Dahlak Restaurant

The Ethiopian place across the street where we originally wanted to go to was overcrowded so we dropped in here. I'm glad it was, because we had a great time here.

It helps to have a couple former peace corps volunteers who spent time in Africa and know some of the lingo with you. The waitresses face lit up when she was greeted in her own language. From then on, we were taken care of.

The food was excellent. Veggie and meat were both super good and according to the RPCVs, very authentic. So much good food, very reasonable price. We also had a couple bottles of Ethiopian honey wine, which I definitely recommend.

I think living in San Francisco has spoiled me in terms of food

The tables and chairs were a little bit sticky and so was menu. I forgot what I ordered but it had chicken and and salad on top of injera. I did not like it, the chicken was bland but the salad was okay. I ate it really slow so the injera ended up getting all soggy. Bleh.

But to be fair, this was the first time I had Ethiopian food. Maybe it's just Ethiopian food that I don't like but still I'd doubt that their food would be as bland as the food I got here.

This is the absolute BEST food! The food, ambience and service is second to none. If you have never tried Eritrean food than go to Dahlak because it is amazing. The food is fresh and made to order!

One of Washington's great undiscovered gems. Dahlak belongs to a very specific breed of Ethio/Eri establishment - the Asmara cafe. Reminiscent of Asmara's many famed art-deco cafes, Dahlak manages to be an unpretentious testament to Eritrea's mixed cultural heritage. Offerring the best of Eritrean-influenced Italian food (an unanticipated benefit of colonolialism), you can find a smooth, rich machiato at the elegant mahagoney bar or order a $3 import at one of the best happy hours in the city. Tuesdays are even better at 2 bucks a pop.

AND THE FOOD! Jesus. Try the light, crisp cottoletti (a seasoned chicken cutlet coated in bread crums with a side of pasta and a starter salad for like ten bucks). In case your feeling a little more adventurous, you can always delve into one of their traditional Ethio/Eritrean dishes with bold, East African flavors (I usually go with the Tibbs - pan cooked lamb, chicken or steak cubes served with "injera" - a traditional sourdough flatbread or rice). Think rack of lamb. Or the Kitfo (similar to steak tartare).

Definitely start with a sambusa - savory fillo pastry stuffed with spicy lentils and veg, chicken or meat.

My, my, my.... I know that the Trinidadians flinch if they are mistakenly referred to as Jamaicans.... the Pakistanis would never want to be called "Indian".... so why is it that we refer to Eritrean cuisine as Ethiopian?

Yes, this place is more of a bar/club atmosphere than a restaurant - at times. I will stick with what I said in my previous review... The tibsi & sambusas (not always available) are excellent. There have been a few changes in the kitchen staff over the years - so you might get a 'hit or miss' experience. Many of their patrons are not coming solely for the food. You can come here for drinks and on certain nights listen to music from a local DJ.... not unlike many other establishments.

Even though this was sold to me as an Ethiopian restaurant, it is more Eritrean. Definitely not the best in DC but the atmosphere is pretty nice.

As for service, my Eritrean waitress acted as if she was clueless. She was not helpful on anything, at all. I am still confused on what her deal was. I went on a Friday night and the place was not crowded. However, our food took almost 30 minutes to arrive. I almost passed out waiting to be fed. When the food arrived it was just OK. Nothing spectacular that would have warranted the wait.

Fun Fact: Most nights they have live music to entertain guests while dining.

Note: Located in the Adams Morgan Corner of U Street, expect parking to be nonexistent.

Dahlak oh where do I begin , this is some of the finest Eritrean cuisine that Ive ever tasted. The beef tibsi and Doro Wat is out of this world!!! The portion sizes are filling and the food is so tasty. Additionally, the service is more than awesome. During our dining experience we had server by the name of Yorda. Her customer service skills were impeccable. She was very attentive, accommodating, and a had an awfully pleasant personality . We never had to ask for drink refill, she was always one step ahead of us. Additionally, on Sundays Dahlak has live Guayla music and hookah if you wish to partake. LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS Place.

Dahlak is a well-guarded secret. The food is spectacular, the drinks are cheap, and the staff is incredibly accomodating. Great ambiance, too, without any real effort.

I am a flexitarian, and have ordered everything off the vegetarian menu and have been pleased throughout. The beers are $3. For a friend's birthday party Daniel (the owner, who is awesome) had his mother make for our friend arguably the best cake I've ever had. It was this light, fluffy peach and almond affair. I had three pieces. Two were eaten without the aid of silverware.

The reason I go to Dahlak as regularly as I do, though, is the Open Mic on Wednesday nights. I really, really like it. A lot of talented youngs and olds show up and do their business. The stuff ranges from originals to standards to comedy to poetry. It's a surfacing of the quirks and passions that lay in wait while we punch the clock. The scene is always a bit different, depending on who all shows up, but it's always very welcoming and lighthearted and easygoing. A good feel. Especially after 4 or 5 $3 beers.

I really feel misguided by the previous reviews. We were really disappointed with our meal at Dahlak last night. We had the veggie combo (per usual) and a spinach sambusa. The veggie combo was $16 for one plate, which they told us was for 1 person. We ended up splitting it because it was so expensive (everywhere else charges around $10-11 for a veggie combo.) It was definitely too big for one person but not enough for 2 unless you're both not too hungry.

The food was also pretty bad. I am very forgiving in the Ethiopian food department seeing as I am not Ethiopian and like almost everything that sits on top if injera. This food was just plain not very good though. I actually can't say that about any other Ethiopian place in DC, I have liked the food more or less everywhere else.

The service was excellent. They had live music and the band was great except we had to shout in each other's ears during dinner to talk.

Dahlak is about 1.5 blocks from my house, so I am pretty bummed. Stick with Lalibela for veggie Ethiopian. It might be nice for the music and a beer but the food falls flat.

At the crossroads (17th and U) of two hoods with great options for Ethopian is Dahlak. Dahlak is easy to pass by because its windows are darkened- look for el Tamarindo as your landmark.

On the inside the decor is pretty sparse, but they do have candles on the tables. Order one of the spicy vegetarian platters- of course served with injera. The entrees here will only set you back about eight bucks a piece.

For entertainment, there is a pool table here. On Saturday nights they host live music- typically R&B acts.