Chercher Ethiopian Restaurant and Bar

Authentic Ethiopian restaurant in Washington, DC. The food is very tasty. I’m really happy to have the opportunity to try a different culture’s cuisine without having to travel far. I’ve visited many times because my curiosity keeps bringing me back to explore more of their dishes. I love it every time.

First time getting Ethiopian food. You know the place is legit when your Ethiopian Uber driver knows it, and everyone else at the restaurant was Ethiopian. We got a couple dishes to share and it was all so flavorful and the spice was perfect. I have no specific recommendations because it was all so good. It is very rich so don't order too much or you will not be able to finish it.

Very friendly service. Delicious food. I got the veggie platter with 10 things. It was really tasty. The awesome part is that it’s all vegan (plant-based). The prices are very reasonable. The food came in a timely manner. High quality Ethiopian food in a pleasant atmosphere with warm and gracious service staff.

My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The service was great. This was our first time eating Ethiopian cuisine. Our server was very patient in explaining the different meal options. She allowed us to taste the honey wine which was wonderful. The plating and presentation of the food was beautifully done. It was almost too pretty to eat. I would definitely recommend this location to anyone wanting to try Ethiopian food. The atmosphere and attitudes of the servicer was much better than the location on 9th street. We left the other location before ordering to come to the 14th Street location which is the one described in this review.

There are lots of Ethiopian options in DC (and we’ve tried more than a few), but this one is EXCEPTIONAL. We ordered the Deluxe vegan platter and every dish was fresh and ridiculously flavorful. We also got the #3 meat special and it was so juicy, tender, and delicious we had to order a second one. Save this one in your favorites. 🤤

Welcome to the neighborhood!! So excited for a delicious Ethiopian joint nearby. The Veggie Deluxe and the Tibs Special are both excellent. Don't miss the sambusa either -- crispy and packed with flavor. We'll be back soon!

Solid Ethiopian spot, but a bit underwhelming given the very strong reviews. The vegan deluxe was excellent, as was the Doro Wat, but the Beef Tibs was very subpar. The sambusa was also very pedestrian, and surprisingly dry. Service is ok, as is the decor, just pretty basic. There are definitely better Ethiopian restaurants in the area, and I wouldn't return to this one, but I'm sure you would be net positive on a meal here.

🔥 Why Chercher Rocks: ✔ Authentic & Diverse Menu – From the 10-item veggie combo (a must-try for anyone new to Ethiopian food) to spicy doro wat (the national chicken stew) and grilled meats like lamb and salmon, they cover all the classics. ✔ Perfect Injera – You nailed it: their injera is light, thin, and just right for scooping up stews and grilled meats without overpowering the flavors. ✔ Spice Game Strong – That extra-spicy doro wat is clearly a winner! Ethiopian spices (berbere, mitmita) shine here. ✔ Popular & Diverse Crowd – A mix of locals, tourists, and Ethiopian food lovers filling the seats is always a great sign. ✔ Convenient Locations – With spots in DC (14th St, 9th St) and Bethesda, it’s accessible no matter where you are in the DMV. 📌 Pro Tips for New Visitors: Go for the combo platters (veggie or meat) to sample a variety. Order extra injera—it’s the best vehicle for all those delicious stews! Try the tibs (grilled meat cubes) for a smoky, flavorful bite. Ask for spicy levels if you’re sensitive to heat (some dishes, like doro wat, pack a punch!). Have you tried their kitfo (Ethiopian beef tartare) or shiro (spiced chickpea stew)? Those are also fan favorites!

The food was so amazing, and a completely authentic experience. The service was good, felt very family-run and local, even though j know that there are a few locations around the district. I will say that the tables were wobbly, making the food a bit hard to eat sometimes, but not too distracting. It was bright and well lit, a good stop from the street!

oh yeah no, you can't possibly fathom how much I adore eating with my hands - sitting there shoving my claws into warm, flavor packed stews that are sitting on top of injera and leaking in the flavor so I can devour that after?!? - this doro wot packed the perfect rich meaty flavor with a perfectly crafted spice kick. the chicken was falling off the bone - the cottage cheese sauce (I don't recall the name), basically blended cottage cheese, was fabulous. it balanced out the spice kick. everything about this flavor profile was to die for. - the lega tibs were VERY buttery. it was super tender and delicious. I wish I could cook beef like that. loved the onions as well for a texture break. - the injera was much less tangy than other restaurants I've had. not much of an opinion on that, just a note! I wish they had a sampler so we could try a few dishes! - inside of the restaurant is very underwhelming. service is quite awkward, would have been hard to ask for more injera if we wanted it...for sure. it's definitely not a restaurant about the experience, it's about the food. and sometimes that's exactly what we want!

Amazing food and service we will be back. The people were very hospitable and the food was amazing we ate every bit of our left overs.

Met up with a bunch of friends here -- and a lot of them were first-time Ethiopia diners, so it was exciting! CherCher has 3 locations in the DMV -- one in Columbia Heights (this one), one in Mt. Vernon and one in Bethesda. We opted for this one since some folks wanted to check out a happy hour spot nearby. Making a reservation in advance was easy, and they kindly accommodated over the phone. When we walked in, the decor was so lovely! Our table was immediately recognizable because it was the only long one in there. We got seated with menus and water and folks started figuring things out. I was happy to answer questions when the staff weren't around, so that felt good lol. I decided to branch out and try some new things, and went for kitfo. For that and some other specials, you can make it 'deluxe', which adds qocho. Traditionally, kitfo is beef served raw with Ethiopian spices, but I decided to get it medium-rare instead -- you can pick how you want it cooked. It was quite delicious! And it came with a bowl that was half greens and half cottage cheese, which I typically don't like... but I loved it that night! I also ordered some beets because I wanted more veggies, and I love the sweetness of them. Yummy! Now the qocho was the low for me -- it was my first time having it... and it's hard to describe! It's like a rubbery flatbread that smells super fermented. On it's own, it doesn't taste good in my opinion, but it's better when consumed with the other parts of the dish. This is just a personal preference, and based on a friend at the table that's how it's supposed to taste... not my thing for sure! The night there was lovely -- we were just hanging out and chatting for a bit and we had to get the staff's attention for the bill -- the place was technically closed so we were shocked they weren't kicking us out haha. I would definitely return and suggest you try them out too!

This was my first time visiting this location, I normally visit the 9th street location and decided to switch things up. Service: the service was pretty good but I did wish that they paid a little more attention to guests because I had to flag them down for simply needs such as water and to get the check. Aside from that, they were very hospitable. Ambiance: we were seated in the back, nearby the restrooms while their were tons of available seats upfront- which were not being used. I wish that guests had the options to use those but they were placing everyone in the booths and not the table, not sure why. Food: as with their other location, the food here is always great but I thoroughly enjoyed my beef tibs. They were well seasoned, cooked to perfection, and simply delicious from start to finish. Who can resist that?! The yellow lentils were a little hard and that made them less enjoyable. They did carry flavor but were undercooked. The injera was a perfect compliment to the meal and the spices on the side only required minimum use...If you know, you know that it can pack a punch and leave you coughing and begging for water lol My guest and I ordered a large meal and as you can see, that was enough to share, hence why we only ordered one. The bill was under $50 and included the natural mango juice (not pictured but delicious) and my friend's canned soda. Overall, I would probably return to the 9th street location because it's closer to me and this location was further than I expected and it took forever to get home.

Came here with a group of 5 people on a Saturday evening. We didn't have an issue getting a table. Our group was down to share and try a bunch of stuff so we opted for a platter that had a variety of food options and added lamb and some beef tips. We asked the server what she recommended and she guided us through the menu and also suggested the honey wine for our group. Our group loved everything on the platter and we went in with injera bread! Highly recommend. Food was good and very affordable for our group. We left happy!

The food here is so delicious and authentic! Our server was amazing and recommended some wonderful dishes to us. She was so friendly and the service was very quick :-) The restaurant was clean and the ambience was very authentic. Whether you are familiar with Ethiopian cuisine or trying it for the first time, I highly recommend Chercher.

The tibs and veggies plate were absolutely delicious. It was clean and modern style. Loved the booths. The service was super friendly and on point. All five stars!

Came to eat at Chercher with a friend a few weeks ago and I'm happy I did. I've only had Ethiopian food twice but it is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Our only difficulty here was that there are two restaurants and the online pamphlet has one address is one place and the other in another part. My friend and I accidentally went to the different locations and he had to grab an Uber over to me. He did mention that this location was much calmer than the location near the convention center. Once we got settled, we each ordered an appetizer, a sambusa, which was had a yummy spicy lentil filling. It was great and not too spicy, however, it did take kind of long to arrive at our table. We also ordered the special #1 and the special #3 for veggies and beef tibs. Our waitress did confuse us a bit because we asked if he could add on beef and she said yeah we could add on tibs. I asked her how much it would be then with the tibs and she said $22.50 so we thought that was a plate of half veggies and half tibs. It wasn't until the end that we realized we had ordered two separate plates. We couldn't eat all of the food, but I wish I could have because it was so good! Definitely spent more than I meant to because of the miscommunication but at least now I know you can't combine the plates!! Will come back with other friends here soon!

I've visited the restaurant a couple of times. The food is great, and the service is friendly. The prices are pretty reasonable too. My go-to Ethiopian place now.

I brought my Kenyan colleagues here for dinner - they requested Ethiopian cuisine. We were able to get a table for four quickly and the service was friendly and informative. It was an excellent shareable spread and a tasty round of honey wine as well. We all enjoyed the experience and dinner so much!

The taste of each item was scrumptious. I couldn't tell you what's what but all enjoyable. Meat and veggie lovers alike, best food selection for everyone's tastes.

Had an incredible lunch here. There were four of us so we ordered a sampler platter so we could try a little bit of everything, it was wild how hard it was to choose favorites! Everything was so flavorful and delicious, we will definitely be back soon. Highly recommend.

Excellent!! Our family of 5 enjoyed the sampler, spicy chicken, lamb, beef, and injera.

Chercher is rightfully acclaimed for their Ethiopian food experience. It's delicious! My best advice? Go for an early dinner (5:30) and beat the crowd as they don't take reservations. The staff were helpful sharing recommendations and they combined our veggie and steak options into one giant plate. Servers were helpful, they didn't rush us despite a crowd and the meal for both of us each ordering one Ethiopian honey wine was less than $70.

My boyfriend and I had lunch here today. I had been eager to try after having heard such positive feedback about their original location in Shaw. We had the place to ourselves. We ordered the vegan special #1 and the kitfo special #2. The flavors were amazing, the portions generous (especially the kitfo), and service friendly and fast. This may be my new favorite Ethiopian restaurant in DC. Highly recommend!

The food here was amazing. The service was very good as well. Would definitely return next time we are in the area. We were glad we didn't have to wait for a table. Nice and relaxing jazz music.

Delicious lamb and beef dishes. Vegetarian platter was incredible too! All so much flavor! Our first time having Ethiopian food and we loved it! Service was fast and friendly.

Amazing food! Amazing service! We ordered the beef tips and chicken tips and had extra to take home!

First time trying Ethiopian cuisine. Aster who waited on us was very nice and pleasant. She was very informative, we ordered the salmon, beef and vegetables as she suggested. All dishes were delicious! Free parking at the gas station, just mention that you are going to cher cher.

Great addition to the neighborhood. Vegetable platter and beef tips were delicious. Would like to come back and try other dishes!

Food was outstanding!! We ordered the deluxe sampler platter. The flavors were incredible. Couldn't even pick a favorite.

The food is amazing!!! Anytime I'm in the area I HAVE to eat there. They never disappoint.

Just as great as the original location. I love that they've come to my neighborhood! Delicious food and friendly people.