Overall, I thought we had a nice time at Meleket Restaurant. While I'm not an expert on Ethiopian food, I enjoyed everything we had. The restaurant seems pretty legit because we saw a few Eastern Africans (sorry for the assumption) dining there with their families. Although I cannot remember exactly what we had, everything was delicious. If memory serves me correctly, we pretty much asked the waitress for recommendations, and she suggested a couple of meat and veggie combos. Although we enjoyed the food, I have to admit that we thought service was a bit slow, or rather low-key, especially considering that there were only about 7-10 other folks in the restaurant. Like most places in area, parking can be a bit tight. The restaurant shares a small parking lot (maybe 10-15 spots) with 4-6 other businesses/restaurants. There is some additional parking at the supermarket next door, but I'm not 100% sure if customers can use that parking lot. read more

They were a great restaurant. They will truly be missed. I was a consistent purchaser of their veggie combo. read more

Meleket Restaurant - Veggie combo and Lamb Tibs - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Wonderful Food, Service, generous portions ..Food is well packed for delivery, use and very easy to recycled, I usually by extra bread. I have been a part of the Eritrean & Ethiopian community for 30 years. . Goggle it. Difficult to park. Lot across the street ehhh. read more

What a fantastic place! We live a few hours away with traffic but it is worth the drive! Parking can be a challenge, but there is paid parking across the street. Having spent time in Africa, including Ethiopia, I can tell you the flavors are legit. Staff is super friendly and helpful to those first timers eating without a set of silverware. Don't pass Meleket by if you're in the area. You won't regret it! read more

Meleket Restaurant - Destroyed! - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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Superior service and atmosphere. Small yet charming. Food authentic and fresh. Variety of spirits and pair with the Friday Night Jazz Band you can't lose. Definitely a 10 out of 10 everytime. The Sambusas are a hit and the sauce has a kick but perfect pair. read more

Meleket Restaurant - Birthday Celebration done right at Meleket.... Call the owner and tell her how many. We had a party of ten. - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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The food was amazing. The best experience I've had in a long time. The service was great and the flavors omg!!' Will be back. read more

Meleket Restaurant - Meat and vegetables combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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Meleket is an outstanding Ethiopian place with really nice interior space that you wouldn't expect from a place in little strip shopping place where it is located. The owners and service staff are great and the food is outstanding! read more

*Updated Review* I hadn't been here in some years. I'm glad to see they are still around. Stopped in for dinner last night and to catch up with a fellow Yelper. We both share a love for Ethiopian cuisine. On a Monday evening, it was not packed at all so seating was not an issue. He did the vege platter and I did the special beef tibs. Food was delicious! We had to get our honey wine! Service was overall good. My only complaint was that we had to ask for extra injera. The six tiny rolled up pieces were not enough. Either way, I will be back soon! read more

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This restaurant is TERRIBLE. The staff, the owner, they are arrogant, rude, and lack empathy. I attempted to place an order through Yelp's Grubhub option. I attempted to order the 3 meat and Veggie combo & discovered, while trying to order, that this meal didn't give me an option to select my meats(I don't eat beef). So I called the restaurant & attempted to place my order and was informed that they wouldn't substitute beef for fish, so I asked if I could call the restaurant back after discussing what our new order would be. From there, we discussed what we wanted and then I placed my order. through Yelp's Grubhub option for takeout. I ordered a Veggie combo & Fish Dullet & then went to pick it up. When I arrived at the restaurant I selected "My Orders" on Yelp and noticed that I had two separate orders for the same restaurant. Once I investigated, I realized that the initial order that I called in about was ordered without me selecting "check out". To me, this wasn't a big deal. It was a mistake through the app - not me & the restaurant would be courteous enough to refund me while still servicing me my two entrees that I really did order. The lady at the register was super rude & told me that I had to take the order, even though I don't eat beef, even though she remembered me calling and asking if I could replace the beef with fish, and she even remembered telling me that I couldn't. Still, she refused to refund me, instead telling me that I since the second meal(order that I actually checked out and expected to eat)wasn't fully prepared, I could take the food that they had given me & they'd remove the charge for the second meal and keep that. I asked them how that solution made sense considering I don't eat beef which is a large part of that original order(3 meat & veggie platter). She shrugged her shoulders and said: I understand but I already cooked the food so I won't refund you. I asked to speak to a manager & she was worse than the lady I was speaking to. Her condescending demeanor, nasty smirk, and the fact that I could barely finish a sentence without her cutting me off to tell me that I am wrong made this the worst customer service experience I've ever had in my life. I am so upset. Not bc of the money, but the fact that I even showed them step by step what happened on the app and was met with a shoulder shrug and an "oh well." I attempted to call GrubHub and get a refund through them and the rep that I spoke to understood and said she would take care of things. She called the restaurant just to confirm that I had not been served the food & the waitress informed her that she would not oblige for the same reasons she gave me. Bc the food was already prepared. Meanwhile, it had been ten minutes and that food that she couldn't refund me, because it was "already prepared" still wasn't in a container, or a bag, in my possession. GrubHub called me back and informed me that there was nothing they could since the restaurant was unwilling to comply. I've been to this restaurant so many times. My Wife is a Registered Nurse at Holy Cross hospital nearby. Every time I drop her off at work, we stop by this restaurant to order our food. The fact that they value $37 over customer satisfaction and common speaks volumes to me and I will NEVER patron this establishment again. The fact that Yelp doesn't have a zero star option never irked me as much as it does today! read more

Meleket Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

This was my favorite Eritrean/Ethiopian spot for years. The red lentils were my favorite, they just made them more rich/savory than other local spots. I ordered the veggie combo, which was one of my old staples. I found the red lentils to be very spicy compared to past instances. Maybe there's a new chef or a new owner. I can't say whether or not it's more authentic but I've been to this specific restaurant maybe 10 times before and have also had the lentils at other spots - this was the hottest I've had. Still, no big deal, I could just comment on it later. The food overall tasted good. Near the end of my meal, the server asked if I wanted more injera. She didn't indicate an extra cost, let alone a substantial one. This veggie combo ONLY came with the injera under the veggies; in the past, there were a couple extra pieces on the side included in the meal. I assumed to save bread, or perhaps because I ordered gluten free, they didn't automatically provide extra with the dish this time, but figured they would notify me if there was a significant extra charge. I accepted the offer for more injera which cost $8 extra. Not to mention the they added extra to the price of the other dishes we got, which was miniscule but still notable given the other issue. It's holiday season and I'm not trying to end the year arguing over this with the restaurant, so I just paid without issue, but this lack of transparency definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. read more

Not much to look at from the outside, and the parking lot is quirky, but the ambience, food and service are excellent. Most dishes are moderately spicy, but have a wonderful "bouquet" of spice that is amazing. We are fans of Ethiopian food, and this is our "go to" spot. Price, serving size, and freshness are all excellent. And how much fun is it to eat with your hands? Who needs fork or chopsticks, anyway! read more

Let me sing the praises of this cozy neighborhood restaurant. Now that the winter is setting in, its dim ambience and excellent home cooking offers comforts on many levels. Have I had better Ethiopian food? Yep. Ethiopic on H Street is outstanding, showing off what the cuisine can do if ticked up for a global market. But in some ways I have more appreciation for the depth of the home cooking at Meleket. The flavors here are complex, someone in the kitchen has taken the time to ensure that. In turn, I take the time to savor it. Then there is the matter of price. Newer restaurants, more flashy ones, have amped up their prices in our post-pandemic world. Meleket is not immune to inflation, but they are true to their neighborhood base and not looking to gouge customers. We got a platter of 3 meats and 3 veg to share, one glass of wine and a dessert, and the price for two before tip was $50. You can be sure I tipped well, because I also could not fault the warm and welcoming service. One specific recommendation from our platter: the yellow split peas were a real stand out. A creamy sweetness has been coaxed from them that is a thing of genius. Make sure that is included in whatever you order. But you will also enjoy the savoriness of the meat sauces that lingers long after you have enjoyed the meal. read more

Really great good and awesome atmosphere. This is a small restaurant with wonderful service, with very good food and good prices. Special in that it has traditional seating with basket tray in the middle, and traditional coffee ceremony. Friends and I enjoyed our evening: low lights and Ethiopian music playing in the background made it a special time. read more

Wow! Stopped here on a whim with family of 6 adults. First off the ambience and vibe of the place was cool and relaxing. As for food, everything we ordered was freshly prepared and out of this world delicious. The portions were generous and we all shared the variety of dishes. The chef came out to check on us and provided us with some education on Ethiopian cuisine. It was nice to see how proud she was of her creations. My only regret was not staying for the coffee where they roast the beans on site and brew it in a traditional clay pot. The smell was incredible and I will surely be going back to experience that! Kudos to Meleket! read more

Mekeket's food was fantastic. I wish I could get there on a regular basis but I did recommend it to my friends in the DC area.

Solid food and great staff. I went here during one of their live music nights and it definitely set the scene. Meleket is authentic Ethiopian food and the flavors were definitely reflective of that. I enjoyed my visit here and would definitely visit again. read more

Meleket Restaurant - Veggie, beef, and chicken samosa. - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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I rarely write reviews, and it appears the last one I wrote was for meleket in 2019! In that review, I talked about the wonderful care that owner ZZ took to make our food delivery to RI special. My adult children still talk about how much they enjoyed the food! In this updated review, my friend and I purchased the 3 veggie with the 3 meats for $35. Lots of food for 2 people to share. My favorites were the kik alecha (yellow peas), doro alicha (chicken) and the dry beef tibs. We also had lamb tibs (sauced), misir wat (lentils) and a carrot/cabbage dish. There was no food item that wasn't really good and worth having again. Our order was taken by ZZ. It had been a few years, but it felt like I was greeted by old friend. ZZ and her wonderful food make this restaurant a great choice for anyone who enjoys authentic Ethiopian cuisine. If spice is not your thing, ZZ will accommodate. Try this restaurant- it's a gem. As an FYI, parking in their lot can be a bit tough, but there is a municipal lot across the street which is very affordable. read more

This is a hidden gem in Silver Spring. Had a great team lunch with folks from my office. Food was good and fresh. We had a group of 16 and were seated and served in about an hour. Everyone enjoyed the Sambusa the Timatim Fitfit. The service was wonderful. We will be back read more

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Ate here two times and the food was delicious but then on my third visit I was extremely disappointed at the customer service. I ordered two dishes to go and both dishes ended up not what I expected. When I returned to the restaurant to get a resolution to the issues I was treated very poorly. The woman taking my order seemed to think she knew what I wanted so I was confident in not making it clear what I wanted but clearly she did not understand. Not only did I have to wait almost an hour for the first go around but then they wouldn't refund my money and insisted it would only take 15 minutes to cook the right dishes. Well, that 15 minutes turned into another 45 minutes! I will not go back to this establishment since there are other restaurants like this so they have lost a customer. read more

Authentic Ethiopian food and an amazing experience. Service was great and food was delicious!!!

My warm dinner, veggie combo, was served on cold injera. The injera was cold and stale. I think that because I was not with Ethiopian people when I came, they gave me old injera. Also, the server never came to ask if I needed anything, despite there being very few customers. When I asked for warm injera, the server brought me injera cut up in squares, instead of the normal roll and charged me an extra $8.32. I was charged $30.00 for a veggie combo, and paid $40.00, including tip. This was the worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant in terms of food and service. This is my neighborhood Ethiopian restaurant, and I have been here many times in the past, but I will not be back. The food and the service were really bad. There are 20 Ethiopian restaurants within 2 miles of this restaurant, so why would I go back to this place with old cold injera and a rude server? read more

Some of the best Ethiopian/Eritrean food in the DMV. Yes, but: Be advised, if you order carry out or delivery (Door Dash/Uber Eats), it will take ages to arrive. This is consistently the slowest restaurant I've ever experienced ordering from. When will I learn?! read more

Amazing food and even more is the service by the owner and her staff. She goes above and beyond. Also catered our party and everyone raved about the food. read more

I am no expert on Ethiopian food, but I loved everything we got in our delivery last night: Beef Sambusas - such a great spice profile on these! Light and airy crust, mostly meat. They come 3 to an order. Veggie Combo - A variety of legumes, some greens and beets (my personal favorite) Doro Wat - savory, not too spicy, delicious, chunks of chicken Lamb Tibs - if you chomp down on the jalapeno, it's spicy, otherwise just very nicely savory Injera - I'm not sophisticated enough to tell the difference between one injera and another yet. The portions were generous, three of us were eating this and we had some of everything left over. Sometime I hope to dine in. read more

Met there for lunch with a colleague. I got the veggie platter and thought it was amazing. My favorite are always the red lentils and it was perfect over here. The collard greens and cabbage were also great. The inside of the restaurant was really nice and looked pretty fancy. The price was good for the large amount of food and great quality of food! read more

As a Ethiopian myself I always want to support my community but I've tried to support too many times for the service to be so unprofessional and rude. There are many Ethiopian spots in Silver Spring that value great customer service and high quality experiences and this place is not it! If you order take our prepare for them to not even cook your order until you arrive. Most times we must wait at least 30 minutes after ordering to pay and additional 10-15 minutes to wait for the food to be packaged. The wait staff always look annoyed and don't expect any empathy if they mess up your order which is common. I hope this place can get new management because it has potential. The food is ok when they don't burn it. My partner and I have gotten sick from their food more than once. There services should be audited for poor customer service! read more

I was in the area and called to order some pickup after a long day. I got Meleket's special beef tibs and asked for some extra injera. It took 30 minutes, which I thought was a little long for one dish (especially because there were very few people at the restaurant when I got my food). It wasn't really a hassle though, and I thought it was understandable for a smaller family-owned restaurant. The food was delicious and left me feeling full! My only complaint is that I wish they had more beef. I was mostly eating their collard greens and felt like I had to actively look for the beef tibs. Overall, I would still definitely come back because I think it's super affordable for a huge portion size. read more

Ordered from online menu. Arrived and they increased the price of one dish from $21 to $26. Refused to honor their posted price. Couldn't even show me a "current menu" so I could see what things cost. Ridiculous. Unprofessional. Almost never leave a review, but here we go. If you go here be prepared to have the bill be jacked up. read more

Nice place, nice people, the food was unfortunately mediocre. I arrived starving, ate half of what I got and left the rest. Usually I'm upset about the quality of the ingredients, but in this case I would also fault the salt and the flavors. A shame, because the atmosphere and people are lovely. read more

Food was tasty but all the dishes on the veg platter were served refrigerator cold. We were introducing visiting relatives to Ethiopian cuisine- they enjoyed their meal, so we refrained from telling them the dishes we'd ordered are typically served hot. read more

Friendly staff and nice atmosphere to the restaurant. However I was not very impressed with the food. They are open until 11pm every night. read more

Meleket Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

The veg combo was delightful, will be returning asap. I have not visited the restaurant but I'm sure the dining experience would be better, will update this as soon as I visit the restaurant. read more

Great food, quick service. The look and feel of the restaurant is old but their staff is very friendly especially Ms Zeze. They were so kind to my daughters when we went there in Dec 2024. Highly recommend it if you are in mood for delicious Ethiopian food. read more

Ask for ZeZe she's the best owner and so hospitable keeps everything going fast and makes the best lemon drops. Tell her I sent you you'll thank me later the food is divine and I'm really a picky eater but the flavor is so good something not to miss if you're in Silver Spring. read more

Good food. Okay service, not very friendly to pick up orders and usually takes longer if you call ahead than sit in. Ambiance is solid. I hope they do better customer service wise, otherwise I order from elsewhere read more

I love the special kifto and my husband demolished his yebeg alicha. Huge portions, great flavors, cooked wonderfully. New favorite carry out. read more

Our go to for Ethiopian! Always delicious and wonderful people and service! Park in the county lot across the street!

It's been a mighty long time since I've drank honey wine (tej), so first and foremost, I was happy to have that here! I was intrigued to see some Italian food in the menu, and I imagine that can be scary to some folks since some fusions don't really work... but FEAR NOT! This place is as authentic as Ethiopian restaurants to get and the quality of their food is up there! The restaurant itself has a full bar, TVs for watching sports or whatever is on, some lovely art to look at, and overall good vibes! Abe definitely helped me and my party have a great time. I started off with some sambusas... and while I usually go straight for the chicken and veggie ones, I gotta say the beef one was actually my favorite. And then the entrees started coming --- doro wat, shiro wat, mild, medium, spicy, super spicy... the works. There wasn't anything I didn't like. The injera was massive, abundant, and delicious. Things eventually did get messy, using my hands and all, but I didn't even care given how good everything was. We ended up having a lot of tasty leftovers too. I'll be back. read more

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Always enjoyable, great food, service and good atmosphere! Recommended if you are new to Ethiopian food as the owners is willing to help suggest dishes. read more

This was a wonderful meal! The place is on the small side so go early to get a table. The vegetarian sampler was a great way to try a little bit of everything. We also ordered two meat dishes which were also delicious. Everything is served for sharing and there are no utensils offered so be ready to use your fingers ;) We asked for advice from the server and were not disappointed in our meals. I would definitely go back. read more

Meleket Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland