Tigi’s Ethiopian Restaurant

The service is very personable and sincere, and the owner is a very sweet and nice lady. The food however was very disappointing. The food lacked flavor and did not seem fresh. The serving size is minuscule and the bread was hard to swallow (ironically). I do not want to offend anyone’s culture but I found the bread to be really sour and sponge-​gy, making it hard to eat. I barely ate half of my food before my stomach started to feel queasy. I appreciate the service but I will come back here and waste my money again.

Great Ethiopian food, good service and a fair price. We ordered a combo platter for two which came with chicken, lamb and beef plus three veggie sides. It came with 2 injera which was almost enough. There was a charge for additional injera. Our total was about $ 30 so it’s not cheap but the food was delicious. I will definitely be back.

The food was delicious, but they didn’t have the gluten free injera even though we called ahead to ask about it, so our guy with many food allergies had to get rice instead. That wouldn’t have been a big deal, except he had been super excited to go and be able to eat the injera. The service was friendly and good, but the place is pretty super divey with a weird, not the right kind of weird to be cool sort of television sign. I don’t know how else to describe it. Anyway, I would definitely go back, but if we ask ahead about the gf injera and they say they do but then don’t have it the next time, I won’t again.

This restaurant is amazing! The food is delicious, the service is excellent, and the restaurant is cute and clean. I will definitely be returning. The pumpkin is a must as are the lentil sambussas. I’m so happy to have come across such a great Ethiopian restaurant so close to home! The only other one I frequent is in DC, but it will now be receiving less visits since I’ve found something just as good, if not better, right next door. Thanks, Tigi!

We really enjoyed everything we ordered! In addition to the good food, Tigi (the owner) was very friendly. She even brought us cookies that she received from her friends. We will definitely go back.

I’ve had pleasant experience here.
This joint is owned/​managed by a couple who is from Ethiopia. The wife, Tigi is the cook. The husband is out on serving usually. Although I had decent experience there, I am not too confident I will come back as often.
Service: Not bad, not great. Just normal. They will not come and check up on you numerous times. Sometimes they will forget the order. The husband would come and brag about the restaurant and how authentic it is… Sometimes they could forget to bring the water to you. But its all good for me. I wasn’t expecting much.
Crowd: Times I’ve been both in lunch and dinner time around, it was just us. I’ve seen a few walk ins and pick up orders, but not much crowd at all.
Food: They have limited menus but fairly delicious. However though, all the dishes are extremely salty… I constantly seek water afterwards, suffer of thirstiness… wow. First time, I assumed it was just a thirsty day. It could fairly be what I have eaten during the day previously. It could have been me did not drink enough water. But after another shot at the restaurant, I realized it was their food… ah such unfortunate event.
Price: Quite pricey for the food. If you do not want to order combos they have, if you prefer to order a few items of vegies, a single item of meat and a coffee, expect to have at least $ 50 bill for two people. They might use very expensive Ethiopian salt… who knows.
Overall, decent restaurant. The husband mentioned that they will start a food truck that will go around the town and columbia. It’s either they are doing very well so they are expanding, or they are not doing so well that they are seeking alternative source of income. From what I see they are not in a good shape despite all of these good reviews.

Really good food as the ratings clearly indicate.
The owner informed our party tonight that he would soon be running a food truck for lunch and running the restaurant for dinners. If you want him to hit your area, let him know!
Also: if you want it really spicy, he has a «next level.» He says that if you want it hot, tell him to «make you sweat.»
Really personable folks and outstanding food. Will definitely be back.

We enjoyed meeting Tigi.
We took her recommendation to try all the vegan dishes.
She ensured us that everything was extremely fresh and delicious — and we agreed.
Loved the spice and the lentils.
It was my daughter and wife’s first experience with Ethiopian food and they are planning our return.

The food was fantastic and YUMMYYYYY! Took my friend to try it for the first time and he is now a fan of Ethiopian food. The portion size was smaller than usual but otherwise great! The atmosphere could use a little spicing up to match the food but otherwise wonderful.

Great food !
It was like we were invited into an Ethiopian household and hostess was a fantastic cook! Also purchased some Ethiopian spices — hot & tasty. Will use it soon !
Sambusas stuffed w spicy lentils, Combination platter with 3 meat and 3 veg entrees — all served on a delectable Injera bread.

Tastes and smells that brought back memories of Addis.
Upon entering the immaculately clean restaurant, we were immediately welcomed by the proprietor and invited to choose any seat.
We ordered a combination meal with two styles of beef, lamb, lentils and pumpkin. Absolutely delicious. Rich, savoury, sour, sweet. Everything you hope for in an Ethiopian meal. It was more mild than I was accustomed to during my time in Ethiopia, but the owner explained that it was intentionally made less spicy to appeal to local clients.
The coffee was spot on. Exactly as I remember it.
Clean place, friendly hosts, authentic tastes, affordable price. We’ll be back.

Excellent food and customer service! The owner was our server and she was fantastic! They have a large section of vegan items. People also were able to purchase the bread and other Ethiopian foods in bulk if needed.
We ordered the samosas for appetizers. I was a little skeptical bc it was lentils and other veggies, no meat. I’m a meat girl. But they were so delicious I didn’t even miss the meat. I just ordered the doro wat! Spicy and delicious. My friend ordered a combination platter with lamb and beef. It was delicious as well! The food was overall very good. They were out of the fish that day so that was a bummer.
Parking is not a problem with a lot being attached to the shopping center.

I’ve been here tons of times and am ALWAYS impressed by the food quality and the warm, family-​like customer service. The last time we went there, it was 30 minutes until closing, and we had a good sized party, but they did not rush us or make us feel like we had ruined their evening. They welcomed us and served us with the same kindness and deliciousness that I have always received.
As they served us, they also had their family dinner for the evening. It was just like being a part of their family!
You will not be disappointed with the food! It’s awesome that we have delicious Ethiopian in our backyard now instead of having to trek to Baltimore or DC!
Also, you have to try their special sauce that they created! It’s a wonderful zesty bite of flavor!
Will definitely be back again, and again, and again and…

I ADORED this place!!! Yes, it’s small, but it’s very clean. The staff was exceptionally attentive and the man (owner possibly?) who took care of us was very kind, patient, and answered every question we had.
The food was just phenomenal. Be sure to order the vegetable sambusas. We ordered four (for two of us) along with the Combo #3 and had more than enough food. Everything was quick to come out and very tasty. I will definetly be back.

Service was great. The food was fresh and well seasoned. For two people, the combo meal with 2 meats was more than enough. My husband and I have gone to more expensive Ethiopian restaurants before, but this small place was far better. I am so glad I can enjoy Ethiopian food so close to home.

This place is great! I’ve been twice already and both times were greeted warmly. On the second visit, our large group (of ~20) took most of the space and tables. The location is a little difficult to get to, if you’re not familiar with the area. The owners were very accommodating and helpful, despite our coming near their closing time.
The meal was delicious and flavorful. Even first-​time Ethiopian diners enjoyed the food. We ordered several combo platters which had 3 – 4 meats and 3 veggies. The crowd favorite were the cabbage/​carrots and beef tibs.

You will fall in love with the warm, intimate environment, authentic food and wonderful family. #supportsmallbusiness and #goodgrub

We have eaten in the restaurant twice and ordered take out a number of times, the food is amazing and the price is good. The tomato salad is one of the best that we have eaten and we have tried most of the Ethiopian restaurants in the state of Maryland. The platter is small but filling and the spices are great. All of the food is incredibly fresh and the service is always pleasant and willing to chat with you.
We have ordered most of the various vegan options and are always happy with how they turn out. I would definitely recommend this quaint spot!

This place is good and it’s even better since it’s closer to where I live than the other place.
Me and my brother went inside and the place was TINY. 5 tables and 2 doors for the bathrooms. Oh and 1 doorway for the kitchen, that’s it.
A gentleman came by and greeted us, let us sit and gave us menus. He asked if this was our first time having Ethiopian and we said no. He nodded his head then headed into the kitchen.
The place doesn’t have fountain drinks so we opted for a Ginger Ale and 2 water bottles. Then we ordered some veggie sambusas and the #2 Combination which consists of 3 Veggies and 3 Meats on Injera bread with 1 side of Injera. The sambusas were a tad bit dry but really filling and went well with the sauce he gave us for them. The sauce also helped with the dryness of the sambusas so overall they were pretty good.
I don’t remember exactly what we got but they were all really good. The only thing I didn’t like was their lamb. It was coated with this dark and unfamiliar sauce, almost as if it stood out for days before being cooked. Intentional fermenting? Or was it unintentional non-​fresh lamb? We decided to mix it up with other stuff so it was a bit better.
Friendly service and good food (aside from the lamb).

Wowowowowowow !!! Please read this before looking at those 4 – 5 star reviews. I was paradoxically fooled by the «great» reviews. The restaurant of this caliber should be packed but to our surprise, it appeared we were the only couple for that evening.
We came in and there was a guy server. He looked at us and directed us to sit somewhere and kept watching TV with his back facing us. I kept looking for his eye contact but finally had to say «excuse me» and he turned his face with disinterest. I requested — «can we have some water?» and he replied, «ofcourse». I was wondering may be he will bring menu cards on request only. He had a hell lot of attitude.
My wife asked could you please explain what is meant by this dish on this menu? He replied,“everything is self explanatory, see the reverse page”. I wanted to leave but wife held me back. We have had Ethiopian food for quite a while in the past. Food at Tigi is not out of the world to seek 5 stars. I mean come on folks… please go try some Ethiopian stuff in Silver Spring, MD. If you are so liberal with Tigi, you might give them 10 stars out of 5. The glasses he served were plastic and oily. I had to literally ask for straws and he brought opened straws.
Icing on the cake, no Ethiopian restaurant would charge you with extra ingira. But to my surprise, «THIS ONE» did or may be that guy had some grudge on us.
Finally, when I gave my Amex card towards my check he said we don’t accept it. I took a picture from the window pane of the restaurant on my way out. The bottom most logo from the picture, who would miss Amex logo? I didn’t wanna give any star but had to, otherwise «POST» button wouldn’t work. Lols !!!
The only good thing was, Tigi came and greeted us and asked if everything was okay. I still smile what I replied to her !!!