Beautiful ambience & relaxing atmosphere. Eden, the owner, was very welcoming & helpful. Omelet &…read moreFull' was delicious & flavorful with fresh veggies. The bread was warm, toasted and soft inside. Highly recommend checking this place out!

A hub for D.C.'s Eritrean community, Eden's Kitchen is run out of a house along Bladensburg Road NE…read moreby a mother and her son. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it's worth visiting. They will treat you like family. There's easy street parking nearby. Walk inside to Eritrean art on the walls and a small bar area and a side room with small tables. Outside is a medium-sized outdoor patio with tables, chairs, and umbrellas for shade. To feed two of us, we ordered the vegetarian combo with six items- Ades, Yellow Split Peas, Alicha, Collard Greens, Shiro, and Cabbage. Everything was prepared by the mom and well-seasoned. My favorites were the Shiro (puree of chickpeas in a sauce) and the Yellow Split Peas. The items came on teff injera with extra injera. Afterwards, the mother poured us traditional coffee, which was a perfect way to end the lunch. We left very full and our entire meal cost $15.59 before taxes and tip. That's a steal in D.C.

I came to Enjera for dinner and the food was delicious. Everything was seasoned to perfection and…read moreour server was really nice. We ordered the vegetarian sampler mixed with the meat sampler. My favorite parts of the meal were the chicken and lamb. It was a warm day so we sat on the back patio, which had good background music and curated a great vibe. I definitely suggest outside seating if it's a nice day when you try!

I've been a customer here for a few years, I have mixed thoughts about this place…read more Nestled in the heart of the Aurora Highlands 23rd street restaurant strip, Enjera is a quaint, cutely-decorated eatery, adorned with paintings by Ethiopian artists, the city skyline of Addis Ababa, and framed French/Italian wine adverts. It's eclectic and encapsulates an element of the immigrant experience in how it's decorated. Likewise, despite three stars, I do keep coming back because the food is quite superb. Always flavorful and with a decent variety of traditional dishes on offer. Their veggie combo is among their signatures, and I often also get the Asa Spris (curried fish stew) when I visit. I do, unfortunately, have to dock a star here for some of the cuts they've had to make; a small side salad used to accompany most entrees, but now costs $9. I understand inflation is ever-present, but that's eyebrow-raising. Moreover, the injera they provide seems to be in smaller bundles than previously, usually not enough to complete a meal including the piece it is served on, which means you usually need to ask for more. And this segways to why I have to dock another star for the service quality; it could be much better lately. Typically, I find that I have to seat myself, which isn't a huge deal, but the waiters often disappear from the dining room for up to 15 minutes at a time. I've had to get up to refill my water or grab napkins from the waiter station, which I feel bad doing because it's technically not somewhere clients should be accessing on their own, but I often don't have any choice. Finally, the website hasn't been updated in years; don't look at the menu posted there unless you want to lament how inflation has taken its toll on affordability. Overall, I give Enjera props for having quality fare and a nice little venue, but there are some issues I'd encourage management to address.

Food was fresh and wonderful for the vegetarian platter. I ordered food for my meat loving friend…read more and she wanted to try the vegetarian #2 platter. She raved about the vegetarian platter for weeks. Trying to figure out a time to return for more good food!!! Great friends staff as well!

Still great service and delicious food! I've been visiting this family owned Ethiopian restaurant…read morefor years. I like the convenience! I usually order online and my food is always ready on time! My go to is their beef tibs. The injera is tasty! Add them to your list if you're looking for good Ethiopian cuisine.

This was my second visit to Elsi Ethiopian Restaurant & Bar. I gave them five stars before, but…read morethis time felt more like a three. The place is beautiful and clean, which I still love. Our waitress was polite but pretty quiet - possibly a language barrier, so no big deal. We ordered injera, doro wat, beef tibs, collard greens, and lentil stew. Everything was good, but the beef tibs were a lot more watery/soupy than I prefer, and we also got the wrong vegetables, which was a little disappointing. Everything was good, tho... so I forgive them. Nothing was bad overall, just not as on point as my last visit. I'd still come back if I'm in the Castle Blvd area again.

My mistake for trying out the place on Mother's Day, but my wife and I have enjoyed the Ethiopian…read morefood in our area and liked what we saw, online, of the ambiance. It didn't deliver on that in person. The windows (which are directly pointed at the sun for much of the day, to be fair) were blotted out with a TV screen in front. We walked in to pleasant music; the owners changed this to a channel playing a soccer game. It took 45 minutes to get glasses of water despite the place being 1/4 full, and there was no coffee; a first for me and any Ethiopian place. Food, when it came, was fine, even though the breakfast food we came for was not available. I was hoping to register my opinion with the size of my tip. Too bad: it was an automatic 18% gratuity for a party of three. There's a lot of good Ethiopian food in the area. Skip this place and find another one.

I ordered through UberEats the veggie combo, the miser, and the ambo water. The veggie combo…read moreplatter was a huge portion but the entire dish tasted like fish and it was nauseating. The miser was a big portion but again the entire dish tasted like fish, so I threw it away. The bottled water was fresh and tasted good, but I wouldn't order food from this place again.

So I've only had their food through Uber Eats, but it's pretty much a monthly ritual :)…read more Their vegetarian combo is the stuff dreams are made of, if your dreams consisted of Ethiopian food. Not only are all the veggies tasty and seasoned, but it's perfectly balanced. Some are spicier, some are milder, and the flavors complement one another perfectly. The cabbage dish even tastes good, and I'm not the biggest fan. Like if it's there I'll eat it just to avoid being wasteful, but the one here is actually tasty :D not as tasty as the yellow lentils, or the salad, but close! Bonus: They use the dark injera! It has a ton more flavor, which makes my taste buds happy :D

Love, love, love this market. I had been checking out various Ethiopian markets. I recently got the…read moreurge to experiment with Ethiopian cooking.saw the reviews online and decided to check it out. They have it all!! Including food to order to go. I was able to get all the essential ingredients and an order of Awaze Tibs. They were amazing!! The one issue I had was that it was difficult to communicate with the staff. There was a manager that I was able to get to assist that helped tremendously. I'll have to work on my Amharic! I will definitely be back. Great market.

I've gotten carryout from this location a number of times so this review is primarily for the food:…read more The food here is about a 3.9 stars for me. I always get the veggie platter, and it's good but nothing quite stands out. But the clear standout for it is the food portions AND pricing. Totally unbeatable. The service is always friendly, but sometimes they can be slow to have your order ready from the kitchen in the back, and they don't always pick up the phone. The grocery side of the place always has a good selection of fresh injera.

I stumbled upon this hidden Ethiopian restaurant. It had an absolutely beautiful indoor…read moreaesthetics. Definitely different contrast from the outside vs. inside. Soft music playing, gorgeous paintings, the decor was very authentic to the culture. SERVICE: I noticed that the waitresses there were efficient, and patient, but appeared nonchalant. No smiles, no personality....I just attribute it to cultural differences. All of the other guests there were Ethiopian too. I got a lot of stares (out of place). FOOD: I ordered the injera with the beef tips and vegetables. It was so good. I'm not a big fan of injera (I hate the texture), but the meat was well seasoned. I wish I would've had it cooked HARD (dark in color). Nonetheless, it was very good. Overall experience: 9/10. It was definitely a nice vibe with relaxing music, the bar area was STACKED, and it was a spacious place. Additionally, there was a small stage (drum set and band). So, I know they have nights of LIVE ENTERTAINMENT. Plenty of free parking out front.

This is my go-to spot for Ethiopian food in the area…read more The injera is perfectly spongy and soft. I've only tried the vegetarian options so far (~$15), usually getting the red lentils (meser wot), collard greens (gomen kitfo), split peas (kit alecha), or cabbage. Most dishes definitely have a kick to it, but the flavor is undeniable! I definitely want to try some of their beef and lamb dishes. I've only come for takeout, but they do have a small stage for live music which plays on Tues, Thurs, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, starting at 9pm (for those night owls). I have no issues with service. I've learned what type of service is to be expected at Ethiopian restaurants, and I've always been taken care of here. Langano is a hidden gem in the White Oak area.

Stopped by Swahili Village with a group of five after taking a pottery class at Moonlight Studios…read morenearby and it turned out to be the perfect way to end the evening. It's only about a five minute drive away, so the location worked out great. This was everyone's first time trying Kenyan food and we were all blown away. The flavors were rich, comforting, and beautifully balanced. We ordered several appetizers to share and then entrees including the salmon, oxtail, goat, and snapper. Everything at the table was delicious. Our server Diamond was wonderful. She was warm, helpful, and really guided us through the menu since we were new to the cuisine. Her service made the experience even better. Such a great introduction to Kenyan food and a really fun group dinner. We will absolutely be coming back.

Several reviews were mixed for Swahili Village so we decided to give it a try. Stopped in the Rhode…read moreIsland location. Unfortunately, it was disappointing. Started with a Margarita cocktail which was $16.00 and terrible. Low grade tequila and store bought margarita sour mix. Service was very slow and one of the mangers was drinking and having a long conversation with the bartender. We decided to try the Jollof Rice and Suya bites. The rice was very bland. The Suya had some flavor but seemed to be missing something. I decided to take the leftovers home but unfortunately the Suya bites got very hard overnight so were not enjoyable the next day. Since eating out is pricey you may want to choose a different restaurant to try.