Guenet Tadesse will sit down for a coffee ceremony with patrons on a slow day.

by Austin Schott

Guenet Tadesse is truly one of the most thoughtful individuals I have met. I interviewed her recently to learn more about her café, which opened last December on Georgia Avenue, and she went far out of her way to make me feel at home. She came to meet me at the café on her day off, and when I entered, she immediately went behind the bar to make me an espresso drink. I’m sure she was ready to head home after the interview, but when she noted my interest in the Ethiopian coffee ceremony display, she eagerly put on the traditional white dress and performed a shortened version of the ceremony for me.

I’m not the only one who finds Guenet especially devoted to doting. A customer recently told her that when he comes into the café, he feels like he’s back with his parents. Another customer, in an online review, called her “the sweetest.”

Guenet says it’s her desire to serve anyone and everyone. I asked Guenet what her mission for the restaurant is, and she responded, “I want everyone who comes here to leave happy.”

The 7 Veggies Combo, Guenet’s popular veggie combo dish (Photo credit: Guayi Fernández, 3 Heads Creative)

Spicy advocado toast from Gueny’s cafe (Photo credit: Guayi Fernández, 3 Heads Creative)

Ethiopian by birth, Guenet enjoys sharing traditional Ethiopian dishes with her patrons (the veggie platter is especially tasty). At the same time, her café is praised for its pastas, sandwiches and avocado toast. One customer posted online, that Guenet served him “one of the best lentil soups ever.”

She is also intent on making each dish to her customer’s preferences. “I take care of my customers,” she told me. She will often let folks try a sip of their beverage and offer adjustments: “More caramel? More milk?” Although, usually, they respond that the drink is perfect as is.

Guenet prides herself on taking care of her customers.

Guenet has long had a passion for serving food to others. In a previous job, she organized large-scale catering for her company’s events. She also started her own catering business. But the pandemic threw a wrench into her setup — she was laid off in the spring of 2020 when her company declared bankruptcy. She had worked there 13 years.

Guenet took that moment to reevaluate her passion for food service, and she decided what better way to get delicious food in front of the DC community than by opening a restaurant? She compiled the profits from her catering business and Gueny’s Café was born.

Owning a restaurant is not without its trials. Guenet told me inflation has shot up the prices of her raw materials. Her supplier’s butter has doubled in price, and their olive oil has tripled. And she’s hoping to attract more customers from the neighborhood.

Although Guenet currently lives in Silver Spring, she has really taken to Petworth. Her café sits in a building that had been vacant for a few months, and she eagerly snatched it off the market. She says it was the perfect size for her at the time, although she dreams of expanding in the future. Her only desire is to meet more members of the community: “I’m open to everyone,” she said. “Come on in. Enjoy my food.”

The café’s setting hints at Guenet’s Ethiopian heritage and her love for coffee. On one wall, she displays a hand-made display of the Ethiopian legend of coffee’s origin. The story goes that a young goat herder discovered the coffee when his goats became excited after chewing on the bean, soon after he made a drink from the beans and coffee as we know it was born. Across from the printing, she has three framed drawings, narrated in Amharic, each showing a different step to making a cup of traditional Ethiopian coffee: purchasing the beans at the market, roasting, and final preparation.

Coffee pouring from a clay jar in a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony.

She explained the coffee ceremony’s signature role in Ethiopia to me. She shared, the ceremony isn’t reserved for special events. Just the opposite. People in Ethiopia often share the ceremony with visiting guests, family or old friends – anyone who has the time for the multi-hour experience. It’s a chance to get to know each other, commiserate or work through a tough problem.

Having observed this graphic history adorning her walls and hearing her detail coffee’s importance in Ethiopia, it meant so much for Guenet to take the time (again, on her day off!) to pour me a cup of traditional coffee. I highly advise you to come in for a cup yourself.

Gueny’s Cafe & Market
5320 Georgia Ave NW
(202) 248-1446
guenycafe.com