Hilltop Grocery and Meat Market — Attraction in Columbia Heights

Adding this as taste & quality remains the same--great--but there has been a recent price increase. It wasn't much &, in my opinion, overdue. In my opinion, the prices were a bit low & I actually worried they couldn't keep selling their deliciousness. We all know what's happening in the supply chain & inflation, etc. Prices are still below most restaurants & the quality is still high w/a customer feeling like they are appreciated b the staff. This place still has the best butter chicken I've ever tasted! Portions continue to be generous s well. So don't let the modest price increase deter you!. This place is still a "local gem" & we all know how few of those are still around. A friend brought me here & if I didn't know her to be of sound judgement, I would have wondered at her taste! It's deceptively large but appears small from the parking lot. Go past the grocery section to the rear of the store & your culinary adventure begins! The menu differs a bit from day to day but they always seem to have the butter chicken. Huge portions are standard. You can get chicken biryani most days, along with tandoori style chicken, also lightly breaded fish. My favorite that seems to be on the menu every day is what is called "Somali rice". It's rice with savory spices and mixed veggies, if you wish. Some days, the veggies are crisply sautéed green beans, carrots, and onions with turmeric (mostly for color). Other days it's simply sautéed onions. The rice is fluffy & tasty & more satisfying than one might think for "just rice". A small area with tables & chairs is available to dine in. Not fancy but clean. All the staff I've interacted with are friendly & customer service is high on their list of business ethics. Food prices are very reasonable & servings tend to be large. I eat the butter chicken over at least 2, sometimes 3 days. Plenty for 2 hungry people. They serve a large market for Halal meats & seem to have a loyal following of shoppers from near & far as well. While waiting in line at the steam tables, you overhear the customers talking about their favorites, giving each other suggestions & culinary reviews. The clientele is mainly mid East & African descent folks. It has the air of the neighborhood store where everyone is welcomed & friendly to each other! Carries a large supply of middle Eastern foods, including several types & sizes of rice. I highly recommend this spot! I've held off this review for a few months! Just wasn't sure I wanted to share this gem. But these folks deserve to be successful! And I'm not selfish by nature, so I'm sharing! They are providing everything one could want from a...

WOW. Did not expect to find such a gem.

For full disclosure, I'm reviewing the restaurant section, not the grocery. In my travels to places like Harlem, NYC or Detroit, the steam-table African style restaurant is a favorite of mine. The flavors and spices stew for hours, and make for tender food too.

This is among the best I've had of this style of place!

The spice in the dishes is powerful and great, the naan was extremely fresh, and the Mango drink was good. Don't come here for a beautiful dining/takeout experience, come here for a...

This used to be the best place to get true Desi flavor. The last few times we’ve picked up dinner it’s been a complete waste of time and money. Biryani had no flavor and was very oily and lacked masala. The nihari was more of a soup with very little flavor and the meat was inedible. We ended up having to order pizza after spending...