Enjera Eritrean Restaurant Bar

by Jonathan H.

Enjera is a really amazing place, and instead of just saying it's "a hidden gem" like everyone else, I'm going to provide you with an illustration to help you understand what it felt like to discover this restaurant among all the mediocre crap in Arlington...Imagine it is Halloween. You are rifling through your candy bag. There are many candies, but most are just total crap. For example, there are:- Orange and/or yellow Starbursts (gross!)- Those weird-flavored Tootsie Rolls (blueberry? yuck!)- One of those pretzel bags disguised as candy (Lies!)- Some healthy crap that slipped in there from the yoga instructor's house on the corner (apple slices are not candy!)Then, you find it! Yes! Red Skittles! The most perfect, amazing, yummy candy around!The place is very hard to find if you don't know exactly where it is. It's pretty much hidden in a crevice between a bunch of one and two story restaurants around it, hiding it well.There is an outdoor patio, an outdoor balcony, a main floor and an upper floor, and a little bar tucked away in the back. The decor is really great. It's a lot of Eritrean art, complete with a large display of the alphabet near the server station.The menu is pretty deep if you're not familiar with Eritrean food. Think Ethiopian food and you'll be close. If not, just check out this picture:http://tinyurl.com/pjadd6That's the sampler plate #2. It's got all different things, like beef, chicken, lamb, and fish. Each is seasoned uniquely, ranging from spicy to sweet. The salad is very delicious, with a little olive oil and lots of assorted leafy green vegetables. The fish (I believe it was tilapia) was not fishy at all, and had almost the texture of chicken.The bread is important, also. It's where the restaurant gets its name. The food is served on a platter with a huge piece of enjera right on top, so it soaks in all the unique flavors while you eat. The best part of the whole experience is eating the enjera at the end, when the flavors mix and explode together in your mouth like the Fourth of July.But wait, there's more! They have guava juice! Not just some crap in a carton. This is 100% guava juice (they have others like mango, too, but that's not important!). I had four pint glasses of the guava juice. Oh man, if I had a ready supply of this stuff on a regular basis, I would probably be enormous.What a great experience, with awesome food and exceptional service! The bathrooms were super clean, and even had Turkish hand soap (it smells heavenly and makes your hands soft like baby).Enjera is red Skittles. Yes, it is that good.

by Mary K.

A true Ethiopian food fanatic, I was thrilled to discover this Eritrean restaurant.  Similar to Ethiopian food, Eritrean food is spicier and more flavorful.  Enjera did not disappoint.  What did, however, was the service.  I'm willing to chalk it up to a bad night, because the food more than made up for it.Maybe it was my fault for wanting to sit outside on a cool summer evening.  The veggie platter came out first, and the lamb tibs were to follow shortly.  The veggies were so damn good, it took everything in me to wait for the lamb.  But how was I to know that they would never show up, leaving the poor veggies to turn tepid in the dark?Even cold, the food was damn good I have to admit, despite seeing red.The waitress apologized and comped one of our drinks.I will give them another try.  The food is too irresistible.

by Nicole O.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - March 14th, 2009- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This recently remodeled Eritrean restaurant in Crystal City was a frequent haunt of my boyfriend and his brother when he lived in the area. The building itself (and the general area) are sort of bad, but the owner has put a lot of effort into this place, and it shows through. The whole place looks nice and polished, in a worn way. It is entirely decked out in wood, and there are small authentic pieces of Eritrean artwork spread throughout the place. The restaurant plays traditional music and caters to an Eritrean clientele, but is a local favorite (especially at night). The owner is nice and will  stop by your table to chat and maybe offer a few beers or some food on the house. Even though the restaurant is sparsely decorated, there are small pieces of wood on the wall that you can write little messages on.

by Hailey H.

I loved Enjera. Flavorful lentils, tender meats, all spiced to perfection. Friendly service, if a little on the slow side. Good prices too. I thought it was every bit as good as Meskerem or any other of the best Ethiopian/Eritrean food places in the area. Highly recommend!

by T N.

Excellent food and great service. The only reason for less than 5 stars is the lower floor was quite chilly and my dining partner and I had to wear our coats the entire time.

by Meg G.

Although they have changed management; and, hence, the menu a couple of times - this restaurant is still a great spot. The first time I went with friends, and I had this pasta with some creamy sauce. It was great, and I couldn't identify which spices they used. The second time my friends took me here was for my birthday last year. I had injera with tibsi, which I eat all the time. Theirs was good, but I've had better. The best part of the night was that slice of chocolate cake they brought me. It was the sweetest, richest, most moist cake. It was huge - so I had to take two days to eat it. Oh, on one of my previous visits, I tried their shisha. It was the same experience that I've had at any other hookah joint. Great ERITREAN food, the customer service is excellent, and I love the interior decor!!!

by Kirsi G.

This is my favorite Eritrean spot-- I do go down to Crystal City from the District to get my fix of rolled up injera with berbera sprinkled inside. To die for!  People have mentioned that they have changed the managment and the menu-- which is good because the decoration inside has improved (better feng shui) and they did revamp their bathrooms (yay!) and expanded their bar, so they definition did a good job.BUT*I like the old menu. Call me old-fashioned. It was simple but now with the new menu, it is hard for me to get my fix because it has been renamed... d'oh!  So I usually just describe it to the waitress and she knows what I am referring to.FYI: This is also an excellent vegetarian spot-- I am always happy with my meals as long they got berbera on it!Try the rolled-up injera bread with berbera!!!!

by Kathleen B.

3.5 starsDidn't feel like going into the District for Etete, our favorite Ethiopian, so we decided to try Eritrean food, which is supposed to be very similar.We sat on the terrace, which is nice.  The interior has a contemporary feel and a small bar upstairs.  Clean bathrooms, yay!Had the Enjera sampler for two, $25 I think.  The sampler is always the way to go in my book.  There were two standout dishes out of about seven; sadly, I don't know what they were called.  I would say that I like going to my regular Ethiopian place much better, but it was nice not to have to wait on a table and they have plenty of seating.I am not a big fan of it, but if you are: their honey wine is some of the best I have tasted. ($6 a glass)