Etete Hires New Chef, Re-Opening after Renovation in about 2-3 Weeks

1942 9th Street, NW

Update: “I am the older son of Etete. My name is Alazar Tesfaye. This is news to us. Etete still runs the business. And it is still family owned. Etete has not retired. She just got a new partner. She hired a new chef and expanded the menu.”

Back in September we learned that Etete was closing for renovations through November. December and January came and went but all was still dark. I was finally able to track down what’s going on.

I was able to briefly chat with the new chef, Chef Chris Roberson who most recently relaunched the food program at Potter’s House in Adams Morgan. Roberson tells me that Etete’s chef, “Mama”, was looking to retire but has hired Chef Roberson. Just like the space itself has been completely renovated, the menu too will be totally retooled. The menu will reflect Roberson’s experiences, including his travels in West Africa and growing up with soul/southern food. But make no mistake – Ethiopian will still feature prominently on the menu. In fact the last the thing Roberson told me was that Mama is coming in to tomorrow to train the new crew on Ethiopian spices. There will be continued training this week and a possible soft opening next week, so stay tuned for a public opening in about three weeks. Looking forward to learning more about the new menu. Standby for an exact opening date.

looking south towards T Street and DC9

looking north towards U Street and Nellie’s