My brother is a big Ethiopian food fan and this is our family's preferred spot when we're hankering for a veggie platter. The service can be a little slow but the food makes it worth it. read more

Our team lunch was hosted there yesterday. The food, and service was Amazing! We have asked for a traditional coffee service as well, and it was prepared nicely. Thank you so much for accommodating us. read more

We went here for our first time and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a total of 5 in our party including a vegan so three people ordered a vegetable platter. We also ordered a couple of lamb dishes and another meat dish. All the food was delicious and we all thought it was the best Ethiopian restaurant we had eaten at. The service was a little slow but that is par for the course as the meal is to be enjoyed during visiting and not an eat and go. read more

I was somewhat tempted to go with a 3 star review, but honestly, it was "meh" and I have had better Ethiopian. First off, there isn't much in the way of ambiance, which isn't a total deal breaker, but it's worth mentioning. It's the kind of place where, when you want a beer, you just go and grab one from the fridge on the wall, which in theory would be kind of cool if it didn't take an additional ten minutes to track down someone with a bottle opener. Note to the owners, you may want to install a bottle opener by the beer fridge. Note to perspective customers, if you're going to drink a beer or two here, you should bring a bottle opener. Speaking of alcohol...someone needs to help the ownership with their wine list. I know nothing about wine, so the criticism isn't the bottles they have but how they list them on the menu. Instead of by grape, they're just listed by brand. That would be the equivalent of a beer list that just says "Flying Dog" or "Founders" without saying which type of beer they carry! I've never seen such a ridiculous screw-up on a wine list before, and it ends up making the list completely useless. Note to the restaurant owners - you will not sell a lot of wine this way. Change it, please! As far as service goes...it's an Ethiopian place, so, expect your server to ignore you and be hard to find. Thankfully the place is so small that they cannot just vanish, so you can always chase them down. That said, since it's such a small place, there's no reason for a server to ignore a table entirely once she finally gets around to taking their order. In our case an order of sambusas was completely forgotten about, but again, it's an Ethiopian place, so this kind of thing is sadly par for the course. Also missing was an order of atkilt alicha that was supposed to come with our veggie platter, but was also missing, so we asked them about it and they brought out a heaping serving in a separate tray. To be fair, I've come to expect mediocre-to-bad service at all Ethiopian places and ambiance is over-rated if the food is great, IMO. Sadly, the food here was just okay. The prime rib tibs were tender, and for those who are spice averse, might be a great intro to Ethiopian food. However, we found them a bit bland. I feel like every time I go to an Ethiopian place, someone I'm with demands we order the veggie platter, and I'm never thrilled, but the misir wot and gomen can often be quite good, so I go along with them. In this case the misir wot was somewhat muted and dull...not as flavorful as other versions I've had, though the collards were pretty standard, which means they were tasty, but when you're talking about a dish that is basically collards braised in butter, it's hard to truly ruin it. The atkilt alicha consisted mostly of a large carrot and two big pieces of potato and without silverware was a challenge to eat. Note to kitchen - if you make those things a bit more bite size they're waaaay easier to eat with injera In the end it wasn't worth it since it was fairly one-dimensional. I hate it when Ethiopian places short-change on the cabbage and go heavy on the potatoes in this dish. The shiro wot was interesting, but not something I'm clamoring to try again - it basically tasted like bland enchilada sauce. Maybe we caught them on a bad night and maybe we just missed the gems on the menu, though to be fair, we ordered a sampler with basically all of their veggie items and the tibs that the Washingtonian raved about. We found none of them to be rave-worthy. Speaking of the Washingtonian, they spoke in praise-worthy tones of the house-made loaf of cumin bread they had as a starter. No such bread was apparent on our visit. In a suburb where you can't walk ten feet without passing one of dozens of Ethiopian restaurants (most of which feature the exact same menu) this is one we will not return to in the future. read more

This place is the best! It was super cheap. I got two veggie samplers to share with three friends, and it was more than enough food, and super delicious. Bill was only $30. Score. Wait staff was great, too. read more

Casual, bright, clean family atmosphere. Came for a late lunch. I was able to customize my order a bit more than other Ethiopian places in NW WDC. Salad was made from scratch and took a minute but it was worth the wait. The food was absolutely delicious. My bill was 25.95 for one person but I will be eating my leftovers tonight and tomorrow! I'll be back. read more

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Beteseb consistently has amazing food and while I enjoyed my sit-down experience, my takeout experience has been wonderful too. I applaud all of their safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: hand sanitizer, gloves, a transparent barrier when I picked up my food and paid, etc., etc. I felt incredibly safe and hope everyone who loves their food continues to patronize them with carry out orders! read more

Beteseb's Ethiopian food is nothing shy of amazing! I love their tibs! I've been to a lot of Ethiopian restaurants and Beteseb is at the top of my list! read more

The food was some of the best Ethiopian food I have eaten and have been fortunate to eat here twice and have been blown away both times. The quality and amount of food is well worth the money! read more

Delicious! Friendly staff, amazing food. Wonderful vegetarian options but the beef looked and smelled so good, I ended up eating that too. read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

My usual go-to place in downtown Silver Spring. Very consistent food, savory recipes, basically my personal favorite. The Awaze Tibs is really great and I recommend that for all meat lovers. My all time favorite is the Keyet Kitfo. It's the spicy raw Ethiopian beef with traditional cheese and collard greens. Simply incredible. If you are a vegan, try out the vegan/vegetarian special. Really good. Folks that own the place are very humble and down to earth. It's a great family owned business. I strongly recommend. read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

This was a beautiful mesh of African culture. Having never eaten Ethiopian food, I came open to new possibilities. My family and I came to the restaurant, were seated quickly and our orders were taken swiftly. Our food was served on a huge platter with a salty, spongy bead and we LOVED it!! We are not fans of spicy, but the spice was just enough to not be overwhelming. We heartily ate unless we were stuffed. The food had many herbs, spices and new ingredients that we had never tried before! Our waitress was very kind and helped us experience the Ethiopian culture. Overall it was an amazing experience. read more

You have to know what you're getting into with Ethiopian food, but if you're ready for it, this restaurant beats the rest in town. Of course their injera was to die for, how could it not be? My favorite combo for 2-3 people is the veggie combo and the Key Wot (spicy beef stew). It wasn't too spicy, and it mixed well with everything on the... injera. Everything about the place is nice, can't wait to have more, as long as I can find parking nearby! read more

Beteseb Restaurant - The veggie combo on injera, with the Key Wot in the center. - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I agree with other reviewers that the veggie combo was fresher and a cut above many Ethiopian restaurants. Great service and nice, bright atmosphere, too. read more

The food here is soooooo good. Every thing here is so tasty. Am glad I also get to know the owner of the restaurant. Indeed they are so friendly and treat all well. Come and explore. read more

Poor customer service. I understand it's challenging but having manners and apologizing for mistakes made isn't too much to ask in this line of job. Improve on being good hosts for your own sake. read more

Complicated order including a shellfish and gluten allergies. Food was yum, fresh and hot. To go containers and small portions in meed of upgrade, which cost them a star. Fast, friendly service a plus. Good new find for us! read more

My favorite place for Ethiopian food! Service is always good and food is always awesome! Every time I go, the quality of food has been consistent... so good that I am tempted to discretely lick the plate when no one is looking but they are very generous with their portion that I can't even get to the licking the plate part. Kudos to the owner and the staff! read more

I'm a newbie to Ethiopian cuisine so I researched on Yelp some top rated spots in the DMV area. Since this place received top ratings and my hubby and I were near by we decided to go there for a late lunch. It's a small quaint spot on a busy corner that attracts ALL types of people. Very clean and neat and very casual. We were seated right away and the two waistresses were friendly. There was a bit of a language barrier but the young lady was very patient and helpful in explaining the menu selections. My husband is vegan so we ordered a veggie combo to share which consisted of small servings of about 6 of their veggie dishes served on injera with a few pieces of injera rolled up on the side to eat with our meal. I ordered the spicy tibs beef as separate dish. If it's your first time trying It, I would suggest the veggie combo for one to start then add any additional veggies that you like as your meal progresses . I have to say that everthing I tried was full of flavor although to our tastebuds the food was very much on the salty side (not sure if this is typical of Ethiopian cuisine). Our favorites were the cabbage with potatoes and carrots (flavored just right) and the collard greens (too salty). The tibs beef was accompanied by a side of salad served on injera. It was also too salty. I had to mix the veggies with it to mellow it out a bit. The injera is your utensil, but if you ask they will give you a fork and spoon. I liked the texture of the injera but the flavor ( somewhat tart or lemony) of it overpowers the meal in my opinion. I ordered a bottle of guava juice which was delish. Just ask for a glass of ice. We would have ordered veggie sambusas to try but they were all out. The price was decent for the nice serving size of food we recieved. The menu selections are descriptive so you know what is being served. I'd be willing to go back and try some other dishes. Maybe I can ask for little to no salt with my meal for future visit. read more

This review is based on the service, not the food. Why? Because in the 32 minutes of being there, I hadn't been approached by staff. I came here on a Saturday evening because 1) I heard great reviews and 2) the restaurant said it closed at 10:30 and it was 9:04. Upon entering, there were only four other parties seated--not busy whatsoever, but no one was there to seat me. When I walked to the back, I was ushered to turn around by a waitress who said she could seat me. About 10 minutes had passed and I started growing a bit concerned as that same waitress was seen bussing the same table since I had arrived. I told myself I would wait another 5 minutes with my menu closed in hopes that at least a drink order would be taken: unfortunately, no one had gotten the hint. There were a few men seated behind me at what looked more like a lounge-setting, and she attentively came by and checked how they were. I figured I could get her attention with a polite wave, but I had still not been acknowledged. After patiently waiting, I realized that staff did not care to even approach my table. It took 32 minutes of absolutely no acknowledgment for me to get up and walk out. This was the most pathetic service I've ever received... Or shall I say, "not received" considering that no service was given? I will certainly not be returning to this establishment and I hope others don't waste their time either. read more

Absolutely delicious and delightful staff. It was my first time having Ethiopian cuisine and the veggie platter was beyond expectations! Would recommend! read more

Excellent food!!!! Spicey, flavorful and a variety of textures. We ordered the vegetarian platter and beef tebs with Ethiopian beer, Habesha. The place was super busy on Sunday but the staff was great! Very helpful in recommending items to order. Come with an appetite Bc you will eat long after you are full! read more

Great food! Picked up a carry out order, easily parked on the street. Yummy. Good eat at home food. Not too hot

We were there with a semi large group and the service was good and food was yummy. We felt very comfortable and had a fun time. Loved my veggie platter and the tea was delicious. read more

OK, so my niece and her fiancé are looking to move to Silver Spring. Checking out the neighborhood for a vegan restaurant and we found Beteseb. While not a vegan restaurant per se, they had an extensive selection for my vegan, gluten-intolerant niece. We went ahead and each ordered a full sampler platter. It was wonderful! A nice selection of vegetarian Ethiopian food on flatbread-covered plate. More food than this carnivore could finish. And great service...the waitress took the time with my niece to make sure she understood what everything was made from, the food came out quickly and hot and she was very attentive throughout the meal. read more

Absolutely a fantastic dining experience! Fantastic food (and lots of it), prompt service, & good atmosphere. Will definitely be coming back for more! We got 2 vegetarian combos to serve 4 (we're vegan), and the serving size was perfect. read more

I've never had Ethiopian food before so I didn't have much expectations, but I did not enjoy this food at all. The waiters were sweet, but they were not familiar with the menu. For example, I had asked them about their lunch specials and she did not know it. She had to ask her manager. Also I did not like how they presented their menu. For example, they had a picture of this food called Sambusa and I asked the waiter if they made this since it wasn't listed on the menu and she didn't even know. She had to go ask in the kitchen and then told me that they didn't make it. I just don't understand why you would have pictures of food that isn't offered at the restaurant???? Also, there was no drink options on the menu and the waiter didn't even offer us anything until we asked her what drinks they had. I had ordered the veggie platter and the only thing I was able to finish was the salad. The waiter did not even provide me with silverware until I asked for it. Overall, terrible service and terrible food. Very disappointed. read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

One of my favorite Ethiopian restaurants I've been to. I always order the Key Wot, excellent portions and super filling. Their salads at the restaurant are also so delicious! read more

Next level delicious food and friendly staff. The veggie platter was fire!! Will be going back again and again and again.

Small space, nice service, and great food. First time eating with my hands and loved it!

This is a great place! It's a family owned/operated business and they are always incredibly friendly. Easily accessible location, with parking close by. And they offer gluten free options. It's definitely a place to check out. read more

I went to this restaurant the service is awful. I saw the women from the kitchen counter touching the injera with her hand no gloves. I went to complain to the manager about the food I ate and got sick. I was told he is in Ethiopia an there is no manager in charge. I wanted to share to the readers I was in the doctor office and from the symptoms I have it was from fecal contamination and I got the results later on confirmed it was caused by fecal contamination and now I am on a combination of antibiotics to clear the bacteria. Don't go to this primitive restaurant and take a risk for read more

I came here for the first time based on reviews and ordered the vegetarian combo. It came out very quickly and everything was really good. I will definitely go back! read more

We came in at 3, an embarrassing time lol. Tbh, food here is good. Lamb and veggies are nice, but the beef is no very good. They overlooked the beef. The reason I gave out 4 stars because they have delicious Napoleon cake: crispy and creamy butter but not over sweetness. Two people for $70 I think it's definitely a little bit over price. We usually had $70 bill in a sushi restaurant or steak house lol. read more

Delicious Ethiopian food, fresh, clean, great service. Worth it. Everything was good. read more

Came here once and will never come back, experience overall was horrible. If I could rate this restaurant a 0 I would. Will be more than happen to give other Ethiopian restaurants business in the area. read more

OMG! What a delightful meal. Ordered 2 yebere tibs and 2 special kitfo for a party of 5. More than sufficient and tasty.

Some of the best Ethiopian in the area. A solid authentic option, especially for the veggie platter. Great for take-out or dining in, with an attentive friendly staff. The lentils are rich and flavorful, the real deal. read more

Outstanding food and service. Friendly waitstaff in a family atmosphere. I especially like the Tibs (a spicy beef dish served with peppers). There are also vegetarian and vegan selections on the menu read more

Second visit Ethiopia food I love! But this place & a few others! Don't want everyone's business! First time I visit our food was totally cold:( nothing was warm! Today they ignored me for at least 15 minutes while they serve their own community! The young waitress was speaking in their language Several times! They didn't care about me as a customer for ONE Minute! I hate my self for loving this FOOD! I believe they are racists against everyone but they own people! Of course I didn't leave her a dime! read more