Ethiopian Restaurants in Washington, DC

“The food is wonderful. We always eat here when we come up from Richmond, VA. The staff is great as well.“

“very tasty Ethiopian dishes and very good atmosphere also excellent services!!!!“

“I stopped in with friends before a event Sunday evening. The staff was warm and welcoming. I had the lentil sambusas and a peanut-infused coffee at the staff’s recommendation. The food was fast and delicious- the sambusas were warm and spicy, and the peanut coffee was delicious! In a kind gesture, the chef sent over a sampling of sushi to our table. Fresh and refreshing, the sushi was a nice complement to my sambusas and hot beverage. I’m not on this side of town often, but now I have a reason to come back.“

“Go. Now. If it’s closed, just wait outside til it opens and thank me later. I CANNOT recommend them higher. The food was absolutely phenomenal. Portion sizes that can feed 2-3 people. Ridiculously delicious food. Great prices… and most outstanding THE SERVICE! The lady running the place was quite simply one of the kindest sweetest souls you’ll ever meet, took care of us like we were part of the family and honestly was just incredible.“

“Came here for dinner and it was amazing! From the service to the food, everything was wonderful. First time trying Ethiopian food and it did not disappoint. The food was very flavorful and the presentation was great! I highly recommend this place and I will definitely come back next time I am in DC. Truly thank you for a wonderful dinner experience! Would give a 1000 stars if I could.“

“Excellent food and atmosphere. The bartenders were also super chill and make really creative drinks. Recommend the honey wine!“

“I recently visited Letena while on a visit to D.C. from Israel. Amazing food! Great option for those who keep kosher...just ask the super helpful staff about specific preparations. Loved their injera! I often find injera too sour for my personal tastes, but this injera was wonderful!“

“Our first time eating Ethiopian food, and we were blown away! The waitress was really nice and helpful when it came to recommending us what to try and for portion sizes (which are very generous by the way).
Food itself was nothing short of amazing, very good food, right level of spiciness (and we love spicy food). Lots of vegetarian options. We took the chicken and fish with the vegetarian combo and we highly recommend it. Tiramisu for dessert was also amazing!
This restaurant definitely deserves the good rating it has.“

“Rolled up to this restaurant with 9 folks from the west coast and asked for them to bring us the foods they like best (minus seafood). Oh boy was this a delicious meal. Honestly, I'm not from DC but this by far was the best Ethiopian food I've eaten. Everything was delicious and we all stuffed ourselves way too much. Thanks for the great meal!“

“Great solo dining experience tonight! Beza was an incredibly helpful server, and recommended the fried fish which was really flavorful and well seasoned. She even brought over samplers of the honey wine for me to try before ordering. The overall sampler for 1 was more than enough food, and the berbere chili oil that came with the bread is worth mentioning.“

“best ever!!“

“Got the meat combo for 2. Incredible value for about $30 before tax and tip and the best Ethiopian food I’ve ever had! Delicate meaty stews full of flavor without being too rich or salty. If more people knew about this place it’d probably be very crowded.“

“great food and service nice spot“

“This hidden little gem is outstanding! I’ve lived within a mile of this unassuming coffee shop/restaurant for years and wandered in today for the first time. What a treat! The coffee is the best I’ve ever tasted, and my breakfast of full with injera, was perfect 👌🏽😘“

“I went to the restaurant Monday night, even for a Monday night the place was packed. My wife and I ordered the special 1 and the special 3. The food was very delicious but the service was even extra ordinary! After our server realized my wife has a hearing problem, she tired to help us order by the few sign language she knows. She told my wife “Going out for dinner experience includes ordering food for yourself so I wanted you to part of it” which made my wife so emotional. By the end of our night we taught her some new sign languages which might help her for other customers. She was so friendly and patient even though the house was so packed. I’m so happy my wife had the experience she did. I didn’t know it met so much to my wife until I saw how happy her face was. I will definitely recommend it for people who have hard of hearing or family member. It will definitely make them happy they are part of the EXPERIENCE rather than sit there while other people order the food for them.“

“I’ve loved coming in and seeing the staff make the fresh coffee on Sunday from the pot. Such a refreshing aroma. I like their espresso coffee with steam milk .“

“The best, most authentic Ethiopian food in DC… pour up the homemade tej from the plastic soda bottle & taste the realness 🤤“

“Great experience. Definitely recommend combo platters to test the waters. Excellent service.“

“The food was good and approachable if a little spicy. We loved the short ribs.“

“We came for a weekday brunch. We ordered a breakfast sandwich and a spinach omelet. The delicious sandwich was on a beautiful grilled bagel, and the egg portion was generous as was the cheese. The omelet was stuffed full of saites spinach, mushrooms, sausage and cheese. It was served with homemade potatoes and toast. We finished the meal with a generous fruit cup that was also delicious. The only thing that would have made it better was eating on a real plate and not paper. However, the food is totally worth making this a regular stop!“

“I was rooming round in DC and saw this restaurant so we decided to go dine in, the very welcoming server made eye contact and showed us our table gave menu, come back to take our order also suggested that I should try sautéed Lamb onions, tomatoes and potato wedges with Engera or freshly backed bread I took the suggestion order Lamb. While waiting for my food I turned to see dine areas the atmosphere was great, the Lamb was cooked Beautifully and the portion was large so I asked to go parcel, definitely I would suggest this restaurant and when I go back DC I would love to visit the restaurant again.“

“Best Ethiopian Restaurante in Town! I recomendar this place“

“The best coffee in Washington, DC! The staff is professional, friendly, and provides excellent service. I always enjoy coming here—the atmosphere is welcoming, and the experience is consistently outstanding. I love this place and highly recommend it!“

“So authentic and tasty. yummy and feels like herby spicy. thank you“

“Fantastic food. The crab rice was amazing!“

“Authentic Ethiopian restaurant in Washington, DC. The food is very tasty. I’m really happy to have the opportunity to try a different culture’s cuisine without having to travel far. I’ve visited many times because my curiosity keeps bringing me back to explore more of their dishes. I love it every time.“

“Everytime I have visited Qategna, the service and atmosphere is always excellent. This is a great place for groups or even those looking for a more private experience. Also they have great happy hour prices for hookah and drinks if you're looking to save some money. There's also have plenty of parking available.“

“The capuccino was amazing! We dont live around here so our usual coffee shops are like starbucks, etc. We tried this place because it was near our destination and it was amazing! It was what we call real coffee. The customer service was great, the workers were so sweet and gave us recommendations on what to order. Its a cute bookstore and meeting place with ethiopian food and coffee. Definitely recommend if you want some real coffee or something different than your usual starbucks.“

“Take out spot right by 9:30 club and Andy’s in Shaw. If you walk fast enough you’ll miss it. I got the Hot Chicken 2 piece which was a 9/10 and a side of fries that were at 7/10. A bit pricey like $17 for a 2 piece and side. Overall recommend this spot for sure, chicken was tender and juicy, everything came out piping hot. The flavors and spice levels were on point as well.“

“Very chill vibe. Me and my sisters went during the day on a Saturday and it was a great grown adult atmosphere. DJ came in the last hour we were there and that set it off even more. Glad we came when we did. Wasn’t a crowd and had plenty of room to sit and dance.“