As the city stares down another D.C. winter, my thoughts inevitably turn to the warming comfort of D.C.’s Ethiopian food culture. In contrast to a shabby Chinatown and the occasional Latin gem in Adams Morgan, the vibrant Ethiopian scene in D.C. is the shining star of our downtown ethnic cuisine offerings. If you’re looking to take visiting family out to a uniquely D.C. dinner, you should really consider an Ethiopian restaurant. Although they are most common around U Street in the 9th-12th Street range, there is also a pocket in Adams Morgan, a few strewn around Georgetown and Logan Circle, and a strong showing in the suburbs. We randomly surveyed six local Ethiopian restaurants to see how they prepare this DCist’s favorite specialty: tibs.

Although Ethiopian food tends to be characterized by the braised or stewed dishes called wat, tibs is a dish that resembles a stir-fry. Although there are many variations, the core ingredient list includes lamb or beef, onions, and the traditional berbere spice mix. Cooking methods also vary: many seemed to have been sautéed in butter, but others were grilled, or even deep-fried.

To undertake this survey, I would need help. Ethiopian food is notoriously filling, with the injera filling the role as both utensil and stomach-liner, and several friends joined me on this venture so that we could hit more than one place a night and not be completely stuffed by the end. NB: Our methods were far from scientific. At some places, we ordered beef tibs, while at others, we went with the lamb. A few places only offered one while others offered both. Mostly we just wanted to try as many restaurants as we could in a short time. This is obviously not an exhaustive review of every Ethiopian restaurant in D.C. Feel free to throw your two cents in to the comments.

Photos by Eric Denman