Bole Bole is a very comfortable atmosphere to relax and unwind after a long day. When you walk in, the air conditioning is nice and cool accompanied by soft music and comfortable seating. The couches have a USB connection to charge your phone which is nice to have if you are staying for a while. Lately they have had live music (jazz) on Saturday nights occasionally. The staff (Israel, Mika and Anu) are very friendly and welcoming. I like to start out with a few beers, then order some food. My favorite dish is called Derek Tibs (Tibs means "sautéed meat" in the Amharic language). This consists of small cubes of beef cooked well done which results in the edges being slightly charred, which gives it a very tasty flavor along with a good texture that is slightly crunchy. Derek Tibs also comes with peppers and onions and rice on the side. It comes out smoking, sizzling hot on a cast iron skillet. I've tried Awaze tibs which is ok, but the Derek Tibs is definitely the best in my opinion. The ratings on Yelp doesn't reflect Bole Bole accurately. As of now, Yelp only shows a rating of 3.8 based only 21 reviews, whereas Google Reviews shows a rating of 4.9 based on more than 1,100 reviews. Therefore, Google Reviews provides a more statistically significant result than Yelp does. You might want to read over those reviews to get additional opinions. If you haven't been to Bole Bole, give it a try. The atmosphere is very relaxing. read more

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Great find .Beautifully decorated love the ambience.Plus the staff super friendly .Family owned Ethiopian restaurant great tasting food .We ordered fish dishes two kind .Veg dish plus a platter with beef and extra side .All were yummy very tasty .Their only draw back is they have one chicken dish in their menu and two kinds of fish . Rest lot of beef dishes. Wish they served lamb dishes like other Ethiopian restaurants. read more

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Cannot even describe how obsessed we are with Bole Bole. The food is EXCELLENT! We tried another Ethiopian around the corner & came running back to this place because it just cannot be beat! Family operated & delicious. Kind staff. We love the Gaze Light, Derke Tibs, & veggies. Doesn't churn tables like other places, but worth your time! Every bit of 5 out of 5 stars. read more

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Delicious Ethiopian food in a chill setting. I liked that the seating was all benches and the tables were lower, as it made for a relaxed environment. The food was very good and the combo platter we got was reasonably priced and fed four people. As usual with Ethiopian, a blend of delicious meat and vegetarian options. I loved the yellow lentils and everything else I ate. So good we came here on our way out of DC and came back on our way in! read more

Bole Bole - Shared combo plate - Ethiopian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

I love Ethiopian food, especially the injera. Most of it is prepared in advance... because how could you possibly cook down legumes with a delicious melange of spices and flavors on an order by order basis without it taking a very long time? It's ok, though, because the flavor medley is usually worth it! Bole Bole confirms for me that the food is definitely made in advance and reheated because I ordered a 5-item vegetable medley in person at the restaurant, and it was handed to me in a plastic to go bag in about 3 minutes (I know, because I barely had time to do anything meaningful on my phone). That's not the concern I have for Bole Bole, though, as, again, Ethiopian food at a restaurant is not made to order. Could you imagine their making injera to order? That would be so cool... but I digress. When you reheat food, there are a few choices for the type of food you generally order for entrees at an Ethiopian restaurant. On the stove, in an oven, a microwave... but, I wonder if what they did here was somehow add each item to a skillet or sauté pan with hot water and heat it up? I say that because in all the millions of calories (yummy, too) of Ethiopian food I've eaten in my time, I've never had Ethiopian dishes feel and taste watered down. The five items were a tiki gomen/ cabbage dish with cabbage that was so flimsy, I don't know how to describe it. There's cabbage that's tender, and cabbage that like all food/ vegetables when it's older, just starts to deteriorate. The spices in the food were there, but I could barely taste them. The main reason I know they were there is I could see the characteristic golden turmeric infused color to the cabbage and the rich spicy brown in the red lentils seasoned with berbere. The spices also lingered on my eating utensils, aka, my fingers. However, the flavor in my mouth was so diluted, it was strange. Again, I've never had that occur to me, ever, with Ethiopian food. This seems to align with comments from others that the food is really greasy in the sense that maybe they saw the reviews and tried to address it but over compensated by literally watering it down. The other give-away for me that the food is likely watered down is that there was very little oil or grease, which is extremely rare for Ethiopian dishes to have such a small amount of oil (again, you know it's there from the signature sheen on the food items, which is not bad IMO), and, the salt level was incredibly low. I am not a fan of salt, but, it was almost like there was no salt at all. I could only taste the actually veggies like the cabbage, the collards and the shiro. I've never tasted shiro was taste so much like chickpeas - that super earthy mellow flavor - and almost nothing else. The shiro wat was so watery I couldn't actually pick up anything more than just a light coating on injera acting like a dip rather than a stewed dish of substance. Even the red lentils were not spicy with hot peppery heat and the kik alicha yellow split peas has the similar earthy rich flavor of just plain legumes. So, I guess the take-away for me is this: if you hate salt and oil and lots of spices, you'll do great here! The dishes all tasted like their namesake key ingredient with little else to elevate the palate sensation. The injera was extremely fluffy, so fluffy I don't know when I might have if ever had such thick fluffy injera. In that sense, I can understand why some folks might have had a stomach ache afterwards. If you're used to using pieces of injera to pick up Ethiopian food, as one does, you end up using a lot more injera per bite because it's so thick and fluffy. This leads to a far higher ratio of injera to the dishes/ stews that if the injera were nice and thin. All in all, the restaurant was a lovely open space, the service was fast, the prices were fair and the parking was easy. However, if you're looking for the most flavorful Ethiopian fare, this is not for you. At the end of the day though, if you just want something to eat really fast that is Ethiopian, this place will do it, as long as you are ready for the food expectations. read more

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Ordered the Bole Bole beef, medium, lentil and collard greens. Was different than I expected. However, the food was so good. Must try. This will be a favorite of mine for my return trips to the area. read more

The service and ambiance were good. The server was quite attentive and friendly. The veggie combo for 7 on the other hand was sub-par. The injera was just alright. The establishment didn't offer teff-based injeras. The greasiness of the items was off-putting. I also had the veggie combo for 7 as takeout item as well and the grease puddled after the takeout sat for sometime. The flavors were nothing to write home about. read more

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Bole Bole Ethiopian Restaurant - Honest Take My wife and I stopped in recently and tried two beef dishes -- Awaze Tibs for her, and Derke Tibs for me. Flavor-wise, both were solid. The Awaze Tibs had that rich, spicy kick from the berbere-based sauce, and the Derke Tibs had a nice balance with fresh veggies and peppers. But here's the problem -- the meat in both dishes was way too chewy. My wife's Awaze Tibs felt like a workout for the jaw, and while my Derke Tibs wasn't quite as tough, it still leaned toward overcooked. We get that traditional Ethiopian tibs are cooked well-done, but this was beyond tender -- it was just tough. Service was friendly and the injera was fresh, but unless you're fine with extra-chewy beef, I'd recommend going for one of their slow-cooked stews or vegetarian options instead. read more

The best meal I've had out in a long time. The food here is truly high quality and authentically Ethiopian. From the cooking methods to the fresh ingredients, they don't compromise. So you know you're enjoying a meal that's both delicious and healthy. The Derke tibs were unbelievably good--an absolute MUST when you visit. The spices and sauce were divine. The manager, Mika, came over to chat, and we had a great conversation. His mother is the chef, which explains the incredible flavors. They're both from Ethiopia, and you can taste that genuine heritage in every bite. If you're in the area, do not miss this place! read more

Bole Bole - Derke Tibs - Ethiopian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

I gave bole bole several chances since I wrote the first review. I am very disappointed. Flavor, taste is off. It tastes nothing like authentic Ethiopian food. The injera actually made me sick, it's heavy on the stomach, not like the other Ethiopian restaurants. They don't offer the Ethiopian injera like the other restaurants. The Kifto butter and the tibs was really off, greasy. The portion is ridiculously small. I will not be going there again as there are many other options in northern Virginia. read more

The food was great. Took my mom here for her first Ethiopian experience. One dish is plenty for two. Yum.

I ordered a manhattan. Had to ask for it twice. It took 45 minutes for them to serve me a drink and when they finally did it was a pina colada. read more

We were celebrating our daughter's birthday on Sunday evening, and since she loves Ethiopian food, we planned a special family dinner. I made a reservation through the restaurant's website, but never received a confirmation. To be sure, we called -- especially because we'd be driving 30 miles to get there. The person who answered assured us they had space and confirmed a table for 7:30 p.m. We arrived exactly at 7:30, after our long drive, only to be told at the door by the same person that they were out of injera and couldn't seat us. This was shocking, especially since we had just confirmed our reservation over the phone. Why didn't they tell us before we made the trip? There was no apology that felt sincere, no effort to make things right, and no sense of responsibility. This restaurant is utterly unpredictable, poorly managed, and lacks basic courtesy toward customers. I cannot recommend it to anyone who values their time or a reliable dining experience. read more

Warm, friendly, people, family owned. Authentic, delicious food and generous portions!

Wow - ive been checking out tasty ethnic food in Herndon for over 35 yrs - some good ones, but this is the first with such a nice DC vibe that i just wanted to hang out. Food was delish too. Owner claims all the food is organic wt grass fed meats... at that price, thats incredible! My tab was $32 before tax, and i had drinks and dessert in addition to the entree. As Arnold said..."ill be back!" read more

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I really wanted to like this place because the interior is stunning -- cozy and stylish. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end. The service was some of the worst I've experienced. I tried ordering a dish, and the staff told me they couldn't make it because they were "making butter." Strange, but I let it go and chose something else -- again, they said it wasn't available. This happened more than once, and no real explanation was given. It felt like the kitchen wasn't ready at all. Beautiful space, but I wouldn't come back. Service is just too poor. read more

Horrible. The worst Ethiopian restaurant I've been to, and one of the worst of any type of restaurant period. We ordered sambusas for appetizers, and they were cold in the middle. I told a waitress, and she just stared at me nonchalantly and look them to warm them up. Later, another waitress brought some more, but they were cold in the middle as well. I told the waitress to take them back, and she muttered a half-hearted apology and did so. After about a half hour the waitress told us that we would have to order another item instead of one we had chosen, because they "couldn't find it," whatever that meant. It took well over an hour to get our food, and the restaurant was nowhere near busy. I don't know how these clueless amateurs can expect to be in business for very long with such wretched service. read more

Food is so good!! High quality! Nice to go with a small group. Very relaxing vibe. And the lunch prices are great!

My son and I just ate there...unbelievably tasty. Service was great and their cuisine is unique.

Blatant Theft and Unethical Practices This business admitted to making a mistake but refused to refund my money. They openly stated they have no problem keeping the overcharge, despite acknowledging their error. This is not just unethical--it's theft. They even doubled down, admitting they know it's wrong but won't correct it. I have reported them to the Virginia Consumer Protection Department, as well as shared my experience here. My bank has refunded me and is now investigating the matter further. For the record, a business can issue a refund even without the customer or card being present or even reported the error. Once an overcharge is brought to the seller's attention, they are obligated to correct it, regardless of how the error was discovered. Avoid going here--this place appears to be running a scheme that is both unethical and illegal. . Cheers read more

This was my first time having Ethiopian food and I liked it! The experience was different from most other cuisine I've had but I would recommend it. read more