Nile or the Red Sea. I do see that there was a review of the Red Sea in the Post on August 2, 1984, but that doesn't mean it wasn't in business before the Blue Nile. Some may think this unimportant, but not I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Actually, according to this, it was Mamma Desta on Georgia Avenue in 1978. I remember being aware of a restaurant of that name, but I never ate there. There was a review of the Blue Nile in the Washington Post on August 26, 1979, but I've been unable to find an opening date for the Blue Nile or the Red Sea. I do see that there was a review of the Red Sea in the Post on August 2, 1984, but that doesn't mean it wasn't in business before the Blue Nile. Some may think this unimportant, but not I. I know I went to The Red Sea in the summer of 1983, right as I was preparing to move here, and I'm not sure if it's the first time I went there or not. For some reason I think that wasn't my first meal there, and I have no idea how many years they'd been open at the time of that visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hersch Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 But speaking of Ethiopian food, I had a rather delicious doro wot from the Fasika's food truck for lunch just now, which reminded me to wonder: What do Ethiopians do with the rest of the chicken? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 We have not been to Addis Ababa but we have been to Lucy and liked it a lot. Anyone here been to both? On the Virginia side, I feel that Enat is much better than the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 But speaking of Ethiopian food, I had a rather delicious doro wot from the Fasika's food truck for lunch just now, which reminded me to wonder: What do Ethiopians do with the rest of the chicken? Since they're in the truck, it's easy to cross the road... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufo Tabayoyong Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Enat has been my go to as well lately. For me, it is hands down the best vegetarian combo to be had in terms of both variety and quality. Eyo and Meaza were my previous favorites and I believe still quite good. I would give Eyo a slight nod on their awaze tibs over Enat, and if I was taking someone out and required nicer ambiance, I would go Meaza. Enat's food is great but servers can be hard to flag down at times (the register across the bar seems to gather them). I have also had a few strange seating situations (I felt like I was in the musical act performing), but the food makes up for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hapatite Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I tried Zenebach yesterday and I really liked it. It was a nice spice level and the greens and cabbage were great, but I like Hawwi in Alexandria better. They're about the same price but I like the texture and flavor of the meat better at Hawwi. You can also control your spice level because of the chopped pepper served on the side. The decor is nicer at Dama, but the price is literally two times that of Zenebach and Hawwi, and you can't get a combo! So you're only getting one meat where you can get 2 or 3 meats with the other places, and vegetables. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Looking at their menu, I see photos of a few platters with cottage cheese. This gives me hope that it might be possible to get some of the cottage cheese with a collard gomen dish, the thing I miss so much from Red Sea. Fingers crossed. Pat, if all you're searching for is cottage cheese with collards, I don't think you're going to have much trouble finding it - it's not that uncommon (I can't think of anywhere off the top of my head, which is why I'm posting this here instead of rattling off places that have it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElGuapo Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Abol Ethiopian Restaurant closed last week after an unsuccessful attempt to rebrand the location, then returning to the original concept. The location at 8626 Colesville Rd. was rebranded as Blu Nile Restaurant and Lounge with a launch shortly before the holidays. --- Kitfo Sandwiches (ElGuapo) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElGuapo Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Silver Spring's Beteseb Restaurant, which was featured in Marcus Samuelsson's PBS Series No Passport Required in 2018, is tops in Eater's Essential Restaurants Around D.C. list: https://www.sourceofthespring.com/silver-spring/beteseb-tops-eaters-essential-ethiopian-restaurants-list/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty L. Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 1 hour ago, ElGuapo said: Silver Spring's Beteseb Restaurant, which was featured in Marcus Samuelsson's PBS Series No Passport Required in 2018, is tops in Eater's Essential Restaurants Around D.C. list: https://www.sourceofthespring.com/silver-spring/beteseb-tops-eaters-essential-ethiopian-restaurants-list/ Nope. That local Silvery Spring paper misreported it: Eater's "rankings" are not quality-based but north-to-south. There are 14 restaurants cited--basically all those you'd expect. https://dc.eater.com/maps/best-ethiopian-restaurants-dc-map Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElGuapo Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 1 minute ago, Marty L. said: Nope. That local Silvery Spring paper misreported it: Eater's "rankings" are not quality-based but north-to-south. There are 14 restaurants cited--basically all those you'd expect. https://dc.eater.com/maps/best-ethiopian-restaurants-dc-map Patch reported the same thing. “But there's one joint that stands above the rest, at least according to Eater.com.“ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElGuapo Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 Thrillist recently asked locals like Meseret Bekele, co-owner of Ethiopic Restaurant, and Elias Taddesse, chef-owner of Mélange who earned a Michelin star while at Caviar Russe in New York City, to help them curate a list of best Ethiopian restaurants in the area. Beteseb in downtown Silver Spring was listed as a favorite. https://www.sourceofthespring.com/silver-spring/beteseb-named-one-of-the-areas-best-ethiopian-restaurants/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 Anyone have a good carry-out/delivery experience from any of the Ethiopian restaurants in Arlington/Alexandria/Falls Church area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMatt Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 7 hours ago, ktmoomau said: Anyone have a good carry-out/delivery experience from any of the Ethiopian restaurants in Arlington/Alexandria/Falls Church area? I've had good experiences getting carry-out with Enat a few times over the last few months. I always get the vegetarian combination and get food enough for two meals. Here's a pic of what I get: I think there were two little containers of shiro in this. I don't mind that though as I like shiro. Everything else was unique. I also had a good experience with Sora Market as well, but I tend to stick with Enat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElGuapo Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Tom Sietsema has praised Rohobot Ethiopian Restaurant at 7833 Eastern Ave. as one of his “8 Favorite Places to Eat Right Now.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhone1998 Posted May 3, 2023 Share Posted May 3, 2023 What are people loving for Ethiopian these days? Bonus points for recs that are an easy drive from Union Station. We're picking someone up from the train station friday night and promised Ethiopian food, but I'd rather not trek it up all the way to Silver Spring. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatruneat Posted May 4, 2023 Share Posted May 4, 2023 I was craving Ethiopian food the other week so we walked up to Chercher. We split an order of the vegan special and the geba wot. It was all very good and hit the spot, although we still prefer Zenebech, which we haven't been to since it changed over to Elfegne. Chercher seemed a little more reserved in the use of spices than what we remember from Zenebech. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted May 5, 2023 Share Posted May 5, 2023 On 5/3/2023 at 6:10 PM, Rhone1998 said: What are people loving for Ethiopian these days? Bonus points for recs that are an easy drive from Union Station. We're picking someone up from the train station friday night and promised Ethiopian food, but I'd rather not trek it up all the way to Silver Spring. Thanks! Ethiopic on H Street. You can even walk there from Union Station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saf Posted June 8, 2023 Share Posted June 8, 2023 On 5/3/2023 at 6:10 PM, Rhone1998 said: What are people loving for Ethiopian these days? Bonus points for recs that are an easy drive from Union Station. We're picking someone up from the train station friday night and promised Ethiopian food, but I'd rather not trek it up all the way to Silver Spring. Thanks! Cher Cher! I know, too late for this, but perhaps it will help someone in the future. On 5/4/2023 at 1:34 PM, eatruneat said: I was craving Ethiopian food the other week so we walked up to Chercher. We split an order of the vegan special and the geba wot. It was all very good and hit the spot, although we still prefer Zenebech, which we haven't been to since it changed over to Elfegne. Chercher seemed a little more reserved in the use of spices than what we remember from Zenebech. I have been to Zenebech several times since it changed. Chercher is far better these days. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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