Dessie Ethiopian Restaurant & Market

My friend and I went to to Dessie restaurant because another friend refer it to me.the attendant Winta was very friendly and suggested us a specific dish, which was very tasty, I really enjoy it and for sure we will be back.

Reasonably priced hidden gem in downtown Wheaton. When you enter you are greeted by an Ethiopian market. The restaurant is adjacent to the market and easy to miss. The dining area and bar is small and cozy (Ethiopian music can be heard through their sound system).We were each going to order vegetarian samplers but were told our server told us 1 is adequate for 2 people. We complied and got it with yellow split peas, cabbage, collard greens, and powdered pea purée. It was very filling, with great veggie texture and flavors.

We love trying new restaurants, we peeked at the menu before we arrived. The prices were decent so we decided to give them a try.We were give them menu and we proceeded to order lamb. We were told they were out, so it would be either vegetarian or beef. We love vegetarian dish but hubby is Hindu, so we don't eat beef. We ask if they had chicken, the waiter wasn't sure until he check with the chicken. We were not provide with water until we ask for some. The place had not be updated or renovated in a while. We were the only patrons at the restaurant. With the suspect sketch atmosphere and slow service. We considered giving them 1 star but the food saved the day. We will admit the food was good and tasty, the cost was decent. They had good injera. We aren't sure if we'd ever visit this place again. I saw on the wall a laminated news article from 2008, eleven years ago, it's time for this place to try to reclaim their glory and step it up.

Split the lamb tibs, the beef tibs, vegetable platter and kitfo. The lamb was definitely better than the beef here. The vegetables were equally as delicious, if not better (rare thing for me to admit). The kitfo mixed with the cheese and dipped in the spice was delicious too. Way more food than necessary for two people but we wanted to try everything. -The ethiopian coffee was alright, I feel like I've had better.-The waitress (maybe it was Ms. Dessie herself, not sure) had a wonderful and pleasant personality and was excellent-True mom & pop restaurant with friends just hanging out with the waitstaff during the day

I miss the previous owner. The place seems to have gone down in quality, broken window replaced by plywood, portions, non-updated prices, food quality, etc. Not so good.

They ignore requests, which is annoying. And one time, I ordered two of the same dish and they delivered only one. When I called them, they told me I had to come get it. But the food itself is really, really good. And the prices are fair.

This place has mini Ethiopian grocery store and a basic restaurant. The food is pretty good, but service is not great as the person who takes care of the store also serves in the restaurant making it bit slow in service (I had just been here once) based on my experience, it is possible there might be others as well other time. We were not asked for any drinks or water, when we asked for water we had to wait for long time to get water about 15-20 minutes and we were the only customer in the restaurant that time. Also food took long time. I was really upset But after having the food I felt I can overlook the service for now, as the food was good and the quantity was also good. I hope they work on their service procedures and timing All in all a good Ethiopian place to try, it is like a basic hole in the wall with good food

A hidden gem! Literally you might walk right past it, looks like a store from the outside. But when you come in you find a nice family restaurant! I'd like to start off by mentioning how nice the staff is - not sure why other reviews mentioned otherwise. Sometimes it can be a a little intimidating to dine at place so foreign, where you don't look like anyone else there or speak the language, but here it doesn't make a difference at all! I felt like these were my long lost Ethiopian relatives lol. Big smiles and very helpful with explaining menu selections.They are opened very late and have a full bar. This is a great place to go late at night if you don't want fast food - everything is healthy and delicious! I recommend getting a platter if this is your first time, so you can try a little of everything. I ordered the vegetarian platter and it was delicious! And the portions were very large. I will definitely come back to try the meat platter next time. And also just to drink at the bar because honestly the staff was nice I really felt at home!

Food took a very long time even though we were the only ones there and you could hear the microwave in the back, and then arrived only barely warm. The veggie (lentil, yellow split peas, collard greens, beets, cabbage) platter was, still, very good. I've had better, though, so I'm just not sure I'd go back. Parking was easy, which is also important!

(NOTE: All of the reviews previous to mine were written under other management so it's a shame they didn't change the name when they got new ownership! The bad reviews are unfair!) Four of us went in on a Saturday around 7:30pm and it was virtually empty. We met the two women who had just bought and opened up the place two weeks prior. They did everything--cook, wait tables, etc. We wanted a lot of different things but we wanted to share so the owner suggested a one dish for everyone. When it came it was one giant dish in the middle of our 4-person table and it had doro wot (chicken in spices) and awaze (beef) and then practically every vegetable in the place (cabbage, lentils, peas, etc.). They brought tons of injera. We had a feast! The food was fabulous! I highly recommend this place because it is a really good addition to the Ethiopian restaurant scene. Also, they have a parking lot with reserved spaces (for their customers) a few doors down. That's a huge plus!