The service is consistently excellent--always warm and welcoming. However, the Goden Tibs has declined over time. While the portion size is still generous, the beef is often overcooked to the point of being burned black and extremely tough, making it nearly impossible to chew. I informed our server that if the meat wasn't tender and soft, as it should be, we would prefer an alternative like Geba Wot. Unfortunately, aside from the meat on the bone, the rest was inedible. The ambiance wasn't good. They should invest more money to make more lovable. I would not recommend the Goden Tibs, and this will likely be my last time ordering it. What was also disappointing is that even after we shared our concerns, the response felt superficial. There was little effort to genuinely understand or address our feedback. read more

I'm not sure why there are a slew of recent negative reviews, but we've been here a handful of times now and every time we're super impressed with the food. It's a combination restaurant / bar that gets SUPER BUSY when there is a football game (and I mean what the rest of the world means when they say football, not American football). If you get here early enough on a Sunday morning you might be the first one there but if it's a game day the place will be packed. If I come with a group, we get a veggie combo and a meat dish, but if it's just the hubs and me we will order a meat dish and a side or two. We'll still have a ton of leftovers. Usually the food comes out pretty spicy how we like it. The doro wot is my favorite and my "usual", but we ordered a beef combo one time that I think was key wot and alicha wot that was pretty good as well, the two flavors being different enough for variety. The misir wot and tikel gomen (sp?) are our usual sides but occasionally I'll get shiro. It's all good. They bring plenty of injera. I really love the Ethiopian tea. It's got the perfect amount of cinnamon and it hits the spot on a freezing cold day. Service can be slow when they're busy which is understandable, it's perfectly fine when they aren't busy. The only thing I don't really love is when they bring out the incense, it's not something I'm used to and my lungs can't really handle the smoke. But, I am the outsider to their culture so I am not going to fault them for it. I just try to avoid sitting near it if I can. Between Shalla (more of a party vibe) and Elilta (more of a mom's kitchen vibe) I have all my Ethiopian/Eritrean needs covered. read more

I do not like giving 1 star reviews, but every single time I've ordered from here it turns into getting sick later. So I'll avoid ordering, eventually forget, then order again. No, just no. I think they were great a few years ago but something happened. My last order was the Geba Weta and never again. The pieces were tough and hard to eat, and what I managed to get down turned into vomiting 8x in one day. It's sad because the flavor was spectacular. read more

Shalla Restaurant & Bar - 4. Geba Weta - Bars Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

See all

This place has the sauce. And by sauce I mean awaze yes but everything else too. The food is great and the portions are generous. The waiters are attentive and friendly. The place is generally pretty busy and for good reason. They often have live music but even when that isn't happening the place is popping. The only negative *maybe* is this means the place is usually pretty noisy. So if you're looking for a quiet dinner go somewhere else. But if you want a lively atmosphere with bomb food, you can't beat it. read more

The food was delicious. The music was a bit loud for my test. And the service was excellent. I will definitely go back for more.

The awaze tibs was tough and stringy and basically not eatable honestly I could not eat totally I waste of money read more

Shalla Restaurant & Bar - The awaze tibs was tough and stringy and basically not eatable honestly I could not eat totally I waste of money - Bars Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I really has high hopes based on the review but I was sadly disappointed. I ordered beef Geba Weta. The beef was extremely tough. I felt like I spent five minutes just chewing each piece. The injara was good but that's about it. I am not sure if I would order from here again to be honest. read more

Shalla Restaurant & Bar - 4. Geba Weta - Bars Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I was visiting from out of town and really wanted Ethiopean food. I've tried other Ethiopean restaurants that were great but this place fell short. The service wasn't that great and it was very smoky. We came during the day but since it's a bar more than a restaurant, that made sense. However, the food wasn't that great either. They skimped on the platter and it lacked seasoning. Also, the restrooms looked as though it had not been cleaned in quite some time. This seemed to be more of a local spot than a place I would recommend for out of towners. read more

SOOOOOOO GOOD. It is always packed because the food is so good. The manager came by like 3 times to check on us and he was so happy to see everyone enjoying their food. My favorite was the Shint Tibs and Kitfo. Sooooo good, I highly recommend it is delicious food and great atmosphere. Super welcoming and they have a full bar! read more

See all

I was in the area for the soccer tournament (ESFNA) this week and I happened to be on a search for a nice Ethiopian restaurants. I was referred to this place by some locals and I have to say that this is the best restaurant for Kitfo and Tibs dish. I am not quite sure of the restaurant inside as we were forced to sit outside because the place was fully packed. We are lucky we got to sit and try out the dish even though it took a while to get the food, however it's understandable given the place was at 150% capacity. So overall we had a great experience but I can't really say for sure if it's like that all the time or the outside seating was just for that week to accommodate the tournament. read more

Shalla Restaurant & Bar - meat and vegetables on a plate - Bars Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

For all the times I have been here, I can't believe I never wrote a review. The veggie combo and shint tibs are what we get every single time. We get take out once every two weeks from here. The true experience is going in to eat. The takeout tibs are a far cry from the tibs they serve in store but still very good. Their injera is so fresh every. single. time. This is a local favorite. The ambiance is welcoming, friendly and lively. read more

The best food I've tried in the DMV! Service is OK. Would give 5 stars but the service just isn't the best.

Excellent Ethiopian food downtown. There is always live music. I love ordering their tibs, shiro, and asa (fish) dulet, but everything I've tried from here has been delicious. read more

The meat in both dishes was tough and stringy and basically not eatable. Honestly I could not eat most of the meat. Total was of money.

Ok first I am not Ethiopian, i'm American. So I am still getting used to Ethiopian food. I did appreciate how authentic everything is. For my taste the food was ok, we ordered two vegetarian platers and one meat platter, also we got talapia (fish). I really liked the fried beef, fish and the salad that came with the fish. Most dished are spicy spicy (so ask if you have a tender tummy) except for the fish and salad. But the food was still super good and the fish and beef were delicious. If you were looking for a good Ethiopian restaurant I would definitely recommend this place. read more

Great food and atmosphere, lively crowd, mostly Ethiopian (so you know the food is great), and the Ethiopian music videos make for a fun -- and culturally educational! -- backdrop too. read more

By now you know my policy...if the restaurant takes you in a journey, then for sure it is 5 stars!! Look no further that Shalla to transport you to Ethiopia. And I don't mean some BS tourist experience, I mean the real deal. You open the doors and you walk into a restaurant bar in a bustling neighborhood in Addis. The food is out of control! We ordered the veg 8 sampler and the meat 4 combo. Both are so diverse and so tasty. I did not have a favorite Ethiopian restaurant in the DMV before tonight, but now Shalla has won me over. I will be back! read more

Simply the most authentic Ethiopian food in the DC area... period! Feels like you've stepped right into Addis Ababa-culturally and visually. Love it and I will be back for sure! read more

This place was great, friendly people, fun vibe, Habesha beer, and good food. Veggie 8 combo was delicious but the lamb tibs was exceptional - just the right amount of warm spice and a deep richness from butter, served with a side of three hot!hot!hot! spice mixtures (that I've never seen before). Can't wait to go back and try their tere siga, cut by an inhouse butcher in the back corner, hopefully checking out their live music (Thurs-Sun starting at 10pm, I was told). read more