Dama Ethiopian Pastry And Cafe

This place does not exist. It is called Monarch now and the hours are incorrect. I am here at noon on a Saturday and it is closed. No one picked up the phone when I called.

We were greeted upon entering, received good service, and the food was fantastic. We enjoyed eating outside and found the atmosphere quite comfortable.

Not a fan. Especially when there are so many great Ethiopian options in the area. The tibs were burnt and we just threw them away. The doro wot also was overly oily. We tossed that too. The veggie combo was okay though. I came here previously when it was Dama and it used to be much better.

I really liked the food at this restaurant, which I tried based on a recommendation from my Ethiopian friend. I was particularly happy to see that shiro was included in the vegetarian combo, as it is often not available at other places. The food was delicious and fresh, and the server was friendly. My husband enjoyed his beef dish, which was cooked to his preferred level of spiciness. We had a cold Habesha beer with our meal and still had leftovers to take home. I also made sure to save room for the black and white cake, which was a delicious chocolate layer cake sandwiched between two vanilla layers.

Wife called the order in and I picked it up. Had a little confusion with the new name change to Monarch Ethiopian Restaurant and Bar but once I realized the address was the same I went in through the front door. They have outdoor covered seating on a patio area and two people tables against the building. (There was a strong smell of cigarette smoke and a few men sitting on the patio; not sure if they were smoking but there were ashtrays one the outside two person tables). Food was ready and the employee was very nice and informed me the restaurant name changed since they were now serving hard liquor; so that's awesome for the future after the pandemic! The area appeared very clean and pretty spacious. The food smelled so good in the car ride home! We got the awaze beef and lamb tibs and both were good but the beef really hit the craving!! The meal came with a small salad and some sauce (not spicy) and the best part was the food being served on top of the injera so it didn't leave a giant sauce mess in the plastic bag or my car! Yay!! Since our favorite Ethiopian place in Alexandria closed this is going to fill the void!! Can't wait to come back and try more items!