Bland, bland, bland. I tried the vegetable combination platter, usually my favorite order in Ethiopian restaurants. The star for me is generally the Berbere-spiced red lentils, but not here: taste and texture resembled bad refried beans without enough salt. The other vegetables were also underseasoned, though the textures were fine. The injera was fresh; the tomato salad was not. Since other Ethiopian restaurants in the area have better food and better prices, I won't be back. Sad, because I really wanted to like this place. read more

This is one of my favorite Ethiopian restaurants! The owners are wonderful and their food is delicious!!

This is a great little spot to experience Eritrean cuisine. Very much like Ethiopian. Great menu with nice servings and wonderful service. Top of the list! read more

The portion size was generous and the food was delicious, especially the vegetable dishes. The chicken we ordered wasn't as good though as the other beef and lamb dishes. read more

I can't believe this restaurant has been here for 7 months and I am just now discovering it less than half a mile from the house. I'm back for the second time in two days to have their Veggie Combo. SO GOOD. Met one of the owners today - very friendly and helpful. The restaurant is cozy and very clean, with a nice sized bar. They play live music sometimes at night so I'll have to come back for date night with my husband. read more

First time here since moving to Silver Spring. Service and food was fantastic. Will definitely being going back.

Meleket restaurant is so far I have the best Ethiopia and Eritrea restaurant I never have beautiful place and good food love it.

This is a wonderful restaurant. Great food and service in a relaxed and friendly environment. I recommend it highly.

First time fan, really enjoyed the beef, chicken, mixed veggies and greens stews. Lamb was so so and I'm not a big fan of yellow peas. Impressed that they were able to spice well without overpowering heat. The only criticism is that their tables are a bit small for a party of 4. By the way, try the tea infused with cinnamon, excellent read more

Food good, service bad. Took forever to bring our food. Requested two orders of an appetizer, only one came. Had to get extra napkins ourselves and seek out wait staff to get water, the check, etc. Go early if you aren't in a rush...otherwise forget it. read more

I like to consider myself an Ethiopian food connoisseur, I've been eating this delicacy since I was a little girl. So me being overwhelmingly impressed shouldn't be taken lightly. You guys really outdid yourselves - one of the best Ethiopian places I've ever eaten from! My only complaint is that I needed more injera My husband and I ordered the vegan combo - my family had kik alicha, and shiro. It was rich, full of flavor and tasted extremely fresh. I'm a snob when it comes to timatim, I tend to be very specific on how I like it but I was in awe. Not too acidic with a perfect touch of zest from the lemon juice- and the right amount of jalapeños that didn't make the spiciness too overpowering! The gomen collard greens did not taste earthy at all, and even had a slight crunch just how I love it. I could go on all day This is definitely our go-to Ethiopian restaurant from now on. We will be ordering more food to-go! read more

Having previously lived in Ethiopia as Peace Corps Volunteers, my husband & I can be picky about our Ethiopian food. Meleket always satisfies!! Amazing food, kind service, nice setting. It's fabulous!! read more

Their chechebsa and silsi firfir were delicious items we tried for breakfast. The second time we visited meleket with my friends was Saturday night and the place was packed. I wish we had made some reservations because we had to wait to be seated. I would highly recommend you make reservations if you are dinning in the weekends. The meleket special tibs and veggie combo was made fresh and ABSOLUTELY amazing. If you like very spicy then the doro wet is for you. I personally like mild and flavorful dishes so I went with the veggie combo. I am so glad this restaurant is open in the Wheaton area because it is the closest to me. Be careful the parking spots can get crowded during busy hours. read more

The food wasn't great, but what really irks me is that the server added additional tip money onto what I had written onto into the tip space the receipt. If you are wondering, I was not in a large party and the receipt did not indicate that there was a tip automatically added. I can't support a restaurant that does this. read more

So good! I don't visit Silver Spring without visiting Meleket. Everything is so fresh and flavorful, outdoing many Ethiopian restaurants I've eaten at in DC, New York, San Francisco, &c. I especially like the beets (revelatory!), the cabbage and carrots, and the chickpeas. (When the restaurant first opened, the one problem was that service was slow; that's no longer the case; if you only tried it at the start, do return.) read more

Wonderful, warm service. Delicious veg combo. They could do amazing business if they improved their coffee service to be a real coffee bar.

Super awesome! A bit difficult though to find non-spicy food. Owner is really sweet as well:)

I was recommended by a friend to come here a few days ago and I must say that I really enjoyed the atmosphere . Everyone was very pleasant and the set up is great. I was the brave soul that tried the spaghetti and meat balls and it was so good. I also had injera which was very tasty with lots of flavor. I will be coming by again with another group of my friends so they can enjoy the experience I had as well. read more

Another fantastic meal. Four people, two vegetarian combos and one beef tibs dry style were just fantastic. Fresh, delicious, and served with smiles. A friendly place that's quiet enough for conversation (with my hard of hearing family members!), feels comfortable, still nice enough for a special occasion. The injera bread was fresh and delicious. They made us feel at home and well fed but not too full. We ordered wine, but they have regular as well as Ethiopian wines, beer, and a full bar. It's a tiny parking lot but not busy at night, and public parking just across Seminary Road. Highly recommended! read more

Great food and friendly staff. I order the Veggie Combo and Sambusas all the time. I highly recommend!

Beautiful neighborhood restaurant. Delicious food, friendly service, lovely decor and nice bar. Great walking distance from Woodside and Montgomery Hills neighborhoods and plenty of parking in Montgomery County lot across the street. A classy and healthy choice for lunch, dinner, family, out of town visitors, or date night! read more

Yes, exactly what I wanted in a neighborhood restaurant. Absolutely lovely people and truly home cooked. The cucumber bites were just the right taste for an appetizer. Zizi's special tibs is exactly what you want when you're thinking beautifully roasted lamb. The gomen besiga was very fresh (they know what they're doing with vegetables) with the perfect spice on the beef. We came out happily full and within walking distance will mean we'll be here again. Ample parking for those who don't have the walking option. read more

We were passing through and happened to get off the exit due to traffic and found this little gem. The exterior doesn't look so inviting, but once you enter it is surprisingly open and very clean. They have a nice bar area and the restaurant itself has a nice style and ambiance. The food was delicious and filled with flavor. We ordered the chicken sambussa off the apps menu and found them to be extremely delicious! The dipping sauce was spicy and fantastic. We ordered Meleket's Special Tibs with lamb, which was delicious! The jalapeños are pretty spicy and really add to the flavor. The Tibs Firfir was another great flavorful dish. The Yebeg Alicha was not something we would order again as it was bland and had a lot of bones and fatty meat pieces. Other than that, we were extremely pleased and left satisfied. Also, the owner is really hospitable and friendly. He had great recommendations off the menu and was great with our kids. read more

We were pleased with our choice of Kitfo, fried fish, and the veggie platter. We could not be more pleased to have such an excellent restaurant in Woodside. The food and customer service are exceptional. read more

Absolutely tremendous! Portions are sized great, food was INCREDIBLE, service was GREAT, decor was BEAUTIFUL, and the drinks were TASTY and PRICED reasonably well! The 2 staff on the floor were extremely warm, welcoming, and accommodating. There's not a bad thing I could say about Meleket. We will 100% be back soon! read more

Fantastic food. Veggie combo is absolutely delicious as is the meleket special beef. Wonderful service!

The vegetarian sampler is great! I had a wonderful time at this restaurant. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. Can't wait to go back.

Delicious food, very attentive staff, cozy ambiance. Took my kids for their first Ethiopian food. The owner/chef seated us personally and gave us recommendations, he was very personable and helpful. The sambussas were amazing! We all agreed we could eat a plate of these as an entree. The vegetarian sampler was also a real treat. We went early on a Saturday night to be sure we got a table (6ish) - but that meant we were leaving just as the live music was setting up. Next time we'll try going a little later. read more

We are really picky when it comes to speciality foods like Ethiopian cuisine. It has to be, well, special. There are several fine Ethiopian spots in Silver Spring, but this is a good step above in terms of quality of food.. Staff/owners are also extremely gracious and welcoming too without being overbearing. Go check this place out, you'll be glad you did. Fantastic addition to the neighborhood! read more

My wife, brother-in-law and I decided to venture out to this new restaurant down the block... talk about a delicious and unexpected culinary outing!! Would highly recommend this cozy little Ethiopian gem that's only been open 3 months in Silver Spring. Kudos to Chef Abe and his team! The lamb and veggie dishes were especially sumptuous, and the sambosa appetizer was so tasty that we ended up with 3 orders - two before dinner and the third as a supplement to the meal! (We loved the beef and lentil ones; unfortunately they were out of the chicken... on our list for next time!). We'll definitely be back and experienced first hand why Meleket has received such raving reviews (honestly we were skeptical reading some of the reviews). We even appreciated Chef Abe visiting the table on multiple occasions, and showing off his Meleket blowing talents upon request. Overall a wonderful dining experience! Check out @meleketrestaurant on Facebook. read more

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We're very fortunate to have had Meleket open, no stoplights from our front door. We followed the progress and went after they'd been open a couple weeks to get settled. Abe, the owner is clearly, and rightly proud of what he's built with his own hands. It's an attractive space and care has been taken with the decor, lighting and music. An opening special buffet was available, but we opted to try our baseline test for any new Ethiopian place; veggie platter and an order of shiro wat. The variety was not as wide as at most places, but the four items we got were all super tasty and fresh. We were assured that they'd be adding additional veg items in the future. The service was attentive, and was very inexpensive. Great addition to the Rock Creek Forrest area! read more

We are new to this fabulous intimate restaurant. The food is wonderful, and the beautiful decor, we were told, was installed by the owners. Both evenings we enjoyed our dinner, the chef came out to check on us and chat. The place is small but has a full size bar with multiple flat screen TV's silently broadcasting a game. The patrons seem a mix of local residents and friends of the owners. The woman next to us was pleased to discover she could order a favorite food that was not on the menu. Both nights there some of the items on the menu were not available, as we were told it was a very busy the night before. Feeling very lucky to have a place in our neighborhood that is beautiful, tasty, affordable, and great service. It does not get much better. read more

Went to this new restaurant with very high expectations, and it did not disappoint. It's only been open for three weeks, so I expected rough spots in the service; that didn't happen - the service was super friendly and excellent throughout our meal. Abe, the owner, greeted us when we entered and he tended the bar. He was charming, The food is terrific! My wife and I shared the veggie combo platter and the special Tibs platter (beef). Both were excellent, and the portions were huge. We were there during happy hour and the beer, wine and liquor prices were really low. The ambiance is simple and airy though the restaurant is pretty small. Give is a try! read more

Absolutely wonderful dining experience! The food was delicious (and accommodating of gluten free needs), the staff was warm, welcoming, accommodating, and attentive on a busy night; and the space is comfortable and lovely with a great community feel. We will definitely be back! read more

Glad to see this restaurant finally open. The interior is more tasteful, contemporary, and comfortable than other local Ethiopian restaurants and the service was very warm and accommodating. The menu choices were more limited than some of the other neighboring choices but of high quality, both the vegetable platter and tibs were well spiced and generous. Will definitely return read more

The food is great. Clean and presentable. Good prices and great customer service. Customer parking is just fine. I have been here several times and never been disappointed. read more

Neighborhood has raved about this place and it did not disappoint. We had a great dinner with excellent service. Waited around for the band and they were great. So nice to have a quality place like this near by, read more

A great addition to the neighborhood. Good food, fast service, and a nice space. We had the veggie combo.

We were visiting from out of town and it was insisted we should try this new "local" restaurant. Not only is this food genuine and delicious the owners/staff are amazing and so hospitable!! Such lovely waitstaff!! We had half meat eaters and half vegetarians. They gave excellent and yummy recommendations to please all. read more

We started with the Bayu Bites and the Sambussa (veggie). Both were delicious and spicy. Then we crowned the Vegetarian Platter with Zizi's Special Tibs. It made for quite a feast. One way we judge a restaurant is its take home gear. Meleket has useful aluminum containers that can go right into a warm up oven. Nice. read more