100 Very Best 2024
About Eat Great Cheap 2019
This article is a part of Washingtonian’s Eat Great Cheap feature, our annual list of where to eat (and not break the bank) right now. Our food editors put together the best new restaurants around DC where you can find Detroit-style pizza, Japanese egg-salad sandwiches, chicken-nugget-filled tacos, and more—for $25 or less per person.
Selam Gossa grew up around her mother Tsehay’s Addis Ababa cafe, where she dutifully studied her mom’s care for both customers and ingredients. Now Gossa—who also owns a neighboring salon and spa—is honoring her late mother’s recipes and sense of hospitality with this Ethiopian newcomer. Beef tibs and a turmeric-tinted yellow lamb stew are popular orders, and the veggie combo stands out for vibrant red lentils, garlicky green beans, and a gravy-rich shiro made of chickpea flour, tomato, and garlic. A spacious patio out back makes the Park View destination even more inviting.
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.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
