My spouse and I visited Lucy’s Ethiopian Restaurant on a
Monday evening in mid-December 2019. Lucy’s is open daily for lunch and dinner.
Diners can make an online reservation using their website.
The Bethesda location of Lucy’s is located on Cordell Avenue
in the Woodmont Triangle
neighborhood, in the space previously occupied by
Grapeseed restaurant. (Another location exists in Silver Spring.) We stayed
nearby at The Bethesdan (a Hilton property that was formerly called the
Doubletree), and it was a short walk from the hotel to the restaurant. The
“Lucy” in the restaurant’s name refers to the 3.2-million-years-old female
archeological remains that were discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. The large space
includes the main front dining/bar room (accented with colorful hand-painted
murals, one of which includes a primitive cave drawing of what Lucy might have
looked like), with a few more private booths toward the rear of the space
adjacent to a private dining room.
As its name suggests, Lucy’s serves Ethiopian cuisine,
something we had heard about but never tried before. We knew we would have to
eat with our hands, using spongy injera flatbread to grab, wrap, and scoop our
food. As a starter, we shared the sambusas (samosas), one lentil and one beef,
which reminded us of Mexican empanadas. As our main plates, we ordered one lamb
and one beef dish, which were served on a huge platter covered with injera that
also included our six chosen side dishes (including beets, kale, two kinds of
peas, and two kinds of lentils). The restaurant has a full liquor license, so patrons
can enjoy beer, wine, and cocktails with their meal.
We enjoyed our unique dinner at Lucy’s Ethiopian Restaurant.
