Habesha Market Carry Out & Restaurant — Restaurant in Washington

Absolutely incredible!! With its outstanding food, generous portions, and speedy service, it's impossible not to fall in love with this no-frills, hole-in-the-wall gem of a restaurant. I ordered two of their veggie combos to go: the special (which comes with six delicious items), and the deluxe (which comes with ten). I was genuinely shocked when the staff came out with one of those aluminum roasting pans usually used for catering for the deluxe combo! The portions are definitely beyond generous -- that was enough food to feed a whole family of four, and it was only about $20!

There's a lot of overlap between the two veggie combos, but one thing is clear from both of these orders: despite the impressive speed of its service, Habesha definitely isn't cutting any corners on the quality of their food. Every item was executed to perfection; each of the various warm chickpea, lentil, and veggie dishes were packed with all the classic, comforting flavors and spices that make Ethiopian food so amazing. The salads were fresh and exactly what I needed to break apart the richness of the cooked dishes. And the injera was, of course, the foundation of the meal. They have imported teff injera, so you can easily make your meal gluten-free for a small added fee (or, honestly, even if you aren't gluten-free, I still recommend trying it out).

From the quality of the food to the friendliness and efficiency of their service, Habesha is hands down one of the best Ethiopian restaurants in the District. To seal the deal even more, they're also open until ridiculously late -- so the next time you get the late-night cravings, why not give...

Trekked to Habesha with a closed fried and my husband a day after the epic snow storm and celebrated Fatty Friday with what's claimed to be the best Ethiopian in DC.

Habesha functions more of a cafeteria - place your order, pick up when your buzzer goes off, and pay on your way out. It runs on an honor system which we thought was interesting - how do they keep track of who paid especially on busy Friday nights (the line was through the door)? And customers had to line up twice - to order and to pay at the same line/counter - talk about efficiency?

My husband and I shared the usual meat and veggie combo (our go to at every Ethiopian restaurant in order to sample as many options as possible) and my friend ordered the choose 4 combo. Although all the items were cooked and ready to be served at the buffet station, it still took quite some time to receive our order. Our combo platter included 5 meat and 4 veggies options - our favs being the ground beef and lentil stew. The other 7 options were just okay - The lamb from lamb stew was overcooked and tough; The collard greens weren't chopped up and had a strange sour aftertaste; the house salad were not dressed. What disappointed us the most was that the injera were served cold. It was literally taken out from the pre-made package straight onto the plate.

Perhaps we should have tried the more popular items such as beef tartare and fried ribs (I was eyeing those on my way out). But if the sampler platter embodies what Habesha has to offer then I would save my trip and go to...

This is one of the Ethiopian's iconic hub for authentic homeland Cuisine. What can I say...it's quirky. Food excellent. Well done Chef. Front of house very good. Hate the Television being on and being seen from the restaurant, football was on at the time and shouts from the bar area when the results came in absolutely knocks the class out of this place. That's my only gripe. Waiting staff could take a leaf out of the one one waitress who was dressed in a jewel studded all in one black jump/playsuit. Looked the part and was very fitting for this funky eclectic restaurant !!! The restaurant/carry out is also a go to place for Ethiopian spice and groceries. If you are into cooking, what you need to have an Ethiopian meal is completely sold within the restaurant. How about it hu?! We have come to realize the undeniable truth that we can't let go our food and easily grab something else on daily basis. It all comes down to the spongy like bread( how dare u to say my enjera is bread!) For all the never ending ethiopian festivities, the carryout/restaurant constant supply of groceries couples with the excellent chef,butchery service and unbeatable price, Will most likely be among the pull factor. the countless tickets for double parking outside of the restaurant is a bummer. But hey, you are on U street. Drive around to find a spot and park legally. I learn that the hard way. You would see people double parking like nobody's business and you would think it must be ok to quickly grab an order and go, my 40.00 ticket...