Enatye Ethiopian Restaurant

Been there twice while on an out it town trip to herndon, virginia. Wonderful, quiet family run ethiopian restaurant. My husband and I totally fell in love with the cuisine and staff. The combo for 2, meat sambusas and coffee were awesome! We would definitely be returning when in the area again

Easily my favorite restaurant in Reston/​Herndon. The food is great and the service is extremely friendly, albeit slow at sometimes.

Didn’t know that there was an Ethiopian place so close to home; it was so nice to not have to go into Alexandria or DC to get some!
I ordered the lamb with 5 vegetable sides and my companion ordered the 7 vegetable dish as he’s a vegan.
The lamb was a little over cooked, but the vegetables and beans were delicious. The Injera was excellent, as expected.
Very copious amounts of food at reasonable prices. Staff was super nice and wanted to make sure we had a good meal.
I’ll come back and see if other meat dishes are better.

Great Ethiopian dishes and welcoming hosts. Tried the vegetarian plate along with tibs and doro wat. Injera was perfect, the chicken was tender and fell away from the bone. Hard place to find but I’m very glad we did! As good as Damas in Arlington and better than the few still left in DC.

This place was hidden inside a complex; came here on a recommendation. Good was great! We ordered a combo platter with veggies, lamb and beef. All the preparations were tasty.

I recently got a second apartment in Reston because I’m interning there this summer and my parents didn’t think I would survive the commute. I’ve been to Enatye over three times now. Definitely some of the BEST Ethiopian food I have ever had. EVER.
The staff makes you feel like family from the moment you walk inside. They are super friendly and welcoming. They know the menu inside out, encourage you to step outside your comfort zone, and give you genuine opinions.
Of course, I get the veggie combo when I come here because I am the paranoid vegetarian that you read about in all my reviews. You can get 5 items, 7 items, or even 10 items! When I’m with my mom we go for the 7 or 10 — and when I’m by myself I go with the 5.
Potatoes, carrots, lentils, cabbage, collared greens, injira bread. What else could I ever wish for?
The waiter has been trying to get me to eat the spicy items on the menu but I can’t handle spicy food in spite of my indian heritage.
Food is FABULOUS — to say the least. I will be back without a doubt. Definitely my favorite part about working in the area.
The best part is eating the leftovers you pack the next day.

A perfect mix of quality food, good vibe, and variety. The owners of Enatye have been cooking up tasty dishes for over 7 months now, and in that time, they’ve already developed a die-​hard fan base.
We talked with a few patrons who came from Ethiopia, and they gave us the scoop on why they keep coming: it tastes like home.
If you want quality and authenticity — you’ll find it here.

A great new Ethiopian restaurant in Herndon. The portion size on the sampler was perfect. Different tastes for each dish made dinner an exquisite journey. The baklava was moist and delicious and the after dinner drinks (tea and coffee) were the best. Highly recommend!

Not sure if people here are True to there reviews.
But this place lacks taste and quality of food. we tried after this after the reviews, but really horrible experience. tried to order extra food to carryout for our friends intially, to save time.
But ripped off our self with the awful food.
Owner itself shows attitude, not great service. $$$$ CHARGE.

Great for vegans.
I didn’t know what to order.
I told the waiter that I’m a vegan and like medium spicy food.
He selected the 5 items, and they’re all tasty.
Highly recommended eaten here.
If you’re picking someone up from Dulles airport, this is close by.

I lack the words to describe how good the coffe and beef tibs are at this small restaurant. The best I can do is that this is the best coffee I have ever had, amazing. The tibs put Zed’s to shame and the service was excellent too even for a casual lunch. Highly recommended stop for a great and memorable meal or just coffees!
Prices are a little high for a quick lunch, but oh my it is worth it. Amazing meal. Great memory.

Excellent food! It’s obvious that many dishes are made to order, rather than prepared in large batches and left to sit for a while. Particular standouts: the vegetarian platter’s perfectly tendercrisp green beans, turmeric-​laced cabbage, and buttery gomen, and the raw cubed beef heated in spiced butter. Insanely rich and good. The food is very well-​spiced and packs some heat — ask for awaze (pepper) paste if you want to kick it up a notch further.
The service is extremely hospitable and friendly. Great place — food as good or better than our favorites in DC. Vibrant flavors!

This is definitely one of the best Ethiopian restaurant in the whole Washington DC area. I have dined in many Ethiopian restaurant and despite their popular name, their food is not as tasty. I usually tests as if it’s pre-​made and warmed food, but the food in this Enatye restaurant is very appealing to eat, smells fresh and tests good. Their leb leb tibs was delicious and freshly made. Their Macchiato with its creamy foam tasty and has all the caffeine I need for the day.
The service was quick and all the people there are genuinely helpful with any request we had. They met all our requests that we have for our kids. Even our kids who don’t usually eat much food liked the food and ate quiet good amount to our surprise. We will definitely return soon…

The vegetarian food was spicy just as spicy as I want it .
The drink I and my friends had the coffee mocha and a caramel drink we cherished it
The guy who owns the place was simply a great host
Highly recommend this place!!!

We tried this place the other weekend and we experienced incredible service (the servicer was beyond friendly and attentive) and great food. I’ve tried Ethiopian a hand full of times and this w
was by far the best. They also have a number of Ethiopian beers as well. Would definitely recommend this restaurant and look forward to going soon again.

My goodness, where do I start? This place is awesome. OK, the flourescent tube lights make it not a romantic date night kind of place, but certainly we had no complaints with the food.
The five of us started with meat and lentil sambusas with berbere sauce. Then we ordered four meat dishes and ten vegetable servings to share. Oh my goodness. We are accustomed to getting portions of about ¾ cup for Ethiopian entrees in DC. These portions are much larger. We had plenty to take home!
I especially loved the Gored Gored beef tartare, and the Doro Wat (chicken and egg in spicy sauce) was the BEST version I’ve ever had. The steady stream of takeout customers testifies to the quality of the food. We had an excellent meal.

We have been eating Ethiopean food since 1999, but are by no means sure what authentic should taste like, just know the tastes we like.
I think we have been to every one in the DMV area and had thought that DC was better than MD, but MD had easier parking situations.
We had Sheeba in Fairfax which was very good, but the my closed and became West African. We had even tried the Ethiopean restaurant that was at this location under previous ownership. It was ok, but didn’t get a return visit.
This place though, is the best in the DMV area in my opinion for the not particularly hot spicy, but deliciously spiced derek tibs and kik alecha. Not greasy and perfectly cooked. The lamb was well cooked and still had a nice texture, and the yellow peas were still actual peas and not just a sauce.

This was my first time eating Ethiopian food. The owner was my waiter and he walked me thru what to order. The food was outstanding and the service outstanding. If you are up for a new experience, come here and try this place!

Just to pile on the other reviews, we had a really great experience at Enatye. Having recently moved out to Loudoun county from Alexandria, our ‘ethnic’ options consist of Indian and Thai. Not wanting to drive all the way back in, I found this place (via Unilocal) and we gave it a try. The food was absolutely perfect, but it really was the welcoming service of the staff that made it special. We had our 3yo with us and they went out of their way to make her feel special.
Special bonus is the location. It’s so close to the toll road that getting in and out could not possibly be easier. Plenty of parking as well. We’ll be back for sure.

This has turned into one of our weekly stops. We used to go here under the previous management and it was good, but Eskinder and his new crew have made an excellent improvement. We get the combination ever time with juicy lamb! We went twice in one week during spring break. My kids love it and they take care of them with special kindness. The new paint job to the restaurant was a welcome improvement too. Excellent improvement to an already good restaurant!

Would I drive an hour from Maryland to eat Ethiopian here? 100% yes.
Enatye is a stand-​out among all of the Ethiopian restaurants I have tried and is definitely my favorite because the food is delicious and filling and the staff are welcoming, friendly, and the perfect amount of sassy (we’re sorry we were weak and could not finish our food!)
My boyfriend and I shared the 7-​item vegetable combo and our waiter kindly offered to help us pick the 7-​items when he sensed our indecisiveness, promising to make it spicy, as we requested. We also tried a couple of Ethiopian beers (I really liked the Harar). All of the food was perfectly spiced and we did not want to stop eating! I especially enjoyed the timatim fitfit.
Highly recommended for your Ethiopian food cravings or if you are trying Ethiopian for the first time!

This was my first try at Ethiopian food and I was more than pleased as a customer. Hands down, the gentleman who waited on us was awesome and must’ve been trained at the chic fil a headquarters. I never felt rushed, he recommended good food for the rookie, and he made me feel like I was coming over to his house for a good home cooked meal. The music was great after a long day of work. Smoooooth jazz! No complaints there.
I’m pretty sure that they had mangoes growing out back, because that was the freshest mango juice I’ve tasted in forever.
In short, food was great, B (the waiter) was phenomenal, vibes were excellent and 5 stars from me signifies that service and those providing it were above and beyond.
Soooooo five stars, 2 thumbs up and a hole in one!

Was so excited to find this Ethiopian restaurant in Herndon not too far from Reston town center! No more driving to DC for Ethiopian food.
Little family owned restaurant with great service and great food. Our party of five all enjoyed their dishes. Since we were there at 9am for breakfast I got the egg loaf which was finely scrambled eggs, ground beef, tomatoes, and greens peppers. All the dishes came with a side of injera (kind of like the Ethiopian version of naan but it’s soft and has a tart taste to it).
For those of you who have never had Ethiopian food and like trying new things I would give it a try because it’s delicious and different. Also, it’s made to eat with your hands but if you must you can ask for utensils too.

Amazingly delicious food with warm and friendly service. Loved the platter for two and the coffee — the incense was relaxing!

Friendly staff! Would highly recommend even if you are new to Ethiopian food, the staff helps make it very approachable. The food was very good, and there was a lot of food for a good price! If you are looking to try something new this is the place.

Pretty good Ethiopian food in Virginia! We had the lamb tibs with veggie combo — all for less than $ 25. My husband also had a meat sambusa which he enjoyed. I really liked that the food wasn’t overly greasy/​oily like some Ethiopian restaurants can be. I felt some of the veggies could be more flavorful but it was still overall good. Also the staff is very friendly and welcoming– best service I’ve ever received at an Ethiopian joint. We would return if in the area.

Was so happy to discover an ethiopian restaurant so close to home. We previously had to go out to Alexandria or further. Came in for a quiet lunch. Friendly service and super delicious food. Great coffee (wouldn’t expect anything less from an ethiopian place). I will definitely be back.

Went there for dinner with friends. We ordered the Enatye Special which had beef, lamb and chicken. It was delicious and was more than we could eat. If you have never tried Ethiopian cuisine, it is unique and fun to eat with Injera (bread-​like accompaniment), instead of utensils. It is located in a corner of a commercial park, but well worth looking for. They have new ownership and still applying for a liquor license.

With 3 kids we were little too bold in trying Ethiopian food… but to our surprise our kids loved the food… Literally finger licking food. Food here is prepared with heart and soul. The owner is very warm and welcoming person, not to mention his brother and sisters too are gem of people. Also, the cappuccino (they use Ethiopian coffee beans) you will have here is by far the best, better than Starbucks. We will definitely revisit this place soon. Humble food prepared by humble people.

WOW! Finally, I don’t have to drive to Shirlington or worse, DC. Been eating Ethiopian food for 20 years and this has to be the finest, freshest tasting I have had.
The beef sambusas were perfectly fried, not greasy at all. The filling tasted of fresh jalapeño infused beef, not the afterthought filling that so many other places try to pass off. A dip in the awaze hot sauce completed the perfect bite.
The tomato, onion, and jalapeño salad was bright and crisp. Again, fresh with a sweet surprise that I have never before seen in this salad… raisins. Not a lot, but a perfect little pop of sweetness. Sounds strange but trust me and order it. Scoop it up with the injera.
The combo for two was perfect. (So lucky that my wife loves this food). Great veggie assortment with yellow split peas, lentils, potatoes, cabbage, spinach, and green beans. The lamb tibs were delicious and I could taste the char from them being browned prior to being stewed. The doro wat was awesome. Tender chicken in the most vibrant perfectly spiced sauce I have had.
You can taste the pride and love in the food. The family running this restaurant seem to be having fun and enjoy sharing their country’s food and culture.
I can’t wait to return. Maybe for breakfast!

A nice little Ethiopian joint. Clean place, prompt service and great food. For our family of 2 adults, 2 kids we ordered 2 plates of the combo and one additional lamb dish. Combo had 5 veggies — beans, chickpeas, potato, cabbage and spinach. With a chicken and a lamb dish served with the traditional bread. We topped it off with a spicy tea, which was full of flavor. Overall, awesome experience.

The food here is really good. I love how they have a combo plate where you can get a meat dish and 5 veggies for one price. Great prices too for an abundance of yummy food. I was only able to eat half without feeling gluttonous, so I packed the rest for leftovers. Also enjoy a warm cup of their spiced tea at the end of the meal, it’s a great way to ease your stomach after a filling meal. Oh and I forgot to mention the amazing workers there and how they make you feel like family as soon as you walk in :)

We were there for lunch. We ordered the combo with both chicken and lamb. The food was awesome and the lamb was cooked to perfection! Best Ethiopian food I had in DC metro area. Also, the owner was super nice and friendly. I will definitely come back soon with more friends.

My girlfriend and I wanted to try something new so we went out for Ethiopian food with absolutely no idea what it was like. The staff was incredibly friendly, service was personal and they very nicely told us how to eat the food (it’s not a big place)… And that food was awesome! We had the combo and the lentils were perfectly cooked, the potato was really awesome, and the chicken was falling off the bone. The sambosa that we got for a starter was particularly good. Just a hint of spice to all of it but never overpowering and always interesting. I may have to come back home just to come back to this restaurant again.

Delic. Just had an all vegan feast. They are in the spot where Warka used to be, and imho– much better. We had the sampler and we all loved everything on it. The owner is lovely and awaiting his liquor license.
We will definitely be back!

Amazing food. Just perfect. I am going to come here again soon. Awesome veg combo and my husband loved his chicken combo. Nice people and great food. Perfect for my Christmas eve. I wish it was near to my place but this half n hour drive was worth it. I am a repeat customer for sure.

Amazing! We got beef and lamb Tibs and chicken dorowat. Everything was delicious and made from scratch. Definitely recommend

We visited the restaurant for dinner on the night of December 18, 2015. By then the restaurant had been open about a month, and their liquor license had not yet been issued. So this is in the very beginning stages of their operation.
The service was simply superb: We felt like we were the warmly received guests visiting an Ethiopian family. And indeed — this is a small, cozy, family run affair where everybody seems to be related in some way. The chef is the sister of the waitress, and so on and so on. Warmth radiates.
The menu: My wife and I had two of the combo platters, which included one meat entre per person and five vegetarian selections. We chose the spicy chicken and spicy lamb as the meat dishes, and let the chef select the vegetable dishes, which included amongst others lentils, spinach, and potatoes. We had two samosas for appetizers, which came with a delicious hot sauce that I think, but I am not sure, was nutmeg based.
A simple summary of the dining quality: The food was simply superb. The spinach is about the best I have ever had in my life. The lamb was spectacular. As was everything else. I’ve been to Ethiopia many times, and have visited many Ethiopian restaurants in the D.C. area. In the food preparation department this is simply the best I have ever had.
They should have a liquor license soon — don’t miss out on this wonderful dining experience.

Love this place! We went by for lunch today. I’ve had Ethiopian before, my husband had not. This is literally a minute down the road from us, so we decided to try it. The service was quick and friendly, the food was delicious, and it seemed like they did good business.
We got the combo, which involved five vegetarian dishes and one meat each. It all came out on the same dish, of course. We had lamb and chicken. It was great! My husband is hooked. We will definitely be back soon and will bring friends!

Good food and kind staff
They care what you like
BTW, It is really good food there. The beep is wonderful for eat and lamp is taste

I lived in new york city for the past 7 years and have been to many ethiopian restaurants. This place is definitely one of the best. Order the meat combo and you get one meat and 5 veggies! the chicken was so tender and flavorful. also ask for the secret menu item: 100% teff bread, they fly it in from ethiopia! its definitely a great gluten free low carb choice. the regular bread (teff and wheat) is also yummy! this place is a family own place and just opened 2 months ago. Owner and his brother are super friendly and fun to talk to about their life stories.

Oh Lord… reminds me straight from back home, very tasty foods, (Enjera with several entrees, so yummy & soft), and so far that’s the best restaurant Ethiopian in the area and very friendly ppl… Thanks god that WARKA is gone… will definetly come back again and again and again

Great new restaurant! It was cozy, the service was was excellent, and the food was delicious.