Keren Restaurant, 1780 Florida Avenue NW, Washington, DC (near 18th and U Streets NW), 202-265-5764 (Metro Trip Planner – opens in new window) [Google | AllMenus | City Paper | Yelp]
Eritrea 2011, by thecomeupshow
This place is exactly what more ethnic restaurants in DC should be like. Eritrean food will remind you of Ethiopian, but it isn’t the same either. There is more bread mixed into the dishes for one thing, and the cuisine is overall less Americanized. The vegetables are less smoothed over. What you want to get here is the listed “Five Eritrean dishes” listed on the bottom of the menu, otherwise not further specified. Also get one or two of the “Fuls,” which are available for breakfast too. The Egg Ful is especially tasty. The wheat dishes are original.
Everything here is quite good, and the staff and proprietor are quite charming. A strong restaurant on all dimensions and also extremely cheap. By the way, maybe you knew the “old Keren,” but the place is under new management circa 2012 and is much improved.
Since seeing the listing here I have gone several times and it is easily one of my favorites too. I go so often the proprietor now recognizes me and if I have not been therei n some times asks where I’ve been. The staff is indeed very helpful, kind, and willing to give you honest versions of dishes. Once I forgot to ask for the check and she forgot/was too busy to give it to me, so I returned the next chance I could to pay. When she saw me she thanked me for coming back at all, only charged me half the price (I made it up with the tip anyway), and I think at that point it became my favorite Ethiopian-Eritrean-ish place by far. You definitely need to try the fuls and just ask her what she likes. Use Cowen’s advice and it will go far. Go go go!