Dessie and neighbors

Outside seating

Located in Montgomery County, MD 20902

Located just a few steps from the bustling intersection of University Boulevard and Veirs Mill Road, Dessie Ethiopian Restaurant and Market gives you a choice to make – walk straight into the market, or turn right to the bright and colorful dining room for a meal.

Owner Lishan Demekristos decided to open her own food-centered business in Wheaton in 2004 after running a vending company dealing in injera in the Washington DC area. Dessie began as a store selling injera and spices (which it still does) but decided to add her mother’s traditional Ethiopian recipes and use a section of the location’s space to open the restaurant. The restaurant celebrated its tenth anniversary in November 2014! “I moved to Silver Spring in 1989 and for years, saw people going out all the time to ethnic restaurants and places, but there was no Ethiopian food,” said Demekristos. “Wheaton is close to Chevy Chase, Bethesda, Silver Spring and Kensington and I thought this place would catch people's eyes.”

Dessie Ethiopian Restaurant & Market