Don’t be fooled by the TVs tuned to soccer or the plates of chicken wings—Eyo’s main asset is its soulful Ethiopian cooking. Husband-and-wife owners Bizuwork Tafesse and Hiwot Fessah return from visits to their homeland with spices, carrying robust berbere that lends a fiery depth to the awaze tibs—stir-fried morsels of lamb in a russet-colored gravy—or to stewed split peas. Like the warm-toned space itself, the menu is small and approachable. Though African dishes are the main draw, the kitchen nods to Ethiopia’s Italian history in delicious ways, such as a bountiful vegetarian platter that mixes traditional lentils and beets with a bright, bruschetta-like tomato salad and mixed greens tossed with vinaigrette. When you finish them, the hospitable staffers will show up to offer more.
Cuisine: Ethiopian
Where you can get it: 3821-B S. George Mason Dr., Falls Church; 703-933-3084
Also good: Lega tibs (lamb cooked with spices and rosemary); kitfo with house-made cottage cheese; doro wat(stewed chicken and egg in red-pepper sauce).
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
