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Meaza International
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
Sponsored Result
Nearby Ethiopian
Dama Pastry and Restaurant
- Location:
- Arlington, VA
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17 reviews for Meaza International
I personally haven't had a chance to partake of the bounty of U St in DC, but I hardly have the motivation to do so with such a terrific place practically down the street from where I live. Not until I ate here did I really begin to appreciate the wonderful flavours and diverse tastes of Ethiopian cuisine.
I went with my dining partner and my best friend, who hadn't had Ethiopian before, so we got the vegetarian sampler and a cooked meat dish, as well as getting adventurous and ordering a raw meat dish, which I believe was tere saga. Yes, they double-checked to make sure we really wanted it raw, but we insisted. It turned out to be chunks of tender, satiny uncooked lamb in a mild sauce, and was one of the best dishes we enjoyed, though the lentil dish we had was out of this world, too, and I think we all fought over the last bite.
But the dish that impressed me the most was, well, the dish - the injera here was unlike any of the tangy, chewy breads I'd partaken of elsewhere. This injera was heavenly, soft and warm with just a hint of earthiness rather than the tart sharpness which has so often made me wipe my fingers clean and reluctantly pick up a fork to enjoy my doro wat halfway through the meal. My friend was impressed beyond expectations, as was I, and a deliciously sweet glass of tej shared among us rounded out a fabulous meal.
The service, despite the holiday crowd (it was eid for the end of Ramadan), was impeccably attentive, and upon later research, I discovered that we did, indeed, get a table visit from the restaurant's namesake owner herself, checking around the entire restaurant (full to capacity, almost exclusively with Ethiopians) to ensure everyone's satisfaction. The prices were in line with other places of this caliber, and entirely appropriate to what felt was a fine dining experience.
Go - it's a terrific introduction for friends to the joys of Ethiopian cuisine, and a great place to know you'll get really good Ethiopian food whenever the mood strikes you.
Beef Awaza Tibs - Beef was tough.
Lamb Awaza Tibs - Decent
Duro Wat - Chicken was miniscule and tough. Sauce was excellent.
Not worthy of the City Paper's 2009 Dining Guide. Average with mediocre service.
The bottom line: Great cheap Ethiopian food.
Went for an early dinner with wife and her ex-coworkers (1 Ethiopian and his wife). Parking was simple and the restaurant felt huge as we first walked in but I've heard it gets packed at times (it was the middle of the week and it was dead quiet at 6pm). So, as a result, we had a great table and great service.
My wife got one of the vegetarian platters (all parts were tasty) and the rest of us split a huge assortment. I remember the pork (maybe beef) tibs with jalapeño being delicious and the house fish and chicken (doro wat) too.
No one got any drinks and for the huge volume of food I think it was about $15 a piece with tax and tip!
I can't wait to get hand-dunkin-dirty again soon at Meaza.
Ambiance is not great but the food is awesome!
I have to be honest, this was my first time going to an Ethiopian restaurant. One of my sister's friends wanted to try Ethiopian food, so we went.
The place was not crowded at all, and we had our choice of seats. I knew the concept of Ethiopian, and there were 3 of us, so we each chose an entree.
I should mention that soft drinks come in a can here (so you're charged by the can), and are not cold, so be prepared to ask for lots of ice.
So we had three dishes - one chicken, lamb, and beef. The bread that it came with was cold, so we had to ask for the bread to be re-heated. Little did I know that ordering three meat dishes meant there would be no vegetables whatsoever. When they say meat, they mean only meat. Next time, I'll know to order one thing that has vegetables.
I saw a whole fish on the menu and there was someone at the next table just ripping that fish into shreds with his hands - I found that pretty humorous. The food was good - good spices, the chicken especially was very spicy. Reasonably priced, but the service could have been better.
Now, overall, I must say food wise, this place is pretty good. We always get the vegetarian sampler with the fried fish, and this is a good dish. We've gotten a lamb dish in the past, which is good, and we've gotten the beef stew which is also good. When we went last night, we got kitfo for the first time, and we ordered a half serving medium and a half serving raw, and the raw was actually better. This may sound odd but ORDER THE KITFO RAW.
Now as for issues... first. Please, I beg of you, please...is it too much to ask to have someone come and seat us? Why do we have to seat ourselves? Now usually when we go, it's not too crowded. But I cannot imagine what this would be like if it were actually packed out.
Also...service. The first time we were there, they forgot the fish that came with our vegetarian AND FISH combo. This last time, the server forgot about the drink I ordered, and she rarely came by to check if I needed a refill on water. She also FORGOT TO GIVE ME BACK MY CHECK CARD WHEN I PAID. That does not go well with me.
One plus in the service column is that the owners always come around to each of the tables and see how you are doing, and how you are liking your meal. That is one thing I do like.
So...come here for the food, but not the service.
Because my friends have been getting knocked up left and right, I noticed the changing table in the bathroom. Probably not why our Ethiopian friend recommended this place, but still, a nice touch.
Yummy: misir wot (red lentils), shiro alitcha (split peas), and No. 24, the meat dish the name of which we obviously cannot remember. I found the spicy dishes punchy but not very subtle; my husband loved them, but he'd be happy with chile peppers in his cereal. Adequate: the injera (flat, spongy bread). I think we got the kind they give non-Ethiopians; it lacked that sour note that makes injera injera. No love: ungodly amount of onions in the salad, as in, you ain't getting any later unless you pick out the onions.
Our server was helpful, gracious, and beautiful (I know; completely irrelevant), but obviously very busy. The other server, however, was a bit sloppy. She brought out only half of the dishes we ordered and the check plate with two handwipes on it but not the actual bill.
So far, this is the only Ethiopian restaurant I've been to outside the District. I wasn't as impressed as Brothers Sietsema and Carman, but would probably recommend it to those who want to impress their meat-and-potatoes cousins without leaving NoVA.
This place is GREAT! Way better than Etete! I had a bad meal at Etete and will never go back. I've also talked to several Ethiopian associates who concur that this place is excellent. I've not had a bad meal here. One of my friends tells me that the Tripe here is good. I've not had the tripe, but the Sambusa's, Beef Tibs, Wot, and anything with Awaze Sauce is delicious! The only thing I didn't absolutely love was the Kitfo (normally raw beef, I got it medium-rare), but even that wasn't bad, just not my favorite. Also the yellow peas, and collard greens and Injera were all tasty too.
Yum, I love Ethiopian!
We had one issue though with mystery meat. We asked the waitress to recommend meat dishes for us and she recommended 2 beef dishes and 1 lamb dish. She asked us if we wanted one of the beef dishes rare, medium, or well done. We looked around at each other and settled on medium. You can't go wrong with right? WRONG!
When all the dishes came out, she put the beef dish in the center. It was a deep dark red and at first I thought it was the sauce that gave the dish its color. I scooped up some of this mystery beef with my bread, chewed, and though "hmmm funny consistency." A few minutes later, it dawned on me that I thought the consistency was funny because I had never had raw ground beef before.
The rest of the food was delicious, especially the veggie combo, and it was really great to share everything.
As the other reviewers mentioned, the decor was very nice, with an trendy upscale bar area. The faucets in the bathroom were also really nifty!
Just checked this place out on Sunday night and I am glad we did. My boyfriend and I are familiar with Ethiopian food and it is one of our favorite cuisines. While we've been to one of the trendy D.C. Ethiopian places, it's nice sometimes to be able to just head out to a less crowded restaurant in the 'burbs.
The space is large and very open, with authentic decor on the walls, a large, modern bar and a stage and dance floor. There is live music and Ethiopian dancers every Friday and Sunday night. Coincidentally, we headed there on a Sunday night and i am so glad we did!
The first good sign was the large amount of Ethiopian people dining here. Second, the wait staff was very friendly. We got a table right away. The food was quite good. We ordered some Ethiopian basics since this was our first time to this place: Doro Wat (traditional spicy Chicken dish) and a vegetarian platter. The Doro wat sauce was fantastic...spicy, rich and complex. However, there was one overcooked chicken leg in it! Maybe this is the way that some places prepare it but I have always had a large portion with shredded pieces of chicken in it. The sauce was wonderful for dipping but I was disappointed in the small sinewy piece of chicken we got.
The vegetable platter contained the usual suspects: yellow split peas (slightly bland), collard greens, cabbage, and spicy lentils (delish!). Most of the vegetables were served cold, which again, I have never experienced at an Ethiopian place. They were tasty, but next time I will ask them to heat everything. Included on the vegetarian platter was a delicious cottage cheese, dry and chunky how i like it.
I would definitely recommend this place for a simple date night or for going with a group of friends. It is a very good addition to the NoVa dining scene. Can't wait to go back and try some of their other dishes.
I ate here last weekend with two friends. It was our first time having Ethiopian, and I had been looking for an Ethiopian restaurant in Falls Church area to try that had consistent reviews. Meaza definitely lived up to the reviews; the food was tasty and reasonably priced.
At first arrival the building looks well-kept, and the interior has an interesting aesthetic. It's quite modern, but there is a series of portraits on animal hides (I think of Ethiopian leaders) along the back wall. The restaurant is large, and can support sizable parties, but also has movable walls, which were closed to cut the size of the room in half.
The restaurant was just starting to get busy when we arrived around 530pm. There are several tables out front which were very popular with diners.
One of my dinner companions that evening is a rather cautious diner, and does not like spicy food or onions. This proved a little bit of a challenge for the restaurant. Since none of us had ever had Ethiopian before, we relied on the waitress's recommendations. Between all of us, we have a fish, chicken, and beef entree. All of the entrees were delicious, though when the waitress indicated certain dishes as spicy and others weren't, I could not taste a difference. It all tasted moderately spicy.
The waitstaff were not what I would describe as effusive, but when asked for assistance were ready and willing, and definitely knew the menu.
My boyfriend and I went for dinner, this' my first time trying Ethiopian food and his second. Overall the atmosphere was great, decors' modern and bathroom's clean (this shows a lot about a restaurant). The owner, after we told her it's our first time, was so friendly she taught us how to dig in and start cutting the meat into pieces for us.
I can't speak for authenticity (although judging by the crowd was mainly African) since this' my first dip on Ethiopian cuisine, but the overall experience was really enjoyable.
I took my girlfriend here to expose her to Ethiopian food. She wasn't a fan, but then again what do I care? I'll eat for the both of us. Food is my mistress.
I was a bit confused when we entered because it was a seat yourself kind of place and the restaurant was packed. It looked like a hot spot for Ethiopian cuisine and revelry.
We had the kitfo and tibs combination and it was tasty. I like tibs better than kitfo in general. Kitfo is a ground meat preparation and tibs are like sirloin tips. We also had a vegetable combo consisting of greens and some type of potato mixture. If you're not used to it, you might be surprised by the food all coming on one plate on one giant piece of injera or flatbread. This place gets a big plus for giving you a pitcher of water, as I tend to drink a lot of water.
I would like to give credit to Tyler Cowen of the ethnic dining guide for helping me find this place. I've never met the man, never seen him in person, and never taken any of his classes. Also, he looks a little goofy in his pictures, but he sure knows his ethnic food. He's usually spot on with his recommendations.
never had this type of food before.
came here new years eve.. didn't need a reservation and got seated fairly quickly.
this place is alright.. it's sour pancakes w/ meat saucey stuff of your choice..
it's hard to eat it since you don't use forks or anything.
i had the beef stew= gross. it was over peppery and spicey.
the vegetarian one was a lot better..
i don't think i'd come back to this place in particular since the service was poopy in the beginning.. and then the manager kept going around asking if everyone was okay.. like 5 times each table.. leave us alone? haha
Good Ethiopian food with one of the better settings in the Arlington area. Typically most of the places out here are tiny due to space restrictions but Meaza took over a closed Foot Locker Outlet so there is plenty of space. It looks great as well. The food is pretty good with a fair selection. They also have a market and espresso cafe.
I have to say we didn't love this restaurant. The restaurant is larger than most Ethiopian restaurants in the area but the seat yourself thing doesn't really work on a busy Saturday night. While the bar area was nice looking the bar itself didn't seem well stocked, at least for wine. They had one red wine choice merlot, and a white honey wine. The service was slipshod, even for an Ethiopian place and we've had much better food elsewhere. I ate the vegetarian sampler and none of the dishes was outstanding. They were all acceptable, but that's about it. I don't get why the Washington Post reviewed this place well. That said, it was extremely economical, $50 for 4 people.
Came here for a takeout order.
Got the kitfo, but since we look anything but Ethiopian, had to definitely specify that we wanted it raw. So if you want the real deal, make sure you say so loud and clear.
Kitfo was good, but also ordered a fried fish and spaghetti sort of thing out of curiosity and could have done without that. Spaghetti was oily and the fish wasn't anything spectacular.
The Ethiopian places in D.C. are still probably more worth your while, but if you're stuck in NoVA and crave some kitfo, this will surely do.
They also just recently opened, so I expect some fluctuations in quality of food/service and whatnot in the near future.
Sidenote: their assortment of various CDs/DVDs and things on the cafe side of the establishment is rather interesting if you ordered a carry out order and are trying to kill time.
