Habesha Market and Carry-Out

At first I was hesitant. I’ve had one bad experience and one just-okay experience with Ethiopian food (at a place considered one of the best D.C. Ethiopian restaurants, nonetheless!), and the fluorescent lights and scuffed floor here didn’t inspire much confidence.

Habesha Market sells bags of fresh injera.

Beans, spices, and green coffee are sold in bulk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The walls of Habesha Market  are lined with shelves of Ethiopian spices, lentils, beans, green coffee, and bags and bags of fresh injera. Behind the food-court-like counter, chefs were cooking up steaming pans of beef and lamb. In the back, the TV was turned to Al-Jazeera.

Beef tibs with jalapeño, onion and tomato

But when I walked into the back and saw all the tables were full with Ethiopians enjoying Friday night dinner, I started to feel hopeful. We ordered millenium tibs – beef sauteed with jalapeño, onion, and tomato – and menchet abesh – ground beef in spicy sauce.

The tibs were tasty, but the menchet abesh was unbelievable! Eating with our hands in the traditional manner, we scooped up soaking pinches of menchet abesh with the spongy injera bread. It was so good, in fact, we got a tub of the spices they made it from to try to make it at home.

I get it now. Ethiopian food is comfort food, and Habesha Market is just the venue. Relaxed, casual, and authentic. I can’t wait to go back.

Habesha calls itself a take-out restaurant, but it's also a place to sit and munch for hours.