Doro Soul Food
Soul food restaurant · U Street
2108 8th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Highlights
Ethiopian-spiced fried chicken, mac & cheese, greens
Ethiopian-spiced fried chicken, mac & cheese, greens
"A riff on American soul food that centers on fried chicken infused with Ethiopian flavors; production is being simplified by replacing wings with chicken tenders. The operator is adding a fried Atlantic cod sandwich — both because many soul-food spots offer fried-fish sandwiches and as a nod to the Ethiopian tradition of eating fish during fasting periods. The Shiro Meda sandwich will be served with shredded cabbage, a zesty Ethiopian tomato salad called timatim, and a gribiche sauce. “Gribiche is like a very classic French sauce essentially,” says Taddesse, who describes it as being made with shredded eggs, capers, parsley, tarragon, citrus, and vinegar and likens it to a tartar sauce. The chef also collaborated with a gaming-arcade partner to debut “The National” fried chicken sandwich — an homage to doro wat — which featured crisp fried chicken with kibbeh aioli, turmeric slaw, and a fried egg on onion brioche buns." - Lenore Adkins
"This takeout joint on H Street blends two of our favorite things: soul food and Ethiopian cuisine. The fried chicken is coated in a buttermilk marinade made with berbere. The result is crispy skin that turns caramel red and meat that’s packed with flavor. You can choose your spice level for most dishes, ranging from a mild “Naked” to “Burna Boy” hot. Weekends tend to get busy here and the restaurant doesn't offer indoor dining, so skip the long lines and order online beforehand." - omnia saed
"After pivoting from high-end French kitchens in New York to exploring Ethiopian flavors, chef Elias Taddesse opened his first shop in Washington, D.C., aiming to serve a distinctly Ethiopian-infused fried chicken. The signature is buttermilk-marinated chicken seasoned with a dry rub of garlic powder, turmeric and a punchy berbere blend, using a triple-flour mix (bread, all-purpose and self-rising) in the marinade to create a crunchy yet not-too-thick crust; pieces are dredged in that same flour blend plus tapioca, potato and cornstarch, then double-fried and flash-fried to order for a crisp, juicy bite. Finished options include naked, coated in a berbere glaze, or dipped in an extra-spicy mitmita hot sauce made with bird’s eye chiles. Many central components are made in-house—niter kibbeh clarified butter spiked with korerima (black cardamom) and besobela (dried Ethiopian basil), and a deeply flavored doro wot spice paste made from caramelized onions cooked down for hours—which is layered into dishes such as a mac-and-cheese roux to lend an earthy complexity. Taddesse currently runs this carryout-focused operation with meticulous butchering (breaking down whole chickens every other day, working through 15–25 cases) and plans to expand into a larger sit-down restaurant in the future." - Emily Venezky
"Run by French-trained chef Elias Taddesse, this Shaw carryout mixes Ethiopian traditions into American classics and is described as 'spice-blasted' — a fusion of Ethiopian flavors with comfort-style American dishes." - Eater Staff
"This take-out joint on H Street blends two of our favorite things: soul food and Ethiopian cuisine. The fried chicken is coated in a buttermilk marinade made with berbere, an Ethiopian spice blend that consists of chili peppers, coriander, garlic, and ginger. The result is crispy skin that turns this burgundy-caramel red and meat that’s packed with flavor. You can choose your spice level for most dishes, ranging from a mild “Naked” to “Burna Boy” hot. Weekends tend to get busy here and the restaurant doesn't offer indoor dining, so skip the long lines and order online beforehand." - tristiana hinton, omnia saed
