RAS Restaurant & Lounge

I rate this restaurant slightly higher than the average user, because I am fond of what they do for the local music scene. Every week RAS hosts shows for various DC music scenes: hip-​hop, dance/​electronic, hardcore/​punk/​metal, and so on. They have a great little space for that (probably about 50 people fit in the show space with a little stage and decent PA/​sound setup, and at least 50 – 80 more can fill out into the main bar/​restaurant area).
But they’re also a great little neighborhood bar and restaurant, with a laid-​back staff. The food itself is a mix of Jamaican and Ethiopian food, and a handful of basic selections on the menu are good stuff. If you live near Sweet Mango or Negril or the 9^th/​U-​st area, I wouldn’t say you’re missing much, but they DO know how to cook legit dishes.
Plus, come in on a show night and you’ll get a taste of real DC culture. I mean, really good, honest, street-​level DC musicians of almost every genre plying their trade! Like I said, I’m touched a bit extra by their place as a little local music hotspot, but the food is good and the interior itself is pleasing. RAS is a great addition to its neighborhood!

the interior is gorgeous… i have been here on 2 occasions… once for food and once for the music.
i ordered the wings and fries… very generic in taste… nothing to talk about… very blahhh…
i went another time to hangout with friends… upon walking in the patrons inside gave my friends and i a look of «what are you doing walking in here»? we sat at the bar… got no service… and looked around to realize it was 5 ppl total in the bar and we exited.
all in all to say this place is really nicely decorated… makes you think you are in Kingston… but the crowd is odd and it needs some promoting for the place to get more business and the menu for the food needs to be revamped

I have yet to be let down by Ras Restaurant. Their food is consistently good. Their service has been nothing short of warm and friendly. The menu has been a bit limited but I did see that they were promoting the unveiling of their new menu this past week. My favorite has been the brown stew chicken but I’m looking forward to what the new menu might bring

My friend and I went for the first time this weekend. The menu is brief and to the point, but has enough options to satisfy. On the night we were there, they had an interesting special with tofu that mirrored some of the main meat dishes (tofu with brown sauce). My friend ordered the chicken with brown sauce and I ordered the bake with three choices of vegetables. I picked curried chickpeas, spicy lentils and beets. Everything was really good, but the lentils were especially delicious — well flavored. My friend’s dish had some of the tastiest cooked cabbage I’ve ever had — you could taste what our waitperson told us was Ethiopian butter. Rich in the best way. The staff was friendly and welcoming and attentive. On weekend evenings they have live music (we were there too early for that) and the décor and vibe makes the whole ambiance feel like it’d be fun to stick around for that.

Still giving 4 stars because everything else I’ve had is great and the service is so friendly. But last night I had the hamburger, which should be avoided, even when it’s on a half price special

Went expecting a dive atmosphere and top-​notch chow. Was surprised to find a really cool clubby ambience… but decent-​yet-​unexciting fodder. I and a friend shared the shark bake, jerk chicken, and roast eggplant. The shark bake was okay, kinda poboy-​ish, but nothing amazing. The jerk chicken was above average in the coating, but the sides were pretty pedestrian, as was the eggplant.
My main gripe was the really limited options. I’d brought my friend (who’s never had Carribean) thinking this would be like the many Georgia Ave walk-​up dives, and we could get some patites, coco bread, a few sides, some oxtail, and some weird juices and eat it out of a paper bag. Instead, there were only a few Jamaican items and a few Ethiopian, and a really, really, really limited beverage selection by Carribean standards. I’m used to cheap dives with huge glass-​front coolers full of Irish Moss, Grapefruit Ting, rootwines, tonics, all kinds of crazy flavours and types of drink. This place had Coke and Red Stripe.
Ambience was really hip, and it looks like a fun place to see a show, but for chow I’m sticking with Jamdown on Georgia and Fireside in Annacostia.

I came here for the Tuesday night stand up comedy.
I hadn’t eaten, and was delighted to see Ethiopian beef tips on the menu, as well as some cabbage and carrots. I requested it be more mild than normal.
Food came out quick, and was not too spicy. Larger portions than what I’m used to at other Ethiopian restaurants.
Great staff, and a wonderful server who educated me about the on going events they have. Live bands on the weekend and comedy every Tuesday. :)
minus 1 star for having sub par cola, and not real coke on tap.

Had the chicken jerk sandwich special and a cup of onion soup. Onion soup was superb. It was a french onion style but had a very sweet, pleasant, rich flavor. Sandwich was on a classic homemade roll. Very good. Terrific value.

Wow– the beets were amazing, yes i said the beets! I usually don’t go out to a restaurant and remember beets. these beets however, took everything to higher level. As hard as i’ve tried, i can’t figure out what makes them so yummy.
Overall, we had a great time. We are both vegetarians, so I can only comment on the veggie dishes. The food was fantastic and seemed a little lighter than i’ve had in the past, so I was not uncomfortable after my huge dinner. I love Ethiopian food and DC has so many great choices-​RAS will move to the top of my list. Besides the great food, our server was attentive and seemed really happy that we were so happy, which was nice. To top it off, they also had great music. Overall, it’s a warm, welcoming, beautiful space. I wish them the best of luck.

I had very high hopes for RAS after reading the reviews. My experience, however, fell flat.
The menu is very limited and is more so gives you a diner experience. I am of Caribbean descent, so my expectations for the food would likely be higher than most. My boyfriend and I had the Shark & Bake and it was just okay. It fell significantly below my expectations, but mind you I’ve had shake and bake many times before. The bake was like a crispy flat bread. The shark was coated in coarse bread crumbs. We asked for the dressings on the side, but the request wasn’t followed.
The service was very slow. The waitress, however, was friendly, gracious and apologetic in explaining that it is a new restaurant and they often have more patrons than expected.
I think it’s a restaurant with a lot of promise. Perhaps I will give it another try in a few months and order something besides the shark and bake.

This restaurant did not disappoint. My husband and I had the jerk chicken and it was very flavorful and authentic. We ordered out and the food was ready quickly. But we wouldn’t mind dining in the restaurant sometime – it has a very friendly and fun vibe. We stopped by once and the owner made us feel right at home.

A friend told me about this place and I wasn’t disappointed at all. I went there mid week after work and parking wasn’t a problem at all. A pretty friendly staff! Their home made bread is a banger, make sure to check that out. I had the bake and shark sandwich and it was on point. They also have wireless which makes it a good hang out spot on weekends or after work. Very reasonable pricing!

Just went to check out RAS, the new addition of Ethiopian/​Jamaican fare to Georgia Avenue. I know you might be thinking — how on earth do those cuisines go together? The answer — they just do.
It was only day 6 following the opening, and there are still some kinks to be worked out in the service arena (food took some time to arrive), but we really enjoyed the food and atmosphere.
I had the Tibs and the boyfriend tried the Bake and Shark, WOW. Everything was piping hot, fresh, with just enough heat to almost make you change your mind. Topped it off with Ginger Beer and left satisfied.
Negative…they are still working on the liquor license.
Bonus… the bill was less than $ 30!
One plug… the businesses over on Georgia Avenue (RAS and Fusion) need some butts in the seats. I always complain about not having good options nearby, so I’m shamelessly asking you to check them out :-).