The food was delicious. We got the vegan platter to try all the vegan options. We got takeout and they outdid themselves. The portions were good sized and I love leftovers. I highly recommend this new restaurant especially if you're vegan, but they had a lot of non-vegan options too. Everything is nicely labeled vegan! read more

I dined in for the soft opening and ordered takeout last night and I stand firm this is the BEST Ethiopian food and I've been a fan for twenty years. My friends and I had the vegetable combo platter, the chicken dish (doro wat) and the beef tibs. The flavors of each dish were balanced, clean on my palette (not greasy), and served on traditional platters to share. From a hospitality standpoint, the owners were spot on welcoming each customer with warmth and grace. I will absolutely be a regular patron and highly recommend giving Yenya a try. read more

Yenya Bet Migeb - Vegetable platter, doro wat (chicken) - Ethiopian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

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The restaurant is still in its soft opening, and it is doing a great job attracting locals from Frederick. There isn't a closer Ethiopian restaurant in this part of MD from my understanding, so it's a joyful and delicious addition. The menu is very friendly to many diets as they have a vegan section and a meat section, as well as gluten free injera. The decor is thoughtfully accompanying the dining experience. The space is a good size for the restaurant, but I feel that as it becomes more popular, it will be difficult to get a table as there feels to be room for comfortably seating 10-12 different parties/ groups of people. They do have window seating instead of bar seating if you're dining solo or just would prefer that style of seat. My friend and I both ordered the vegan deluxe sampler, which said included all the vegan dishes, except ours did not have any salad. We also both ordered the gluten free injera. It was fresh and just the right texture, though I do prefer a richer fermented flavor and a little more substance than just above crepe-thickness. I felt like the price difference for the deluxe sampler was not worth it because each sampler had 8 items, when the regular vegan combination has 7 items - $6 for one more item. If you note the prices of the sides, it would actually have been cheaper to order the regular vegan combination and add a side of shiro or key sir (the beets) for five more dollars. Also, I love Ethiopian food for several reasons, and since they were not all met, that's the reason for 4 stars instead of 5. One of the reasons I love Ethiopian food is the rich, warm flavors of the spices - this is definitely something the food here will happily deliver. The key sir had a lovely lemony seasoning, the shiro wot was perfectly seasoned and not too runny or salty, the fosolia had a freshness to the green beans and carrots most notably in the simple flavors but bold colors to denote not having been overcooked or stewed too long, the alicha kik had a nice mild seasoning that was subtle but present to complement the natural richness of yellow split peas, the yedifin misir was also a delicately seasoned dish done just right, and the yemisir wot had the best spicy kick of them all, though by no means was it fire-raging hot in your mouth, just enough kick. The two greens - gomen and tikil gomen were also delicately flavored to complement the greens themselves. I also love Ethiopian food because it is good for you with so many different nutrition needs being met with the lentils/chickpeas, greens, teff injera and spices like turmeric and ginger. This was also definitely happily satisfied. Folks who work at Ethiopian restaurants are generally kind, patient and helpful. That was the case here, too. They made us feel welcome and appreciated. However, it was a little confusing about when to order in terms of would someone take our order or do we go to the register. It was equally confusing about payment, but this one was the go to the register while the former order placement someone came to take our order. A little strange, but nothing too off-putting. So, what brings it to just four stars? Well, I am pretty sure no one believes that when you order a sampler/ messob/ combination that every dish is made from scratch. That being said, I do expect that the food is hot. My food was not hot, and it being summer, might have been nice, but, I like my food hot. It felt like the food was either not reheated to the proper temperature or was simply left waiting too long before it was brought to us. All of it was lukewarm at best (beets were cool, not cold). I've ordered delivery from places where the food is hotter. Again, soft opening, but food temperature is kind of a big deal for several reasons including making sure it's heated to the right temperature to kill off anything that shouldn't be there. We didn't get sick or anything, I just expect hot food to be hot, especially if I'm charged $29.95 before tax and tip. In addition, I guess I am a glutton and eat a lot. I like leftovers from my meals, and this is generally the case for my Ethiopian restaurant dinners. This was most certainly not the case for this restaurant. In my mind, ordering a sampler with eight different dishes on it sounds like it's going to lead to leftovers. To my dismay, I did not have leftovers. Each dish was certainly present, but I expect more food on a sampler, even though it's for one person. This is just par for the course when I order Ethiopian food for dinner. Sadly to say, my gluttonous self was sorely disappointed that I would have no leftovers. However, if you are not a glutton and have a normal appetite, you will probably be just fine and likely have leftovers! Just had to explain my gluttonous reasoning for lifting off a star. All in all, I am happy Frederick has this place and hope that with time they will fix the food temperature. Cost wise - I would likely go somewhere else. read more

Frederick hasn't had an Ethiopian restaurant for many years. Based on what I saw and ate last night, I really, REALLY hope Yenya will "live long and prosper". The space has been many restaurants over the years. The overall layout hasn't changed, but the decor has really improved. And the people - apparently all family members - were super friendly and knowledgeable. They should be; they said that their mother (owner and cook) has fed them the same delicious food since they were young' uns. I ordered the sampler: two meat tibs and a selection of vegetarian dishes served on (and with) injera bread. So, so good! Spice levels were mild enough that Spousal Unit (who was having dinner with friends at another restaurant) would have no trouble enjoying the food. I entered the restaurant planning on taking leftovers home. That plan fell by the wayside as I scarfed it all down. Yum! I'm a committed carnivore. I watched another patron enjoying their Goden Tibs (a big chunk of beef rib) I'm already planning my next order. Yenya is currently going through its soft opening so I was expecting it to be pretty empty. It was not; every table was filled, and a steady stream of customers kept it that way. Here's hoping that the numbers continue! read more

It was our first time here since they opened recently and the food was sooo good! The staff was nice and everyone seemed to having a great time. I can't wait to go again! read more

Yenya Bet Migeb - Vegan platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

So happy to have Ethiopian back in frederick! No complaints. Food, service and ambiance were all great. read more

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The food was absolutely amazing! We started with the delicious sambusas, followed by the Tour of Ethiopia for four, which was an incredible way to experience a variety of flavors. We topped it all off with Italian Rum Cake and tiramisu for dessert. Every bite was outstanding--the food is truly unforgettable! read more

Excellent customer service delicious flavorful food. The pallet is beautiful once put together.

Absolutely best treat in many years! The service was outstanding. The food was perfect. I got the" Signature Vegan Mesob" . I have a high standard- This is my favorite food OF ALL TIME. It was perfectly spiced and fresh!!! So good. Frederick is so lucky to have a business this joyful and thoughtful. Thank you to the entire team, and Ruby, for bringing this food to the community. My new Frederick fav! So delicious. read more

Yenya Bet Migeb - Signature Vegan Mesob - Ethiopian Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

Very pleasant server, even though the restaurant was full and she was very busy. I ordered Kik Alicha (yellow chickpeas) and Gomen (collard greens) and they were both very good. My Ethiopian wife agreed. read more

Unfortunately, this was one of the most disappointing Ethiopian meals I've had. The sambusa was unpleasant and came with a sauce on the side, which I found odd. The doro wot was extremely bland and tasted more like tomato sauce than the rich, deeply spiced dish I was expecting. The veggie platter wasn't any better. Everything lacked seasoning and flavor. The beans tasted powdery and bland. The beets were raw and pickled in a way I really did not enjoy. The service made the experience worse. Our server was rude, inattentive, and forgetful throughout the meal. For the price, poor service, and overall lack of flavor, I absolutely would not return. I was genuinely shocked by how disappointing the entire meal was. If you don't have taste buds, this is the place for you. read more

The service first. Lack of common sense and attention. They tried to sit 4 of us at a tiny table barely big enough to hold a platter much less drinks we had to ask to put two tables together and had to actually ask again for her to take our drink order while we were looking over the menu she was just standing around at the counter. Second the food. What we liked was good, the rest was left untouched and wasted. They do not allow you to build your own platter within a reasonable price so we did the Tour platter and they refused any substitutions. Like the four of us were each going to take a bite off a single chicken leg lol. We have been to several Ethiopian restaurants over the years and have never been told you get what the chef wants to give you. All the other restaurants allow to CHOOSE 3 vegetables that are INCLUDED with each meat dish. We were so happy to have a close by one in Frederick but it looks like we will have to keep driving to DC area to to enjoy this unique cuisine. Sad face. read more

Oh man, it's so good. The vegan platter was a perfect way to sample the veggie dishes and the beef tibs were delicious. I can't wait to return and try other offerings. Thank you Yenya for bringing Ethiopian cuisine to Frederick! I don't have to trek all the way to MoCo now. read more

Excellent and flavorful food with lots of Vegan options. Friendly and efficient service. It's great to have good Ethiopian cuisine in Frederick again! read more