Beteseb Restaurant

The food was delicious! I will be going back for a 3rd time. For 2 plates and 2 drinks, they never seem to go over $50 for me personally. They give you more than enough food, and the waiting time is a long time, but it's worth every penny.

The restaurant is clean, spacious and welcoming. The background music is so calming and relaxing. To the right of the entrance, we saw a low table with low chairs meant for drinking coffee.

We wanted to try a different cuisine today and decided to go for Ethiopian. We ordered the Kitfo (Ethiopian beef tartar) and firfir combo, vegetable combo and an Ethiopian coffee. It was very delicious, but way too much food for 2 adults and 1 kid.

We’ve had Ethiopian food at two other places before that had very good reviews, but this place is the best so far. The injera was perfectly flavored. It was too sour for my taste at the previous Ethiopian restaurants I’ve eaten at. I would highly recommend coming here.

The firfir was quite spicy for my husband, who is less tolerant of heat. I thought it was nicely spiced. The kitfo comes with the option to be prepared raw, medium or fully cooked. We chose raw, just to try something new. We were surprised that it didn’t taste raw at all. The veggie combo had cabbage, salad, lentils, collard greens, a bean paste, and a couple more beans (I couldn’t tell what it was) my daughter liked the cabbage and collard greens. I liked the cabbage. It had a curry flavor.

By the way, we noticed that people used their hands to rip a small piece of the injera to grab onto the veggies and sides. It is like making mini bite sized wraps with variety of fillings. I personally used my coffee spoon to scoop the fillings onto the injera instead. 😂

It was so cool how the staff roasted the coffee beans on a pan, and I could see the smoke sizzling from the pan. The coffee had a unique taste and I’m guessing it was cardamon.

I was able to pack the leftover food in a large to-go box they provided me, which I plan to eat for my lunch tomorrow. :)

Parking: We parked at the public parking garage that free on weekends. It was just
several blocks from the restaurant.

We stop here every time we visit the DC area. The food is impeccable and the coffee is some of the best I've ever had. Definitely stop here if you're in the area.

Positively delicious. Very generous portions, such delicious spices, so flavorful. There was 5 of us and we ordered two of the large plates. We are visiting from out of town but would come back here next time.

Nice food, not many Ethiopian where I'm at, so it was nice to try this out.

Maybe ration how much of the sponge bread you use, or order an extra plate up front.

The restaurant was immaculate and well lit. The service was excellent. I'm not a fan of Ethiopian cuisine, but I had the spicy beef stew and it was very good. The atmosphere was relaxed and it was fairly easy to have a conversation, but the table was cramped. If you like this cuisine, it would be my top pick.

Absolutely delicious food and we were able to get a table pretty easily. Good spot for food that feels very homey and delicious

Met up with a close friend that I haven’t seen in 20 years and she recommended this Ethiopian restaurant. I haven’t had Ethiopian food in a long time bc I haven’t found a place where I’ve lived. If you’ve never had Ethiopian food, you have to try it. Don’t get scared not knowing what to order. We ordered the meat and vegetable platter that’s big enough to share. The food here was delicious! And the African crepes are so soft with a light airy feel. Mmm so delicious! It was my husband’s first time trying the food and he was surprised at how tasty everything was. Our server was really friendly and helpful. Lots of seating here and within walking distance of the parking garage.

Was having a bad day and decided to go eat here since I see this place all the time. The server suggested the spicy beef ribs, and I ordered split peas and collards. The food came and I INSTANTLY felt better. It was what I needed,probably the best Ethiopian food I’ve had in a very long time. The atmosphere was calming and cozy. Notheless, I’ll be back.

Met up with a local friend and decided to try out an Ethiopian restaurant. We were not disappointed at all. The lamb tibs, spicy beef tibs, and crispy beef were all amazing with our vegetable combo.

Best Ethiopian restaurant in DC area hands down. Clean, great service, lovely food - we usually got the platters (vegetarian combo or combo with meat) but staff can help you with any choices. Also they are the only restaurant with St. George beer!

One of our favorite places nearby that has just the right combo of cozy atmosphere, consistently good food, friendly staff, and heck, they have a glass encased wall of beer. They have an eye on all their guests.
I know people have their own preferences for injira, but we like the taste, texture, and soaking-up ability of theirs. We like the crispy beef tibs - combo of the roasted tomatoes, onions, and beef is very good. We usually get the veggie combo platter and the meat and veggie combo to satisfy the whole family of four, plus a meat dish. The lamb is tender and delicious as well. We try a new dish each time and they have all been delicious so far.
I had an unfortunate run in with their salad that came with the combo, so maybe unfairly, I usually shy away from that.
Parking is sometimes tricky, depending on the day. There are parking lots nearby and street parking. On some evenings cars are double parked as the street is popular.
This is a restaurant that is confident and comfortable with their food and are happy to share it!

OMG the food at this place is fantastic! Our favorites were the doro wat and the red lentils (I always forget the name of those), but the beef tibs were also lovely, as were the mixed veggies (cabbage, carrots, etc). We were impressed that all of the injera was made with tef, as our local Ethiopian places say it's too expensive to do that these days. The servers are friendly and helpful and the atmosphere is pleasant and unfussy. I would definitely check it out if you are in the area!

The best food with the best friendly and professional staff, the restaurant is located conveniently in downtown silver spring and a few blocks from DC line. Easy to find street parking (make sure you feed the meter)
The waitress was on point, helpful. Owner or manager was at the spot and making sure everything was okay. ( I like that)
The food was great, fresh and tasty exactly what we ordered and wanted.
I highly recommended Beteseb Restaurant.

We had a really great experience here, our server was friendly and guided us thru the menu. I’ve had Ethiopian food before and this place was probably the best so far. Everything down to the basic salad was delicious. They actually have beer as well and got to try Negus beer for the first time, a refreshing lager. Plenty of outdoor seating too. Check out pictures below, I don’t recall the names of most of the items.

What an amazing place for Ethiopian cuisine! WARNING, portion sizes are LARGE and filling. We had the kitfo (raw beef), veggie combo, and crispy beef tibs. The kitfo doesn't taste like raw meat at all, more like a red soft wheat item like dense pancakes. The veggie combo is pretty standard. The crispy beef tibs are a must get, the carmelized pieces are crunchy bites of delight. Ps: The decor is clean and modern.

The best Ethiopian food! Today, I had lunch - food was delicious & staff was extremely friendly! I always get the Veggie Combo. I highly recommend this place!

TLDR: Solid Ethiopian restaurant with an extensive menu. Come for the crispy tibs and special kitfo.

Vibe: 4/5. Located near downtown Silver Spring, Beteseb is a quaint Ethiopian restaurant serving up some serious eats. They are located in a heavily populated Ethiopian neighborhood, which is evident by all the neighboring Ethiopian restaurants and marketplaces nearby. Taking up a somewhat large corner location, Beteseb is easily found and has ample metered street parking nearby. Inside, the restaurant has numerous tables that can easily be pushed together to accommodate larger parties. During our visit, we made a reservation for 8 for dinner on a Wednesday, however it was not necessary. Interior decor is simple, yet clean and uncluttered which works perfectly fine.

Service: 5/5. The staff at Beteseb was great in accommodating our large group from start to finish. We ordered over a half dozen dishes for the table as well as several rounds of beer and the staff did a great job at getting everything out in record time. When it was time to settle the check, they were punctual at closing us out as well.

Food: 5/5. Every dish was well executed. We ordered a wide range of dishes, including special kitfo, crispy beef ribs, lamb tibs, beef pasta, firfir, beef wot, lentils, collard greens and salad. Best in show goes to the crispy tibs which was a creative take on the traditional beef tibs. The meat was seared extra hard to a crunchy texture yet not dry when you bite in. The special kitfo was also memorable, as it included greens and cheese along with the fiery seasoned raw beef tartar. Beteseb manages to separate itself from the sea of Ethiopian restaurants nearby with unconventional takes on Ethiopian classics as seen above. If you are in the mood for Ethiopian, I highly recommend!

amazing ethpoian food. i would go back again. good beer selections.

Taste of Ethiopia, tasty food and great service.