Promising First Visit, Let Down the Second Time - Wish There is a Negative Rating…read moreDec 2025 * Friends I wish there was negative rating!!! This was my second visit to Enat Kitfo, and unfortunately, it was completely different from my first -- in a very disappointing way. The first time, I happened to be in the neighborhood and searched for an Ethiopian restaurant nearby. I decided to try Enat Kitfo because it was nearby, and I was genuinely impressed. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the server was kind and attentive. The owner even came to greet me, checked on my dish while I was eating, and made me feel welcomed. It was such a positive experience that I shared it with others and looked forward to coming back with my family. Because of that great first impression, I drove more than an hour for my second visit, this time with a friend who had just arrived from back home. We came around 6:00 PM, during the Eagles vs. Lions game in the 4th quarter -- it should have been a great evening. Unfortunately, the experience could not have been more different. The waitress was kind but inexperienced and had to ask the owner about everything. When the owner came out, he appeared unwelcoming and dismissive, which was surprising given how well he treated me during my first visit. As an Ethiopian who has lived in the Washington, DC area for a long time, this interaction reminded me of the old Ethiopian restaurant culture of the 1980s and 1990s, when Ethiopian customers were often treated poorly, while customers from other countries were treated as masters -- even though Ethiopia has never been colonized. Thankfully, competition have improved customer service standards over the years, which made this experience especially disappointing. We ordered Cotlet (fish) and Tsom Beyaynetu aka Veggie (Combo). The Cotlet (fish) was delicious, well prepared and enjoyable. However, it arrived without the combo. We waited, assuming the Tsom Beyaynetu (Combo) would follow, but no one checked on us. I eventually went to the bar to ask about it. The owner's response was simply "" (okay), with no concern or apology. When the combo finally arrived, it was delivered as if nothing had gone wrong. While the fish was very good, the Tsom Beyaynetu (Combo) -- which I had truly enjoyed during my first visit -- lacked flavor this time. There were many items on the plate, but none stood out as good. No one came back to check on us, and even ordering drinks required me to go to the bar myself. Overall, the service was extremely poor, worse than many Ethiopian restaurants from decades ago. With so many good Ethiopian dining options available today, I will not be returning. I truly want Ethiopian-owned businesses to succeed and flourish. However, I am accustomed to the American service standard and vote with my wallet. I do not accept neglect or disrespect as a customer. I hope this feedback is taken constructively so future customers are treated better and the business can improve. I wish Enat Kitfo the best, but without meaningful changes in service and consistency, it will be difficult to succeed in today's competitive environment.

One of my favorite Ethiopian restaurants in the area. The food is always really tasty, and the…read morestaff is nice and friendly. I typically get a vegetarian combo and it always tastes delicious. On one visit, the owner stopped by our table and explained how Ethiopian food is typically eaten, which was such a thoughtful touch and really nice to learn. Overall, it's a great spot and one I'm always happy to come back to.

This is very much a hole-in-the-wall that primarily serves their own ethnic community, but they…read moreseem friendly to new / outside customers. Seating is available with a few small tables, as well as a bar area where I sat at. I'm not familiar with Eritrean food and I was quite impressed. *Breakfast Balance: This whole thing is very comforting. You get fu'ul which is a hearty bean stew, kitcha fitfit which is small bread pieces cooked up with other flavors, and scrambled eggs. Comes with a side of small baguette which was really tasty. *Qulwa Lamb: This is a really nice tomato-based lamb stew that is not too salty or greasy, it's just right. It normally comes with side of injera - we asked them to substitute with white rice which they were happy to do. There's also salad included. The vibes here are chill, portion sizes generous, flavors are really balanced. I'm super impressed. I just wish the restaurant were larger because it can get very busy during peak hours with the limited seating space.

I came back to try the Qlwa Beef with spinach which had a spicy tangy tomato flavor, the egg silsi…read morewhich was less sour and had nice hint of spiciness, and the Enjera Fitfit which was their sour bread sautéed with beef -- this was more sour than the others and all of these dishes were spiced with Jalepenos. It seems like overall Eritrean food has a similar sour spicy profile which I enjoy. I look forward to coming back to eat their enjera fitfit and try their lentil or minestrone soup. The place was homey, service was good though we could have used more water refills! Overall my favorites are the: - kitcha fitfit (cooked dough with spices, I noticed some folks put honey on it) - qlwa beef with spinach (nice tomato sauce with spices) - egg silsa (nice egg with spices)

My biggest disappointment with this place was that they were out of a number of dishes. I tried to…read moreorder the plantain and spinach, but it was not available. I tried to order the oxtails, but it was not available. I tried to order the palaver sauce and white rice, but it was not available. If I wasn't hungry for some West African food and hadn't driven 7 miles in the opposite direction of home to get there, I would have left. Instead, I kept trying and finally struck gold when they did have fried yams and fish and jollof rice and chicken. The jollof rice and the fish were both very good. The yams were bland and became passable when dipped in the sauces they provided. The chicken was not appetizing at all. But at least a few items were good enough to fill me up. However, I'm not sure I will return.

Food: Delicious…read more Service: Great. Ambience: Amazing. The food was great; jerk chicken was awesome. Spicey and portion wise overall great entree.

I have always gone to a location south of here and happened upon this location by chance. It was…read morethe best by chance ever! Upon entering I was greeted by a lovely lady that was attentive and answered all my questions. I had the curry goat and a beef patty. The goat was "amazing" and the sides were delicious. I especially loved the sweet plantains and rice that came with the meal. It seriously took me back to the last time I was in Jamaica. The beef patty was ok, need to try the chicken one next visit. Cute looking place and some interesting rare drinks in the fridge. I cannot wait to try the Ox tail!! This spot is a MUST if you want delicious Jamaican cuisine. Sooo much better than the "other" southern location and much friendlier.

We are avid Jamaican food lovers. We ordered from here last week and everything was flavorless and…read moredisgusting. The ox tails and curry goat were tough, the rice and peas were dry and the chicken had no seasoning. I wanted to love this place and support a local Jamaican place, but it was so bad i had to come leave a review so that you can save your money!

Really happy we tried this place! Ali's service was great and the food was delicious. Their chat…read morepapri was perfect IMO, not drenched in sauce, and had a great balance of flavor and texture. The butter chicken was delicious, a little greasy but still very tastey. Their desi chicken karahi special was the star of the show. We've never had a Karahi like this, the tomatoes were stewed down and jammy, which added a smokey sweetness flavor that really balanced out the spice. Will certainly be back!

The chicken shawarma and garlic naan were so delicious. My only note is that I didn't realize there…read morewould be olives so now I know not to ask for them next time!

DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM! Would give this place zero stars if…read moreI could. I ordered online. On their system just wanting Fufu and egusi and a meat pie. Didn't think anything of it because i like to support local restaurants snd was happy to give money to them. However, I thought it was weird that their delivery was $10. Proceeded anyway. Only to find out 45 mins later thay my driver got there and said they didnt have the order bc their system isnt set up or fufu. My driver said she hates working with them bc they always make you wait. I asked for pounded yams as a substitute. They said they dont sell that there. Even though its on their website. They said theyd give me jolly rice for free too. When my order finally arrived I didnt get my meat pie, ir the jolly rice.. Lastly food is not great. Beef and fish were dry. Everything had a weird taste. Waste of $38. Especially, because it shouldve only been like $25 Extremely disappointed.

Terrible service. I went back hoping to update my 2017 review and well, that didn't go well…read more I walked in at 1:00P and gave my order however, the cashier didn't enter it and tuned into a conversation taking place behind me. I said hello to get his attention and placed the order again, he scratched his head and tuned back into the conversation behind me... I left and placed my ordered online from my car at 1:10P. The order received text said my order would be ready at 1:40P. I ran an errand and returned at 1:50P. A different cashier from the firsr said the order would be ten (10) minutes. I asked why and he said it takes twenty (20) minutes to make... I questioned the time as I placed the order at 1:10P and he simply said "Yes, it will be ten minutes more." I asked if the order could be canceled and he said it could not... I left. An hour for takeaway is crazy. Best of luck if you try it.

Oh my god. The moment the oxtail entered my mouth, my world was forever changed. An explosion of…read moreunique and heavenly flavors. It was so tender and flavorful, literally falling off the bone. The curry goat as well was incredibly good, very tender and a lot of meat. Rice and peas was the best side I tried. Some of the best food I have ever tasted, I am not exaggerating. Portions were great, left feeling STUFFED. Service was kind, professional, and actually very quick. Menu was super straightforward and easy to understand, even for someone who has never eaten Jamaican food before. It's extremely clean and professional inside, very welcoming. And prices are very reasonable, especially considering the size of the portions. Would definitely suggest getting the oxtail with rice and peas and some sort of vegetable for the best all around eating experience. Jerk chicken patty is also a nice option if you're looking for something quicker. Please try this place. You will NOT be disappointed.

I waited 30 minutes on Friday, only to be told that my order had never been picked up or processed…read more The situation was handled very matter-of-factly, with little concern and delayed apology for the inconvenience. I then waited another 45 minutes for the food and was told it would take an additional seven minutes - -turned into 20mins for the beef patty. The restaurant clearly has high customer traffic, so I hope the food is good enough to justify the excessive wait. However, the lack of communication, urgency, and any attempt to compensate for the delay made the overall service experience extremely disappointing. Food satisfaction: Pending.

Kept hearing about Hajara's Kitchen and while in Woodbridge we stopped by! Got to meet The chef…read moreherself, Hajara, such a beautiful soul. She has a clean and welcoming establishment. We ordered the Jollof Rice with Goat Stew and the Potatoe Leaf Stew. All was AMAZING! While we waited, she gave us the meat pies to try, with the perfect amount of curry and spice. She also does trays for events and now we have a place that will accommodate our next family event with the food we all love. Thank you Mrs. Hajara for sharing your restaurant and good food with us. We will definitely be back for more.

We ordered at the kiosk excited about the culinary experience. Mind you it was around 12:15 pm on…read morea weekday. There were only two other patrons in the restaurant. So minutes go by and then more and more. At 12:55 pm we finally got our food. The other people got tired of waiting and left. We didn't get all of our food-they forgot part of our order-hope someone else was able to enjoy our puff puffs! The food was average but the lack of service was exceptional. If the person at the counter had communicated with us about the time it would have made a difference. Being polite goes a long way. BTW-someone came in for a mobile order and was told it would be a wait. They muttered some words I will not write. In truth-it was our fault for ignoring the massive red flag-empty restaurant at lunch time. Hope they work out their issues but we aren't going back.