Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine

closed!!! :-(

I found the place five stars for several reasons, some of them more personal than hours, and may not apply to you.
1. This restaurant has good vegetarian options. Even though I’m not a vegetarian, after eating BBQ and burgers all week long, sometimes it’s nice to enjoy a meat free dinner.
2. This place has a good beer selection, as well as hot beverages.
3. The food is very good, reasonably priced, and ample.
4. I’m not sure if this is only happened by coincidence, but when I was there, I was surrounded by beautiful female couples, and the girl/​guy ratio was about 4:1.
5. There was plenty of street parking, the service was great, easy to find, and very cool décor.

PROS: If you go to the Nile, do it right and try one of the authentic Ethiopian dishes — Ethiopian fare with native ingredients is both RARE and excitingly spicy. It is a unique opportunity to appreciate Ethiopian culture; use the staff for recommendations if you need help (injera and wat). Portions are large… alcoholic drinks are very small.
CONS: Music events are hit or miss; we waited two hours for the DJ at the exhortation of the staff and left before he arrived, by the time we finished our late-​night coffee. On slow days (when college kids go home), the restaurant can be uncomfortably empty — its more or less you and the staff.
Even so, the misir wat deserves five stars.

It’s some of the only ethnic food in town AND it’s a club at night! Music was loud but not TOO loud. You could dance, or chill out at the patio, which is very spacious and serene. Security was also very nice, but be warned, it’s a straight up college crowd.
After all, James Madison is «the Arizona State of Virginia».
I’ve never seen anything like it.

Excellent traditional Ethiopian food with some modern and accessible options for those who aren’t adventurous.
Peanut butter soup to die for. Like satay in a bowl.
Suggest just order the supper platter and let the kitchen serve what’s good.

We decided to dine here on a Saturday night over the President’s Day long weekend. Surprisingly we were the only ones dining there. The rest of the restaurants were so packed, but this one had no one.
We have eaten at Ethiopian restaurants in DC and have loved it. So we were really excited to eat here. Unfortunately, the food didn’t live up to our expectations.
We ordered the following:
— Azifah Fitfit (Whole lentils, green peppers, chopped onions & bits of Injera tossed in vinegar, olive oil & mustard. Served chilled on Injera) — This was ok. I felt the vinegar was too strong on the Injera.
— Himbasha Bread Sticks — The breadsticks were bland, but combined with the spicy sauce, it tasted ok. But I wasn’t really a fan.
— Misir Wat (Red split lentils stewed with onions, garlic, ginger and Berebere) — This is also served on Injera. Had I known, I would not have ordered Injera as an appetizer. The red lentils were a bit spicy, but the rest of the veggies were decent.
Overall — I wasn’t a big fan of this place. I know I have eaten better Ethiopian food in DC.

Showed up here on a Sunday night and the place was pretty much empty. The staff was friendly and the prices were great. We asked the waitress for recommendations since most of our party wasn’t familiar with Ethiopian food. She made a few but most of our party went with the Himbasha Pocket. The best way to describe it is a giant hot pocket stuffed with yummy spices and meat. The only problem was the thing was mostly bread. The first bite was delicious and if they whole «pocket» had been equally as meaty, I would have been in heaven. Unfortunately, I found myself eating a bit of meat inside a giant fluffy piece of bread. It was served with melted butter for dipping (?) but the butter didn’t really do much to change the fact that I was eating a giant piece of bread.
I’d definitely go back and try some of their other dishes but my first experience was really just not that exciting.
It’s a nice place though!