A small Ethiopian restaurant in Silver Spring that serves great food and provides good service! Considering the size of the place, it does have a decent amount of tables, mainly for 2-4 people. We had a group of 8 and we were seated pretty comfortably by the main entrance. There is street parking available and I believe a garage nearby as well. They have a great selection of items from vegetarian options to their specialty Kitfo. Since we ordered such a large quantity, they were accommodating and served up our food on 2 big trays so that everyone could easily access the dishes versus passing plates around the table. They also brought us an entire plate of injera as that is the main method of eating at an Ethiopian restaurant. We ordered the collard green wot, lentil misir wot, crispy tibs, lamb tibs, kitfo special, beef tibs firfir, beef tibs, chicken wot and pasta w/ meat sauce. Out of all of those, the crispy tibs were the best! The meat could have been more tender like the other dishes, but when fried to a crisp like that, it definitely can be challenging. I do also wish the pieces of meat were bigger for those stew like dishes. My friend insisted on ordering the pasta w/ meat sauce, and not that we expected something mind blowing, but it was extremely bland. read more

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The food has different flavors and there's no meat only the injera .so I don't go there anymore.

This restaurant features an attractive interior with lots of natural light, green faux leather dining chairs, a bar nook and friendly staff! I normally order a dish with injera when I eat at an Ethiopian restaurant; however, I was concerned that the injera wouldn't fare well in a takeout order. I opted for the spicy beef ribs with jalapeño rice instead. The beef and accompanying gravy was tasty, but not spicy at all! The rice was bland and devoid of any jalapeño flavors or spice. read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Yooo, didn't know this spot was here. My fault I didn't walk far enough polite and attentive. I'm definitely going back. Spices and flavor on 20!! read more

This was so good!! I hope you all add grilled lamb in the future. The lamb in stew was amazing, however. Overall the service was great. the restaurant is kept. I thoroughly enjoyed this food. I recommend read more

Beteseb Restaurant - lamb in a stew sauce, with cabbage, greens and injera. - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

On our trip to DC, we visited a friend who had moved to Silver Spring. We planned to meet for dinner, and she recommended Beteseb. While the food was delicious, the service left much to be desired, which our friend had warned us about. Service was slow and lacklustre, and when I discovered a large chip and crack in my glass, it took quite a long time to get a replacement. To share, we ordered the vegetarian combo (various lentil and vegetarian stews served on injera, a flatbread that you use to scoop up the stews) and a side of beef stew. I found it odd that when the server brought the bowl of beef stew, she dumped it in the middle of the vegetarian platter without asking if we were alright with it. While we weren't bothered by it, what if one of us was vegetarian and didn't want the meat mixing with the vegetarian food? [Yelp collections: East Coast 2022; Washington, DC 2022] read more

I've been craving Ethiopian food for a while now so what better place to go than DTSS? I ended up choosing this restaurant because it is one of the higher rated ones on Yelp and the restaurant lived up to the stars. We opted to eat outside because of COVID, but eating indoor is also an option. It was three of us and we ordered the gomen, awaze tibs, and well done kitfo. The portion sizes were a good amount for the size of our group. The awaze tibs was my favorite, and it was nice to have a balance with the gomen (collard greens). Well done kitfo is a bit on the dryer side (not saucy) so keep that in mind if you decide to order that. The servers were both very nice and checked in on us to make sure everything was going ok. Overall great service and great food! read more

Beteseb Restaurant - platter with gomen, awaze tibs, and well done kitfo - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I'm a huge fan of Ethiopian food! My college roomie introduced me many many years ago and I've loved it ever since! My go to is usually awaze tibs, but I enjoy the veggie meals as well. I read so many great reviews about this place and I was excited to try it. Sadly, I was disappointed! I did a take-out order yesterday. I called ahead and was told 15 to 20 minutes. I arrived about 15 minutes later and my order was ready. I was greeted right away. Staff wore masks! Great! There were a few patrons dining inside. I had ordered the awaze tibs and I requested it spicy. I also wanted extra injera (which I didn't mind paying for). This meal came with a side salad. Total $15 (average price so no issues there). I got home ready to dig in. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this meal at all. It was super soggy! The meat had soaked through the injera and that's not fun to eat. Maybe I had to ask for the items to be packaged separately? I've only done take-out Ethiopian food once before at different spot and didn't have this issue! My reason for this rating is based on the food. I had no issues with the customer service, but the meat which wasn't much, just didn't have that flavor I'm used to when eating Ethiopian cuisine. I've been eating it for 18 years so I know what it should taste like. It definitely was not spicy. The injera was ok! Speaking of injera, the extra was literally a single injera! The salad was pitiful and the only side offered! I just don't see myself ever coming back here. There are wat too many options for Ethiopian food in the DMV! read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Take out order. Awaze tibs (it's under there somewhere) - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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Great food and always good service. I always enjoy the vegetarian combo. Sometimes I order the lamb tibs which are super flavorful. I like to order the imported enjera too. read more

Great food, great service and a comfortable setting. Have been visiting this award winning restaurant for several years and they never seem to disappoint read more

Great restaurant with great service. I was here every day that I was in Maryland. The food is just really good, you can't really go wrong with anything from the menu. The service is also amazing. read more

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Doro Wot!!! Omg top Ethiopian restaurants to go eat. I tried a good handful or restaurant but this place topped it!

[Coronavirus review] They've got a couple of very modest tables on the sidewalk, but it's limited compared to some of the other local restaurants which were built better for mandatory outside dining (the current rule). Even though I ate at one of those tables, my food still came on a disposable plate and I got bottled water (at no charge). They took my phone-based payment without even giving me a chance to tip, when really I was eating in specifically so I could do so (and because I didn't really want to wander around looking for a place to eat while my food was getting soggy). I left a couple of bucks in cash; even though it was a strange experience eating alone at an impromptu table they certainly made every effort to ensure that I had a good meal. Every eating experience is a learning experience these days; we're all figuring it out as we go. Regardless of where we are as a society, if I eat Ethiopian I'm pretty much getting the veggie combo. I asked if they had sambusas, and they said not that day, implying that they sometimes do at least. What was notably about their veggie combo is that it had shiro, the spicy chickpea puree that some restaurants exclude from the combo platters and make you order individually despite (or perhaps because) it is usually the best of the several stews that arrive dumped on your flatbread. It was good, but the variety of lentils, split peas, greens, and others was all tasty and the variety makes the combo greater than the sum of its parts. With a handy disposable towelette provided, I left with a full stomach and clean hands. That's the goal these days, isn't it? read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Vegetarian Combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Best Ethiopian we have had. And we used to go to the ones in Adams Morgan all the time. Restaurant was clean and inviting. We were there for lunch but I suspect it gets busy in the evening. Great selection and service. read more

While service of the food can be slow, the staff tries hard to attend to the needs of their customers. The food (I have a door wot vege combo) was well-[repaired and worth the wait. read more

I remember the food being decent. I would like to go again. Service was good and also place is nice and clean.

I saw this restaurant walking around Silver Spring and was intrigued. I decided to give it a shot. I was pleased with the service and vegan offerings. The restaurant has a nice ambiance and the staff is very friendly. read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Vegetarian Combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Over priced for food that was less than average and even have spoiled food served. They also charge extra for the injera served on the side. Overall, our experience was not that great and hope others have a better experience! read more

This is one of the best Ethiopian restaurants in Silver Spring. Food was great. Staff was courteous. I ordered fish (tilapia) and it was THE best Ethiopian dish I had in DMV area so far. Silver Spring has so many Ethiopian restaurants and the competition among them is really high. Most of those places I have seen usually cater to the casual street crowd. But this one is one notch up. The interior is nicer (not authentic feel but still nice). The open kitchen is a huge plus. Makes me trust the food. My friends ordered beef and lamb dishes. I tried lamb and felt it's a bit chewy and gravy was thin. Lamb in other places were better. So a minus for that. All our dishes came piping hot. One big note though. We had to wait for our food for almost an hour. Not exaggerating. The food is good overall but if you don't have the patience or are in hurry, don't go. If you have good company and don't mind waiting, this is a definite try. Prices are reasonable. read more

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Fantastic. Was in town for an event, yearing eithiopean food. My wife and I had the combo of meat and veggies. Just wonderful. Spicy, flavorful, rich and delightful. And cheap! $25 for two? We may not eat as much as some, but this was plenty for us. I told them O wish they'd move to our neighborhood in Brooklyn, because they're better than our options there! read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Combo platter - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

One of my favorite Ethiopian spots in the county. I've been a few times and have had great experiences.

The food was delicious and it was my first time properly eating Ethiopian food. The ambience was nice, there was a great vibe for casual dinning. The Service was ok, the food took a bit to come out but good things come to those who wait. The waitress was nice and helpful when we needed help with the food selection. Overall i had a great experience and i look forward to coming back to try another dish. I tried the vegetable combo with beef. read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Vegetable combo with beef - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I was headed to a film festival in Silver Spring and wanted to check out some Ethiopian food since that's what the area is known for! This restaurant had generally great reviews so I decided to come here as opposed to the other nearby Ethiopian restaurants. The ambiance is nice and welcoming but service was pretty slow. It took a while before anyone even offered us water. My go to is Doro wat, and unfortunately I was not overally impressed with this version. It just tasted muted. It did not have the layers of flavor I expected and the sauce was a bit thinner than I prefer. The star of the show was definitely the salad, which was dressed with a delicious vinaigrette. read more

One of my new top Ethiopian spots in DMV. We knew it would be great when we were the only non-Ethiopians dining. We had great coffee service also. read more

Best ethiopean restaurant in the DMV. Better tasting than even the fancier ones like Das in Georgetown. Dont be surprised if the food takes a while to come out. read more

I come here every time I visit my friends in Takoma Park and I'm happy to see that it hasn't changed. Probably the best injera and kitfo I've had. read more

Were you trying to find the best Ethiopian restaurant in downtown silver spring and probably all of Silver Spring?? Look no further you've come to the right place! Okay, honest moment... this was my first time having Ethiopian but my more experienced friends say it's the best. But more importantly... The food! I had the rib eye tender with cabbage. The meal always come with salad so I only ordered one side. You also get your food on injera to eat and some more injera along with that. The rib eye was so tender and seasoned so well with spices, onions and jalapeños. It was simply delectable. The cabbage was good too. I also sampled my husbands greens which were pretty good too. I was very full and didn't even finish my entire meal. The restaurant isn't the largest so I wouldn't suggest trying to have your large birthday dinner here, but is cool for an intimate group. Cool thing here is that they have a cooler full of drinks you can just walk up to and choose from. This cooler includes Gatorade! I mean how often can you get Gatorade at a restaurant. Our server was great too. I'll definitely be back! read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Rib eye tips - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Beteseb was my first time trying Ethiopian food and I think I'm hooked! Friends and I stopped by on a Friday night to get a taste of some great Ethiopian food. I have heard that Silver Spring is the place to go for authentic and delicious meals. My friends and I ordered the beef and veggie combo x 2. The waiter asked if we wanted to receive it on one plate instead and we agreed. It came as a large portion, which is more food than it looks like. The meal was amazing, but I feel like the service was not as great. When we asked how our server recommended the meat to be cooked, they seemed annoyed that we asked and said we could have it however we wanted. It was our first time having Ethiopian so we wanted to ask questions, but the server was not welcoming at all. I understand that my servers don't need to be having the time of their lives, but good service does make for a great experience. After a few of those dry responses, my friends and I stopped asking questions and at some point the waiter never came back to the table. I wish I could say that I would come back to eat here, but my experience makes me want to try a different place next time. One thing to note if it's your first time eating at an Ethiopian restaurant - they don't use plates. I was aware that Ethiopian food is eaten with your hands, but since we were a large table, I thought we could grab and use our plates to not spill the food. When we asked for plates, another server brought them over to us, but they gave us paper plates. I assume they didn't even have regular plates to give us since they don't use them in that way. I wish I had realized beforehand. Definitely a little embarrassing of us to not know, but hopefully this can save someone else from the same fumble! read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Beef and vegetable combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Food here was very yummy so come here for authentic Ethiopian food. We started with some piping hot lentil Sambusas and they were pretty good. I'd argue that its thicker crusted cousin, the Samosa, is more flavorful but I'm probably biased. It's still a good starter. I wish it came with a dipping sauce. I got the shiro wot which is made out of chickpea flour and loved it. I did that weird eye twitch thing one does when food is heavenly. I even forgot to catalogue a picture. The spicy red pepper sauce added the flavor I was looking for and it was warm and comforting too. I'd get the veggie combo next time so I could try a bit of everything but it's filling so be careful. I was really hungry when I arrived but struggled to finish my shiro. My boyfriend got the Tibs firfir and ate it all so I think it was a winner. My friend got the atkilt alicha (pictured below) and it was also good. They serve various beer and wine too so overall I think this place is a win! Most of us had food leftover. I painfully ate the tail end of my food since it was too little to box. I'd come back for breakfast because the breakfast menu looks awesome. read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Atakilt alicha - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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I'm so happy to have found an amazing Ethiopian place in the area! This is one my favorite cuisines and I loved their vegetarian combo! Everything was seasoned well & I can't wait to go back! read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Vegetarian Combo - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I came here with a friend for dinner. It wasn't too crowded when we arrived at 6:30pm on a weekday. The place started to fill up later on. I've had Ethiopian food a handful of times, but I'm not an expert at ordering. I like that Beteseb's menu has pictures for all of the entrees on the back (very helpful!). Our waitress also helped inform us which dishes were spicy, which I needed because I have a low spice tolerance. We ordered the veggie combo which cost about $13. The veggie combo consists of misir wot (split red lentils... spicy alert!), kik alicha (split peas), atakilt wot (cabbage, carrots, and potatoes), ye gomen wot (collard greens), shiro wot (roasted and powered peas...spicy alert!), and salad, all served on injera. We found that the veggie combo platter was enough for us to share. Aside from the spicy dishes, the other dishes could have been more flavorful... but perhaps my taste buds were overwhelmed from the spiciness of the misir wot and shiro wot. Service was low-key, but I never felt neglected. I did appreciate that a waiter offered to bring us additional injera, and our waitress asked how the food was and if we wanted to order anything else. All in all, not a bad spot to grab some Ethiopian food. This place did have much better service than Lucy's Ethiopian nearby, and that makes a big difference. read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Veggie combo ($13) - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

The only real gripe I have is that it took a hour for us to get our food. I came here with a group of 5 on Saturday night, around 7 pm. The place wasn't full, but we got our injera platter at 8pm. We wish we'd have known it'd have taken a hour. In the future, if I was coming back for two people, I'd like to see a 3-meat combo with veggies, but on the menu there are only 2 meat and 2 veggie combos, or a veggie combo of 5. We ordered a la carte off the menu, since the meat and veggie combos weren't enough for the five of us. We got for the meat: kitfo, key wot, yebeg tibs, and lamb tibs; for veggies atkilt alicha, shiro wot, and one more I forgot. The kitfo is RAW MEAT, and the server emphasized that to us. She didn't seem to think we would like it? But we insisted on getting the dish because Washingtonian recommended it. Maybe it's not for everybody, but I and two others loved it. It was so soft. I liked how the meat dishes were plentiful and juicy. read more

Beteseb Restaurant - Close up of the kifto- raw beef! Really good! Not for the sensitive. - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

We carried out. And while we are just visiting DC, we've all had Ethiopian before. Overall the flavor of the food was very good, and the service was nice... I'm very surprised that people had complaints about the service. The cabbage and carrots dish may have been the best I have ever had. The Shiro (chickpeas) were very nice, just like they are everywhere, and had a little kick, but not too much. Typically I only get vegetables, so I don't have a lot of contexts for judging the meats, but the lamb Tibs was great and the beef Tibs was good as well. The vegetables in each were very nice, and both dishes were mild per our request, but still flavorful. The yellow split peas were not very good. They were a little bland and dry, especially compared to everywhere else. The injera was the best I ever remember having. However, they gave us like 2-3 times as much as we needed, which was kind of ridiculous. Also, the foods were packed wrapped in injera, which kind of dried them out/absorbed too much sauce, and made eating/sharing difficult. It was like the exact opposite adjustment that they should make for to go orders. We ordered 6 dishes, which fed five adults for $75 plus tip, and had about one full dish leftover. Seemed like a pretty good value. Probably could go with one per adult, especially jf you're down to eat a lot of bread. I'd go back, but make some adjustments per the above. read more

Beteseb is one of the better Ethiopian restaurants in Silver Spring. My wife and I have not been for a while but we remember their selection of both meat and vegetarian options to be great and the service friendly. They have both cozy indoor and limited outdoor dining options. The prices are also very reasonable. We look forward to returning. read more

Do I even need to write a review for this place given its reputation on Yelp. Amazing food. Want to give a shout-out to the restaurant crew for creating this establishment. The food here is amazing especially for a vegetarian. U have so many options to enjoy and it's all amazing authentic Ethiopian food. Although ppl bitch about food in dc, no one can deny that you can always find good Ethiopian food here. read more

This is the sweetest little spot with food that is out of this world good! Great prices, portions, service, and just so delicious!

So healthy and delicious. I have always been a big has of Ethiopian food. And this small restaurant looks great, well decorated with great service. Enjoyed the food! read more

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This place is clean and the green and white color theme is nice. They offer you water to start. We ordered the veggie platter and the tibs and the food was ready pretty quick (20 minutes). Because of how quickly it was made, I thought it was rushed because Ethiopian dishes usually take a while to make. The food was good but it was a bit "rushed" . I've been to other Ethiopian restaurants and I can tell the difference between rushed food and food that took time. However, The service was good! read more

Silver Spring is home to many Ethiopian restaurants and community so we had high hopes. We had the meat and veggie sampler platter and all the food was bland even though asked to make it traditionally/like they were making food for their family and spicy. The service was good and attentive. read more

My go-to Ethiopian restaurant. Before covid, portions were huge, hot, and delicious. During covid with take out, they have the biggest portions compared to at least two other Ethiopian restaurants I have tried in the area. They give more than enough injera. Get the vegetarian combo! I would become a vegetarian if I had to eat this every day. However, I usually get the Doro wot (chicken with a hardboiled egg) and it's a hit or miss. Sometimes it's piping hot, spicy enough, and lots of sauce/stew, sometimes it's just the opposite. Same with the beef tibs. Highly recommend - call early if picking up read more