Compared to other Ethiopian restaurants, this one is not that great. The food and wine are of poor quality. There are much better options available in Silver Spring and DC. I would not return or recommend this place. read more

Ethio Express has a different take on Ethiopian cuisine. The ordering process is very similar to chipotle or kava, where you start with a base and build up your meal with protein and sides. It is a faster process than a traditional Ethiopian restaurant and has a more modern feel. The taste is delicious. I have been here several times and always choose the injera bread. The sides I tend to switch up, all of which are very flavorful. My favorite add ons are the spicy lentils, collards, peppers and onions, and the cheese. Their choices of sauces to compliment the dishes are tasty as well. All in all a mouthful of heaven. The atmosphere is well lit. I am disappointed to not see more people when I go. Usually the place is pretty empty, but that may be due to the location. When I go, I always park in the parking lot across from the restaurant in the alley. It is free in the evenings and all day Sunday. I believe that if the restaurant were closer to the popular area of downtown Silver Spring, that it will receive more attention. Besides the location, the service is amazing. Everyone I have interacted with has been super friendly and helpful with suggesting and explaining menu options. Definitely recommend this place. Especially if you are looking for a more affordable Ethiopian restaurant. ***Tip: Buy the groupon and get three vouchers for any entree! I've already used two of mine. read more

Nazrawi Ethiopian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Atmosphere: sterile, as in clean, quiet, and basic (not slang basic. Basic basic. Sparse decorations. Minimalistic style. Not much to look at.) Food: my tofu was delicious with the hot ethio sauce. I really liked the red lentils. Collard greens were okay. Cucumber and tomato provides a nice cooling effect after consuming spicy sauces. The jalapeño corn is suuuuper dry. Green lentils aren't super flavorful, but I liked them mixed with other things. I would come back for sure... ...HOWEVER! The board clearly stated that unlike the meats (at $8-10 and change), the tofu was $7.59. Awesome! But then I went to check out, and the cashier informed me it was in fact $8.59 for tofu. What now? I'm looking at a sign that says $7.59. She says, "no, it's wrong" and shows me the computer screen...like I care that *it* says $8.59. I had to let it go, because what are ya gonna do? Haters gonna hate, and diners gonna dine. Anyhoo, that's silliness. You should honor the posted price! Buy a post-it note or say something, darn it. But don't surprise me with a dollar surcharge at the end! I dock you one star, and may God have mercy on your soul. read more

Love the mushroom tibs (enguday tibs). I did not share a drop of my huge portion. The forgot was also really good. I will be going back.

One of my new favorites in the area. I decided to go for lunch today, and I am so happy I did. I wanted a flavorful lunch, and that is what I got. I ordered the Injera plate with pita pocket instead of Injera bread. Yum! The only thing I would do different next time is get Ethio Mild sauce instead of the HOT! The food tasted fresh, and service was quick enough. I wish they sold those side dishes a la carte because I would buy them by the pint. 4.6 Stars! read more

Ordered veggie combo for 2 (2 orders) take out for the first time from this restaurant based on other Yelp reviews. Person taking order was pleasant. Yelp discount was nice although restaurant staff seemed surprised about it. Ordered 5 extra injera for 2 veggie combos. We love injera and even with the extra it was not enough. Food was good enough and I would have liked it to be much more flavorful. Not bad but more bland than we would like. read more

This place is fast food Ethiopian fusion- for that style, it does pretty well. However, I can't help but feel that somehow it's a bit too kitschy, detracting from the traditional Ethiopian flavors in the food to bring in a clientele that is... well, not your typical crowd of ex-pats... Anyhow... Once over that shock, I came to appreciate the clean, open, bright modern space that serves up Ethiopian food with your choices. Oh, and the choices! Why there is a pita bread and romaine lettuce choice baffles me... But maybe those are two fun changes to the norm? Personally, I heart the staples of injera and well, add in brown rice. Yes! They have gluten-loaded and gluten-free injera, just ask. The protein selection is your next choice. I don't link tofu with Ethiopian, but it's fusion. It's pretty tasty and compliments the items here quite well. Then, pick a sauce - Koch kocha (jalapeño) if you dare! Finally, the hardest part: pick 4 sides. All 3 of the hot sides are traditional Ethiopian sides of mesir (spicy red lentils), kik (yellow split peas) and gomen (collard greens) that are as legit as can be. You can see and taste the garlic in the awesome gomen. The kik has a fabulous ginger infused flavor. The mesir is a bit salty and not as spicy as I would hope, but then just add in the hot sauce and you will be happy. There are a bunch of non-traditional sides like quinoa, a coleslaw like cabbage mix, and roasted corn. I suggest the azifa or tomato salad if you are aiming for more traditional flavors. Yum yum yum. The food is generous if you realize that most Ethiopian restaurants will serve up the same amount of the stewed deliciousness but add in mounds of injera to make you feel like you are getting more. Same portions here, just less starch. The veg (vegan is so easy to do) plate of your choice will cost you just about $8. Steal of a deal. This is a good choice of you want your food fast, you have never tried Ethiopian food, you like modern decor, and/or you know this place is legit. Yum. The only problem can be parking or walking, as it is a bit of a trek from Metro, and street parking fills quickly (opt for the garage closest). read more

Coming from out of town, and after a long day of walking around DC, i had a huge ethnic food craving. Looked up in yelp and this place popped up. I came in about 10 min before closing time, but the staff was super friendly and nice. The owner let me put in my order and even recommended some stuff. I got a beef dish that come with bread and 4 sides. I got a lentil salad, a tomato cucumber salad, and spicy peas. The beef was super moist, tender, and flavorful. It has a nice glazed color and smelled delicious. The sides were all fresh and delicious as well. Couldn't ask for more for $10. Great food great price and great service. If I've ever come back in town I'll Def stop by. Strongly recommend. read more

Nazrawi Ethiopian Restaurant - Beef - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

My new favorite Ethiopian spot!! Oh em gee, the Vegetarian platter is so dag on GOOD!!! I've never had beets from an Ethiopian restaurant before and theirs is so good. It's also so nice inside although I usually get food to go. read more

$12.95 for a build your own bowl with spicy beef as my protein. (There are cheaper ones that have chicken as protein) Price varies depending on protein and what you get: - Choice of 1 Protein (I got spicy beef, the beef was tough, flavored well though. I wasn't a huge fan of the pearl onion chunks in it) - Choice of 1 Base (Injera bread was my pick) - Choice of 4 Toppings/ Sides (Spicy Lentils, Yellow Lentils, Cucumber Tomato Mix, and another dish I'm not totally sure about) - Choice of 1 Sauce Ethiopian Mild Sauce (Mainly turmeric flavored) Overall, it was okay. It wasn't the best I had. I originally wanted lamb, but they had to cook that, and I was in a rush so I went for the spicy beef. I love injera bread, so of course that was going to be my base. I wasn't totally sure what the names of the sides I picked were, I just know them by eyesight... (work in progress). Spicy lentils are always a solid choice. She recommended the Ethiopian mild sauce, which was good with everything else, but I also realized the turmeric reminded me too much of this Vietnamese fish dish my family loves so I wish I tried another sauce. I also made the mistake of thinking the toppings were different than the sides, so I made the wrong selections. The taste was too salty for me overall. I think I would like to give it a try again. If you're in a rush and want a single serving of Ethiopian food, definitely come here. If you want to splurge, dine in, I would go somewhere else in Silver Spring and pack the leftovers. read more

What a great intro to Ethiopian cuisine. We loved the simple concept but it was the flavors that really won us. Ordered injera bread with grilled beef which was very tasty. The side dishes recommended by the owner was very yummy too. read more

I walk in and the food looks good I noticed there was a older Ethiopian woman working in the kitchen which was a good sign! She takes my order barely understands my English. I ordered the injera plate (which is a premade menu item) she keeps asking what do I want on it and I continue to just point to the menu. I told her I want everything that comes with that. She didn't give me everything that came with the injera plate because they ran out of items. That was disappointing but I worked through it. The reason I gave 2 stars is because she didn't understand how to use the register. I only had my card with me. She asked could I stay in the store for 30 minutes until someone else came, who knew how to work the register. I thought that was ridiculous!! I had somewhere to be!! read more

Very much like a chipotle for Ethiopian food. So many things to choose from and everything tasted so good. I will be going back whenever I am close by. It was my first time eating Ethiopian food and I feel in love with it. read more

Nazrawi Ethiopian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Horrible attitude. I called for takeout and was told 20 minutes. Arrived at about the 40 minute mark. Clear the waitress behind the bar forgot to put in my order. Then she gave all kinds of angry attitude why they couldn't get my order ready (after making me wait another 10). First it was the kitchen's fault. Then my fault for ordering Doro Wat. When I suggested just take that off the order, first she walked away and ignored me. Then she said no, it was everything else that was taking time, and then on top of it would take another 5-10 to "get it packaged." Mistakes happen. In Covid fine to have a little more time for everything by. But hostile people. No way man. If you hate your job (or I just don't fit her demographic), then just don't be in the food service industry. I walked away with nothing. Thank goodness there's plenty of great Ethiopian in that neighborhood. read more

If you like quick Ethiopian food try Ethio Express. Food tastes good and the staff is friendly. Thank you read more

Omg!! What a horrible service at this restaurant. I am here waiting for the food for one hour and 15 minutes. I have 2 kids with me. They are serving the food to people that arrived after us. I am so disappointed. One hour for two bowls. They has one waitress. One for 8 tables. Very unprofessional. What a horrible experience. read more

Finally Habesha food meets Chipotle's format! What a brilliant idea! My wife and I finally got around to checking out EthioXpress after weeks of my persistent pestering! We walked in minutes after they opened, and were greeted warmly by one of the owners. The exterior of the restaurant, with it's dark wood facade, is just as appealing as the contemporary decor on the inside. Having been married to a beautiful Ethiopian woman for nearly seven years now, I have eaten at nearly every Habesha restaurant in the area. EthioXpress competes with the best of them for food quality, service, and most certainly price! For under $10 each, we enjoyed beef and lamb tibs plates with slight variations on traditional cuisine, all geared toward healthy eating. What a novel and welcome concept! The young woman working in the kitchen provided additional injera at no additional charge (unlike some other local spots) with a smile. They also provided a very nice, plastic to-go container for us to share with our young daughter, who agreed that EthioXpress should be put at the top of our fast food rotation! We just wish there was one a little closer to Rockville! Bravo to the innovative genius that went into making EthioXpress a reality! read more

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We have been here half a dozen times now. The food is fabulous and it is fast casual- cheap prices but excellent quality. I usually order lamb or chicken with gomen (Ethiopian collards), green beans, tomato/cucumber salad, quinoa salad but all the sides are excellent! Definitely get a side of injera bread. It is lightly fermented with no fillers.. it is described as an "ancient grain". You can eat paleo here easily (without Injera bread). Kids: this place is super family friendly. They have 2 high chairs for the entire restaurant but very infrequently do I even see one being used. They don't have a kids menu but I usually let our 2 kids split a entree and they are 3 and 1. read more

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I loved the Tofu Injera plate with 3-4 different lentil dishes. Soooo tasty. It's like the Ethiopian Chipotle (except better). Love love love! Will be back. read more

Pretty decent place. Very clean and trendy interior, not that expensive - set up like a fast food place. I never had Ethiopian food before but I did like the texture of the Injera bread. I would prefer it warm (not sure how it is supposed to be served but it was room temperature) but it did a great job (better than bread or tortillas) of wrapping the lamb, lentils, grilled bell peppers, and grilled onions. The lentils were EXCELLENT (I could probably eat a large side of the lentils directly with some meat), the lamb was tender and tasty, and not much you can go wrong with on the grilled vegetables. Also had the cheese with this plate which was okay; not really tasty enough to bring out any more flavor in combination with the other items. I had the Ethio sauce and also the 'hot' sauce. I preferred the Ethio sauce but it did not really stand out, just kind of like another dipping sauce. Good place and good food, but not "WoWWWW!" I would definitely come here again if I wanted Ethiopian food and was not trying to find a new "IT" spot. read more

Nazrawi Ethiopian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Great Godin Tips! Very flavorful and lots of meat! I would order this menu item again!

A place to be served and eat like home. A taste like Mom's spices. Really Ethiopian taste with the famous Chef and Artist Zinahbizu. read more

Nazrawi Ethiopian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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This restaurant's dishes are african in their true essence. Being from Cameroon, everything reminded me of a particular spice my grandma and mom used when cooking. The Injera plate especially will delight you! read more

There are dozens of Ethiopian restaurants in Silver Spring, and I have tried a number of them. Nazrawi (formerly Debab) is easily my favorite. It is not the spiciest. The food may in fact be somewhat toned down from the more traditional. But it is absolutely delicious. And, by the way, the restaurant is packed with Ethiopian clientele who obviously appreciate it, traditional or not. I tend to order the veggie combo, which gives me a nice assortment of vegetable dishes, and if we are two or three people, I will add on a beef or chicken dish. That will easily feed two hungry adults or three less hungry people. The portions are ample. Each dish tastes different (which is not always the case in some Ethiopian restaurants) and they are all wonderful. I really like the chick peas, green beans, collards, and spicy lentils. If I add meat, it is likely to be the grilled awazi tibs (beef or lamb) or the doro wat (chicken). They have two types of injira. I prefer the pure tef variety (2 dollars extra). It is more sourdoughy and a little less filling. Bottom line, this is my go to place for Ethiopian takeout during the workweek and a very nice place for in-restaurant dining on a weekend. I hit it about once a month, and have done for about two years (back when it was call the Debab). read more

The place that got me into Ethiopian food, even though I had been to several others in the DC area. It may not be as authentic. It has a clean, modern fast food vibe. But the Chipotle-style definitely works for someone who, in a very unpopular view around here, doesn't like injeera bread to get bowls without it. The veggie sides stand out. read more

Great Ethiopian food! Authentic, large portions, great customer service. Visiting from Bay Area CA, but lived in DC 20 years. Will be back! Son in college in the area and he Uber Eats from here weekly... he loves it! read more

The sambusas and other food here is so great. The staff is so friendly and the food taste authentic. Angera is sour but delicious and the meat is succulent and flavorful. I enjoy other cultures and it's foods, so I'm happy this place is around. Can't wait to come back! read more

I have no idea why people rate this place so high. The food is not bad but as Tyler C. stated all of our food was cold or lukewarm. The place wasn't packed with people so I am assuming the food had been sitting out in the trays for awhile (sanitary?). The least they could do is keep the food heated with hot water under the metal trays like Chipotle or other restaurants do. Anyway, I still give 5 stars because the food is tasty. read more

Nazrawi Ethiopian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I went last night to get takeout, having not been here in over a year, due to the pandemic. They have expanded the menu considerably, but being in a hurry I ordered off the " express" menu and got an injera plate, which is beef, cabbage, yellow split peas, dal, collard greens, and salad. It was terrific! Only 13 bucks for a doer delicious meal with so many sides, all of them tasty. Well worth it. It won't take me another year to come back, I'll tell you that! read more

This place really has gone downhill. I will probably never come here again. The service, which has always been slow, was exceptionally slow. We were told that one of the workers was on break, but when it's around dinnertime, you cannot have only ONE server trying to fill everyone's orders. The food was also shit. The chicken tasted like it was made the day before and microwaved (seriously, I could have gotten better chicken at a school cafeteria). The beef was slightly better but still pretty dry. And most of the veggies tasted old. Even the injera was super disappointing - it had a dense texture with very little flavor. read more

I'm satisfied...finally found a place that puts all my favorite veggies in one platter..no more ordering sides to get that perfect meal..food was good too..I will return..nice atmosphere too...parking wasn't bad either..the young lady wss nice and professional. read more

Update: I went back to give it another try. I was over charged on two items. I pointed it out, but the lady behind the counter had severely limited english skills and just charged more more than what was posted. Portions are still too small and now the prices are even higher. Forget this place. --------- Not a lot of food for the $, also service was not as fast as I would have expected (given the name, setup, and concept of this place). The food isn't bad, but I feel no need to patronize this place given the multitude of similarly priced (and better) ethiopian restaurants in the area. read more

Myself and my buddy are not native to the area, and heard about the plethora of Ethiopian restaurants in the area. Looking through the various menus, we heard very good things about Debab and decided to order delivery. Having never tried Ethiopian cuisine, we were excited and absolutely not disappointed. I order the lamb avaze and my friend ordered the Debab tibs combo. The lamb was tender and juicy, and the sauce and spices soaked into the unique tortilla-like bread that came with it. I tried a bite of my friend's meal, which was not as spicy but equally delicious, having a rich beef flavor and the vegetables pairing very well with the meat. All in all, over all the other things we tried in the area, this blew us away. And the portions were huge! read more

Delicious!! Big portions, freshly made, nice people. I ordered the tofu and got green beans and 3 kinds of lentils as sides.

First time here, will be back. Seems like a "Chipotle" type setup, food and portions are good. The grilled chicken was tasty but had been sitting for awhile (was Sunday evening) so was very dry. Their injera is soft and tasty. The owners were very nice, and both the restaurant and kitchen were clean and taken ca read more

Nazrawi Ethiopian Restaurant - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Excellent flavors and portions! One of Silver Spring's best Ethiopian spots, if not the best.

I'm sorry y'all.... This was the worst Ethiopian food I've ever had. And I've had a lot. I ordered delivery, and the food was cold when it arrived. I thought no biggie, I'll get over that. But the actual meat... geez. Unbelievably dry and flavorless, it was basically just dried lamb cubes with some tomato chunks. Really hard to swallow without water. Don't think I'll be ordering again. read more

It's the Chipotle-model of fast casual with Ethiopian cuisine. Clean, bright restaurant. Friendly staff. Good size portions at an attractive price. It's all here. I enjoyed the Mixed Greens Plate with grilled beef substituting for the grilled tofu. But there was none of the Ethiopian spices and heat that I was expecting, especially from the side of roasted corn and jalapeños. So, I inquired as to why it was so. The manager could not have been more friendly. He apologized and said that they don't use hot jalapeños. And then he immediately brought me a plate with generous servings of their yellow split peas and the spicy lentils. Both delicious and the lentils had a pleasant heat. Note: they do offer a hot sauce to liven up your food. Be sure to order it as your sauce if your composing your own plate. The composed Mixed Greens Plate comes with the white balsamic dressing on the greens. read more

Nazrawi Ethiopian Restaurant - Mixed Greens plate with grilled beef. - Ethiopian Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I've been dying to try Ethio Express for weeks now -- and finally made it there today. It is everything everyone has said and more. So first, Ethio Express (EE) has that Cava/Roti kind of feel that is beloved in metro-DC. You know the drill - pick a base, pick a protein, pick a sauce, pick some veggies - and like all of these places, EE has clean graphics (including a sign instructing novices on how to eat Ethiopian food), and a comfortable and slightly-sterile feel. In short, EE is very of the metro-DC moment. And the food, yes!! I had a veggie platter - yellow lentils, collard greens, quinoa, and tomato/onion/cucumber salad with tofu - with injera and it was super tasty and super fresh, as good, if not better, than my favorite DC Ethiopian restaurants, and closer to home. Plus the portions are embarrassingly large-- for about $9, I ended up with a container of food that could have doubled as a dumbbell at the gym (enough for two meals, for sure). I know I'll be back again and again. Tip - if you're heading to EE from the Fenton Street side of Sligo, follow the parking sign - there's an alley between Sligo and Silver Spring Ave. that has metered parking. It's about a 30 second walk from EE. read more

Pro: Clean and welcoming. Con: Food was so salty, my wife and I could not finish our meals. On a scale of 1-10, I would give them a 10 for extremely salty food. read more