First time trying Ethiopian cuisine. Not sure what authentic Ethiopian food should taste like but they’re version tastes pretty good to a first timer like me. got the 50/50 and the waitress suggested a mix of red (spicier) and yellow (milder) sauces dishes. the waitresses were extremely friendly and welcoming. great service!
Jasmine Shelton
It was pretty open the night we came in, And where is that immediately. By looking at the menu, without hesitation immediately decided To order the combo which included four veggies and four minutes. I decided to go with the collard greens, the puréed chickpeas, the tomatoes, and the red lentils. I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish it, but, by the end of it I was actually hoping for more injera. Great prices, great beef and chicken. Interior is nothing special but it’s those places that are always the best. Based in AdMo I’d recommend this place to anyone visiting DC and he’s looking to get our ‘little Ethiopia’ experience!
BrendanWynn1
Food is delicious with reasonable portions, Teff injera is just right. Staff are attentive but not fussy. Every selection has always been tasty.
Ruth Bonacci
This restaurant is fabulous! We started by ordering an appetizer called Lentils Sambusa. It was a little turnover with a great sauce on the side. My husband and I ordered one for each of us. Then, we ordered two main dishes and four vegetable sides. They were all served on one platter over injera. We also got injera on the side. Injera is crepe-like flatbread. You do not use silverware to eat from the platter. Instead, you tear off bits of injera and wrap it around small bites taken from the platter. For our main dishes we ordered Goden Tibs (fried short ribs) and Key Wot (spicy beef stew). Then we also ordered four vegetable sides: Ater (yellow lentils), Mesir (spicy red lentils), Gomen (spicy collard greens), and some beet mixture. We loved everything we ordered and we were quite full at the end of our meal. This is is tasty and different dining experience. Think of spicy as something flavorful like cardamon and ginger and not overly hot.The bill was quite reasonable. I would come back here if I ever come back to Washington D.C. again.
Callie Phelps
Had to wait quite a long time for our food, but it was TASTY. This was my first time eating Ethiopian food: everything came on one large platter that we shared and you eat everything with the sponge-like tortilla bread - injera. It was a fun experience!
Buff Maniscalco
One of my favorite places in a city filled with amazing restaurants. One draw back is that Washington does not allow raw beef, so the kitfo is lightly cooked. But it is also spiced to perfection.
VRMRB
Mediocre. There are excellent Ethiopian restaurants within a mile - Habesha on U Street and Latena in Columbia Heights. Food here is meant to cater to the drunk/high crowd in Adam’s Morgan where poorly made food served in large portions seems to be what sells.
kip
This place is bussin bussin. Went on my birthday and I got free food. I am now mad thick of food and I will be rolling home full of some top notch food. This food is great for sustaining a happy mood. I also had sprite with my food. 5 stars
Kiana D.
Went with my classmates after a conference, it was fast service and yummy meats and veggies. My only surprise was the injera (bread) was sort of cold, I expected it to be warmer. So that's the only reason for 4/5! PSA: order the derek tibs (not pictured) for sure!
Lulu L.
First and last time here. I've been to Ethiopia so I knew what to expect from Ethiopian cuisine. Service - thumbs down. When we arrived, I told the server it's only two of us, without checking, she right away pointed at the table outdoor and asked us to sit there. It was a chilly day and we preferred dinning in the restaurant instead of sitting outside on the side walk for dinner. I asked if we could sit indoor instead. Then I was told that I had to wait for a "long time" if we wanted a table indoor. So we agreed to sit outdoor. After being seated, I walked inside to use the bathroom and I saw a few empty tables in the restaurant. I asked another server if we could switch our seat from outdoor to indoor. That server said yes we could sit indoor! Why didn't they let us sit indoor at the very first place!? (It was only two minutes after we were told that we had to wait a long time for a table indoor.) Food - meh. We ordered a beef and a fish dish, they both came with injera. The fish was very salty as if it's salted fish. (They didn't mention it's salted fish on the menu, if it really was salted fish.) For the beef dish.. they gave us lamb. I told them I don't eat lamb, I wanted beef. The server asked "are you allergic to lamb?" I thought to myself does it matter whether I am allergic to lamb? I ordered beef and you should have given me beef. I was just asking them to give me what I actually ordered because I simply don't like lamb! Eventually we got the beef dish but it's just ok. Overall, never here again. Will try other Ethiopian restaurants in town though.
A delicious and abundant meal, not a bad wait even at peak time on a Saturday. Best meats were kitfo and derek tibs, best vegetables were red lentils and yellow lentils. Also loved the sambusas, flavorful and wonderfully crispy. When I go to DC, Ethiopian is what I want to eat, and this place hit all the spots.
Kevin N.
If you've never had Ethiopian food you need to change that! I've never had it before dining at Zenebech, but it's life changing. I've always been scared, but the flavors here are so good. The don't take reservations, but it does fill up quickly. I love that each order comes with 2 sides. It's a fun dining experience. Derek Tibs - The fried lamb is so good! I loved how spicy it was too. Kifto - Beef tartare with cheese. I am a huge tartare fan and I didn't know Ethopia's version of it was going to be one of my all time favorites. Alicha Doro Wot - The stew is super buttery and flavorful. I loved the boiled egg with it too. Make sure to eat the injera soaked with all the flavorful goodness at the end!
Suzie Z.
Second time here. Patronized with a friend visiting from the UK with her partner. The kitfo (4 veggies and 4 meats) is filling for all 3 of us, but I just wish that they could do refills for the tea pot. Although there seems to be fewer people coming in in the late evening, they seem to be in a rush to clear our table. We were still working on the last part of our meal and the owner came to stack our plates over it. Despite its relatively more extensive menu, I will still pick Keren over this spot any day.
sunflower35
My husband and I stopped in for dinner. We both enjoyed our meals very much, but the ribs on my husband’s meat choice with his meal was really just bone. My vegetarian option was good & the portions were average for the price. The house white wine was a pleasant surprise. The house red, not so much. Service was a bit slow but there seemed to not be enough staff to cover everything. Overall, nice dinner.
Rahel M.
Great spot for Ethiopian fare. I usually only enjoy home cooked food but this place brings the home cookin to you. Only feedback is, the hold of on the salt. Something's were salty.
First time trying Ethiopian cuisine. Not sure what authentic Ethiopian food should taste like but they’re version tastes pretty good to a first timer like me. got the 50/50 and the waitress suggested a mix of red (spicier) and yellow (milder) sauces dishes. the waitresses were extremely friendly and welcoming. great service!
It was pretty open the night we came in, And where is that immediately. By looking at the menu, without hesitation immediately decided To order the combo which included four veggies and four minutes. I decided to go with the collard greens, the puréed chickpeas, the tomatoes, and the red lentils. I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish it, but, by the end of it I was actually hoping for more injera. Great prices, great beef and chicken. Interior is nothing special but it’s those places that are always the best. Based in AdMo I’d recommend this place to anyone visiting DC and he’s looking to get our ‘little Ethiopia’ experience!
Food is delicious with reasonable portions, Teff injera is just right. Staff are attentive but not fussy. Every selection has always been tasty.
This restaurant is fabulous! We started by ordering an appetizer called Lentils Sambusa. It was a little turnover with a great sauce on the side. My husband and I ordered one for each of us. Then, we ordered two main dishes and four vegetable sides. They were all served on one platter over injera. We also got injera on the side. Injera is crepe-like flatbread. You do not use silverware to eat from the platter. Instead, you tear off bits of injera and wrap it around small bites taken from the platter. For our main dishes we ordered Goden Tibs (fried short ribs) and Key Wot (spicy beef stew). Then we also ordered four vegetable sides: Ater (yellow lentils), Mesir (spicy red lentils), Gomen (spicy collard greens), and some beet mixture. We loved everything we ordered and we were quite full at the end of our meal. This is is tasty and different dining experience. Think of spicy as something flavorful like cardamon and ginger and not overly hot.The bill was quite reasonable. I would come back here if I ever come back to Washington D.C. again.
Had to wait quite a long time for our food, but it was TASTY. This was my first time eating Ethiopian food: everything came on one large platter that we shared and you eat everything with the sponge-like tortilla bread - injera. It was a fun experience!
One of my favorite places in a city filled with amazing restaurants. One draw back is that Washington does not allow raw beef, so the kitfo is lightly cooked. But it is also spiced to perfection.
Mediocre. There are excellent Ethiopian restaurants within a mile - Habesha on U Street and Latena in Columbia Heights. Food here is meant to cater to the drunk/high crowd in Adam’s Morgan where poorly made food served in large portions seems to be what sells.
This place is bussin bussin. Went on my birthday and I got free food. I am now mad thick of food and I will be rolling home full of some top notch food. This food is great for sustaining a happy mood. I also had sprite with my food. 5 stars
Went with my classmates after a conference, it was fast service and yummy meats and veggies. My only surprise was the injera (bread) was sort of cold, I expected it to be warmer. So that's the only reason for 4/5! PSA: order the derek tibs (not pictured) for sure!
First and last time here. I've been to Ethiopia so I knew what to expect from Ethiopian cuisine. Service - thumbs down. When we arrived, I told the server it's only two of us, without checking, she right away pointed at the table outdoor and asked us to sit there. It was a chilly day and we preferred dinning in the restaurant instead of sitting outside on the side walk for dinner. I asked if we could sit indoor instead. Then I was told that I had to wait for a "long time" if we wanted a table indoor. So we agreed to sit outdoor. After being seated, I walked inside to use the bathroom and I saw a few empty tables in the restaurant. I asked another server if we could switch our seat from outdoor to indoor. That server said yes we could sit indoor! Why didn't they let us sit indoor at the very first place!? (It was only two minutes after we were told that we had to wait a long time for a table indoor.) Food - meh. We ordered a beef and a fish dish, they both came with injera. The fish was very salty as if it's salted fish. (They didn't mention it's salted fish on the menu, if it really was salted fish.) For the beef dish.. they gave us lamb. I told them I don't eat lamb, I wanted beef. The server asked "are you allergic to lamb?" I thought to myself does it matter whether I am allergic to lamb? I ordered beef and you should have given me beef. I was just asking them to give me what I actually ordered because I simply don't like lamb! Eventually we got the beef dish but it's just ok. Overall, never here again. Will try other Ethiopian restaurants in town though.
Restaurantji Recommends
A delicious and abundant meal, not a bad wait even at peak time on a Saturday. Best meats were kitfo and derek tibs, best vegetables were red lentils and yellow lentils. Also loved the sambusas, flavorful and wonderfully crispy. When I go to DC, Ethiopian is what I want to eat, and this place hit all the spots.
If you've never had Ethiopian food you need to change that! I've never had it before dining at Zenebech, but it's life changing. I've always been scared, but the flavors here are so good. The don't take reservations, but it does fill up quickly. I love that each order comes with 2 sides. It's a fun dining experience. Derek Tibs - The fried lamb is so good! I loved how spicy it was too. Kifto - Beef tartare with cheese. I am a huge tartare fan and I didn't know Ethopia's version of it was going to be one of my all time favorites. Alicha Doro Wot - The stew is super buttery and flavorful. I loved the boiled egg with it too. Make sure to eat the injera soaked with all the flavorful goodness at the end!
Second time here. Patronized with a friend visiting from the UK with her partner. The kitfo (4 veggies and 4 meats) is filling for all 3 of us, but I just wish that they could do refills for the tea pot. Although there seems to be fewer people coming in in the late evening, they seem to be in a rush to clear our table. We were still working on the last part of our meal and the owner came to stack our plates over it. Despite its relatively more extensive menu, I will still pick Keren over this spot any day.
My husband and I stopped in for dinner. We both enjoyed our meals very much, but the ribs on my husband’s meat choice with his meal was really just bone. My vegetarian option was good & the portions were average for the price. The house white wine was a pleasant surprise. The house red, not so much. Service was a bit slow but there seemed to not be enough staff to cover everything. Overall, nice dinner.
Great spot for Ethiopian fare. I usually only enjoy home cooked food but this place brings the home cookin to you. Only feedback is, the hold of on the salt. Something's were salty.