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Restaurants and Bars

There are hundreds of restaurants to chose from in Addis. There are no particular expat hangouts. When I arrived, four different people sent me their list of places to check out which include more than 60 restaurants. There are some stand-out restaurants and bars which are worth driving across the city to get to, but there are far more which are great to visit if you’re in that area.

On this page you will find a list of restaurants and bars that I recommend in Addis. In addition, at the bottom you will find a further list of places that I want to visit because they have been recommended, but that I have not yet had a chance to go to.

I have grouped them into fancy (upmarket), relaxed, brunch, fun, and world cuisine.

5 * Restaurants – best place for a fancy meal – worth driving across town for

1. Markus Addis Restaurant, CBE Tower – recently opened by celebrity chef Markus Samuelsson, this restaurant is at the top of the tallest building in Addis and so the views are incredible. It has a great atmosphere and great food. The valet parking is also handy since the car park is underground.
2. Entoto Bistrot, Airport Road – longstanding fine dining restaurant. Really good food and nice, posh atmosphere. It’s not huge so book ahead to get a table.
3. Jade Restaurant, Sheraton – this restaurant opened recently and so doesn’t have a lot of online reviews yet but I can confirm that the food is fantastic. We paid 95 dollars for a 3 course meal with lots of sushi and drinks.
4. Hotto, Bole Atlas – this is a posh fusion of Ethiopian and Japanese cuisince. Funky atmosphere, well stocked bar; dress smartly.
5. Castelli’s, Piazza – so exclusive they don’t even have a sign. Excellent Italian food in an atmosphere that hasn’t changed in 50 years.
6. Le Basilic, Mega – great attention to detail, nice atmosphere, and the best pizza in Addis (so far!)
7. Kaz, towards Piazza – best sushi in Addis, IMHO.

4 * Restaurants – still good but more relaxed – worth dropping by if you’re in the area

These restaurants are also good but more relaxed. Worth dropping by if you’re in the area.

1. Mesott Cultinary Experience, Arat Kilo – Meskott could almost be described as fancy but definitely a great place for lunch or dinner with friends. Good cocktails, great menu. I was not disappointed with the burger.
2. Mamma Mia, Kazanchis – exceptionally good Italian food in an understated environment. When we arrived we thought we were at the wrong place but it was actually fantastic.
3. Betucci, Old Airport Area – really nice atmosphere with a garden and some small artisinal shops within the compound. The Italian food is top notch and Betucci is likely to become your local if you live nearby.
4. La Louvre, Kebele – Also a hotel, this restaurant has a fun atmosphere and good, French style food. It’s run by a French couple who have been in Addis forever.
5. Dok Topview, Megagnana – decent Italian but past it’s heyday.

Where are some great brunch spots?

1. Gateau – Old Airport – great food and great coffee. They also have some nice western products to buy. Gets very busy on the weekends.
2. Enitawawek – Mega – great food and they also host lost of activities (Yoga, ballet, art)
3. Koba – you probably know it already.

Where is the best place for Ethiopian food?

1. Addis Ababa Restaurant – Piazza – unique, truly traditional and well worth visiting. They burn incense inside the restaurant which gives it a unique mystique, and the food is great! The kind of place you take your family when they visit you in Addis. See my video on this restaurant here on IG.
2. Kategna Restaurants – there are many around the city but this one neat the airport was great. Good atmosphere, clean, and tasty food. My only gripe was that they wouldn’t allow me to take a picture of the bar – what are they hiding?
3. If you are looking for a meal and a show, then od Abyssinia (here or here), Toto Restaurant, and 2000 Habesha all offer traditional Ethiopian food and cultural performances and friends have recommended them

World Cuisine

• Lebanese: I have not found a proper Lebanese restaurant yet but there are some approximations which are good.
  • The Kitchen at the Hyatt is good but a bit fancy
  • Beit al Mandi in Bole Atlas is really nice but more Yemeni
  • Aladdin is nice but more Armenian
  • Allebnany offer an Ethio-Lebanese menu and the grilled meat and mezzes are great. The chefs are Lebanese and Syrian (the perfect combo!) They also sell Lebanese sweets in a separate shop around the corner.
• Chinse: Panda Private Kitchen has excellent Chinese cuisine. It is not expensive and has a relaxed atmosphere.
• Japanese: Sakura has really good and authentic Sushi. Jade also does good sushi but the best sushi that i have tried so far is at Kaz, a new restaurant which has just opened between the centre and Piazza.

Best Places to see Live Music in Addis Ababa

1. Fendika was an incredible live music venue but it was sadly demolished recently. They are trying to raise money to rebuild it. If you would like to contribute, see here. From 11 December then will restart their Monday evening performances at the Hyatt Regency.
2. Moseb Cultural Centre – this is like the up and coming Fendika. It is more recent and less established than Fendika, but has a super cool chilled out vibe and it’s cheap. The website is of the band, rather than the location, but you can find it here.
3. African Jazz Village is another great live music venue (thanks to Nina for the reminder!).
4. Many other places have live music on certain days, such as Union Bar and Atmosphere, both listed below.

Best place to go for a drink in Addis (like a pub)

If you’re only looking for a drink, and you don’t fancy live music or food, try these places:

1. Union Cocktail Bar and Restaurant has a great view overlooking Meskel Square. It also has a funky atmosphere and good cocktails. Sometimes they turn the music up too loud but apart from that, it’s a great place for a drink, either with a partner or with friends.
2. Atmosphere – as the name suggests, there is a very cool feeling to this place and the perfect place to chill out with a beer. They hold lots of events here with decent food too.
3. Le Louvre Hotel has a nice bar atmosphere with seating inside and outside.

Places that I want to visit

But haven’t yet had the chance

• Clubs: Armenian Club
• Restaurants: EatnSee,
• Bars: The Social, Villa Verde
• Cafes: Yedur traditional coffee
• Hibir Restaurant – Bole Airport – Great traditional Atmosphere and good Habesha food.
• Mexican: Cobuqa has surprisingly good Mexican food
• Korean: Bwon Korean Cuisine – Bole Airport – one of the best Korean restaurants here, their crispy chicken is absolutely delicious and the owner is a wonderful person! Also Arirang is really good according to a reader (I’ve not been yet!).