Hot and new can steal the spotlight, but what about longstanding local favorites? Each month, we’ll visit a Richmond-area restaurant that has been in business 15 years or longer.
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Genet Worku, head chef of Addis Ethiopian Restaurant
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An Ethiopian platter featuring beef and chicken tibs
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Addis owner Dilnessaw Bitew and head chef Genet Worku
In Shockoe Bottom sits longstanding and beloved Ethiopian restaurant Addis (9 N. 17th St.). Open since 2008, it’s become a global dining destination drawing loyal patrons seeking flavors of the Horn of Africa, including gomen (collard greens), fossolia (green beans and carrots) and yekik alicha, mild yellow split peas seasoned with chopped onions and pressed garlic.
Owner Dilnessaw Bitew studied business in New York before moving to Richmond in 1990, where he worked in banking and real estate. He originally took over the restaurant to help a friend. “But I fell in love with it,” Bitew says, “Richmond is supportive, very open-minded people.”
The culinary team is a hands-on crew led by chef Genet Worku. Everything is made from scratch, including cheese, and the restaurant relies on regular trips to Maryland and Washington, D.C. to source authentic ingredients such as teff flour for injera (a spongy, fermented flatbread) and niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter). Bitew notes that rising food costs have created challenges, but portions, recipes and value remain unchanged.
Much of the menu is naturally vegetarian and gluten-free. Enjoying many of the signature dishes begins with tearing injera to scoop food inlcuding doro wat, a spiced chicken stew with hard-boiled egg — Bitew’s favorite. He says Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital and his restaurant’s namesake, is known for kitfo, a dish of raw beef mixed with onions, tomatoes, jalapenos and mitmita, a spice blend made from bird’s-eye chile peppers, cardamom, cloves, cumin, ginger and cinnamon that is also a signature at the restaurant.
The space also hosts events from weddings to fundraisers, serving as a hub for the community and reflecting the power of food to bring people together.
