Merkamo Ethiopian Bistro

My best friend and I went there once and it was just us and two other people so you would think we would be able to order, get our food and check fast. They gave us injera that went bad. We couldn’t tell them because the only employee that was out there was on a personal call and totally ignored us. We didn’t even get to order a drink. We couldn’t pay with card because he was too busy to come and give us the check so we just put cash on the table and left. Never going back. Terrible.

Ordered the Beef and Lamb Kitfo. Their food is absolutely delicious. I am an East African, so I’m familiar with how this cuisine should taste. Their injera bread is made to the perfect texture, and the Kitfo just had so much flavor! Wow, I couldn’t get enough Plus the portions are very filling, you will leave stuffed. It’s a nice little restaurant, in a very diverse market strip. One of the best Ethopian restaurants in the area.

Went in on a Sunday. We were the only people there. It took ten minutes to get five glasses of water. The food was well cooked and well seasoned but the portions are small. The server was friendly but the service was unacceptably slow. It took two hours to get water, two entrees and the bill. This isn’t Europe. This wasn’t a relaxing dinner. It was lunch.

Great customer service and wonderful food! Very flavorful dishes along with tasty drinks! I’ll be going back for more of the lamb!

Coming from Alexandria’s West End, usually we end up at Skyline. But Springfield is close by also, so when this place was suggested to us we were sure to check it out. And I’m glad we did. I had the vegetarian sampler, and all of the items were great. I particularly liked the red lentils, and would consider just getting that next time. The waitress was pleasant but unobtrusive. We’ll definitely come back.

Tried this place for the first time this past week and my friend and I were super happy! We had always wanted to try Ethiopian food and this was the perfect place to go. I got the vegetarian sampler, which is actually vegan (I called in and asked about dairy and egg beforehand)! My friend got chicken (forgot what it was called). The only thing that we had trouble with was the menu. Since it was our first time we had no idea how to order. It was actually easier for me to order since I knew what I was going to get (from photos on Unilocal mainly), but for my friend it was a bit complicated. When her food came out we realized that it was just one huge portion of the chicken. I figured that ordering two kinds of meat would be too expensive (at around $ 14 for each) so I wasn’t sure how that would work out. Regardless, we enjoyed our food and couldn’t finish so took home leftovers. I’m craving it again now so I’m sure I’ll be back soon!

The food is always delicious and the servings are generous — even for takeout orders. The lamb tibs are fantastic and you can ask for no jalapeños if you find it too spicy. We’re always full and happy after a meal here.

Nothing has changed. We were there the first week of March 2015 and it is still our favorite restaurant in the Arlington area. The staff has changed from our last visit, Eo is now a full time mommy, but our waiter was great and we cannot say enough about the quality of the food. The ampler we get is vegan, but they do have meat items. Please, if you live in in Arlington, DC, or anywhere near this place, visit. Keep this wonderful source of International and healthy food alive and prospering. We live i3 hours away and that’s just too far for dinner.
Thanks Unilocalies. I’m counting on you.

The Sambusa app was incredible. As often I do when experiencing a new cuisine, I throw myself at the mercy of the owner’s/chef’s/waiter’s recommendations. Glad I did on the Sambusa. As I generally oppose the idea of «watering down» and Americanizing an ethnic cuisine to please a spoiled-​ass American, (As many Italian, Chinese, and Mexican places have historically done), I asked the owner or manager to bring me the main course that an Ethiopian would enjoy and exactly how an Ethiopian man would eat it.
BIG MISTAKE. Either this place is a poor representation of the packed-​out, bustling places I’ve walked past in DC, or what this person bought me for my main entrée is just not for me. It was a potato and carrot sauté that was good enough and basic enough on one end of a large dish, with some sort of mystery meat, (the seasoning on it made it impossible for me to tell you if it was beef, pork, lamb, goat, bison, or…), with some goat cheese near it and greens. No utensils. You basically eat with your hands, (which I’m OK with), by tearing a piece of this cold, spongy, mildly soggy, flatbread that they call «Injera.» I even got an extra side plate of rolled-​up injera. I think I know why they call it that. Because my description of it could be even more injera-​ous, and I felt injera-​ed that I tried it.
Overall not a great meal for this 1 entrée I tried. Not sure if I’ll return, but the sambusa pastries were awesome!

Purchased a Groupon ($ 20 for $ 10) and wanted to use it before it expired, so we went to Merkamo for dinner on Sat. night. The store is in a strip mall on Commerce Street in Springfield. The restaurant was fairly spacious. Colorful paintings and pictures adorned the walls. The bench seating that lined two walls was functional if not particularly comfortable.
The restaurant wasn’t busy. There was one waitress serving a handful of tables. While she was personable and friendly, it felt like we had to wait *slightly* longer than necessary to be presented with menus, have drinks refilled or receive the check.
The food is definitely the star of the show. We split the delicious sambusa and shared an order of the doro wett and the vegetarian sampler. The entrees are presented on top of a large injera pancake. Additional injera pieces are included. The combination of the mildly sour taste of the injera along with the various flavors/​sauces of the entrée was terrific.
Two tips: First, the large injera that sits underneath the entrees soaks up all the excess sauce and flavors. Make sure you save room for that juicy goodness :-)
Second, while the menu does mention that some of the dishes as being spicy or having spices, I didn’t find the food overly spicy. YMMV.

Wow, Merkamo went up to 4 stars today! I stopped in to try a lunch special and ended up ordering the lunch vegetarian sampler ($ 10 rather than the $ 14 dinner price) PLUS the regular kitfo (I couldn’t resist!) at dinner price. Everything was absolutely delicious and as spicy as I remembered from when Merkamo first opened. Even more spectacular, the beets decided to make a rare appearance in the vegetarian sampler, and they were awesome! There were even a few pieces of fresh jalapeño pepper in them, which I’d not had before, and they added a nice heat and crunchiness. One criticism — the lentils were a little underdone and crunchier than I prefer, but they were still very tasty.
I had asked for the kitfo to be cooked «medium» with some brown to it, but it came out pretty raw. I asked if it could be cooked just a tad longer, and the waitress nodded and said she thought I’d want it to be more done. She left the platter of veggies for me and took the kitfo back to the kitchen. I dove into the veggies, and before I knew it, she returned with the kitfo cooked perfectly with some brown, some pink, and a little bit of red, and spooned it into the middle of the veggie platter. The garlic and butter flavors were extremely savory, and the beef was so tender and succulent that it practically melted in my mouth. The feta-​type cheese served with the kitfo added a delicious creaminess.
The meal was served on a flat piece of injera bread on a beautiful, brightly colored platter with the kitfo in the middle and each vegetable spooned around the perimeter — a very nice and appetizing presentation with all the different colors of the veggies. This piece of injera is delicious in and of itself because it absorbs the juices from the entrée items. Additional «dry» rolls of injera are also provided for picking up and eating the food. Unfortunately, the extra injera was cold today. I’d prefer it to be warm, which it usually is in to-​go orders, probably due to its contact with the hot entrée items in the container. Nevertheless, the injera was tasty and of just the right spongy texture.
The waitress came by often to replenish the injera and refill my water. The first glass of water she brought didn’t have ice, but then she came by later and asked if I would like ice and brought me another glass with ice water. Apparently, the ice machine hadn’t filled yet when I first arrived. That was so nice of her to go the extra mile to ensure I got ice water! She also brought me a Wet-​Nap at the end of my meal, which was much appreciated.
I asked for a cup of Ethiopian coffee at the end of my meal, but they didn’t have any (What? An Ethiopian restaurant without Ethiopian coffee??? What is the world coming to?). The waitress highly recommended the Italian coffee that they did have, so I ordered it. The waitress was right — this coffee was outstanding and came with a cute white ceramic creamer. I think that any coffee at Merkamo would be good because it’s made with the massive fancy espresso machine behind the bar, and Ethiopians just have a way with the ritual of preparing and serving coffee.
The food, coffee, and service were outstanding today, and I had plenty of leftovers to take home. Best of all, I got the lunchtime deal on the vegetarian sampler. Now, if Merkamo could offer a lunch special of kitfo…

This is a genuine Ethiopian food experience, so be prepared for some great flavors and to use your fingers :-) –although you can ask for silverware if you must.
We had an excellent meal. Well worth the visit.

Hadn’t had Ethiopian in a while and was very much impressed with the quality of the food. Another plus was that all. the meat is halal (according to what we were told). We had the vegetarian sampler and a lamb dish. Both were fantastic. It’s true that the atmosphere is a bit bistro like, maybe they could do with some traditional music or something… I was also impressed with the service.

I think their prices are maybe just a little high for what it was. The atmosphere is a little cold and sterile. ~$ 33 for 2 items? Would be nice if they had a non-​vegetarian sampler.
That being said, the food was good. Maybe not as good as some of the restaurants around Skyline, but pretty close. The Kitfo was very fresh and flavorful. Also, they list two types of Kitfo on their menu — a regular one and the «Merkamo Kitfo». Both have identical descriptions but differ in price by $ 1. Huh? The Lamb Tibbs were very good also.
Both waitresses were both very friendly and they have a full bar — few more pluses there.
Bottom line — I’d say if you find yourself equidistant from both Merkamo and Skyline you’re better off going to Skyline. I chose Merkamo because it was walking distance and I’ll probably be back when I’m feeling too lazy to drive the 10 minutes north.

Vegan friendly plate (just one). We got the vegetarian sampler. Our 3yr old said it was his new favorite restaurant.
We also asked for rice which is not typical Ethiopian but was really a great addition.
Also really nice staff even though we made a mess!

We recently moved a little further from our favorite Ethiopian restaurant so are looking at finding another one closer-​THIS IS NOT THE ONE!!!
Came here on Sunday afternoon using a groupon. Upon entrance we were so confused, there was no one there to greet us or seat us. There were 2 other tables with patrons and they told us to just seat ourselves.
The place was not very clean, there was food on the floor and table, even dust. The décor itself looks good enough, nothing exciting-​but the dining sets are just ugly and not cared for, the chair was loose (what would have happened if I sat & it broke) mmmmmm…
We ordered the Dora wet (I think that’s the spelling) and lamb tibs!!! The food was good until I saw a piece of hair in the injera. That spoiled my appetite I was done and over with this place. Will not be coming back.

Had the Vegetarian sampler which was quite tasty!!! I would come back.
That being said the atmosphere could use some warmth. All the surfaces were really hard and cold. The lighting was poor. The bathroom was very spacious and nicely appointed but was dirty. More attention to detail could move this place up a notch.

Came here through a Groupon ($ 10 for $ 20) and will likely go back, especially since I don’t think there are many other Ethiopian restaurants in Springfield. Not surprisingly (given its location in the middle of suburbia strip mall), it was completely empty except for 1 other group of 4 teenagers when we got there, and 1 other couple of young adult as we were leaving.
Anyways, our server was very pleasant and struck the right balance between making herself available and invisible. For our meal, we split the Gomen Besega (cubed meat smothered with awaze and chopped collard greens cooked in herbed oil with onion, green pepper, and garlic; $ 12.99) and Yebeg Kikil (lamb simmered in a mild sauce, ginger, and garlic; $ 12.99). I wouldn’t have expected it, but the first one was pretty hot. Interestingly, the second one explicitly says, «Mild.» So I guess if it doesn’t say «mild,» just assume that it’ll be hot! I wish I had known that before ordering. Would be a good addition to their menu (e.g., a legend with 1, 2, and 3 stars or chili peppers indicating spiciness).
Other than that, it was a nice and reasonably priced meal (especially with the Groupon). Which when I applied, there were no dirty looks or questions or comments. Our server processed it discreetly (as it should be).
Note…as is traditional in Ethiopia, there are no utensils. Just the soft, airy «injera» bread that you use to scoop up your food.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Ever had something so good, you just screamed with pure delight, with your mouth gaping open and bits of injera and awaze tibs flying out?
Yeah, I liked this place.
Get the Groupon.
We got their lamb tibs, kitfo, and a veggie combo. Everything was so flavorful and juicy!
The meat didn’t have gristly bits (you’d be surprised… I’ve come across some unsavory tib bits in other establishments). Nicely seasoned and perfectly cooked, I was hoping that this place would have a vomitorium so I could keep eating.
As for its authenticity: I don’t know, and I don’t care.
Good service. Waiter was attentive and nice.
Over and out.

Veggie platter is good, however, I am not a huge fan of carrots, and I found there to be a lot of carrots on the plate. So, in the future I will just get one of the vegetarian dishes on it’s own.
Good service, and very clean restaurant.