Rosalind's Ethiopian

08/23/09

recommended for vegetarians

by umm_okay at Citysearch

The food at Rosalind's is fantastic. We ordered the vegan appetizer and the vegetarian combination plate as an entree. Both dishes came out in a timely fashion, the entree with a big plate of that wonderful Injera crepe-like bread. My only issue with the restaurant was that one of our two servers wasn't friendly, and only refilled our water once. We waited a very long time for the bill, but it was okay because it gave us time to sponge up leftover buttery sauce with injera. Overall, good experience, though I wish the service had been a little bit better.

• Pros: food, prices
• Cons: service

12/17/08

Awful!

by rg90036 at Citysearch

I had take-out from this restaurant and ordered the combination appetizer, the beef and chicken entree and the vegetarian entree. Firstly, the person who placed my order was very rude and rushed me through my order as if they were very busy. I walk in 15 minutes to a completely empty restaurant. My family urged me to post this due to the horrible condition of the food. The appetizer was all old. The shrimp must have been there for days to have a jerky like texture. The meatball and the other round bread-like things were also very tough and dry as if they have been sitting in the kitchen for a long time. The beef and chicken dish was almost entirely sauce with very tiny pieces of meat and one drumstick and one egg. The vegetarian entree was decent but I've had much much better across the street.

11/06/08

Food and atmosphere to warm your soul

by americangirl08 at Citysearch

Ended up at Roaslinds the other night with my fiance and his buddy. We were tired and hungry. Our experience at Rosalinds brought us back to life! After indicating our Vegetarian inclination to our lovely server, she decided for us. I love it when you feel you can trust the staff with your food selection! Our salads were crisp and refreshing, the entree - a giant platter of scrumptiosness to be shared family style using Injera -was awesome. I liked the decor and vibe and just felt really comfortable there! We will definitely be back!

• Pros: food that makes you feel good!
• Cons: parking

02/18/08

The popular ethiopian spot

by foodloversarah at Citysearch

My boyfriend and I went here to experience ethiopian food for the first time, and this place out of all of Little Ethiopia was the nicest looking and the most popular. The food was tasty and spicy, so go prepared for spice! I wish they would have told us that most people order the a la carte dishes which then all come together on a plate for sharing, so when you go make sure you know it is meant to be family style, but our combo plate with three items plus an appetizer would have been enough for 3 people and it is so cheap! Definitely a great cheap date place and the decor makes it feel much more authentic than some of the other places along fairfax. Definitely a must try if you haven't tried it before! We will be back to sample some of the other items now that we know how it works! The Sambusas are a must

• Pros: cheap food, fun to share, unique food taste
• Cons: slow with water service, ethiopian beers kind of pricey

01/28/08

Bad service and poor atmosphere

by tarametblog at Citysearch

The restaurnat lacked the charming vision I had of dark lights and small round tables, especially since it had bright lighting, big tables and only small wicker ones that are more for show, as well as an unplesant waitres/hostess that would slam the plates down and not answer us. It took several explanations to explain the fact that we couldn't have the lamb since it had curry on it (allergies) and if she could subsitute beef instead without ordering another dish. In the end, it was an experience though, the food wasn't terrible, just not prepared will with the beef being over cooked and tough. I had to go to Carl's Jr. afterwards jut to fill up properly.

12/17/07

Wasted meal . . . food was inedible.

by rhinostylee at Citysearch

Rosalind's cemented my dislike of Ethiopian food. All of the meat (chicken, beef, and shrimp) was over-cooked across the board. We ordered the shrimp appetizer, and all of the shrimp were so over-cooked that you couldn't peel/de-vein it (it comes unpeeled), so it was inedible. Then our entree's arrived . . . the beef was the toughest, stringiest, cheapest, and most over-cooked beef I have ever tasted in my life. How can you screw up beef sauteed with onions and peppers? One mouthful left us picking our teeth for 10 minutes. After striking out with the shrimp and beef, I took one bite of the chicken and ended up with a mouthful of cartilage, at which point I decided to cut my losses and asked for the check. The best part of the meal was the injera bread (which is tasteless, if that tells you anything). The only good thing that came from that meal is the ability to prevent others from making the same mistake as I did in choosing to dine at this restaurant.

• Pros: none
• Cons: bad food

One of the neighborhood's most popular eateries, this large restaurant features colorful indoor/outdoor seating, a full bar and late-night dancing.

by Tara Lis at Citysearch

In Short
This spacious two-room restaurant is a draw among native neighbors as well as adventurous eaters enjoying their first foray into Ethiopian food. For the natives, there are popular dance nights for socializing and flat screen TVs for sports-watching among familiar faces. For the uninitiated, it's a good study in Ethiopian 101, from the gojo hut-covered tables to photos and symbols of Africa covering the bright yellow walls. Strong incense flavors the experience as diners dig into shared veggie, meat and chicken combinations.

02/06/07

Terrible customer service and mediocre food

by evaromero at Citysearch

Service at this restaurant was absolutely awful. Besides that, there wasn't much variety on the menu and the food was below average. My husband and I have been to a lot of Ethiopian restaurants and this one had the worst I've ever had. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

• Pros: atmosphere
• Cons: food, service, parking

01/26/07

My Favorite Little Ethiopia Restaurant

by amiegleed at Citysearch

I just ate at Rosalind's with my boyfriend and 2 friends this evening and had a delightful meal. The community-style dining is always fun with a group, but the meal was flavor-packed, too.

We ordered the Meat Combo #1, which came with beef and lamb stew, and the vegetable combo, which had cabbage, lentils (2 kinds), potatoes, collard greens, and a side order of plantains. Every single thing on the platter was exceptionally good, except for the lamb stew; it was a bit tough--the weak link of the meal. I could not get enough of the potatoes--the combination of spices was fantastic!

The atmosphere is charming--hut roofs over most tables and the bar, and the tables for 2 featured drum-shaped tables with recessed tops out of which the food is eaten. Cool and authentic-feeling. There was a large party celebrating a birthday and they turned the lights down low and played some Ethiopian party music for the candle-blowing. It was fun and festive and well-suited for a large group.

• Pros: Fantastic food, Friendly service, Inexpensive
• Cons: No parking lot

11/03/06

Best Ethiopian on Fairfax

by anne_bender at Citysearch

This is the best of the Ethiopian places on Fairfax. The food is wonderful, the setting is nice, and the service is good. Try the honey wine.

• Pros: great food, nice place, good times