Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant — Restaurant in Washington

Horrible food and ended up leaving only paying for drinks.

My wife and I were seated right next to another couple (odd place given there was an open space for a table on the other side of a column close by). Almost immediately after having sat, the couple next to us mentioned they were not eating what they ordered (should have been a sign for things to come).

We ordered two veggie sambusas as an appetizer and when they arrived they did not match the description. The inside veggies, from what I could tell, were frozen vegetable medley from your local grocery store. In fact, some of my vegetables were still frozen and my dough was not fully cooked.

Another table opened up and we requested to move to it. The waitress moved us over easily.

After we ordered, the food came out pretty fast. I would say in just over five minutes. Our greens looked like they were previously frozen from a bag and our yellow lentils looked like creamed corn. Our Injera was not warm at all. I understand they may have food prepped in the back but they could make a better attempt at keeping it warm. I order lamb whenever I get the opportunity and from what I could tell, the lamb I ordered was not lamb. Lamb has a very distinct taste and even different from goat. I don't know what kind of meat I had but I know it was not lamb. The texture also made the mystery meat difficult to chew and swallow.

I spoke with our waitress about how dissatisfied we were. She got another waitress to come speak with us. After her the manager came over. I told him our issues and told him I could have made this at home and it is similar to what my 14 month old daughter eats. He said that he wouldn't mind changing our order to something else. My wife and I agreed that we only wanted to pay for the drinks and leave. We paid, tipped our waitress and left.

I am not sure if they were having a food shortage issue or what was going on this night. If this was the case, they should not have tried to pass off cold frozen vegetables as Ethiopian food. They should have said items were not available. I don't think we will ever go back. Not sure how this place is ranked so well. Maybe the people that typically eat there are not sure what...

I have been a loyal customer of Dukem for the last decade. Dukem was the first Ethiopian restaurant I visited when I lived to DC over a decade ago - and till date the only one I patronize. Friends, colleagues, visiting relatives - we bring everyone to Dukem.

For the first time - Service was atrocious! Beyond reprehensible. My brother and I walked in and the waitress ignored us for 10-15 minutes ( while all the Caucasian customers were served) until I requested a menu.

1 -We ordered a beer, a tea and a vegetarian platter. My brother got his beer but my tea never came - 15 minutes later ( and after asking 2x) - I was informed that they were out of tea. Would have been nice to know so that I could have ordered another beverage.

2- I asked for a side plate and some cutlery with my food. The waitress said she would bring it but didn’t - I asked again and then a third time. By this time we were 70% done with our food. The fourth time I walked up to the bar and asked again - she finally brought it out begrudgingly. All this while the other Caucasian tables around us were being served and asked if they needed anything / we were ignored.

3- finally after waiting for another 20 minutes, we paid the bill at the counter - only for the hostess who had been extremely rude until then to charge a mandatory 18% service charge . I’m not sure if this is a rule but their service did not warrant 18% and it was not communicated ahead of time. At this time we didn’t want to waste any more time there and we left ( with a very bitter taste from the whole situation)

It’s a shame - because the food was exceptional as always . I never experienced such blatant disregard and such terrible racial profiling at an establishment. It’s a shame it...

I hadn't been to dukem in years and decided to make a visit. They have seriously gone down hill. When we arrived there was an old grimey smell but I decided to ignore it. The menus are dirty as well but the bathroom is clean. The prices are not worth the portion size and the injera was served cold. The food itself was lukewarm as well but tasty.

My friend and I ordered two platters with mine being vegetarian. She brought out one plate with meat and 4 sides on it and when asked about my veggie platter she pointed at the plate saying that is the veggie platter. I said we ordered separate plates and she apologized and brought out one for me. Even if they assumed we were sharing, the amount would not have been enough for two people.

The service was some of the worst I have ever experienced in my whole life. The server stayed on her phone at the bar and only came by to take our order, bring the food, and take the payment. She also cleared our water glasses without refillling them. and even though they weren't closing for another 20 minutes, they started turning off lights and closing blinds while we were sitting. I became uncomfortable so we decided to wait for our uber outside in the rain. Very unpleasant.

The total came to $42 before a tip and we still gave 20% because we work this industry, but seriously I'm never coming back and would not recommend them. I live in Silver Spring and could've paid the same amount for far more food and it would've been hot. If you're in the city go to chercher or Family...