Ethiopic

Excellent Ethiopian dining experience! We were seated quickly. The décor is modern and clean but inviting and warm. We ordered the sampler vegetarian platter with 7 different dishes and the beef and chicken sampler. It was more food than four of us could eat. Each dish was distinctive. The two lentil dishes had different flavors and textures. My boys enjoyed eating with their hands. Our water glasses were always full because the service was attentive.

I really wanted to love Ethiopic. It shows up on all sorts of «best restaurants in DC» lists. The service is decent. The venue is nice. However, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that it was somewhat neutered Ethiopian food. Compared to a lot of other Ethiopian restaurants in the city, it’s more expensive, has smaller portions, and is less well-​spiced. I’d recommend it if you’re new to Ethiopian food and aren’t a big fan of very spicy things, but otherwise there are far better Ethiopian restaurants in the city.

I“m downgrading them. The service here leaves something to be desired. The food is decent. Not the best, but ok. The greens leave something to be desired. The portion sizes seem to be getting smaller. They won’t give you samples of anything, which is annoying. But the biggest thing is that twice now, in the middle of conversation I’ve paid the bill and never got change back. Several other people have commented on this and if you’re not paying attention and having a good time with your company, you may end up tipping 100%. They are not responsive after the fact. Not cool.

I love Ethiopian food and being in DC it was a necessary stop for me. I really loved the ambiance of this place. i would say its a really great date spot. The servers were all really nice and everyone had a smile on their face. I had the veggie sampler and it was amazinggggg there was not one thing i did not like. I got it with the fish. so so good! Prices were reasonable as well!

What a fun place to eat! We stuffed ourselves. Ordered the vegetarian sampler with fish and beef and chicken wot sampler. It was all tasty. Everyone’s favorite was the fried croaker fish. So crispy you could almost eat the bones. Intimate setting in fun area.

Ethiopic in my opinion was a good introduction to Ethiopian cuisine. The ambiance they set at night with the dimly almost romantic lighting and the warm neutral colors created a comfortable environment.
The service was very good. Our waiter was very attentive and checked on us frequently to make sure we had everything we needed and enjoyed ourselves.
The food was wonderful. What intrigued me about the style of eating with Ethiopian cuisine was the lack of utensils. Instead you use this spongy type of flatbread that has a taste that reminded me a bit of sourdough. Not having a fork or knife was not an issue as long as I didn’t try to overstuff the bread.
It definitely can be done as individual meals, but we found it was best for table space to do family style. We ordered the vegetarian sampler I and
Minchet Abish Aletcha Wot, a spiced beef. If you are thinking about ordering a meat dish, I would also suggest ordering something vegetarian.
I can now see why everyone raves about this restaurant, it was worth the hype.

DC has a lot of Ethiopian restaurants, but this one in particular shines. The dishes are rich and complex and perfectly seasoned, at times with a nice compliment of spice. The lunch portions were also perfectly sized and service was great.
Skip the rest; this is truly one of DC’s best. I will certainly be dining here on my next trip in town and will be dreaming of all the delicious flavors until then.

Delicious hole in the wall extremely economical friendly restaurant. We were blown away by the delicious meet and veggie combination platter for two which was more than enough food for the both of us. Delicious mid and top shelf drinks at very reasonable prices as well

Too dark, too loud, overpriced for what you get. Not very good. In my opinion everything was too sour. I got the spicy chicken and my friend got collard green. They were both really sour and had a weird taste to it that I couldn’t explain. The worst part was that the squishy bread thing was sour too. Sour on sour was too much for me and my friend. The only good thing was that there was a lot of food. Too much for us to finish or want to finish.

Came here last night on a date and was wowed by the food, service and ambience.
It’s the perfect date spot. Dimmed lighting and our table had a little bit of privacy to it, which we loved bc we were able to communicate without distraction.
We ordered the Veggie Sampler 2, which is definitely for at least 2 people, if not 3. Everything on there was delicious. I also noticed the perfect amount of seasoning, any other Ethiopian restaurants I’ve been to lack that.
I will 100% be back.

My colleague and I spent an hour on the train contemplating where to go to dinner near Union Station. We went to Ethiopic based on its Unilocal page but I am absolutely fascinated by the rave reviews. It’s not the best Ethiopian food in DC. The décor and ambiance are exquisite but the food was just ok. The greens didn’t knock me out. The yellow split peas were average. The potatoes were undercooked. And the portion sizes? They were ridiculously small. We spent $ 51.00 on food for two people and we left Ethiopic hungry. My colleague ordered Doro Wot and the boiled egg was larger than the two small pieces of chicken she was given. And my vegetarian platter? Well, the presentation of the dishes made it look like nice but there was so little good served on this $ 18 platter. We were so disappointed and I regretted not catching a cab across town for a better meal.
This place is over-​priced. As a foodie and lover of African foods, I felt betrayed. We left that restaurant hungry and disappointed. One of the benefits of gentrification is that it brings new business to an area providing more options, but one of the many downsides is that it often leads to a watered down cultural experience. Next time I’m in DC I won’t take any short cuts and I’ll go out of my way to get to the Ethiopian restaurants that provide respectable serving sizes and high caliber food.
We felt a little weird when we sat there and realized they were playing classical music. We wondered where the Ethiopian music was… that was the first red flag. The staff was kind and friendly. The ambiance was really cool. The décor is great. The food? Well… I won’t go back to Ethiopic.

Overpriced food, average service and atmosphere nothing special whish I went to Axum. The 2 person meat plate was enough for one although $ 10 more than I have ever seen it priced. The server may have expected a bigger tip, maybe that’s why they took back my opentable points. I should remove a star for that, but that’ll make me just as petty as this restaurant. I shall not return again.

Washington D.C. has a ton of Ethiopian restaurants, and this one is by far at the top of the spectrum!
The food: authentic, extremely delicious, well-​portioned, and reasonably priced. I would highly recommend the vegetarian sampler and Awaze Tibs to share between 2 people. You’ll get to experience a variety of flavors and won’t feel uncomfortably full by the end of the meal.
The Service: I don’t think I’ve been to any restaurant that has shown a greater amount of empathy towards its customers. My girlfriend’s stepmom is vegan and also had a variety of temporarily allergies at the time of ordering, which made her options extremely limited. Upon disclosing this information, our waitress coordinated with the kitchen and arranged for the head chef to prepare something personalized just for her! Many restaurants would not want (or think) to put forth that level of effort just to satisfy one customer customer, but this is what differentiates Ethiopic and makes it a truly special establishment!

The signature beef was fantastic. The lamb was great, we didn’t order it spicier because we read a review that said the mild was very spicy, but we should have ordered it spicier. Everyone’s idea of spicy is different but it was not spicy at all for us. The service was awesome. The restaurant was clean and decorated nicely. We sat in a window seat that was fun to watch the people walking by. I definitely recommend trying this spot!

I just think this place is close to perfect! Simple, calm, atmosphere. Great food. A place to enjoy and unwind. You should try it!

Such a fan of Ethiopic! I came with a friend, who is Ethiopian and he said this place is authentic (though not as good as his mom’s home-​cooking… duh!). We got the Doro Key Wot, Awaze Tibs, and the Signature Shiro– all wonderful! The waitress warned me that the Doro Key Wot is spicy, but we opted for it anyway and I didn’t find it too spicy at all… definitely suggest it over the milder version.
What I really liked about Ethiopic is that they bring out the Injera and all of the dishes in separate plates and then the waitress plated everything onto our injera in front of us as she was explaining each dish (to me). Everything was full of flavor and really really yummy. The spice was just what we needed on a cold night! I will say that 3 dishes ended up being a lot of the two of us, so watch out for big portions.
The only complaint I have is that the staff wasn’t as attentive as I would have liked. Ie. they brought us the check before we asked for it and I was planning on ordering a hot tea.

Currently the best Ethiopian in DC. Not a slight to Etete or Dukem (both great) but this place was superior. I’m eager to return.

Ethiopic is, by far, the best Ethiopian I’ve had in D.C., both in terms of the quality of the food and in terms of the atmosphere.
Ethiopic is a fairly nice Ethiopian joint on H Street that, by my estimation, is the nicest Ethiopian place in D.C. The interior is super chic and clean, service is superb (shout-​out to Mimi (sp?), a phenomenal waitress), and the prices are absolutely reasonable for the high quality of the food.
I tried the Butcha (chickpeas), Timatim (diced tomatoes and jalapenos), Ethiopic Signature Tibs (basically just lamb tibs) and the Ethiopic Signature Kitfo (basically raw beef tartare that was heavily seasoned). All were absolutely amazing. The Butcha and Timatim were great appetizers in that they were light and extremely flavorful, though I’ll note that the Timaitim was little more than very light salsa. The Tibs and Kitfo were just outright excellent — the tibs were the best I’ve ever had, and the Kitfo was superbly seasoned for being little more than a mix of raw meat and spices. Both dishes were delicious in a way that was both unique and comforting — there’s nothing I tried here that I wouldn’t have even the most picky eaters try.
Needless to say, I ate myself full here, would recommend every dish I tried, and will definitely be coming back.

Pros:
None 2 speak of
Cons:
Pricy
Food quality & taste
Ambience
Service (absolutely horrible!)
Overall impressions:
If you know Ethiopian food… This ain’t the place.
If you don’t know Ethiopian food, it doesn’t matter. Food wad terrible, overpriced, & very Americanized!
For the real deal, try Enat in Alexandria, VA.

What an experience! Brought our kids here-16,12,9 and they LOVED it. We all did! The food was great, the service was great and it was a busy Saturday night. Highly recommend.

This is as my first experience with Ethiopian food and I enjoyed it. I was skeptic at first because I was unfamiliar, but it was quite different and quite delicious. Get the platter and definitely the side of lamb. Mmmmmm.

I finally convinced my husband to break out of the box and try some Ethiopian food. Thankfully Ethiopic did not disappoint and we both walked (rolled, really) out very full and very satisfied.
Ethiopic is very small so you’ll need a reservation. We both ordered salads but I guess we didn’t realize salads in Ethiopian cuisine is pretty much the same as the entrees. Our ‘salad’ also came at the exact same time as our main course which was disappointing.
If you’ve never had Ethiopian before it is best to order a sampler which will give you a variety of different meat dishes to try. The bread is amazing but so filling. One sampler is more than enough food for two people, probably three.
The only downside was the service. We waited a really long time for our food and they were pretty slow about filling drinks, etc.

Based on my great review of Ethiopic several years ago, two of my friends suggested that we meet there for dinner on a Friday night. This restaurant has been hailed as the best Ethiopian in the city by the critics (including me!) so it seemed like an easy choice.
The atmosphere is always nice as they certainly cornered the market in terms of an upscale Ethiopian restaurant. You can sit and watch people on the street as you sip wine in their nice dining room and listen to recorded piano music. Their wine selection isn’t bad either — I mean it is just a few wines, but some are pretty good. I really enjoyed a glass of the Meritage from California.
There isn’t much choice at an Ethiopian restaurant. You either choose from a few specific dishes or you get a sampler of all of them. Of course, we wanted a sampler of all of them! Since only two of us wanted everything spicy hot, they brought us some berbere spice and sauce, which was truly amazing. Unfortunately, our meal was not. The Gomen was perhaps the most disappointing with its dry collard green leaves in a mild sauce with little flavor. The Fosolia, which no longer has mushrooms, was good and different as it consisted of caramelized green beans, onions, and carrots. The Dinich Wot, curried potato, didn’t have much curry spice at all. The Shimbra Asa Wot — spicy chickpeas with a dumpling were fine as were the Kik Aletcha yellow split peas, Miser Wot split lentils in berbere sauce, and Tikile Gomen — cabbage and potatoes.
Two years ago I was raving about this place so I have to say this was a complete let down. The food wasn’t bad, but it certainly wasn’t «the best Ethiopian in DC» good. In fact, other Ethiopian restaurants would shine next to this meal that before I would have considered not as good as Ethiopic. Did they lose their chef? I don’t know what happened, but I hope they improve. Otherwise, they won’t be seeing me and my friends there in the near future. I guess it’s back to Dukem for me.

My husband and I have gone to Ethiopic a number of times. It was my first introduction to Ethiopian in the city, and a great option while I was vegetarian.
Ethiopic was one of the first higher end restaurants to come to H Street and now it’s a fixture in the area.
The vegetarian sampler is delicious and filling. I highly recommend it. The fish «extra» that you can get is literally a whole grilled fish that is quite tasty. It is also only 2 dollars extra on top of an already extremely good deal.
The shiro is excellent and worth the extra money. It’s basically a pureed chickpea stew that is slightly soupy. You can dip your injera into it and it is delicious!
We also ordered a variety of meat dishes, which were good as well. I don’t have any specific recommendations here, but generally, if it says that it’s a signature dish, it will be worth trying.
The service was a bit off, and there was some confusion about what we ordered and such which is partially why it loses one star. Moreover, for Ethiopian food, if you’re looking for better food at a much cheaper price, I recommend Zenebech Injera on 9^th street. They even have authentic teff injera, which is actually hard to find in DC. Most injera is made with wheat flour now, so if you’re celiac, I would recommend clarifying with the waitress.

Definitely more a fan of the look and feel of Ethiopic than I was of the food but that isn’t always a bad thing. I like the layout from the almost full length glass and bay windows, to the cozy decorations, Ethiopic has a warm and inviting décor.
The staff adds to the welcoming environment as everybody was friendly. They make sure to keep tabs on you throughout your meal to make sure you have everyhting you need. They also don’t hound you like some other places and make you feel like you’re just a table to turn if you don’t spring from your seat the moment the bill comes and the check is paid. You really feel as though they value you as a customer and appreciate your business.
Food was just okay to me, normally I hate anything vegetarian just on principle but their vegetarian sampler which also comes with fish was actually the best part of the meal. For the most part, the vegetables were afresh and well prepared, the potatoes were a little a bit under-​cooked and therefore on the hard side though. Fish was tricky at first but mainly because I was a little slow to figure out how to get the meat off the bones but once I crossed that hurdle, it was tasty as well.
I was mostly disappointed with my beef stew, twas a bit on the bland side and didn’t do anything to blow me away with flavor or kick. Probably the reason the majority of it was left in the bowl. Bartender also needs a lesson in what vodka and soda with a splash of cranberry as I got blood red cranberry juice with perhaps the splash of vodka.
Ethiopic didn’t do enough to blow me away but I still recommend if you’re a fan of this cuisine and looking for a nice spot with a great staff to try.

My friend who used to live in D.C. sent me here and I’m so glad she did! I was on a solo trip so I saddled up to the bar and ordered the veggie platter + side of fish for one.
The meal started with a basket of bread with a great dipping sauce. Then came the beautiful plate of food! I loved the yellow curry lentils, collard greens and tomato salad. My palate had a hard time loving the red lentils. The fish was perfectly cooked and was a great meat option to go with the veggie plate.
The staff was friendly and absolutely lovely.

Love love love love love this place!
The food is GREAT! In case people don’t know, because I didn’t, there is no silverware which is kind of great actually! They bring out a large plate with injera on it (I’m pretty sure that’s the name of the bread?) which you share with everyone at your table. It’s a great way to sample other people’s dishes! I had the Yebeg Alethcha Wot which was lamb simmered in a mild curry sauce and it was soooo good! My boyfriend got the Ethiopic signature tibs that were marinated and sauteed with onions, garlic, and jalapenos.
The restaurant is a bit smaller than I expected and it can get loud quickly but if that doesn’t bother you then no worries!
They also noticed on my ID that it was my birthday so they brought out a free dessert at the end of our meal! So kind!
This is a great place to try if you want to try Ethiopian food!

When you eat a certain cuisine often… It’s hard not to rate based on comparisons.
Ethiopic’s food tastes good. That’s because Ethiopian food is great. However, when I’m at an Ethipoian place… I’ve never said «what this place really needs is white tablecloths and the menu price to double». If you want white tablecloths… Go to Ethipoic. If you don’t require the higher end ambiance, go to Addis (couple blocks up H) or Zenebech (where the cab drivers turned me onto near Howard Theater)

I am a novice with Ethiopian food, but I was pretty pleased with Ethiopic. The vegetarian combo I got included an appealing and diverse mix of stews with lentils, split peas, potatoes, and cabbage, plus a tomato salad in the middle. The Americanized injera, apparently mixed wheat and teff, was spongy and very filling, but easy on the tastebuds. Occasional jalepenos made an impact as well. There was plenty of bread to dip and mop up all the food. They had a decent-​sized array of vegetarian (vegan) choices on the menu and a couple of combo options.
It’s a messy experience (they did bring towelettes afterwards). The classic brick-​walled space was pleasant, though I pined for a more comfortable chair. At the end of the day, the price wasn’t low, but I was quite stuffed. Towards the west side of E street, it’s accessible to Union Station and NoMa, and you could definitely do worse than this in a neighborhood that isn’t the best for plant-​eaters.

We are big fans of Ethiopian cuisine and have tried quite a few Ethiopian restaurants in the DMV area. While are favorite places are in the U Street corridor, we wanted to give this place a try. Ethiopic is not your ordinary Ethiopian restaurant (bad customer service, crowded restaurants). Instead it is an upscale restaurant serving good Ethiopian food. I equate this to Rasika for Indian food if you know what I mean.
We stopped by with no reservation and were prepared to have our dinner by the bar. I strongly recommend reservations for this place since it is generally always packed. We were lucky that a tabled opened up before our food was served at the bar!
The service here is good — quick and attentive which makes the experience that much better :)
Food is good too — almost flawless. The injera was thin and fresh :)
We ordered Doro Wat, Lamb Tibs and Veg Sample #1. Most of the food was way better than other Ethiopian restaurants except a couple of misses.
The lamb tibs, though flavorful, was cooked a tad bit too much rendering about half the meat pieces to be too chewy for our liking.
Some of the potatoes in the veg potato dish were almost raw and not edible.
The rest of the meal, as mentioned before, was flawless!
Ethiopic is definitely a jewel in the crown for good Ethiopian food with good service. But that comes with a higher price tag that what you would expect for Ethiopian food.

Hello Ethiopia!
I’m a big fan of Ethiopian food and I’ve had some good Ethiopian before… but this place scores it in many levels. I’ve been here only once and I have to tell you this place is absolutely fantastic!
The restaurant it self is so cute and modern. The waitresses were amazingly nice, friendly, smiling, joking with us. And very, very attentive.
The quality of food was great! Fresh, Well spiced, well presented and delicious.
The menu has a variety of vegetarian combo. Perfect for vegans! And reasonable price!
Can’t wait to come back again!