Mélange DC
Restaurant · U Street
2108 8th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Highlights
Burgers, fried chicken, shakes & cocktails with Ethiopian flavors
Burgers, fried chicken, shakes & cocktails with Ethiopian flavors
"Talented chef Elias Taddesse combines two of his most celebrated culinary projects — Doro Soul Food and Mélange DC — in one location with the debut of Mélange Foods Inc. Located in the former Roy Boys space, its sidewalk patio is not only a welcome for Shaw residents, but also a cross-cultural merger of American soul food and Ethiopian cuisine. Snack on alfresco burgers and fried chicken full of berbere spices starting Monday, May 12." - Vinciane Ngomsi
"A burger bar that pays homage to the operator's Ethiopian-American identity and delivers the signature items that helped earn him a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist nod for Emerging Chef: dry-aged burgers such as the Classic, Italian, and Double Decker, plus rotating specials and a new burger called the Frenchie. The chef is experimenting with a berbere chocolate ice cream; berbere is described as an Ethiopian spice mix that includes dried chiles, Ethiopian cardamom, fenugreek, and other aromatics. “Paprika chocolates are very popular,” says Taddesse. “Berbere is not necessarily that spicy — usually, it’s more aromatic and it depends on how you prepare it.” The concept began in 2020 in Mount Vernon Triangle, moved to a tiny takeout-only spot in Shaw, and has now relocated into the larger incubator space." - Lenore Adkins
"A planned high-end restaurant slated to open at the end of the year as an anchor of the Bridge District near Anacostia, described as combining contemporary French cuisine with traditional Ethiopian flavors and focusing on product quality, premium sourcing, and presentation. The operator says the same rigor, training, thought processes, and sourcing culture will apply: “The same rigor, the same training, the same thought processes, the same sourcing culture comes in… everything that I try to do,” and adds, “I’m just trying to cook at every level.”" - Lenore Adkins
"Eater DC’s 2021 Chef of the Year Elias Taddesse’s acclaimed burger bar Mélange will serve its last burger in Mt. Vernon Triangle this weekend." - Tierney Plumb
"Ethiopian chef Elias Taddesse (Mélange) is up for emerging chef of the year." - Tierney Plumb
