The Best Ethiopian Restaurants Around D.c.

Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant just celebrated 30 years on U Street NW. | Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Where to feast on spicy stews, lentils, and spongy injera

Ethiopian food is an integral part of D.C.’s restaurant scene. Initially rooted around “Little Ethiopia” at the intersection of Ninth and U Streets NW, the region’s expansive Ethiopian community continues to spread out to parts of Northern Virginia and Maryland. Silver Spring hosts the D.C. area’s biggest Ethiopian cultural festival once a year.

D.C.’s iconic Ethiopian mainstays like Beteseb and Habesha continue to set the standard with classic dishes like beef tibs, doro wot, and soft, stretchy, and sour injera. Family-run Dukem got a needed business boost after TikTok food influencer Keith Lee visited the D.C. location last year.

Shaw standout Chercher is on an expansion tear as of late, with additional openings in Bethesda and Columbia Heights. Options for Ethiopian food only continue to grow and improve with time. This month, acclaimed chef Elias Taddesse unveiled a permanent Shaw home for his berbere-spiced chicken (Doro Soul Food) and burgers remixed with Ethiopian flavors (Mélange DC). Here are 15 destinations for the best ayib, sambusas, coffee ceremonies, and kitfo around the DMV.

For this latest map refresh, we add: pandemic-era arrival Family Ethiopian Restaurant, Elfegne, and Yeshi Kitfo; for now, we say goodbye to Heat Da Spot Café and Keren Cafe & Restaurant (as well as now-closed Zenebech). — additional reporting by John Besche