Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Safari DC

    3.1 (25 reviews)
    ModerateLounges, African
    Closed 6:00 pm - 3:00 am (Next day)

    Safari DC Photos

    SAFARI DC ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    DJ
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Safari DC

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    The goat
    H B.

    I just ordered from Uber eats I got puffballs, spicy goat and plantains. First they did not give me the papa balls they gave me a meat patty that I never asked for, next the spicy goat is literally three small pieces of goat everything else is bone. Lastly the plantains were not ripe. All of this was $20 and it should've been five dollars I'm very pissed. Do not order from here!

    Sarah M.

    Five stars for food, minus one star for service/ambiance/etc. = a solid four star experience! Honestly? If you're looking for the best Ethiopian food in the DMV, look no further than Safari DC!!! I recently went with my family to eat lunch at this establishment. We got there around 2 pm on a Sunday. What was weird was the door was locked when we tried to enter. The waitress indoors saw us and quickly opened the door for us to enter. The restaurant occupies a beautiful space with a great patio. I loved it! When we were there though, there were no other patrons, which I thought was odd for a Sunday afternoon. We decided to still stay, though, and ordered the veggie plate and two different kind of tibs (beef and lamb). When the food came out, it was DELICIOUS! I'd had Safari's food before because I went to an event where they had catered, but this time the food was better (if that's even possible). Dare I say it?!?! Safari DC has the best Ethiopian food in the DMV area! (YES I HAD TO SAY IT AGAIN! IT'S THAT GOOD!) Seriously. If you can deal with the touch and go service and a bit of a wait time, the FOOD is definitely something worth experiencing. I would recommend it to anyone.

    Nyama choma, maharage, and sukiyaki wiki with chapati
    Vivian R.

    I was happy to find this restaurant in DC after a fierce craving for Kenyan food, and Safari DC hit the spot. Everything was delicious enough to offset a long wait for our takeout order, along with the disappointment of discovering the vegetarian entrée comes with only one chapati. The maharage was savory and filling and the sukuma wiki had a pleasant twist of citrus. My husband really liked the tender, flavorful nyama choma. The portions were on the small side but overall really good food that I would return for. Food 4, Service 3, Ambiance 3

    fried potato omelette
    Ihita K.

    Safari is a hidden spot in the Petworth neighborhood that can almost look closed if you don't stop and pause to check it out. And pausing is definitely worth it. Between my friend and I, we had the beef samosas (SO damn good; I think they are freshly made in house, they came out piping hot, and I still have cravings for them), the fried potato omelette (this was average.. the potatos were more like french fries, and not on my must have list), and the whole fish with curry sauce (amazing! the curry stew really penetrated the fish and was absorbed in the meat, and the spinach side was the perfect light accompaniment to the heavier curry sauce). Safari has a lot of potential. We went on a Sunday afternoon and were the only customers in the establishment. They definitely need help coming up with a better marketing plan, but they definitely have the right food, the space (two floors plus an outdoor patio), and great service. The cook/owner? was on site the day of our visit, and was generally lovely and gracious. Will definitely go back to try out other items when I'm in the area.

    Beek Kebab
    S. B.

    I love, love, love the food and am yet to be disappointed. My hands down favorite meal is the biriyani rice, fish kebab and spinach (under the Chefs Specials). I am also a big fan of their coconut rice. The other big plus for me is their extremely comfortable patio. It gets hard to remember that I am not at home. There is always a gentle breeze and a nice view to tree-lined streets.

    Tom T.

    When it comes to African food I'm very picky. This is as real as it gets. Pay attention to the items that say spicy, they really are very hot. But if you enjoy spicy foot it's great, if not do not order anything that says spicy

    Cliff K.

    Let's just face it, the customer service here is awful. The Ethiopian dude that served me food had me waiting for 20 minutes and when I stood up to go inquire, the answer was, "if you can't wait, get out." Well, I decided to wait and was served a whole fried tilapia, Ugali and sukuma wiki. The food wasn't bad, but it was not close to what I have tasted before.

    Espresso

    See all

    4 years ago

    Helpful 8
    Thanks 0
    Love this 7
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of H B.
    0
    21
    3

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Toya J.
    1977
    554
    847

    12 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of S. B.
    4
    21
    48

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Summer B.
    2
    62
    232

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    It is closed. Lost their liquor license. I tried to go on 2/27/19. there are signs on the doors

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Tom T.
    0
    5
    31

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of shy n.
    0
    39
    5

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Safari DC

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Lounges 6,511 times last month within 10 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Olive Lounge & Grill

    Olive Lounge & Grill

    4.4(173 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    Overall: great prices, delicious food, okay service, casual ambiance, single stall inclusive…read morerestrooms, changing table, kids menus, and high chairs available They have a great happy hour and different daily specials. There is so much to love about the menu. Everything we ate was delicious, but overall we are just wildly impressed with the prices. We rarely eat that much quality food for the prices you pay here. I love how many vegetables they have on the menu and the meat was cooked perfectly.

    It was one of the hottest days of summer, and my partner and I were in the Takoma Park…read moreneighbourhood on the hunt for somewhere to grab Happy Hour (HH)! We strolled the beautiful and quaint neighbourhood for a little, until we found Olive Lounge!! After taking a glance at their HH menu -- our decision was easy, the food and drink options were just what we were looking forward to!! I can happily report that the food was DELICIOUS & truly represented what you would want from a Middle Eastern restaurant. I was ecstatic to have their grilled halloumi & their beef and chicken kabob with kidreh and tzatziki was 10/10!!! The aromatic seasonings and flavours with the kabobs were divine, and perfectly complimented the kidreh (spiced rice, garlic, chick peas). My husband had the Takoma Burger which was equally fantastic - and only $10 with a side of fries on Tuesday!! We will definitely be back to explore their HH and dinner menus more!!! This restaurant is definitely worth a visit (or several)!!

    Photos
    Olive Lounge & Grill - Inside

    Inside

    Olive Lounge & Grill - Baklava

    Baklava

    Olive Lounge & Grill - The Za'atar crusted salmon bowl. Delicious!

    See all

    The Za'atar crusted salmon bowl. Delicious!

    The Society Restaurant and Lounge - Honey Wings

    The Society Restaurant and Lounge

    3.4(734 reviews)
    3.4 mi
    $$

    We made reservations here for 4 people for Mother's Day. We were able to come in a few minutes…read morebefore our time and were seated right away. The waiter was nice but the service was very hit/miss because sometimes we had to wait for him or try to find him but it usually didn't take long. He also had a difficult time figuring out how to split the 4-person tab into 2 couples. Hopefully he was new and this helped him learn. The music was very loud, more like closer to club level than restaurant level, which made it difficult for me to hear most of the time. I am not a true seafood lover as there are very few seafood items I eat but needless to say my husband couldn't say enough positive things about the catfish and grits and the other couple we were with absolutely loved that they got their calypso sauce on the side because then they got to enjoy the flavor and crispiness of the fish. The one crabcake on the Chesapeake Crabcake meal was very flavorful and I enjoyed it. Their food was very good. The prices weren't too bad but you also got a lot of food for the price. We had leftovers which was nice!

    It's been some time since I've visited Society! This is still a DMV staple! I recently came for…read morehappy hour. It was a Monday so it wasn't super packed but I'm sure other days it's not like that. Chris and Jazz provided great service at the bar on the first floor. I enjoyed the lemon drop martini and the caribbean rolls! I really hadn't been in this area in awhile because navigating the road closures and detours due to the purple line construction was hectic. Outside of that it was nice to come cab to familiar territory!

    Photos
    The Society Restaurant and Lounge - Inside

    Inside

    The Society Restaurant and Lounge - Chicken Wings - a must have.

    Chicken Wings - a must have.

    The Society Restaurant and Lounge

    See all

    Diversity Lounge - Blueberry Mint w/ tea

    Diversity Lounge

    4.0(4 reviews)
    2.9 mi

    Overall, 10/10 This…read moreplace was great. I was in the area and needed a smoke break. Luckily, the area is saturated with options. My sister recommended Diversity Lounge and she hasn't let me down so I popped in. I got to the area before 9:30 pm on a Saturday. Parking was easy to find on the street so that was great. Not saying that's how it always is but this is my story. I walked in and went to the register and a wonderful woman asked if I needed assistance and showed me to a seat. Seats were super comfortable and the rest of the staff of very nice as well. (Good customer service takes every experience up several notches for me from the get go) So, since I'm a frequent hookah smoker at home, i like to add notes in my phone for places I might want to visit when I get out. I ordered my Hookah and tea and sat back to take in the vibes. Nice decor, TVs featuring sports and what not. I could get used to it. There was music playing quite low in the background. I open my notes app and get a few lines in and my hookah is already on the way out. . Very excited about that. I let the coals (quicklights) heat up the shisha to get a solid first hit so I sip my tea and lean back. After a few minutes, I take the first hit and it was what I was expecting to happen. Good smoke. Good flavor. Blueberry mint is my go-to tester flavor. I was not disappointed. I smoked for about an hour and then decided to head home. I caught the weekend price rate of $35 for the session and then the tea. Oh! Clean bathroom. Downside is that there was only one toilet in the place. So I could see that being a thing on a crowded night. I left around 10:30 and the music switched up so they were probably getting ready to shift into the young folk crowd. Anywho, I recommend it. I forget the weekday rate but if the service doesn't change, it's still rock solid.

    Clean lounge with great decor. Owner was very generous and helpful. I have been smoking hookah for…read more15 years, all over the world and this lounge is the best in the area. Diversity runs a good mix of flavors.

    The Republic Garden - Sweet Chili Wings with Fries.

    The Republic Garden

    3.2(18 reviews)
    3.5 mi

    Was out with GF's on a late Friday evening (around 11pm) and we were just going to find a spot to…read morechill at in Silver Spring. Found garage parking at Silver Spring Metro Station Parking Garage (It's less than a block away from The Republic Garden or Society). 2 hour ParkMobile spots (Monday-Friday 7a-10p) and then Free any other time, including weekends. So we didn't have to pay for parking. Plenty of parking. As we ventured out of the Parking lot, we heard reggae music and saw this place on the corner and stopped in. It was a $20 cover charge to get in. Cash, ApplePay, Cashapp. etc. they take it all to enter Place was split in 3. You walk in and thru a narrow area where general dining was. The middle section contained the bar and plush seating (where we were) with some TV's. The Back room had the DJ and seating for Hookah. Lounge/Restaurant reminded me of a narrow townhouse but there was still plenty of space to sit/stand/walk around Pics of the current menu and prices are attached to this review. I had a Blue MF'er to drink and it was small but Strong - only need one. My friends also said their drinks were good and strong too I didn't get any food, but my friends got the Strew and Jollof Rice and said that was good, along with chicken wings. Food seemed to take a long time to come out There was a live DJ spinning class early 2000 music, dancehall, and reggae music of today and a bit old. I would absolutely come back for that DJ alone. Around midnight, the place started to fill out a bit more with folks. There were even laser lights and smoke/fog coming out of a machine in the middle room. Pretty chill Bar seemed a bit slow and possibly understaffed waitress, but everyone was very helpful and patient. Prepare to pay for food and drinks upfront. We also had to order food and drinks at the bar Not sure, if it's any relation to the old Republic Gardens in DC but this venue has been only maybe only a few years Left around 1 and the place started to really jump

    Finally made it here! Came out with the crew yesterday on Rum Punch Sunday to celebrate a friend's…read morebirthday! It's free before 8 - no RSVP needed. The vibes were good. The decor is cute. Service wasn't bad. Music on point! The drinks are overpriced and just ok. Food is blah. Well I just had the suya and probably the worst I've had. I'm no suya expert but I've had good suya and this wasn't it. Wouldn't get it again. Hookah is available on the back patio. I would possibly come back again to enjoy the music but I won't come hungry!

    Photos
    The Republic Garden
    The Republic Garden
    The Republic Garden - Cute decor

    See all

    Cute decor

    Safari DC - lounges - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...