Cheap Eats 2019: Zenebech Restaurant

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About Zenebech Restaurant

Cost:

cuisines
Ethiopian
Location(s)
2420 18th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
Eat Great Cheap 2019

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.

Few DC institutions have survived as many changes as Zenebech, which opened as an injera bakery in Shaw 26 years ago. Since then, it has expanded to include a carryout, transformed into a full-service Adams Morgan restaurant, and, last year, reopened after a devastating fire. These days, you’ll find a large, diverse Ethiopian menu on which classics such as kitfo and richly flavored stews are joined by local beers and a page-long vegetarian lineup (we like the veggie ferfer). True to its roots, the house-made injera is worth the extra cost.


Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

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.

Food Editor

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
Food Editor

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.