Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant

Reviews

• Cyn C.

  star star star star star 12 June 2026

  This my go to place for Ethiopian food!! We love this place for the following reasons:
  1) food is decently priced. Ive been to Ethiopian restaurants that are super expensive!
  2) they give you a lot of Injera rolls (ethiopian flatbread) so you really dont have to order extra.
  3) the service is always good and the servers are very friendly!
  4) Food is soo yummy and flavorful. I go vegetarian once a week so I love how flavorful their veggie options are!!
  
  My go to is the Vegetarian sampler which has all my favorites!!! The sample contains cabbage, collard greens, red lentils (spicy), and yellow split peas. The veggie sample is just so yummy you really dont need the meat! Last night my husband ordered the beef sampler and that too was really good! I didnt try to much of it though but he seemed to enjoy each sample.

• Katherine L.

  star star star star star_border 22 May 2026

  Not sure why Rockville has just one amazing Ethiopian restaurant, but here it is! In a strip mall off 355/ the Pike, next to a Thai restaurant and home store, is the best Ethiopian restaurant in Rockville!
  
  They have lunch specials and the regular dinner menu with generous portions. For those new to this cuisine, I would suggest going for lunch or going for dinner with a fellow diner. Then you can have smaller portions at lunch and not feel like you spent too much, or share the platter of some sampler at dinner.
  
  Also, if you don't like sourdough, it's less likely you will enjoy injera. You may wish to opt for rice instead. It is nice they have this choice. For a few extra dollars, you can opt for teff (gluten free) injera and not sorry about the gluten. However, they note on the menu food is not certified gluten free, as there is just one kitchen.
  
  Onto the food- yum! Expect traditional choices here. As a vegan-sampler-platter kind of diner, I offer only insight on this. It's nice they have 2 vegan samplers- so, again, depending on your appetite and/or adventurous nature, opt for the smaller or larger sampler. They are so nice- you can substitute  other wats/wots than what is listed. Still, everything is delicious! I love their yellow split peas/ ater lol alicha, as well as their gomen (collards). They have a nice spicy kick to the key mesir and their Berbere sauce. The tikil gomen (cabbage) is good but not the best. The shiro wot is very tasty- chickpea puree with many subtle spices.
  
  I also appreciate they have appetizers like broccoli and salad if you want more green to your meal. There's an injera-based dessert too! Smoothies also count as dessert if you ask me- Sheba power smoothie with flax and use almond milk, yes!
  
  Although I don't equate Rockville with Ethiopian food, Sheba does a fine job to stand on its own against the Silver Spring and DC institutions. Prices are similar to the other area Ethiopian eateries.
  
  Great choice to mix up your Rockville dining scene! Quality and authenticity- check!

• J M.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 19 May 2026

  I only felt compelled to write this review after seeing all the 5 star reviews. Who are they paying to write these reviews? This place was mediocre at best before they changed ownership. I had not been there in over a year because it was not that great but it worked out as far as commute. I was running short on time for lunch a few days ago so I decided to drop in for a vegan platter.
  
  The dinner portion size has been cut in half. The server gave me and my party 4 halves of injera. The entree was served on a half size of injera versus the whole. The veggies were bland, like always. The injera was stale. It had the brown marks from being reheated and it was stiffer than a fresh batch.
  
  The server was sweet but she delivered our entrees with forks?? I asked for a vegan platter and the dish had an egg on it. She insisted that I told her vegetarian. She was nice about switching out the dish but that did not help with my time constraints.
  
  If you are familiar with what authentic Ethiopian food and culture this place should never be your first choice.
  
  The parking availability is horrible and the restaurant owner in the adjacent building is constantly policing the parking lot to tow cars.
  
  The overall experience was only worth 2 stars.. :/

• Bernadette C.

  star star star star_border star_border 17 May 2026

  We enjoyed their food, it was tasty and very flavorful. The service was good, we got the food to go. Their were very nice and attentive. We wish the portion size was bigger, perhaps it would have be better if we ate at the restaurant. The price was in the middle, not the cheapest and not the most expensive.

• Joanna C.

  star star star star star_border 16 May 2026

  What a great discovery! My brother and I wanted to introduce my mom to Ethiopian food and DC was a bit too far so we decided to try out Sheba in Rockville. We're glad we did because the food was delicious! We shared the Lamb Sampler and Vegetarian Sampler, which were delicious and filling. I'm a huge fan of their cabbage and collard greens in particular. Service was super friendly, though the water refills were infrequent. Would definitely come back (as would mom)!