Eating at Bete Ethiopian Café and Restaurant is the perfect example of why Cliff and I started our food tour. Until just a few days ago, we had no idea what we were missing.
Bete is a charming little restaurant just off of downtown Silver Spring’s beaten path on Roeder Drive. Unlike other Ethiopian locales we’ve sampled, Bete has a much simpler, more down-to-earth feel. The laid-back atmosphere definitely made us feel like this was the place to come for some down-home Ethiopian food just like mama used to make.
Our waiter was incredibly friendly and helped guide us in choosing dishes that he thought we would like best. Cliff chose the awaze tibs (julienne-cut lean beef grilled in exotic Ethiopian spices) and I went for the vegetarian combination, as well as the veggie sambusa—my first Ethiopian appetizer! That helping of mashed potato and spices inside a flakey, crusty pastry shell really hit the spot! Talk about serious comfort food!
Cliff loved his beef tips and I went crazy for Bete’s version of atakilt wat, boiled potatoes and carrots. I’ve now sampled four variations of this dish and theirs was the best I’ve ever had!
We can’t wait to return to Bete’s for another, relaxing comfort-food meal. Maybe next time, I’ll get to enjoy my sambusa and atakilt walt on their beautiful, outdoor deck!
What we ordered:
- Veggie Combo: $12.95 gomen (collard green), tekil gomen (cabbage and carrot), yekik alicha (split pea), yemisir kikwot (red lentils), atakilt wot (carrots, potato), yemisir alecha (lentils) with salad.
- Awaze Tibs: $13.25 (sautéed beef)
- Veggie Sambusa: $1.95
- Coke: 1.95
Total: $30.80
Bete Ethiopian Cafe and Resturaunt is located at:
811 Roeder Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910,
Be sure to tell them we sent you on your next visit and come back and share your own experience and thoughts.
