Dessie Ethiopian Restaurant and Market

Really good sri lankan food. I think this is the only place in MD you can get authentic sri lankan food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This review is in hopes they improve their business and not a way to trash them. The owners are incredibly kind.

Couple of my complaints:

Before I got there, I made sure they were open on Google, even though when I called them, there was no answer. Once I got there, I saw the sign said closed. Luckily I decided to call once more and the owner said they were indeed open and when I went back, the sign had been flipped to open. That's an annoyance and would leave open to losing customers.

The biggest complaint is the amount of time it took to receive the food. When I went in, he said it should take 30 minutes to make it all. This was fine. At the moment, I waited over an hour and a half for 3 dishes. I ordered the fish rolls ahead of time as an appetizer, which itself took about 20-30 minutes. The owner was friendly but didn't understand the meaning of time. He even made the excuse of thinking I'm not expecting the food at the moment and he thought I would be heading out and coming back later, but I clearly indicated that I wanted the appetizers now while I waited for the rest of the food.

As for the food itself, it was bland and mediocre. There was much left to be desired. I ordered 3 egg hoppers, I only received 2. I ordered 4 fish rolls, I only received 3. He even took my order down, so I'm confused how they got this mixed up.

I had to wait additional time because one of the entrees I had ordered, I requested beef but for some reason, he stated they made a pork version. This is completely unacceptable and just wasted time.

If you're asking yourself, why didn't I go to another restaurant? That is easy, because there is simply no sri lankan restaurants in abundance as they are quite scarce. So to find one seemed like a win! Unfortunately, it was far from a win.

I cannot recommend this restaurant as they still have much to learn in terms of its customers time and food preparation.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 3

This is been converted in to new management from Dessie Ethiopean to Dessie Lanka ,so it need time to get satand up well ,sure it will be ok very doon

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Really lovely and welcoming owner. They make some of my Sri Lankan childhood favorites. The hoppers are lovely and come with a really nice sweet onion (seeni sambol) and hot chili sauce. Fantastic kottu roti (Sri Lankan Street food). I wish they were in Baltimore!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Yesterday I got hoppers and Lunumiris.
Excellent food. 👍

Thank you very much to the Chef Mr. kuda who cooked the food.
And today I got pork curry cooked by cook Mr. Micheal. It’s very tasty 😋 and good customer service.

Food: 5

Service: 5

This is a nice place we enjoyed with multi authentic food dishes .specialy sri lankan food crispy hopper. Congratulations Dessie lanka

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Please beware of ordering ahead here. I placed a catering order a month in advance and placed an over $200 deposit. The owner asked me to REMIND her a week in advance was already questionable but when I got there, my food was not ready. She said it would be ready in five minutes and I waited an hour after the agreed upon time and it still wasn’t ready. I asked for my deposit back onto my card and she said she didn’t know how to do that. I ended up leaving and had to rush to get food from somewhere else as this was for a big event (which is why I ordered the food a month in advance). Do not order food from here as they’re extremely disorganized and will NOT have it ready on time

Service: 1

This review is based on hope that the management would improve and consider this as feedback and not as anyway to downgrade them as a business.

The food was some of the most disappointing food I’ve had in my life. I’ve had severe stomach issues. I really wish they keep the menu limited and improve on those limited items and make it quality. We had kothu and rice. Kothu was absolutely horrible and rice was 2/10. I hope you improve and I welcome everyone to give a chance, I’m hoping this was a one off thing and I will come back again later to support this new business.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 3

Caution 🚨Worst food I’ve ever eaten. Website says “authentic Sri Lankan restaurant” but the only authentic thing there was the chili paste. Kothu, fried rice, lamprise all of it was terrible. Honestly, nothing had the real Sri Lankan flavor or any flavor at all. If you actually love Sri Lankan food, don’t waste your time or money here. Stay away.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 2

Omg I remember when this was a terrible spot to go, but now with the new restaurant in place (and new owners!) it is the best sri lankan food I’ve had in my life. The food is flavorful and the portions are great. Very affordable as well.
Great atmosphere and amazing service!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great service, great food, and great atmosphere! Will definitely come again

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Never in my life have I had this happen. I ordered the veggie combo with 5 items. When I get my order, it only had 4 items and very scarce portions. I called the restaurant. I was told that because I had discounts on DoorDash and the restaurant only received half of the money, they only gave me half of the food. They said they didn’t add the discount to DoorDash. Well, neither did I! Very unprofessional. They will never get my business again.

I stopped by for a take out vegetarian lunch and it was superb. The injera was soft and flavorful. I made an audible noise of satisfaction eating the misir wot. That's just how good it was. The woman who greeted me and filled my order was very kind and quick. And the one vegetarian order was plenty for two lunches for me.

The restaurant randomly stops a service for online orders such as DoorDash and ubereat and wouldn’t notify customers. Terrible service, would not recommend anyone.

Hubby took me here for a special occasion lunch. It was a quiet hole in the wall place with DELICIOUS food. And the manager even went out of her way to demonstrate to us how to eat properly. We have been to Ethiopian restaurants many many times, and this was the first time someone went out of their way to improve our experience! Thank you!