Tegeste Ethiopian Restaurant

closed!

The food here stills remains tops in my book. The veggie platter, raw kitfo and lamb tibs are just awesome. The service though, after a few months, still, is trying. It takes a long time to order, get your food, and if you’re looking for water refills or another drink, you might as well track the waitress down. There is a language barrier which is tough, but how about a little more pep. If I could get in, order and eat within an hour, that would make this place one of the tops in the city.

I was in DC for the week. I wanted to try some restaurants outside of the touristy area, so I went to the always reliable Unilocal for help. The reviews were very helpful and accurate. Tegeste was great. We had exceptional service and great food. The lamb was very tender and spiced just right. All of the vegetables were great… no complaints about any of the food. My one concern was it was very hot in there. The air conditioner was not cutting it… very warm… so be warned on a hot day. The owner came out and introduced herself. She was very nice.

I am torn — should I rate Tegeste a four or a five. The food, quality of service and friendliness definitely merit a five, but the location is still a bit sketchy. We have been to Tegeste twice — the food is the best Ethiopian I have had and the quantities are generous.
My only complaint relates to the people around the restaurant. On our most recent visit, a crack addict took off her clothes on the street (just through the picture window). This was not the kind of dinner entertainment I was expecting. The police responded quickly with no fewer than 14 officers in cars and on foot, bikes and segways and took the lady away. Apparently, she is well known in the neighborhood, but had made her first appearance at Tegeste.
I strongly recommend that people go to this restaurant. It is new and in an area that needs the business. Over time, the street show will lose its burlesque quality and the food will continue to satisfy.
I opted for a five because the owners cannot control what people do outside. What they can control is excellent!!!

OMGosh, I ate here 2 days ago and I’m still swooning over the delicious, aromatic, savory wonderfulness we had here!
Yes, it did take a little while for them to prepare the food but at least they brought the drinks to our table immediately. I am willing to wait again for this food because it was that good.
We ordered the vegetarian combo and the meat combo, which gave us something like 6 different veggies and 6 different meats. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the names of any individual items, but we had pureed beans, tomatoes, potatoes, lentils, beets, etc. For meats, we had lamb, beef, goat, chicken, egg, etc. Everything was brought out on one massive round plate with their customary spongy flat bread. The bread was subtlely flavored, soft and delicate. A great medium for carrying the wonderful meats and veggies. When we needed more bread our waitress happily brought us more and there was no extra charge. +++
We ordered for 3 but had enough food to feed 4. Our total bill before tip was ~$ 55 but that included 3 or 4 beers.
This is a small hole in the wall restaurant not far from U Street. The place doesn’t really use air conditioning and there was only one waitress on staff the evening we were there. But Tegeste herself cooked our meal and she came out and greeted and chatted with all 3 tables that were seated that evening. She is such a sweet lady with such positive energy. I really enjoy this place and will be recommending to anyone who’s looking for good Ethiopian food.

HUGE portions for a great price. It took a while for the food to come out (30 minutes), but it came out FRESH, on a frying pan. The food was pretty good, but not as flavorful as other ethiopian restaurants I’ve been to and the meat was a bit tough. Free refills on injera. No plates (but that’s not unusual).
We ordered the Tikil Gomen (Veg — cabbage, carrots, potatoes 8.95), Awazae Tibs (cubed beef 12.95), Yegbeg Tibs (lamb in berbere sauce 9.95), and Tibs Lamb (cubed lamb 11.95).
I recommend ordering Tikil Gomen — my favorite veg dish for ethiopian because the cabbage adds great texture and flavor. I’m also a huge fan of cubbed beef when ordering Ethiopian. Don’t worry if the dish has jalapeño — it wasn’t spicy at all.
The ambience is VERY chill. It’s a mom and pop, hole in the wall kind of place. There was only one bathroom for the entire establishment. The bathrooms looked kind of a gross, but that’s because it was a white-​tiled bathroom. However, it was clean, so I can’t really complain.
Bring cash just in case. When my friends and I were there, the credit card machine was down.
Final Verdict — this place is mid-​range in my book. I’d come if I wanted a great deal on Ethiopian with huge portions.

I love Tegeste — the restaurant and the owner. With my perpetual Ethiopian cravings, I’m running out of excuses to not walk every day the 4 blocks it takes me to get to this place!
The place is the real thing. The food reminds me of home cooked meals and Tegeste is like that great aunt that shows you her love by feeding you wonderful concoctions and spoiling you until you feel you cannot eat more for a week :)
+s
Flavour — Ethiopian is about the right marriage of spices and food. The lamb and meat tibbs and special tibbs, the shiro, the lentils are just that… it doesn’t matter what you pick, it will delight and satisfy.
Portions — generous. You may even find Tegeste has added a little something extra for you to try :)
Wine — You can get the imported and the house wine — very different so I recommend you try both
Prices — definitely on the cheap side
–s
The service can be very slow. Bring a book or good company and you will find it is worth the wait.
Tips: reserve only for a slow dining experience by yourself or with your friends. AVOID coming here if you have have to be elsewhere immediately after. You have been warned.

The chorus of warnings has been almost universal against my possibly moving to Columbia Heights. But what really convinced me not to move there was a random guy I ran into at a Metro stop saying that «[he] and [his] cousins used to sit on [their] porch and watch college students get mugged like [they] were watching reality television.»
Seriously? Scary much?
But then I come across a treasure like this simple Ethiopian hole-​in-​the-​wall right on 14^th Street (and the safety of the Spring Road bus stop) and the neighborhood becomes a possibility again.
The good thing about the slight fear factor that still exists in its environs is that this place seems caters to locals. Probably Ethiopian locals to boot. The menu is in both English and Ethiopian, but the prices are universal. A single dish runs about $ 8. The vegetarian platter is $ 12 and will easily feed two (with no upcharge for extra injera — bonus!). Those are prices rarely seen in more well-​trafficked areas.
One thing that surprised me being used to Chicago Ethiopian is that the food here is kind of bland. Not, however, in a bad way. It’s still sweet or tangy as warranted, but the restaurant gives a big portion of onions and jalapenos in the middle of the plate to spice to taste instead of pouring it on. But I found them unnecessary. The wide variety of dishes provided no disappointments. I especially loved the simple beets and sweet carrots and potatoes. And all of the staples (such as the gomen) were as good or better than more expensive places in «safer» neighborhoods.
While I felt a little like the proverbial sore thumb that one of my friend warned me about being in Columbia Heights (since it seemed the service was slower for me than for other diners there), it was well worth playing in the «danger zone» to eat here. Ah, delicious danger zone!

My husband and I LOVE Tegeste! We have been here twice already and can’t wait to go back for a third time.
My husband and I are vegetarians; we go and order their vegetarian platter which is DELICIOUS and which amply feeds us both (we can never finish it). We have also ordered their lentil sambussas which were delicious as well.
Pros: EXCELLENT food & EXCELLENT prices! The waitress and the chef are incredibly sweet! Not as crowded/​crazy as other Ethiopian restaurants
Cons: No ambience; service is slow
Don’t come here if you like fast-​paced and flashy environments. The waitress and the chef take their time and the décor is plain & dated. However, you can tell when you get your food that it was prepared carefully and thoughtfully. So if you don’t mind coming with some good company, sitting back and relaxing, and waiting a bit for your food to come out, this place is absolutely worth it. Not to mention that your wallet will thank you afterwards — My husband and I can eat amazingly well here for a total of $ 20!
We look forward to our next trip to Tegeste…

Extremely delicious and very reasonably priced.
The décor is basic, and the service is friendly but not polished. It took a while for our food to come, so don’t go if you’re in a rush.
That said, remember the food is very tasty — much better than Ethiopian that cost twice as much in Georgetown!

One of the very best things this neighborhood Ethiopian restaurant has going for it is Tegeste herself. She is great.
Tegeste is friendly and very accommodating. Not only did she make kategna for me, a very hard to find and very delicious Ethiopian dish, she also fed me and three friends late on a Saturday night even though we happened in after the Kitchen was closed. So major, major points there.
This place is fairly new, so I look forward to seeing them get established. Go and show support.

2.5
Its hard for me to justify a 3 star rating when I really don’t have anything to say about this place. It didn’t leave a lasting impression. The food was fine. Not good, not bad, and for Ethiopian food with its array of spices it went down easy on my incredibly delicate stomach. The owner/​waitress/​chef really treats you well and clearly puts a lot of love into what she does. However, the time it took for food to get to me (In a dining room where my Gal Friday and I were literally the only ones there) along with it being nothing special does not leave me wanting to return… You’re not on my avoid list by any means, but DC is ripe with Ethiopian restaurants that do the FOOD much better. Can’t say that you’ll see the same level of love though, unfortunately Tegeste, a sweet old lady owner does not justify a 3^rd star…

So, overall, the food is amazing here. I’ve been to one other Ethiopian restaurant, and highly recommend this one. The first time my girlfriend and I came here, the waitress (we think she’s the only one) was very approachable and didn’t rush us. We ordered the meat sampler.
Needless to say, we were more upset that our tummies were too full to finish it.
The cook came out while we were eating to ask us how everything was too, which was pretty cool. She’s a very sweet lady too!
We came back on a Friday night, after original dinner plans were canceled. As low key as the Sunday we came in, we decided to order and chill here. The second time around we got the vegetarian platter and Zilbo… and hoped our stomaches could take it!
Needless to day, we didn’t finish it, but the veggies were delicious. I liked the Zilbo (though the potatoes were curiously absent from our dish…).
I’d give it a 5, but we were kinda bummed about the potatoes missing from our dish. Definitely a place to check out and eat at, though!
I’d say the place is pretty cheap. Both times we went, our food was under $ 30 for the both of us, including a very good tip.

Thank you Patrick and Marie for hooking us up with Tegeste. We dined along with you and some good friends on a recent Friday night. As many reviewers have noted, its a much better experience with pleasurable companions that you can pass the time with. Because passing time you will be. If you are looking for fine dining service and efficiency, don’t come here.
However the food is authentic, and awesome, and cooked by a wonderful woman who comes out afterwards to ask you how your meal was. Our giant combo that we shared was excellent, best Ethiopian I have had for
sure. I only wish I didn’t have to wait 90 minutes after ordering to actually eat it.

Awesome tasty food, big portions, good prices and in Columbia Heights!
I will be back!
The $ 12 veggie combo is my favorite

I am so excited that this new north Columbia Heights neighborhood restaurant already has so many great reviews!
Still, I can’t help but post my own. My boyfriend and I live nearby so we’ve already been there twice (and gotten it to take out once).
In summary, the food is fantastic, the portions are huge, and the price is reasonable.
I particularly recommend the veggie sampler, which could even be
enough for two. The house specialty lamb tips are also fantastic.
As others mentioned, the space/​ambience needs a bit more work, but as they just opened, they are still doing some of the decorating. They are also still waiting on their liquor license, and I imagine once they get it the place will get a bit more «lively». We’ll certainly be going back for food and hopefully drinks soon.

You can pick you friends
You can pick your nose
But you can’t pick your friend’s nose…
ESPECIALLY when eating Ethiopian
Wash your hands before the food comes. And it will come out in abundance!
After a quick jog down the block from the easy on street parking I met up with a group of friends for a triple date! TRIPLE DATE! The boys sat on one side, and the girls sat on the other. Very middle school of us.
They have sodas in a can, and from what I can tell, alcohol is coming sooner than later.
Our order consisted of the vegetarian sampler, chicken, and beef. For 6 people I was concerned that this would not be enough food. It was more than enough, and yummy. The chicken came with a whole egg hehehe. The beef was tender, and flavorful without being overbearing.
It was fun to share a meal with friends and eat with our hands. Granted that I am filipino and constantly eat with my hands, but its nice when its allowed in public.
Highlights:
Beef
carrots
:)
low price point
ginger ale via can
The space is sparse, but inviting. When you’re focused on good company, and great food who cares about the décor? Small tv and bathroom upstairs. There was only one lady running the joint while we were there so be patient. Its really really worth it.

There are only three absolute questions you need to ask about a restaurant, namely 1) was the food good, 2) was the service good, and 3) is your shirt still on your back?
Most of the Unilocalers who’ve reviewed this gem of an Ethiopian restaurant compare its food favorably to more well-​known restaurants serving the same dishes. They are right. The food is Good, with a capital G. Three couples ordered four total dishes to share and it was just enough to feed us all. In fact, a couple of us had to be talked down from ordering two more dishes! We ordered the veggie sampler, two beef and one chicken meal– all as good or better than other Ethiopian offerings in the area.
I took friends here who’ve never tried Ethiopian food before (I know right? Phillistines) and they loved it. What helped was the excellent service given to us by our server. She was the only one working the entire restaurant, as it appears that they’ve just opened and are probably understaffed. But she managed well, nonetheless. And it helped her that I was with excellent company, in which case time or timeliness was of no issue. Neither was the complete bare-​bones look of the place. But then again, I’m glad their focus was on the food, rather than décor.
At the end of the meal, when we’re all just shooting the breeze, and some of us were maybe a little shocked about the eating with your hands business, a bill for about $ 48 comes our way. Six people, $ 48. And we’re full.
Was the food good? It was fantastic. Service? Fabulous. Do I still have my shirt on? Do I look like the kind of person who types reviews topless? Uhh…

This place is so good that I’m worried that they won’t be able to support themselves on their current prices. For $ 11, we got a vegetarian sampler that easily – easily – fed two people. Tack on a Diet Coke and some after-​dinner spicy tea, which was great, and the total tab: $ 14. Service was friendly.
Deducting one star because the inside was a little bit dingy. (Not dirty, which is different.) But on the whole, I’m a big fan, and will be back soon. Finally, some excellent Ethiopian in the neighborhood.

Really excellent! I give it a five because of the location, it’s nice to have a good Ethiopian place in the neighborhood. The service is great, the couple that runs it is extremely friendly. The food matches and in some aspects surpasses some of the U street places like Dukem.
I recommend the beef or lamb with jalapenos. No foolin’, there’s big hunks of jalapeño in there and they add a lot to the flavor.