This place is one of the BEST food experiences I've ever had. I recommend the Sega Key Wot beef. It's so tender, juice, and melts in your mouth. We also got the Yebeg Alethcha Wot lamb. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if every single thing on the menu is insanely delicious just like the ones I ordered. For dessert, I had the creme brulee and baklava. Both amazing. And if you're a coffee lover, I recommend trying their classic Ethiopian coffee. The only thing is that our pot was leaking so they took it away. I thought they would bring us back a fresh, new pot but they never did :( Other than that, the service was amazing. Honestly, I'd give this a 4.5 out of 5, but I'm not able to do that. Overall, if you're in the DC area DEFINITELY give this place a try! read more

I've been here twice. The first time was for dinner and the food was much better than when I came for lunch. So was the service. I don't think they take it serious or are consistent outside dinner hours. The ambiance is also much better at night. read more

First time trying Ethiopian food. It was really good! I had the Vegan Platter for 2 with the Croaker shares between a friend and I. I'd definitely go back and try other dishes. read more

3.5 Went here for lunch after a good dinner the previous week. I drank only tea and had the vegetarian special, and some sambusa. My bill was 40 dollars wo tip, a tad pricey for lunch and my friends tibs were under cooked/over cooked. I will be back for a tie breaker. read more

Reallllly good Ethiopian food. We got the meat sampler and the vegetarian sampler #1, which was enough for our group of three. We all had different favorites out of the samplers! Service can be a little slow, and the place is noticeably louder than your average restaurant. This is our second time here, and we'll be back! (Though maybe at a less busy time.) read more

I've never tried Ethiopian food so this place was great so I could try many things all at once. If you want the house wine you need to try it first. Ethopian wine has an different after taste and tart-ness that is not in the typical house red. read more

Came here for dinner with a group of four Surprised to see such classy decor Waitress was hasty But her app rec was tasty Ordered two samplers and got food galore! Though food was good, the price was steep The samplers especially will make you weep Because of this The value's amiss As most other Ethiopian's way more cheap! read more

Delicious Ethiopian restaurant with an upscale ambience. Service here is always excellent. The selection is not as large as some of the other places in town, but the food is first-rate. This is our go-to place when friends are in town and wants to try something different. read more

Anytime I'm in DC I'll definitely pay a visit. Great staff and probably the best Ethiopian food I've ever had! Wish they were in NY!

This is the first and only Ethiopian restaurant on the H st corridor. The place is very airy and tastefully decorated. A large bar sits at the end of the main dining room, where any "poison" of your liking could be put together. They also offer a great selection of Ethiopian beers (that can be quite potent). The service is phenomenal, I love it when the waiter has a great smile and is friendly and knowledgiable of what they serve and make adequate recommendations on what you like and not on what they like. Beware!!! Ethiopian food can be quite spicy (something I love), you can let your waiter/ress know of how much heat you can handle. As they just recently opened and they do not have an appetizer list yet, they serve a lovely aromatic bread with some lovely dipey spicey olive oil on the house. For dinner my friend and I ordered the Awaze tibs, wich is mandatory (at least for me) to have it with as much hot spice as my body can handle. We also shared the vegetarian platter for one. Needless to say the portions are huge, we could have fed at least four people with our food. I have visited many Ethiopian places in DC and the one and only in Baltimore and I must say this is one of the best ones I have been so far. The meat from the tibs was chunky and flavorfull, none of the ultra mushy shredded beef stuff that can be served in other places. The vegetarian platter was an array of lentils, collard greens, tomatoe salad and a few other wonderfully flavored vegetables. A nice bottle of Tej, Ethiophian honey wine is also imperative. For desert we were greated with a lovely flan on the house...I mean extremely nice of them and exquisite!! Almost as good as my mother's. I read a review on here about this place not being really for children, just because they opted to leave their kids behind and wanted quiet time. Given the right time, families come here as well a young couples out on a lovely date. It is a very mix ambiance, and that is one of the great things that make this place appealing. Night out or family dinner...it doesn't matter, this place is great! read more

This was, hands down, the best Ethiopian food I've ever had. What I love most about Ethiopic is the ambiance - Etete and Dukem and even my U. St Ethiopian restaurant of choice -- Little Ethiopia -- are all really casual (Dukem is, at least in my mind, a little bit grungy - I've always found that the service is just bad. Of course, this is probably colored by the *two* times I've found hair in my food while dining there...). They are great spots for a quick meal with a friend, but I wouldn't take a Special Someone there. But Ethiopic is elegant without being stuffy, the staff is totally attentive without rushing guests through the meal - in short, Ethiopic creates an elegant vibe without inflated prices. And the food is just streets ahead of the competition. The Veggie Sampler II ($37) comfortably feeds two -- and it contains all of the usual veggie sampler dishes (seven in total), but much better than I've ever had before - I often find veg dishes at Dukem to be overcooked. How many times have I lamented a plate filled with mushy lentils and limp potatoes! But at Ethiopic, the collard greens were particularly stellar (and they aren't usually my favorite veggies), the yellow lentils were perfect (sometimes I find them too mushy), and the cabbage and carrots, so often made limp, were still perfectly crisp. We opted for the side of fish (for an extra $2, it's a deep fried fish) which was lovely and salty (but watch out for bones - whatever kind of fish this is, it's very bony). Sure, Ethiopic is a few dollars more than the competition, but it's a few dollars well spent - our dinner for two cost $40. Two caveats: -Definitely make reservations. -Heavy on beef options and veggie options; light on chicken options (I think there are two chicken options- one spicy and one mild) and fish options (there's one fish choice on the menu). read more

I've never has Ethiopian food, I won't lie the whole idea of no silverware is extremely daunting. Whenever I walk by this place it always smells good even from across the street. The restaurant is pretty small so I would recommend reservations. The decor is friendly but not trendy or obnoxious. When the restaurant is not filled up the spot can look less inviting because the chairs and tables aren't structurally beautiful. We ordered a Pinot grigio for the table which I really enjoyed. It was distinct from other wines. I knew it was going to be a great meal to begin with because the bread and dipping oil was amazing. I have no idea what they added to the oil mixture but it was a touch above. I wish I remembered our waitress' name, she gets some HUGE props. Being newbies to Ethiopian food we had no idea how much to order, our waitress actually suggested we didn't need as much food as we thought. I've almost never found a waiter or waitress that will not subtly push the more expensive option. For 4 people we shared a vegetarian platter and two side meat dishes and this was more than enough. The vegetarian platter consisted of gomen, a mild collared greens dish that was everyone's favorite, lentils, peas, a potato mixture and a tomato based salad/salsa type dish. We also got traditional lamb tips and a chicken side. The lamb tips were the star of the show for sure, spices but not too much so and easily to eat. Sooo damn good. I would pass on the chicken dish. The chicken came on the bone but without a knife and fork it was way too difficult to get off the bone, serve and eat. This dish went largely untouched. I think for Americans who aren't use to eating this type of food little serving spoons would be very helpful to scoop a good amount of the dish onto the bread/pancake. As is was I had to use a large amount of bread to scoop up the dishes and I quickly became full on starch. Before wine this whole meal was only 15 bucks a person. I'm a big fan of Ethiopian now! read more

Holy hell this was a good meal. This is the type of meal I think about weeks after it's over. We ordered the vegetarian sampler and the awaze tibs. My mouth is watering just writing this. Everything was PERFECTLY spiced. I would eat here every day if my boyfriend and bank account would allow. read more

This was my first experience with Ethiopian food and I thought it was pretty delicious. First, the decor is beautiful. It has a very calm soothing atmosphere and the service was great. We started with the Buticha which was some sort of garlicky chickpea appetizer which was pretty amazing and may have actually been one of the best dishes of the night. We also split the lamb tibs and the vegetarian platter for two. This was more than enough food for four people. I wasn't huge on most of the vegetarian platter but the tibs were pretty incredible. I have no basis for comparison but i have heard from multiple sources that this is the best Ethiopian restaurant in DC. read more

I've had a lot of Ethiopian food, both in Washington DC and in Ethiopia. Ethiopic stands apart from most of the establishments on U Street. Etete is the only one that is in the same league as Ethiopic. Ethiopic is a very chill environment, music good, staff friendly. It is one of a handfull of places in Washington DC that I frequent often. read more

Almost all of the food was flavorful and we had a nice variety. However, the service was among the worst I've had in DC. Complete lack of attention to the table, we had to beg for water several times, and we didn't receive several of the things we ordered with no apology. There is much better Ethiopian in the city with significantly better service. Try elsewhere. read more

We learned our lesson after showing up at 7pm one weekend evening and getting turned down flat: no reservation? No room at the inn. Sorry, charlie. The place is small so definitely call yourself in before you arrive. We called around lunchtime and made a reservation for that night. We were seated promptly. Our very sweet server, Wenye T, brought us waters immediately. When I asked about the Ethiopian wine on the menu ($8 a glass, three varieties: dry, sweet, honey) she brought me a little taste of each. Much appreciated! I think I probably could have handled a full glass of the sweet but opted for a California cab instead (pleasant wine, but a disappointingly small pour for $11.) Soon after, she placed a small basket of homemade bread on our table, served with side of oil/chili. I love free bread. I'd Yelped the place first, of course, and was intrigued by a photo of the butcha, which sounds a lot like hummus minus tahini in the description but basically tastes nothing like it. It's much lighter (I guess no tahini so duh) and acidic, with lots of jalapeno. Perhaps my fave dish of the night. For the main course, we split the veggie platter for one and the signature beef tibs. I had really been pushing for the Veg II because it came with 7 veg dishes as opposed to 4 (and the veggies are always more solid in my opinion when it comes to Ethiopian) but our server steered us clear, saying we'd have WAY too much food. Okay, fine. It is a serious price difference I believe, $18 vs $35 or some such. We liked everything on the plate except for the red lentils - just not to our liking, too much paprika. Still well worth it. You can order fish on the side. However, our meat of the night was going to be tibs. We were going out on a limb here since we haven't really liked tibs at any place so far. Always too dry. This time, however, they scored. It's definitely cooked all the way through, you can be sure, but it was so well flavored and cut that I wouldn't call it "dry." They serve it over warmer but I discovered too late that it's most yummy if you spoon it onto the injera so it can better sop up all the sauce lurking at the bottom of the pot. To die for!! The bits of onion, jalepeno and especially that tomato --mm-- just pops in your mouth. (I thought my hubby was ordering lamb but our messages got crossed and he ordered beef ... he's lucky I liked it!) Tibs was $16. We. were. stuffed. We wound up having some leftover veg AND a couple servings of leftover tibs. They packed it up for us with several more pieces of injera (don't worry, folks, you'll never be lacking in bread!) Others have noted that it's too pricey -- it's definitely expensive for Ethiopian, no doubt, but it's quality. And if you lay off the alcohol, you should come out on top. For our salad course, two entrees and one glass of wine the bill was $55+tip. No, not cheap, but reasonable for a DC dinner out. Nice ambiance, pleasant service. We'll be back. read more

This was our first time trying Ethiopian food and this place did not disappoint. Service was prompt and friendly and prices reasonable. The sampler was more than enough for 2 people and the before meal bread and oil was tasty too. read more

Go somewhere else!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had a group of six this past saturday and had a horrible experience entirely due to our server. None of us ever plan on going back. Even though the food was good, this is DC! Good ethiopian is practically on every corner for less money, better service, and equal quality - Ethiopic wasn't any better than the lower level Ethiopian restaurants like Meskerem in Admo or even Dahlak on 18th and Fl. The first odd thing our server did, when she was clearing the table, was ask "the chef stands by the trash can. what should I tell him about why you didn't finish this dish?" That was strange ...first because we definitely ate at least a third of it, this dish was brought out significantly later than everything else and by that point we were full, and we over ordered (and she originally told us what we were ordering was the perfect amount. And what chef has the time to stand by the trash? Second, when we put in our credit cards to pay she did a little bit of an eye roll and then when she dropped off the slips and said "Make sure you put in all of the copies." in a super sassy voice. Then, after collecting the signed receipts, she came up to our table after five minutes and said something like "I have a reservation coming in at 9:30 so can you be quick"....at that point it was 9:10 and some of us were still sipping our wine!!! I could have written off the first two comments but the last one was just plain rude. I won't ever come here again - no restaurant should tolerate that type of service especially considering our bill wasn't low with alcohol and over ordering. read more

So, My friend and I wanted to give this restaurant a try since we are die hard Ethiopian food fans. We have tried several different restaurants (in several different states) in the past and I have had homemade dishes made from family friends. This place by far was the worst, non-authentic Ethiopian-ish food. We got a vegetarian and a meat platter. We had asked for both platters to be very spicy- considering we are West African- spicy foods are something we can handle and that we like. The vegetarian platter was tasteless. The lentils were the best tasting on the tray for me. On the meat platter-that only had 2 pieces of meat (chunks), boiled eggs and 3 blobs of ground meat (we think); all the items were missing spice, aroma, and lukewarm. This was the first time we had encountered egg in the dishes- but it did nothing for me. The Injera was the best thing they had. My friend ordered the tea and asked for milk on the side, but they said the tea would not taste good with milk. Well when we tried the tea, it tasted like regular ol'chai- so either they didn't have any milk available or they didn't have any milk. The only thing this place had going for itself was the decor and ambiance. Cute and quaint in a nice area. Conclusion: The food is too Americanized for me. read more

Eh. Pretty decent. We were seated immediately even thought it was a Saturday night. Lots of young couples and some groups. The food overall was good, but compared to other Ethiopian places in DC like CherCher, this felt like a watered down version of Ethiopian food,meant specifically for "adventurous" yuppies. Menu thus was "safe" and decent, but nothing to rave about. Portions were just enough, especially for two people. We ordered spicy beef and chicken and were barely able to finish it. Wine was also really good. Definitely order the Ethiopian type. I got a white and my friend ventured into the red territory. Probably my favorite part of dinner. Overall, if you are in the area and feeling Ethiopian food, this is a pretty solid choice. read more

My first time here and I will 100% be back. I love the tomato and jalapeño salad, I don't really do a lot of spice but I couldn't stop eating it. So you know it was good! Prices were fair and the atmosphere was brilliant. Made for an excellent date night. read more

Disappointed. Food was expensive, portions were small. They get points for authenticity, but the meat was quite tough throughout the courses and the fish tasted stale. read more

A friend had recommended this place. Since my past experiences with Ethiopian food had not been all that great, I was quite hesitant. Since we were in the area, I decided to give Ethiopian food another try. I must say I was glad that I did! The food was delectable. My friend and I shared a chicken and a vegetarian dish. Both were very tasty. The decor and ambiance were as high quality as the service and food. (Just to say how much I do like it - I've been back a time or two.) read more

I still don't know how it is that Washington DC allows a new restaurant to open that is NOT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE! When we asked the manager he had no real answer as to when and indicated it would cost too much., Well the overpriced sample plate at $35 and badly mixed martini at the downtown price of $10 should be garnishing enough profit to PAY FOR A SHORT RAMP at the second doorway REAL SOON, we think. read more

While there seems to be a bit of hype surrounding this place, the food here is actually pretty fantastic. I had the Vegetarian Sampler, which came with gomen (collard greens), miser wot (split lentils in a spicy red sauce), kik aletcha (yellow split peas), dinich wot (a potato dish), and the usual salad, all served on a bed of injera. It did not disappoint. Presentation was beautiful, portions were extremely generous, and the flavors were quite rich. I particularly enjoyed the collard greens, with its wonderfully balanced flavor and texture, and the dinich wot, a magnificently satisfying potato dish with hints of onion, garlic, jalapeno, and other spices. I hope I didn't sound too repetitive in my use of descriptive adjectives. But while I really can't put my finger on exactly what it is, the vegetarian food here is just so much richer, so much more flavorful, and so better balanced than most of the other Ethiopian meals I've had in the past. The restaurant space itself is tastefully decorated: clean, spacious, and perhaps just a little bit trendy. Large windows open up onto H and 4th streets. The furniture is modern, and the tables are solid and spacious, which is great for the large communal serving plates used in Ethiopian cuisine. Unfortunately, the bathrooms in the back are a little run down and grungy, with some inoperative lighting. Prices are perhaps a bit high; after tax and tip, the Vegetarian Sampler for One will still run over twenty bucks. But, then again, this is DC, after all. Service is admittedly a bit cold, for lack of a better word, but still quite accommodating and helpful. Whatever the case, the food here is fantastic, and I'd definitely be willing to come back. read more

this was an adventure for me... and i am so glad i went on it. my roommate and i have decided to become more adventurous with the food in dc, and decided to start at ethiopic. neither of us had any idea what we were getting ourselves into, but it was delicious. per recommendation, we each got a st. george's lager (ethiopian beer) which was light and sweet. she got the vegetarian 1 platter and i got the signature lamb tibs. the vegetarian 1 platter has collard greens, curried potatoes, lentils (SPICY) and yellow chick peas. the lamb VERY tender boneless leg of lamb marinated & sauteed with red onions, garlic, jalapeno pepper, fresh tomato and rosemary served sizzling hot in a dish/bowl concoction with a candle underneath. i was in heaven and i have leftovers today for lunch, thankfully! you eat everything with your hands - you pull of a piece of this amazing spongy doughy ingeja (i believe) bread (which we learned was made from a gluten free grain) and grab the food from above and just shovel it in. not very graceful, but very cool. thank god our waitress showed us this otherwise we would have been beyond lost and probably looking like first-time idiots. the ambiance was great, our staff was great. definitely worth the adventure out to H street area! i'm a pretty picky eater, but this food was delicious and i recommend it to anyone! oh, and we each payed just under $30 (with tip) for our meals! read more

We had a wonderful eating experience here. Two of us shared the vegetarian platter and it was plenty food. For dessert we had the baklava which was delicious as well. read more

Great location, was lucky enough to get the only table in the alcove. The app was amazing! Moist and tasty paired with an oil infused awaze was a perfect combination. Enjoyed some great drinks and a few dinner items that were recommended though I don't remember the names at this point. Overall, I would definitely go again and would recommend to anyone in the DC area. I would suggest catching an Uber as there is only street parking available and it is limited read more

This little gem is far from U St and the likes of Dukem, which is great for the Capitol Hill/NOMA/Atlas crowd. Authentic Ethiopian food in a sunny minimalist decor. Perfect spot for a late Sunday brunch (especially since Tru Orleans across the street doesn't open til 5pm). The corner unit is flooded with sunlight and outfitted with wood floors and white walls. The support beams are lightly decorated with wallpaper, but otherwise, the space feels like a gallery with classical music playing in the background. We ordered the beef & chicken sampler (this alone will feed 2 ppl, really enjoyed the curry chicken and found the hard boiled egg an interesting touch) and signature lamb tibs (a must order for lamb lovers, tenderly prepared with spices and served in a separate dish, which the server then adds to the injera). Service was attentive and sincere. And it's always nice to see restaurants open west of the bars along H St. I was 0 for 3 on Ethiopian food before this place, and this one grew on me. read more

Decent Ethiopian food but nothing to go crazy over. We ordered the beef and chicken combo as well as a vegetarian platter with the fried fish. The fish was excellent. From the vegetarian platter, the best side was the greens. The beef in the combo platter was good and tender while the chicken was dry and hard. There were boiled eggs served with the chicken as well which was the top half of a chicken leg. The eggs and the chicken seemed to have not been cooked in the same sauce that it was served in and I was thrown off by that. The chicken tasted old and hard. Overall the meal was OK. The service was fast and thorough which was a plus. The portions were OK. Overall there is more sauce and njera bread served than anything else. It was an OK experience but I probably won't return. Shagga in Hyattsville was better in terms of the food but Ethiopic's ambience is certainly better. read more

Great vegan options. The best Ethiopian I've had in D.C. I like the atmosphere too. They play classical music sometimes, which adds a nice touch. Very sophisticated yet inexpensive. read more

The atmosphere and neighborhood was a harbinger to the mediocre food to come. The mixed veggie plate of gomen, miser wot, kit aletcha and dinich wot were all unremarkable but I was really surprised at the toughness of the lamb tibs. May be an off night. The service was fabulous but I'm a chef. I want well prepared tasty food and could really care less about service. read more

Great food--a truly pleasant staff--and a great addition to the H Street neighborhood. The vegetarian platter for 2 was perfect for three adults and a toddler. The grownups loved the lamb tips, which came recommended by our waitress. The atmosphere and decor are classy, but they have high chairs, so it's a great place to go for an early dinner with the kids. Be sure to try the honey wine!! read more

I ate at Ethiopic on Friday evening, and I was very impressed. Three adults shared the vegetarian sampler for 2, walked away stuffed. All the dishes were delicious. The greens were vinegary, there was fresh hot pepper in the tomato salad, and the berbere wasn't overpowering; the injera was the right level of sour, and none of the dishes were oily. I had the honey wine, which was super sweet, but went well with the spicy/strong flavors of the meal. For dessert we had pistachio baklava, which was the 2nd best I've had anywhere. The prices here are a bit higher than most of the places on U St, but I think the food is good enough to be worth it. Plus, it's the only sit-down restaurant on this end of H St!! A very positive addition to the block. read more

I was there a couple of nights ago. The food is good, but not very different than most other Ethiopian restaurants in town. I take issue with a few things. 1. I had a reservation for two and I showed up early and was sat despite being fifteen minutes early. Nice. Then no one shows up at the table to ask if I perhaps wanted a drink. I did. 2. When I asked the hostess if she could send the waiter, she was curt. 3. Finally when the other person in my party showed up, the waitress showed up and gave us our menus. Within a couple of minutes, not yet having reviewed menu, the waitress shows up again ready to take our order. We tell her we're not ready. Four minutes later, again she shows up. It's feast or famine at this place. 4. I ordered a Sauvignon Blanc, but get a Chardonnay. I look helplessly for my waitress who is nowhere to be found. Nowhere to be found. Nowhere to be found. I give up on trying to get a Sauvignon. I only imbibe half of the Chardonnay. 5. The wine list is pedestrian and expensive. I don't mind paying twelve dollars for a glass of wine if the wine is unique and interesting, but they have plonk on their menu. 6. The place is loud. Very loud. I don't know that I'd return even though I live a few blocks away. read more

Not sure what to order? There's a sampler for that! We ordered the Vegetarian Sampler I (with fish) and the Beef & Chicken Wot Sampler. here was a second vegetarian sampler, but we were advised that would be way too much food for a table of three. My colleagues also sampled some wine (sample is probably a bit of an understatement here). A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and we walked out with full and happy stomachs. Incredibly delicious and satisfying Ethiopian food, good enough for the Queen of Sheba or just some friends who haven't seen each other in a long time. read more

Good food at great prices. My one possible complaint would be that more bread should be brought out with the main courses. I would recommend this place to anyone. read more

Great, cozy spot with DELICIOUS Ethiopian food. Our waitress was very aware of allergens and was able to provide me with a fantastic egg, dairy, and gluten free meal. Their gluten free injera costs $4 but it is delicious and holds up really well. We will definitely be back! read more

wonderful staff, very helpful and friendly. Had the vegetarian sampler which was delicious- enough food for 2 people.