PHLReview
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Doro Bet
Included In
Remember when people used to give you money and say “go get yourself something nice”? Maybe it was a weird distant relative giving you $20 for your birthday, or the person you’re in a situationship with sending a Venmo your way. Sure, as a kid you probably spent it on a Hollister t-shirt, but we’re here to tell you how to spend that Venmo cash now. It’s on a plate of incredible Ethiopian food at University City’s Doro Bet.
This West Philly corner shop puts Ethiopia front and center. On its bright walls, Addis Ababa—the capital city—and neighborhoods like Seratenga Sefer and Zenebework are all painted in an Amharic word cloud. The dining room has hanging lights, artwork, and a menu written in colorful chalk above the plant-lined counter. You can order ahead online or upfront next to the glass display (with specials like tiramisu made with Ethiopian coffee inside). If you eat at the seats along the wall or the tables near the picture window, you’ll see groups of college students having a casual lunch, hospital workers who couldn’t resist an order of mid-shift shawarma wings, and people from the neighborhood talking about weekend plans near mesob baskets.
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
There’s no shortage of African spots near Baltimore Avenue. But Doro Bet sets itself apart with excellent service and a menu with few forgettable dishes. The chicken options are all over the map—half and whole, sandwiches, shawarma salads, and our favorite, doro wot—and there are some solid vegan options like teff-flour fried mushrooms. This makes the easygoing restaurant a crowd-pleaser for anybody interested in perfectly stewed, peppery, always satisfying food.
Open every day of the week (except Tuesdays), stop by when you want to relax, sip on a hibiscus iced tea, and have food more comforting than sitting by a fireplace in the winter—or that old Hollister t-shirt.
Food Rundown
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Mac and Cheese
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Enguday
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Addis Fries
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Shawarma Wrap
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Fried Chicken
photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO
Doro Wot