Meleket Restaurant

This was my favorite Eritrean/Ethiopian spot for years. The red lentils were my favorite, they just made them more rich/savory than other local spots. I ordered the veggie combo, which was one of my old staples. I found the red lentils to be very spicy compared to past instances. Maybe there's a new chef or a new owner. I can't say whether or not it's more authentic but I've been to this specific restaurant maybe 10 times before and have also had the lentils at other spots - this was the hottest I've had. Still, no big deal, I could just comment on it later. The food overall tasted good. Near the end of my meal, the server asked if I wanted more injera. She didn't indicate an extra cost, let alone a substantial one. This veggie combo ONLY came with the injera under the veggies; in the past, there were a couple extra pieces on the side included in the meal. I assumed to save bread, or perhaps because I ordered gluten free, they didn't automatically provide extra with the dish this time, but figured they would notify me if there was a significant extra charge. I accepted the offer for more injera which cost $8 extra. Not to mention the they added extra to the price of the other dishes we got, which was miniscule but still notable given the other issue.It's holiday season and I'm not trying to end the year arguing over this with the restaurant, so I just paid without issue, but this lack of transparency definitely left a bad taste in my mouth.

Solid food and great staff. I went here during one of their live music nights and it definitely set the scene. Meleket is authentic Ethiopian food and the flavors were definitely reflective of that. I enjoyed my visit here and would definitely visit again.

Let me sing the praises of this cozy neighborhood restaurant. Now that the winter is setting in, its dim ambience and excellent home cooking offers comforts on many levels. Have I had better Ethiopian food? Yep. Ethiopic on H Street is outstanding, showing off what the cuisine can do if ticked up for a global market. But in some ways I have more appreciation for the depth of the home cooking at Meleket. The flavors here are complex, someone in the kitchen has taken the time to ensure that. In turn, I take the time to savor it. Then there is the matter of price. Newer restaurants, more flashy ones, have amped up their prices in our post-pandemic world. Meleket is not immune to inflation, but they are true to their neighborhood base and not looking to gouge customers. We got a platter of 3 meats and 3 veg to share, one glass of wine and a dessert, and the price for two before tip was $50. You can be sure I tipped well, because I also could not fault the warm and welcoming service. One specific recommendation from our platter: the yellow split peas were a real stand out. A creamy sweetness has been coaxed from them that is a thing of genius. Make sure that is included in whatever you order. But you will also enjoy the savoriness of the meat sauces that lingers long after you have enjoyed the meal.

*Updated Review*I hadn't been here in some years. I'm glad to see they are still around. Stopped in for dinner last night and to catch up with a fellow Yelper. We both share a love for Ethiopian cuisine. On a Monday evening, it was not packed at all so seating was not an issue. He did the vege platter and I did the special beef tibs. Food was delicious! We had to get our honey wine! Service was overall good. My only complaint was that we had to ask for extra injera. The six tiny rolled up pieces were not enough. Either way, I will be back soon!

Ate here two times and the food was delicious but then on my third visit I was extremely disappointed at the customer service. I ordered two dishes to go and both dishes ended up not what I expected. When I returned to the restaurant to get a resolution to the issues I was treated very poorly. The woman taking my order seemed to think she knew what I wanted so I was confident in not making it clear what I wanted but clearly she did not understand. Not only did I have to wait almost an hour for the first go around but then they wouldn't refund my money and insisted it would only take 15 minutes to cook the right dishes. Well, that 15 minutes turned into another 45 minutes!I will not go back to this establishment since there are other restaurants like this so they have lost a customer.

Nice place, nice people, the food was unfortunately mediocre. I arrived starving, ate half of what I got and left the rest. Usually I'm upset about the quality of the ingredients, but in this case I would also fault the salt and the flavors. A shame, because the atmosphere and people are lovely.

This restaurant is TERRIBLE. The staff, the owner, they are arrogant, rude, and lack empathy. I attempted to place an order through Yelp's Grubhub option. I attempted to order the 3 meat and Veggie combo & discovered, while trying to order, that this meal didn't give me an option to select my meats(I don't eat beef). So I called the restaurant & attempted to place my order and was informed that they wouldn't substitute beef for fish, so I asked if I could call the restaurant back after discussing what our new order would be. From there, we discussed what we wanted and then I placed my order. through Yelp's Grubhub option for takeout. I ordered a Veggie combo & Fish Dullet & then went to pick it up. When I arrived at the restaurant I selected "My Orders" on Yelp and noticed that I had two separate orders for the same restaurant. Once I investigated, I realized that the initial order that I called in about was ordered without me selecting "check out".To me, this wasn't a big deal. It was a mistake through the app - not me & the restaurant would be courteous enough to refund me while still servicing me my two entrees that I really did order. The lady at the register was super rude & told me that I had to take the order, even though I don't eat beef, even though she remembered me calling and asking if I could replace the beef with fish, and she even remembered telling me that I couldn't. Still, she refused to refund me, instead telling me that I since the second meal(order that I actually checked out and expected to eat)wasn't fully prepared, I could take the food that they had given me & they'd remove the charge for the second meal and keep that. I asked them how that solution made sense considering I don't eat beef which is a large part of that original order(3 meat & veggie platter). She shrugged her shoulders and said: I understand but I already cooked the food so I won't refund you. I asked to speak to a manager & she was worse than the lady I was speaking to. Her condescending demeanor, nasty smirk, and the fact that I could barely finish a sentence without her cutting me off to tell me that I am wrong made this the worst customer service experience I've ever had in my life. I am so upset. Not bc of the money, but the fact that I even showed them step by step what happened on the app and was met with a shoulder shrug and an "oh well."I attempted to call GrubHub and get a refund through them and the rep that I spoke to understood and said she would take care of things. She called the restaurant just to confirm that I had not been served the food & the waitress informed her that she would not oblige for the same reasons she gave me. Bc the food was already prepared. Meanwhile, it had been ten minutes and that food that she couldn't refund me, because it was "already prepared" still wasn't in a container, or a bag, in my possession. GrubHub called me back and informed me that there was nothing they could since the restaurant was unwilling to comply. I've been to this restaurant so many times. My Wife is a Registered Nurse at Holy Cross hospital nearby. Every time I drop her off at work, we stop by this restaurant to order our food. The fact that they value $37 over customer satisfaction and common speaks volumes to me and I will NEVER patron this establishment again. The fact that Yelp doesn't have a zero star option never irked me as much as it does today!

This is a hidden gem in Silver Spring. Had a great team lunch with folks from my office. Food was good and fresh. We had a group of 16 and were seated and served in about an hour. Everyone enjoyed the Sambusa the Timatim Fitfit. The service was wonderful. We will be back

Our go to for Ethiopian! Always delicious and wonderful people and service! Park in the county lot across the street!

Great food, quick service. The look and feel of the restaurant is old but their staff is very friendly especially Ms Zeze. They were so kind to my daughters when we went there in Dec 2024. Highly recommend it if you are in mood for delicious Ethiopian food.