This place was amazing. I was honestly super hesitant because I had never had Ethiopian food before…read morebut I am so glad CherCher was my first experience. They have a diverse menu ranging from vegan and vegetarian options to meat heavy dishes and fish. I went with my family and we all tried something different. Unfortunately I cannot remember the names of what we got but I can tell you the raw beef dish and the chickpea sauce with beef are both delicious. I got the beef special Tibs I think it was called which I thought was the best tasting. The service was great, the place wasn't crowded or anything so we didn't wait at all for service and food to come out. It's well decorated with TVs and a wine bar. The only nit picky thing I have about the restaurant is that it wouldn't hurt for them to dust the windows haha. On another note, the server was awesome, she didn't hesitate to recommend dishes or help us narrow down our menu options. If you're interested in trying Ethiopian or just looking for a great restaurant, I would highly recommend CherCher!

5/5 When family…read morecomes to town, I take my hosting responsibilities very seriously. My sister and brother-in-law were visiting DC, and since my sister had never tried Ethiopian food before, my partner and I decided that CherCher would be the perfect introduction. Thankfully, we chose wisely. We had a reservation, although funny enough, no one actually asked us about it when we arrived. Fortunately, it didn't matter because the restaurant wasn't crowded, and we were seated immediately. Sometimes the universe just aligns in your favor. We kicked things off with a bottle of honey wine because if you're introducing someone to Ethiopian cuisine, you might as well commit to the full experience. For food, we ordered the Deluxe Veggie Platter, which included three types of lentils, chickpeas, collard greens, beets, cabbage, and the tomato and onion salad--which, in my opinion, deserves its own fan club. I also ordered an extra green salad because I know who I am and what I like. For the meat dishes, we went with the Gored Gored, the Assa Dullet (tilapia), and the Lamb Awaze Tibs. Every single dish was delicious. The flavors were rich, well-balanced, and exactly what you hope for when you're craving Ethiopian food. The Gored Gored was especially flavorful, and the Lamb Awaze Tibs had just the right amount of spice and tenderness. One thing I always appreciate about CherCher is how quickly the food comes out. There's nothing worse than introducing someone to a cuisine for the first time and then having to spend 90 minutes explaining what injera is while waiting for the food to arrive. The kitchen moved quickly without sacrificing quality. The service was also exceptional. Both women taking care of our table were warm, attentive, and genuinely kind throughout the meal. Great service can elevate a meal, and they absolutely did. The restaurant itself is on the smaller side, but it's cozy rather than cramped. They also have a covered outdoor patio, which I'm sure is lovely during the approximately four weeks a year when DC weather isn't actively trying to harm us. As for pricing, I found it to be very fair and comparable to other Ethiopian restaurants in the area. Considering the quality of the food, service, and portion sizes, I left feeling very satisfied. Would I return? Absolutely. In fact, CherCher remains firmly on my list of places I take out-of-town guests when I need DC to show off a little. As I always say: I'm not difficult to please. I just have standards.

Small cozy place with limited seating. We were greeted and sat immediately outside. Our server…read moreexplained the menu to us and answered all of our questions. The food came out quick! It was all delicious and a wonderful experience. I definitely want to come back and try more of their cuisine

This spot was one of the highlights of my trip to DC!…read more My friend and I shared the Chercher Vegan Special with the Chercher Beef Special Tibs. The vegan platter was phenomenal- super flavorful with so much variety which I loved. As for the beef, it was tender and seasoned well. Honestly, it was hard to choose which one was our favorite because everything tasted so good! And when we were running low on Injera (Ethiopian flatbread), our server gave us more. On top of the delicious food, the service was friendly and the inside was small and cozy (there's also outdoor seating too!) Overall, fantastic spot for Ethiopian food and I will definitely come back if I visit DC again.

An absolute must try!!! Spent a night with friends and enjoyed the sampler platter. Everything was…read moredelicious! Goat, beef, and lamb stews were amazing. The vegetarian options were well seasoned and we enjoyed it all. I normally do not like mushrooms but became a fan. To top it off we got the coffee, and as a coffee lover I must admit, this may be the best coffee in DC! Will be back soon!

I ate here a few weekends ago with my boyfriend. I've eaten Ethiopian food a handful of times, but…read morewanted him to try since he's never eaten it before. Since they had high reviews, and weren't too far from me, I figured this would be a good place to try. We had perused the menu online before coming inside so knew what we wanted to eat. I ordered the veggie sampler with red lentils, tomato salad, yellow split peas, and collard greens and a side of goat stew while my boyfriend ordered the mushroom tibs (unfortunately there are no pics due to us being too hungry to snap a photo :-( ...The veggie sampler came with a side of injera. The injera came out way before the actual platter. Since I was very hungry, I actually nibbled on that, and wished everything came out at once. The veggies were pretty tasty, but for some reason, I wasn't excited about my overall meal. The goat stew was pretty good too. What I really enjoyed was my boyfriend's dish of mushroom tibs. It was nicely sautéed and well seasoned. I'd probably order that if I ever went back. The interior was very colorful and earthy. The owner, I think, was also very hospitable.

Great service and the food is always good and authentic. I would recommend it to anyone wanting…read moregood Ethiopian cuisine.

This place was everything I hoped for and more! We tried the tasting menu since it was my parents'…read morefirst time trying Ethiopian cuisine. Every dish was unique but all tied together either well. I absolutely love experiences like this! Every course was explained to us on a culinary and cultural level which I adored. Our server was attentive and super friendly. She really made us feel welcomed. We went on a Saturday and had reservations, but were able to get seated about half an hour early. The space is small, and has very nice live music which helped blend into the background noise of the restaurant that was otherwise a bit loud. Very good balance. As far as the food goes, the branzino, shiro wot, and collards were my favorite. Definitely do not overlook the veg options here, to be they were even better than the meat! I truly think this place is worth every penny and a good welcoming environment for beginners to the cuisine. We will be back!

TL; DR: such amazing food and service in a non descript/low key casual restaurant made me come back…read moretwice in a week for dinner despite being a visitor! Pictured is the Special Tibsi with fish. A definite must! It came out piping hot but I was still able to bite off pieces of enjera that was oh so deliciously sour and doughy. The fish tasted fresh, as did the tomatoes and onions. Not much heat despite jalapeños. I came back with a friend and we had the Special Tibsi and Veggie Combo. It tasted as good as the first time. Servers were nice, anticipatory with fresh ice water, kept the water full before I'd need to ask and had the right check-in moments without being too overly intrusive. I'd definitely come back again next time I'm in DC. 100%!

Keren is an amazing, no frills Eritrean spot located in Adams Morgan! Lots of great options for…read morevegetarians, we got the: - Breakfast combo (Mashed fava beans, Egg frittata, and Kitch tesmi): Loved this! The ful or fava beans cooked with berbere and topped with onions, jalapeños, and tomatoes was unique, but also reminded me of familiar Indian pav bhaji in a sense (especially coupled with the amazing crusty bread). The kitch tesmi (torn unleavened bread called kitcha mixed with spiced clarified butter and berbere) was so interesting. The eggs were basics done really well. - Keren special (Lentils, Cabbage, Spinach, Potato with Carrots & House Salad, and Special Tibsi): The injera was soft, bouncy, and had the perfect amount of fermented essence. All of the veggies were absolutely delicious and so flavorful. My family said the meat was great too, very tender. Service was fine, but fair warning that the food did take quite a bit of time (however, it was definitely worth the wait). There aren't a ton of tables so you might have to wait if you go during rush times. 9.5/10 would recommend!

This is my go-to, never disappointing, always a good time and appropriate price place for a…read moreFANTASTIC meal. In a town with outstanding Ethiopian food, this place still shines brightly. The food is always good and quick. They have really good happy hour drink deals and the patio is a really fun place to people watch. I love this place so dearly

It was a gorgeous summer night to eat outside and glad we picked Tsehay. No reservation needed on…read morean early Friday night, though the tables inside and out were pretty full by 7pm. Ordered the 3 meat/3 veggie sampler, which admittedly wasn't as generous portion-wise as I thought it would be for the price ($50), but we were satisfied in the end (and had room for Van Leeuwen ice cream a block away). The spicy lamb in red chili sauce was especially tasty, but I've had more flavorful kik alicha (yellow split peas) at other Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurants. But gotta shout out the injera, which might be the best in the city - lighter in color, not too thick and heavy like most other places. I'm a fan.

Definitely my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in the area! The meat and two veggie combo is just the…read moreright amount of food for two people and the price is fantastic. I prefer the spicy tibs, but the crispy tibs are also quite good. My favorite side is the lentils and salad. My wife loves the cabbage and carrots. I like adding the extra chicken leg as well. I only wish they had a full chicken meal and some spicier sauces. We come here at least once a month and always enjoy ourselves. It has become quite popular and there are a lot of white customers these days... I hope the food maintains its quality and flavor. The service is always friendly and I like the Ethiopian beer.

I've been coming here quite a lot lately because the ethio food is not only second to none…read more(especially if you're a meat eater), but the place has pretty decent ambiance as far as your hole-in-the-wall ethio spots go. I always get the veggie combo, and I probably always will. Their tomato lettuce salad is perfection, not an afterthought, and I wouldn't mind if they gave me a whole bowls worth to grab in every bite! I've sampled bits of the meat off my partner's platters, and it far exceeds any we've ever tasted around here from an ethiopian restaurant. Back to the ambiance. I recently brought two good friends here because the space is bright and decent. That said, reservations are a MUST if you are bringing a party of larger than 2, due to how tiny the space is, and for a group, you really need to get spots either by the window or maybe their dark nook in the back. (you'll know when you visit). So so good... I'm not sure I want to go anywhere else at this point for my ethio fix!

Once I walked in I could tell we were going to have a great dinner! I was craving Ethiopian and…read moredragging a friend along before an event nearby. The place feels like a mom and pop place with a bunch of different items laid out behind the glass. We were a little confused about ordering but someone at the register to the left gave us menus and we ordered. We got the deluxe veggie combo to share, which was a great price at around $15! After we paid we sat and the food came out quick. The portions were huge! We did ask for extra bread and they got it for us quickly without an extra charge. The food was just delicious. If you're looking for authentic Ethiopian food this is a great place!

We came here for a late dinner. Habesha Market & Carry-out is metro accessible from both the U…read moreStreet and Shaw-Howard stops. Habesha Market is a cross between a fast casual and cafeteria-style place. The sides are already on display, ready for scooping. You order at the register and they'll give you a buzzer to ring you when your food is ready. There are a few tables in the front to seat yourself and additional seating in the back. There was a steady amount of customers coming and going around 9pm on a Tuesday evening (always a good sign). My go-to order at an Ethiopian restaurant is the veggie combo. I came here with a friend, so we decided to share a veggie combo and meat dish. We went with the #18 Regular veggie combo (4 items; $12.75) and #50 Habesha Tibs (lamb, medium well; $17.25). The dishes were reasonably priced - we got both for $30 total (before tip and tax) - which is really reasonably priced! There are definitely pricier Ethiopian options in DC. I like how we were able to change out the sides for our order. The veggie combo typically comes with spicy lentils, yellow peas, collard greens, and the house salad. We were able to swap out the house salad for the shiro (orange chickpea stew). The lamb entree also came with the house salad and we swapped it out for the mild lentils. When placing the order, the cashier was mindful to ask if wanted to share the two entrees on the same platter or have them served separately (we were fine sharing, so we got it all on the same tray). The cashier was also helpful with answering any questions that we had about the menu. Our food was ready in about 10 minutes. We picked it up at the counter (after our order buzzer went off), and it was a platter of our veggie and lamb entrees with a side of giant injera. The injera was thicker than I'm used to, but still had the traditional texture and flavor. From the sides, I liked the spicy lentils, mild lentils, and collard greens the best - in that order. I found the flavor of the sides overall to be lacking - I know some Ethiopian food can be spicy, so I'm not looking to set my mouth on fire, but I do like Ethiopian food with more punch in terms of spices. The lamb was good but it didn't blow me away. I've had better lamb dishes at other Ethiopian spots. I think the food is more of a 3.5, but I'll round up for the value.

This was an unexpected but amazing find. After my original dinner plans with my girlfriend…read moreunexpectedly shifted I decided to refer to a recent list that was shared with me, and this spot came up. It wasn't too long since I had last had ethiopian, but I only have it a few times a year. So I was pretty excited. Once we got there, there was only one of the party inside, and it had the usual delightful decor. We got to choose where we wanted to sit and we browse the menu. We were curious about whether the honey wine was on the sweeter or dryer side, and the lady taking care of us was kind enough to let us taste it before committing. We decided to share a bottle, and we decided to do a deluxe platter as well. That included six veggies and one protein of our choice. We decided on the lamb tibs. Everything came out, and it was all fantastic. I can count the times that I have had Ethiopian lamb, and this definitely did not disappoint. I missed having beats, but I did really love the lentils. Honestly, I'm surprised I hadn't heard of this spot before. The food was fantastic and I'm looking forward to returning sometime.

Your standard Ethiopian restaurant that offers classic fare at reasonable prices. When in DC, I…read morealways try to get Ethiopian, and it always seems to come from a place where I have to take stairs down (NYC included) oddly enough. I went with the Abuare lamb tips, which were a bit spicy with the jalapeno, but packed full of flavour. It came as a set meal, but only with daal, which I was sad about at first but it was more than enough food to fill me up. The injera was plentiful and the lamb was tender and perfectly seasoned. Service was uncharacteristically good, but that might just be because it was off hours, but regardless, I was appreciative.

Been in DC for over 2 weeks visiting. During that time I have eaten at several locations, none of…read morewhich were repeated with the exception of Heat Da Spot. The food here is phenomenal. The coffee is out of this world. Above that, the family that runs the place is super friendly and inviting, you feel like you are family when you walk in the door. Not sure what to order? They are more than happy to offer some suggestions. Next time I'm in DC, this is definitely the first place to stop. I will be missing the coffee when I am back home.

We ordered the Ethiopian breakfast with an extra sambosa and added beef tibs. The sambosas were…read moreabsolutely amazing! Definitely our favorite part. The Ethiopian style breakfast is just scrambled eggs, and the beef was an extra cost. It was definitely very pricey ($40), with the beef being $9 add on for not that much beef. Friendly and quick service but probably would try a more meat forward dish next time! Ambiance is more for takeout but there's some seating inside!