Harar Mesob Bar & Restaurant

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I used to LOVE this place (gave it 5 stars)! Delicious food, best injera anywhere, and friendly service. I always looked forward to a visit whenever I was in Crystal City (a lot). I walked in for a late dinner last night and found...all new furniture, and no people. The straw Ethiopian tables were gone - in fact, the restaurant tables were all gone too - and instead, the place was crammed full of lounge furniture. The air conditioning was freezing so we decided to sit out on the new lower level patio. People were smoking from hookahs on both levels so we had to choose between hookahs and cold, and we took the hookahs. Through the long course of our dinner (server said it was her first night, so I'll refrain from commenting on the service, other than that we had to ask for napkins...hello, we're eating with our hands), we endured not only a growing crowd of hookah smokahs, but also a lot of whooping from one of the women (not sure if she was affiliated with the restaurant or not). I've never gone here for the drinks but all of the beers are in bottles. The food was still decent but not as good as it was before (perhaps flavored by my disappointment), and even the injera didn't taste as good. What a complete bummer. Apparently I am not Harar Mesob's new target market, and I will be taking my per diem elsewhere in future. Goodbye Harar Mesob! I'll miss the way you were, and will be at Enjera across the street when I want my 23rd St Ethiopian fix.