Adulis Coffee & Roastery

Adulis Coffee and Roastery sits in Silver Spring near the DC line, serving Ethiopian food alongside Ethiopian coffee roasted in house behind the bar. The House Blend gets called the best roast in downtown Silver Spring by regulars who have worked their way through the neighborhood's options. The roaster is visible behind the counter, which is the kind of transparency that matters when authenticity is the pitch and the neighborhood has heard a lot of pitches.

The food is real Ethiopian. Veggie Combo 5 is the entry point for vegetarians and the order most first-timers leave talking about. Tibs is the move if you want spiced sauteed meat. Shiro, the chickpea stew, is the comfort order on a cold afternoon. An avocado and egg bagel sandwich handles the Western lane for customers who want it that morning. Tiramisu is in the case for dessert and is a serious version, not a tourist-bait one. An Ethiopian combo breakfast brings together chechebsa, eggs, and grain in a single plate that's worth ordering once just to see how the breakfast tradition works.

The space is small, maybe six to eight tables, with comfy seating and sunlight that reflects in through the front in a way regulars notice and visiting customers tend to call out. The WiFi is strong and the outlets are there for laptop sessions. Late hours, around 9pm, make this one of the few real evening cafes in the area, which has built a separate customer base of students and remote workers who needed somewhere open past the standard 6pm cafe close.

The honest friction is service. A handful of 2025 and 2026 customer accounts flag slow or selective service that turned the visit into a long wait, and the consistency is not what it was a year ago. Most days the operation runs well; some days it doesn't, and you can't always tell which kind of day you walked into. The fit is students and laptop workers, Ethiopian food fans, and neighborhood regulars who can roll with the occasional off shift. Customers wanting frictionless quick service should plan around the variance.